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Chapter Text

Monday's child is fair of face,
Tuesday's child is full of grace.
Wednesday's child is full of woe,
Thursday's child has far to go.
Friday's child is loving and giving,
Saturday's child works hard for a living.
And the child that is born on the Sabbath day
Is bonny and blithe, good and gay.

Nursery rhyme.

==========

Friday, July 6, 2007
"Reports are coming in of an incident at billionaire Tony Stark's Malibu mansion. Shots have been heard, but, as yet, we have no information. CNN's Garry Harmon is there reporting live. Garry?"

"Thank you, Fredericka. I can report that the police are here and are inside the property. Billionaire Tony Stark and his wife are believed to have been out when the incident occurred and are on their way back to the house now..."

Saturday, July 7, 2007
"It's been confirmed that the son of billionaire Tony Stark has been kidnapped from his Malibu home and is currently missing. Police have confirmed that Peter Stark's nanny and bodyguard were on the property at the time and both were shot and killed during the attack. NBC's Victor Grant reports live from Malibu..."

Sunday, July 8, 2007
"Peter Stark, the only child of billionaire Tony Stark, is still reported missing. The five-year-old was kidnapped from his Malibu home on the evening of July 6. There are no reports of any ransom demands at this time. Tony Stark, the owner and CEO of Stark Industries is offering a reward of fifty million dollars for information leading to the whereabouts of his son. We go now to Stark Industries where a press conference is being held..."

Chapter Text

Friday, September 5, 2008

"Who was that? Ben?" May left the kitchen and went into the living room. "Ben?"

He finally turned to look at her, but she got the distinct impressive he wasn't seeing her at all. "Richard and Mary were in a plane crash."

"Oh, Ben! Are they -"

Ben shook his head. "They're... they're dead."

May drew in a breath. Ben hadn't been at all close to his brother and sister-in-law, but still. To hear of their deaths at such a young age was horrifying. "Oh, honey." She rubbed his shoulder gently.

He sat down on the couch suddenly, as if his knees had given out. "That was - that was Richard's lawyer asking when I could collect Peter."

"Peter? Who's Peter?"

"Their son." He looked at her. "He never even told me..."

May shook her head as she put her arms around him and cuddled into his side. Well, if that wasn't typical of Richard! You never knew where he was or what he was doing. Ben had said once that he'd hoped marriage would have settled Richard down, but he'd been even worse than ever. Not telling them about his own child was a new low though.

Ben turned to face her, interrupting her thoughts. "May, I know we didn't plan on having kids but -"

"He's your nephew." May knew it would be difficult. Ben was a police officer and she was a nurse; there were times it had felt like they were two ships passing in the night. Taking in a grief-stricken child was going to be difficult but: "We'll make it work. How old is he?"

"Eight. Eight years old and they never said! I can't believe Richard never told us! I guess he never wanted us to meet him."

"That turned out well," May sniped, her annoyance rising in the face of Ben's pain. She took a breath and pushed it back. Richard and Mary were gone; there was nothing to be done now about their behaviour.

"I'm going to have to go to Seattle. The lawyer said the bodies haven't even been released yet but they need me to collect Peter."

"Seattle? Weren't they in Alaska?"

 Ben shrugged. "Don't ask me. You know Richard and Mary."

Well, no, she didn't. And now she never would. "Well, wherever. We'll go to Seattle and collect Peter. He's my nephew now, too." May's heart just about broke at the thought of him. He had to be so confused.

Ben hugged her closely. "I got so lucky when I met you."

"So you keep on telling me." She kissed him gently. "Where's Peter now?"

"With a babysitter or something. I guess they were minding him until Richard and Mary got back from their business trip. The lawyer said they'll bring Peter to his office and I - we - can collect him from there."

"I'll look up flights. You phone the precinct and arrange for compassionate leave, then I'll phone the hospital."

===============

Saturday, September 6, 2008

May's first sight of her newly acquired nephew was one she never forgot. He was surprisingly dark-haired and tiny, far smaller than she'd expected, given how big and broad Ben was. He was huddled in a chair, his head hanging low and his arms wrapped around a red stuffed alpaca toy.

The woman sitting next to him got up as the lawyer - Mr. Gustafson - introduced her. "This is Mrs. Donnelly; she's been looking after Peter."

They all shook hands and Mrs. Donnelly made some comment about condolences that May could never remember later. All her attention was on Peter.

If Mrs. Donnelly noticed, she didn't seem to mind. "This is Peter," she said, putting her hand on his narrow back. "Peter, love, say hello to your auntie and uncle."

He obediently raised his head and looked at May and Ben with heartbreakingly big brown eyes. "Hello."

May smiled at him. "Hello, sweetie. I'm so pleased to meet you."

Ben knelt down beside Peter's chair. "Hi, Peter, I'm your Uncle Ben. Who's this little fellow, then?"

Peter hugged his toy tighter. "He's Gerald, my alpaca. Mommy gave him to me."

Mrs. Donnelly said softly, "He won't sleep without Gerald." As May looked at her, she added, "He doesn't sleep well anyway, but he can't sleep without Gerald."

"Does Gerald guard you in your sleep?" asked Ben.

Peter shook his head. "He gets frightened. I have to look after him."

"Don't you worry, Peter," Ben said. "We'll look after both of you."

Mr. Gustafson gave a cough. "If you wouldn't mind signing these papers, Mr. Parker."

"I'll be back in a minute, buddy." Ben stood up and moved away.

"He's a good boy," Mrs. Donnelly whispered, as Peter went back to looking at the floor. "Quiet though. He doesn't talk much."

"Did you know Richard and Mary well?" May asked.

"Not really. We've been neighbours for about four months now. My Daniel plays with him. Daniel's going to miss him. Oh, before I forget!" She produced a small bag. "There's his inhaler."

"Oh, he has asthma?" May asked, accepting the bag.

"Especially at night." Mrs. Donnelly sighed. "He likes you to check in all the closets for monsters. He's bright as a button though. I swear he can read better than I can."

Ben came back, they gathered up Peter and his things, and headed off to the airport.

===============

Life with Peter was difficult at first. May worried because he didn't sleep much, didn't eat much, didn't do anything much. Grief, everyone said. Ben said to give Peter time. He settled into his role of uncle like he'd been made for it. Every night, he'd check all the closets and under the beds so Peter would sleep better. As soon as he discovered Peter's love of Star Wars, he declared himself Ben Kenobi, armed himself with a toy lightsaber, and 'checked for Tusken Raiders'.

May attempted to draw the line when she was handed two flat buns and a futuristic-looking toy pistol by Ben, but Peter's big brown eyes broke down her reserve, and she stuck the buns to her head and dashed around their home with the toy pistol as if Peter's life depended on it.

===============

Monday September 29, 2008

"What do you think, Petey?" Ben asked. "Shall we put these up on the wall?" 

May saw the way Peter looked at his parents' pictures, half turned away, with his head down. He came over to her chair and leaned into her side a little, which was his signal for needing comfort. May encouraged him up and into her lap, and let him settle Gerald onto his knee before she spoke. "Shall we put them into an album instead, so you can see them whenever you want?"

There was a pause, then Peter nodded. Ben fetched a spare album and began slipping the photos in.

May rocked Peter gently. "It's probably too soon yet, Ben."

Ben nodded.

It wasn't until after Peter was in bed, his nightly 'Ben Kenobi and Princess Leia on patrol' over and done with, that Ben spoke about it. "It probably is too soon for the photos. I should have thought. I just want him to know this is his home."

"I think he's doing okay," May said. "It helps that you've been doing more days and I've been able to cut back at the hospital. I know our savings have taken a hit, but it's worth it."

Ben tucked her head under his chin. "He's really taken to you."

"You think so?" May felt pleased.

"Yeah, he follows you around like a little lost duckling."

"I don't know; I think his favourite is his Uncle Ben Kenobi." May poked Ben in his side.

He huffed a laugh, then, "He is doing better, isn't he?"

"Definitely. I think we made the right call over the funeral." May tightened her arm around Ben and snuggled in close. "I'm just sorry I couldn't be with you."

"No, you needed to stay with Peter. The way he acted at the thought of going to their funeral... I'm glad he wasn't there."

May didn't need reminding. Peter had curled up around Gerald, his whole body shaking at the idea of returning to Seattle. She changed the subject to a more positive one. "He missed you, you know."

Ben pulled back, delighted surprise on his face. "Yeah?"

"Um hmm. Said I needed Ben Kenobi to watch my back, then he carried your lightsaber and checked the closets with me."

Ben laughed. "He's going to be a Jedi knight one day."

Chapter Text

Thursday, October 2, 2008

"School?" Peter looked surprised as if the concept had never existed in his world before.

"Yes, sweetie, school," May said. "Didn't you go to school before?"

"Daniel did." Peter stopped and blinked at her, then added, "He told me about it."

"Did Daniel have fun at school?" May asked. She was guessing Richard and Mary chose to homeschool Peter. Maybe it was because they'd moved so often.

Peter nodded.

"We're taking you to meet the principal of your new school tomorrow afternoon. She's going to show us around, and then you'll start the next morning. How does that sound?"

"Good." He didn't look convinced though.

May hoped school itself would change his mind.

===============

Monday, October 6, 2008

Peter sat on his bed with Gerald and looked at the daylight coming in through his curtains. At least the dark was gone now and Aunt May would be calling him soon to get up. He cuddled Gerald closer. Breakfast with Uncle Ben and Aunt May was fun, especially when Uncle Ben had the day off. Uncle Ben made pancakes or eggs on toast or waffles, and they drank coffee while Peter had juice.

Today they were going back to the school. They'd gone a few days before to meet Mrs. Anderson and Mr. Taylor, but today Peter was going to school. He wasn't sure he was supposed to because Mom and Dad said he wasn't going to school and he wasn't to ask about it. But Mommy and Daddy had taken him to school and it had been fun. Maybe Uncle Ben and Aunt May were like Mommy and Daddy? Peter hoped so. He missed Mommy and Daddy.

"Peter? Time to get up, sweetie."

Peter jumped off his bed and ran to get ready.

A few hours later they were on their way, with Uncle Ben holding one of Peter's hands and Aunt May holding the other. Peter felt sick. Aside from having to leave Gerald behind on his bed where anything might happen to him, Mrs. Anderson and Mr. Taylor had been nice to them all before, but would they still be nice once Uncle Ben and Aunt May had gone? Peter didn't know.

He needn't have worried. Once they waved bye bye to Uncle Ben and Aunt May, Mrs. Anderson smiled at Peter, took him to his new classroom, and handed him over to Mr. Taylor who looked happy to see him too.

"Come along, Peter, and meet your new classmates," Mr. Taylor said. "Everyone, we have a new friend joining us today. This is Peter, and he's just moved to Queens. Ned, will you stand up, please?"

A boy with black hair and coffee-coloured skin stood up and smiled at Peter.

"Peter, this is Ned. He's agreed to show you where to find everything today. There's an empty seat next to him, so that's where you sit now. Thank you, Ned."

Peter hurried over to the seat and sat down, glad to be away from all those eyes.

Mr. Taylor continued, "Everyone, get out your English books and let's turn to page thirty-two. Peter, you follow along as best you can and don't worry if you don't understand anything."

"Your books are in your desk," Ned whispered undercover of the sounds of desks opening and books being taken out. "Did you bring pens and pencils?"

Peter got out his books, then pulled his Star Wars pencil case from his bag. Ned gave him a nudge, and Peter looked over to see Ned grinning and showing him a different Star Wars pencil case. Peter smiled and sat back in his chair. This, he felt, was going to be okay.

=====

"Well?" asked May as they headed for home.

Peter grinned at her. "I sat by a boy named Ned and he likes Star Wars too! We sat together at break and lunch and he's seen all the movies. I've only seen the ones on TV, but Ned told me what happens in the others. He's even got Star Wars lego sets! I didn't know there were Star Wars lego sets! Ned says if he gets another for Christmas, I can help him put it together." Peter suddenly looked sad. "That's if I'm still here at Christmas."

May looked down at his little face and thought she'd never heard him talk so much before. "Why wouldn't you still be here at Christmas?"

"Won't we have to move?"

"No, sweetie. I know some people have to move a lot but your Uncle Ben works at the local police station and I work at a nearby hospital. Our jobs are here so we stay here. And now you live with us so you'll stay here, too."

"Oh. Oh, I like that. I hope we stay here forever and ever and ever."

===============

Saturday, December 13 2008

May could tell from the look on Peter's face that he knew something was going on, but she suspected he didn't know what. He wouldn't ask either, she knew that. She had no idea what kind of parents Richard and Mary had been, but she couldn't think they'd been good parents. Peter ought to have been bursting with excitement at the thought of Christmas, instead he was interested in a quiet way.

Quiet! An eight-year-old child quiet over Christmas!

May knew it bothered Ben too. Well, they were now in charge of making sure Peter had a fun Christmas, and May was crossing her fingers he'd enjoy every minute.

With that in mind, she refused to leave Peter in any kind of suspense. "Do you know what we're doing today, Peter?"

Peter shook his head. "Is it a secret?" he asked. Everything was a secret to Peter unless May or Ben said it wasn't. May really did wonder about Richard and Mary at times.

"Not at all," May said. "We're going to buy a Christmas tree this morning!"

Peter's eyes opened wide. "All of us?" he asked with a hopeful tone in his voice.

"You, May, me, and Gerald!" Ben said.

Peter looked excited. May and Ben had found including Gerald in their plans somehow gave Peter more confidence in joining in. So, if Peter needed a toy alpaca to enjoy Christmas tree shopping and decorating, then May and Ben included a toy alpaca in their Christmas tree shopping and decorating.

"And after we buy the tree, we bring it home and decorate it," Ben declared.

"All of us?" Peter repeated.

"All of us," May said, emphatically. "Including Gerald."

Peter grinned.

=====

May hid her smile as Ben stood back from the tree and said, "I think we need an extra special ornament for the front of the tree. What do you think, May?"

"I agree," May said, "but Peter needs to unwrap it first."

Ben handed Peter a little parcel. "C'mon, Petey, open it up."

Peter looked at them, then slowly opened the parcel. His mouth fell open once the ornament was revealed. "It's Gerald!"

"It certainly is!" Ben agreed. "Well, would you like to put Gerald Junior on the tree?"

Peter put the paper in the bin (because he was the tidiest eight-year-old May had ever met) and hurried forward to put the ornament on the tree. Then he turned to look at May. "What do you think, Aunt May?"

May didn't think the little plastic ornament she'd spotted in a store was that much like Peter's beloved toy, but it was certainly a red colour and it was definitely alpaca-shaped. In any case, if it was good enough for Peter, then it was good enough for her. "It's perfect." She put one arm around Peter and linked arms with Ben. "I think we've all earned hot chocolate."

===============

Thursday, Christmas Day 2008

Peter woke up early on Christmas Day, though he tried not to. Mom and Dad hadn't liked it if he left his bedroom for any reason except the bathroom, no matter if Gerald heard the bad man in Peter's closet. Mom and Dad got mad if Peter said anything about the bad man in his closet and told him it was a dream and he wasn't ever allowed to tell anyone about it. So he didn't.

But Uncle Ben knew about monsters in the closet and promised to chase them off with his lightsaber, so that was okay.

Peter turned his lamp on and crept over to his closet. Gerald hadn't said there was a bad man in the closet but Peter needed to check. He pulled the door open and looked but it just had clothes hanging up in it. He closed the door and got back into bed. then gave Gerald a hug. "I told you not to worry, silly."

"Peter, are you awake?"

The door opened and Aunt May put her head in. "I thought I heard you talking! Is Gerald okay?"

"He was just worried about monsters in the closet," Peter said.

Aunt May shook her head. "Those Tusken Raiders are very naughty, but even they know better than to play up on Christmas Day. Your Uncle Ben isn't due home until after eight and it's only just after six now. Would you and Gerald like milk and cookies?"

"Yes, please!"

 "C'mon, then. Go brush your teeth first."

Peter ran to the bathroom, then carried Gerald to the couch to share in milk and cookies. As he ate his cookies, Peter eyed the gifts under the tree. Aunt May had helped him pick out a gift for Uncle Ben, and Uncle Ben had helped him pick out a gift for Aunt May. It was his first time giving gifts to anyone, and he was hoping they'd be happy with their gifts. Ned had been easy to buy for because, well, Star Wars, but he wasn't seeing Ned until he and his family returned from visiting his cousins, so Peter wasn't worried about his gift. Yet.

"A penny for your thoughts?"

Peter looked at Aunt May. "What if Uncle Ben doesn't like his diary and pen set?"

"Oh, honey, he'll love it, trust me," Aunt May said firmly. "He's more worried you won't like your gifts."

"Are they all clothes?" Peter asked. He thought clothes were very boring.

Aunt May looked surprised. "No, sweetie. There's definitely toys too." 

When he opened his gifts, Peter was thrilled to find there were toys, and books, and chocolate, but best of all was a little Star Wars lego set of his very own. Peter held it tightly in both his hands, hardly able to believe it was for him. He finally put it down so he could hug Uncle Ben and Aunt May. "This is the bestest Christmas ever," he told them.

Chapter Text

Thursday, Christmas Day 2014

Peter woke up early on Christmas Day, though he would have preferred not to. It wasn't going to be the same - nothing could ever be the same - now Ben was gone.

After a number of long minutes spent staring at the ceiling, Peter got up and got ready for the day. If nothing else, he could make a nice breakfast for May.

"Sweetie?" May looked surprised when he came out of his room. "I thought you'd sleep later. You were on patrol until late last night."

"And you were at work until late last night," Peter replied, giving her a hug.

"Well, I couldn't sleep much."

Peter knew the feeling. "I thought I'd make breakfast for us."

May nodded, tears shining in her eyes. "You do that. I'll go and get dressed."

Peter had to smile when he saw the cardigan she was wearing: it was the one Ben had helped him choose to give her for the first Christmas they'd all spent together. He didn't say anything though, just wrapped his arms around her. This Christmas was hard, but things would get better.

===============

Friday, 5th June 2015

Peter finished his homework and grinned at Ned. May was working the late shift, and he'd promised he'd finish his homework before going on patrol. His homework was done, so Peter shoved his books into his backpack and began getting changed into his Spider-Man suit.

Ned clutched his pen tighter and wrote faster.

"Relax," Peter said. "I can start my patrol and contact you if there are any issues."

"I'm your Guy-in-the-Chair!" Ned said, in his sternest tone, which wasn't very stern at all. "I need to be on duty too!" It was lucky Ned's family was spending the weekend with a relative because Ned wasn't keeping his voice down.

"Fine, fine." Peter finished changing and sat down again, opting to eat a bag of Doritos before leaving.

As soon as Ned had scribbled his last - probably wrong - answer on his chemistry homework, Peter stuffed his mask into his pocket, pulled a thin jacket on over his sweatshirt, and climbed out of Ned's window. It was easy to make his way over the yard wall and stroll to a nearby alley where he could hide his jacket, put on his mask, and reappear as Queens' friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man.

The night seemed to be more low-key than a lot of nights. There were lost pets, mislaid toys, and a couple of 'borrowed' bicycles. Spider-Man even delighted some kids by joining in their skipping game.

It wasn't until the children went home and darkness fell that anything more happened, and that was only a would-be mugger. Peter was about to head back to Ned's when the sound of cars crashing got his attention.

He swung his way over and found a car crash in progress with a late-night bus about to plough into the pile up. The bus's brakes were screeching but it wasn't about to stop in time, so Peter jumped in and brought it to a halt. With the bus safe, he turned his attention to the other vehicles.

Most of the traffic had come to a stop, though some had veered off onto the pavement to avoid the main crash. It looked like a green car had gone into the wrong lane, crashing into the side of a white car and spinning it around. As the driver of the green car got out of his seat and began swearing about his car. Peter realised the white car belonged to May. He ducked past the green car, ran to the driver's side of May's car, and yanked open the door.

For a moment, she didn't move, and Peter fell to his knees beside her. Then she raised her head off the airbag.

"May?"

She smiled at him, though it was a weak, uncertain smile. "That was scary," she murmured. "That car came out of nowhere."

Peter took her hand. "Are you okay?"

"I just have to... to catch my breath," she said.

She sounded breathless, and Peter guessed it was the shock, but she was looking very pale as she slumped down in her seat.

"Okay, I'm right here. You - you catch your breath." There was panic clawing at his heart, and he looked around, then shouted to a group of bystanders, "Call an ambulance!"

May sighed, and a trickle of blood dribbled down her chin. Peter tightened his grip on her hand, not daring to let go. She didn't move again.

Peter was never sure how he got back to Ned's room, but he did. He came back to himself to find his mask on the floor, his face wet with tears, and Ned's sturdy arm around his shoulders.

==========

Sunday, 7th June 2015

Peter spent the weekend in a kind of limbo. He couldn't think, couldn't do anything. Ned was by his side the whole time: making him eat, making him drink, making him lie down to try to sleep. By Sunday afternoon, Peter was thinking enough to realise he had to protect himself.

"I can't go into the foster care system."

Ned looked startled. Peter wasn't surprised as it was practically the first words he'd said all weekend.

"If they figure out I'm enhanced, what will they do? I could end up being experimented on." Peter wrapped his arms around himself.

"They can't do that!" Ned protested. "You've got rights!"

"Do you think they'd care? At the very least, they'd stop me being Spider-Man. Ned, they could send me anywhere. I'd have to leave Midtown." No Spider-Man, no school, no Ned, MJ, May... Peter couldn't do, it - wouldn't do it. He'd lost May and his home; he couldn't lose the rest.

"So what are we going to do?" Ned asked.

Peter smiled at his best friend. He knew Ned would have his back. "Can I stash some stuff here? I'm going to get into our apartment, get the most important stuff out. I need to find somewhere to live and it might not be secure."

"You can stay here," Ned offered.

"Your parents will know something's up if I'm here all the time." As Ned's face fell, Peter quickly added, "But it'll be a big help if I can stay most weekends."

Ned nodded resolutely. "Stash your stuff, have you here most weekends. What else?"

"CPS. I'm bound to be reported. Can you hack into their system and delete my file?"

"I'm your Guy-in-the-Chair." Ned completely failed at looking modest. "I'll get it done."

Ned did, of course. He headed off to a local hotspot just in case his hacking was traced, while Peter went back to Ingram Street, and spent a nervous hour collecting all of his and May's most important items, and packing them into a suitcase and his backpack. At least the suitcase and its precious contents could be kept safe in Ned's room, no matter where Peter ended up hiding out.

Leaving his home for the last time hurt more than Peter could have ever imagined. He trudged his way back to Ned's, trying to ignore the ache in his chest.

=====

An hour or so later, Ned's parents and his lola came home.

"They're here," Peter said. "I have to go. Remember, you can't tell them anything."

Ned looked miserable.

"Say you had a big fight with me," Peter suggested. At least that would explain Ned's unhappy look.

Ned ignored that and clutched at his arm. "What if you can't find anywhere to sleep? What will you do?"

"I'll come back. I'll call you at ten if I find somewhere." Peter gave him a hug. "I'll be okay. I'm Spider-Man, remember?"

"Okay." Ned looked like he was going to cry.

"I'll see you tomorrow." Peter climbed out of the window and fled.

=====

Finding an abandoned building was easy. Finding an abandoned building that was safe to sleep in was not.

Finally, Peter chose a roof with no ground access and settled down with his back to the rooftop bulkhead. It wasn't particularly comfortable but he was mostly sheltered from any wind. At least it was warm weather and it wasn't supposed to rain. He wrapped his arms around his knees, and thought about his situation.

He had school for another two weeks, which gave him somewhere to be every day, as long as they didn't find out. He could go into school early and use the gym showers too. After that, he guessed he'd have to spend his days in libraries. But how could he shower once school had closed? A gym membership would work but he'd need all his money for food. Could he find a job?

Peter hugged his knees tighter. He was Spider-Man, he was strong, he could do this.

Chapter Text

Friday, September 25, 2015

Peter was thinking he'd had a good day so far as he hurried to Delmar's in time for his shift. He'd aced his algebra test, had extra food at lunch (thanks to Ned), and - best of all - Flash was off sick and possibly would be for the whole week. A week free of bullying? He and Ned had high-fived at that. Unfortunately, it was in front of Mr. Harrington, who'd been less than impressed.

All that left his mind though, when he got inside the bodega and found his employer on the floor behind the counter.

"Mr. Delmar? Oh my God, Mr. Delmar!" Peter scrambled to the man's side and knelt down. Mr. Delmar lay still, with an ominous pool of blood surrounding his head. Peter touched Mr. Delmar's shoulder. "Mr. Delmar?"

The man groaned and Peter sat back in relief that he was still alive. He pulled out his phone and dialled 911, then looked around. The blood wasn't the only thing on the floor: a number of items had been knocked off the counter, and the till drawer was wide open.

"911, what's your emergency?"

"I - I need an a-ambulance?" Peter stuttered. "Mr. Delmar's unconscious. There's blood and I th-think he was robbed."

As the dispatcher calmly took Peter through a series of questions, Mr. Delmar groaned again.

"He's waking up!" Peter declared. "Mr. Delmar?"

The ambulance arrived first and Mr. Delmar was loaded up into it within minutes. Peter wanted to go with him, but there was no sign of the police and Peter didn't want to leave Murphy the cat and the store unguarded. Typically, the police turned up after they'd gone. Peter sighed. He hoped Mr. Delmar's brother thought to come by the bodega because Peter had no way to lock the front door.

The cops got out of their car and came in, giving Peter a look over in a way that made him think he was their main suspect. Peter was pretty sure he'd met the older officer before. He hoped the officer wouldn't remember him.

"I'm Gonzalez, this is Colley," the younger officer said.

"Um, hi. I'm Peter. Peter Parker."

"You the kid who called the police?" Officer Colley asked. His eyes narrowed suddenly. "Don't I know you?"

Peter felt his heart speed up with nerves. "Yes, s-sir. My uncle Ben w-was a p-police officer."

"Oh. Yeah. Sorry, kid." Officer Colley's suspicious gaze eased off. "Ben Parker," he said to Officer Gonzalez. "He, uh, died last year."

"Sorry, kid," Officer Gonzalez echoed. "You work here?"

Peter nodded. "After school and some Saturdays."

"So what time you get here?" Officer Colley asked.

"Just before four, sir. I found Mr. Delmar behind the counter."

Officer Colley leaned over the counter. "Get on the radio, Gonz. Looks like it's another."

"Another?" Peter asked.

"Yeah, there's been a few mom-and-pop stores -" Officer Colley broke off. "Don't worry about it, kid. Listen, you got the keys for this place?" As Peter shook his head, Officer Colley said. "Okay. This Delmar got family?"

"A brother and a daughter, but she's away," Peter answered.

"Okay. This place will be swarming with Forensics soon. I'll make sure someone gets in touch with the family before they leave. We'll take you down the station for your statement. You good with that or should I call your aunt, uh... uh... Molly?"

Peter's heart was beating faster and faster, but he managed to answer, "May. Sh-she's in work right now." He hoped they believed the lie.

Officer Colley just nodded. "Everybody's busy."

=====

By the time a forensics team turned up, Peter was more than ready to leave. Officer Colley turned out to be a talkative guy, and Peter didn't want to talk about Ben or May. Fortunately, it turned out Officer Gonzalez's niece wanted to try for a scholarship to Peter's school, and that was enough to turn the discussion to school and keep it there.

They reached the station and Officer Colley took Peter's statement, such as it was. Peter really didn't feel he had anything important to say. Before he'd even finished answering questions, Officer Gonzalez was there with a small machine to take Peter's fingerprints "so they can be eliminated from the crime scene". Peter didn't like the thought of Mr. Delmar's bodega being reduced to a crime scene, as Mr. Delmar was proud of his business, but seeing how they took his fingerprints was pretty cool.

"Okay, kid," Officer Colley said, "you go sit over there while I type up your statement, then I'll get someone to run you home."

Peter nodded and headed over to a bench that was currently mostly empty. He sat down and tried to look like he was going to wait for a ride home, but he fully intended on only waiting until their attention was elsewhere. Officer Colley's offer was kind, but impossible to accept. The address Peter had given as his was for the apartment he and May had lived in, and Peter hadn't lived there since she'd died.

Peter watched as Officer Colley leaned over his keyboard and began slowly poking at letters. Officer Gonzalez had already turned his attention to his computer and was clicking away on his mouse in a far more competent manner, so Peter took that as his opportunity to leave. He wandered through the door and sped up once he was in the hallway and out of sight. He wasn't out of earshot though, and he heard Officer Gonzalez's voice clearly.

"Hey, the kid's prints are flagged!"

"You probably clicked the wrong button again. Lemme see." Officer Colley's chair squeaked, then he spluttered, "The Feds? What the hell?"

Peter could have echoed that sentiment but he didn't. He ran through the outer door, down the steps, and lost himself in the passing crowd.

=====

When Tony's phone rang, he shook his head at the playfully squabbling group in the kitchen before answering it. He was expecting the voice to be Pepper's, instead, he heard a male voice.

"Mr. Stark, this is Agent McNeil of the FBI."

Tony's heart gave an unpleasant thump. "McNeil..." McNeil, the agent currently in charge of the Stark kidnapping case. The cold case.

The teasing argument over Bruce's curry stopped.

Tony coughed to ease the lump in his throat as he turned his back on the others. "What can I do for you, Agent McNeil?" It had to be bad news, he was sure of that. He and Pepper had known from the start the odds were against them. Kidnapped children of billionaires were never returned without a huge ransom being paid, and no one had ever asked for a ransom for Peter. Now, after more than eight years? The best they could hope for was the return of a pitifully small skeleton.

"I have some good news for you, Mr. Stark. Peter's fingerprints were put through the system today."

"What?" Tony shook his head. That didn't make sense. Good news? Fingerprints?

"Peter was in a bodega in Queens as of four o'clock this afternoon."

"Tony."

Tony turned his head. Bruce was at his side, guiding him down to sit on a chair. Tony looked down at his hands and blinked to clear his eyesight; hadn't he had a phone?

"Agent McNeil, this is Steve Rogers. Can you please repeat that?"

"Uhhh, Captain America. I, uh, I need Mr. Stark's permission for that."

Tony tried to grab for the phone but missed, and his arm thumped down onto the kitchen island. "For the love of God, just talk!" he snapped.

Apparently that was enough.

"This afternoon there was a robbery at a small bodega in Queens," McNeil said. "The owner was attacked. He was discovered by Peter Parker, a fifteen year old who works shifts there. Peter was taken to the 112th police precinct to give a statement. We were alerted when his fingerprints were added to the system." McNeil paused as if he could hardly believe the next part himself. "The fingerprints belong to Peter Stark."

"Peter's at the police precinct now?" Steve asked.

"No. Peter left before the officers could stop him," Agent McNeil said. "We're attempting to find him now. The address he gave belonged to his legal guardian who passed away three months ago, and there's no record of his being placed in the foster care system. We don't know where he's supposed to be."

"You mean he's homeless," Clint put in. "He's fifteen and homeless."

Tony raised his head. "Fourteen. Peter's fourteen." And homeless, he added silently. His heart twisted within him at the thought of his Peter living on the streets with no one to look after him.

"They would have faked his records," Natasha said, quietly. "Changed his date of birth. Maybe used an existing birth certificate."

McNeil spoke again. "Mr. Stark, check your email, I've sent screencaps from the CCTV at the bodega and at the precinct showing Peter and how he's dressed."

Tony jumped to his feet. "FRIDAY, put them on the TV!" he ordered.

The TV instantly lit up with pictures of a short, thin teenager in a shabby coat. Tony stared. Even with the less than perfect quality of the pictures, he could see a strong resemblance to the five-year-old he and Pepper still mourned so deeply.

"Sit tight, Mr. Stark. We'll be in touch once we've found Peter." With that, McNeil hung up.

"FRIDAY, hack into the CCTV cameras around the 112th precinct," Tony said. "Find Peter, find out where he's going."

"Tony -"

Tony sent Steve a sharp look. There was no way he was waiting, no matter what Steve said about it being illegal to hack CCTV systems.

Steve shut his mouth, then opened it again and said, "Send the alerts to our phones. We'll find him."

=====

Peter sat in his Spider-Man suit on a rooftop a mile or so from the police station. His heart was still hammering. The Feds? What could any federal agent want with him? They couldn't possibly know he was Spider-Man, and why would they be after a small-time vigilante anyway? Spider-Man was nothing compared to DareDevil or Deadpool, and no one had mentioned the Feds going after them.

Anyway, it was Peter's fingerprints that were flagged. Peter who'd never done anything to cause the FBI? The CIA? The who-knew-what to flag his fingerprints. It just didn't make sense.

Peter pulled out his phone and pulled up his contacts. He needed advice.

"Ned? Can you talk?"

=====

Finding Peter proved to be more difficult than expected. FRIDAY traced him through the rush hour crowds until he disappeared into an alley with no cameras.

Tony growled to himself as he rotated a holographic map of the area and clicked from camera to camera to camera. Peter had gone into an alleyway but, according to the CCTV cameras, he hadn't come out of any. "He's got to have gone somewhere. What am I missing?"

"The sewer system?" Bruce suggested, a doubtful tone tone in his voice. "Rooftop to rooftop?"

Natasha looked up from her laptop. "He was at school today. Peter Parker attends Midtown High School of Science and Technology. His guardian is listed as May Parker of 20 Ingram Street, Forest Hills, Queens."

"Please don't tell me you hacked into a school's records," Bruce sighed.

"Alright, I won't tell you that," Natasha replied. "May Parker died in a car crash three and a half months ago on June 5th. Peter's on a scholarship, he's top of his classes, top of his year, and his best friend is Ned Leeds."

"That wouldn't be in his records," Bruce objected.

Tony turned away from the frustrating street map in time to see Natasha's smirk. She angled her laptop so they could see the footage of Peter exchanging a very complicated handshake with another boy. Tony stared at his son. His son who was living, breathing, smiling...

Natasha tapped the screen. "This is Ned Leeds."

"You definitely hacked into that school," Bruce complained.

Tony ignored him. "Where do we find Ned Leeds?"

Chapter Text

Peter caught a bus to the nearest stop to the diner where he'd arranged to meet Ned. It wasn't far from the apartment where Ned lived with his parents and grandmother, so Ned was bound to arrive first. As soon as Peter was off the bus, he saw Ned waiting, just as he'd expected.

"What's happened?" Ned said, when Peter reached him. "Why couldn't you say on the phone?"

Peter pulled him inside the diner. His spidey-sense wasn't flaring up, but there was a low-level itch at the back of his neck that made him feel like he was being hunted. "Delmar's was robbed today. I found Mr. Delmar on the floor behind the counter, and he'd been hit in the head. I had to call an ambulance for him."

Ned looked horrified. "Is he okay?"

"I don't know." They bought milkshakes and sat down far from the counter. Peter leaned forward and whispered, "Two police officers took me to the station to get my statement. They took my fingerprints to eliminate them from the crime scene."

"Wow, that's exciting!" Ned slurped his drink, his eyes fixed on Peter like he was Ned's first Star Wars premiere.

"No, it's not! When they put my fingerprints into the system, they were flagged!" Peter practically mouthed the last word.

Ned's straw dropped from his mouth. "Flagged by who?!"

Peter gulped. "The Feds," he whispered miserably.

Ned lurched forward over the table, almost knocking his drink over. "Why would the Feds flag your fingerprints? Do you think it's because of you know?"

Peter shook his head. "How would they even know about him?"

"Everyone known about Spide -"

"Shhh!" Peter interrupted. "How would they know he was me?"

"Oh, I see what you mean." Ned slurped his milkshake again and looked thoughtful. "I don't know, dude; it seems weird to me. What else could anyone be after you for? Are you sure you heard them right?"

"Positive." Peter hesitated, then said, "You don't think it could have anything to do with the CPS, do you?"

Ned turned white. "Dude, I deleted your file! If they come after anyone, it'll be me!"

"How would they know it was you?" Peter knew Ned's hacking skills were the best. That was why he'd asked Ned to hack into the CPS in the first place.

It seemed Ned wasn't listening. "I can't go to prison! My mom will kill me. My dad will kill me. My lola will kill me. And that's if it doesn't kill her first!"

"You're not gonna go to prison!"

"I will if they find out I hacked a government system to delete the file of a missing child. They'll probably think I trafficked you!"

"Ned, that is not going to happen!"

"But what if it does? What if they arrest me? What if they take my laptop? What if - oh my God, that's Captain America."

"What?"

Ned pointed out of the window.

Peter turned his head to look. Sure enough, Captain America was walking towards the diner, beside a man who looked suspiciously like Hawkeye.

"Is that Hawkeye?" Ned asked, his panic apparently forgotten. "Do you think I could get their autographs?"

"Uhh..." Peter was completely confused. On the one hand, there was no way two of the Avengers were looking for him; on the other, his spidey-sense was buzzing in a meaningful manner. "Ned, I think I need to get out of here."

"What? But we might never get the chance to meet two Avengers again!"

"You stay and meet them then." Peter ran for the door. To his alarm, Captain America and Hawkeye started running too, and Captain America was a fast runner. Peter yanked open the door and fled up the street. Any doubts he had as to whether the Avengers could be chasing him were laid to rest by Captain America grabbing the back of his collar and dragging him to a complete stop. Peter twisted and jerked his elbow back, but Captain America didn't even react to it, he just clamped an arm around Peter's waist and held him tightly.

"Clint, can you get the car?" Captain America said. "Take it easy, son. You're not in any trouble."

Peter really doubted that as he struggled against the arm keeping him in place. If he wasn't in trouble, he wouldn't be trapped like this while Hawkeye fetched the car. "Please let me go, Mr. Captain America, sir! I haven't done anything wrong!" He tried to push the arm away with a normal teen's strength, though he was convinced even his Spider-Man strength wouldn't be enough to beat Captain America.

"I know that, Peter," Captain America said, alarmingly. "We just need to talk to you. It's very important."

"You - you know who I am?" Peter was praying that 'who' didn't involve Spider-Man.

"I sure do. You're Peter Parker, you're a good kid, and you work at Delmar's."

Not Spider-Man then. Peter heaved a sigh of relief, then relaxed even more as Captain America let him step away and turn to face him, though Peter noticed the firm grip that stayed on his elbow. He tried to pull free. "Is - is this about the robbery at Mr. Delmar's?"

"It's... connected to that."

Peter looked at him doubtfully. Bodega robberies seemed a little below the Avengers' paygrade. "I didn't do it!"

"We know that, Peter. I'll explain when we get there." The car drew up beside them, and Captain America opened the door and steered Peter towards the back seat.

"There? Where's there?" A heavy hand on his shoulder pushed Peter down onto the seat.

As Captain America moved Peter across the seat and sat down beside him, Hawkeye turned in the driver's seat and smiled at Peter. "Hi, Peter. I'm Clint."

"Hi?" Peter had the distinct feeling he was being kidnapped, only he didn't think Captain America and Hawkeye could commit kidnapping. They were Avengers, they were good guys. But there was no denying he'd been snatched off the street and put in a car. It was very confusing.

"You okay, Peter?" Mr. Clint asked, his gaze meeting Peter's in the rear-view mirror.

"Just... uh... where are we going?"

"To the Avengers Tower," Captain America replied, giving Peter a smile.

Peter thought they would have done better to kidnap/not kidnap Ned. He would have been thrilled at being taken to the Avengers Tower. He wouldn't have been sitting there mentally debating if he was being kidnapped or not. "Umm, why are y-you tak-taking me there?"

"We'll explain when we get there," Captain America said.

Well, that was no answer at all. Peter squished himself into the corner of his seat, wrapped his arms around his backpack, and waited.

Fortunately, Peter didn't have to wait too long, but he felt even more miserable when the Tower came into view. If anything, he would have thought he'd feel excited at meeting Captain America and Hawkeye and going to the Avengers Tower, instead he just felt sick.

Mr. Clint drove them to an underground garage that was mostly full of expensive cars, and Peter was shocked to see Tony Stark waiting for them. The car glided to a halt and Tony Stark - Iron Man, superhero, genius, inventor - opened Peter's car door for him. Peter scrambled out, clutching his backpack.

"Hi, Peter. I'm Tony."

Peter managed a, "Hiii," though his voice broke in the middle of it. This had to be the most surreal day of his life. He looked up at Mr. Stark. For some reason, standing there in front of him, Peter was expecting Mr. Stark to be far, far taller than he was. Like twice Peter's height, which didn't seem possible.

"This is Agent McNeil and Agent Shafer of the FBI," Mr. Stark said.

The man and woman gave Peter a nod. Part of Peter was disappointed because he thought FBI agents ought to look like someone out of Men in Black, complete with amnesia-inducing gadgets, but these two looked like accountants who used nothing more interesting than calculators. The rest of Peter was even more confused.

"Are you investigating the robbery at Mr. Delmar's?" he asked, though he couldn't think why the FBI would.

"No," Agent McNeil said, a flat tone in his voice, and Peter got the impression it was absolutely below the FBI's paygrade and everybody knew it.

"Why don't we take this upstairs?" Mr. Stark said.

The elevator was another shock. They stepped inside - Peter somehow in the middle of the group - and Mr. Stark said, "FRIDAY, penthouse, please."

"Sure thing, Boss," a woman's voice replied.

As Peter stared up to the ceiling, he heard Mr. Stark say, "That's my AI, FRIDAY. She runs the entire building for me."

Peter didn't want to admit he knew about Mr. Stark's AIs, robots, inventions, and life. He'd read every interview Mr. Stark had given, and he'd read most of the biographies too, but he'd never actually expected to get to hear FRIDAY for himself. "That's so cool," he breathed.

"Yeah?" Mr. Stark sounded pleased. "You like AIs?"

"AIs, robotics, chemistry, engineering..." Peter realised Mr. Stark was looking at him, and he ducked his head, feeling his face redden.

The elevator doors opened and Peter's stomach tightened. He guessed they'd arrived at the penthouse and he was about to be exposed as Spider-Man. It still made no sense for the FBI and the Avengers to be interested in a vigilante, but it made even less sense for them to be interested in a homeless teenager from Queens.

Mr. Stark led the way to a large couch. "Take a seat," he said, as he took Peter's coat and backpack and put them to one side.

Peter sat down and was relieved when Mr. Stark sat next to him while the two agents sat in the armchairs. He didn't know why but he felt far safer with Mr. Stark than with the FBI agents.

"Peter," Agent McNeil said, leaning slightly forward, "I've been the FBI agent in charge of the Peter Stark kidnapping case for the past three years. Have you heard much about the case?"

Peter wasn't about to admit how many Tony Stark biographies and articles he'd read, so he said, "I-I've heard a bit."

"Mr. Stark's son was kidnapped in 2007 when he was five, and, despite everyone's best efforts, no trace of him was found. Until today. When your fingerprints were put into the system, they came up as a match for Peter Stark's."

Peter stared at Agent McNeil. He'd thought the agent was going to say they had a lead in Queens and needed Spider-Man to check it out. That, he thought, made far more sense than... than this.

"Peter?"

Mr. Stark's voice got Peter's attention and he instantly felt awful. Mr. Stark was thinking he'd finally got news of his missing son, and instead he'd got Peter Parker. "Oh, Mr. Stark, I'm so sorry, but I'm Peter Parker and I'm fifteen. There must have been a mistake."

"Your fingerprints match, buddy."

"Well, yeah, but -"

The elevator dinged, and Peter jumped to his feet and turned as his spidey-sense gave a sharp buzz. A slim Asian lady in a white doctor's coat stepped into the penthouse. She didn't look dangerous, but Peter stepped back, mentally cataloguing where everyone was. Mr. Stark and the two agents were near Peter, while Captain America and Mr. Clint were in a kitchen area that was far closer to the elevator than the couches and armchairs. Every single adult was standing and looking at him as if ready to intercept him.

For a beat, no one moved, then Mr. Stark said, "Peter, this is Dr. Helen Cho."

"The geneticist," Peter muttered, his heart sinking.

Dr. Cho smiled. "I'm impressed you've heard of me."

Peter had. When he first realised he'd acquired superpowers thanks to a spider in one of Oscorp's labs, he'd read a lot of articles on genetics. Dr. Helen Cho was widely considered the foremost expert in the field. And here she was, approaching Peter, and requesting a sample of his DNA. His DNA which had been affected by that spider bite. He didn't need his spidey-sense to warn him about this.

"I just need to rub this against the inside of your cheek, Peter," she said, holding up a swab and stepping closer.

Peter stepped back, and flicked another glance around the area. Mr. Stark's comment about FRIDAY running the building for him took on an ominous tone. Even if he could make it to the elevator, he was going nowhere without Mr. Stark's permission.

"It won't hurt, Peter," Mr. Stark said, reassuringly.

Dr. Cho tilted her head slightly and gave Peter a curious look. He sighed. He couldn't think of a way out of the situation. Giving in, he opened his mouth and kept his eyes on the ceiling as Dr. Cho briskly rubbed the swab against the inside of his cheek.

"Got it. I'll be done in about half an hour," Dr. Cho announced. With that, she went off to the elevator.

Peter gnawed the inside of his lip as the doors opened for her. He could hardly leap into the elevator, rip the sealed vial from her hand, and make an escape down the elevator shaft with it, Mission Impossible-style. Would it even matter if Dr. Cho noticed his altered DNA? She was testing to see if Peter was the long-lost son of Tony Stark and Pepper Potts; anything else didn't matter.

"Peter?" Mr. Stark asked. "Would you like a soda while we're waiting?"

Forcing a smile, Peter said, "Sure, thanks."

The half hour dragged for Peter. The two FBI agents drank coffee while Mr. Stark talked with Peter, asking him questions and leading him on to talk about the robot he was building with Ned, but all Peter could think of was Dr. Cho and the DNA sample she'd taken from him. His mind ran in circles as he tried to convince himself it wouldn't matter if they discovered he was Spider-Man. How could it matter to the FBI or the Avengers? All he was doing was helping people and stopping petty crime. But the anxiety wouldn't fade, wouldn't stop, even though Peter felt he'd kick himself later for not paying more attention to his conversation with Tony Stark.

Finally, FRIDAY announced Dr. Cho was on her way back, and Peter slumped in relief that this strange ordeal was almost over. The elevator dinged, and they all stood and turned as Dr. Cho came into sight.

She wasted no time in announcing the results. "Peter is Peter Stark. There's no doubt at all."

Peter stared at her, a weird buzzing in his ears. She hadn't mentioned any spider DNA. Why hadn't she mentioned his spider DNA? Did that mean his DNA hadn't changed? And what did she mean Peter is Peter Stark?

"Come on, Peter, sit down."

There was Mr. Stark's voice next to him, a hand under his elbow, and Peter sat down again. He put his head down on his knees. A warm hand rubbed his back. Vaguely, Peter thought he might throw up.

"It's okay, you're alright."

Peter blinked. Mr. Stark was sitting beside him and rubbing his back, just like May would have done. Had done, actually, any time he'd been hurt or upset. Mr. Stark was Peter's father - how weird was that? Peter was Peter Stark who'd been born in California, who'd lived by the ocean, who'd been taken from his bedroom, who people speculated might have witnessed the murders of his nanny and bodyguard...

Peter shook his head. He thought he'd remember that.

"No? You're not okay?"

Turning his head, Peter could see Mr. Stark, a soft, concerned look on his face. Just like May, just like May... Peter blinked, forcing back the tears that threatened. "I'm o-okay. Jus-just tired." May would want him to answer, let her know he was okay.

"You want to nap for a bit, buddy? I'll order some food when you wake."

"Okay."

Mr. Stark patted Peter's shoulder, guided him down onto his side, and made him comfortable. Peter rubbed his face against the soft cushion under his head, and wrapped his arms around himself under the warm throw that had been placed over him. He sighed, his mind foggy with tiredness. He could hear Mr. Stark talking,  but he tuned it out. Words were too difficult to deal with right now.

Chapter Text

Tony straightened from draping a throw over Peter's side. His son was home, safe, though shocked. Even before, with the fingerprints, with the footage from the school, Tony hadn't been able to believe he'd have this, have Peter back again. How could he believe he'd get this lucky?

"Mr. Stark," McNeil said as soon as they'd all moved away from the couch, "we need to question Peter and see what he remembers."

Tony gave him a firm look. "Not today."

McNeil tried to stare him down. "You and I both know you used unorthodox methods to trace him. It was only a courtesy that we didn't interfere when you had Peter brought here. The confirmation of his identity should have come from us."

In Tony's opinion, McNeil was lucky Helen was a doctor, because she was standing right behind him and looked like she'd like to channel her inner-Natasha on his ass. "My son," Tony said, emphasising the words, "has been missing for eight years. Any questions on what he remembers about that day can wait. And it was Captain America and Hawkeye who brought my son back to me. You want to discuss any unorthodox methods with them?"

Steve smiled genially while Clint grinned.

McNeil's mouth tightened. "We're just trying to wind up the case. I'll contact you tomorrow about talking with Peter. Good day, Mr. Stark."

As soon as the agents were gone, Steve turned to Tony. "Pepper's in DC, isn't she? Want us to swing by on the jet and pick her up?"

Tony nodded. "I'd appreciate it. Thanks." He waited until the elevator doors had closed behind the other three and told FRIDAY to lock down the floor, then he headed back to the couch to check on his son. It wasn't a surprise the kid had crashed. Tony didn't know where Peter had been sleeping since becoming homeless but he couldn't imagine Peter had slept well in that time. Added to that, the kid had been wound tighter than a spring while waiting for Helen to bring back the DNA results.

Peter was still sleeping, his hair flopped to one side and his mouth open. Tony wanted to stare at him forever. Instead, he forced himself to go to the kitchen area; he had a phonecall to make. He never thought he'd get to make this call and his hands were shaking.

Pepper answered within three rings and promptly gave him a suspicious look. "What have you done?"

"Are you sitting down?"

"Oh, God, Tony, how bad is this? I've been in meetings all day and -"

Tony realised Pepper wasn't going to stop any time soon. "It's good news, I swear. Just sit."

Pepper sat and gazed at him, with an air of waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"Peter's home, he's safe." Tony had never realised before how inadequate words were.

She stared at him. "What?"

"Peter's home, he's safe, he's sleeping on the couch. Peter's here, Pep."

Pepper was still staring, shaking her head back and forth as if in disbelief. "Peter. Our Peter?"

"FRIDAY, show Peter." There was a pause and Tony could see Pepper staring, open-mouthed.

Finally, she spoke. "Oh my God, Peter! Peter! He's - he's so grown up! Look at him. He's beautiful."

"The jet's on its way to pick you up, Pep."

There was silence. Tony could see Pepper was still staring at her phone with tears running down her face.

"Pep? Pepper. Steve and Clint are coming to collect you to bring you home."

"Home... Yes, I have to get home!" She focussed on him suddenly. "Tony, you have to send the jet."

"It's on its way. Steve and Clint are probably breaking records to get to you."

"Good. Don't... Don't disconnect the call."

"I won't. It's okay, Pep. The floor's locked down, and no one's getting in until you're home."

=====

"Peter? Peter?"

A hand stroked his hair, and Peter's first thought was of May. He opened his eyes, fully expecting to see dark hair and brown eyes full of love. The love was there but the eyes were blue and the hair was strawberry blonde. Peter jolted and sat up, staring in disbelief. "Mommy!"

Pepper Potts gasped and wrapped her arms around him, and Peter realised she was crying as she hugged him and kissed the side of his face. He felt himself blush bright red as he awkwardly patted her on the back. He was fifteen, he didn't call anyone 'Mommy'. He tried to get his thoughts in order. There was May. Before May was that other woman who was in photos as 'Mom', but before her was Mommy with red hair. Mommy with red hair who'd been in the sunshine and by the sea.

Peter wasn't entirely sure he had it right, but it seemed right.

"Peter, do you remember us?" Mr. Stark asked.

Peter realised Mr. Stark was kneeling by the couch too, and he tried to think. Did he know Mr. Stark aside from in photos and on the TV?

"Peter? Pietro?" Mr. Stark whispered.

"Daddy!" Of course it was Daddy. Daddy with dark hair and a little beard. Daddy who swung him around and called him 'Pietro'.

Peter realised he now had two adults hugging him tightly and he'd just called Iron Man 'Daddy'. There was, apparently, no end to the depths of embarrassment Peter could endure. Suddenly, his stomach rumbled.

Mr. Stark's shoulders shook and he straightened up, his hand still rubbing Ms. Potts's back. "Are you hungry?"

Peter's stomach rumbled in answer, and Peter felt himself redden even more. "I am so sorry!"

"Pep, we'd better feed our kid before he resorts to cannibalism." Mr. Stark looked amused, his eyes lit up with glee.

Ms. Potts raised her head. "Well, we can't have that." She kissed the side of Peter's face again, then stood and offered him her hand. "C'mon, sweetie, let's get you fed."

Peter got up. He couldn't leave her hanging, so he forced himself to take her hand and followed her to the kitchen area.

Ms. Potts smiled at him. "We probably don't have much in."

"I was just going to order takeout," Mr. Stark said.

Peter wished he had even half their confidence. He felt completely thrown by what had happened, while they seemed totally at ease with tears in their eyes.

"What do you like, Peter?" Mr. Stark asked. "Pizza, Mexican, Chinese, Thai, Sushi, stop me if I'm getting close...?"

"Thai. Please. If it's no bother." Thai had been May's favourite. May... Could he even talk about her now? She'd got to spend a number of years raising him - years he should have spent with them. Would they resent her and everything about her? Would they hate Thai food because May had loved it?

"Peter..." Ms. Potts waited until his gaze met hers. "It's okay to say whatever it is you want to say."

Peter didn't know how she'd known, but she did.

"We're the adults here, kid," Mr. Stark chimed in as he handed him a menu for Thai food. "We have to suck it up and deal with it. Though, I think we'll all be in therapy for a long, long time."

"I don't know how much you want to know," Peter admitted.

"Everything," Mr. Stark said, bluntly.

Ms. Potts gave Mr. Stark a look. "Whatever you want to tell us, whenever you want to tell us," she said, reassuringly.

Peter thought for a moment. "I want to tell you about Ben and May," he said, slowly. "They weren't my - they looked after me, but they weren't... I mean - it's kind of complicated."

Finally, they ordered Thai food first then Ms. Potts encouraged Peter to carry on.

Peter took a deep breath. "Ben and May... raised me. They..." He gnawed at his lip, then took the plunge. "When my - the people I thought were my - when they died, Ben - my Uncle Ben - took me in. May was his wife. That - that was when I was eight."

"So where were you before then?" Mr. Stark asked.

"Seattle," Peter said promptly. He remembered May telling him about the first time she'd met him. In the lawyer's office.

"Where did Ben and May live?" Ms. Potts asked.

"Queens. I don't remember Seattle. I think. But..." Peter stopped. In the books and articles he'd read, Peter Stark had been living in the Starks' house in Malibu. Sunshine and by the sea. He looked at Pepper. "You were in the sunshine by the sea. That was Malibu, wasn't it?"

She was crying again.

Peter felt horrible. "Oh, God, I'm sorry."

Her fingers clasped his. "Don't be sorry."

"I don't remember much," Peter said, thinking surely it was better to tell them that straight away.

Mr. Stark's smile looked very strained, but he patted Peter on the shoulder. "We know, bud."

"That's perfectly understandable," Ms. Potts said, reassuringly.

The food arrived and Peter ate what he could. For all that his stomach had been rumbling, his appetite was almost non-existent.

"So, you've been living in Queens," Mr. Stark prompted.

Peter nodded. "Ben was a police officer and May was a nurse. Ben died in November and May had... had a car crash in June. I've been... living in different places since then."

"Can you tell us where?" Mr. Stark asked.

"In Queens."

Mr. Stark raised his eyebrows. "Where... specifically?"

Peter shifted in his seat. Once Mr. Delmar had found out he was homeless, he'd let Peter sleep in his storeroom, but would that be considered harbouring a runaway, even though CPS hadn't had any idea Peter was a runaway? Peter didn't want to get Mr. Delmar in trouble! "I spent most weekends with Ned - he's my best friend." It was true but didn't actually answer the question fully. "Ned's parents didn't know I was homeless!" he added, quickly.

"Did you have somewhere safe to sleep the rest of the time?" Ms. Potts asked, softly.

Peter nodded, hoping they'd let it go at that.

Ms. Potts and Mr. Stark looked at each other, as if coming to some agreement, then they both smiled at him.

"Did you manage to stay in school?" Ms. Potts asked.

"I'm at Midtown. I didn't tell them about May either." Peter realised suddenly he'd been lying to a lot of people ever since May died.

"Oh, sweetie," Ms. Potts said, covering his hand with hers, "that must have been so difficult for you."

Peter was horrified to find his eyes had flooded with tears. He pulled his hand free and covered his face with both his hands. Almost instantly, he felt Mr. Stark and Ms. Potts standing either side of him, their arms wrapped around him as he fought against his tears.

Finally, he calmed. Mr. Stark gave him a glass of water and Ms. Potts gave him a wet cloth for his face.

"Sorry," he whispered.

"It's okay, bud," Mr. Stark said.

"Don't be sorry, sweetie," Ms. Potts told him. "You've been under a lot of stress."

Peter couldn't help but think they must have been wondering what they'd been landed with. The son of Iron Man and CEO Pepper Potts shouldn't be crying in the kitchen. He took a deep breath. He really needed time to regroup. "Umm, is there a bathroom I can use?"

"Sure, kid," Mr. Stark said. "Right this way."

Peter closed the bathroom door and leaned against it, feeling glad to be alone. Of all the ways he'd expected the day to go, this was not it. He'd been kidnapped. His entire life was a lie. His parents were never his -

Wait. He remembered 'Mommy and Daddy'. That was Ms. Potts and Mr. Stark. He did remember them. He didn't remember 'Mom and Dad' though. They were images in photos. Mary and Richard Parker. Were they his kidnappers? He'd always felt bad he didn't remember them. Now he knew he needn't feel bad at all.

He didn't have time for this. Ms. Potts and Mr. Stark were waiting for him to come out; he couldn't stay in the bathroom and have a breakdown. Peter took a deep breath. He needed to keep calm and take it one step at a time.

Okay.

Step one: Have a pee.

Step two: Wash hands and face.

Step th - Peter stared into the mirror. Was he usually this pale? No wonder they were being so nice to him; with his white face and reddened puffy eyelids, he looked like he'd spent a week crying. Peter grabbed the hand towel and gave his face a scrub. That was better. At least his skin looked a bit pinker now.

Peter dried his hands and headed for the door. Operation: Keep Calm was on.

Ms. Potts and Mr. Stark were in the kitchen area when he peeped around the corner. Ms. Potts saw him and smiled.

"We thought we'd watch a movie," she said. "Do you have a favourite?"

Peter managed to smile back, feeling relieved they'd all have something to keep them occupied instead of talking. "Star Wars." A New Hope was one of his oldest favourites.

"Star Wars it is, then." Mr. Stark waved a mug at him. "Would you like a drink? Tea, coffee, juice, milk?"

"Tea, please."

"Have you watched Star Wars a lot?" Ms. Potts asked.

Peter nodded. "Ned and I rewatched every movie last summer. It was so good. Ned loves  - oh my God, Ned!" He hadn't even wondered what Ned had to be thinking.

"What? What is it?" Mr. Stark asked.

"Can I check my phone? Have you seen my coat?" 

"It's on the chair." Mr. Stark pointed.

Peter grabbed his coat and dug in the pocket for his phone. Ned had to be going nuts. Peter turned his phone on and it almost instantly started pinging with text messages.

Ned: Are you okay?
Ned: Peter?
Ned: Did Captain America and Hawkeye kidnap you?!
Ned: Are the Avengers allowed to kidnap people?
Ned: Is he the real Captain America?
Ned: He looked like the real Captain America
Ned: But he didn't have his shield
Ned: Are they asking you to join the Avengers?
Ned: That would be so cool!!!!!
Ned: Tell them yes!!!!!
Ned: Unless he's a fake Captain America then say no
Ned: Peter?
Ned: Now I'm getting worried
Ned: Call me
Ned: Or text me
Ned: OMG now I'm freaking out
Ned: You need to call me
Ned: Like right now
Ned: Peter?
Ned: Peter?
Ned: Cmon dude
MJ: Call Ned
Ned: I'm really freaking
Ned: CALL ME
Ned: please
MJ: Seriously call Ned or he's going to the cops about Cpt America and Hawkeye being kidnappers
Ned: Peter?
Ned: Peter?

Peter stared at his phone as it continued to ping.

"Wow," Mr. Stark said. "Ned texts a lot, doesn't he?"

Peter looked up. Mr. Stark seemed fascinated as the pinging carried on. Ms. Potts looked like she wanted to laugh.

"Sweetie, call your friend," she said.

"Can - can I tell him?" Peter asked.

"Can he keep a secret?" Mr. Stark replied.

Peter nodded.

"Okay, then."

Ms. Potts nodded at him.

Peter rang and put the phone to his ear.

Ned instantly answered. "Peter, oh my God, are you alright?!"

"I'm okay, Ned, everything's... okay." It wasn't, not really, but what else could he say?

"Are you an Avenger now?!"

"No! I..." Peter took a deep breath. "Listen, Ned, you can't tell anyone, okay?"

"Tell anyone what? Peter?"

"I'm..." Peter stopped as his voice quavered horribly.

"What's the matter? Peter?"

Mr. Stark took the phone. "Hi, Ned, this is Tony Stark."

Peter sat down on the couch. His chest felt weirdly tight as he listened to Ned's excited babbling. Ms. Potts sat down beside Peter and rubbed his back. He leaned into her a little and she put her arms around him.

"Yes, that Tony Stark... Yes, Iron Man Tony Stark," Mr. Stark said. "Ned, you can't say anything until we release a statement but Peter is my son... Yes, he was... Yes, that Peter Stark... I'll ask him to call you tomorrow. Goodnight, Ned." He sat down next to Peter and patted his arm. "It's going to be okay."

Peter wished he could believe him.

Chapter Text

It didn't take long for the kid to conk out while watching the movie, and Tony smiled at Pepper as Peter's eyes finally stayed shut and he snuggled down between them.

Pepper looked like she was close to crying as she stared at their son. Her gaze met Tony's and she murmured, "I can't believe he's home."

Neither could Tony. He and Pepper sat staring at Peter like a pair of creepy stalkers, then sat trying to not stare at him when he seemed to feel the weight of their combined gazes and started waking up.

Finally, when Peter looked to be fully asleep, Tony carried him to the guestroom opposite his and Pepper's bedroom and put him into bed. Pepper put Peter's phone by his bedside while Tony slipped Peter's shoes from his feet, then they covered their kid up and left him to sleep.

As soon as the door was shut, Tony said, "FRIDAY, set up the Peter Protocol. Alert Ms. Boss and me if Peter is injured, if he's in severe distress, if he leaves the Tower without one of us, or if anyone tries to take him from the penthouse or the Tower."

"Got it, Boss," FRIDAY replied.

Pepper's fingers twined with his. "Did you see how hard he tried for us?"

Tony nodded. "He's strong." He couldn't help the smile on his face as he pulled Pepper into a hug. "He's amazing."

"How much do we know about what happened to him? Who took him?"

"Nat's been digging. Let's get her and the others up here and find out."

Natasha really had been digging. Tony and Pepper gathered round the dining table with her, Steve, Clint, and Bruce, and looked at what Natasha had found. If there was one consolation for Tony and Pepper - aside from having their son back - it was that Ben and May Parker appeared to be completely innocent.

"I spoke to Gustafson, the lawyer who drew up Richard and Mary Parker's wills," Natasha said. "He was pretty sure Ben Parker had no idea Richard even had a child until Gustafson asked him when he could collect Peter. Gustafson didn't know any of the Parkers until Richard and Mary made their wills, and the Gustafson lawyers have been in Seattle since before Steve was a baby. I haven't found anything on Gustafson so far."

"What about Richard and Mary Parker themselves?" Tony asked.

"Mary Parker was born Mary Fitzpatrick."

Tony frowned. Fitzpatrick. He was sure he'd known someone called Fitzpatrick.

"Her mother was Maureen Fitzpatrick, who was Obadiah Stane's lover for over ten years. Mary was their daughter." There was sympathy in Natasha's eyes.

Bile rose in Tony's throat. "I should have killed him twice."

Pepper shook her head. "Why? Why would Obadiah have Peter kidnapped?"

"To destroy me, destroy us, get control of SI." Tony knew how close Obadiah had come to achieving his ends. If Pepper had given up on Tony - had given up on life - Tony wouldn't have survived. Even so, it had taken years for Tony to crawl his way out of a bottle and start being any kind of a supportive husband again. He pulled Pep into his side and kissed her face gently. He didn't know how he'd got so lucky.

Pepper turned her face so she could look him in the eye. "It's over. He failed and there's nothing left of him."

"There is something more," Natasha put in as she handed out print-outs. "From the emails I found, Mary and Richard were demanding more money from Stane. They were flying to meet him when the plane crashed."

"What a coincidence," Steve said.

"You're not telling me that was a coincidence." Clint's mouth twisted in disgust. "He killed his own kid."

Pepper dropped her copy of the email. "He lost. He lost everything even before he died."  She pushed Obadiah's papers to one side. "Show me everything you've got on my son."

Chapter Text

Saturday, September 26, 2015

Peter blinked, confused at what he could see. This wasn't Mr. Delmar's storeroom. Memory returned and Peter groaned, pulling the blanket up over his head. He guessed he was in the penthouse's guest bedroom. He'd fallen asleep watching Star Wars, and had a hazy memory of being carried to bed by Mr. Stark.

Peter resisted the urge to scream.

Why did things have to be so complicated? It wasn't that he minded Ms. Potts and Mr. Stark being his parents - he remembered them, kind of. Plus Mr. Stark was Iron Man and Ms. Potts was the CEO of SI. Talk about cool! But he didn't really know them. Yet.

Peter searched his memories. He remembered the lawyer's office and Daniel's mom, Mrs... Mrs... What was her name? She'd had an umbrella with rainbows on it. Then Ben and May had arrived. Ben had asked about Gerald, then there was the airport. He remembered being frightened because there were so many people and he hadn't known anyone. Ben and May had been kind. They'd sat next to him and held his hand. In his memory, it hadn't taken him long to learn to love them.

Before then, there was... There was...

There was sunshine and laughter. A red car. Gerald. Then? Cold. And watching a TV. He remembered the TV and the couch. Being alone with just Gerald to keep him company.

Peter pulled the blanket tighter around himself. Ben and May hadn't let him be alone.

Well. Until recently, and that wasn't their fault. Peter hugged himself. He had to be calm. Ms. Potts and Mr. Stark wouldn't want to be dealing with a teenager who cried all the time. He could do this. It hadn't taken him long to learn to love Ben and May, and they'd been total strangers. Ms. Potts and Mr. Stark were his parents, and he remembered them. A little, anyway.

But there was another complication: Spider-Man.

May had found it hard to deal with Peter being Spider-Man. In fact, she'd hated it. She'd only accepted it because he'd point-blank refused to give up being a vigilante. Would Ms. Potts and Mr. Stark accept it? Peter didn't know them well enough to guess. Mr. Stark was an Avenger, but he was an adult. Peter wasn't. That might make all the difference to them. But Peter couldn't give up being Spider-Man - everything he'd gone through recently was so he could keep on helping people.

He sighed. Hopefully, he was worrying for nothing. Dr. Cho hadn't said there was an issue with his DNA - and she would have noticed, right? Peter had only ever guessed his DNA was altered; he didn't know. So, he had time to work on being Spider-Man without Ms. Potts and Mr. Stark finding out. If they found out about his spider DNA - assuming he had any - it wouldn't take them long to figure out he had to be Spider-Man.

Peter checked the time and was shocked to see it was almost 7 a.m. He'd never slept well, yet he'd slept through the night and didn't think he'd woken once. Peter forced himself out of bed. Regardless of how much he wanted to hide under his bedcovers, he had to face the day. He wished he knew what time he was supposed to be in the kitchen. Did Ms. Potts and Mr. Stark have a set time for breakfast? Did they even eat breakfast?

A thought struck him, and he looked up at the ceiling. "FRIDAY?"

"Yes, Peter?" the AI instantly replied.

"Am I allowed to ask you questions?"

"Yes, Peter. If I can tell you something, I will."

Peter sighed in relief; that'd make things easier. Plus, he was getting to talk to an AI. How cool was that? "Is there a set time for breakfast?" Peter mentally facepalmed. He was talking to an AI created by Tony Stark himself, and his first question was about mealtimes.

FRIDAY simply replied, "Ms. Potts eats breakfast at 7.30a.m.; Boss eats breakfast whenever he wishes."

"Thanks, FRIDAY." Peter went into the ensuite bathroom and got ready though his hands were shaking with nerves. Once he was done and dressed in the same clothes he'd worn the day before, he put his phone in his pocket, took a few deep breaths, and headed to the kitchen. As he'd suspected Ms. Potts was already there.

"Hi."

Ms. Potts's face lit up. "Good morning, sweetie. Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah. I don't usually."

"Then it's good you did. What would you like for breakfast? We've got pancakes, toast, bacon and eggs, or waffles."

"Anything, please." Peter didn't want to admit how hungry he was.

"Anything it is, then."

By the time Mr. Stark came in, Peter was wading his way through bacon, eggs, toast, and hash browns.

"Morning, Pep. Morning, Peter. That smells good," Mr. Stark said. 

Peter held back a laugh as Mr. Stark stole a piece of toast from Ms. Potts's plate and grinned at Peter.

"You're a menace." Ms. Potts gave a sigh. "I'll make you breakfast too but stop stealing my toast."

"It's okay, I'll make my breakfast. I gotta prove to our kid I can take care of myself." Mr. Stark winked at him.

"Good luck with that," Ms. Potts muttered, though she looked more amused than anything.

It felt like they were putting on a bit of a show, hamming it up for Peter's benefit, but he liked it. Ben and May had sometimes done the same thing, especially in the early days, Peter remembered.

"Slander!" Mr. Stark declared. "I'll have you know I once managed to boil an egg for myself, and it was mostly edible!"

Ms. Potts laughed. "Your father's actually a very good cook," she told Peter. "When he wants to be."

"My mom taught me a few dishes," Mr. Stark said. "But takeout is easier." His phone rang and he grimaced but pulled it from his pocket. "This is Stark."

"I thought you'd be up early today," Dr. Cho's voice said.

 "Good morning, Helen, and what a lovely day it is too."

"Tony, I need to talk to you and Pepper about Peter's DNA."

Peter pretended he was concentrating on his breakfast and not listening in to the voice on the phone, but he could feel the look Mr. Stark shot his way.

"Is there something wrong?"

"It's not what you're thinking; the fingerprints and DNA are rock solid. But there's some additional data you need to know."

And there it was.

Peter clung to the faint hope that maybe it wasn't his spider DNA that Dr. Cho wanted to discuss. Maybe it was something else - anything else. He made sure to look calm while Ms. Potts and Mr. Stark went downstairs 'for a few minutes to deal with an SI issue', then he ran to the elevator doors and listened in. As soon as they left the elevator, Peter pressed the button to call it back up, but kept his hearing focussed on his parents. As it turned out, he didn't even need to reach the medbay floor to hear the, "What? NO!" from his mother.

Peter's heart twisted inside him. "Take me back to the penthouse," he told FRIDAY. She said something in return, but he blocked it out. He'd hoped it wouldn't matter or it wouldn't be such a big deal, but Ms. Potts's tone had shut that down. The elevator doors opened and Peter ran to the guestroom, grabbed his backpack, and pulled his suit and mask on. His webshooters were quickly put in place, and Peter was ready to go back to the streets. Maybe Flash was right and there was something wrong with him. Maybe he was never meant to have people love him.

The elevator doors were open by the time he reached the living area again, and his parents were already stepping out.

Peter paused for a moment as they both shouted his name. "I'm sorry, this is who I am!" he told them, then he ran for the balcony.

He didn't make it. A large, red and gold suit appeared, pushed him back from the window, and took up a guard-like stance in front of him. Peter stepped back and turned to stare at Mr. Stark who was definitely not in the Iron Man suit. "Ho-ow are you doing that?"

The visor of the suit popped up, showing the empty interior, and Peter jerked back further. Well, that was creepy.

"I can use wi-fi to operate an empty suit," Mr. Stark explained.

"That doesn't matter!" Ms. Potts interrupted. She folded her arms and gave Peter a severe look. "I'd like to know where you thought you were going. And take that mask off - I refuse to talk to it."

Peter pulled the mask off and crumpled it in his hands. "I'm Spider-Man."

"Yes, I understand that part."

"The onesie and mask kinda gave that away, kid," Mr. Stark said.

"But why were you trying to leave?" Ms. Potts demanded.

Peter hunched in on himself. "I-I heard you. You're unhappy about me."

"Of course I'm unhappy!" Ms. Potts's voice rose. "My fourteen-year-old son is endangering his life!"

"I'm fifteen."

"You're fourteen!" Mr. Stark snapped.

"And you've been running around New York like that since you were thirteen!" Ms. Potts looked even more upset.

"I think that shows I can handle myself," Peter said, hoping it would make them feel better.

It didn't.

Ms. Potts's and Mr. Stark's eyes widened in unison.

"I don't think it shows anything of the kind!" Ms. Potts said loudly.

"If you think that's any defence, think again!" Mr. Stark told him.

"It's bad enough that your father's Iron Man -"

"Hey!"

"- I'm not having my son run around being a vigilante!"

"I thought you'd gotten over your issues with my being Iron Man."

"Tony!"

"Right, yes. Kid, the onesie is terrible."

"It's not a onesie," Peter protested.

"The onesie isn't the issue," Ms. Potts told him.

"It kinda is," Mr. Stark said.

"It really isn't!" Ms. Potts snapped in a high voice. There was silence, and she added in a quieter voice, "The issue is that our son tried to run away from us because he thinks I can't love him because he's Spider-Man. Which is completely untrue." She stalked forward and put her arms around Peter, pulling him into a hug. "There is nothing that can stop me from loving you."

The tightness in Peter's chest eased suddenly.

"You're stuck with us, kid," Mr. Stark said as he joined in the hug.

Peter put his head down on Ms. Potts's shoulder. They really were just like Ben and May.

It wasn't even two minutes later that Mr. Stark's phone rang. "Oh, seriously?" he muttered into Peter's hair. "It's not even eight-thirty and this is the second phone call today."

Ms. Potts gave a snort. "I'll give you ten bucks to ignore it."

"Eh. I'm hugging my wife and son; I'll ignore it for free."

Chapter Text

By the time the hug broke apart, Peter was feeling things just might be okay, despite his worry his parents wouldn't let him be Spider-Man any time soon. Apparently 'they' were going to discuss it later. Peter suspected 'they' meant Ms. Potts and Mr. Stark only. Ben and May would have done the same. In any case, Peter was ready to argue his case later.

But he let it go for now. Ms. Potts kept hold of his hand as she led him back to the kitchen while Mr. Stark sent his empty Iron Man suit to wherever it was stashed when not in use, and then got back to making more breakfast. And then Mr. Stark's phone rang again.

Mr. Stark sighed but answered. "This is Stark."

Peter looked down at the remains of his breakfast as Agent McNeil stated his need to interview Peter about the day he was kidnapped and where he'd been since that day.

"McNeil, I'm gonna stop you there. Ms. Romanoff has a lot of information for you and she'll be calling you today."

There was a pause, then Agent McNeil said, "And if I need to speak to Peter afterwards?"

"Then call me next week and I'll consider your request."

Agent McNeil didn't have much to say after that and the phonecall ended.

"Right, breakfast." Mr. Stark turned back to the cooker.

Peter eyed his back. "Ms. Romanoff, Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow?"

"Yeah, Natasha's good at digging up information," Mr. Stark said casually.

"Don't worry about it, sweetie," Ms. Potts said. "We're just trying to find out what exactly happened. Once we know everything for sure, we'll tell you."

"Okay," Peter said, but, really, he was fighting the urge to freak out. Again. It wasn't just that the Black Widow was investigating his past (his past - Peter now had a past worth investigating!), but Mr. Stark had stopped the FBI from questioning Peter. Peter was grateful, of course, because the idea of being questioned (interrogated?) by the FBI was terrifying, but who told the FBI 'no' and got away with it?

Tony Stark was, apparently, the answer to that question.

"Why don't we order some clothes for you and some things for your bedroom?" Ms. Potts suggested.

"I have some things at Ned's," Peter said. "A suitcase full. Is it okay if I get them?"

"Of course, honey," Ms. Potts replied. "This is your home. You should have your things with you."

Home. Peter blinked, a sudden lump in his throat. He hadn't had a home since May died.

"Is this Texting Ned?" Mr. Stark asked. "I want to meet Texting Ned. Let's invite him for lunch today."

The painful twinge in Peter's heart eased a little. He really, really wanted to see Ned's face if Tony Stark called him Texting Ned. "C-can we?"

"I think that would be a great idea," Ms. Potts said. "Why don't you call Ned and make sure it's okay with his parents if he comes over for lunch?"

"Okay! Um, I'll call him from the guestroom." Peter was positive Ned would be loud in his reaction, and he didn't want Ms. Potts and Mr. Stark to hear it. He retreated to the guestroom and called Ned.

Ned answered almost instantly. "Peter! Oh my God, Tony Stark was on my phone last night!"

"Yeah." Peter could have told him 'Tony Stark put me to bed last night', but there were some things a fifteen-year-old couldn't admit to.

"Aren't you excited? Tony Stark is your dad!"

Peter froze. Excited really wasn't the word.

"Peter? Are you there? Peter?"

"Yeah. Um. They - they want you to come for lunch."

There was silence.

"Ned?"

"Dude, I'm really excited for me, but are you okay? Your voice went weird."

"Ye-ah." Peter's voice wobbled again. "It's just a lot to take in, you know?"

"A-are they being nice to you?" Ned asked hesitantly.

"Oh, God, yeah! They're great! I just... I'm going back and forth on everything. What if I disappoint them?" Peter felt it was inevitable somehow.

"It's not gonna happen, man. Trust me on that."

"How can you know?! I mean, they don't know me. What if they hate me?" What if Flash was right and Peter was worthless?

"Peter, they're not gonna hate you. How could they?"

"I-I don't know! I just -"

"No, listen to me. They've spent eight years looking for you! You could be Flash and they'd still be happy they found you! And, instead of Flash, they got you. You're top of every class, you work really hard, and you're kind to everyone. My parents love you! Seriously, man, you're gonna be okay. Okay?"

"Okay." Peter took a deep breath. "Thanks, Ned. P-please come to lunch." He tried to avoid sounding pathetic.

"Course I will. Just tell me what time."

Chapter Text

While their kid was phoning his best friend, Tony called his best friend. He wasn't sure if Rhodey would pick up but Tony hoped he could get hold of him. Fortunately, he could.

Rhodey didn't waste any time when he answered. "Hey, Tony, is Pepper okay?"

"She's fine, Platypus. Why?"

"I heard she cancelled four meetings. That's not like Pepper."

Tony stared at his phone for a moment. "How on earth - the meetings weren't even with the military. Do you spend all your day gossiping over cups of coffee?"

Rhodey looked back at him, an amused gleam in his eyes. "Not all my day. Sometimes I blow shit up and invade other countries."

"And there's our tax dollars at work."

"So, if Pepper's fine, and you seem to be fine, what gives?"

Tony let his happiness show on his face. "Peter's home."

Rhodey's face went slack with shock. "Peter..."

"Peter James Edwin Stark is currently in his bedroom here in the penthouse." Tony sent Rhodey some pictures of Peter he'd had FRIDAY take the evening before, and had the pleasure of seeing Rhodey fumble with his phone as he almost dropped it.

"Holy shi - that's Peter! Oh my God, Tones, I'm so happy for you! I can't believe it. It's - what?" Rhodey looked up. "I  can't go to a meeting now; I'm on the phone! I'm due in a meeting, Tony! Why do you do this to me? Is he okay, are you okay?"

Tony grinned. "He's amazing."

Rhodey's face softened. "I'm gonna be sitting in this meeting agreeing with everything those idiots say."

"I know." Tony would have paid to see it too. "When can you come visit?"

"I'll arrange for leave and call you back. Give my godson a hug from me."

Having told Rhodey, Tony contacted Happy and asked him to come up to the lab for a quick word.

Typically, Happy was not, uh, happy when he got there.

"I was about to go into a meeting. This couldn't have waited?"

"You have meetings?" Tony asked.

"I have meetings all the time. I'm having a meeting right now with my pain in the ass bo-" Happy's eyes narrowed suddenly. "What have you done?"

"Why do you assume I've done something?" Tony was starting to think no one trusted him at all.

"Because I know you. What are you up to?"

Tony smiled. "Peter's home."

Happy's jaw dropped. "Peter - your Peter?! He's in the penthouse? How? When?"

"Since yesterday evening."

"Is he okay?"

Tony nodded. "He's incredible." As Happy stared at him, apparently speechless, Tony added, "You're not going to start crying on me, are you, Hap?"

"Jerk," Happy said, a fond tone in his voice. "When can I meet him?"

"Come up at eleven and I'll introduce you. I want you to drive us to Peter's friend's place to pick up his things. And I need you to take on his security." Tony wouldn't trust anyone but Happy with that.

Happy's eyes met his, a look of total understanding in them. "I got it. Do you know who had him?"

"Obadiah's daughter and son-in-law."

"Obie had a daughter?!"

"Had is the operative word. When they demanded more money from him, they died in a plane crash. Peter ended up with the son-in-law's brother and his wife, who apparently had no idea Peter wasn't their nephew." Tony shrugged. "There's no proof they did, anyway. They're both dead, and Peter's been homeless for three months."

Happy sighed. "Geeze, poor kid."

"He's strong, Hap; he's a fighter. He kept up with his school, kept up his grades." Tony couldn't help the pride in his voice. "He's at Midtown on a scholarship. We'll be dealing with his school next week, checking out the security system. I'm hoping he can go back the week after, maybe two weeks after, but he doesn't know yet he'll have to wait."

=====

Peter had assumed he would go to Ned's on the subway, collect his suitcase, and he and Ned would travel back together. Ms. Potts and Mr. Stark, he found, had other ideas.

"Oh no, honey, we'll go with you in the car and Happy can drive us," Ms. Potts said calmly. "We want to meet Ned's parents."

"Y-you do?" Peter looked from Ms. Potts to Mr. Stark and back.

"I just hope they're trustworthy," Mr. Stark muttered.

"Trustworthy..." Peter echoed. "Why wouldn't they be trustworthy?"

Ms. Potts and Mr. Stark exchanged another one of those glances that showed they were having a silent conversation. Mr. Stark shrugged and looked resigned.

Ms. Potts turned to Peter. "Sweetie, sometimes people aren't as discreet as you hope they'll be."

Peter suddenly thought of the trashy articles about Mr. Stark he'd seen on magazine covers. "You mean they sell information about you to magazines." His heart sank. He'd never given much thought to those articles, thought about the betrayal involved. And now, this was his life too.

"It's part of the price we pay for who we are, kid," Mr. Stark said.

"Ned's my best friend," Peter told them. "He knows I'm Spider-Man - he's always known."

Ms. Potts smiled. "That's good, sweetie. It means he's trustworthy."

Peter forced a smile.

Chapter Text

After spending some time (and more money than Peter was comfortable with) choosing clothes and things for his bedroom, Peter got to meet Mr. Stark's 'Forehead of Security' Happy Hogan, who was a tall, impressive-looking guy in a suit.

Ms. Potts rolled her eyes. "It's 'Head of Security', and he'll be driving us to pick up Ned."

Mr. Stark was grinning at Mr. Hogan, who seemed resigned to his title.

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Hogan," Peter said, as he wondered who on earth would name their kid 'Happy'.

"It's just Happy, kid, and it's really good to see you again."

That gave Peter a jolt. It wasn't just Ms. Potts and Mr. Stark who'd known him before; Peter Stark had had a lot of people in his life.

"Are we good to go?" Mr. Stark was looking at him.

Peter looked back, suddenly aware of how different he looked compared to them. Although Ms. Potts and Mr. Stark were casually dressed, they had an air of wealth, of importance, about them. Peter, on the other hand, didn't. His jeans were worn through at the knees and his sweatshirt had a torn hem. He bet Peter Stark would have been better dressed.

"Peter?"

Peter blinked, and realised he hadn't actually answered. "Sure!" he said, then followed Ms. Potts and Mr. Stark into the elevator. Being back in the parking garage seemed weird too. The last time he was there, he was a homeless orphan from Queens. Now, his home was a penthouse, and his parents were Iron Man and the CEO of Stark Industries. It was definitely different.

It was different too how they went into Ned's apartment building. Happy and Peter went up to the door together, and Peter buzzed Ned to open the door. Then Happy sent Peter inside and held the door for Ms. Potts and Mr. Stark. It was odd, to say the least.

Ned was just the same though, thankfully. He let Peter into the second floor apartment, and turned red and speechless with excitement when he saw who was with him.

"You must be Texting Ned," Mr. Stark said.

Peter bit back his laugh as Ned turned an even deeper red.

"Hello, Ned. It's lovely to meet you," Ms. Potts said. "We're Peter's parents. Could we see your parents, please?"

Ned squeaked a reply but took them to his parents, then returned to Peter who'd stayed in the hall with Happy. Once Ms. Potts and Mr. Stark were behind a closed door, Ned recovered enough to mutter, "Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, Iron Man is in my home!"

Peter waited until he'd stopped flapping his hands, then said. "Ned, this is Happy. Happy, Ned's my best friend."

Happy looked very amused. "Hi, Ned."

Ned's eyes widened. "He's your bodyguard?!"

"Nooo!" Peter instantly denied. "Happy's... Head of Security..." he finished doubtfully. If Happy was anyone's bodyguard, it'd be Ms. Potts, right? Iron Man wouldn't need a bodyguard, Peter didn't need a bodyguard, so the only one left was Ms. Potts. Or maybe Happy just liked driving people around. Peter looked at Happy again.

"Don't you have some stuff to collect?" Happy asked, still looking far too amused for Peter's liking.

"Oh, yeah." Peter went off with Ned to his bedroom, and started dragging his suitcase out from under Ned's bed.

"This is the most awesome day of my life," Ned declared. "Iron Man is in my living room and he knows my name."

"He called you Texting Ned," Peter pointed out.

"Yeah... Why'd he call me Texting Ned?"

"Because he was there when I turned my phone on last night."

"Oh... Oh!" Ned thought for a moment, then shrugged. "It's still worth it." He sat down on his bed and whispered, "Dude, are you sure that guy's not your bodyguard?"

Sitting back on his heels, Peter asked, "How can you think that? Why would I need a bodyguard?"

Ned gave him a weird look. "You're Peter Stark and you were missing for eight years?"

Peter gave him back look for look. "I think Happy just likes driving."

By the time they got back to Happy, Ms. Potts and Mr. Stark were in the hall. Ned's parents were there too, looking flustered as they offered apologies, for some reason.

"We'd better get out of here while the going's good," Mr. Stark said. He had a big grin on his face

Mrs. Leeds blushed even more. "I'm so sorry, my mother's not normally like that."

"Please don't worry about it," Ms. Potts assured her, looking like she was trying not to laugh. "Tony's the cutest billionaire I've ever met too."

Ned looked horrified. "Oh my God, did my lola make a pass at your dad?"

Peter shook his head as he ignored the 'd' word. "She can't have. Didn't you say she's seventy-two?"

"Well, it sounds like she did," Ned said.

"She's seventy-two and she's your grandmother! How can you even think she'd think like that?"

"You'd be surprised, kid," Mr. Stark said, and he took Peter's suitcase and strolled off out of the door.

Leaving the building was just as weird as entering. Happy took the suitcase and went out alone to put it in the trunk, then opened the back door, cast a glance around, and gave them a nod.

"Straight into the backseat, kids," Mr. Stark said.

Peter and Ned went to the car and got in, then Mr. Stark joined them a couple of minutes later while Ms. Potts got in the front. Ned gave Peter a wide-eyed look, but he shrugged; he had no explanation either.

Mr. Stark looked at them. "We're just trying to keep a lid on things until after we release a statement."

"A... statement?" Peter echoed. He didn't like the sound of that.

"We have to release a statement at some point, sweetie," Ms. Potts told him. "We release a photo of you, we appeal for privacy -"

"And remind them you're a minor and I'll sue the pants off anyone who approaches you," Mr. Stark put in.

"- and we control the story. We keep it low key and as dull as possible. That way, the attention blows over quicker. As soon as there's something more newsworthy, they'll move on."

"But what if they don't?!" Peter had a horrified vision of himself being hounded by photographers and reporters forever. He'd never be able to patrol as Spider-Man again.

Mr. Stark shrugged. "Then we send a couple of private investigators after the loudest, most overly-religious senator and let him take all the heat."

"You can't do that!" Peter was appalled.

"Don't worry - we won't make anything up; it'll all be true," Mr. Stark assured him.

Peter stared at him.

Mr. Stark looked back. After a minute he said, "Pep, I think I broke the kids."

Chapter Text

They left the car in a normal way in the garage, which was a relief. Of course, that was because no one could see them in the underground garage, and Peter wondered if going anywhere would be such a hassle every time. Like so many other things recently, Peter put it to one side to think about later. He got out of the car and went to fetch his suitcase from the trunk, only to find Happy already had it and intended to carry it up for him. Peter trailed behind him to the elevator and wondered if anything would ever be normal again.

Once in the penthouse, Mr. Stark clapped his hands together. "Right, lunch. I was thinking about cheeseburgers. Pep, you in? What do you think, kids?"

"Awesome!" Of course that was Ned.

"Sounds good," Peter agreed, but he thought Mr. Stark could've offered Ned lentil mush and he would have declared it 'awesome'.

"You staying, Hap?"

"Sure, I'll stay. Thanks, Tony."

Peter took the opportunity to grab his suitcase and take it to the guestroom with a starry-eyed Ned.

"We're having cheeseburgers with Tony Stark and Pepper Potts!" Ned informed Peter enthusiastically and rather unnecessarily. "Wait until MJ finds out you know Pepper Potts; you'll be her most favourite person ever!"

Peter shook his head. "I'll still be outranked by Ms. Potts, Lucy Stone, and Emily Dickinson."

"Ms. Potts, sure, but I bet you could outrank at least one of the others..."

His voice trailed off as Peter opened the guestroom door.

"Oh my God, Peter, this is the biggest bedroom I've ever seen. Oh, wow, you have your own bathroom!"

As Ned explored, Peter opened up his suitcase and started unpacking it. He had some spare clothes; May's cardigan and Ben's wristwatch; May's jewellery; all their documents and his; Gerald and Junior; photos in frames that he'd snatched off the walls, and his photo album...

Peter put Gerald on his bedside cabinet and picked up the photo album. Most of his pictures were of him with Ben and May, but the beginning pictures were of his so-called parents. His kidnappers.

"Peter? Are you okay?"

"I never realised how uncomplicated my life was," Peter finally replied. He sank down to the floor, the album in his hands. "These aren't my parents; they kidnapped me."

Ned sat down beside him. "Mr. Stark and Ms. Potts look nicer."

Peter looked at the photos of Richard and Mary. They were smiling in every picture, but he realised he'd never liked looking at them. Ben and May had thought it was because of his grief and he'd never corrected them, but, really, he'd never liked Richard and Mary, let alone loved them. When he tried to remember them, all he remembered was being cold and alone.

"If I didn't remember my real parents, I'd be so scared now," Peter said quietly. He dropped the album and put his hands over his face. "I'm so glad I remember them." The whole situation, finding out the truth, being in the penthouse... It was all hard, but Ms. Potts and Mr. Stark - his mom and dad - somewhere, in the back of his mind, he could feel they'd been 'home' to him. Just like Ben and May had been. He guessed it was like going back to some place you'd lived in years before; it was new and strange but familiar at the same time. He really wanted to feel he was home again.

Ned's shoulder pressed against his. After a while he said, "I can't believe you still have Junior."

Peter picked up the cheap plastic tree ornament and smiled at it. It really didn't look much like Gerald. "Ben and May got him for me that first Christmas. After the tree came down, I kept him in my bedroom."

"I know, I remember," Ned said. "I didn't actually realise he was a tree ornament until the next Christmas."

Peter got up and hung Junior from the closet door handle, then automatically checked inside the closet. "At least I've got lots of space to get everything put away. I can put the suitcase in the closet after."

With Ned's help, everything was put away quickly, and they'd just finished when there was a tap on the door.

Ms. Potts put her head in and smiled at them. "Lunch is -" She broke off with a gasp and stepped into the room. "You've still got Gerald!" She looked like she wanted to cry.

Peter stared at her. "You gave him to me!" he blurted out, feeling surprised he knew that.

Ms. Potts nodded. "It was ten days before... You wouldn't sleep without him once you got him. I always hoped you still..." Her face crumpled.

"Um. I'm going to go wash my hands!" Ned announced in a high-pitched voice, then he ducked into Peter's bathroom and shut the door.

Peter forced himself to step towards Ms. Potts though he felt horribly awkward. He couldn't start a hug with her, but he let her pull him into her arms. It was nice, almost like a hug from May, and he relaxed a little into her hold as he patted her back.

"Oh, Peter! I'm so glad you're home." She sniffled for a minute, then raised her head from his shoulder, smiled at him, and smoothed his hair down. "We'll have to tell your dad. He insisted Gerald had to be red."

"I'm guessing it's his favourite colour." There was a red car too; Peter was sure he remembered it.

She nodded, still smiling at him in spite of her tearful look. "You have to tell us if we make you uncomfortable, okay? I know it's hard for you."

"No, it's..." Peter stopped. He didn't know how to explain how much he'd longed for the easy affection he'd shared with May and Ben, had missed it, missed the warmth of it. And now he had two more people, people he remembered, offering that same love. He wanted to let it soak into him so he'd never be cold again. "It's... good," he finally finished with, hoping she could see what he couldn't say.

She snorted softly, and hugged him again. "You're just like your dad, you know? He's terrible at expressing his emotions too."

Peter smiled into her shoulder. He guessed she understood just fine.

Ms. Potts pulled back a little and patted him on the arm. "You go save your friend from hiding in the bathroom and come on in for lunch."

Chapter Text

Having Ned there for lunch helped, Peter thought. If Mr. Stark so much as looked in Ned's direction, Ned got excited, which seemed to amuse Mr. Stark a lot. Peter felt rather envious, in a weird way. Instead of just being able to enjoy meeting Tony Stark (genius, inventor, Iron Man), Peter had a hundred different things going on in his head. It was so complicated.

"Not hungry?"

Peter suddenly realised Mr. Stark was talking to him. "I'm good!" he declared, taking another bite of his cheeseburger.

Even Ned was giving him a concerned look.

"Do you like salad, sweetheart?" Ms. Potts asked. She pushed a container of salad his way.

"Sure, thanks." Peter opened it up and smiled at her.

"Peter eats everything!" Ned declared. "Except mint. Uh, no reason."

"No...reason?" Mr. Stark repeated, looking interested.

Ned turned red. "He's allergic," he said quickly. "Throws up everywhere!"

"Ned!" Peter felt horrified. Ms. Potts and Mr. Stark didn't need to know that!

"You're allergic to mint?" Ms. Potts asked. "You never used to be."

Peter felt awful at her concern. "I'm not actually allergic - it just makes me sick."

"Ah, spiders hate mint, don't they?" Mr. Stark said, sounding as if that explained everything.

Ned's eyes widened. He stared at Peter and almost shouted, "That's a coincidence!"

Peter groaned and covered his face as everyone stared at Ned.

"Is there something I don't know?" Happy asked, looking confused.

"Peter's Spider-Man," Mr. Stark said calmly.

There was a "You know?!" from Ned as Happy exclaimed, "He's Spider-Man?"

Happy and Ned looked at each other, then Happy continued, "How can he be Spider-Man - he's a child!"

"I'm fifteen!" Peter objected.

"You're fourteen," Ms. Potts and Mr. Stark said in unison.

"I'm his Guy-in-the-Chair!" Ned declared happily.

"What's a Guy-in-the-Chair?" Ms. Potts asked.

"The guy behind the scenes. Like his sidekick. That's me," Ned explained.

"You're making me be bodyguard to Spider-Man?!" Happy did not sound happy.

Ned gasped. "I knew it!"

Peter was outraged. "I don't need a bodyguard!"

"You really do," Ms. Potts put in firmly.

Mr. Stark looked pleased. "Normally, it's me creating mayhem."

"I can't believe he's Spider-Man," Happy said.

"I can't believe you think I need a bodyguard," Peter complained.

Happy continued, "Though it's typical of you, Tony."

Mr. Stark sat up straight. "I resent that! How is this typical of me?"

"You live to complicate my life," Happy complained.

Mr. Stark dismissed that with a wave. "I complicate everyone's life, Hap. You shouldn't take it personally."

=====

After what Peter now considered to be a disastrous lunch, Happy went downstairs, Ms. Potts had some urgent paperwork to deal with, and Mr. Stark took Peter and Ned to his workshop. Peter still felt rather shell-shocked over the conversation at lunch, but the whole room was a dream come true. There were tools, wires, bits of machines everywhere, but the best was meeting Mr. Stark's robots: DUM-E, Butterfingers, and U. They made Peter and Ned's robot look amateurish, at best.

Ned gave him a dismayed look.

"I know," Peter muttered.

"What? What's the matter?" Mr. Stark demanded.

"Our robot..." Ned trailed off.

Mr. Stark raised his eyebrows. "Is...?"

Peter shrugged as he gave DUM-E another fistbump. "He just doesn't compare. These are so awesome."

"Well, you could always bring your robot along and we could all check him out together," Mr. Stark offered.

"Could we?!" Ned was back to looking excited. "That would be so cool!"

"Th-that would be amazing!" Peter stared at Mr. Stark and got a smile in return. Working on a robot with Tony Stark? Peter had always hoped he could work at Stark Industries some day, but this was even better. His stomach flipped a little when he thought about how Mr. Stark was his father. It was so weird. Last week he'd been a homeless orphan, and now he was sitting in Tony Stark's workshop. He ducked his head and swallowed down his emotions. He couldn't lose it now.

"In the meantime, why don't you come see my suits?" Mr. Stark rubbed Peter's shoulder and led them both over to a display of Iron Man suits.

Ned looked like all his dreams had come true. "Peter! I'm in Tony Stark's workshop looking at his Iron Man suits! Am I dreaming?"

Mr. Stark smiled. "It's all true. C'mon, let's take some selfies!"

They did. There was Ned with a suit; Peter with a suit; Ned and Peter with a suit; and Ned, Peter, and Mr. Stark with a suit.

Peter stared at the photo, then at Mr. Stark. "Did you give us both bunny ears?!"

Ned sighed happily. "Your dad is so cool."

=====

Dinner was, fortunately, a tamer event with no revelations about Spider-Man, allergies, or bodyguards. Instead, Mr. Stark proved he could cook by making lasagne. Peter had to admit it was really good lasagne.

"It was my mom's recipe," Mr. Stark said.

Ned's mouth was full of lasagne, but Peter could practically hear him thinking, "Oh my God, I'm eating Mr. Stark's mom's lasagne and it's awesome!" From the amused looks on Ms. Potts's and Mr. Stark's faces, they could hear him too.

After a few minutes Ned looked at Peter and said, "You know it's killing me that I can't talk about any of this."

Peter snorted. "I haven't even told MJ yet."

"Who's MJ?" asked Ms. Potts, handing some garlic bread to Peter.

Peter felt himself blush. "Um, a friend. She's a big fan of yours."

Ms. Potts looked surprised. "Of mine?"

"You shattered the glass ceiling in Stark Industries and you're the most successful CEO in its history," Peter said, having learned it parrot-fashion from MJ.

Mr. Stark nodded. "And Pep increased the stock price six point nine percent in her first year."

Ms. Potts looked at Mr. Stark. "You were paying attention!" For a moment, they smiled at each other.

"So, Texting Ned," Mr. Stark broke the sudden silence, "Peter said you're a fan of Star Wars too?"

=====

It wasn't until after Happy had driven Ned home, Peter thought to say, "I'll be at school on Monday, right?"

Ms. Potts and Mr. Stark looked at each other, then Ms. Potts said, "I'm sorry, sweetie, but no."

"We'll be talking to your school on Monday," Mr. Stark said. "We need to change your contact details and make sure your school's secure before you go back."

"Secure? Wh-what if it's not secure?" Peter really had a bad feeling about that.

"Then we improve their security system until it is," Mr. Stark said, like Principal Morita's agreement was already set in stone.

Ms. Potts rubbed Peter's arm. "We want you to stay at your school, honey."

Peter stared at her. It hadn't even occurred to him that he might not.

"Then we'll be putting out a statement late on Monday afternoon," Mr. Stark continued calmly. "By the following week, all the fuss should have died down, and you can go to school as normal."

"By subway?" Peter asked. That was how he normally got to school.

Mr. Stark sighed a bit. "Happy will drive you and pick you up."

Not 'as normal' then. Peter really wanted his dull, ordinary life back, and he felt awful for thinking that. Ms. Potts and Mr. Stark had spent years searching for him, probably thinking he was dead, and here he was wishing May was still alive or Mr. Delmar had never been robbed - 

Mr. Delmar!

"Peter?" Ms. Potts rubbed his arm again.

If that didn't prove Peter was a terrible person, he didn't know what did. Mr. Delmar had given Peter food, shelter, and a job, and Peter hadn't even thought to see if he was still alive! "I-I forgot about Mr. Delmar!" Peter jumped to his feet. "I don't know if he's okay! He was robbed and there was blood on the floor and they took him to the hospital and that's why they took my fingerprints -"

"Okay, okay, bud -"

"It's okay, sweetie -"

"No! No, it isn't - he might - he might be dead!" And Peter wouldn't know because he never thought to ask.

They were hugging him again like he needed comfort. He hadn't had his head hit. He hadn't been taken to the hospital. He was just the selfish jerk who hadn't even thought to check up on poor, kind Mr. Delmar who'd worked so hard to make his bodega one to be proud of.

"We'll phone the store and find out," Ms. Potts said. "If no one's there, we can contact the police and ask them."

They made Peter sit down, and Mr. Stark put an arm around him while Ms. Potts called the bodega.

"I'm okay, you know," Peter muttered from where he'd ended up cuddled against Mr. Stark's side.

"I know, bud," Mr. Stark said.

His hand was rubbing Peter's arm as he rocked him a little, and Peter sighed as he listened to Ms. Potts talk to someone on the phone. From what she was saying, Mr. Delmar sounded okay. Peter relaxed into Mr. Stark's side a little more. He was warm and comfortable there.

Chapter Text

Sunday, September 27, 2015

Peter stretched, yawned, and opened his eyes. What the -

He groaned. No. He hadn't fallen asleep on the couch - on Mr. Stark - again. It had been embarrassing enough the first time. It was one thing to see Ms. Potts and Mr. Stark as home and another to use them as a pillow. And he must have gone crazy the night before, practically screeching about Mr. Delmar maybe being dead.

Peter felt his face heat up. God, he was such an embarrassment. Ms. Potts and Mr. Stark were probably sorry they'd got him back. Talking of his parents... He reached for his phone and checked the time. He had thirty-two minutes to go before he'd have to face them. Okay, new game plan: Get through the day without a meltdown and don't fall asleep on anyone. He could do it. He hoped.

=====

Just like the day before, Peter found Ms. Potts in the kitchen. She had a StarkPhone in one hand and a slice of toast in the other. As soon as she saw him, she put her phone down and pulled him in for a hug.

"Good morning, sweetie. How did you sleep?"

"Um, good, thanks. I, uh, I think I fell asleep on Mr. Stark." Peter felt his face redden.

Ms. Potts smiled, her eyes gleaming with what looked like affection. "You did. He's so happy you feel that comfortable with him."

Peter blinked at her. He didn't think it was at all flattering he'd fallen asleep on Mr. Stark. The idea of him being happy about it would never have occurred to Peter.

Ms. Potts smoothed his hair down. "I talked to Mr. Delmar's brother. Mr. Delmar's still in the hospital but he's going to be just fine. He'll be home in a few days and his family's taking care of his store and his cat."

It was a relief to have it confirmed. "Oh, I'm so glad. Thank you." Peter paused, then added, "I guess I won't be working there any more though."

"No, you won't. You're only fourteen, sweetie, and you don't need a job just yet."

Fourteen. Peter kept on forgetting that part of it; he didn't feel like he was fourteen. "Um, when was I born?"

Ms. Potts gave him a sympathetic look and gently said, "The tenth of August in 2001. It was a Friday."

"Oh." The birth certificate he'd always thought of as his hadn't said that at all. "I guess I really am only fourteen."

"I'm afraid so, sweetie."

Peter stayed silent as Ms. Potts began making an omelette. He guessed he should go to Google and start learning some facts about himself. Like his full name. Peter sighed. Who had to resort to Google to find out their full name?

Ms. Potts patted his arm as she put the omelette on a plate and put it in front of him. "Your things have arrived." She pointed to two very large boxes. "We can sort through everything after breakfast. Would you like some toast with that?"

"Yes, please," Peter said at the same time as Mr. Stark said, "Mmm, toast and coffee!"

Peter jumped.

"Sorry, kid." Mr. Stark came fully into the kitchen and slung an arm around Peter's shoulders. "Did you tell Pete about Mr. Delmar?"

"Yes," Ms. Potts answered serenely. "And once we've all had breakfast, we can sort out Peter's room.

"Excellent plan!" Mr. Stark said in an approving tone.

Peter eyed the boxes again. How much could there possibly be to 'sort out'? He was sure he hadn't picked out that much stuff.

He might not have but his parents had. Not that they'd gone crazy over it, but he definitely had enough clothes to wear while 'the guestroom' had been turned into the kind of bedroom any teenage nerdy Star Wars fan would give a body part for. If Ned didn't turn green enough with envy to rival the Hulk, Peter would be surprised.

The last picture to go up wasn't Star Wars connected though; it showed a comical-looking alpaca in a brightly-coloured hat, over the words "I'll pack a party hat!" For some reason, it brought a lump to Peter's throat.

Mr. Stark straightened it and stepped back, then smiled at Peter.

"I guess you saw I've still got Gerald," Peter said.

There was a suspicious brightness to Mr. Stark's eyes, but all he said was, "Sure did."

Ms. Potts gently tweaked one of Gerald's ears. "He's family."

Chapter Text

Lunch was quieter without Ned there, but Peter felt okay about it. He realised he was starting to feel a bit more comfortable around Ms. Potts and Mr. Stark. It was surprising to think he'd only been in the Tower for less than forty-eight hours - it felt so much longer than that, but not in a bad way.

However, there was still Spider-Man to think of. Peter didn't want to upset Ms. Potts and Mr. Stark, especially as they were being so nice to him, but he needed to know what they were thinking - what they were planning. Spider-Man was too important for Peter to just give up. He didn't know what he was going to do if they tried to make him stop patrolling. So he needed to know, and the sooner the better.

Peter kept his head down but peeped up at Ms. Potts and Mr. Stark, trying to gauge how they were likely to react if he brought up Spider-Man. Mr. Stark caught him looking though, and tapped Ms. Potts on the arm.

"Kid's up to something."

Peter stared at them in dismay. He'd hoped to build up to the subject, though he wasn't sure how, now he didn't know what to say.

Mr. Stark sighed. "You want to know what we've decided about Spider-Man, right?"

"Yes!" Peter instantly felt bad about being so loud. "I'm sorry... But I really do want to know!"

Ms. Potts put her cup down. She didn't look angry, maybe resolute? Peter had a strong suspicion he wasn't going to like what they were going to say.

"Peter, we've given it a lot of thought." Her gaze flicked to Mr. Stark. "We know being Spider-Man is very important to you, but we need to make sure you're safe. We've decided that you're going to learn self-defence from Natasha."

Peter felt his jaw drop. He was going to be trained by the Black Widow?!

"And I'm going to build you a suit that'll have a lot of protection built into it," Mr. Stark said.

Peter couldn't believe it. Just wait until he told Ned!

"You'll have a curfew and there'll be rules," Ms. Potts said firmly.

They exchanged a glance, then Mr. Stark added, "But you won't be going out as Spider-Man until Natasha says you're ready, and that won't be until you're at least fifteen."

"What?" Peter 's excitement disappeared. "Fifteen?!" But he was... No, he was fourteen. That meant it would be months and months before he could patrol!

"That's not negotiable," Ms. Potts said.

"But - you - no!"

"Sorry, kid, but that's the best you'll get," Mr. Stark told him.

Ms. Potts looked Peter straight in the eye. "If I had my way, you'd be waiting until you turned eighteen."

"But I'm ready now!" Peter protested.

"No, you're not," Mr. Stark said flatly.

"Peter, you're only fourteen," Ms. Potts said, like he didn't already know that. "We need you to be as safe as you can be. That's why you'll be trained by Nat."

"This is such bullshit!" Peter burst out.

"Hey, language!" Mr. Stark said sharply.

"I can take care of myself - I was already taking care of myself! I've been doing this for months!"

"And you were stabbed at least twice and broke your arm at least once," Mr. Stark pointed out. "We've seen the YouTube videos."

"I have enhanced healing!" Peter protested.

"Which means you've been injured enough to learn that," Ms. Potts said.

They were ganging up on him and it wasn't fair! Peter wrapped his arms around himself. "I can take care of myself," he repeated.

"You don't have to now, Peter," Mr. Stark said. "We're here to protect you."

"I don't need protecting! I'm not a child!"

"Yes, you are." Again, Mr. Stark's tone was definite.

Peter stared at them. "You can't stop me! You have no right!"

"Yes, we can and, yes, we do."

"We're your parents!" Ms. Potts emphasised.

"But - but..." Peter looked from one determined face to the other. It was two against one, and it wasn't fair! He shoved his chair back, ran to his room, and slammed the door.

=====

Tony rubbed a hand down his face. "That went well."

"To be fair, we knew it wouldn't go well." Pepper was blinking but Tony could see the tears starting to gather in her eyes.

"Hey, hey, it's going to be okay." Tony pulled her into a hug. "He's a teenager, remember? Teenagers always argue with their parents. It's a... universal constant. One of those laws of physics. E equals MC squared; a body at rest will remain at rest; a teen will argue against the rules. You know, somewhere in a far distant galaxy, there's a teenage alien arguing with his, her, or its parents."

Pepper sighed as she rubbed her cheek against his shoulder. "I don't want him to hate us. We've only just got him back."

And that was part of the problem, in Tony's opinion. There was an eight year break in their relationship, which meant they didn't have that shared history, that build up of memories and love to keep Peter anchored to them. They were dimly remembered strangers laying down the law to him. For all his words of reassurance, Tony couldn't promise Pepper anything. "We'll give him time to calm down, then we'll go talk to him again."

=====

Peter threw himself down on the bed. This sucked and they had no right to stop him. Who did they think they were? May hadn't stopped him.

May hadn't been able to stop him.

Peter reached for the brand new Starkphone he'd been given, then hesitated. It didn't feel right to use that phone when he was so pissed at them. Ms. Potts and Mr. Stark. His parents. Sighing, he picked up his old phone and called Ned. His Guy-in-the-Chair would understand.

"Yeah, that blows, but it's only until August, and you're gonna get trained by the Black Widow!" Ned looked disgustingly starry-eyed.

"What?! I can't believe you're on their side!"

"I'm not on their side!"

"Yes, you are!" Peter couldn't believe Ned was denying it. "You think it's so great I'll be trained by the Black Widow, you don't even care I can't be Spider-Man until August!"

"Dude, you're always Spider-Man, in or out of the suit. But it's no surprise your parents want you to be able to defend yourself better. Remember that night I had to sew up your arm?" Ned was turning green just at the memory. "I do."

"I know, but -"

"And you'll be trained by the Black Widow! When you go back out there, criminals won't know what's hit 'em! She's not even enhanced and she wins every fight!"

"But fifteen, Ned! I thought I already was fifteen."

Ned sighed again. "Small comfort but at least they're not making you wait until you're eighteen."

Peter pulled a face and said, "That's what Ms. Potts said she wanted."

"You mean your mom? Moms do that. If I said I was Spider-Man and I wanted to go out patrolling, my mom would ground me until I was thirty. The only reason you got to be Spider-Man before is because your Aunt May had to work all the time."

Peter really felt that was unfair. "May would have stopped me if she could!"

"And if she'd known you were only thirteen, she would have had my mom babysit you! No way would she have let you be Spider-Man!"

"Ned!"

"No, Peter!" Ned stared at him. "Look, I know this sucks and you're angry, but you know they're right. Get trained by the Black Widow and you can defend yourself better. You'll be safer. That's what they want."

"Mr. Stark's going to build me a suit too," Peter admitted.

Ned's eyes popped wide open. "He's - you're - oh man, that is so awesome! How are you not excited by this? Tony Stark is building you a suit!"

"I know - I just... I want to be excited, but... They're not letting me be Spider-Man! I can't patrol until next year!"

Ned looked obstinate. "May would have done the same, if she could. You know I'm right."

Peter flopped back on his bed. He and May had argued for days after she found out. If she'd had an Iron Man suit available to use, Spider-Man wouldn't have been seen for years. "I don't want you to be right," he finally admitted. He lifted the phone and stared at Ned. "I wanna go out on..." He sat up. "I still have my suit! If I go out as Spider-Man and nothing bad happens, they'll have to admit I'm right!"

"Peter!"

"No, think about it, Ned! I just have to show them I can take care of myself and they'll have to accept it." Peter knew he was right. "You'll help me, right, Ned?"

"No. No!" Ned's voice rose. "I'm telling you, this is a bad idea!"

"C'mon, Ned! How can I do this without you? You're my Guy-in-the-Chair!" Peter pleaded.

"Don't use that against me!"

"Do you have faith in Spider-Man or not?" Peter demanded.

There was silence, then Ned caved. "Fine. But I reserve the right to tell you 'I told you so'!"

"You won't need to tell me 'I told you so' because I'm right!" Peter crowed. "First chance I get, Spider-Man's going on patrol!"

In the meantime, Peter felt he had to apologise. He wasn't wrong about Spider-Man - and Ms. Potts and Mr. Stark would find that out, sooner or later - but he'd shouted at them and slammed his door. If May had heard him, she would have marched him straight back out to apologise for being rude. So...

Peter took a deep breath, put his shoulders back, and went out to face them.

Ms. Potts and Mr. Stark were on one of the couches as he approached. Guilt flared up when Peter saw Ms. Potts give her eyes a quick scrub before she raised her head and smiled at him.

"Hey, sweet -"

"I'm sorry I was rude. I shouldn't have shouted and slammed my door." They were on their feet now and coming around the side of the couch, but Peter stuck his chin in the air and continued, "I disagree with what you said but I shouldn't have shouted. I'm sorry."

"Of course you disagree with us," Mr. Stark said, to Peter's surprise.

"Oh, honey, we expected that. But we're doing this to keep you safe," Ms. Potts added.

"You understand that, right?" Mr. Stark gave him an expectant look.

"Yes." Peter understood, he just knew they were wrong. But they'd learn, soon enough.

"Then we'll say no more about it," Ms. Potts said. "Come on, we'll take you to meet Natasha."

Chapter Text

As they went to the elevator, Peter kicked himself mentally. He shouldn't have argued. Had his apology been enough? Ms. Potts and Mr. Stark were wrong to think he wasn't grown up enough to be Spider-Man (and he'd show them they were wrong when he could) but he didn't want to push them away, have them give up on him. They didn't really know him yet - not that there was any guarantee they'd find him lovable once they did get to know him, of course.

Peter hated this, hated the insecurity. When he'd fought with May over being Spider-Man, he hadn't been afraid it would ruin everything... But he couldn't give up on being Spider-Man, he just couldn't. It was who he was. Peter Parker or Peter Stark, he was Spider-Man to the core. He just wished Ms. Potts and Mr Stark - his parents - would accept that.

The elevator doors opened, and Peter did his best to push his anxiety to one side. He was about to meet the Avengers, well, most of them... more of them. He'd already met Captain America and Hawkeye - sort of - and now he was going to meet the Black Widow. He didn't know whether to be scared or excited. He really hoped he wouldn't do anything embarrassing.

Mr. Stark led Peter over to the kitchen area. "You remember Steve and Clint, right?"

Peter nodded, feeling kind of shy. "Hi." The last time he'd seen them was when Dr. Cho dropped her bombshell about Peter being Peter Stark, and then he'd passed out on the couch. They had to think he was pretty pathetic, but they just smiled and said 'hello, Peter' and 'hey, kid' like they didn't think that at all.

"And this is Natasha."

"Ms. Black Widow." Peter blinked nervously. The Black Widow was beautiful and scary, and reminded him of MJ. The thought of being trained by her was terrifying.

"Hello, Peter." She smiled, her eyes shrewd and assessing. "Beautiful manners. That doesn't mean I'll go easy on you in training."

"Tasha said you'd asked her to train Peter," Mr. Clint said, "but she didn't say why."

Peter stared at him, then at his parents.

Mr. Stark sighed. "It's not to go beyond this room; only Happy and one of Peter's friends know, but Peter's Spider-Man."

There was silence for a moment. Mr. Steve frowned and folded his arms, then Mr. Clint started laughing.

"Your kid is Spider-Man?!" He leaned forward, holding onto the kitchen island as he howled. "Oh, that is perfect!"

"I don't see how," Mr. Stark said. He didn't look pleased.

Peter wrapped his arms around himself as all the others stared at Mr. Clint.

"C'mon, Tony, he's a chip off the old block!"

"You mean Peter was thirteen when he became Spider-Man," Mr. Steve said slowly, his frown deepening.

Mr. Clint's laughter stopped abruptly. "Oh, wait."

"Yes. I can't imagine you'd be pleased if it were Nathan," Ms. Potts said, her voice cold.

Peter tightened his arms around himself and stared at the floor. His being Spider-Man was a problem again. He was surprised to feel a hand pat him on the shoulder, and he looked up to see it belonged to Captain America. "I admire your guts, kid."

"Yeah," Mr. Clint joined in, giving Peter a smile. "Sorry, Tony, sorry, Pepper, but you gotta hand it to him. He's one brave kid."

"That's not in doubt," Mr. Stark said, surprising Peter, because he didn't think they saw anything good in him being Spider-Man. "But we need him to stay safe too."

"Which is why we've asked Nat to train him," Ms. Potts explained.

"Which I will do," the Black Widow said. She picked up an apple and began cutting it into slices. "We'll start tomorrow at ten. Once you go back to school, we'll train after you're home."

Peter watched as the blade flashed with her precise movements. He felt even more nervous. She wasn't going to use knives on him, was she?

Mr. Stark took a slice of apple, apparently not at all scared of the slashing knife so near to his fingers. "Nat, you're frightening my kid."

"He has to learn to trust me," she replied. She spread out the apple slices and put the knife into the sink. "Enjoy."

=====

Peter was still feeling freaked out when they went back upstairs. "Did you see Ms. Romanoff with that knife?" he asked. Obviously, they had. Surely they'd been as nervous as he had watching that blade cut the apple so close to her fingers? Ms. Romanoff still seemed to have all her fingers too. Peter was surprised.

He looked up to find them both smiling at him.

"Scary, isn't she?" Mr. Stark said.

Ms. Potts laughed. "You needn't worry," she said, a reassuring tone in her voice. "Natasha's very good at everything she does. She really is the best person to train you."

As she hesitantly slipped her arm around his shoulders, Peter felt relieved. He leaned in slightly, and she tightened her grasp, hugging him into her side. He looked up into her face and smiled. She really was nice.

"What do you think about watching some old home videos?" she asked him.

"Videos?"

"Of us. All of us," she explained.

"FRIDAY has them all saved," Mr. Stark said.

"Okay. That sounds... good." Peter was being polite; he was actually just hoping it wouldn't be too weird.

They settled on the couch with tea and coffee, and Mr. Stark told FRIDAY to start playing 'the Peter videos'. The TV promptly lit up and showed a younger-looking Ms. Potts and Mr. Stark leaving a car, a car seat in hand containing a tiny baby with a shock of black curly hair.

Peter gasped at the screen. "That's me? I'm so tiny!"

"Sure were, bud," Mr. Stark said.

"Five pounds, ten ounces," Ms. Potts chimed in. She squeezed his hand tightly.

A voice on the screen called out, "Wait, wait!" and the camera jerkily zoomed in and focused on the baby.

"That's your Uncle Rhodey," Mr. Stark said. "Graduated from MIT and still couldn't work the camera."

"I'm going to tell him you said that." Ms. Potts sounded amused.

On screen, Ms. Potts and Mr. Stark carried the car seat into the house with the camera following them, then the view tilted dizzily and finally settled on a couch. Mr. Stark sat down, gently removed the baby from the car seat, and settled him in his arms, quietly talking to him all the while.

Ms. Potts came into view on the TV, and sat down. "Are you supporting his head?"

"I'm supporting his head," on-screen Mr. Stark said, reassuringly. "I'm not going to break our baby the first day we bring him home."

"He's saving that up for day two," said the off-screen voice.

Peter grinned. Now that he was watching them, the videos weren't weird at all. It was strange seeing Ms. Potts and Mr. Stark looking younger, when he was used to how they looked now, but he couldn't call the videos weird. The hardest part was accepting that happy baby who grew into a laughing little kid on screen was him. And yet, there were parts of the videos that sparked a memory: Mr. Stark dancing with him in the living room, Ms. Potts helping him decorate a Christmas tree, even a younger-looking Happy chasing him on the beach.

"Okay, buddy?"

Peter nodded as Mr. Stark rubbed his back. "Yeah. It's just... wow, that was me!"

"Do you have any videos, sweetie?" Ms. Potts asked.

"No, but I have photos! Want me to get them? I have my photo album!" He got two yesses and dashed off to his room to grab it. He pulled it from the drawer, then stopped. The first pictures were of Richard and Mary, and he really didn't want to include them today. Well, they were easily removed, from his album anyway. He took those photos out and left them in the drawer.

He hesitated before he handed over his photo album. "Um... I took the first photos out 'cause it was... I wasn't in them. It's just May and Ben with me. Is that okay?"

They smiled at him, and Mr. Stark tugged at his wrist. "Come sit down."

Ms. Potts took the photo album and flipped past the empty pages to a photo of Peter standing between Ben and May with Gerald in his arms. There was a soft smile on her face. "When was this one taken?"

"My first day at school. It was after I got home."

"I see Gerald got to meet a real Gerald there," Mr. Stark said, pointing to another photo.

Peter found himself smiling too. "We were at the zoo."

In the end, Ms. Potts brought out the photo albums she and Mr. Stark had kept since before Peter was born, Mr. Stark told FRIDAY to bring up his photo archives, and Peter got to see pictures of his childhood he'd never seen before.

"We can print copies for your photo album, if you like," Ms. Potts said.

Peter looked up from the photo in his hand that showed him as that tiny newborn in his mother's arms, with his father's arms around the pair of them. "I'd like that."

"You know, your dad was terrified the first time he changed your diaper," Ms. Potts told him.

"No!" Mr. Stark said loudly.

"He said, 'I'm a mechanic; I know how a diaper works.' Then he put it on you so loosely, it fell off when he picked you up, and you peed all down his shirt front."

Peter laughed, even as he replied, "Eww!"

"Ew, it was," Mr. Stark put it. "You even got it in my beard. However, your mom -"

Ms. Potts put out her hand in a 'stop' motion. "Oh no!"

"- she was making up a bottle for you and didn't put the lid on properly. She shook the bottle, the lid flew off, and it went all over the kitchen. We spent hours scrubbing it and still ended up redecorating."

"That's nothing to the day your dad blew up the microwave."

"That wasn't my fault!" Mr. Stark sounded indignant.

"Best microwave I ever had, and he blew it up on Christmas Day."

"Again, not my fault!"

Chapter Text

They spent the rest of the day reminiscing. Peter's parents told him tales from his early childhood, things he didn't remember, and he told them tales from his later childhood, May and Ben, Ned, and school. It got them through the afternoon, and they'd just finished dinner when Mr. Stark's phone rang.

He checked the number and said, "It's Rhodey," then he answered it. "Platypus, where are you?"

"I'm about five minutes out," a voice said from the phone. "Is it okay if I come straight up?"

"Get a move on and we'll save you some ice cream," Mr. Stark said.

"Ice cream?" There was a pause. "You got sprinkles with that?"

Mr. Stark rolled his eyes. "I ate them all. Now, get a move on or there'll be no ice cream either." With that, he hung up.

Peter stared at him. "You just threatened War Machine with no ice cream."

"Ha! War Machine! You hear that, Pep?"

Ms. Potts shook her head. "Oh no." She turned to Peter. "They have a long-running fight about this. It's better to stay out of it."

"No, don't stay out of it! War Machine or Iron Patriot: which is it, Pete?"

Peter grinned. "War Machine."

Mr. Stark laughed. "Even my own kid says War Machine! Just wait until I tell Rhodey!"

FRIDAY spoke up: "Boss, Colonel Rhodes is in the lobby and is requesting access."

Mr. Stark rubbed his hands together. "Let him up, FRI, and let the battle commence!"

The elevator doors opened and Lieutenant Colonel Rhodes stepped out.

Peter stared. War Machine was right in front of him. He couldn't believe it. He barely heard what Mr. Stark was saying, then Colonel Rhodes - War Machine! - was smiling right at Peter.

"He's my godson; he can call me whatever he likes."

There was a cry of, "But me you argue with?!" from Mr. Stark.

Colonel Rhodes  put his hands on Peter's shoulders. "But if you want to call me Uncle Rhodey, that'd be more than fine with me."

Peter felt his grin widen. "Ned is gonna lose his mind."

Colonel Rhodes... (Uncle Rhodey??) laughed. "Who's Ned?"

"He's my best friend."

"I'll have to meet him then." He squeezed Peter's shoulders gently, then let him go to give Ms. Potts a hug, and Peter heard his murmured, "I'm so happy for you."

Ms. Potts's eyes were bright with tears. "I know, Jim. Thank you." She sniffed. "I made Tony save ice cream for you."

"Under duress, I might add," Mr. Stark put in. He went to the freezer. "You're still not forgiven, by the way. How much leave do you have?"

"Twenty-four hours." Colonel Rhodes looked at Peter. "But I'll be able to extend it once the statement goes out."

The statement. Peter had forgotten about that.

"You okay, Peter?" Colonel Rhodes asked.

Peter took a deep breath, then forced a smile. "I kinda forgot about the statement." That was the point when everyone would know he was Peter Stark, and his life could never be the same again.

Ms. Potts put her hand over his. "It'll be fine. It's scary going from being anonymous to being well known, but we're here to guide you through it. Once the press see they'll only get what we're willing to give them, they'll move on."

She'd done it, Peter realised. Ms. Potts had gone from being an anonymous PA to being the famous CEO of Stark Industries. Both Ms. Potts and Mr. Stark had had to learn how to deal with the  media. He nodded. "And, if they don't, you expose a senator for being a religious hypocrite."

"That's right, bud." Mr. Stark looked pleased.

Colonel Rhodes didn't. "Tones, what the hell have you been saying to him?"

=====

For a change, Peter was still awake when it was time for him to go to bed. He said goodnight to the three adults and quietly revelled in the hugs he got. He took a few steps towards his bedroom, then turned. "Um... is it okay if I tell MJ tonight?"

"Sure, honey, if you trust her," Ms. Potts said.

"Oh, MJ," Mr. Stark said meaningfully, and Peter felt himself redden.

"Who's MJ?" Colonel Rhodes asked.

"Peter's um friend," Mr. Stark said.

Colonel Rhodes looked confused. "Um friend?"

"Yeah... Who is she, Pete?" Mr. Stark acted like it was a casual question.

Peter looked around. Ms. Potts was obviously trying not to smile, which just made it worse. He felt his face heat up even more. God, adults were so embarrassing.

"Tones, leave your poor kid alone," Colonel Rhodes said, earning Peter's undying gratitude.

Mr. Stark snickered. "Night, kid."

Peter retreated to his bedroom. At least he could warn MJ about the impending statement, even though his parents had shown themselves to be just as evil as May. He sighed. May had teased him over his crush on Liz Toomes, then comforted him so much when Liz's dad went to prison, and she and her mom moved away. He guessed Ms. Potts and Mr. Stark... He guessed his parents would have done the same.

It was weird to think how familiar it all felt.

Anyway, he had to talk to MJ and tell her how strange his life was. He picked up his StarkPhone and called her.

"Hi, loser."

"Hi." Peter smiled. She looked so pretty as she frowned at him.

"That's not Ned's bedroom. Where are you?"

"Oh, I'm not at Ned's."

Her frown deepened. "It's not Mr. Delmar's storeroom either. Are you in trouble?"

"No. Why would I be in trouble?"

"You frequently are." MJ moved to lie on her stomach, her phone held close to her face. "So if you're not in trouble, Mr. Delmar's storeroom, or Ned's bedroom, where are you?"

"I'm..." Peter paused. "Mr. Delmar's store was robbed - he's gonna be okay though! He's in the hospital right now, but he'll be out soon. Anyway, it turns out I'm Peter Stark."

She frowned even more at him. "That makes no sense at all."

Peter started again. "I went to Mr. Delmar's store on Friday to do my shift."

"Right."

"But he'd been robbed so I called an ambulance and the police..." Peter went through the series of events that led him to: "So my parents are Pepper Potts and Tony Stark, and I'm now in my bedroom in their penthouse."

There was silence, then MJ said, "Your mom is Pepper Potts?"

"Yes." Peter breathed slowly, then added, "I could probably get you her autograph, if you wanted."

She was still staring at him.

"Hang on a minute." He put the phone to one side and went out to the living area. "Um, could I invite MJ to dinner sometime?"

Mr. Stark looked up, his face full of glee. "Um MJ? Um MJ who's a fan of Pepper?"

"Ignore him, sweetheart," Ms. Potts said. "That would be fine. Ask her which nights she's free."

Peter grinned. "Thanks! Goodnight!" He ran back to his bedroom, and tried to adopt a cool attitude as he picked up his phone again. "So. Would you like to come to dinner and meet her?"

There was the tiniest of gasps, which he was sure he wouldn't have heard if it hadn't been for his enhanced hearing, then, "Sure. I'd like that."

"Great!" Peter tried to play it cool, even though he was inviting MJ to dinner. "Ms. Potts asked which nights you're free."

"Any night is fine," MJ said calmly.

"Great!" Peter repeated. He stared at the screen, feeling breathless. Would MJ coming to dinner count as a date? He really wasn't sure. He couldn't ask MJ though because that would be weird. Maybe Ned would know.

"Peter?" MJ was raising her eyebrows at him.

"Hm?" Peter realised he'd been quiet too long. "Anyway, they're releasing a statement tomorrow. About me. Being Peter. I mean Stark. Being Peter Stark, I mean."

"Okay. You won't be in school tomorrow, will you?"

"No. Ms. Potts and Mr. Stark have things to arrange with the school - like security and stuff. I might be back next week."

"Okay. At least you don't have to sleep in Mr. Delmar's storeroom now."

"Yeah." Peter stared at her again, then blurted out, "Things were simpler, though."

"I can see that," she said, surprising him. "All change is difficult, but you'll get through this."

"You think?"

"I know." Her lips curled up into a tiny smile. "Flash, though, Flash is going to lose his mind."

Peter laughed.

Chapter Text

Monday, September 28, 2015

Peter blinked, yawned, then opened his eyes. It was daylight. How had he slept through the night again? He reached for his phone and checked the time. It was ten past seven, so he guessed he should get moving. It didn't take him long to get showered and dressed, then he headed for the kitchen. He wasn't surprised to see Ms. Potts there already.

"Morning, honey." She came around the kitchen island and gave him a hug. "Are you hungry?"

"Yeah." Peter was always hungry.  The spider bite that had given him his powers had done something to his metabolism too. On the plus side, he usually healed from any injuries quickly. On the minus, he'd had a lot of terrible days while living on the streets, trying to find food to keep himself going. Peter really didn't want to think about those days. If it hadn't been for Ned, MJ, and Mr. Delmar, he didn't think he could have survived.

"Peter?" Ms. Potts was looking at him closely.

"It's okay," he said quickly, and ducked his head.

Her hand curled around his neck and tugged him forward until his forehead was against his shoulder. "You're here with us now. You don't go hungry."

Peter bit his lip, then confessed quietly, "I'm always hungry."

Ms. Potts smoothed the back of his hair. "Even this weekend? Even yesterday?"

He nodded, then stepped back slightly, his head still down. "It's because of the spider bite. My metabolism's weird."

"Spider bite?" she echoed. "You were bitten by a spider?"

He nodded again. "That's how I'm Spider-Man. After I was bitten, I got real sick. Once I was better..." He shrugged. "Now I get hungry all the time."

She sighed. "I didn't think. Dr. Cho said you're enhanced. You'll need to eat like Steve; double portions at meals and lots of snacks." Her hand rubbed his shoulder. "There's always food in the kitchen. Whenever you're hungry, you eat. It's as simple as that."

"Thank you." He still felt bad. All they'd wanted was their kid back - instead they'd got him.

Her hand went to his chin and lifted it so she could look him in the eyes. She was smiling. "I'm your mother," she murmured. "Keeping you well-fed and healthy is part of my job, including when my son is a vigilante superhero who wants to save the world."

On an impulse, he put his arms around her and hugged her gently. Her arms wrapped tightly around his shoulders and she rocked him from side to side. If he closed his eyes, he could have fooled himself into thinking it was May hugging him. But it wasn't; this was his mom. After a moment, he pulled back.

"Thanks. M-Mom."

Her smile widened, though there were tears in her eyes. "Let's get you fed."

=====

By the time Mr. Stark and then Colonel Rhodes joined them, Peter had eaten his way through a giant breakfast and was feeling glad he'd finished before they appeared. It was bad enough having to scarf down enormous amounts of food in front of Ms. Potts, it would have been worse with a bigger audience. Ms. Potts... His mom hadn't appeared to pay any attention to the amount of food on his plate, but she'd added more every time his plate was empty until he'd finally finished.

After that, she'd opened a grocery app on her StarkPhone and started asking about any favourite foods and drinks or anything he disliked. They were deep into a discussion on ice cream flavours and Peter's admitted dismay that mint chocolate chip was forever lost to him, when Mr. Stark rounded the corner, wished them a good morning, then headed straight for the coffee pot.

"And what time did you go to sleep?" Ms. Potts asked. "I know it was late."

Mr. Stark waved an airy hand as he downed most of his drink. "Rhodey and I got talking."

Colonel Rhodes was just in time to agree. "Mmm, it was late. Hey, you gonna share that or not?" He reached for the coffee pot.

There was an annoyed noise from Mr. Stark. "Mi casa es su casa, but the coffee pot is mine alone. Hey, hands off!"

Colonel Rhodes retreated, the coffee pot in one hand and a large mug in the other. "You gotta learn to share, Tony. Think of the example you're setting your son."

"Don't bring Pete into this! I'd share my coffee with him."

"But not with me?! The brother of your heart? The one who babysat your ass at MIT?"

Ms. Potts leaned towards Peter and whispered, "He's going to tell the vomit story now."

Mr. Stark turned to them. "He's not going to tell the vomit story."

"If the vomit story needs to be told, I will tell the vomit story," Colonel Rhodes said.

Peter grinned. "What's the vomit story?"

Mr. Stark gave him a betrayed look.

Colonel Rhodes poured himself a mug of coffee and put the pot back. "Well, now, where do I start?"

"Same place you always do," Mr. Stark said with a sniff as he snatched up the pot.

"There I am, fast asleep in my bed, not knowing my underage roomie," Colonel Rhodes looked at Mr. Stark, "is still out partying. Not until the door bursts open at two in the morning and he comes staggering in."

"What self-respecting university student is in bed at two in the morning?" Mr. Stark wondered aloud before starting on his second mug of coffee.

"The one who has exams in the morning and needs his sleep," Colonel Rhodes retorted before turning back to Peter. "Is the drunk, underage roomie alone? No. He's being chased by the biggest student on the campus because, and I quote, 'I blew up his engine, Rhodey, I blew up his engine and his car's on fire'. At which point, he takes off through the window, and I'm left to deal with Bigfoot, who is as drunk as a skunk as well as angry. He's trying to get out through the window to follow Tony, and I'm pulling him away, thinking he's gonna break his damn fool neck, and he starts throwing up everywhere. Big man. A lot of drinks. By the time he was done, my half of the room was destroyed. And what do you think the moral of that story is, Pete?"

"When you blow up someone's car engine, don't get caught," Mr. Stark told him.

Colonel Rhodes shook his head. "That is terrible, Tones. Again, think of your son. What kind of an example is that to set him?"

Peter grinned. "I've never blown up any engine."

Mr. Stark grinned in return. "Let's go to the workshop!"

"You don't have time this morning," Ms. Potts told them firmly. "Peter has to see Dr. Cho."

Peter's stomach dropped. "I - I do?"

Ms. Potts gave him a reassuring smile. "It's just for a basic physical, honey. Dr. Cho and her team need to check your height, weight, reflexes, bloods, etc. We all get a physical once a year."

"Even if some of us try to make it impossible," Colonel Rhodes commented.

Mr. Stark looked offended. "Hey!"

"Next time, I'm going to duct tape him to his chair and wheel him in there," Ms. Potts said.

Mr. Stark looked at Peter. "There's never any point resisting your mother; she's a force of nature." He didn't look at all unhappy about that.

Ms. Potts smiled. "That's why you married me."

=====

The thought of an appointment with Dr. Cho had Peter's stomach in knots. Ms. Potts and Mr. Stark - his parents, Peter reminded himself - went with him, but he wasn't sure if that was going to be a good thing or a bad thing.

The floor they went to looked completely amazing, to Peter's eyes. Every room they passed looked sleek and clean, outfitted with the kind of high-tech machines Peter had only seen in movies. It was almost a let down for Peter to be asked to take off his shoes so Dr. Cho's assistant, Tyler, could measure his height and weight.

"You're underweight, Peter," Dr. Cho said, frowning at the scales. "Did you know that?"

"I guessed," Peter admitted.

"Peter told me this morning he's always hungry," Ms. Potts said.

Mr. Stark frowned, his gaze sharp. "Is that because of the enhancements?"

Peter looked at Ms. Potts, but she seemed to be waiting for him to answer. "I think so," he said cautiously. He looked at Dr. Cho and Tyler and wondered just how much they knew about him.

Dr. Cho smiled. "Patient confidentiality, Peter, plus we've signed NDAs. You can tell us anything."

"Okay... So, I was bitten by a spider and got real sick -"

"Wait," Mr. Stark cut in. "You were bitten by a spider? What kind of spider?"

Peter shrugged. "I - I don't know. It was when we went on a field trip to Oscorp; it was in one of their labs. I think it had gotten loose."

Mr. Stark made a disgusted noise. "Oscorp's a joke. Trust them to have experimental spiders running around biting kids. Go on."

"Once I was better, my senses were stronger, like, dialled up to eleven all the time. I don't need glasses anymore, and I heal real fast, but I get hungry a lot. Like, a lot."

Dr. Cho nodded. "Do you ever feel full?"

"I do now. Ms. um, my... mom," Peter cast a shy glance at Ms. Potts and got a wide smile in response, "made me eat a huge breakfast this morning."

"That's good. The average teenage boy needs almost three thousand calories a day. I want you to aim for five thousand five hundred per day. Make sure to get full at meals, and eat whenever you feel hungry in between meals. Tony can get you the protein bars we worked up for Steve. We'll weigh you in a week to see if you've gained anything." Dr. Cho tapped on the screen of her StarkPad and it gave a quiet chirp. "FRIDAY will keep track of whatever calories you consume in the tower, so don't worry about that. Now, hop up on the gurney and Tyler can take your bloods."

Peter sat on the gurney next to his parents' chairs. The blood draw and testing his reflexes were fine; testing his senses, not so much.

Dr. Cho frowned at him when she came back in. "Okay, I went three floors down and you could still hear me."

Peter felt himself redden as they all stared at him.

"How do you cope with all the noise normally?" Dr. Cho continued.

"I learned to ignore it. It - it's not normally an issue unless I'm having an overload."

She folded her arms, her eyes intent on his face. "What happens then?"

Peter cast a glance at his parents, then stared at the floor. "Everything's too loud, everything's too bright. It's pretty painful," he muttered.

Ms. Potts rubbed his knee and gave him a reassuring look.

"We've got the painkillers we worked out for Steve," Mr. Stark said. "That should give us a start on what to use for Peter."

Dr. Cho nodded and started typing on her StarkPad. "It won't be a problem. The meds can be adjusted for the strength of Peter's enhancements. We already know what we're dealing with."

"Good. Nat's starting Peter on his training today, so you'll be able to add that info to his file. Pete and I can work on some noise-cancelling ear-buds and glasses to help block out the light when he needs to."

Peter stared at Mr. Stark. He'd expected this to be yet more proof of how broken he was, instead, they were all intent on making his overloads easier on him.

Mr. Stark smiled at him. "Well, you interested in doing some work with your old man?"

Peter grinned. "Yes!"

After that, facing Ms. Romanoff - the Black Widow! - wasn't as terrifying as Peter thought it would be, even though he had an audience consisting of his parents, War Machine, Hawkeye, Captain America, and Dr. Bruce Banner.

In fact, entering the gym, he was so astonished at seeing Dr. Bruce Banner in person, Peter completely forgot about everyone else and just stared at the scientist.

"Pete? Peter? Hey, kid!"

Peter jolted and realised Mr. Stark was waving a hand near his face. He wrapped his hand around Mr. Stark's wrist. "Look," he whispered. "It's Dr. B-Bruce Banner!"

Mr. Stark's mouth twitched, and Peter later realised he'd been trying not to laugh. "I actually know him," he said in a confidential tone. "Would you like to meet him, Pete?"

Meet Dr. Bruce Banner? In person? Peter nodded. "Yes, yes, please."

Mr. Stark snorted softly and led him over. "Bruce, this is my kid, Peter. Peter, I believe you've heard of Dr. Banner."

Peter could barely contain himself, though he tried to. "Dr. Banner, it's such an honour to meet you. I've read all your papers."

Dr. Banner blinked at him, as if surprised. "You - you have?"

"Yes, sir!" Peter said enthusiastically. "Your paper on Practical Uses For Gamma Radiation was enthralling. We held a debate on it in one of my science classes, and it ran on so long we all got detention for missing Spanish class. It was worth it!" He suddenly realised everyone was looking at him and smiling, or, in Mr. Clint's case, outright grinning.

There was an odd look in Dr. Banner's eyes, but he was smiling. "Your dad told me you're Spider-Man. It's no surprise you see the person behind the alter ego." He held out his hand for Peter to shake. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Peter."

Peter shook Dr. Bruce Banner's hand, and wished he could take a selfie with him. He was going to have to tell Ned, then try to arrange it so Ned could meet him too.

"Well, Nat. Ready to terrify my son?" Mr. Stark said.

"Always," she replied.

She was still smiling, so Peter hoped it was a joke. What was he doing here again? Oh, yeah, Ms. Romanoff was going to train him. Ms. Romanoff was going to train him in front of Dr. Bruce Banner. Peter took a deep breath. Now he really had to do well.

"Come, little spider, show me what you can do. FRIDAY, monitor Peter." She led Peter to the back wall and pointed to the opposite wall. "Peter, give me your top speed. Ready? Go."

Peter fled to the other wall, then turned. Wide eyes and dropped jaws greeted him. Even Ms. Romanoff had raised an eyebrow. She gestured for him to come back. "FRIDAY, how fast was that?" she asked.

"Peter's top speed was sixty-nine point seven five miles per hour," the AI replied.

Mr. Clint gave vent to a low whistle. "There's no point betting against you in a race."

"We've all seen the videos," Colonel Rhodes said, "but I've never seen you run like that."

Peter shrugged and ducked his head a little. "Most of the people I chase don't run that fast."

Mr. Stark looked amused. "There'd be no point stealing a bike if you could run that fast."

"I've seen videos of you climbing walls too. How do you do that?" Dr. Banner asked. 

"I'm... sticky," Peter answered. He felt himself turn red as Mr. Clint gave a snicker.

"Clint!" Peter's parents said in unison, while Mr. Steve shook his head.

"You mean you can stick to walls?" Dr. Banner clarified.

In response, Peter climbed the wall. He wasn't anywhere near the top before his parents were ordering him down.

"That's... incredible," Dr. Banner said. He walked over to Peter and pulled out a magnifying glass. "May I?"

Peter nodded and held out his hand, palm up. Dr. Banner peered at it through the magnifying glass.

"Spider legs end in a tuft of hairs, each of which is covered in nanometric-sized hairs called setules," Dr. Banner murmured. "I expect you already know that."

"Yes, sir." Peter had read everything he could find on spiders since that spider bite.

Dr. Banner nodded. "You have tiny hairs covering your palm and fingers. I suspect if we put your hand under a microscope, we'd see those same setules covering these hairs."

"So that's what lets Peter climb walls?" Clint said. "I gotta say, kid, that's pretty cool."

Mr. Steve gave him a curious look. "What about your webs? How do you produce those?"

"I make them in Chemistry class," Peter said. "It took me ages to work out a formula that worked."

"You... made it?" Mr. Stark said slowly.

Dr. Banner took off his glasses and cleaned them. "In your high school chemistry class."

Peter looked from one to the other. "Yeah? I use webshooters on my wrists to uh... shoot the webs."

Ms. Potts smiled at him, then looked at Mr. Stark. "We can definitely tell where he got his brains from."

Chapter Text

Lunch turned into a more social event where they all went to the Avengers' floor and stood or sat around while discussing which pizzas everyone wanted. As soon as the order was sent through, Mr. Stark and Dr. Banner asked Peter about his web formula. He stared at them. Tony Stark and Dr. Bruce Banner were asking him about his web formula. At that point, he didn't even think he could talk.

"Peter?" Mr. Stark said. "You okay?"

"Sure!" His voice quavered and broke, but Peter tried to get himself together. "It took me awhile to work it out, I - I needed it to be strong enough to support my weight but elastic enough to expand. I also needed it to be fluid until exposed to oxygen."

"Oh, easy peasy then," Mr. Clint put in.

Peter huffed a laugh. "I had a few failures. The first time I jumped off a roof, I -" He realised his parents were staring at him with their eyes wide. 

"Yes?" Ms. Potts folded her arms. "The first time you jumped off a roof, you..?"

Peter looked from her to Mr. Stark and back again. "It was a very small building," he finally said. "I, uh, I scraped my knee a little when I landed."

Mr. Stark sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. "FRIDAY, remind me to add extra-thick padding to the Spider-Man suit."

"I've got my web formula sorted out now!" Peter protested. "I don't um..." He trailed off at the looks he got.

"I'd still like to know the chemical make-up, Peter. Will you come by my lab tomorrow?" Dr. Banner asked. "Tony and I have analysed it and we couldn't recreate it."

"Really?!"

Mr. Stark put a hand on his shoulder. "Yep, you have us beat, kid."

Peter ducked his head but he was grinning. Just wait until he told Ned!

Unfortunately, he couldn't tell Ned just yet. Peter knew if he called Ned at school and said one word about meeting Dr. Banner and being invited to his lab, Ned wouldn't be able to contain himself and everyone within hearing range would know Peter's news. So he was going to have to wait until Ned got home.

However, that statement was being put out in the afternoon too. As Peter followed Mr. Stark over to help with fetching plates and drinks, his stomach twisted with nerves at the thought of it. They reached Ms. Potts, and Peter quietly asked, "What time is the statement going out?"

"The press conference starts at three," Ms. Potts said.

Mr. Stark put his arm across Peter's shoulders and pulled him in for a side hug. "It'll be okay, kiddo," he murmured. "Your mom's a pro at these things. It'll be manic for a few days, then the pressure will die down. It'll be fine. Trust us."

Peter swallowed. "Okay."

Ms. Potts took one of his hands in hers and squeezed it gently. "I know it's scary, but you're safe, honey. You won't be at the press conference and we're not going to let anything happen to you."

Peter looked at them both. It was so strange to think of. Ms. Potts and Mr. Stark were two of the most powerful people in the country and they were determined to protect him, Peter, who was pretty much a nobody. Then it occurred to him: they weren't protecting him, Peter Parker, they were protecting their son, Peter Stark... who just happened to come in the form of Peter Parker, a nobody from Queens.

"You're overthinking things."

Peter's head jerked up involuntarily and he stared at Mr. Stark, who had a rueful smile on his face.

"I can tell. You get it from me. You're overthinking things and probably hating on yourself as you do it."

Peter looked away and felt his face redden. No one had ever said Mr. Stark was a mind reader.

Ms. Potts smiled. "Think about what you'd say to Ned, if he were thinking what you were thinking."

Ned? Peter gave a soft snort. If the situation were reversed, he would have been telling Ned how lucky his parents were... Which was what Ned had said to him the other night.

"There, see? You have to be supportive of yourself too," Ms. Potts said. As FRIDAY spoke up, she added, "Come help with the pizzas."

Once again, Peter's appetite abandoned him. He managed to nibble his way through a slice and a half of pizza, but he caught the glance Ms. Potts gave the empty boxes of Mr. Steve's chosen pizza versus his own. He was sorry for worrying her but the thought of that statement was constantly on his mind. Its release would signal the moment when his life as Peter Parker was officially over, and he'd be locked into Peter Stark's life.

Obviously, there were advantages to being Peter Stark. His parents were pretty amazing, in Peter's slightly biased opinion. Aside from being Pepper Potts and Tony Stark, they'd accepted his being enhanced and, while they wouldn't let him patrol as Spider-Man (at least until he changed their minds), they hadn't stopped caring for him and being supportive of him. Aside from that, there were practical advantages, like a safe home, clean clothes, and plenty of food. Three months on the street had taught him how important those things were, and he hadn't even been fighting to survive with no support at all.

Peter mentally kicked himself. Ms. Potts and Mr. Stark were offering him an incredible life with every advantage imaginable, and all he wanted to do was run away and hide so no one would see how very unworthy he was. Unfortunately for him, he was stuck in a room with a number of Avengers, including two spies. Drawing attention to himself wasn't a good idea but he really wanted to retreat somehow.

Mr. Stark clapped his hands together and Peter leapt to his feet in shock. Everyone stared at him.

"I was just going to say let's head upstairs," Mr. Stark said, looking surprised.

Colonel Rhodes gave a chuckle. "And you nearly scared five years' growth out of your kid. C'mon, Pete, I'll make you an ice cream sundae while your mean ol' dad goes to talk to the press."

"You're going already?" Mr. Steve asked. He had a point as it was only just past one.

"I'm not mean," Mr. Stark protested, following Rhodey. "Tell them, Pep."

"I want an ice cream sundae too," Ms. Potts said, taking Peter's hand and leading him into the elevator. "With wafers and sprinkles."

Colonel Rhodes snorted. "There aren't any sprinkles; Tony ate them all."

"Wow," Mr. Clint said, turning on the couch to watch them go. "Stark's reputation is in the toilet today," he told Ms. Romanoff.

"Laugh it up, birdbrain," Mr. Stark said. "Rhodey, did you have to tell them about the sprinkles?"

"If you can't do the time, don't do the crime," Colonel Rhodes retorted. as the elevator doors slid shut.

"Crime, what crime?" Mr. Stark demanded. "Eating my own sprinkles is not a crime. Tell him, Pete."

"No, don't tell me," Colonel Rhodes interrupted as the doors opened. "There are no sprinkles for my ice cream sundaes and -"

"Actually, there are," Ms. Potts said. "I have a secret stash." As they all followed her to the kitchen area, she added, "I'm not going to show you where it is."

Peter gazed at the ridiculous adults he'd been landed with and felt the ball of anxiety in his chest loosen a little. They had to have realised he needed to get out of there. They'd got him out and now they were ready to fight over sprinkles.

"Okay, Pete?" Mr. Stark asked.

"Yes. Sort of. Probably not for long," Peter answered honestly.

"It's definitely time for an ice cream sundae," Colonel Rhodes said.

=====

By the time Ms. Potts and Mr. Stark - both wearing expensive-looking suits - went downstairs to give the press conference, Peter was feeling nervous again. He knew nothing could actually happen to him - after all, FRIDAY had the penthouse completely locked down, Colonel Rhodes was sitting on the couch with him, and there were a number of Avengers between him and the conference room too. But, still, he felt agitated.

"It's going to be fine," Colonel Rhodes reminded him as the TV showed a roomful of reporters. "Your mom and dad know what they're doing."

Peter took an anxious breath. "Things will never be the same again."

"No, they won't, but they will get better. The media frenzy will die down once they see this press conference is all they're gonna get. Your parents aren't going to take any risks with you; they'll do whatever it takes to keep you safe."

On the screen, the tiny figures of his parents approached the podium and the camera zoomed in for a close up. The reporters fell silent.

"Thank you for coming," Ms. Potts said. "I know you're aware our son, Peter, was kidnapped on July 6th, 2007."

She paused. Peter found himself holding his breath, though he knew what the news was. The conference room was completely silent.

Ms. Potts smiled, and Peter was astonished at just how happy she looked. "It's our pleasure and delight to announce our son, Peter, is safe and healthy, and he's home with us now."

Almost instantly, cameras clicked and flashed, and voices shouted questions.

"If I could continue..?" Ms. Potts said calmly, though she was smiling so widely Peter thought it had to hurt. Beside her, Mr. Stark looked positively triumphant from behind his usual sunglasses.

The noise died down, and Ms. Potts continued, "The investigation is ongoing at this time, but we'd like to thank the FBI and the New York Police Department for their efforts in finding Peter and bringing him home to us. And, because we know you'll want to see what Peter looks like..." With perfect timing two pictures appeared behind her showing Peter in the penthouse. Neither showed his face fully straight on, but anyone who knew Peter would recognise him.

Peter blinked. "Is that what my hair looks like?!"

Beside him, Colonel Rhodes laughed.

"We'd like to remind you that Peter is a minor, so you will respect his privacy," Mr. Stark said into the microphone, "and we do have our lawyers on speed dial."

"Thank you for your time," Ms. Potts added, before they both left the dais.

Colonel Rhodes said, "Your hair's just like your dad's, you know. He uses hair gel to keep it under control."

"I've never seen my hair from that angle," Peter muttered, mostly to himself. "No wonder Flash picks on me."

Colonel Rhodes went still. "What?"

Peter realised what he'd said. "What?"

"Who's Flash?" Colonel Rhodes demanded.

"Uh..." The elevator dinged and the doors slid open. Peter jumped up. "Hey! Great - great press conference."

"Did you like it, honey?" Ms. Potts rubbed his arm. "It wasn't too stressful?"

Peter gazed at his parents. They looked so happy... So happy to have him back. Maybe Ned was right. Peter found himself smiling. "No. No, it was good." As Mr. Stark put an arm around his shoulders, Peter put his arm around Mr. Stark's waist and was thrilled when he was held a bit more tightly.

"Though the kid's concerned about his hair," Colonel Rhodes put in.

"I've never seen it from that angle!" Peter protested as his parents looked at him.

"There's nothing wrong with your hair!" they said in unison.

Peter gave Mr. Stark a sideways look. "Colonel Rhodes said -"

"Who?" Colonel Rhodes asked, raising his eyebrows. "Colonel Rhodes? Is that what you're going with?" He gave Peter an encouraging look. "How are you going to boast about knowing me if it's 'Colonel Rhodes this' and 'Colonel Rhodes that'?

"Uh." Peter felt himself redden. He'd managed to avoid the issue until now. He took a breath. "Un... Uncle Rhodey said you use hair gel to control yours."

"There you go." Colonel Rhodes smiled.

"Well, I'm not fourteen," Mr. Stark said. "I can't pull off the cute look."

Peter snorted. "Ned's lola disagrees."

"Ned's lola?" Colonel Rhodes echoed.

Ms. Potts laughed as Mr. Stark said, "Oh, yeah. Peter's friend Ned has a grandmother who thinks I'm the cutest billionaire she's ever met." 

Colonel Rhodes grinned. "Just for the record, how many billionaires has this lady met?"

"I didn't ask," Mr. Stark said, a dignified tone in his voice. "But Pep agreed, and she's met more than a few billionaires herself. Take that, James Rhodes!"

=====

As soon as Peter was sure Ned and MJ were bound to be home, he called them both. Ned looked more than excited at seeing him, and barely gave MJ time to set up her phone before he said, "Dude, you're on all the news channels!"

Peter turned on his TV but left the sound off. Every single news channel had a 'breaking news' on him. It was disturbing, to say the least. After a few moments, he turned it off.

"You're on Buzzfeed too!" Ned declared, as though Peter wanted to know that.

"I've never seen Pepper Potts look like that," MJ commented.

Peter gazed at her, distracted by the soft smile on her face. "Are you... happy for Ms. Potts?" he asked.

MJ's brows almost met in the middle. "Peter, please tell me you're not calling her Ms. Potts."

"No! I've called her 'Mom'. Once." Peter felt himself redden.

"What do you call Mr. Stark?" Ned asked.

"I haven't called him anything yet," Peter admitted.

Ned looked sympathetic. "It'll take time."

MJ nodded. "But it'll probably be easier if you think of them as 'my mom' and 'my dad'.

"Or you can practise with us!" Ned suggested.

"Even better, practise with Flash!" MJ said.

Ned started laughing. "Listen to this!"

He pushed a couple of buttons on his phone and Peter heard ping ping pingpingpingpingpingping... "What -"

"AcaDec chat!" Ned declared.

"I told you Flash would lose his mind!" MJ said. "I wish I could sketch his face right now."

Peter laughed.

Chapter Text

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Peter sighed and turned over in bed when May knocked on his door. Then he opened his eyes, blinked, and sat up. It wasn't May, how could it be? The door opened and Ms. Potts - his mom, he reminded himself - smiled in at him.

"Are you okay, sweetie? It's almost nine."

"Sorry! I'll get up now." How on earth had he slept so long? Peter scrambled out of bed and ran to the bathroom. As it turned out, he was the last one up, and Mr... his dad and Col... Uncle Rhodey had already eaten.

"Morning, kid," Colonel Rhodes (Uncle Rhodey) said.

Peter forced a smile. He was positive he was going to drive himself nuts trying to reframe how he thought about them.

"You okay, Pete?" Mr... his dad asked.

Peter widened his fake smile, then dropped it completely as the three adults stared at him.

"Sweetie?" Ms... his mom prompted.

Peter sighed and sat down. "It's stupid."

"It's not stupid if it's bothering you," his mom said.

"I'm..." Peter felt himself redden but forced himself to carry on. "I'm trying to change how I think about you. So, instead of... of Colonel Rhodes I think Uncle Rhodey. I don't know why it's so hard."

"Because it's only been a few days," Colonel - Uncle Rhodey said.

"It's like when someone changes their name," Mr... his dad said. "Your brain says 'Susan' while your mouth is trying to say 'Boomquifa'."

There was silence.

Mr. Stark shrugged. "It's just an example."

Ms. Potts turned to the stove. "I'm making Peter's breakfast. I'm making Peter's breakfast. I'm not going to ask."

"I don't want to ask," Colonel Uncle Rhodey said. Then, "You really know someone called Boomquifa?!"

Peter laughed at the outraged tone in his voice.

Mr. Stark - his dad - grinned. "You'll never know."

"Tones, I swear. Why did I come here again?"

"To spend time with your wonderful godson," Peter's dad said. "Now admit that's a good use of your time."

"I fully admit, that's a great use of my time," Colonel Uncle Rhodey declared, smiling at Peter.

Peter smiled back at him, and felt the ever-present ball of anxiety in his chest loosen a little more. As he looked at the three adults, he felt lucky, for once. He could have been landed with people he didn't really like; instead, he had them.

Ms. Potts - his mom - turned to Peter and put a large plate piled high with food in front of him. "You've got your training with Nat at ten. Will you make sure to eat one of those protein bars after you're done?" She rubbed his arm gently. "You didn't eat much yesterday."

"I ate one before I went to bed last night," Peter said. He really didn't want her to worry.

She smiled. "That's good, honey."

"Did you improve the taste of those?" Colonel Uncle Rhodey asked. "I tried one when you first made them. I don't think my stomach's been the same since."

Mr. - his dad snorted. "You should have seen Steve with them that first week. It was like a toddler with vegetables. I nearly threatened him with no dessert until he was done."

=====

Peter was looking forward to his training session, especially as his first one had been more about what he could do than about him learning anything. His mom was going to her office to catch up on paperwork, but his dad and Colonel Uncle Rhodey were going to the gym with him.

"Hi, Ms. Romanoff, Mr. Clint, Mr. Steve," Peter said as soon as he got through the doors.

"Call me Natasha," Ms. Romanoff told him.

Peter grinned, excitement bubbling up in him. He got to be trained by the Black Widow and call her Ms. Natasha. He really hoped they'd all agree to meet Ned.

"Come over here, Peter, and let me show you how to block a punch," she continued.

Ms. Natasha took it slow, at first, then - once he'd mastered that block - she moved onto another. After that, Peter got to practise blocking punches aimed at him by three of the Avengers. Mr. Stark refused point blank, while Colonel Uncle Rhodey refused on the grounds of, "Tony would kill me if I hit Peter."

Ms. Natasha gave an inelegant snort. "The whole point is that you don't get to hit him."

"I'm still not trying."

Peter's dad grinned. "And that's why I trust you." His phone rang and he answered, then grimaced. "McNeil, what a surprise."

Peter turned. He could hear Agent McNeil's voice clearly as he insisted they had to 'speak with' Peter in order to close the case.

Mr. Stark didn't look happy. He finally said, "I'll get back to you with an appointment time," before he hung up. "McNeil's insisting on seeing Peter," he said, looking at Ms. Natasha.

She frowned. "He shouldn't need to, unless he thinks Peter's got more information."

"Peter was five," Mr. Steve said. "How much could he possibly remember?"

"Not that much," Mr. Clint put in.

They all looked at Peter. He looked back. "I really don't remember that day."

Mr. Stark sighed and rubbed a hand down his face. "Maybe we should tell you what we know." He didn't look as if he wanted to. "I'll tell Pepper."

They went back to the penthouse. Ms. Potts was waiting for them and she gave Peter a protein bar and a pointed look until he opened it up and ate it.

Colonel Uncle Rhodey shuddered. "I swear those things haunt my dreams."

"You're exaggerating," Mr. Stark said.

"No, I'm really not," Colonel Uncle Rhodey retorted.

They settled around the dining room table and Peter found himself seated between his parents. He suspected that wasn't a coincidence.

"Okay. First off, Natasha found out most of this." Mr. Stark stretched his arm across the back of Peter's chair and his gaze met Peter's. "Seriously, if you have a secret, avoid Natasha; she has a sixth sense for this kind of thing."

Everyone chuckled, but Peter felt a little alarmed. He wondered just how good Ms. Natasha was, and he blinked as she met and held his gaze.

There was a pause, then, "When you were taken on July 6, 2007, we didn't have any leads." His dad's voice sounded harsh and his hand tightened on Peter's shoulder. On the table, his mom's hand covered Peter's, and he heard her gulp. He could feel their grief, even though it had been eight years since the event, and he was sitting right there.

"Once you were found, we were able to trace where you'd been," Ms. Natasha said. "We know you were in Fairbanks, Alaska with Richard and Mary Parker within three days of being kidnapped. Even before then, Mary claimed she was fighting a custody battle with her ex-husband." Ms. Natasha handed Peter a StarkPad. "She'd already been showing these doctored photos of you with her."

Peter swiped through the photos that showed him as a baby or a little kid with the woman he'd known as 'Mom' from the few photos he had of her. In all of them, his hair had a reddish tone to it that was missing from his real pictures and videos. He looked up. "I've never seen these. Where did you get them?"

"From Obie's emails," Mr. Stark said. "Obadiah Stane. We'll explain about him next."

"The Parkers had already done the groundwork," Ms. Natasha continued. "So there was no suspicion when they turned up with you. Nine months later, they moved to Seattle and claimed it was for Richard's work. They were flying to LA when their plane crashed on September 5, 2008. Gustafson, their lawyer in Seattle, contacted Richard's brother, Ben, and you went to live with him and his wife, May. There's no evidence to suggest they knew anything," Ms. Natasha said softly. "We're sure Ben and May believed you were their nephew."

Peter looked down, feeling tears prick at his eyes. It would have broken May's heart to know the truth, to know Peter's real parents were grieving his loss, while she and Ben were giving him all the love they could. He sniffed and forced himself to sound as normal as possible. "What about Obadiah Stane? How's he involved?"

"Obie was my dad's best friend," Mr. Stark said. "At least, he was supposed to be. Nobody knew, but he had a daughter, Mary. Richard Parker's wife. From the emails Nat found, Obie arranged the kidnapping with them. He gave them the security codes to the house. We don't know whether they both hid in the house, one of them hid, or if they hired someone else to go in, take you, and hand you over."

"But why?" Peter asked. "Why do that, why kidnap me?"

"To get control of Stark Industries," Mr. Stark explained. "With your mom and I wrapped up in trying to find you, he could do anything he wanted. Three years after that he went after me and had me kidnapped. I think your mom would have been next."

Afghanistan, Peter realised with a jolt. Tony Stark, his dad, was never meant to return, never meant to become Iron Man. He could have died out there and Peter would never have seen him again. Peter reached out and grabbed his dad's hand on the table, not even caring that the others could see.

"But keep in mind Obie failed," his mom said, her hand squeezing Peter's. "Your dad came home, and so did you."

"Yeah." Peter nodded at her and squeezed her hand in return. "Yeah, we did. We came home."

Chapter Text

It wasn't until after the other Avengers had gone to their floor that Peter thought to ask, "Why does Agent McNeil want to see me?"

His parents were moving around the kitchen making sandwiches together while Peter and Colonel Uncle Rhodey were at the kitchen island chopping veggies for a salad, so Peter couldn't see their faces. He could see how they both tensed up though, then his dad replied, a casual tone in his voice, "He just wants to dot the 'i's and cross the 't's."

Peter thought back to the details he'd read about the - his - kidnapping. He'd never focused on them, had just thought it sad, as his interest had been in 'Tony Stark - inventor', 'Tony Stark - Iron Man', not 'Tony Stark - father of a kidnapped child'. Now, thinking about the actual kidnapping, he remembered there were two people who'd died that night: the nanny and the bodyguard.

But they weren't just 'the nanny and the bodyguard', were they? They were people his parents had known and trusted. They were people who'd had lives and families... People who hadn't expected to die that night.

"You're thinking about them, aren't you?"

Peter looked up to see his mom smiling sadly at him.

"Nina and Mike," she said.

Peter nodded.

"Okay," his dad sighed. He turned to the sink and rinsed his hands. "We'll come back to lunch after. Come on over to the couch, Pete." They settled on the couch, and Peter found himself between his parents again, with Colonel Uncle Rhodey next to his dad.

"When we, uh..." His dad cleared his throat. "When we decided to get a nanny and bodyguard for you, we needed people we could trust. Mike was one of Happy's friends, and Nina..."

"Nina was the daughter of a friend of mine," Colonel Uncle Rhodey finished softly. He looked at Peter. "I went to see him before I came here. He's so glad you're home, Pete. None of us thought we'd ever get to see you again."

Peter could read between the lines. Nina and her dad had been part of Colonel Uncle Rhodey's family too. "How old was she?"

"Twenty-three," he replied. "She'd always wanted to be a nanny. Growing up, she took so many courses, everything she could think of that'd come in handy."

"FRIDAY," his mom said, her hand resting on Peter's back, "play the Nina and Mike video."

Peter thought he didn't remember them at all, but as soon as the video started, he knew he'd been wrong. He leaned forward. "Neenee," he whispered, his eyes fixed on the young woman with dark wavy hair. They were all on the beach in the video, Colonel Uncle Rhodey too, playing with a ball. Peter remembered it. "I threw the ball in the water."

In the video, Happy chased after it, then complained about his shorts getting wet, while Neenee turned away from him and laughed. Mike laughed too, pointing at Happy and calling him names, and promptly got the ball to his head. It was a funny scene, with people who knew each other well enough to tease and not take offence.

"When was this?" Peter asked.

"Five days before you were taken. It was the last time we were all together," his dad said in a tight voice.

"I went back to the air base the next day," Colonel Uncle Rhodey added quietly.

Peter looked around. His mom tried to give him a smile, but his dad and Uncle Rhodey were staring at the screen, their postures taut. It was painful to see. Peter turned back to his mom. "Can we stop the video?"

"Sure, honey." She told FRIDAY to stop and the TV turned off.

Peter's dad took a breath and sat back, flicking a forced smile at Peter. Uncle Rhodey was staring at the floor.

Peter sank back into his seat. "I'm sorry I don't remember that night. That's -" All three adults spoke over him, but he carried on. "That's what Agent McNeil wants, though, isn't it? To know who was in the house that night?"

His dad laid his hand on Peter's knee. "He's being an ass," he said bluntly.

"Tony..."

"No, Pep, he is. He wants all the answers and isn't stopping to consider Pete doesn't have them."

"If I do the interview, will that be it? He'll have to stop then?" Peter asked.

"Yes, sweetie," his mom said. "You're a witness, but you were five. If we cooperate now, they'll have to go away. It strengthens our position. If they argue, our lawyers can do the rest."

There was a long silence as Peter considered the three adults. His mom and Colonel Uncle Rhodey were looking at his dad, who had an unhappy look on his face. Peter thought back to everything MJ had said about the FBI and the over-reaching power they had. He had a suspicion even powerful billionaires could be taken down by the FBI. "Okay, I'll do it. Then it'll be over. Right?" 

His mom nodded as his dad pulled out his phone, still with that unhappy twist to his mouth. "Okay, Pete, when do you want to do this?"

"This afternoon?" Peter suggested. "Then we can see Dr. Banner afterwards."

"You got it, kid."

=====

By the time the two FBI agents arrived, Peter was feeling jittery again. It didn't help that they brought with them a large man carrying a case which turned out to contain a videocam.

"Don't worry about the camera, Pete. Can I call you Pete?" the cameraman asked. He didn't wait for an answer. "Lots of people get nervous."

Agent McNeil directed Peter to the couch. "We'll wait for you to get comfortable, then we'll start."

Peter stared at the camera and doubted he could get comfortable, then Mr. Stark came back into the room. He'd changed into a three-piece suit that looked wildly expensive even to Peter's eyes, and he looked completely different and very intimidating as he headed straight for Agent McNeil. Peter had every intention of listening in, but Colonel Uncle Rhodey and his mom came over and they started talking to him as his mom fixed Peter's collar - which was strange because his t-shirt didn't have a collar to fix - and by the time she'd finished, Mr. Stark was wandering to the couch, Agent McNeil was looking annoyed, and the camera was being packed away.

Peter sat down between his mom and Mr. Stark, and wondered what had happened to make Agent McNeil back off. It hadn't seemed like it was an option, but the camera was gone. Colonel Uncle Rhodey sat down in the armchair and everyone looked at Agent McNeil.

"Peter," Agent McNeil said, "we're ready when you are. If you want to take a break at any time, just say so." He and the other agents sat on straight-backed chairs facing him, and Agent Shafer pulled out her phone.

Mr. Stark gave a pointed cough.

A flicker of annoyance crossed Agent McNeil's face. "It'll be audio only. Ready, Peter?" He gave Agent Shafer a nod, then said, "Interview with Peter James Edwin Stark. Date: Tuesday, September 29, 2015. Time: 1.36 p.m. Audio only. This is Agent Carl McNeil. Also present are Agent Dee Shafer, Agent Ray Hunter, Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes, and Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Stark. Peter, can you tell me where you were living before Friday, September 25, 2015?"

Peter stared, startled by the reminder he wasn't Peter Benjamin Parker, but Peter James Edwin Stark. He'd never realised how important names were before.

"Peter?" Agent McNeil said again.

Peter jumped slightly. "Sorry! I-I was homeless."

Beside him, his dad moved slightly and his shoulder pressed firmly against Peter's. On Peter's other side, his mom's hand was holding his, and Peter realised he felt safe. Secure. It was a weird feeling to have with three agents from the FBI looking at him.

"And before you became homeless?" Agent McNeil asked. His attitude seemed to have changed. From being irritated, he'd become friendlier.

Peter found himself relaxing a little. "20 Ingram Street, Forest Hills."

"Can you tell me who you lived with?"

"Ben and May Parker, my uncle and aunt."

Agent McNeil gave him a photo. "Can you identify this person? For the record, the photo shows subject number one."

It was Ben's police photo, and Peter smiled slightly at it. "It's my Uncle Ben."

"And can you identify this person? For the record, the photo shows subject number two."

"Aunt May," Peter whispered. He handed it back reluctantly.

Agent McNeil nodded. "How did you believe they were related to you?"

Peter blinked. The silence stretched out and he felt his mom squeeze his fingers comfortingly. "I - I thought Ben was my uncle," he finally managed. "My, uh, R-Richard was his brother."

"Is that Richard Parker?" At Peter's nod, Agent McNeil said, "For the record, Peter has nodded. And who did you believe Richard Parker to be?"

"My f-father."

Agent McNeil handed him another photo. "Can you identify this person? For the record, the photo shows subject number three."

Peter stared at the photo; it wasn't one he'd seen before but he recognised the fair-haired man. "Richard P-Parker."

"And can you identify this person? For the record, the photo shows subject number four."

"M-Mary Parker." Peter quickly handed back the photo.

"And who was Mary Parker to you?"

"R-Richard's wife."

Agent McNeil handed the photos to Agent Shafer, then continued, "Do you remember where you lived before you lived with Ben and May Parker?"

Peter knew that one. "Seattle."

"Do you remember anything about Seattle?"

Peter thought it over but he didn't have much. "Daniel?"

"Who was Daniel?" Agent McNeil asked.

"My f-friend. We played together."

"Do you remember anything else about Seattle?"

"D-Daniel's mom?" Peter really didn't think he was being at all helpful but the agents seemed completely fascinated by his answers. 

"And what do you remember about Daniel's mom?"

Peter thought this had to be the point where they lost their patience. "She had a rainbow umbrella."

Agent McNeil smiled. "Okay. What about school?"

"I don't... I d-didn't go t-to s-school. N-not until Ben and May took me."

"Do you know why?" Agent McNeil's voice was softer.

Peter shifted in his seat and pressed against his dad's shoulder. "N-no. I wasn't allowed."

"Okay. Can you remember anything before then?"

"Watching TV with Gerald."

Peter's mom made a sound and her fingers tightened on his. Peter turned his head and found she was smiling at him, but she looked like she wanted to cry.

"Who's Gerald?" Agent McNeil asked.

Peter glanced at him. "My toy alpaca. My mom gave him to me."

"Your mom?"

"Uh, M-Ms. Potts, I mean Mrs. Stark." Peter realised he'd never thought of Mary Parker as his mom, not even when Ben and May had called her that. They'd wanted to put her photo on the wall...

After a few seconds, Agent McNeil spoke again, pulling Peter's attention back to him. "Peter, do you know where you were when you were watching TV with Gerald?"

"In the - the l-living room?"

"Can you describe it for me?"

Peter thought it was a weird question but went with it. "P-panelled walls, b-beige carpet, the T-TV, a c-couch."

Agent McNeil asked, "Mr. and Mrs. Stark, was that your living room in Malibu?"

They both answered no.

"Is there anything else you remember about that living room, Peter?"

Peter shook his head, then said, "No," when he remembered it had to be audible.

"Can I ask what you remember from before that living room?"

"Sunshine, the sea. Mo - uh..." Peter took a breath. It felt too childish to be using 'Mommy' and 'Daddy' though that was who they were in his memories. "Um, Mom - Ms. Potts - on the beach. My dad - Mr. Stark - swinging me around. Happy. Uncle Rhodey." 

Agent McNeil nodded. "Can you identify this? For the record, the photo shows scene number one."

As he took the photo, Peter realised both his parents had tensed up. The photo was innocent enough. It showed a large living room that Peter recognised from the videos he'd seen. "It's the living room from the videos."

"Videos?"

"We watched some videos of um... me." Peter felt his face heat up.

"Alright, try this one," Agent McNeil said. "For the record, the photo shows scene number two."

Agent McNeil still looked relaxed, but the back of Peter's neck prickled sharply as he was handed a photo of a bedroom. It was barely in his hand when he saw the closet doors at the back of the room. One of them was open.

Peter couldn't run then, but he could now, and he did. He pulled his hand free from his mom's grasp, and went backwards up and over the back of the couch. He landed badly on one wrist and pain flared up his arm as he rolled. He didn't stop, just scrambled up and ran.

Chapter Text

When McNeil handed Peter that picture of the living room, Tony had thought, for one horrified second, he was showing him the hallway where Mike and Nina had died. Thankfully, he wasn't, and the photo looked innocuous. So when McNeil handed over a photo of Peter's own bedroom, Tony wasn't expecting Peter to flee like a wounded animal.

Thank God Peter ran for the bedroom hallway and not the balcony.

Tony followed, and found Peter curled up in a tight, shaking ball in the corner by his bedroom door. As Tony got near him, Peter sobbed, and Tony's heart just about broke. This wasn't his fourteen-year-old son, his strong and resilient Peter; this was his five-year-old kid, crying for his mommy and daddy just as his Peter must have cried that night.

Tony slid to his knees, hunching down to make himself small and less frightening. "Peter? Peter? Pietro?"

Peter's head came up, his eyes wet and unseeing. "D-Daddy? Bad man in the closet, Daddy."

"It's alright, he's gone. It's just you and me, Pietro. He's gone, you're safe." Tony inched closer and sighed with relief when Peter closed the gap and Tony could wrap his arms around him at last. Tony rocked him gently as Peter cuddled into him. "Everything's okay, Pietro, you're safe," he whispered. "Daddy's got you."

"Tony?" Pepper sounded like she was crying too. Her hand rested on his shoulder. "Rhodey got rid of the FBI. Helen's on her way."

Peter shifted slightly. "Mommy?"

Pepper sank down beside them, her arms sliding around the pair of them. "Mommy's here, baby. It's okay now. We've got you."

"Bad man, Mommy." Peter sounded like his teeth were chattering as he shook, and Tony tightened his arms, trying to hold him together.

"No, no, bad man's gone now, sweetie. We're here, you're safe."

Tony didn't know how long they sat, holding their son and repeating reassurances, but there was a part of him that felt overwhelming gratitude that Peter was here, safe, and hadn't died after being taken by the 'bad man in the closet'. No it wasn't perfect. Peter was hurt and traumatised, had suffered who knew what in the time he was gone, but he was back in Tony's and Pepper's arms, and that was a miracle Tony hadn't expected.

The elevator dinged and Peter jerked.

"It's okay," Tony quickly said. "It's just Helen. Uncle Rhodey's guarding the door."

Peter's head came up slightly. "Uncle Rhodey?" His voice sounded better, deeper, no longer that of a crying, terrified child.

"That's me, buddy, I'm here," Rhodey said quietly. "Just bringing Dr. Helen to help you feel better."

"I'll be - I'll be okay in a minute," Peter lied.

Tony huffed a soft laugh and kissed the top of Peter's head. "Course you will, kid. In a New York minute."

Soft footsteps told Tony Helen was behind him. "Peter? This is Dr. Cho. Do you remember me?"

Peter nodded under Tony's chin.

"That's a 'yes'," Tony said.

"Good. Peter, will you let your parents get you to bed? I want you somewhere you can be kept warm."

"I'm okay," Peter lied again. "I - I can get up."

Tony rolled his eyes and held on as Peter started trying to move. "For me and your mom, okay? Let us do this."

There was a pause then Peter nodded. Tony didn't wait, just scooped him up and clambered to his feet. Pepper pushed open the door to Peter's bedroom and pulled back the covers on his bed. It was almost a replay of the first two nights Peter was home and Tony carried him to bed, only this time Peter's hand caught his sleeve when Tony pulled back.

"Don't go! Please?!"

Tony forced a reassuring smile onto his face. "I'm not going anywhere, bud. Just giving Helen room to examine you." He moved down, out of the way, slipped Peter's sneakers off, then rested his hand on one ankle so his kid knew he was there. Pepper sat down on the other side of the bed and rubbed Peter's shoulder.

Helen didn't take long checking Peter over. As soon as she was done, she sat down on Peter's desk chair and gave him a sympathetic look. "I know you're feeling very scared and shaky at the moment, but you're going to be just fine. What you had is called a flashback, and it happens when a very strong, traumatic memory is triggered. It makes you feel you're back in that moment, and you react as you would have reacted then." She leaned forward, her elbows on her knees. "I know you feel very shaken up by it. That's perfectly normal, especially if it's something you didn't remember before, but what you're feeling is a reaction to the adrenaline the memory made your body produce. All you have to do is stay in bed for a few hours, stay warm, and let your parents fuss over you, okay?"

Peter nodded, but said, "I'm o-okay, really."

Tony resisted the urge to snort at what a terrible liar his kid was.

Helen smiled. "Still, stay in bed until dinner at least. Doctor's orders. Now, I'm going to wrap up that wrist you twisted, then leave you in peace." She did, but a tug at Tony's sleeve got his attention. "See if you can get him to take a warm drink. Cocoa or tea with sugar - it'll help with the shock. I'll come up around nine to check on him."

Tony nodded. "Thanks, Helen."

"I'll make cocoa," Rhodey said, then he left with Helen, and Tony and Pepper were alone with their kid again.

Pepper cuddled up behind Peter on the bed, her arm around him, and Tony sat down in front with his back against the headboard and his legs stretched out. Tony didn't think Peter would have been comfortable with this two hours ago but, right now, his barriers were down and he needed the reassurance his parents could offer. He began to stroke through Peter's wayward curls, and was gratified when Peter curled a hand around his knee in response.

After the distress that interview had caused, it was surprisingly peaceful.

"I'm sorry."

Tony roused himself. "Hm?" he asked intelligently.

"I didn't get through the interview," Peter muttered, his cheeks turning faintly pink. "You were hoping we wouldn't have to see them again."

"It's not your fault, sweetheart," Pepper said. "You did your best."

Tony agreed. "It's not your fault you had a flashback. McNeil shouldn't have expected anything else from a kid who was five during the event in question. You did your best and no one could've asked for more. I'm just sorry I didn't realise he was going to whip out photos of your bedroom." At least Tony and Pepper now knew to keep any photos of Peter's old bedroom far away from him. And at least McNeil hadn't shown Peter any photos of the hallway where Nina and Mike had died. Tony's stomach turned over at the thought.

"I remember him. The man."

After a moment, Tony forced himself to ask, "Was it Parker? Richard?"

Peter shook his head slightly. "He had dark hair. A buzz cut, I think. I don't think I ever saw him again."

"If you want to talk about it, honey, go right ahead," Pepper said. "We'll listen."

"I don't remember much," Peter said quietly. "Just him coming out of the closet. I - I think I screamed."

"I'm not surprised." Seeing a strange man come out of his closet in the soft glow of his nightlight... Tony thought it would terrify anyone, let alone a little kid. He stroked Peter's hair some more. "We'll pass the information on to McNeil."

"No one can get in here, can they?" Peter asked. "I mean -"

"It's pretty much impossible, bud," Tony said firmly. "First of all, FRIDAY knows who's allowed into the penthouse, so they'd have to hack or disable her for a start. Then, unless they could get onto the balcony and smash their way through bullet-proof windows, they'd have to get through Security in the lobby, and that would take an assault team, which would draw a lot of attention. With FRIDAY out of commission, there'd be no elevators, so they'd have to go up the stairs. Again, without FRIDAY the stairwell doors can only be unlocked from the inside, so they'd have to break in the door." Tony took a breath, then continued, "I really don't think any of the Avengers would sit idly by learning macramé if anyone tried to break in, so you can add them to the list of defences. If they're out, Bruce rarely goes on missions, so there'd likely be a big, green rage monster going after any intruders. After all of that, they'd have to get past me and your mom." Tony leaned down to look Peter in the eye. "No one can get in here. Trust me on that."

Peter gave a shaky sigh and nodded, his grasp tightening on Tony's knee. "Okay. Thanks, Dad."

Well, if that one little word didn't make his heart grow three sizes... Tony sat back, his hand still buried in Peter's curls. Pepper caught his gaze and she smiled widely, her eyes bright with tears.

"You're welcome," Tony managed, just as Rhodey knocked on the door.

"Hey, I brought drinks for everyone," Rhodey said with a tray in his hands. "Cocoa for Peter, tea for Pepper, and coffee for Tony. The cocoa should be the right temperature now." There was even a straw in the travel mug for Peter. He put the tray down on the nightstand, and gently patted Peter's shoulder. "Give me a shout if I'm wanted," he said, then went off out of the door.

Tony held the cup in place as Peter rose up on one elbow. The kid's eyelids were at half-mast already, and Tony thought he'd be out for the count as soon as he was done with his drink.

"Mmm, s'good," Peter muttered between sips. He managed about half before shaking his head to the rest, then he laid back down and wrapped his hand around Tony's knee again.

Tony resumed stroking his kid's hair while Pepper rubbed his shoulder. Peter's eyes were tightly shut. Peter shifted slightly, and the grasp around Tony's knee went slack. For a moment, there was silence, then Tony murmured, "I knew he'd be out like a light."

"It's no surprise," Pepper said, just as quietly. She shifted closer, and moved her hand to Tony's leg, resting it there by Peter's. "All the things he's been through..."

"He'll be okay. We'll make sure of it." Therapy wasn't Tony's favourite thing, but it helped. He would have lost Pepper by now if he hadn't given in to her demands that he get his ass into therapy. Peter could have come back to find his family in pieces, instead, they were together. Obie had to be spinning in his grave at how badly he'd failed. Tony shook his head.

Pepper gave him an intrigued look. "What?"

"Obie. He had so much. He had power, position, money - and he gambled it all for... what? More power, more money?"

"He was greedy and wanted it all. All the power, all the money." Pepper sighed. "He had a daughter he never publicly acknowledged. He could have had a family, grandchildren. Instead, he used his child to kidnap ours, and killed her off when she demanded more money."

"Money. Like father, like daughter. At least Pete ended up with Ben and May. They seem to have treated him well."

"More than well. They saw his potential and helped him win that scholarship to Midtown. May wasn't obligated to keep Peter after Ben died, but she worked double shifts at the hospital to provide for him. I looked into her background." Pepper sat up and accepted her cup from Tony. "I wish we could have met them."

"Me too," Tony thought for a moment. "Peter might want to do something in their name. Scholarships, maybe."

"Medical and law enforcement scholarships?" Pepper smiled. "I think he'd like that. You know, May volunteered at FEAST too."

"Oh?" He gave her a look. "And how big was the donation they recently received in May's name?"

Pepper's smile widened. "I could have bought a lot of shoes with it."

"Match the donation from my private account." Tony gazed at their sleeping son. "We owe her so much more."

Chapter Text

Peter shifted, then yawned. He was warm and comfortable. He scrubbed his face against the pillow, then opened his eyes at the soft laugh he heard.

Mr. Stark - his dad - grinned at him. "Back with us, buddy?"

Peter realised he'd been hugging Mr. Stark's knee. "Um, hi."

"Hey, sweetie."

He twisted around to see his mom behind him. Both his parents were on the bed, sitting up against the headboard with their legs stretched out alongside him. Peter smiled and put his head back down. They didn't seem to mind he was was hugging his dad's knee, so he guessed he shouldn't either.

"Don't go back to sleep, honey; you need to eat," his mom told him. As if on cue, Peter's stomach rumbled.

"Yep, it's time for food," his dad said, swinging his legs down. "Up and at 'em, Pete! Rhodey's making fajitas."

Once dinner was over, Peter was told to relax while the others cleaned up the kitchen. "I could dry the dishes," he said. "That's not strenuous." To demonstrate, he reached for the tea towel and found himself being glared at by three adults.

"Out of the kitchen," his mom said.

Peter retreated to the couch and considered how ridiculous it was. He was Spider-Man! He was strong and capable... and drying dishes was, apparently, beyond him. He sank onto the couch and rubbed his stomach. If there was one thing he didn't miss about his old life, it was the regular hunger pangs.

"Did you get enough to eat?" his dad asked, ruffling Peter's hair as he walked past.

"Mmm, it was awesome. I'm all stuffed. Thanks, Uncle Rhodey."

He got a grin from the man in question. "How are you feeling, Pete?"

"I'm okay. Um, I'm sorry I ran out during that interview."

"We already told him not to worry about it," his mom said.

"Yeah," Uncle Rhodey agreed. "We should have expected it, really. It's no big deal, kid. Anyway, it helped get rid of the FBI."

"Really?"

"Oh, yeah.  They couldn't get out the door fast enough. I don't think we'll need to worry about them any more."

Peter sighed with relief. He really had been worried, but everyone seemed to think it was over now.

"Better?" his dad asked, leaning over the back of the couch. When Peter nodded, he continued, "Good! Anyway, Bruce said tomorrow afternoon works even better for him; he's got some experiment on the go he wants to show you."

"Oh my God, Dr. Banner!" Peter exclaimed. "I completely forgot!"

His dad waved a casual hand. "It's fine. Stop worrying."

Peter couldn't believe him. "You don't just stand up a scientist like Dr. Bruce Banner!"

"Sure you do! First time I met him, I zapped him in the side to see if he'd turn green. He didn't, by the way. But Bruce is really laidback like that."

Peter stared at him, barely aware his mouth was hanging open until his dad grinned and poked him in the chin. Oh, it was a joke. That was okay then.

=====

By the time Dr. Cho came up to the penthouse, Peter felt he was running on fumes. He'd been struggling to keep his eyes open all the way through the movie his parents put on, and he wouldn't swear he saw the whole thing.

"Everything looks fine to me."

Peter opened his eyes with a start. Had he fallen asleep while Dr. Cho was checking him over? He really thought he had, but she didn't say anything about it, so maybe she hadn't noticed.

"Sweet dreams, Peter."

Dr. Cho was so nice. Peter yawned and snuggled into the warm body next to him. He heard his mom laugh softly, then she stroked his hair.

"See? I told you," his dad said.

"Um hmm," Uncle Rhodey said. "It's real nice to see."

Peter thought there had to be something good happening in the movie, and he blinked and squinted at the screen but it was off. Huh, he must have missed it. Arms slid under him and the room tilted. Uncle Rhodey was probably in charge of the camera again.

"Went to MIT, still couldn't work the camera," he muttered.

"That's right, buddy," his dad said. "I should've hired a professional."

"Do not tell me you've been criticising my camera skills again," Uncle Rhodey said, an indignant tone in his voice.

"Only a little bit," his dad replied. "Come on, Pietro, time for sleep."

Peter snuggled into his dad's shoulder. He had to call Ned and MJ, he hadn't spoken to them yet. He yawned again. He'd rest his eyes for a minute and then call...

Chapter Text

Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Peter rolled over, opened his eyes, and blinked at the pale light he could see peeping around the edges of his curtains. "FRIDAY, what time is it, please?"

"It is currently 06.55, Peter. Good morning."

"Good morning," Peter echoed absently. Had he called Ned and MJ the night before? He'd meant to. He was going to tell them about the FBI, though he was going to leave out any mention of that flashback. He also wanted to tell Ned about Tony Stark (his dad, but still) and Dr. Bruce Banner being so impressed with his web solution. Instead, he'd... he'd... Oh, God, he'd fallen asleep on his mom and been carried to bed again.

Peter pulled his pillow over his face. This was getting embarrassing. How was he supposed to convince them he was capable of stopping crime if they kept carrying him to bed?

Annoyed with himself, Peter shoved his pillow away and grabbed for his phone. He'd send Ned and MJ a text before he got up. He wasn't actually surprised to find a few texts waiting for him when he turned his phone on.

MJ's was sent around 9.30 and just asked if he was okay, but Ned had sent him a number of texts throughout the day as Flash had returned to school early and spent the entire morning 'whisper-shouting' with barely any voice about how Peter Parker obviously wasn't Peter Stark before being sent home for still being sick. Peter was sorry he'd missed the real-time updates as Ned had found the whole thing hilarious.

Peter sent a quick text to MJ saying he was fine and would facetime her after school, then called Ned. Predictably, Ned picked up within two rings.

"Hey, you okay?"

"I fell asleep last night. Sorry I didn't call."

"Oh, it's no problem!" Ned instantly assured him. "I was just worried when you didn't text back or anything. Are you sure you're okay?"

Peter hesitated. Ned was his best friend but that whole flashback episode had been awful. He remembered clinging to his dad, crying and shaking like a little kid. Mr. Stark had been awesome - Ms. Potts too - and, in a weird way, he felt closer to them. Remembering that had made him remember them more. Peter sat up with a jerk at the thought of the closet, scrambled out of bed, and practically threw himself at the closet door to check inside.

The closet was empty of anything except clothes.

Peter closed the door and leaned against it, trying to calm his hammering heart, then his bedroom door opened and he screeched and leapt in the air. By the time he'd calmed down enough to realise what was going on, he'd retreated to the corner of his ceiling and his parents were staring at him with white faces.

"Uhh, P-Peter? Buddy?" His dad's voice shook, but his hands were reaching out as he slowly advanced.

"Sweetheart? D-do you want to come down from there?" his mom asked, pleadingly.

Peter crawled down, feeling incredibly stupid. "I'm sorry," he managed, as their arms went around him. "I was - I was checking the closet and - and you startled me."

"It's okay," his dad said, though his fast heartbeat showed it was a lie. "FRIDAY told us you needed us."

"We're sorry we startled you, baby," his mom said, sounding so much like May it brought a lump to Peter's throat. He gulped and buried his head in his mom's shoulder.

The arms around him tightened. "It's okay, it's okay, you're safe," his dad murmured.

"It's no surprise your emotions are all over the place," his mom said.

Peter raised his head, smiling through his tears at them. They'd misunderstood him, he realised. "You sounded just like May," he told his mom. His smile widened at her surprised look. "It was nice to hear."

She smiled back. "That's good, honey."

Peter pulled his arms free and put them around his parents, then rested his head on his dad's shoulder. His mom wasn't actually wrong; his emotions were all over the place.

His dad rested his head against Peter's. "Better now?"

"Yeah, thanks." They stood there for a moment, then Peter remembered. "Oh no... I was talking to Ned when I thought about the closet." 

"You really did panic, didn't you?" his dad asked.

Peter felt himself redden as he nodded.

His dad nodded too and pressed a kiss to the side of his head. "After breakfast, we'll fit a lock to the closet door. You can tell Texting Ned you're really possessive about your clothes."

Peter huffed a laugh as his parents left, and he went to find his phone. "Ned?" He tried again, louder, "Ned?"

"Oh, hey," Ned said, a casual tone in his voice. "I dropped my phone. Sorry."

Peter could practically feel his embarrassment. "Sorry, Ned. I had to check something, then my... my mom and dad came running in and gave me a fright."

There was a pause, then Ned asked, "On purpose?"

"No!" As if they'd do that. "FRIDAY said I was upset, so they thought I needed them. Anyway, it sounds like Flash had a great time yesterday."

The distraction worked. "Dude, you should have heard him! Well, we couldn't hear him, that was the point. He was trying to shout at everyone but no one was listening."

"I can't believe he came into school."

Ned laughed. "I can! By the time he gets back it'll be old news that you're Peter Stark and everyone will be over it."

Peter latched onto that. His parents were right to make him stay home for the week. Well, it wasn't that he'd thought they were wrong, precisely...

"Peter?"

"Yeah! Ned, you'll never guess but Dr. Bruce Banner and my, well, Tony Stark are impressed with my web formula!"

There was silence, then Ned whispered, "Dude, your life..."

"I know! Dr. Bruce Banner! I'm going to his lab today. Can you believe it?"

"No! I'm - argh! This is just so awesome! You have to tell me everything - everything he says, everything he does, what he smells like, what he -"

"Ned! He doesn't sm - I mean, he smells normal like, like aftershave and cologne."

"You know what Bruce Banner smells like..." Ned sounded overcome with awe for a moment, then, "Do you think he smells different when he's the Hulk?"

"I... I don't know."

"Okay. If you ever find out, you'll tell me, right?"

Peter wanted to laugh but he didn't. "Ned, if I ever find out what the Hulk smells like, I promise I will tell you."

"You're the best, Peter! Oh, gotta go! I'm gonna be late!"

Peter shook his head. Ned was his best friend and Peter wouldn't change him for the world.

=====

In spite of the closet incident and frightening his parents by acting like an actual spider, Peter's morning turned out to be a really good one. After breakfast, Peter's dad collected his toolbox and fitted a sturdy lock to the closet door. It was weird, but just seeing that no one could be in his closet without the lock giving it away made Peter feel better.

His dad smiled at him. "Okay?"

"Okay." Peter nodded. "I remember having to check the closet when I was a kid. Now I know why."

"You know FRIDAY's always watching the stairs and elevator," his mom reminded him. "Nobody can get to your bedroom without us being notified."

Peter nodded again. It was no surprise his parents took security so seriously.

And talking of security, there was also personal safety. At ten, Peter, his dad, and his Uncle Rhodey went to the gym to face Ms. Natasha and Mr. Clint. At first Peter was just practising blocking punches again, but then Ms. Natasha produced a pair of knives.

Peter's dad jumped to his feet. "No! Absolutely not!"

Ms. Natasha quirked an eyebrow at him and pressed her finger to the tip of the one of the knives. The blade promptly sank into the handle.

"It's fake!" Peter exclaimed. Mr. Clint handed him the other knife to look at. They looked so real.

"Did you really think I'd start Peter off with real knives?" Ms. Natasha asked.

Peter looked up as the implications sank in. "You're going to use real knives on me?" He reddened as his voice cracked and went high.

"Of course. If you can't defend yourself in here, how will defend yourself out there?"

Peter's dad grabbed his Starkpad and started muttering about armour-plated nanotech.

Ms. Natasha shook her head at him. "Tony, how long did I make you train with me?"

"Too long! I had bruises for months," he retorted.

"And was that training useful when you weren't in your suit?"

There was a pause and a sigh, then he put the Starkpad down. "Fine, but don't expect me to like it."

"Just don't distract your son," Ms. Natasha said. "Peter, use the blocks I showed you..."

Chapter Text

As soon as training was over, his dad pushed a protein bar into Peter's hands and they went down to his workshop with Uncle Rhodey in tow.

"Are we going to blow up a car engine?" Peter asked.

His dad laughed and Uncle Rhodey gave a groan. "Tony, you're corrupting my godson; I object."

"Get over it, honeybear, he's my kid. Anyway, not today. Today, we're working on earplugs for Pete's sensory overloads." He gave Peter a wink. "We'll save blowing up an engine for when Colonel Grouchy's back in DC."

"I am not grouchy!" Uncle Rhodey protested. "I bet Pepper won't approve either."

"Don't kid yourself; she'll be down here too," Peter's dad said. "Anyway, kid, let's give these a whirl." The earbuds he produced were, he said, the same as the ones used by the Avengers during their missions.

Peter stared at them, trying to hide his excitement. He was going to be wearing earbuds just like an Avenger on a mission! Just wait until he told Ned!

"They're just for your sensory overloads, kid." His dad grinned at him. "We can use them to channel white noise instead of just comms. All you'd need to do is turn them on, put them in, and tell FRIDAY you need help. As a bonus, she can notify us you're having an overload and need us. C'mon, try it out." He handed over a small, beige pellet. "Press on it to activate, now put it in your ear. FRIDAY, white noise one."

Peter did as he was told and was surprised when the ambient noises of the building faded away in one ear. He tilted his head and listened, focussing on what he could hear from that side, then the other. "I can't hear uh, Mom's voice any more on this side."

"Wait, you can hear Pepper from here?" his dad asked.

Peter nodded. "If I listen."

"FRIDAY, what's Ms. Boss doing?"

"Ms. Boss is currently on the phone," FRIDAY replied.

"Geeze, kid," his dad said, "I know Helen said you could hear her three floors down, but you hear everything?"

"Only if I concentrate," Peter protested. "Otherwise, it's just everything in here."

"Like everything in here." Uncle Rhodey looked unhappy. "How much input are you dealing with?"

"Pop that earbud out," his dad told him, looking just as unhappy. "Can you hear the lights, all the electronics?"

Peter nodded, his stomach fluttering. Why couldn't he just be normal for once?

His dad shook his head. "No wonder you're getting overloads! Okay, put that earbud back in, and the other one too. Let's work on cutting out the worst of the background noise. FRIDAY, white noise one."

Again, all the background noises disappeared, from both his ears this time. Even his dad's heartbeat was hard to hear. Peter listened with astonishment. "I can't hear anything."

"What about voices?" his dad asked.

Peter grinned. "Just yours. It's like before I was bitten." It was amazing to have a level of hearing that didn't make him want to cringe. He'd never appreciated it before.

"Bitten?" Uncle Rhodey repeated. "Bitten by what?"

His dad snorted. "An experimental spider at Oscorp."

Uncle Rhodey looked at Peter. "You... an ex - how?"

"Pete was on a field trip when the thing attacked him," was the blunt reply.

Peter couldn't help it. "Da-ad!" Then he felt himself redden.

The annoyed look disappeared from his dad's face and he tugged Peter into a tight hug for a minute. "Okay." He let go but rested his hands on Peter's shoulders, patting him gently. "Maybe I am over-stating it a little. But still."

"I don't know." Uncle Rhodey was scowling. "Peter was bitten on a field trip? How dangerous is that place?"

"It was just one small spider," Peter insisted.

"One small, dangerous spider!" Uncle Rhodey retorted. "Back me up here, Tones!"

His dad gave a rueful smile. "I'm just distracted by my first whiney 'Da-ad' moment, Rhodey. But you're right. Security that lax is a problem; Oscorp should be shut down. But we can't do anything about it without exposing Peter as Spider-Man."

Uncle Rhodey pulled a face. "You know if hate it when you're sensible?"

"I know."

To Peter's relief, they abandoned the topic of Oscorp and went back to trying out different levels of white noise. It was easy for FRIDAY to control the earbuds in the Tower and he could use her connection to his phone when he was away from home.

"It means you'll have full control over what you block out and when," his dad pointed out. "Just don't go blocking out all your teachers - no matter how boring they are."

Peter almost laughed at the temptation.

=====

After lunch, Peter and his dad went to Dr. Banner's lab. Peter was barely able to contain himself. He was in Dr. Bruce Banner's lab. Okay, he was only there because he was Tony Stark's son, but still. Talk about exciting!

"Hi, Peter."

Peter gulped. "Dr. Banner."

Dr. Banner smiled at him. "Call me Bruce."

Peter grinned, but tried to keep his cool. Ned was going to flip, absolutely flip. "I brought my webshooters and web fluid.

Dr. Bruce smiled. "Can we analyse it?"

Of course, Peter knew the complete chemical make up, but it didn't make it any the less exciting for him to see Dr. Bruce Banner and Tony Stark peering through a microscope at his web fluid and examining his webshooters. Peter showed how they worked and webbed one of the lab stools to the wall.

His dad tried to tug it free, then he wrapped his arms around the legs and pulled. "Nope, it's not moving."

Dr. Bruce tried, then they both hauled at it. The seat stayed webbed in place, but they managed to rip the legs off.

"Oops," Dr. Bruce said. "I think even the other guy would struggle with this webbing."

Peter's dad grinned. "Big Green would probably demolish the wall. He's straightforward like that. Well, Bruce, I guess my kid owes you a lab stool."

"I didn't break it!" Peter protested.

"I think you'll find that was us, Tony," Dr. Bruce said.

"Fine, fine." His dad shrugged. "I'll get you a new lab stool. I'll just take it out of Pete's allowance."

=====

Of course, Ned was thrilled hearing about Peter's afternoon in Dr. Bruce Banner's lab, and Peter had to tell him twice over exactly what his face looked like when the stool broke apart.

MJ, though, was more interested in his earbuds. "You'll be wearing them all the time?" she asked.

Peter nodded. "My dad made me a dozen pairs and a case to carry a spare set in. He's really insisting I wear them, like, all the time I'm out. I think he'd like me to wear them all the time at home too, but I don't want to become too dependent on them, you know?"

"At least you'll have them for if you get an overload," Ned said.

"Or if the lights play up in school," MJ said. "Remember when that light started flickering in History?"

Peter grimaced. The intermittent fzzt-BZZT had been irritating and distracting. By the end of the lesson, his head had been pounding and he'd felt twitchy all day. "At least I won't have to put up with that again."

Chapter Text

Thursday October 1, 2015

Peter opened his eyes, and yawned and stretched as FRIDAY announced it was 7am. He'd actually managed to get himself to bed the night before, and he considered that an achievement. He felt he was finally starting to get the hang of his new routine. He'd even realised he could ask FRIDAY to wake him up every morning.

He showered and got dressed, and went to the kitchen. Of course, his mom was there.

"Morning, sweetie. You look happy," she said.

She looked happy too when he gave her a hug.

"I feel good," he said, then gave a shrug. "I guess I just feel more settled."

Her smile widened. "That's good, sweetheart. It's how it should be." She started making breakfast for him and he joined in, passing her items or knives and forks whenever she needed them.

"Did you remind Ned and MJ they're invited to dinner tomorrow night?" his mom asked as the toast popped up.

"Yes! I can't wait for you to meet MJ. She runs our AcaDec team."

"I heard about your team. You've won a lot of matches." She sounded proud, and Peter felt a warm glow for it.

He grinned. "MJ's very determined. I don't think anyone dares to slack off. Umm, will I still be able to be on the team?"

"Yes," his mum said decisively. "Nat and Clint have been going over all the security at the school. Your dad and I will be telling you about it at lunch, but you don't need to worry. Principal Morita's very invested in his school, and we're happy for you to stay there."

Peter sighed with relief. Even though he'd still have to put up with Flash, the idea of not going to school with Ned and MJ had been an awful one. "Will I still need my scholarship?"

There was silence, then Peter realised his mom's shoulders were shaking as she tried to hold in her laughter.

"I didn't want to assume!" he defended himself.

"Well," she said in a serious tone, though her eyes were gleaming with amusement, "your father is only a billionaire. We might have to look under the couch cushions for spare change, but I think we can probably cover your school fees."

Peter openly rolled his eyes at her. "Will it help if I do without a chocolate bar in my packed lunch?"

"Oh, that will be a help! Thank you, sweetie!" She gave him a nudge with her shoulder. "If need be, we'll sell your father's coffee beans."

"What? My coffee beans?" his dad said from behind them.

Peter laughed as his mom's eyes widened in dismay. "You knew he was there!" she said accusingly.

"Selling my coffee beans?!" his dad repeated indignantly. "Explain yourself, Ms. Potts!"

Peter's mom turned and held him off with a spatula. "It's no good, Mr. Stark. The wolf is at the door, and your coffee beans must be sold to fund our son's education."

"Does it have to be my coffee beans? Couldn't we sell your shoes instead?" Peter's dad seemed to be eyeing the spatula.

"You can't expect me to go barefoot in the winter. Not again!"

Peter's dad sighed, then lunged for the spatula. Peter jumped out of the way as they swayed back and forth, fighting for the spatula. He backed up and found Uncle Rhodey had come in and was watching.

"Let me guess," Uncle Rhodey said, apparently unsurprised, "Pepper threatened the coffee beans."

Peter nodded. "It's to fund my education," he explained.

"A noble cause. Really, Tones? You won't part with coffee beans for the sake of your son's education?"

"He can work down the mine!" Peter's dad said, as he won possession of the spatula and threw it to Peter. "He can sell newspapers on the street corner!"

Peter looked at the spatula, at his mom, and then dodged around the kitchen island as she ran at him.

She stalked Peter around the island. "You realise Peter might end up working for HammerTech."

"Wait!" Peter's dad threw out his hands. "Say that again."

Peter's mom straightened and stuck her chin in the air. "Peter might end up working for HammerTech," she repeated.

Uncle Rhodey gave a whistle as Peter's dad shook his head and said, "You fight dirty, Potts. That's a low blow."

"It's okay," Peter said. "I've decided to become a supervillain instead."

They all stared at him, then his dad sighed. "Thank Thor for that; the coffee beans are saved."

=====

Peter was still smiling to himself when they went to the gym. Uncle Rhodey couldn't join them because he needed to do paperwork, but his dad was there, and he tried to deny it when Peter told Ms. Natasha, Mr. Clint, and Mr. Steve he was smiling because his parents were 'officially cray cray'.

"We're what?"

"Cray cray. You know, crazy," Peter said.

"Hey!" Peter's dad looked indignant. "I am not cray cray!"

Mr. Clint said, "It's probably a compliment."

"Mom threatened his coffee beans," Peter explained.

"Oh, that explains it," Mr. Steve said.

Peter's dad gave an indignant huff. "I could've used my suit to protect 'em. That would've been cray cray!"

They all stared at him for a long moment, then, "Let's get on with training," Ms. Natasha said.

Peter grinned.

He wasn't grinning so much when Mr. Clint and Mr. Steve quickened their attacks, and Peter realised Ms. Natasha was circling them all looking for an opening. She lunged with her fake knife and Peter flipped out of the way, then ran up the wall.

"Ms. Natasha!" he complained.

"Call me Nat," she replied. "Now stop whining, come down, and let me stab you."

They carried on training. It was almost a relief to escape to his dad's workshop to work on some light-blocking sunglasses. At least there he didn't have to watch his back.

=====

That talk over lunch with his parents turned out to be more than Peter expected. Yes, he'd be going back to school - by Happy-driven car, not subway - and yes, Ms. Nat and Mr. Clint had checked and double-checked the security. But...

"A watch?" Peter gazed at the sleek watch he'd been given.

"It's a bit more than that, sweetie," his mom said, as Peter put the strap around his wrist and it tightened to fit snugly.

Peter suddenly realised both of his parents were wearing very similar watches.

"You're the only one who can remove it," his dad said. "You don't need to worry about it coming off or getting stolen either. Tap the screen for me."

"Whoa!" Peter exclaimed as a row of icons appeared. "It's like a Smartwatch." There was a phone, a calendar, his earbuds, music... "What's the exclamation mark for?"

"Emergency help. Anyone tries to remove your watch, or you tap that, FRIDAY will tell us you need help. It's fully waterproof too, so you don't need to take it off."

Peter stared at his watch. It looked plain, discreet, but like it cost thousands. Even Flash's watches looked cheap in comparison. Peter had no doubt Ned was going to freak out over it. "It's awesome," he said, barely daring to breathe on it.

"Your dad designed it," his mom said proudly.

They were giving each other mushy looks again. Peter looked away, then looked back as his dad snorted.

"Your ears are turning red, kid."

"Anyway," his mom said, "the other thing we wanted to discuss with you is how do you feel about setting up scholarships in Ben's and May's names?"

"We know they did a lot for you," his dad added. "We owe them a lot. So, we thought scholarships in their names might be a way to say thanks."

Peter could just see Ben's and May's faces at the thought of it all; they would have been so proud. He swallowed down the lump in his throat. "What kind of scholarships?"

"Maybe training for their careers," his mom said. "Ben's could be in law enforcement and May's in medical, for instance."

"It's up to you, buddy." His dad gave him a smile. "Whatever you want. There's no rush, just give it some thought."

Chapter Text

Friday October 2, 2015

Peter woke to FRIDAY's voice telling him the time. "Morning, FRIDAY," he said. He lay there for a minute, looking around at his room. His room. A week ago, he'd been almost homeless; if it hadn't been for Ned and Mr. Delmar, he would have been sleeping on the streets. He'd always felt unlucky - Parker Luck, Ben used to laugh - now, Peter didn't. Now, he had his parents and a home of his own, he had Ned and MJ, and he got to be trained by the Black Widow herself. Mr. Delmar was home and doing well, and Peter would soon be patrolling as Spider-Man too. His life had changed so much.

He thought back to what MJ had said the night before, when he'd told her and Ned about the scholarships his parents wanted to set up in Ben's and May's names. 

"Ben and May spent years being your parents," she'd said. "Ms. Potts and Mr. Stark must think they did a good job. They must like how you turned out."

Peter found himself smiling. After years of Flash pointing out what a burden he was, the thought that his parents actually liked him was amazing. He'd got so lucky with Ben and May, and now his mom and dad. Peter jumped out of bed and tweaked Gerald's ear. "Things are looking up, Gerald!"

His day was just as good as the day before. He had breakfast with his mom; trained with Ms. Nat, Mr. Clint, and Mr. Steve; spent time in his dad's workshop with his dad and Uncle Rhodey; then spent most of the afternoon in Dr. Bruce's lab with his dad and Dr. Bruce Banner himself. There were times Peter wanted to pinch himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming.

"Peter?"

Peter blinked and looked up at his mom. "Sorry, I was miles away."

"I could tell. You're not anxious about the dinner tonight, are you, sweetie?"

"No. I just... I can't believe this is my life." He picked up a potato peeler and gazed at his mom - his loving, strong, capable, beautiful mom. MJ was going to adore meeting her.

His mom smiled back at him, then pulled him into a hug. "We're just so glad you're back with us," she murmured. "You know that, right?"

Peter nodded as he hugged her in return. "I know. I'm really glad I'm here with you too."

"Tell me about Ben and May," his mom said as she went back to peeling potatoes. "Did they like to cook?"

Peter snorted. "May loved trying to cook! Ben wasn't a bad cook but May just couldn't get it right. She'd follow a recipe all the way along, but it always turned out bad. Though, to be fair, a lot of her creations didn't survive to be eaten. Maybe there was something wrong with the oven," he added loyally. "If we were celebrating something, we'd order take-out or go to a restaurant."

"What was May's favourite?" his mom asked.

"Thai. We went out for Thai a lot."

"What about Ben?"

Peter grinned. "He would have said Thai, but he really had a thing for cheeseburgers."

His mom smiled. "Just like your dad. Offer him the finest cuisine or a cheeseburger and he'll take a cheeseburger every time."

"There's nothing wrong with cheeseburgers!" his dad called unexpectedly. He came into view, Uncle Rhodey in his wake.

"It's about time you two showed up to help," Peter's mom said.

"And there's all the thanks we get!"

Uncle Rhodey smiled and poked Peter's dad in the side. "I'll get to meet Pete's friends and have a homecooked pot roast too. What other thanks do I need?"

=====

By the time Ned and MJ arrived, the penthouse smelt amazing and Peter was practically giddy with excitement. He just knew Ned was going to fanboy over meeting War Machine, and he absolutely couldn't wait for MJ to meet his mom. He was pretty sure MJ would play it cool, but he still wanted to see it.

To his surprise, MJ actually blushed, but that was her only giveaway. Ned didn't even try to act cool; his eyes were huge and he stammered every other word. Within five minutes, he'd dragged Peter to one side and was begging him to, "Please, please, please let me get Iron Man's and War Machine's autographs! I bought a book and everything!"

Peter stared at him. "You bought a book?"

Ned nodded and produced an actual autograph book, with pictures. "Look, it's superhero-themed!"

Of course, Peter's dad spotted it. "Ted, what do you have there?"

Ned turned pink as he handed it over. "It's an autograph book, Mr. Stark! It's got pictures of all the Avengers!"

Peter could see the glee in his dad's eyes as he opened it up.

"Hmm, let me see. Capsicle first (that'll please his ego); Iron Man second (silence, Rhodes). Let me just sign that." He did with a flourish, then continued flicking. "Nat third (looking appropriately dangerous); Clint (looking nowhere near as dangerous); Brucey-bear (as the Hulk)… Ah, who's this? Is this supposed to be War Machine? He doesn't look dangerous at -"

"Just give it to me and let me sign it," Uncle Rhodey interrupted, tugging it out of his hand. "Honestly, Tones, you're the one who designed my suit. It looks exactly as dangerous as you wanted it to. There you go, Ned."

Ned clutched the book and whispered, "War Machine knows my name!" He looked completely overcome and didn't seem at all bothered that two of the Avengers were grinning at his reaction.

By the time dinner was served, Ned seemed much calmer. Of course, that might have been because Peter's mom was pretty much encouraging MJ in her plans to take over the world.

"I don't see why you can't do that, Michelle," Peter's mom said. "I certainly think there'd be far fewer wars if women were in charge."

Peter's dad and Uncle Rhodey were exchanging glances.

"I could be out of a job," Uncle Rhodey commented, not sounding at all bothered.

"Don't worry, Jim, we'll always need diplomats," Peter's mom said.

"I hope you'll let me stick around too, honey," Peter's dad replied. "I'll become a stay-at-home-dad and make Peter his packed lunches every day."

"You're my trophy husband, Tony. You're not going anywhere."

Peter felt almost alarmed as his parents grinned at each other. Not again! Ben and May used to flirt with each other too. He realised it was even worse when his teenage friends were sitting with him. He cast glances at said friends and realised they didn't seem bothered at all. Hadn't they even noticed?

Peter's dad met his gaze and asked, a casual tone in his voice, "So who's Flash?"

Peter dropped his fork, all thoughts of horrific parental flirting gone. He stared at Uncle Rhodey. "You told them."

"Sure did," was the calm reply as Uncle Rhodey added some pepper to his potatoes.

"It's about time," MJ said. She met Peter's gaze squarely.

"You realise we have to do something about this, sweetie," Peter's mom said firmly. "We can't allow you to be bullied."

"It's not that bad!" Peter instantly claimed. "Is it, Ned?" He looked to his Guy-in-the-Chair.

Ned's gaze met his, then fell away, and Peter's heart sank. "It is that bad," Ned said, sounding reluctant. "Flash is a jerk, and has been a jerk all the time we've known him." Ned's voice started speeding up. "He constantly picks on Peter, calls him... 'Penis', shoves him around -"

"Ned!"

But Ned wouldn't stop, and he relentlessly listed all the times Flash had gone out of his way to hurt or belittle Peter. Peter was horrified. He hadn't realised how much it had hurt Ned to see Flash bully him.

Peter's dad sighed and put down his knife and fork. "So what's this kid's name? Flush?"

The tension disappeared. Ned snorted, his shoulders shaking, MJ was trying to hide a smile, and Peter was fighting his urge to laugh at the thought of Flash's face at his chosen nickname being mangled.

"It's - it's Flash, Mr. Stark," Ned managed.

"Flash, Flush," Peter's dad said, waving a hand. "Pete, we have to deal with this. If he can't pick on you, he'll target someone else. This Flush kid is a bully."

Ned looked like he wanted to laugh again as he said helpfully, "It's Flash, Mr. Stark."

Peter would have told Ned his dad knew Flash's name and just didn't care. Before he could, his dad said, "Ned, I'll give you a hundred bucks if you call this snot-rag 'Flush' to his face."

"No, Ned," Peter's mom put in, a firm tone in her voice. "It's not nice to call kids names, Tony, even when they're bullying our son."
 
Uncle Rhodey muttered, "But it sure is tempting."

"I admit that, I really do, but we'll deal with it like adults and talk to the principal," she went on.

Peter's dad nudged his elbow slightly. "It'll be okay, kid. Your mom can't be stopped by anyone; she'll get it sorted. Now, eat your dinner."

Later, in Peter's bedroom after had Ned had finished exclaiming over how awesome his room looked, MJ said, "Your parents are right, you know. Flash has to be dealt with."

Peter sighed. "I know."

Ned gave him a look. "He won't get punished that badly. Your mom isn't going to get him expelled or anything."

"Your dad would," MJ said, sounding pleased at the thought. "So Flash had better shape up."

"You sound like you'd be okay with that," Peter pointed out.

"I would. Flash has more advantages than most and he uses them to be a jerk. It's about time he learned his lesson."

Chapter Text

Saturday October 3, 2015

This time, when Peter woke up, it was still early enough for him to laze in bed for awhile. He kicked his legs free of the covers and rolled onto his side to hug his pillow. It had been good to have his friends over for dinner. It was a small return for all the kindnesses they'd shown him over the past months. He was hoping they could have sleepovers soon, especially if it meant Ned got to work on filling up his terrible autograph book. Peter grinned at the thought. Ned would be so excited meeting more Avengers. He'd be totally uncool and he'd enjoy every minute. Peter envied Ned's ability to enjoy life.

The rumbling of Peter's stomach got him moving. By the time he got into the kitchen, his parents and Uncle Rhodey were already there. He stopped at the corner and looked around. "Am I late?" he asked.

They all smiled at him. "Not late," his dad said. "We're taking you out for the day."

"Out?" Peter lit up at the thought. He felt like he'd been stuck in forever.

"Breakfast first," his mom said.

They refused to tell him any more, and by the time Happy started the car, Peter was full of curiosity. He kept track of their direction, trying to work out where they were going, but was completely surprised when the car finally came to a stop.

"A farm?"

His mom leaned into his side a little. "They have alpacas."

Peter laughed. "That's why?" He felt almost giddy with excitement as he scrambled out of the car. The last time he'd seen a real alpaca was with Ben and May, and he couldn't even remember for sure how old he'd been. He remembered being fascinated by them though.

That same feeling swept over him when he saw them again. From their mop-top heads to their hooves, they were adorable.

The farm owner came over, a smile on her face, and Peter realised he'd been too busy staring at the alpacas in the field to hear her name.

"Do you want to meet them?" She led them over to a wide fence. "They're friendly, but you have to let them approach you. Just stay still and quiet." As they got closer, some alpacas came to the fence and began honking at the woman.

Peter stood still next to her, unable to believe he was this close an alpaca - several alpacas, in fact. Several of them were taller than him, and Peter's dad laughed as one pushed forward, leaned over the fence, and tried to nibble on Peter's hair. "I think he thinks you're one of them, Pete."

"My hair's not that bad!" he protested. He slowly stretched out a hand and was thrilled when the alpaca let him stroke down his long furry neck. The alpaca gave him a gentle honk in his ear and Peter had to stop himself from giggling. He realised his mom had already started taking photos, and his grin got bigger. This, he decided, was completely awesome.

They spent the entire day there, meeting alpacas and taking photos. It was a blustery kind of day, and the wind had a kind of nip in it, as if to remind them the seasons were turning and cold weather was on its way. Peter looked up at the sky, at the clouds scudding by. He could have been homeless right now. He could have been worrying about how dependent he was on Mr. Delmar's kindness, his occasional weekends with Ned or MJ. There'd been nights he'd worried about the future, about making it to school each day, if he could even make it to college… And now he didn't need to worry about any of those things; his mom and dad would make sure he was okay, no matter what. It felt strange knowing he was safe.

"Pete? You okay?" His dad threw an arm around his shoulders and pulled him in close.

Peter smiled. "Yeah. I really think I am."

==========

Monday, October 5, 2015

Of course, he wasn't feeling that calm by Monday morning. Uncle Rhodey had gone back to DC the night before, and Peter was left with two parents who were about to let their chick fly solo for the first time.

Only it wasn't Peter's first time going to school, but he could understand why his mom and dad felt that way.

His dad held Peter's shoulders firmly before he could get into the car. "You know, if you don't feel ready…" he said, almost as if hoping Peter would choose to stay home.

"But it's fine if you do!" his mom put in, her eyes saying the opposite as she rubbed his arm.

"I'm going to be okay," Peter said firmly, feeling ridiculous. It was like their positions had been reversed suddenly and he was the strong, supportive one. He stared at them. "I'm going to school in the car with you. I've got my watch on so FRIDAY can see where I am, every minute. I won't leave the building until the last bell. Happy will be waiting with the car -"

"We'll probably be waiting too," his dad put in, as if there was any doubt of that.

Peter nodded. "You and Mom will be waiting too."

His mom's hand tightened on his arm. "But you remember the rules."

"If Happy doesn't get out of the car, I go back inside and contact you. If Happy gets out of the car and gives me any kind of signal, I go back inside and contact you," Peter parroted dutifully. "No one else will come to collect me, and don't go with anyone, no matter what they say." They'd gone over these rules the night before, with his mom and dad almost drilling them into him. Peter glanced over to where Happy was waiting and realised Happy was looking just as intense as his mom and dad. Peter's heart twisted at the thought of how worried they were. But he wasn't a little kid any more. No one could just carry him off. Plus he was Spider-Man! "It's gonna be okay."

"Of course it is!" his dad said, like he wasn't freaking out. "You're going to be fine."

Peter nodded, waited, then pulled free and got into the back seat of the car. After a pause, his mom and dad got in either side of him. He half expected to have to fight his way out of the car once they got to school, but his dad got out without delay and let him out, though he could feel the reluctance in his mom's hand as she let his go.

"Okay," Peter said, giving his dad another hug. "I'll see you later."

"Sure will," his dad said, and gave him a firm nod.

Peter stepped back, hitched his backpack up on his shoulder, then asked curiously, "Just for the record, how many trackers do I have on me?"

His dad didn't even pause. "Three."

"Does that include my watch?"

"Nope. Enjoy your day."

Peter turned and headed towards the school building where Ned was already waiting for him. Behind him, he heard his dad's heartbeat speed up, but he kept on going. It was better, right? Just get it over and done with?

"Dude!" Ned looked all thrilled as Peter pulled him inside. "Iron Man is outside our school!"

Peter felt himself redden. "You know it's just my dad!" He got out his phone and wrote a text to his parents: 'see you later!'. After a pause, he added a row of heart emojis and sent it. He looked up to find Ned watching him with a smile on his face. "What?"

Ned shrugged. "I'm glad you've got your parents."

Peter didn't answer but he knew he was smiling. He read his mom and dad's replies, ('Will do!' and 'Love you!') and put his phone away. His smile faded though as he noticed the whispers and stares around him.

"Ignore them," Ned said. "They're looking at me. Did I tell you I know Iron Man?"

Peter almost laughed. "Next you'll say you've seen one of his suits."

"Dude, I've taken selfies with his suits! Stick with me and maybe I'll introduce you."

"Introduce him to who?" MJ asked from behind them.

"Iron Man," Ned happily replied.

MJ gave him a look and turned to Peter. "You need to ask your parents when you can come back to AcaDec."

"They've only just let me come back to school!" Peter objected. "I don't know how they'll feel about my clubs!"

MJ waved the other clubs off. "Getting back to your routine is important. I know you joined a lot of those clubs so you'd have someplace to go, but AcaDec is more important than that. Anyway, we need you."

Peter sighed. "I'll talk to them, but they need time to adjust. Things have changed for them too." He didn't even want to think about the heartbreak and worry in their eyes that morning.

To his surprise, MJ looked pleased. "We can manage for a few days. See if you can join Friday's practise."

The bell rang then, and they went off towards their first class. Everything seemed quiet, then Peter's spidey-sense tingled.

"Parker," Flash sneered as he shoved his way past them at the door.

MJ rolled her eyes. "Denial isn't just a river in Egypt."

Peter sat in his usual seat and tried to relax, but everyone around him seemed to be giving him sideways looks, though no one except Ned and MJ would meet his gaze. Mr. Harrington started the roll call and Peter felt everyone's excitement ramp up. He sighed and slumped in his seat.

Even Mr. Harrington was affected and Peter had to hide a groan when he called out, "Peter… Sta-ark?"

"Here." Peter ducked his head as everyone stared at him and whispers broke out around him again.

Mr. Harrington shushed them and carried on. For a moment, everything was normal, then he got to, "Flash Thompson?"

"Here!"

Peter was almost surprised Flash didn't lose a tooth the way he spat the word out. 

Mr. Harrington also seemed surprised. "Are you alright, Flash?"

Flash gave him a glare that warded off any concern.

"Uh, yes, well… School announcements. Coach Wilson wants everyone to remember there are try-outs for…"

Peter tuned it out. He was back in school, he was used to this routine, and all he had to do was fit it together with his new home life. It felt like he had a plan at last. Now, everything could get back to normal.

Or not.

A couple of hours later, the school's Tannoy system pinged, then, "Eugene Thompson to the principal's office. Eugene Thompson."

Peter stared at the new-looking speaker that was nestled in the corner of the ceiling. He had an idea he knew just why Flash was being called to the principal's office during the third lesson that morning.

"Flash?" Mr. Daley prompted.

Flash gave Peter a long, hard stare as he got up, his movements jerky. He stalked from the room. As soon as he was gone, a few whispers started up, but Mr. Daley clapped his hands. "Let's get on."

Peter sighed. To his relief though, Flash didn't return to class. He felt bad for feeling relieved, but it was easier to ignore all the attention without Flash giving him furious looks or throwing spitballs in his hair.

The whispers and stares continued though, with a few people he'd never even spoken to before trying to make nice with him.

"My party's this weekend," Madeline Polk said.

Peter jumped as she appeared by his table during lunch break. "Huh?"

She raised a perfectly-shaped eyebrow and widened her smile at him as she perched a slim hip on his table. "If you've got nothing better to do." There was a hint of amusement, like she was inviting him to laugh at the idea anything could possibly be more awesome than her party.

"I uh, uh…" Peter swallowed. For a brief moment, he was flattered. Madeline Polk was speaking to him?! Then he heard his dad's voice in his head. "Starks attract sharks," he'd said, and suddenly all Peter could see was greedy speculation behind the fluttering eyelashes and wide smile. It was almost sickening to see how much more acceptable Peter Stark was to a schoolmate who'd never given Peter Parker the time of day. Peter stared at Ned, who was staring at Madeline, who was completely ignoring him.

"Sorry, I'm… building a Death Star with Ned that night." It was all Peter could think of to say.

Madeline blinked at him. "You could bring this Ned with you."

Peter realised she didn't even know who Ned was; like she hadn't even noticed he was there, now staring down into his soda with his face turning red. "Sorry," Peter said. "I'm busy."

The eyebrow rose again. "Well, if you change your mind…" She gave a flip of her blonde hair and sauntered off.

"Dude, if you want to go to her party -"

Peter cut Ned off. "I'd rather spend time with my friends." He sat back. "Anyway, how can a party compare to sitting in the Avengers Tower with my Guy-in-a-Chair building a Death Star?"

Ned smiled, his face brightening. "Well, when you put it like that…"

Just then, MJ came up and put her tray down with more noise than seemed necessary. "What did Madeline want?"

"To invite me to a party," Peter said as he wondered if the tray had slipped from her hands somehow?

"Are you going?" MJ scowled at him as she asked, though Peter couldn't figure out why.

"He can't," Ned told her. "We're building a Death Star that night."

"You want to join us?" Peter asked. "I'll get popcorn; we can watch a movie."

The scowl disappeared from her face. "Okay. I guess it'll be fun."

"It's only a Lego Death Star," Peter told her. "I know my dad's got a really big workshop, but I don't think he's allowed to build an actual Death Star."

"I assumed it was Lego, Peter," MJ said. "Your dad's Tony Stark, not Darth Vader."

"I bet he could build a Death Star," Ned put in. "If he wanted to."

Peter thought about it. "My mom probably wouldn't let him."

"Your mom's sensible," MJ pointed out. "Someone has to be in your family."

=====

There was no sign of Flash at all for the rest of the day, which was strange. Peter wondered if it had to do with his parents contacting the school about Flash's attitude towards him, but he had to doubt it. Maybe Flash's parents took him out for the day.

By the time school finished, Peter was feeling happier than he'd ever thought possible. He stood by the door with Ned, and had to bite back a laugh as Ned excitedly muttered, "It's Iron Man, oh my God!"

"It's Peter's parents, loser," MJ corrected. She gave Peter a pointed look. "Don't forget to ask about AcaDec before Friday." With that she went off down the steps.

"And Saturday night!" Ned reminded Peter as they did their handshake.

"I won't forget," Peter said. "See you tomorrow." He headed to the car and grinned even more as his parents hugged him.

"How was your day?" his mom asked.

"Any trouble?" his dad added.

Peter slid over to the middle of the seat. "Hi, Happy. It was good, no trouble. Got invited to the coolest party by a girl who's never spoken to me before."

There was a silent pause, then his dad carried on putting on his seatbelt. "A party, huh?"

"The coolest party," Peter specified. "It's Saturday night, but I asked Ned and MJ over to build that Lego Death Star and watch movies instead. Is that okay?"

His mom squeezed his hand. "That's great, honey."

"That Lego Death Star, huh?" his dad looked thoughtful. "You know we could probably -"

"Absolutely not!" his mom said. "Happy, let's go."

Chapter Text

Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Peter's Tuesday had a similar pattern to his Monday. His mom, dad, and Happy saw him to school and picked him up; Ms. Nat, Mr. Clint, and Mr. Steve gave him an hour's training after school; he spent time in his dad's lab, in his mom's office, or Dr. Bruce's lab. It was amazing to have so many people caring about him, wanting to spend time with him.

Peter didn't know if he would have appreciated his life as much if he hadn't spent those months being homeless. Ned and MJ had done their best to help, but he'd spent so many hours alone. It was weird. He couldn't be sorry he'd known and loved Ben and May, but his life as Peter Stark would have been very different.

Would Peter Stark have appreciated his parents, how incredible they were… Would he have been thrilled at the chance to even meet Dr. Bruce Banner, let alone go into his lab, or be trained by three of the Avengers? Would he even be Spider-Man? Peter didn't know - couldn't know, unless he met an alternate dimension Peter who'd lived that life.

"Peter?" His mom knocked on his bathroom door. "It's breakfast time."

Peter hurriedly finished brushing his teeth and ran to the kitchen to join her.

"Don't forget to take more energy bars, if you need them," his mom said as she piled food onto his plate.

"I've still got almost a full box in my bedside cabinet," Peter said. "I tried a strawberry one yesterday; that was good." He eyed his mom and casually mentioned something that had had him and Ned curious all the previous day. "Flash wasn't in school at all yesterday."

His mom sipped her tea. "Wasn't he?"

"He was called to the office on Monday." Peter stared wide-eyed at his mom, looking for the smallest reaction. "And never came back!"

"Hmm." She sipped her tea again. "Well, that was only two days ago."

Peter frowned at his hash browns, thinking he might have done better to spring it on his dad; surely he would have had a reaction, betrayed some awareness of what had happened. "I wonder if he'll be there today," he prodded her with.

His mom gave him a sympathetic look. "If he is and he says or does anything, tell your teacher. And don't forget to tell your dad and me later. We won't have you bullied, Peter."

Once in school, he had to report total failure to Ned. "Either my mom doesn't know anything or she won't tell me."

"You didn't try your dad?" Ned asked.

Peter shook his head. "We got distracted in the workshop. My dad started building a mini death star and we got into this big debate about lasers vs. tasers. vs. cow prods. Then we started outfitting a drone with a miniature cow prod and accidentally zapped Dr. Bruce."

Ned stared at him, open-mouthed. "My dad just plays poker with his friends."

"That's because your dad's friends are real," Flash suddenly sneered from behind them. "Penis doesn't even have a dad to start with."

Well, that explained the tingle from his spidey-sense. Peter sighed and turned. "Flash, you're back in school."

"That's right, Parker. I don't know how you got me in trouble with Morita, but you don't fool me. Those clothes are fakes, I can tell. I bet your aunt found them in a thrift store."

Ned gasped. "Dude, his aunt's dead!"

"So Penis is in the foster care system now?" Flash gave a laugh. "I guess no one wants Orphan Annie! Maybe try dyeing that curly hair red?"

"You're an asshole, Fla -" 

Ned was interrupted by, "Eugene Thompson to the principal's office. Eugene Thompson."

For a moment, the three of them stared at each other, then Flash's face turned furious and he stomped off towards the office.

Ned looked at Peter. "How did you do that?"

"I… I didn't." Peter looked around. A number of students were staring at them, some laughing and pointing at Flash, but there were no nearby cameras. Suddenly suspicious, he looked at his watch. Were his parents listening to every word he said?

Ned gasped. "Is that a Smart watch?"

"No!" Peter had forgotten he'd kept it carefully hidden under his sleeve all the day before. "It's… My dad made it."

The bell rang before Peter could say anything else. He headed off to class with Ned, and suddenly realised he hadn't seen MJ yet. He looked back at the doors as she finally came into view, looking flushed and annoyed. They didn't share any morning classes, so he wouldn't be able to talk to her until break. He hoped she was okay.

"I didn't even know there were Stark watches!" Ned whispered loudly in Peter's ear as they sat down.

Peter stared at him. "What?"

"Stark watches," Ned repeated.

"There are Stark watches?" Jason put in loudly. "I've never heard of them."

"Peter's got one," Ned claimed.

"No, I haven't!" Peter protested as everyone stared at him. "I… It's a watch my dad made, that's all!"

Jason gave him a sceptical look. "Riiight."

"Can I look at it later?" Ned asked.

Peter sank down in his seat. "Sure."

=====

By the time break came around, Flash had rejoined Peter's classes and been told off three times for whispering to Jason.

Peter sighed as the bell rang for break. All he wanted to do was check in with MJ and make sure she was okay, but Flash and Jason were following him and Ned up the hallway, and Peter's spidey-sense was buzzing.

"What's this about a Stark watch, Parker?" Flash demanded as soon as they were near the lockers and away from any listening teachers.

"There aren't any Stark watches," Peter said. He was starting to get a really bad feeling about it all.

"You said you were wearing one," Jason claimed. He and Flash exchanged a triumphant look, like they'd caught him out.

"No, I didn't. I said I was wearing a watch my dad made," Peter countered.

"Well, Penis, if your dad were Tony Stark, that would make it a Stark watch," Flash said. "But, oh, there are no Stark watches on the market, which proves you're a liar!"

"There are no commercially available Stark watches because SI doesn't produce them," Peter explained, though he wondered why he was even bothering. "My dad made this himself."

Over Flash's shoulder, Peter saw MJ at last. She was walking towards them with an annoyed look on her face. He also realised other students were looking their way, and hoped it meant a teacher would notice and come and stop Flash from being an idiot. Again.

"Why would he do that?" Flash demanded, dragging Peter's attention back to the argument. "My dad doesn't go into his factory and make his own stuff."

"Your dad's just an executive director," Ned said, possibly unwisely. "Tony Stark's a genius inventor."

Flash stared at him, then demanded, "Who asked you, Fatso?" He turned his glare on Peter. "I wanna see this watch."

Peter shook his head; he was sick of Flash's attitude. "No."

Just then, they heard, "Eugene Thompson to the principal's office. Eugene Thompson," from the speaker system.

Flash's face twisted up into pure rage. "What the hell?!" he screeched. He shoved Ned off-balance with one hand and snatched at Peter's arm with the other.

Peter tried to twist away, but Jason grabbed for him too. For a minute, there was a confused struggle, then Peter felt someone scratch his wrist as they tried to yank his watch off.

The strap didn't give way. Peter managed to pull his wrist free, and he shouted, "Flash, what do you think you're doing?"

"Give me that watch!" Flash yelled, getting in Peter's face.

It looked like he was about to grab at the watch again, so Peter pushed him back, then turned his head as the school's main doors crashed open, and Happy and two of his security team came barrelling towards him.

"Happy?" Peter gasped. How was Happy here?

Happy didn't answer as he grabbed Peter's shoulder and pulled him away from Flash and Jason. He looked furious as he demanded, "Are you hurt?"

Peter shook his head as Michael, one of Happy's team, helped Ned up from the floor.

Flash's face had turned pale, and Jason took a step back, as if to distance himself.

"I wouldn't bother," Happy said to Jason. "We all know you were involved."

"Are you okay?" MJ asked Peter as she reached them.

Peter nodded. "I'm fine, everything's fine. Happy, it's all okay."

Happy shook his head. "Your parents are on their way down now, Peter. This has gone far enough."

"He doesn't have par -" Flash shut up as Happy glared at him.

Ned looked at Peter and muttered, "I can't believe he's still going on about this."

"Give it up, Flash. The only person you're embarrassing is yourself," MJ said.

"Flash, we all saw the press conference," Betty said from the growing crowd. "Pepper Potts and Tony Stark said -"

"They didn't say that Peter!" Flash pointed at Peter. "He wasn't even there!"

"True," Peter admitted. Some evil genius prompted him to add, "I was in the penthouse with my Uncle Rhodey."

There was silence for a moment, then, "Holy shit," from Abe. "You call War Machine 'Uncle Rhodey'?!"

"No, he doesn't!" Flash screeched.

MJ sighed. "Even if you ignore the pictures at the press conference -"

"That was a lookalike!" Flash insisted. "They didn't show him full on!"

"Oh my God." Happy rubbed a hand over his face. "This is a STEM school?"

"- what about the teachers calling him Peter Stark?" MJ continued, as if she hadn't been interrupted.

"She's got you there, Flash," Abe said. He was leaning back against the wall and looked like he was having a great time.

Ned looked at Peter. "I'm gonna do it."

Peter looked at him. "Do what? What are you doing?"

Ned exchanged a glance with MJ, who pulled out her phone. Peter looked from one to the other. He had no idea what was going on.

Ned turned to Flash. "Flash, I'm going to tell you something."

"What, you're going on a diet?" Flash sneered.

"Mr. Stark said he'd pay me a hundred bucks to call you 'Flush'," Ned said. He ignored Flash's indignant splutter and continued, "But Ms. Potts said I shouldn't do that because, 'It's not nice to call kids names, Tony, even when they're bullying our son', and Colonel Rhodes said, 'But it sure is tempting.' Two of the Avengers were talking about you, Flash, and they don't like how you treat Peter."

Flash went even paler. "I - I don't believe you."

"Well, believe this." Ned pulled out his phone and turned the screen towards Flash.

Betty laughed. "Tony Stark gave you and Peter bunny ears?"

Ned looked proud. "Yep. I got to see the Iron Man suits too."

Flash looked like his world had collapsed in on itself as he boggled at the phone.

"Thank Christ, there's another adult," Happy said.

Peter looked up and realised Principal Morita was heading towards them.

"Alright, everyone, clear the halls. Move along." He reached them and demanded, "Mr. Hogan, why are you here?"

Happy squared his shoulders. "Peter was attacked by those two students who tried to steal his watch." He pointed towards Flash and Jason. "Mr. Stark and Ms. Potts are on their way now."

"I wasn't trying to steal it!" Flash protested. "I just wanted to see it!"

Principal Morita sighed. "Let's take this to my office. Peter, Flash, Jason, come with us. The rest of you can finish your break."

Happy put a hand on Ned's shoulder. "Ned was also attacked. His parents should be called."

"It wasn't like that," Jason said defiantly. "Peter was lying about his watch."

"We'll deal with it in my office," Principal Morita replied with an impatient tone in his voice. "Come along; you too, Ned."

Peter cast MJ a look as he followed Principal Morita up the hallway. She still looked annoyed, and her scowl deepened as Madeline Polk sighed, "Oh, Peter," as he passed her.

By the time all the invited parents turned up, Principal Morita's office looked crowded. Everyone sat down, aside from Happy and his men, who stood at the back. Peter resisted the urge to bury his face in his hands. This, he felt, was awful. He looked at Ned, who was sitting between his parents, and who gave him a rueful smile. Mrs. Leeds looked like she was fuming, and even Mr. Leeds looked angry.

"Now," Principal Morita said, "shall we start with what happened?"

"Why don't we start with how many times the Penis Protocol was triggered this morning?" Peter's dad asked, sounding annoyed.

"The what?!" Mr. Thompson asked sharply, while Flash's mom looked disgusted.

"The Penis Protocol," Peter's dad said, turning a little to face Flash's parents. "It causes an alert to be raised by my AI every time your son calls mine 'Penis'."

Flash's face took on a horrified look.

Mr. Thompson looked furious. "Morita, you're allowing him to record all the conversations in this building?"

Peter's dad raised his eyebrows. "That's your reaction? Why am I not surprised? First, my AI is installed in Peter's watch for protective reasons. Second, New York is a one party state. Third, the protocol's only triggered by the word 'penis' when directed at my son. So. How many times was the Penis Protocol triggered this morning?"

"Twice," Principal Morita admitted.

Peter's dad looked at his watch. "Wow, it's not even eleven a.m. yet." He tapped his watch. "FRIDAY? Replay the audio from the first Penis Protocol alert."

It played. Peter ducked his head as Flash was heard denying Peter had a dad and sneering about May, but then:

"So Penis is in the foster care system now?" Flash's laugh was clearly heard. "I guess no one wants Orphan Annie! Maybe try dyeing that curly hair red?"

A hand clasped Peter's hand tightly, and he looked up to find his mom looking at him with the saddest of looks in her eyes. A quick glance over showed Peter that Flash's face was bright red and he was staring at the floor.

"Well, that was pleasant," Peter's dad said. "FRIDAY, play the audio from the second alert." 

The audio went on and on; Peter thought it sounded even worse after the event. His mom was holding his hand tightly, and he could hear his dad's heartbeat speeding up. Flash looked like he was about to cry.

"Let's sum it up, shall we?" his dad said. "Eugene Thompson has been consistently bullying my son, has slandered him in insisting he's a liar and an imposter, and physically attacked him and Ned Leeds this morning with the help of another boy."

"We'd be justified in filing a civil suit and pressing criminal charges," Peter's mom said, an icy tone in her voice.

Peter looked at her, feeling shocked; he'd never heard her sound like that before. She was staring at Principal Morita with a hard look on her face.

"I don't think there's any need to go that far," Mr. Thompson said. "I mean, boys will be boys."

"'Boys will be boys' is the biggest claptrap around," Peter's dad said bluntly. "It's used as an excuse for anything. Peter's been bullied by your son for years and your son's used to getting away with it. Well, no more."

"Eugene wouldn't bully anyone!" Mrs. Thompson huffed.

Mr. Thompson patted her on the arm. "I admit, today's events don't paint Eugene in the best of lights - and I'll be speaking to him about that - but saying he's been bullying Peter for years is rubbish. It's obviously just a personality clash."

"A personality clash in no way excuses name-calling, let alone physical violence," Peter's mom said flatly.

"And I'd like to know what Midtown Tech is going to do about this," Peter's dad demanded.

Peter realised everyone was looking at Principal Morita.

"I think it would be best to deal with Jason first, as his is the less serious case," Principal Morita said. "Jason, will you tell us your part in this?"

Jason hunched down in his seat, his face red. "I… I grabbed Peter during the fight. We thought he was lying about having a Stark watch." The last bit was muttered.

Mrs. Ionello made a sharp tsking sound.

"That was no excuse for putting your hands on another student," Principal Morita said sternly. "Peter, Ned, do you have anything to add to what Jason said?"

Peter shook his head.

"Good." Principal Morita sighed. "Jason, I'm suspending you for two days. You and Eugene attacked another student because you decided he was lying about his own watch. I hope you realise how ridiculous that is. You should be grateful neither Peter nor Ned were injured or this would be a more serious matter. I also hope I never have to talk to you about this issue again."

"Don't worry, you won't," Mr. Ionello said, an annoyed look on his face.

"Thank you," Principal Morita said.

As soon as Jason and his parents were gone, Peter flicked a glance at Flash. He suspected Flash had already been suspended for bullying him, and wondered if it would mean another suspension or if his parents would insist on Flash being expelled. Surely they wouldn't go that far? Surely they couldn't? Peter looked at his dad. With his arms crossed and his jaw clenched shut, he looked ready to do battle - it was a far cry from the funny dad who'd helped design a cow prod death star the night before. A glance at his mom told Peter she looked just as determined. Peter sank down in his chair. He knew he shouldn't but he felt sorry for Flash.

"Well." Mr. Thompson cleared his throat. "I suppose a week's suspension will be fair to Flash."

Peter's dad snorted. "Hardly."

"Two weeks, then," Mrs. Thompson said, her head held high.

"I'm afraid it's far more serious than that," Principal Morita said. "Eugene received a suspension on Monday due to his actions towards Peter, and was talked to again today about his attitude towards Peter. Within a few hours, at the next opportunity, he escalated to physically attacking Peter and Ned." Principal Morita paused. "When Peter's parents contacted me on Monday about their concerns, I checked Peter's records. His aunt made -"

"We all know she wasn't his aunt!" Mr. Thompson protested.

"Oh, for God's sake!" Peter's dad snapped, standing up so suddenly his chair scraped across the floor. "Your son's been bullying mine for years. May wasn't able to put a stop to it but we can. Either your son's expelled or we'll see him in court."

Peter swung around and caught his dad's sleeve. "Dad!"

The hard look on his dad's face softened as he met Peter's gaze. After a moment, he squeezed Peter's shoulder and said, "Send him to a different school, Thompson. We won't insist on it being a public expulsion."

"You can't -" Mrs. Thompson started.

"We can and we will," Peter's mom said firmly.

"Take it or leave it," his dad added.

There was a pause. Peter realised Mr. and Mrs. Thompson were staring at Principal Morita as if expecting him to say something. After a moment, it became obvious he wasn't going to support them.

"Well, fine!" Mr. Thompson snarled, getting to his feet. "We haven't considered this school worthwhile in a long time. Come along, Eugene." He stormed his way to the door and his wife followed, her head still held high.

After a second, Flash hurried after them. He paused as he passed Peter. "Sorry," he said, barely making eye contact. "Sorry, Ned." And then he was gone.

Chapter Text

By the time their parents left, it was almost time for the lunch bell, and Peter and Ned went to the cafeteria and waited by the doors in silence. Peter felt stunned by the morning they'd had; the thought of never having to deal with Flash again was unbelievable.

After a while, Ned said, "Dude, your parents are scary."

Peter nodded. "I know."

"Even your mom…"

Peter nodded again. "MJ would have loved it."

Ned's eyes widened. "I'm glad MJ didn't see it; she's scary enough!"

Well, that was true.

After a pause, Ned added, "I can't believe Flash is gone."

"Me either. Like, how is that possible? Flash never gets punished."

Ned gave a snort. "Your parents. They make things happen."

The bell rang, so they went in, got their lunches and sat down to wait for MJ. It wasn't long before students started coming in, all looking Peter's way and whispering. Among the first crowd was Madeline.

"Oh, Peter!" she exclaimed, rushing to his table and leaning towards him. "Are you alright? I was so worried!"

"I'm fine… thank you…" Peter realised he could see down her blouse and quickly looked away. He could feel his face turning red.

"It was awful of Flash to attack you and… Ned, isn't it?"

Peter looked at her and realised she was giving Ned a smile. Ned looked mesmerised.

"You were knocked to the floor!" she said, leaning in closer to Ned. "Were you hurt?"

Ned was staring at her, his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open. "Uhhh…"

Madeline's smile widened. "I hope you weren't hurt, Ned."

More students came in and Peter jumped to his feet. "MJ! Do you want me to get your tray? I can get your tray!" He didn't think she'd let him get her tray.

Madeline straightened. "I'll leave you to it, then. Bye, Ned." She said the last in a soft, cooing tone, then walked away.

MJ scowled. "I can carry my own tray."

"Madeline spoke to me." Ned's eyes were full of wonder.

Peter looked at Ned, then across to where Madeline was now sitting, a smile on her face. He didn't know why, but his spidey-sense was tingling. He sat down slowly and waited for MJ.

To his surprise, when she sat down, it was at the end of the table. Peter looked at the empty seats between them; she didn't normally sit that far away. He gazed at the cover of the book she'd started reading. Didn't she even want to know what had happened with Flash? Everyone else was looking at them and whispering about that morning.

Peter kicked Ned under the table. Ned blinked at him. Peter sighed and decided he might as well carry on looking stupid, so he picked up his tray and moved down a few seats to join MJ.

Ned blinked at him some more, then moved down too.

"Hi," Peter said to the book cover MJ was holding up. After a minute, he asked, "Are you okay?"

"I don't know why you're sitting here," MJ said without lowering her book. "Why don't you go sit with your girlfriend?"

Peter blinked. He knew MJ wasn't his girlfriend, but he'd kind of thought - hoped - that maybe she would be, one day. In the meantime: "I don't have a girlfriend."

"Apparently you do," was the cold reply. "Anyway, I'm not hogging your attention, so go sit with her."

"But I want to sit with you!" Peter cringed as soon as it was out; he sounded so needy.

To his surprise, MJ lowered her book and looked at him, her eyes narrowed and faintly suspicious. "Really?"

"Really."

For a moment she thought about it, then she put her book to one side. "Okay, then."

"Why would you say you're hogging Peter's attention?" Ned asked curiously.

MJ shrugged, a quick jerk of her shoulder. "It doesn't matter."

"Can I tell you how awesome my mom was in that meeting?" Peter said quickly.

MJ looked at him, then her mouth curled up into the tiniest of smiles. "Of course she was awesome; she's Pepper Potts."

"My dad was awesome too," Peter added, just in case there was any doubt.

"They were really scary," Ned put in. "No wonder Flash's dad gave in."

"Tell me everything," MJ said as she picked up her sandwich. "Especially the parts with Ms. Potts."

=====

By the time the last bell rang, Peter felt like he was going to a whole new school. No name-calling, no snide looks, no spitballs in his hair… With Flash gone, even the ones who usually joined in bullying Peter and Ned were giving them a wide berth.

"Dude, today has been the best day!" Ned said enthusiastically as they reached the bottom of the front steps.

He almost tripped as Madeline passed them and said, "See you tomorrow, Ned," in a soft tone. She paused and added, "You too, Peter," then went off to get into an expensive-looking car with a chauffeur in a uniform.

"Oh, uh, uh, bye!" Ned stuttered. He looked at Peter and mouthed, "The best day!"

Peter wasn't so sure any more. Madeline was definitely making his spidey-sense itch. It wasn't a hard buzz, but it was definitely there.

To add to his confusion, Betty Brant stalked past and said, "Bye, Ned!" in a tone that suggested nothing good.

"Uh… bye, Betty." As soon as she was gone, Ned looked at Peter. "What did I do?"

Beside them, MJ snorted.

"See you tomorrow, guys." Peter headed off to where his parents were waiting. As his dad let him into the back seat and got in beside him, Peter suddenly imagined Happy in a chauffeur's uniform, touching a peaked cap and murmuring, "Mr. Stark," in a respectful tone like Madeline's had, and he nearly burst out laughing. He bet Mr. Polk never called his chauffeur his 'Forehead of Security'.

"Something funny, sweetie?" his mom asked as she kissed his cheek.

"Just Madeline's chauffeur," Peter said.

"Madeline Polk?" his dad asked.

Happy gave a growl. "The sooner Charlie quits that job the better."

"Because of the uniform?" Peter asked. He hadn't thought it was that bad.

"Listen, kid, some people expect their employees to be like robots. No feelings, no minds of their own." Happy shook his head. "It never works out well."

"Would Madeline be the girl throwing the coolest party this Saturday?" Peter's dad asked, a casual tone in his voice.

Peter turned his head to look at his dad's face. "That's her."

"Ah, okay." His dad nodded, his face showing nothing but Peter suddenly knew why Madeline was setting his spidey-sense off.

"Starks attract sharks, right, Dad?"

He got a sudden grin for that. "You got it, kid."

=====

"You're not concentrating," Ms. Nat said as Peter hit the mat with an 'oof!'.

Peter rolled away and scrambled to his feet. "I'm -" He ducked as Mr. Clint threw a punch at him. "Hey!"

"Give him a break, Clint; he's distracted," Mr. Steve said. His solicitude would've been more convincing if he hadn't been circling Peter looking for an opening.

"Yes, I'm sure the bad guys will take it easy on him," Mr. Clint said. He made a lunge that had Peter stumbling back to avoid him.

Strong arms clamped around him from behind, and Peter used the hold to raise his feet and kick Mr. Clint in the chest.

"You can do it, Peter!" his dad encouraged from the sidelines.

Peter wasn't so sure. Mr. Steve was wrapped around him like an octopus and Ms. Nat was ready with a fake knife. Bending forward, Peter grabbed Mr. Steve's shoulder to try to throw him. He failed, but it saved him from being stabbed - for now, anyway. "Mr. Steve!"

"C'mon, kid, try harder," Mr. Steve said.

Peter growled and tried to throw him again, hauling away at Mr. Steve's shoulder with a lot more force. There was an amused huff of laughter in his ear, then Mr. Steve went over… and took Peter with him. As Peter went down, Ms. Nat stabbed him enthusiastically. He sighed. "Thanks, Ms. Nat."

She ruffled his hair. "Next time, keep out of Steve's grip; he's difficult to get rid of."

"Nice try though, kid," Mr. Steve said, sounding pleased.

As Peter got up, Mr. Clint gave him a look. "You are distracted though. What's up?"

Peter sighed. "It's a girl."

"Oh ho!" Mr. Clint grinned at him.

"Not like that." Peter accepted the water bottle his dad was handing him, and added, "Madeline Polk?"

His dad went still. "You know she's a shark, kid."

Mr. Steve protested instantly. "Tony, she's a teenage girl!"

"They can be the worst, Steve," Ms. Nat said. "Peter, what's this Madeline doing?"

Peter looked around at them all and felt his face heat up. It seemed so weird to be complaining about someone being nice to Ned, but there was something about it, about Madeline, that was setting him on edge. That same instinct told him Ms. Nat would understand. "She's never talked to us before," he said. "Then she invited me to her party, but didn't even know who Ned is - didn't even look at him or anything! But today she was…" Peter scrunched up his face as he tried to find the words. Finally, he said, "She was nice to Ned." He didn't know how to describe it.

Ms. Nat tilted her head. "Like she was flirting with him?"

"I… I guess." Peter wondered if that was what flirting was. "And then today she said goodbye to him in this… this voice!"

"Leave it to me," Ms. Nat said. "I'll find out what's going on."

=====

Peter still felt weird about Madeline, but he didn't bring it up once he was in his dad's workshop because there was something else he wanted to know. "Dad, how did Happy get to my school so quickly this morning?"

His dad didn't even put the miniature cow prod down. "He was with the security team on duty outside your school."

Peter wasn't actually surprised by the answer, but: "There's a security team on duty outside my school…" he echoed. "Whhyyy?"

He got a look for that. "You really need to ask?"

Peter sighed. "Not really." He went and sat by DUM-E. "AcaDec meets on Fridays. Will I be able to go any time soon?"

"Probably not this week, buddy. I'll discuss it with your mom." His dad gave him an amused look. "You want to sulk over there or would you like to help me with the cow prod drone?"

"You're not going to set it on Dr. Bruce again, are you?" Peter asked, making his way over. "You know Mom will get mad if you make him Hulk out."

"No, I think we should save the cow prod death star for Bruce."

Peter tried to stop himself from smiling. "What would you do if he actually Hulked out?"

"I'd get your mom and you to safety and run like hell."

"So, maybe we should rethink setting a cow prod death star on Dr. Bruce?" Peter leaned on his dad's work table and looked at his insane father.

His dad leaned on the other side and grinned at him. "You sound just like your mother, you know that?" 

==========
Thursday, October 8, 2015

From then on, Peter planned to be on the watch for Madeline and how she talked to people. Instead of going straight into the school building with Ned, he lingered on the front steps until MJ joined them, but Madeline hadn't arrived yet. MJ seemed less angry than the day before anyway, and even huffed a laugh when Betty stalked past Ned giving him dagger eyes.

Ned looked bewildered. "No, really, what did I do?" he asked Peter.

Peter shrugged. At this point, he didn't know what was going on with anyone any more.

MJ went off to her first class, and Peter and Ned went to theirs. They were almost at the door when Madeline went past, her usual hangers on at her heels. "Hi, Ned. Hi, Peter."

Ned grabbed Peter's arm. "Dude! I think Madeline Polk just winked at me!"

Peter felt doubtful, but didn't say anything. Madeline Polk winking at either of them seemed very unlikely to him.

They sat down and Ned leaned over to whisper, "Do you think she had something in her eye?"

"I don't know, Ned." Peter felt even more worried. Why would Madeline wink at Ned? A few days ago, he'd been invisible to her.

After a moment, Ned leaned towards him again. "She probably had something in her eye." He paused and added, "She is pretty though."

Peter stared at him. Madeline was pretty, but it was the first time Ned had ever said anything like that.

=====

The lesson before break was Spanish class, and Peter sighed as they went in. This was one of the classes he had with Ned and MJ, so it should have been one of his favourites, but it was Spanish class, which automatically stopped it from being a favourite anything.

Still, he did his best to follow along as Ms. Garcia introduced her friend Senora Rivera from Valencia, who'd come to help them practise their conversational Spanish. To Peter's dismay, Senora Rivera - a short, plump lady with grey hair, thick glasses, and a lot of jewellery - had a stronger accent than Ms. Garcia and talked even faster. Peter whimpered quietly and tried to turn invisible.

He wasn't the only one. Horrified looks were exchanged as Senora Rivera invited them to talk about 'sus familias', then fired rapid questions at anyone foolish enough to answer.

Charles and Abe got through their attempts, and MJ followed them. She didn't do badly at all, and earned a, "¡Bien hecho!" from Senora Rivera.

Then Madeline tried. Peter had very little idea what she actually said, but she talked for what seemed a long time and she used a lot of words. Ned was staring in open admiration by the time she finished.

Ms. Garcia had that polite look she wore whenever Peter massacred her language, but Senora Rivera seemed impressed. Of course, Peter had no hope of following the exchange, but Madeline looked practically smug at the end. Betty seemed to have followed along quite well, if the unhappy look she wore was any indication.

Fortunately the bell rang before Peter had to try to explain anything at all and he escaped to lunch feeling relieved.

"Dude, she was scary!" Ned muttered.

Peter nodded. He really hoped Senora Rivera was going back to Valencia before their next Spanish class.

Chapter Text

Friday, October 9, 2015

The next day in school was pretty much the same, though Peter's classes were different so he didn't have to face Spanish class. He saw Senora Rivera though; she seemed to like their school and its students as she was wandering the halls, enthusiastically talking to everyone she could - fortunately in a heavily-accented English that Peter could just about understand.

Peter thought it was a good thing Senora Rivera was so short-sighted as some students were imitating her round shoulders and stumpy walk, as if the lady could help her stance and walk. In the cafeteria at lunch, Madeline's friends were in fits of laughter at her impersonation of the senora, and he felt especially uncomfortable thinking Senora Rivera could walk in at any moment and catch them.

Peter swallowed, feeling almost sick. It wasn't as loud or as obvious as Flash leading a crowd in chanting 'Penis' and 'Parker' but it felt the same. A movement caught his eye, and he looked up to see Ned had turned his back on Madeline, and he was red-faced and staring at the table.

MJ got up and stalked over to Madeline's table. "You're not funny, you know, and Senora Rivera is a guest here."

"Senora Rivera is a guest here," Madeline repeated in a mocking tone. "Get that stick out of your ass, Michelle, and maybe Peter would like you enough to ask you out."

MJ put her chin in the air. "I don't need Peter to ask me out." She swung around and Peter's heart skipped a beat as her gaze met his, a determined look on her face. "Peter, will you -"

"Yes!" Peter was too thrilled to let her finish. He couldn't believe MJ had asked him out. He felt his grin stretch wide across his face.

"There, see," MJ said to Madeline. "I guess he likes me enough, stick and all."

As she left the other table and came back towards them, Peter stared at Madeline, his grin faltering a bit. He'd never realised someone so pretty could look so ugly. Then MJ sat down. Peter looked at her instead and his heart soared again.

"Stop grinning, loser," she said, but there was no bite to her tone and she wasn't even trying to hide her smile.

Ned ducked his head and Peter's happiness lessened at the miserable look on his face. "We're going to have the best time tomorrow night," he said, hurriedly. "Aren't we, Ned? That Lego death star and popcorn and -"

He broke off as Betty put her tray down and sat down next to Ned. "I'm not as brave as you, Michelle," she said. "But if Ned… if Ned… w-wanted to…" She swallowed and turned red.

Peter looked at Ned, who was still staring at the table like he had no idea what Betty was saying.

MJ sighed loudly and rolled her eyes. "I know Ned wants to ask you out, Betty."

Ned gave a jerk like he'd just been kicked and gave them all a panicked look. He leaned over to MJ and loudly whispered, "I don't think Betty would go out with me."

Betty stared at him. "Yes, I would! If… if you wanted me to."

"Really?" Ned looked astonished and terrified, all at the same time. "Betty, w-will you -"

"Oh, for God's sake!" Madeline jumped to her feet and shoved her tray off the table. "I hate this fucking school!" She stormed off out of the cafeteria.

MJ picked up her apple and gave it a polish. "Sometimes the trash takes itself out."

=====

By the time Peter left school that afternoon, he was almost bouncing. MJ, Ned, and Betty had stayed for AcaDec, which he couldn't do yet, so he was the only one of the four to see Madeline stalk down the steps and snap at her chauffeur for no reason at all. Peter frowned as the car pulled away. He was really glad Ned wasn't impressed by Madeline any more.

"Peter!"

Peter smiled and ran over to his dad.

"I thought you'd forgotten who you were waiting for," his dad teased as Peter hugged him then scrambled into the back seat.

"I've had an amazing day!" He kissed his mom on the cheek and grinned at her.

"That's great, sweetie. What happened?" she asked.

"MJ asked me out!"

Happy snorted as he started the car. "She asked you out?"

"That was my question," his dad commented.

"It's 2015," Peter's mom pointed out. "Equal rights means girls can ask guys out now."

Peter nodded. "Madeline said maybe I'd ask MJ out if she got the stick out of her ass, so MJ asked me out in front of everyone in the cafeteria, I said yes, and MJ said 'I guess he likes me enough, stick and all'."

"Well done, MJ!" his mom said admiringly.

"Then Ned asked Betty out, and Madeline threw her lunch tray on the floor and left."

His dad snorted. "It sounds like Madeline had a bad day. I guess Ned's seen right through her now, right?"

"Yeah, he has. She was being really rude about Senora Rivera," Peter said, still feeling uncomfortable about it. "If the senora had heard her, she would've been so upset."

"I don't think she'd be upset at all," his dad said.

"You didn't hear her! Madeline was awful about everything about her - her walk, her hair, everything!" It made Peter cringe to remember her words.

"Oh, sweetie." Peter's mom rubbed his arm. "Senora Rivera was Natasha. She won't care what Madeline says about her."

"What?" Peter didn't understand. "Senora Rivera is friends with Ms. Nat?"

"No," his dad said, sounding amused. "Senora Rivera is Ms. Nat. She was in disguise."

"What?" Peter looked from his dad to Happy to his mom. "How is that - how... But Senora Rivera… What?"

"Was Natasha in disguise," his mom repeated. "We wanted to make sure Madeline couldn't use Ned to get to you. He's seen who she really is now, hasn't he?"

"Yes!" And then some. Peter doubted Ned could ever look at Madeline the same, especially after what she said to MJ. His mind went back to Senora Rivera. "But - but Ms. Nat's taller!"

"Senora Rivera wears flat shoes and has round shoulders, so she looks shorter," his mom told him.

"Nooo… She…" It was completely, absolutely, impossible. Peter was sure of that.

It wasn't until he was facing Ms. Nat and she was talking to him in Senora Rivera's voice that Peter began to think maybe it was possible. Maybe.

"Unbelievable, isn't it?" Mr. Clint asked him, a huge grin on his face.

Peter realised he was still staring, open-mouthed, at them.

"Peter, I am a spy," Ms. Nat said. "Disguising myself is part of the job."

"She's fooled me before now," Mr. Steve said, looking fondly proud.

"But Ms. Garcia! Did she know?" Peter asked, still thinking it had to be impossible.

"All Ms. Garcia knew was we wanted someone to look over the class," his dad said, still looking far too amused. "After we dealt with Flash, it made sense to make sure there'd be no more problems."

Peter shook his head, still not quite believing. "I… Can I tell Ned and MJ?"

"You can," Ms. Nat said, "but first you need to learn to throw Steve properly. Come on."

=====

Later that evening, Peter grinned at Ned's and MJ's astonished faces. Now he'd accepted the astonishing truth, it was funny to see his friends' reaction.

"No," Ned said, his mouth still hanging open.

MJ narrowed her eyes. "She did that just to expose Madeline?"

Peter sent her a quick look, his amusement vanishing. He'd realised it had been done so Madeline couldn't use Ned to get to him, but he didn't want to tell Ned she'd been trying to use him. "Uh, no! She - they just wanted to make sure no one else was going to act like Flash."

MJ's gaze narrowed some more but she didn't say anything. Fortunately, Ned hadn't seemed to notice.

"Is that what Ms. Romanoff really looks like?" Ned asked, sounding very confused.

"No, no, Ned. It was a disguise," Peter told him.

Ned didn't look convinced. "She doesn't look like that in my autograph book."

MJ muttered something uncomplimentary and hung up, leaving Peter to face Ned alone. "She doesn't look like that at all, Ned."

"But she does, I've seen her!" Ned protested. "She's supposed to be a really good fighter too. I don't think Senora Rivera could kick anyone's ass."

She could and Peter had the bruises to prove it. "I'll let you meet her for real, Ned, then you'll see. I'm going to sleep now, okay?"

"Okay. Night, Peter."

Peter turned off his phone and giggled into his pillow. He couldn't wait for Ned to meet Ms. Nat.

Chapter Text

Saturday, October 10, 2015

"Morning, sweetie."

"Morning, Mom." Peter gave his mom a hug and started helping her with making his embarrassingly big breakfast. She piled his plate high, then told him to sit and eat while she made herself eggs and toast.

"You look even better," she told him, smiling. "Have you been hungry at all this week?"

"A bit in school," Peter said. "Dad's energy bars during my breaks stopped that." His last weigh in had been a disappointment - in his eyes, anyway - as he hadn't gained much at all. Dr. Cho hadn't raised his calorie count but she'd been insistent he make sure to eat enough during the day. It was hard to eat enough food in the school cafeteria as there were too many people who could notice his unusual appetite. At least the energy bars looked fairly normal and didn't attract attention.

Thinking of the cafeteria…

"Mom, if you were a girl -" Peter broke off as she laughed. "I mean - uh -"

His mom rubbed her hand down his arm. "It's fine, sweetie. Go on."

Peter tried again. "Ned's asked Betty out. Would it be weird to invite her tonight too? If that's okay!" he added quickly. "Not like a - a double date or anything, but so Ned's more comfortable with her. I don't want him to mess up with his first girlfriend." He realised his mom was gazing at him with tears in her eyes but a smile on her face and he couldn't understand why. "Are you okay?"

Her smile widened then she kissed the side of his face. "Your dad and I are very, very lucky," she said, which didn't explain anything. "Yes, let's help Ned with his first girlfriend."

"What's that? What are we doing?" his dad asked as he came in and headed straight for the coffee pot.

"Peter wants to invite Betty tonight," Peter's mom explained.

"Is that Texting Ned's girlfriend? Excellent!" His dad rubbed his hands together and laughed.

Peter eyed his wide grin and felt rather nervous. "Umm…"

"Yes," his mom said. "I've learned to be wary of that look too."

Peter retreated to his bedroom and rang MJ.

"Inviting Betty is a good idea," she said, "but why would you think your dad's up to something?"

"I saw his face," Peter said. "He's got to be up to something."

=====

Peter didn't discover what it was until after dinner. He thought it had gone really well; Betty had definitely seemed impressed with Ned being so calm about knowing the Pepper Potts, and Ned had been less 'OMG, it's Tony Stark' than last time. And then Peter's dad announced his grand plan.

"Death Star Tag?" Ned echoed.

"Yep. You get to watch the Avengers play Tag with the miniature Death Star Pete and I created. I was also thinking you kids could take a turn yourselves one afternoon."

Peter really didn't think MJ would consent to being zapped with a cow prod. "Uh, Dad -"

"It's okay, Peter," his mom said. "If any of you play, the cow prods will be turned off."

"There are cow prods?" Betty looked alarmed.

"Only small ones," his dad said reassuringly. His grin widened again. "They're not turned off for the Avengers though. Come on, let's go to the gym."

They got there to find Ms. Nat, Mr. Clint, and Mr. Steve, all lined up and ready to go. Betty practically squeaked with excitement.

Ned grabbed Peter's arm. "The Black Widow - I thought you said… She doesn't look anything like Senora Rivera!"

"She was in disguise, Ned," Peter reminded him. "It was Ms. Nat, I promise." As Ned carried on staring at him, he added, "Forget it for now, okay? Just… enjoy seeing the Avengers play Death Star Tag."

The confusion cleared and Ned's face filled with awe. "Yeah, this is the greatest! I wish Flash hadn't been expelled just so we could tell him about it!"

Peter shook his head. "I really don't think he would've believed us."

"Okay, the rules are simple," Peter's dad said, getting their attention. "It's the Avengers vs. ol' Palpatine." He gestured to the hovering Death Star. "The Avengers have to tag the Death Star - with a weapon or by hand, if they can - except Capsicle's shield as that'll probably destroy the thing. Once the Death Star's tagged, it goes after them and tags one of them, then they chase it again. I'm sure you get the idea."

"Do we really have to wear safety goggles?" Mr. Clint asked. "We are the Avengers."

"You're wearing safety goggles," Peter's mom said firmly. "I'm not having someone lose an eye to that thing."

"Pepper has spoken," Peter's dad said, a grin on his face. "C'mon, Clint. You need to set a good example for my kid and his friends."

Mr. Steve put a pair of goggles on and gave Mr. Clint a look. "Tony, you're not joining us?" 

"Nope. We will be sitting in the observation booth, safely out of reach," was the reply. "Peter helped design that thing, so I want my proud dad moment."

Peter felt himself redden.

Mr. Clint smiled at Peter and reached for his bow. "I guess that's why I'm not allowed to use explosive arrows either."

"That's why, Legolas. Come on, you lot. Let's get out of the way so the games can begin." Peter's dad guided them into a glass-fronted area that gave them a good view of the entire gym.

As they sat down, Peter heard Betty whisper, "This is the best first date ever!" He turned his head in time to see Ned go bright red, and sank back in his seat feeling pleased.

He didn't stay there for long. Once the game started, the Death Star zoomed straight at Mr. Clint with a speed that made them all gasp, and Peter found himself on the edge of his seat as Mr. Clint threw himself to the floor with a yelp.

Ms. Nat lunged forward and slapped a hand at the Death Star but it spun out of reach, flying high above Mr. Steve's head. He ran and leapt in the air to catch it, and his fingers grazed one side. The Death Star gave a beep of acknowledgement and changed direction almost instantly. It swung back around, and Mr. Clint almost got zapped in the ass. He managed a roll to one side that got him clear and sent the Death Star spinning with a well-aimed arrow.

Peter thought Mr. Steve had the easiest time as he could use his shield for cover. Mr. Clint had his bow and arrows too, so Ms. Nat should have been the most vulnerable but she flipped and jumped with a flexibility and speed that kept her out of range.

"Hey, cheating!" Peter's dad yelled, and Peter realised Ms. Nat and Mr. Steve had grabbed one of the stacked floor mats between them and were trying to catch the Death Star with it.

Mr. Clint retaliated with: "All's fair in love and -" He ducked as the Death Star went for his head, and used another arrow to knock it off course as it zoomed at Ms. Nat again.

"Wouldn't it be fairer if Ms. Romanoff had a weapon too?" MJ asked.

"Fairer and easier," Peter's dad replied as Mr. Steve got zapped. "But if Nat was armed, the Death Star wouldn't stand a chance. Anyway, we're going to use this for training. In the field, Clint could run out of arrows, Nat could run out of ammo, Steve could lose his shield - not likely, but it could happen. We'll train without any weapons at all or with one person armed to mix it up a bit." As Ms. Nat leapt off Mr. Clint's back and smacked the Death Star out of the air, he shouted, "Nice move!"

In the end, Ms. Nat got zapped once and the other Avengers were hit twice each. As they all rejoined the Avengers in the gym, the Death Star floated into Peter's hands and shut itself down. Peter patted it lightly and smiled as his dad ruffled his hair.

"Proud of yourself?" his dad asked.

Peter ducked his head. "Yeah."

He was pulled into a sideways hug. "So you should be. Stark and Stark; we're a winning combination."

=====

"Your parents are amazing!" Betty said as soon as Peter's bedroom door was shut.

Peter grinned, feeling himself redden. It meant a lot that others liked them too.

"And we got selfies with the Avengers and the Death Star!" Ned said as he held his phone to his chest. "My life is officially cool."

MJ shook her head, but she was smiling. Peter didn't say anything but he was sure his face was saying it all for him. He had Ned, MJ, and his parents. He really couldn't ask for more.

=====

Monday, October 12, 2015

Monday morning came, and Ned was still bubbling over about Saturday night. Peter almost laughed when he barely made it into the school building before Ned's phone was in his face so he could see the texts Betty had sent about that evening. Ned didn't even seem to notice when Madeline stalked past them with her nose in the air.

Peter grinned to himself as Ned babbled on. He was sure things were going to be far better at school now. There'd be no Flash, Ned was completely over Madeline, and 'Senora Rivera' had returned to Valencia. All Peter had to do was concentrate on his lessons and persuade his parents to let him rejoin AcaDec soon.

It was only a minute or so later that his phone beeped with a notification from his school email. Peter didn't use it much, and he was half-expecting a scathing email from Madeline or maybe even Flash, as that would be the only way for either of them to message him privately. What he got was a picture of MJ, asleep on a carpeted floor, with an address and the words 'come alone' under it.

He blinked at the words, then at the picture. For a second, he was blank, then he realised Ned was shaking his arm.

"Dude, your watch is beeping."

Peter took a deep breath, then another. He couldn't risk MJ's life by having FRIDAY alert his parents that his vital signs were going crazy, but there was no way to stop the watch, no way to -

"Ned, give me your arm."

Ned looked confused but held his arm out, and stayed silent as Peter took off his watch and fastened it around Ned's wrist. Instantly, the beeping stopped.

"Peter?" Ned whispered. "Why am I wearing your watch?"

"I - I have to go somewhere."

Ned's eyes widened. "Without your watch?! Dude, your parents -"

"I know." Peter grabbed Ned's other hand to stop him trying to take the watch off. "It's for MJ."

"What? What do you mean it's for MJ? Peter? Peter?"

Peter didn't listen to any more. He shoved his phone into Ned's hand, then ran down the school's front steps and headed for the road. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Happy scramble out of the back of a large black van, but he ignored the bellowed, "Peter!" and ran on.

The address was only a couple of corners away, but it was far enough for Peter to leave Happy behind. When he got there, the front door to the house was standing open a little way, showing - if he'd had any doubt - that he had the right place.

Peter pushed the door open and went in. His spidey-sense was buzzing but he ignored it. MJ was more important.

"Close the door."

The voice came from a tiny speaker sitting on the table to Peter's left. He obeyed and pushed the door shut behind him.

A shadow moved at the end of the hall and a man stepped into view. He was casually dressed in a sweatshirt and jeans, and it took Peter a moment to recognise him without the suit that gave him the look of an accountant.

"Agent McNeil?"

"Hello, Peter."

"I don't understand." Peter looked at him and suddenly did understand, in part, at least. "You're the bad man."

"I knew you'd remember, sooner or later. It's a shame you were ever found, you know. If it's any consolation, you were never supposed to see me again. I was hired to deliver you to a specific address and I did. That should have been the end of it." He nodded, his pose relaxed and casual, despite the gun he was pointing at Peter.

"Then why take on my case? Why come to the penthouse and question me?" Peter asked, bewildered.

"I work for the FBI now, kid," Agent McNeil said calmly, reasonably. "I don't choose which cases I'm assigned to. My boss wanted whatever answers I could get him, so I didn't have a choice. Sorry."

Peter stared at the gun. He really wished Ms. Nat had taught him how to dodge bullets; he was sure she knew how. Well, he hadn't been taught but maybe his Spider-Man reflexes could save him. Maybe.

Agent McNeil's fingers tightened on the gun, and Peter braced himself to jump sideways, then the door behind him flew open with a mighty thud. Peter ducked with a yelp, then scrambled up as something large and metallic landed in front of him.

There were gunshots, and Peter realised metal was wrapping around him, encasing him safely and protecting him from harm. He screamed for his dad and struggled to break free, then the faceplate closed and the Iron Man suit Peter was trapped in took off and flew him away.

"No, FRIDAY, stop!" Peter twisted and tried to kick but the suit held him tight.

"I'm sorry, Peter," FRIDAY's voice replied. "Boss ordered me to take you back to the Tower."

"But - I'm in his suit!" In his suit and safe, while Peter's dad was not. If he was shot, if he died, it would be Peter's fault. "FRIDAY, you have to save him! Stop!" 

FRIDAY refused to listen. Peter felt the thud of the suit landing, then it opened and he stumbled out into his mom's arms.

"Peter!"

"No, Mom! Dad isn't in his suit!" Peter realised he was on his knees on the floor, his mom holding him tightly. She was talking over him and not listening, but Peter kept on trying to tell her. "He needs the suit! FRIDAY needs to send the suit back!" It might already be too late and it was Peter's fault, he knew that.

"Shh, no, listen to me." His mom put a hand over his mouth. "Shh, shh, no, your dad's fine, your dad's fine." She nodded at him when he stopped trying to pull free. "He's still in his suit. FRIDAY, which suit is Tony in right now?"

"Boss is currently in the Mark 46," FRIDAY said calmly.

Peter gasped and gulped, and pulled at his mom's arm.

She lowered her hand and smiled at him. "He sent the Mark 47 for you."

"He's not hurt?" Peter asked, needing to hear the actual words.

"FRIDAY, is Tony injured at all?"

"Boss currently has bruised knuckles on his right hand," FRIDAY said.

Peter's mom frowned. "What happened to his knuckles?"

"Boss punched Agent McNeil," FRIDAY replied.

"Agent… McNeil?"

Peter realised she didn't know. "He was the bad man in the closet," he whispered.

She stared at him, stared through him. "What?"

"It was Agent McNeil," Peter said. "He - oh my God, MJ! FRIDAY, is MJ okay?"

"Miss Jones is unconscious but Boss believes she will wake soon. He has called for an ambulance."

"FRIDAY, where is Agent McNeil now?" Peter's mom asked. Her voice seemed off and Peter realised there was an odd look in her eyes.

"Agent McNeil is with Happy, Captain Rogers, and Agents Barton and Romanoff."

"Are they still at the same address?"

"Yes, Ms. Boss."

Peter's mom nodded. "Will you tell Dr. Banner I need him? Here. Now."

After a moment, FRIDAY said, "Dr. Banner is on his way."

"Mom?"

She smiled, still with that odd look in her eyes, then kissed his cheek. "You have no idea how much I love you." She let go of him and stood. "FRIDAY, I need my Rescue suit."

Peter scrambled to his feet. "Mom?" A blue coloured suit flew in and began to cage her in, blocking his attempts to reach her. It was beautiful, elegant. And deadly. "Mom, please!"

The elevator doors opened and Dr. Bruce stepped out. "Pepper? What - oh, Peter, thank God!"

"Bruce, I need you to look after Peter," she said. The faceplate closed and her voice changed. "FRIDAY, don't let Peter leave."

As the Rescue suit walked to the balcony, Peter clung to its arm. "Mom!"

His mom turned and her metal-covered hand came up to touch his face. "He took you away from me. There is nothing I won't do to stop him from hurting you ever again." She took his hand from her arm, pushed him into Dr. Bruce's arms, then turned and flew away.

"Who's your mom talking about?" Dr. Bruce asked, turning Peter around to face him.

Peter swallowed. "Agent McNeil," he whispered. "He was the one who kidnapped me when I was a kid." He felt like his head was spinning.

Dr. Bruce blinked at him. "FRIDAY, let Tony know Pepper's on her way in the Rescue suit." FRIDAY beeped, and Dr. Bruce walked Peter over to the kitchen area and sat him down. "Let me make you a hot drink. Are you hurt?"

Peter wrapped his arms around himself and tried to stop shaking. "I - I should go." He needed his webshooters and his mask. He needed to save his mom.

Dr. Bruce's hand tightened on his shoulder. "Your dad won't let anything happen to your mom, don't worry." As Peter went to stand up, he added, "And FRIDAY has her orders too."

"What do you mean?" There was a sinking feeling in Peter's stomach which wasn't helping with how off-kilter he felt.

"FRIDAY?" Dr. Bruce prompted.

"Boss and Ms. Boss have ordered me to keep you within the Tower until the situation is neutralised," FRIDAY stated.

"So, how about that drink? And you can tell me as much or as little as you want." Dr. Bruce patted his shoulder as if Peter being locked in the Tower was perfectly normal.

"I'm Spider-Man," Peter said. It really felt like everyone kept on forgetting that. "I can protect myself."

Dr. Bruce gave him a look. "Didn't you go running into danger this morning?"

Peter blinked. "Well, yeah -"

"Okay, then. Would you like tea or hot chocolate?"

Chapter Text

Tony was instantly suspicious when FRIDAY's alerts came in. Peter's vital signs had gone haywire, gone offline, then dropped back down to somewhere near normal. Tony just knew Texting Ned was now wearing Peter's watch for some reason.

Peter's watch and phone were together too, but the tracker in his shoe was rapidly leaving the school grounds. What the hell was his kid doing?

FRIDAY gave him the answer as the Mark 46 suit closed around him: An email, a kidnapping, and Peter running to save MJ's life.

Thank God the Mark 46 got him there in time to protect his kid from being shot. With Peter safely in the Mark 47 and on his way back to the Tower, Tony could turn his attention to the unmitigated asshole who'd been pointing a gun at Tony's son.

McNeil. How the hell did that make any sense? Regardless of sense, Tony disarmed him and punched him straight in the face to lay him out cold while he waited for back up.

"FRIDAY? Any sign of MJ?"

"Miss Jones is in the room to your right, Boss," FRIDAY said. "She is unconscious and appears to have been drugged."

"Call an ambulance," Tony said as Happy came running in and skidded to a halt.

He meant FRIDAY but Happy promptly pulled out his phone. "How hard did you hit him?"

"Not for him," Tony said, heading into the back room. "He's got MJ drugged in here." He heard the rest of the Avengers arrive as he knelt by MJ's side and looked her over. Tony didn't want to think about McNeil and his motivations. Had he - was he… It only made sense if he was connected to Peter's original kidnapping.

Tony didn't want to think that - if he thought - he couldn't let himself think. He'd lose his mind if he did.

"Boss, Ms. Boss is on her way in the Rescue suit," FRIDAY announced.

So much for not thinking. Tony nodded and went back into the hall. "Pep's on her way," he told them.

"You need me to put a bullet in his head, Boss?" Happy asked.

"No one's going to prison for him," Tony said firmly, holding tight to his control. "We can't let Pepper see him." He couldn't look at McNeil himself. Couldn't. He wanted to let the fucker rot in prison, but the need to end it, to put a stop to any future threat to Peter was burning through him. He just couldn't go back to his kid with blood on his hands.

"First things first," Steve said. "We'll stick him in a back room so Pepper can't see him."

"Not that room," Tony said, indicating. "MJ's in there. There's an ambulance on the way for her."

Steve gave a nod and hauled McNeil out to the other room. Clint followed him.

"Tony?" Nat met his gaze, her eyes calm, and he knew what she was offering to do.

Tony shook his head. A quick death was too good for the soul-leeching son of a bitch who'd taken his son. "Get him out of here. I can't let Pep get near him." Talking of…

She landed solidly and faced them squarely. "Where is he?"

"Honey -"

"He took our son, Tony." Pepper stared him down. "Twice." 

"And it's over now. We know who he is."

"Was," Clint interrupted as he came back and closed the door behind him. "He had a cyanide capsule. Who'd've thunk?" Tony stared at him and Clint folded his arms. "It's over. I've got kids too, Tony. Now go home and ground yours."

=====

By the time his parents got home, Peter was a nervous wreck. FRIDAY had assured him neither of them were injured, but it wasn't until he saw them both he realised just how worried he'd been.

The elevator doors opened and Peter felt his knees go weak with relief; his parents looked fine. Physically, anyway. He couldn't help but worry over what had happened, what they'd done because of him.

His mom looked just the same as ever as she held out her arms to him. "It's okay, sweetie. MJ's going to be just fine."

Dr. Bruce slipped past them all with a, "Good luck, kid," and the elevator doors closed behind him.

Peter hugged his mom. "MJ's really okay?"

"Yep," his dad confirmed as he hugged Peter too, his arms hard and tight around him. "She's in the hospital but it's just a precaution. She came round in the ambulance."

"Agent McNeil didn't hurt her?" Peter asked anxiously.

His mom smiled reassuringly and rubbed his shoulders gently, showing no sign of the fury and determination from before. "No, she's okay."

"He jabbed her with a sedative on the subway," his dad said.  His voice darkened as he added, "She wasn't his real target."

Peter knew that. He looked from his mom to his dad and back. "He'll go to prison now though, won't he?"

His parents looked at each other for a brief moment, then his dad said gently, "He had a cyanide capsule, kid. He's dead."

"A -" Peter's mind stuttered to a halt. He'd thought such things were only in movies. "But why?"

"He would have gone to prison for a long time, sweetie," his mom said. "Some people can't face the consequences of their actions."

Peter could hear his dad's teeth grinding as he stalked off to the coffee pot. He was muttering under his breath about how 'that fucker would have never gotten out' and 'I should have blasted him to pieces when I had the chance'.

"You didn't though, right, Dad?" Peter asked, just wanting to make sure.

His dad held up one hand, his knuckles bruised. "I swear to God, one punch, nothing more."

Peter looked at his mom, and her smile softened as she shook her head. "I didn't even see him, baby."

Peter sighed with relief. He'd been so afraid of what he might have made them do.

"Anyway, on to more important things," his dad said. "You're grounded, kid."

"What?" Peter practically got whiplash from the sudden change in subject.

"You're grounded," his dad repeated, pouring coffee into his mug. He didn't even look up. "Three weeks."

"Three weeks?!" Peter was still trying to get his head around being grounded, but, "Three weeks! That's… why?"

"One for me, one for your mom, and one for Happy." His dad sipped his coffee, apparently not at all fazed by Peter's dropped jaw and boggling eyes.

"Why does Happy get to ground me?" Peter asked, then he felt his face turn red at how whiny he sounded.

"You ran away from your security team, kid. Don't deny it; Happy chased you up the street. That's Happy's week." He took a deep breath and uncurled his fist. "You can count yourself lucky you're only getting a week from each of us for putting yourself in such danger."

"But -"

"We know it was to save MJ," his mom interrupted. "But you should have called for help."

Peter was going to continue arguing but he could see the trembling in his dad's hand. It suddenly hit him that they must have been terrified for him like he'd been terrified for his dad. He dropped his head and stared at the floor. "Okay."

"Okay?" his dad repeated.

"Okay I'm grounded?" Peter looked at his dad and was surprised to see a smile twitching the corner of his dad's mouth.

"Okay. Thank you for not arguing."

"Would it do any good to argue?" Peter asked. He suspected he knew the answer.

"Not in the slightest but thank you anyway. Tea, Pep?"

"Mmm, thank you."

Peter stared at his parents who were now serenely making tea in the kitchen. "I will get to go to school, right?"

"Not tomorrow, honey," his mom replied. "When you go back, you'll be coming straight home afterwards so AcaDec will have to wait until you're no longer grounded."

Peter groaned to himself. At this rate, he'd never be able to join the team.

"One of the drawbacks of being grounded, kid," his dad commented.

There were, Peter soon realised, other drawbacks. He was grounded to the living room for the rest of the day, wouldn't get to do any training at all for a week, had his lab privileges revoked for a week, and - the worst of all - had to apologise to Happy.

It wasn't that Peter minded apologising, but he could see how much he'd hurt Happy and that was hard to bear.

"Kid, it's my job to keep you safe," Happy said. "I know you thought you were doing the right thing, but you could've been killed." He stared off over Peter's shoulder. "I can't fail at this, kid; you're too important. Not only to your parents, but to me, to Rhodey… We're your family. So don't do it again, okay?"

Peter nodded and promised, but, as he told Ned two days later, he felt like crap.

Ned nudged his shoulder sympathetically as they sat together on the school bleachers during their morning break. "At least you're okay," he said. "And they'll forgive you. That's what families do."

"What if they don't?" Peter asked. "I couldn't leave the living room without permission all Monday because I 'couldn’t be trusted alone'. And they kept me home yesterday for no reason."

"That's your parents putting their foot down," Ned said, nodding his head wisely. "It's amazing they let you come back to school already."

"My dad said he'd have me home-schooled if I ever did it again." Peter sighed. "I'm hoping he didn't mean it."

Ned gave him one of those looks. "Dude, you nearly got yourself shot by the guy who kidnapped you when you were a little kid. Do you really think he doesn't mean it?"

Peter groaned and rested his head on his knees. "I guess."

"If it was me, my mom and dad would have grounded me for infinity," Ned told him. "It's what parents do."

"May would have, for sure," Peter admitted.

"See? Ms. Jones is keeping MJ home all week. She's not grounded, but still."

"I know. I was allowed one phone call with her. And they made me keep it short!" Peter bit his lip, then confessed his other worry: "MJ said our date's still on but… what if she changes her mind?"

"Why would she change her mind?" Ned sounded genuinely confused but Peter thought it was obvious.

"She was kidnapped because of me!" 

"Yeah, and you went running to save her. Chicks dig that stuff." Ned's gaze met Peter's and he quickly added, a horrified look on his face, "Don't tell MJ I called her a chick!"

"I'm not that stupid," Peter said. "Anyway, MJ doesn't dig that stuff."

"She's still not gonna change her mind," Ned said solidly. "Trust me on that."

Peter gazed at his Guy-in-the-Chair who'd been right about so many things lately. "Okay. Anyway, MJ will tell me if she changes her mind."

Ned grinned. "She won't hold back." They got up and starting heading back inside, and Ned added, "Did I tell you about when your dad came to get your watch and stuff on Monday?" He turned pink with excitement. "He parked up in this big red Audi and waited outside school. He called me 'Ned' and everything! Everyone was asking why Iron Man wanted my watch."

Peter found himself smiling. "What did you tell them?"

"I said it was a limited edition Hello Kitty watch." Ned grinned at him. "I don't think they believed me."

=====

The end of the school day came and Peter headed over to the sleek black Audi that was, as usual, waiting for him. His dad let him in the back seat, and Peter squeezed his mom's hand.

"Hey, Mom, hey, Dad. Hey, Uncle Happy," Peter said.

There was a pause and Happy blinked at him via the rearview mirror, his eyes suspiciously shiny.

"You're not going to start crying on us, are you, Hap?" Peter's dad asked.

"Jerk," Happy said, a fond tone in his voice. His gaze met Peter's again. "Buckle up, kid. Let's get you home."

The end.