Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Despite knowing it was the afternoon, May Parker noted that it was dreary and glum. She stood next to her husband, Ben, as they listened to some pastor who had never met their family discuss how important their lives had been. She’d always hated funerals. There was so much finality to them. She still hadn’t grasped the fact entirely that they were gone.

It had happened so fast, she’d later describe the events as a whirlwind. They’d been babysitting Peter for a few nights, it was supposed to be a weekend getaway for his parents. May hadn’t any experience, but she’d heard finding time to yourself with a child in the house was hard. Anything to make her husband’s family’s life easier; they were really all the family she had left these days.

One minute, she was tucking Peter into the guest bedroom they had made up for his visits, the next she was on the phone.

“You're on the next of kin list for Richard and Mary Parker. We’re sorry to inform you but they’ve just passed away. Their plane crashed-“

She’d felt hopeless in that moment. Devastated. It was nothing compared to what Ben felt though, he had lost his brother. His own flesh and blood. Gone, in the blink of an eye. While he struggled to come to terms with the loss she did her best to pick up the pieces.

She took care of Peter, took care of Ben, paid the bills, organized the funeral… She was sure that after this service was complete the feelings would finally hit her. There would be no more reason to pretend to be strong by that point anyway.

Her eyes flitted down to Peter. Dressed up, he had spent most of the service with his face in her leg. He was too young to understand the full gravity of what was going on but he knew that mommy and daddy weren’t ever coming back. There was a heavy pressure on May’s chest as she stared down at him.

In all honesty, she was feeling guilty the most. In the whirlwind haze of the deaths, she’d attended a reading of the will. In it, Richard and Mary had named them the legal guardians of their son should something happen to them. It was a wish they wouldn’t be able to fulfill.

Months prior, May had found out she was pregnant. A miracle pregnancy. They’d thought for a long time she was infertile, she’d come to terms with the possibility she’d never have children. Not any longer. The doctor had even said her baby was healthy. They’d been excited at the time. Now, she felt hollow.

They weren’t broke by any means but they also weren’t well off, the small apartment they rented wouldn’t be big enough to house a rambunctious toddler and a wailing baby. Peter was going to need access to extra expenses too, he was a special boy and he’d just lost his parents. That would take a toll on any child. Therapy and lots of care were probably going to be needed.

Things they wouldn’t be able to provide in a home with a baby, especially since they both worked.

Foster care had been their last option, but it made sense. After the funeral, they’d be meeting with their first foster family. If all went well, Peter would be in a loving home to attend to his needs. May and Ben could visit as often as they’d want, keep an eye on his case, ensure his needs were being met…

It wasn’t the life his parents had planned for him, but May knew it would give Peter his best shot. She lifted the toddler as they finished watching the caskets lower into the ground. His head instinctively found her shoulder. If this was the right decision, why did her heart hurt so much?

The boy watched his parents’ tombstones fade from view.

As they made their way to the car, the clouds parted just a sliver. That’s a good omen, she thought, buckling the boy into his car seat.

Peter would be alright. He had to be.

Chapter Text

4 year old Peter Parker sat on his bed, playing with his fingers. Tomorrow was a big day for him, his favourite day of the year. It just so happened that it was his birthday! He only knew because he’d overheard the adults discussing it. They’d also pulled him aside to remind him to be on his best behaviour, not that he needed that reminder.

Birthdays weren’t celebrated in his new home, a fact he’d gotten used to in the past few years. He didn’t understand why they weren’t but he supposed there were quite a few kids staying here. It just wouldn’t make sense to throw a big celebration for everyone, and if they did they’d have to pick favourites which wouldn’t be very fair.

Either way, none of that really mattered because his aunt and uncle made sure to spoil him on his birthday. Last year, they’d taken him to see a really awesome movie. This year, they’d promised to take him to the zoo. Of course, he saw them occasionally in between when they would check up with him but these were his favourite times because they got to spend the whole day out.

He just had to survive to the next day.

“… Dylan gave me all this cool…” Peter stiffened as voices began to drift down the hallway, thankfully though they continued. There was nothing the little boy hated more than those older boys who stayed here. A lot of things made him uneasy about them; they loved to pick on him and be mean, they weren’t above hitting or shoving a smaller child and they loved to steal his portions at the dining table.

The Turner’s were only in this for the money. Peter had no clue what that meant, only that he’d heard one of the older girls say it to another once. He supposed, though, that was the reason they never stopped anything that happened. He’d gone to them a few times in the early days of staying here, but he’d been shooed away, scolded, told he should deal with it himself.

It was frustrating. They were only fed three times a day, and he hardly got anything that was placed on his plate. He was a lot skinnier than most boys his age, not to mention he was often roughed up.

He absently rubbed a spot on his arm that he’d been socked in the day before.

Once he was sure the boys had moved on, Peter crawled under the blankets of his bed. It wasn’t anything like the one he’d had back when his mommy and daddy were around. For one thing, it wasn’t soft and cozy. Another, the blanket was scratchy and it had no bright colours or patterns. He longed for those days, but he supposed a bed was a bed. As the Turner’s reminded him constantly he was lucky to have a roof over his head and a bed to sleep in.

If he fell asleep now, despite it being mid afternoon, he could manage to avoid any further incidents. It wasn’t like he’d get much dinner anyway. He’d rather dream of his parents and wake up to a fun day at the zoo then stay awake anyway.

“Parker! Your aunt is here!” Mrs. Turner’s sharp bark drifted up the stairs to him. He was already dressed and ready, he’d woken up extra early to make sure he would be. Climbing down the stairs, he could feel everyone’s eyes on him.

He knew a lot of the other boys and girls were jealous of him. None of them had people who frequently checked in with them or took them on birthday trips, most of them had been dumped here and not thought about since. Their mommy’s and daddy’s had gone away too. He felt bad for them, even though they hurt him a lot. At least he had a temporary reprieve from the pain every once in a while; for them it was never ending.

He met Mrs. Turner at the bottom of the stairs. “You know the drill.”

And he did. He knew that if he said certain things, he’d be in a bucketload of trouble. One time, Thomas had told someone something. News spread. A police man had come to the door and had walked around the house… Peter didn’t know what exactly had happeed to Thomas that night, but the screams haunted his dreams.

They’d all been warned not to say a thing about life at home, lest the same thing happen to them.

He’d never seen Thomas again after that either. Some of the older boys speculated they killed him and locked him in the furnace-

“Aunt May!” he exclaimed as the door opened and she scooted to pick him up. She kissed his nose and he laughed. He adored his aunt, had ever since he was a baby. Dimly, he heard his uncle promising that he’d be home in the evening. Mrs. Turner grunted out a response.

These days were special, only for Peter, so his baby cousin never came to them but he’d met her a few times. She was two and while he loved her, he was relieved that this day was just for him. He got enough of other kids at home.

“5 years old now, champ!” Uncle Ben held out his hand for a high five and Peter flinched slightly, but recovered quickly, slapping his hand eagerly into his uncles. The boy missed the glances shared between adults as they walked to the car. They knew something was wrong but they couldn’t definitively prove their theories about it.

Peter was definitely a different boy than the one they’d first dropped off two years ago, but it was hard to say if the change was the result of something sinister or just the boy growing. He had never exactly been the most normal child, even before his parents passed. He preferred to sit, to study and learn rather than jump around or explore.

“Ice cream?” Peter asked as May helped him into the car, buckling him up.

Of course, ice cream, that was always the first stop with the boy.

Peter hadn’t had a better day in a long time. Lots of pictures were taken, he’d eaten half his weight in zoo food, he’d even gotten to pet some animals in the petting zoo.

The day was over before any of them were ready for it, Peter’s head lolled on his chest, fast asleep in the car seat as they drove him back. The sun was setting, May and Ben were both quiet, lost deep in thought now that they had the moment to think.

“Have you thought about… taking him back?” May broke the silence, her head leaning back against the seat. “Marie is two years old now, we could figure something out…”

Even as she said it though, she knew it was wishful thinking. Even now that their daughter was older, the situation hadn’t changed much. Peter still needed a lot of extra care and he was receiving it to their knowledge at his foster home. Then there was the added worry of finances. May had quit her job to stay home with Marie, meaning there was only one source of income now. Ben was barely scraping enough money to support their small family as it is. With another mouth to feed? Forget it.

It was as if she could read his mind. She sighed.

“Well, we could at least do something about the Turners.” She glanced through the mirror at the sleeping boy. In her heart, she was sure there was a problem. Her intuition had never been wrong.

Ben found it slightly amusing she cared so much about Peter, she’d always been fond of him. He joked often that he was her first baby. In all honesty, he felt as though there was something off as well but there was no way to know for sure. If there was, Peter would have told them, wouldn’t he? He was young but they’d promised he could come to them with anything…

“Every time we see him, he becomes more and more like Richard. He’s quiet, introverted… Just like his dad was growing up.”

May gave him a look as if annoyed he was dismissing her worries once again.

“He’s a strong kid, he’ll be fine,” Ben saw the look on her face, and May smiled sadly. In her opinion, strong was something a child should never have to be, but she that to herself.

“Yeah, you’re probably right.”

Ben sighed. “Look. The day after tomorrow, I have a day off. We can take Peter and Marie to the children’s hospital for a check up. They probably take him regularly, but if it’ll ease your worries some…”

The suggestion did make May feel worlds better. At least they had a plan, even if nothing would come of it, they’d know the truth or at least part of it.

They dropped Peter off at his foster home and he waved them off from the porch, Mrs. Turner at his side. Even with the plan now in place, she couldn’t help but feel a little apprehensive as the door shut behind the boys back. Something just felt so incredibly wrong, but they’d be back in a few days for that check up.

Peter would be fine until then right?

Chapter Text

It was really late at night. Morning, would probably be a more accurate descriptor. Some ungodly hour of the morning. The lab inside the compound was empty save for the man himself. The only other person who happened to habitually spend any amount of time here, Dr. Banner, had long since gone to sleep, leaving him to his own devices. That was all the better for Tony. When he was alone he could get lost in his work and the rock music he loved to blare as he worked.

It helped him focus better. Or maybe it didn’t. He wasn’t entirely sure but either way, that’s what he told his girlfriend Pepper when she complained about it being too loud. He could work without it. In fact, most days he did because he shared the lab with Bruce who preferred a quiet and serene work environment. But on the rare occasions he got the lab to himself these days it was hard not to indulge himself.

“Sir, Ms. Potts is looking for you,” FRIDAY’s voice cut through the blasting beats of ACDC. He sighed to himself. He knew she was just going to drag him to bed anyway, but he wanted to get as much work in on this as possible.

“Tell her I’ll be up soon,” he instructed his AI, not even pausing in his work. There was something so therapeutic about being awake this late, working on something without distraction. There were no expectations of him late at night alone in the lab. He could be himself without people breathing down his neck.

The music cut out moments later.

“Tony, you need to come to bed.”

Pepper’s voice was exhausted. Of course, his peaceful moment was interrupted. She had come to literally drag his ass to bed. They’d been together long enough for her to realize that that ‘come to bed soon’ meant not coming to bed at all, especially when he was in the middle of a particularly exciting project.

The superhero groaned, standing up and stretching his muscles. They ached from bending over his workbench for so long. He had no idea how long he’d actually been in here but his eyes were burning slightly as well from focusing for an extended period of time.

He looked over with his best shot at puppy dog eyes. “5 more minutes?” He asked, half teasing. In the end, he’d end up in bed with her. When it came to Pepper Potts he was weak willed. That was something she knew and loved to use against him.

“No. I’m shutting you down. Whatever… this is can wait until a decent hour.” She eyed his latest project with an unimpressed expression. He loved that she was a no bullshit type of person, she always put him in his place one way or another. Something he desperately needed in his life after being told yes for so much of his life.

He didn’t argue anymore with her. Once she set her mind to something it was better just to listen and go along with it. Slowly, he began to tidy up his workspace for the next day, putting his tools down and wiping his hands.

They made their way up to the bedroom together, she climbed into bed as he began to get himself ready for rest. Now that he was out of the stimulating environment he’d created down in the lab, he could acknowledge how utterly exhausted he was. Sleep was something he had always struggled with, even more now that he was a full time Avenger.

“Before we go to sleep, I need to run something by you,” Pepper broke the silence in the room. She was watching him move about and prepare himself to climb in next to her. “There’s this children hospital and-“

“No.”

“Tony, you haven’t even heard what I was going to say, let me finish-“

“You want me to go down there and hang out with sick kids. Pepper, no offence but I don’t exactly think I’m the right person for the job. Get Steve to do it.”

“The kids don’t want Steve.” She argued as Tony came around to his side of the bed, pulling back the covers to slide in next to her.

Tony huffed. It wasn’t that he hated kids, especially not sick kids. One day, when he was retired from the whole saving the world schtick he even wanted to settle down with Pepper, have one or two of their own running around. He just wasn’t feeling up to any publicity stunts as of recently. Between all of the Avengers related threats he’d been handling, as well as the embarrassment of what people were now calling the ‘civil war’ between him and Steve…

Going out in public had become something of a rarity to him.

“Are they all terminally ill? I don’t understand, what’s the deal here?” He broke his temporary silence. He supposed it didn’t really matter, he was just stalling for a way to back out.

She scooted closer to him, resting her head on his chest and shook it softly. “No, no it’s not like that. You fund the hospital, so they were just hoping you’d drop by and spend some time with some of the kids who come and go. There may be some terminally ill, but the majority will just be regular kids coming in and out for check ups and things…”

Tony was sleepy. The fight was starting to leave him a little bit and he just wanted to end this conversation so he could finally roll over and get some rest. “When do they want me?”

“Day after tomorrow?”

That sounded doable. What was the worst that could happen, in all honesty? He could do worse than his first public appearance being him at a children’s hospital and besides, he did love spending time with kids. Maybe it was just the break he needed after spending so much time stressing. He needed to remember why he was working so hard on all of this. Plus, the kids would so dig the suit.

“Fine, I’ll go, but just so you know… I know you lied to me.” He shut his eyes, leaning back into his pillow.

Pepper scoffed. “I did not lie to you.”

“I may not be totally up to speed on everything we fund, Pepper, but I don’t remember us funding any children’s hospitals last time I checked. Though that’s a good idea… put it on a list.”

Pepper snorted. “Okay, so I used a small white lie. But when I spoke to them on the phone, they were so excited at the prospect of having Iron Man there. I promised I’d at least try my hardest to get you there.”

He hated to admit it, but he wasn’t all that upset with her for lying to him. Even if he’d seen through it pretty fast, it was a good tactic to get him to agree to something. Make him feel guilty paying to fund the hospital and not showing up for an event. That’s why he loved her so much, she was smart and knew just what buttons to press when it came to him.

“I’ll go.” He promised.

There was a pause where he was sure the conversation was over, and he was about to allow himself to drift off into dream land when she spoke again. “Don’t bring the suit.”

“You said they wanted Iron Man!”

He could practically feel her rolling her eyes, even though he kept his own firmly shut. “You are Iron Man, Tony, with or without the suit.”

He couldn’t argue with that logic, though he suspected her reasoning for not wanting him to bring the suit was more for the fact that they’d be in an enclosed space and she didn’t trust him not to set something on fire. Okay, fine. He could still do it. He’d done plenty of these events before with fully healthy kids, there’d be no difference. How hard could it be?

The conversation seemed to be over after that and he finally allowed himself to drift off as he heard Pepper’s breathing even out. Despite being half asleep, he was still formulating. Drawing up schematics and designs in his mind that he would implement tomorrow once he was able to return to the sanctity of his lab.

Even in rest mode, he never truly stopped working. If Pepper knew, she’d probably be more than a little pissed with him. It was a good thing he hadn’t yet figured out mind reading technology.

Chapter Text

“Open your mouth and say ah for me.”

Peter did as he was told, not wanting to make a fuss although all the tests were starting to bore him immensely. He knew this was important for his aunt and uncle, but he would rather be doing something else. In particular, his mind was on the fun toys in the waiting room and the sticker he’d be receiving once he was finished with his check up. He wondered where he’d put it.

It had been a long time since he’d been to see any sort of doctor. Since his mommy and daddy were still around. He’d forgotten how boring they could be.

“Tilt your head so I can look into those ears, hm?”

He tilted his head, staring at his aunt, cousin, and uncle. Marie was sitting on her father’s lap, completely oblivious to the world around her as she held up her own sticker and played with it in her hands. She had gone first, mostly because she’d been kicking and screaming and they’d just wanted to get the appointment over with. Peter hadn’t minded. He remembered when he was smaller, he’d also kicked and screamed a few times on the way to the doctor. One day, Marie would laugh at how silly she was being now.

The doctor tilted his head the other way, and Peter let his eyes fall to the floor again.

“All done, buddy! You did really good today, how about you choose a sticker like your cousin, hm?” The doctor held the bin out for him, looking over at the adult Parkers as Peter pondered over the perfect sticker. He took his time choosing, unlike Marie who went for the first sparkly one she’d seen. This was an important decision for him. He wanted it to be perfect.

There was an odd tenseness to the room that neither of the children noticed. Eventually, he selected one with a cute cartoon mouse, holding it up to show the doctor that he was finished. The group then stood. May grabbed Peter’s hand and Ben lifted Marie as they stepped into the small waiting room area.

The whole space was contained and safe feeling, there were tvs playing cartoons, a small pen filled with toys and different activities for the visiting children to play with and the seating area for the parents.

“Mr. and Mrs. Parker. If you wouldn’t mind me having a word with you…” The doctor asked, snapping the adults out of the tense stupor they had been in. Clearly, something had happened that Peter had not noticed, not that he really cared all that much. He was a kid and he desperately wanted to play with the fun toys some more.

“Oh! Of course. Peter, Marie, why don’t the two of you go play in the pen? We just have to talk with the doctor real quick.” May addressed the children, Peter didn’t need to be told twice. He was already dragging his baby cousin back to the gated in area to play with the toys, hardly even acknowledging the adults as they returned to their own little worlds of make believe.

Peter appreciated this more than his cousin, he hardly ever got to spend time like this playing with toys. Not without being bothered by the older boys at the foster home. Any toys he did end up with and brought there, were eventually destroyed because it was hard to keep property safe when the adults turned a blind eye to what went on.

“Pepper, please. Think about the children,” the sound of a man’s voice entering the waiting room startled Peter out of his games. It had been rather empty up until this point, it was the middle of the day and most children were in school. A man wearing a t shirt and sunglasses over his eyes entered through the door, at his side a redheaded lady with her nose stuck in a tablet. Bringing up the rear was a second man, this one wider and fairly well dressed.

“Tony, I am not letting you give literal children a weapons demonstration of your Iron Man suit. That is ridiculous,” the redhead scoffed, making her way to the front desk. The man, Tony, pouted behind her like a petulant child.

“They’re dying Pepper!” He tried to argue with her, but she was clearly done with the conversation, her back turned. Tony turned to the other man, but he just shrugged sheepishly and shook his head.

“Sorry, boss, I have to agree with Pepper on this one.” He said, giving Tony a sympathetic pat on the back.

“Unbelievable. I am being undermined by the very people who swore their allegiance to me,” Tony threw his hands up dramatically, making a big show of being upset for the little people who were in the waiting room.

Some staff and other people hanging around did do a double take at the sight of Tony Stark in the waiting room of the children’s hospital. Besides that, nobody else reacted to his childish antics. Peter stood, curious, and pushed the gate open to leave the waiting room toy pen. While the redhead lady was distracted, he had to know if what he heard was correct.

He tucked his sticker into his pocket for safekeeping and walked across the room to where the men were engaged in conversation. As he got closer though he hesitated, not wanting to disturb them. He knew from his own experience that adults did not like to be interrupted when they were talking.

Before he could change his mind about asking, however, the men noticed him.

Their eyes were burning into him, the little boy was at a loss of what to say. All the confidence he’d had when he’d left his toys had now gone away, he wasn’t sure what to say or why he’d even wandered over here in the first place. His aunt and uncle would get really mad if they saw he’d left Marie alone to talk to a stranger…

“Hey, kid, you wanna see something cool?” Tony looked around to make sure no one was paying attention to them, kneeling so that he was eye level with the young boy. Peter hesitated. He really did want to see whatever it is the man was going to show him.

Tony took the silence as a yes. He reached into his pocket, taking something small and shiny out. Peter was immediately intrigued. It was so small and unassuming looking but he was fascinated. In his small life he’d never seen anything like it. He forgot his previous apprehensions and took a step forward to get a better look at the strange object.

“Nothing crazy, kid, but when I put it in my ear like so,” he demonstrated how to put it in the ear so it wouldn’t fall, “There. Now I can talk to the other Avengers on the field, no matter where I am.”

He spread his hands out like he had done a magic trick, and Peter giggled.

“Iron Man doesn’t need one of those, he has his suit,” he said matter of factly. Tony winked, sliding the earpiece out and returning it to his pocket.

“You’re right, I don’t, kid. But everyone else does because they don’t have cool suits like me, have you ever seen Captain America’s suit?” He asked, wrinkling his nose. He really hated that suit. It was so unflattering, Steve looked like he belonged in some Broadway show, not on the battlefield. He wished the man would let him make a new one.

Peter nodded his head, eyes wide. He was clearly enraptured by everything Tony was saying, even if he didn’t fully understand it all.

Tony was about to ask the kid what his name was when a woman’s voice cut through their conversation. At first, he thought it was Pepper. But then a brown-haired woman kneeled next to the boy he had been talking to, and he realized this must be the kid’s mother.

“Peter, what have I told you about wandering off and talking to strangers, you left Marie all alone,” she began to scold the boy. Peter sheepishly kicked his foot a little, mumbling an apology which made the man feel a little guilty. It was his fault the boy had wandered off in the first place.

“Apologies, ma’am. I just wanted to show him some tech. He seemed like he was a fan,” Tony cut into the conversation. She looked up as if she were planning on scolding him too, but her eyes widened realizing exactly who the young boy had been talking to.

“It’s quite alright,” she managed to get out, gently nudging her nephew back to the play area where Marie was still playing, Ben had joined his daughter, leaving his wife to handle the situation. She had never been a huge fan of Tony Stark. Nobody with sense would be, the man had an ego bigger than the entirety of New York, and he loved to flaunt it. She was more than a little weary of having her nephew around him, understandably so.

“You his mom?” Tony asked her, clearly expecting the answer to be yes. She was a little taken aback by the question but shrugged it off.

“Aunt, actually. His parents… aren’t around anymore,” she crossed her arms over her chest. It was still hard to talk about. She still struggled to make sense of it all these years later. Now after everything the doctor had told her about Peter… about how underfed he was, the lack of care that had been given to him. They were failing him and it took everything in her not to break down now in the middle of the public waiting room.

“Sorry to hear that. He’s a cute kid. Smart too. You’ve clearly done a good job raising him,” he watched Peter kneel next to his cousin, helping her stack blocks.

May didn’t respond to that. The words stung after everything she’d just learned. No, no she hadn’t done a good enough job.

Tony opened his mouth to say something else, but before he could, Pepper returned her nose still in the tablet.

“Okay, we’re on floor three. We have been instructed not to make a mess and… did I miss something?” Pepper looked up, noticing May standing there. She shot her boyfriend a questioning look.

Tony tore his eyes away from Peter building with blocks. There was something about him, the way the boy behaved and acted. It reminded him of someone though he couldn’t quite put his finger on who…

“Tony? Earth to Tony, you in there?” Pepper waved her hand in front of her boyfriend’s face, and he snapped out of his daze. May had left the couple to their own business, joining her family on the other side of the waiting room.

He cleared his throat, shaking himself a bit. He finally turned to meet her eyes.

“Yes, right. Third floor, lead the way. Happy, you coming?” Tony turned, brusquely beginning his walk as Pepper walked a little ahead of him. The other man followed his boss, glancing back at Peter, and then to him questioningly.

There was a deep, unsettling pit forming in his stomach as his mind connected the dots. He could have sworn he’d seen something he’d recognized in Peter. Something he himself knew all too well. But he couldn’t think about that right now. He had kids to entertain, and Peter was just some random kid in a waiting room…

“Happy, can you have someone pull a file on that kid? I know, doctor/patient confidentiality. I just need a last name,” he mumbled quietly to his security guard so Pepper wouldn’t hear them. Happy raised his eyebrows but nodded, he had learned long ago not to question his boss when he set his mind to something. Besides if Tony was asking for it, there had to be a reason.

Tony watched him go, hurrying to catch back up to Pepper. He was just curious. That was all. He could be curious, couldn’t he?

Chapter Text

Tony made his way down to the lab, shutting the door behind him and asking FRIDAY to lock it for him just in case. The last thing he needed was to be bothered by Pepper or one of the other Avengers while he was trying to figure this out. They didn’t need to know about Peter, or the sudden interest he’d taken in the boy. Besides, maybe the feeling he was having was nothing. That was always a possibility too. He’d only met the child once and how much could you really tell from someone in that amount of time.

“Tony?” Bruce looked up from his side of the lab, raising his eyebrows slightly. Tony cursed to himself. Of course Bruce was down here, like him the man practically lived in the lab when he wasn’t busy. Normally he enjoyed spending time with his lab partner, but today, he could really use some of that alone time he used to have so much of.

He grabbed a few things on his way through the main lab, pointing to his own office spot he hadn’t used in a while. The workspace was for those moments when he wanted to work, but it needed to be alone. He rarely had those these days since most of his projects he shared with Banner. Bruce nodded to him in understanding, turning back to his own work, and Tony shut the door behind him asking FRIDAY to once again lock the door and block the windows.

Slowly, he pulled out the name Happy had written for him on a small piece of paper. Jesus, that man needed to fix his handwriting.

‘Peter Parker’.

“FRIDAY search databases for Peter Parker. School, hospital, you know the drill. Find the kid for me, will you?” He crumpled the piece of paper and tossed it into the trash can beside his desk.

“Would you like me to hack into records, sir?”

“You don’t even need to ask me that, and I’m offended you did. I built you better than that.” He looked up at his AI in the center of the room as it gathered all the data he would need.

“Done, sir. Would you like me to read it from the top?” FRIDAY asked, showing that the data was downloaded. Tony stood from where he’d been leant against the desk, walking across to the interface.

“Go ahead, FRIDAY. I’m all ears.” He swallowed slightly, giving her the go ahead.

“Peter Parker. 5 years old, male, currently attends Riverview Elementary School, New York City. Peter Parker’s parents, Richard and Mary Parker, died in a plane crash two years prior, leaving him an orphan. His parents requested in their will that his Aunt and Uncle, Ben and May Parker, be given custody. That wish was not fulfilled. Peter Parker is now in federal custody with a Rob and Barbara Turner; they run a foster home not far from Riverview Elementary. Peter Parker has no dental or hospital records since entering the home, besides from a couple of days ago.”

There was a lot to unpack here. There were a lot of red flags, the biggest one being that the boy hadn’t had any other medical check ups in the two years since he’d arrived in the Turner’s care? That couldn’t be right.

“FRIDAY, are you sure there’s no other medical history for the boy?”

“Not since his parents died, sir.”

He could sit around here making theories and guess work. But he needed to see the place in person. There was something wrong here.

“Send me that address, FRIDAY. Don’t tell anyone where I’m going.” He called over his shoulder as he exited the privacy of the smaller office. Bruce looked up again from his own project and a thought came to Tony as he walked.

“Banner, I could use your assistance with something. How familiar are you with children and neglect?” He asked, grabbing one of his coats from the rack they kept in the lab. He was so preoccupied with his coat, he didn’t notice the way Bruce tensed.

“A little familiar, I guess.” He finally managed to say.

“Great, come on. I need your help with something.” He left the larger lab, quickly as though he were a man on a mission, “now Banner! I haven’t got all day!”

Bruce sighed, putting his lab things down and rushing to catch up to Tony. Whatever the billionaire was doing now, he figured he at least owed it to Pepper and the others to calm him down before whatever it was got himself or somebody else hurt.

What did the neglect thing have to do with it anyway? An uneasiness spread through Bruce as he caught up with Tony by the elevator. There was an unreadable expression on the other man’s face. Bruce found himself wondering if this was a Tony thing or an Avengers thing? He wasn’t sure which one he’d prefer in all honesty.

The elevator dinged, and the two men stepped inside. Sooner or later, he’d receive the answer to that question

It turned out to be a Tony thing.

“Tony, you cannot walk into a house, guns blazing.” Bruce crossed his arms over his chest. They were parked outside of a home, arguing over what the next course of action would be. Tony had explained everything to him on the drive over and the whole situation had his skin crawling. There were a lot of things Tony didn’t understand about this. If it was really as bad as he thought it was, they shouldn’t even be here. They should be contacting the proper auhorities.

He understood Tony’s concern, he really did. Probably better than anyone else on this planet. But this was not the way to go about things. If his friend was right and this boy was actually being hurt in this home, them showing up and poking around would only make things worse.

“Relax, Brucie. I’m not just going to bust the door down, I have this.” He reached into his pocket, pulling out an Iron Man action figure. Oh yeah, he was right. He totally had this under control. Clearly, a toy will solve all their problems!

Tony must have noticed the skeptical look Bruce had because he rolled his eyes.

“I have an alibi; I was at the hospital with him the other day. I show up to ‘return’ this, and boom we’re in! Then we just talk to the kid and we’re out of here,” he pushed his door open, not waiting for Bruce’s response.

There was still an uneasy feeling in the doctor’s chest as he watched Tony climb out of the car and begin to make his way to the front door. He hurried to follow him, there was no way he was going to let this play out without being there. He couldn’t let this get out of hand and Tony had a habit of not handling situations properly.

He caught up with Tony at the bottom of the walkway.

“Why do you even care so much? He’s just one kid,” Bruce didn’t mean for it to come out as harsh as it did. He just didn’t understand why his friend was so adamant on checking up with this particular kid. There were hundreds, maybe even thousands of children suffering similar situations. Why was this one so special?

Tony stopped as they reached the bottom of the steps. He opened his mouth to respond, then shook his head.

“I actually don’t even really know why myself… I guess, when I saw him get excited over the tech I showed him… and build with those blocks…” He let the answer hang in the air between them.

“You saw yourself being neglected by Howard. A brilliant kid who isn’t being nurtured by anyone.” Bruce finished for him.  

Tony couldn’t meet his friends’ eyes. He didn’t like to talk about his childhood, growing up as the son of Howard Stark was difficult, to say the least. But Bruce was right. Brilliant children needed to be nurtured, taken care of daily. He’d almost become the exact opposite of what a brilliant child should turn out to be, even after being raised by Mr. Jarvis. He couldn’t imagine what kind of child Peter Parker would turn into living in a home like this.

“Tony, this… situation… if what you explained to me is true. It might not be like you and Howard…”

Howard Stark had been a cruel and distant father, Bruce was aware. But the man had never abused his son. He’d never refused Tony meals or injured him in anyway, which was quite possibly the situation they were walking into right now with this boy.

There was no reply. They stood there, both understanding the weight of what they were about to do.

“So, what’s the plan once we’ve talked to the kid?” Bruce asked, looking up at the closed door. Tony shrugged himself out of his thoughts. They only had one shot at this.

“Find him somewhere else to live, I guess. Assuming his aunt and uncle can’t take him.” He still had no idea why his relatives had left him to flounder here in the first place. That didn’t sound like something families were supposed to do. Then again, he didn’t have a lot of experience in that category.

Bruce was the one who broke them out of their thoughts. They couldn’t stand here talking about this all day. They had driven all the way here for this, they might as well at least attempt to this. He climbed up the porch steps and knocked firmly on the door as his friend wordlessly climbed up to stand beside him.

They remained silent as they waited for the door to be opened, both with the same pit of dread pooling inside of them.

Hopefully, something worse hadn’t already happened to Peter.

Chapter Text

Darkness.

That’s all Peter could see. Well, not see.

Somehow, the older boys had tricked him again. He thought he was smarter than them. But sometimes, he was reminded just how dumb and weak he really was.

The oldest boy, Finn, had convinced him to play hide and seek with them. At first, Peter had been wary, but they played several rounds of the game without any incident. Halfway through their fourth game though, they must’ve gotten bored. When Peter had opened the closet to hide, one of the boys must have snuck up behind him and locked it. There was no lock or knob on the inside of the closet. So now he was stuck here until someone came to grab something from the closet.

He couldn’t even cry. That would just make them do it again. Once he had realized he was stuck, he’d sat on the floor and began counting. It didn’t last very long, though; he could only count to twelve. For the life of him, he couldn’t remember what came next.

Muffled voices came through the door, and he perked up slightly. That must mean someone was coming for him, right?

He couldn’t hear exactly who was talking, but he didn’t care. He needed to be let out of here immediately. If he didn’t get to a potty soon, he would pee all over himself. And that would make the older boys go nuts.

“In here?” A familiar female voice asked. And before Peter could move to bang his fists against the closet door, it was opened. The light was blinding, and he immediately went up to cover his eyes. Why was it so bright?

When his eyes finally adjusted to the light and he was able to move his arms down, he realized there was a tense silence in the hallway. He looked up, Mrs. Turner looked pale, at her side Finn was looking sheepishly around. He had never seen either of them look like that, there had to be a reason, right? Oh.

Then he noticed they weren’t alone in the little hallway. The man from the waiting room the other day, Iron Man, and another man were standing there. Both looked like they were upset. They must be upset with me, he thought. What other reason was there? He was the one who had been locked in the closet. Maybe they thought he should’ve stayed in the closet?

Iron Man kneeled to the floor, his face changing almost instantly. It reminded him of the way Finn or Mrs. Turner would look when they were about to do something mean, like send him to bed with no dinner or lock him in a closet.

“Hey, Peter. You remember me from the hospital the other day?”

Of course, he did. How could he forget? He had met Iron Man! He had told all the other kids and got beat up for lying. His body still ached from the roughing up he’d received. They probably all felt stupid now though.

He nodded slowly, looking to Mrs. Turner for guidance. She wouldn’t meet his eyes, so he turned back to Iron Man.

“You left this back there and I thought I’d return it.” He reached into his coat as he said this, pulling out an action figure. Peter immediately knew this wasn’t his. He didn’t own any action figures; he didn’t own any toys. All the toys his aunt and uncle bought for him were either destroyed or stolen by the other kids. If he owned this, it would be no exception.

But he did want the toy, and the man was offering it to him…

He hesitantly took it, looking up to the man for guidance. Did he want him to play with it? Did he want him to do something in return?

“This is my friend Bruce.” He gestured over to the other man he had come in with. Peter didn’t recognize him, he hadn’t been at the hospital the other day. But he nodded anyway, to show that he was listening.

“If you’re not too busy, he’d like to have a few words with you in private.” Iron Man continued.

That was kind of exciting for Peter. He knew what ‘in private’ meant. It meant serious grown-up talk. He got to be a part of serious grown-up talk! That was so cool! But first…

“Can I go potty first?” He asked, dancing slightly as he tried to hold it in. Bruce immediately stepped in, reaching for his hand.

“Walk me there, yeah? I’ll wait for you and we’ll talk when you get out?”

Peter hesitated. He didn’t mind Bruce, but he also didn’t fully trust him. He looked to Iron Man for guidance. Iron Man would never steer him in the wrong direction. He was a superhero, and superheroes always know what’s best.

“Go ahead, kid,” he nudged his head in the direction of his buddy and Peter accepted this. If Iron Man trusted this man, that was good enough for him. He took the bigger hand and let Bruce lead him away. When they got to the stairs, he took over. Guiding Bruce down the stairs in the direction of the bathroom. As they walked, he heard yelling from upstairs.

Whenever there was yelling, it was better to not be involved. He thought, and continued. By the time he got out of the bathroom, however, the yelling was still going. Now, he was feeling a little nervous.

“How about we go sit on the porch, kid?” Bruce was already guiding him to the front door. He followed obediently. They sat on the porch in silence for a few minutes, Peter twisting the arms of his new action figure, lost in his own little world. Finally, the older man spoke.

“Peter, how long were you in that closet?”

The kid shrugged, still focused on his toy. He had no idea how long he’d been in there. It felt like hours. He told Bruce that.

There was another few minutes of silence. Peter was imagined scenarios he could put his new toy in.

“Do things like this happen often?” Bruce asked, trying to wiggle as much information out of the kid without making the entire situation worse. Peter looked up at him, hesitant. He knew what Bruce meant by things like that, but he also knew Mrs. Turner wouldn’t be happy if he told the older man about it.

Bruce spotted the hesitancy immediately. He swallowed slightly, the sight bringing back vivid memories of his own childhood he tried to keep buried deep down inside.

“You know, when I was about your age, my dad and I… we didn’t really get along. He would say and do mean stuff, you know stuff he could get in a lot of trouble for.” He chose his words carefully, not wanting to scare the young boy. “But eventually, he was caught, you know why he was caught?”

Peter shook his head, clearly very interested in where this story was going.

“He got caught because people told on him. Sometimes telling on people is the right thing to do, kid. If my dad hadn’t gotten told on, I would’ve suffered a lot more. He was a bad man. If you tell on Mrs. Turner or somebody else, I swear Tony and I will look out for you, okay? We won’t let anything happen to you.” He gently prodded some more, hoping to get through to the boy that this was the right thing to do.

It took Peter a few minutes of thought, but eventually he spilled his guts to Bruce. His voice was watery and cracking as he told him everything, from minor infractions (having his toys stolen, the kids picking on him) to major oness (being locked in the closet, not being fed, hitting). He didn’t even understand why he was doing it and a few times throughout found himself trying to stop. Bruce gently coaxed him to continue every time though, with soft reassurances that everything would be alright. By the end of it, Bruce was thankful Tony stayed in the house. If he had heard even half the things Peter told him right then, everyone in that house would be dead people walking.

“You did good, kid.” He held his hand out for a high five, and Peter returned it, looking up at Bruce with those wide, innocent, eyes that only a kid could have.

“I’m going to go in there and talk to Tony.” He began, Peter cut him off.

“Iron Man?”

Bruce laughed, there was something funny about hearing Tony referred to as Iron Man without the suit on. But all this kid saw was his hero when he looked at the man.

“Yeah, Iron Man.” He corrected himself, still chuckling. “You want to wait out here? It might be safer.”

Peter nodded. He sat outside on the porch for what felt like hours, playing with his toy, watching the birds fly by, listening to people’s passing conversations.

“You want to go for a drive, kid?” Iron Man and Bruce had exited the house. Bruce had a bag in his hand, and he walked past them, smiling softly at the small boy as he walked to the car. Iron Man took a few steps forward, and held his hand out for Peter to take.

He hesitated, looking back over his shoulder at the door.

“Mrs. Turner says we’re not supposed to go out without her permission.” He told the man.

“Well, Iron Man says you can. You coming kid, or not? Because I get it if you want to stay here, but we’re going to get ice cream and-“

“Ice cream?” Peter perked up almost instantly. He only had ice cream on special days, usually his birthday. Was today a special day? He screwed his face up, trying to remember.

“Yeah, ice cream. You like that right?”

Peter debated the words for a few more moments before nodding and taking his hand.

“Can I have chocolate?”

“You can have whatever you want, kid.”

Chapter Text

True to his word, on the way home, the three of them stopped at an ice cream place. After a quick discussion between the adults, Bruce agreed to walk Peter in and get their ice cream. The sight of Tony Stark with a child would only draw crowds, and the last thing Tony wanted was for cameras to be shoved in the 5-year-old’s face. The kid had had a hard enough day without that.

He watched Bruce and Peter, talking back and forth, as they walked into the ice cream place. He had no idea that his friend was so good with kids, if it weren’t for the giant green rage monster he’d be an amazing father.

He pulled out his phone, knowing he had to make a call before he brought the kid to the compound. If he didn’t give her a heads up, Pepper would freak out. The last thing he needed was Pepper freaking out. Because then he’d freak out. And then they’d both be freaking out. Then nothing would get done.

“Pepper, hey, I’m on my way back right now,” he assured his girlfriend as soon as she picked up the phone. He needed to get that reassurance out first or she’d start to panic before he could even get a word in edge wise.

“Tony, where are you? I went down to the lab and Bruce wasn’t there… is this an Avengers thing?” She sounded worried. He really should make a habit out of letting her know before he left the compound.

“Everything’s fine. Bruce is with me, you know Steve, Nat, Sam, and Clint are out on a mission. If this was an Avengers thing, we’d be at the compound. I’m going to need you to set up one of the bedrooms temporarily,” he admitted, already feeling guilty for the amount of stress he was going to spring upon her.

There was a pause on the phone, like she was considering his words carefully.

“Are we getting a new member? Tony, I really have to advise against this. We’ve got our hands full with the last recruits you guys brought in, and-” Tony cut her off immediately.

“No Pep,” he began to explain “I’m bringing a kid in. The kid from the hospital the other day,” 

“You have got to be kidding me, Tony. Tell me you did not just kidnap a kid,” she sounded angrier than he had expected her to be. He rolled his eyes.

“I didn’t, I swear. I removed him from a dangerous situation, which I’m rightfully allowed to do.” He hoped anyway. “Relax, Pepper. He won’t be staying long, just until we can get a hold of someone who can deal with this situation,” he promised, knowing that would put her mind at ease. ”I’ll contact his aunt and uncle as soon as Bruce and I get in.”There was nothing Pepper loved more than a game plan.

“I hope you know what you’re doing Tony,” she said, as he looked up to see Bruce and Peter walking back to the car.

“I promise, I do. They’re coming back to the car; I’ll explain better when I get in,” he told her. He could practically hear her let out an annoyed huff from over the phone. As much as she loved Tony and trusted his decisions, she didn’t like not knowing what was going on. Especially when it also related to her in a way.

“I love you, talk to you later,” he hung up the phone quickly, not waiting for a response.

Bruce and Peter climbed back into the car, ice creams in hand.

The kid was talking at a million miles a minute. Tony was pretty sure since he had joined them, he hadn’t stopped talking. Weird, considering he’d been so quiet back at the foster house and the hospital. Something must’ve changed to make him open up so much.

Bruce handed him an ice cream, and he took it, thanking his friend. Peter was distracted with his own cone, so Tony took the opportunity to have a conversation with his fellow Avenger.

“How was the line up in there? Anything crazy?” He asked, making small talk. He hated small talk, but sometimes it was a good tool to segway into the important stuff.

“Wasn’t busy. Did you call Pepper and warn her about…” Bruce’s eyes flitted over to where Peter was sitting behind them, oblivious to the conversation they were having.

“Yeah… She wasn’t too happy. You know how antsy she’s been since we brought home the Maximoffs,” he and Bruce shared a look. Pepper wasn’t a huge fan of Pietro and Wanda. Their powers made her uneasy, as did their habit of using them for every little thing. Ever since, she’d been wary of new Avengers having to stay at the compound. Or anyone new, really.

“How long is he staying at the compound?” Bruce asked, turning slightly in his seat to see what the youngster was up to now that he was so quiet. Peter was still heavily enthralled in his ice cream; he didn’t even seem to be paying attention, his hands covered in the cold snack. This car was definitely going to need a clean later.

Tony sighed. He knew the foster care system was a hit or miss thing, Peter could have a new foster home by next week or next year. In the meantime, he figured he’d take care of the kid until a suitable placement could be found, but he still needed to talk it out with Pepper.

“We’ll see. It’s really up to what Pep thinks we should do,” he explained.

They sat for a while in silence, enjoying their ice creams and letting the weight of the situation wash over them both. Tony was a little bit nervous to take Peter to the compound; it wasn’t exactly the most kid friendly place in the world. He’d built it in mind for superhero needs not… baby needs.

He’d always hoped that eventually, when he did decide to settle and have kids (with Pepper), that they’d move out of the compound. Maybe find a nice cabin in the middle of the woods and settle down. So, he hadn’t set up the compound to accommodate that part of his life. Maybe he should’ve…

“Tony! We should get going. I need to finish something in the lab and Peter might need to get some rest soon.” Bruce shook him out of his thoughts, reminding him that he wasn’t the only person in the car.

He didn’t answer, but he started the car. His friend was right. The sooner they got back to the compound, the sooner they could help Peter.

Chapter Text

Peter fell asleep during the drive, Tony couldn’t blame him. The drive from anywhere in New York City to the compound was a long one and he’d fallen asleep during it quite a few times when Happy was driving him.

Was he equating himself to a 5 year old?

He could hear Pepper’s voice in his mind saying he was one, that characteristic smirk on her lips. There was nothing he loved more than her relentless teasing. Speaking of, they pulled into the compound, it was late. The sun had already mostly set, a slight red hue still remained in the sky but that soon would fade away too.

Bruce lifted the kid out of the back seat of the car and began to carry him inside. Tony followed silently beside him. His buddy was a natural at this, way better than he figured he’d ever be. If they couldn’t find anywhere else for the boy to go, maybe he could convince Bruce to take him. At least then they’d have a back up plan.

They made their way into the compound, exhausted from the day. The gravity was also starting to sink in a little for Tony. He’d pushed the boundaries on a lot of stuff but he was pretty sure his Avenger status didn’t grant him the permission to take children from their legally appointed homes. He would definitely get into loads of trouble. Nothing that money couldn’t fix though, he hoped. He had no short supply of that.

Pepper was waiting for them when they arrived at the living quarters section.

“I contacted May Parker. She didn’t sound too happy but she’s unable to make the trip tonight. She’ll be here tomorrow.” Her tone was disapproving as she looked up, tucking her tablet under her arm.

Tony was a little surprised she was so on top of this. And that she’d figured out exactly who he’d picked up. “How’d you even know-“

“FRIDAY let me know what you were looking into before you left. I figured I should alert someone before this got out of hand. Tony, what were you thinking? Someone could’ve called an Amber Alert or something-“

The truth was he hadn’t been thinking. Something had overcome him, he’d felt as though he neeeded to help. He was glad he had gone though. Finding that boy in the closet and learning some of what he’d told Bruce while they’d made the drive here had solidified that it was the right decision.

Pepper’s gaze moved from him to Peter, her eyes and face softening some.

“How was he on the drive here?” Her tone was worried. It was a tone he heard a lot coming from her.

“An angel. Talked a lot, then slept a lot,” Bruce answered as the three of them made their way down the hallway with the bedrooms.

As they walked, Pepper discussed how she’d done her best to childproof the bedroom on such short notice. They stepped into the room and Tony couldn’t believe she’d only managed to do this in a few hours.

The bed was still much too big for a child, something that could be remedied if Peter were to stay here more long term, but the rest of the room had been transformed. There were some stuffed animals on the little chair in the room. A nightlight had been plugged into the outlet nearby as well.

With what little she’d had to work with, Pepper had done a good job. Bruce carried the small boy over to the bed and gently laid him down, bringing the blanket up to his chin. The boy was still clutching the Iron Man action figure in his hand. Bruce quietly swapped it out for one of the softer toys on the chair.

Once he was settled down, tucked in. Bruce took his leave muttering about needing to finish a project down in the lab. Pepper stayed for a few moments longer then she left too, patting her boyfriend on the arm gently.

Tony remained for a few extra minutes. He sat down on the bed and watched the boy sleep so peacefully. It suddenly occurred to him that he had once been just as small as Peter. How had his father ever been so… distant? How had he not wanted to be there every second watching him grow? Because that’s how he felt looking at this little boy and he wasn’t even his own…

Shaking himself out of the stupor he was in, he stood, shutting off the light and gently closing the door behind him.

“FRIDAY, monitor the kid. Let me know if he wakes up. Or if something else happens.” He asked his AI. The female voice replied with an affirmative.

How did parents without an intelligent, nearly sentient AI do this? Did they just leave and hope everything was alright while they were gone? That would drive him nuts.

He made his way to the kitchen, unable to remember the last time he’d eaten something. It had been a long time he was sure of it. Maybe early this morning? I’m really feeling a cheeseburger and some alone time with Pepper.

“Sir, Mr. Parker is awake and seems to be in distress.”

The words immediately sent Tony up from his seat. He and Pepper had been sitting in the kitchen for a few hours now. There was a lot of conversation to be had between the two of them. Mostly about Peter. Nothing definitive could be set in stone, of course, until they talked to May Parker the next day but they were dicussing their options anyway.

Truth be told, Tony didn’t trust May. There was something about her that made him uncomfortable. How had she not known what was going on in that house with her nephew, even a little bit? Her and her husband were clearly very involved in the boys life, it wasn’t like he’d just been cast aside. Either she knew or she was really dense. Both of them. And neither option made him feel any better about the situation at hand.

On the other hand, Pepper was concerned about the compound. If the boy stayed for any longer than a few days, everything would need to be childproofed. This place was built for adult superhumans not regular children.

He shook these thoughts from his head as he made his way back down the hall to the bedroom. Right now, all that mattered was Peter. If he was in distress, it was his job as his temporary guardian to alleviate it, right?

He was somewhat aware that Pepper was following behind, close on his heels.

The lights were already on when he pushed open the door to the room, FRIDAY must’ve come to the conclusion the boy would feel better with them on. In the middle of the bed, the toddler was curled up with his knees to his chest. He was sniffling, rubbing his wet eyes on his sleeves.

He scrambled to sit up a bit when he realized that Tony was there. The sight sent a sharp pang through him as he remembered scrambling to sit up, wiping at his own eyes as his father stood in the doorway staring back disapprovingly.

“Men don’t cry, Anthony.”

“You alright in here, Peter? FRIDAY said you might be having a problem…” He walked over to the bed, sitting on the edge of it like he’d done only a few hours prior, leaving a bit of space between them. The last thing he wanted to do was make this situation worse by getting all up in the boy’s face.

Peter continued to wipe at his eyes but he seemed relieved the person who had come in was Tony. He sniffled again. “Scary dream.”

The stuffed animal Bruce had tucked in with him earlier lay forgotten at his side. Tony reached for it, handing it back to the boy hoping it would provide a sliver of comfort for him. The boy took it grateful.

“That’s okay, kid. I get them sometimes too,” he smiled sadly. It wasn’t a lie either. Ever since New York, their battle with Loki… he’d been plagued with them. Every time they faced a new Earth shattering threat it only added on to them. Lately, his dreams were filled with Ultron and the look on Steve’s face when he’d disagreed with him over the Accords…

Peter looked up at him shyly, almost like he was too afraid to voice what he was thinking. He flushed slightly. “But you’re Iron Man…”

The words hung in the air between them but Tony knew what he was trying to say. This kid must’ve grown up with a lot of the same bullshit being spewed at him as he had. That men don’t cry, that superheroes are always brave and strong, that they’re not afraid of anything. That mindset had led him to a lot of pain and strife. Time to break the cycle and save this kid the hassle.

“I still get scared sometimes, kid. You know what helps me?” He asked. Peter shook his head, his blue eyes were wide and focused entirely on him like he was about to lay out all the secrets of the universe. It was hard not to appreciate such pure innocence.

Tony chuckled and gestured to the doorway where Pepper leaned against the frame, watching the exchange in silence. “I share the bed with Pepper. It’s hard to feel scared when someone you love is there with you.”

The five year old’s eyes drifted to her, tilting his head. He hadn’t even realized she was there until this moment. After a few moments, his eyes moved downward focusing in on the stuffed animal in his lap. He looked sad; as though he were thinking about something. It occurred to Tony that maybe he used to crawl into bed with his parents, like typical children did. He probably hadn’t done that in a long time now.

“Can you share the bed with me? So I won’t feel scared?”

Tony wondered where did he go when he had nightmares at his foster home? He definitely hadn’t crawled into bed with his foster mom, that was for sure. Had he just laid in bed, alone, shaking and afraid?

That’s what he had done on more than one occasion. Sometimes, his mother had convinced his father to let him sleep between them. But most of the time, Howard had said no. How can he ever learn to be a man if you keep babying him, Maria.

He scooted to the head of the bed beside Peter (who was a lot smaller than he’d originally realized) and tucked the kid under his arm. His stomach flipped slightly when the kid rested his head against him.

“Just for tonight, kid,” he said softly. Peter didn’t reply, he was already nodding off again, his breathing becoming shallow once more. Tony envied the boys ability to bounce back. To just drift off into dreamland again, knowing that the adults around him would keep him safe. Trusting they would.

Pepper came over, pressing her lips softly to Tony’s forehead as she did. “Tony, you know he may be a lot harder to take care of than you realize…”

“Yeah, yeah. Diapers, snot, screaming…” He tried to joke, giving her one of his trademark smirks.

“I’m serious, Tony. It’s a big commitment, even for a short while. You can’t fool around with it. Be someone he can look up to. He clearly looks up to you already, don’t let him down.”

Something in the tone of her voice, the weight of her words really hit him. His father had never risen to that challenge when raising him. She was right, of course, she was always right. If he was going to care for Peter, even if it was only for a short period of time, he needed to be a better man than his father had been. He needed to protect this child.

He looked down at Peter resting against him, running a hand gently over the messy hair. So pure, so innocent. Something he hadn’t been in a long time, if ever.

“I will, Pepper,” he looked back up at her. “I’ll try not to screw this up.”

Chapter Text

“Of course, I’m thankful for what you did but my husband and I can handle it-”

“Oh, you seem to be handling it really well. From your nice apartment, with plenty of room for your nephew.”

“You know where I live?”

“Tony, calm down, please!”

Peter sat outside the kitchen door listening to the adults talk. He wasn’t completely sure what they were talking about, but they seemed to be getting pretty heated about whatever it was. He just hoped it wouldn’t end with him having to go back to stay with Mr. and Mrs. Turner.

This morning had been probably the best morning he could remember. He’d awoken to find that, true to his word, Iron Man had spent the entire night with him. When the man had finally woken up himself, they’d had breakfast with the red-haired woman and Bruce (who he’d been really excited to see again).

Shortly after, his aunt had showed up, and the adults had sent him into the hallway to play while they talked things out. His aunt, Iron Man, Bruce and the red haired lady were really upset about something. Something to do with him.

He made a swooshing noise as his action figure flew through the air, feeling kind of bored. There was nothing besides this one toy to play with,and he didn’t want to wander. He was scared he’d get lost. This place was huge. Bigger than even the hospital! 

The sound of footsteps snapped him away from his play. There someone was walking up the hallway towards him, and he clambered to his tiny feet nervously.  He should probably warn the newcomer not to go into the kitchen because everyone was angry.

As the man (more like a young adult) approached, he stopped. Narrowing his eyes slightly at the toddler. Peter didn’t like his eyes boring into him. It reminded him of Finn and the boys at his home.

“You are little,” the man finally pointed out, a heavy accent dripping from his words. Peter huffed, he’s 5 years old. That’s pretty big, in his opinion.

“I’m not little! I’m 5 years old.” He held up five fingers to make his point very clear, and the man laughed, although Peter didn’t see what exactly was so funny.

While he laughed, though, Peter had a chance to take in his appearance. His hair was silver, the kind of colour he saw old men have in their hair.He had hair on his face like Iron Man, but besides that, there wasn’t a lot to notice about this guy.

“I am sorry, I did not realize. Forgive me, I assume you’re out here because the adults don’t want you to listen right?” He had already noticed the increasing noise from inside. Peter nodded, letting out another huff.

Before the conversation could get any further, more footsteps were heard, and a disheveled girl around the same age as the man came around the corner. She was annoyed, Peter could tell, and she pointed an accusatory finger at the man.

“You are so lucky you’re my brother or I would kill you right now, that was not funny,” she growled, eyes glowing slightly and hands clenched at her sides. The man laughed again. This time Peter was even more confused.

“How did you not see that coming?” He asked, eyes glinting with mischief. 

Before she could respond with a snarky comment , she heard the yelling coming from the kitchen. Her face changed from that of anger to curiosity, walking over to stand by the door.

“What’s going on in there?” She asked, listening in to the conversation.

Her brother shrugged, clearly not the least bit concerned about it. “Probably has something to do with this kid.”

The girl looked over, having finally noticed Peter.She kneeled down to meet his eyes. For a moment, there a glint of sadness in the girl’s eyes.But as quickly as it was there, it was gone. She held her hand out for his action figure, and he hesitantly handed it over. He could trust these people. Iron Man trusted them, right?

She didn’t take the action figure. She only moved her fingers slightly, creating a red glow that lifted it and placed it on the ground.

Peter’s eyes lit up as he leaned down to pick up the toy.

“That was so cool!” He squeaked, holding it out to her. “Do it again!”

She met her brother’s eyes over Peter’s head and did as she was told, smiling as Peter watched, totally entranced.

“What is your name?” She asked as Peter once again lifted the toy up for her to play with. He looked up at her.

“Peter Parker,” he told her finally, clutching the action figure closer to himself. She stood, holding her hand out for him to take. Peter took it, curiously scanning her hand for where the red stuff had come from. It had to come from somewhere,didn’t it? He wondered if she would be upset if he asked.

“My name is Wanda and this is my brother, Pietro,” she spat her brother’s name, which Peter took as a sign that she was still angry with him. “Come. We’ll keep you company while the adults argue.”

Pietro clambered to his feet, joining them as they walked away. Peter glanced over his shoulder to the kitchen door. Would Iron Man or his aunt be upset if he left? But he was bored there anyway…

It took the adults a while to stop bickering in the kitchen, the whole time Peter spent with Wanda and Pietro. Not only did Wanda have some weird powers, but Pietro could also run really fast. He loved to do it, especially when it annoyed his sister.

By the time Iron Man, Bruce, Aunt May, and the red haired woman (he wished he could remember her name, but he’d been so tired when he was told) found them, they were laying on the couch, exhausted.

“Hello, Stark,” Wanda was the first to notice the group had moved from the kitchen. Her brother and Peter were half asleep beside her. “You all were yelling quite a bit so Pietro and I spent a little time with Peter.”

Peter sat up a little bit to look at the adults. Iron Man and Aunt May did not look particularly pleased with each other. The other two adults' faces were neutral. Peter wondered who had won the arguing match. Maybe he should’ve stuck around to find out.

“This is a last resort type thing, I hope you know that. As soon as we find Peter a better place to stay, he won’t be staying here,” May said to Iron Man as they walked toward a door. Iron Man said something too quiet for Peter to hear, but it clearly had the desired effect because his face was smug, and she looked even more upset than she’d been before.

Peter said goodbye to his aunt, and then she left, promising she'd be back soon with some good news. He watched her go, not really all that concerned. She always came back for him, even if she couldn’t keep him. Besides, he had Iron Man to look after him now.

“Sir, Mr. Rogers, Ms. Romanoff, Mr. Barton and Mr. Wilson have returned from their mission. Would you like me to send them up for a debrief before they return to their rooms? Mr. Wilson has an injury and requires Dr. Banner’s assistance,” Friday, the AI Peter remembered from the night before alerted the room.

“I’ll watch Peter. Take the Maximoffs with you, please?” The red-haired woman practically begged Iron Man, and he nodded in agreement.

“You heard the AI, let’s move it!” He stiffly gestured to the other three people in the room. With one last fleeting glance over his shoulder at Peter, he followed Bruce, Wanda and Pietro from the room.

“They’ll be back soon, what do you say we go get you some lunch?”

Peter watched them go, slightly disappointed for a moment before nodding.

Chapter Text

Tony silently seethed the whole way to debriefing his fellow Avengers. It was almost like Bruce, Wanda and Pietro could sense the tension in the air as they walked and didn’t say a single word to him. They talked amongst themselves but did not offer him room to interject, something he was grateful for.

As they walked, he could think about the shouting match that’d just taken place in the kitchen. May Parker clearly cared for her nephew a lot, that much was true and Tony did learn that the reason she couldn’t care for Peter was because they had their own child. Raising two children (one who would require special care) was a lot to handle. He didn’t, in all honesty, blame her for giving up Peter now that he knew the entire story.

What he did blame her for were all the things she’d said in the kitchen about him not being fit to be a guardian for Peter (or any other kid, she really had to add that bit). Pepper and Bruce had tried to mediate the conversation, but in the end it had still got way too heated. He was sure he and May had both said things they deemed a little too far now that they could think clearly about them.

I’ll show her I’m fit to raise a kid. How hard is raising a kid anyway. If Clint can do it, not that hard.

He met Steve, Natasha, Clint and Sam in the meeting room. Bucky and Vision were with them, Bucky sticking close to Steve like he always did and Vision inspecting Sam’s injury, a gash on his arm that was starting to look really infected.

“Let me take a look at that, excuse me Vis,” Bruce immediately set to work looking at Sam’s injury. The man wasn’t an expert, but he was the closest thing they had to an in-house doctor since Helen Cho left after the Ultron incident. She had been adamant on having ‘a quiet life’ from here on out. 

Tony snorted to himself inwardly, if only it were that easy for the rest of them.

“Fill me in, Cap, what’d you find?”

He actually didn’t really care about anything Steve was going to say, and after he made sure FRIDAY was recording it, tuned out of the retelling of the mission. His thoughts drifted back to Peter. He wondered what he and Pep were doing now. Watching a movie? Do 5 year olds have attention spans for movies?

“Tony, are you even listening?” Steve waved his hand in front of Tony’s face, slightly annoyed.

The billionaire looked over at him, blinking, “Of course, Capsicle, why would I ever tune you out?”

He heard both Natasha and Sam snicker, Steve looked annoyed, but he continued on as if nothing had happened. By the end, Tony was seriously considering following in Dr. Cho’s footsteps. He dismissed everybody saying he needed to get back to Pepper as soon as possible.

Sam and Clint left the compound, returning to their own non-Avenger lives and the rest split up to go to their respective compound rooms, all except Steve who hung back to talk to Tony despite the billionaire’s attempts to escape as quickly as possible.

“Tony, are you still upset about…” He let the question hang in the air, knowing Tony would understand what he was talking about. He breathed out a heavy sigh.

Almost a year ago, after a disagreement over the Sokovia Accord which would prevent the Avengers from causing any more collateral damage, Tony had found out that Steve’s best friend Bucky had killed his parents. The whole situation was now dubbed ‘the Avengers Civil War’ in the compound. 

Despite the grand name and the dire circumstances, it actually hadn’t been that bad. Tony and Steve had managed to finally settle down enough to see each other’s sides and a peaceful agreement had been reached, though Tony still wasn’t overly fond of Steve’s dismissal of Bucky.

“No. No. I just got a lot on my plate, Cap, and no offence but you’re the last thing I really want to be dealing with right now,” he rubbed his temple, it came out a lot meaner than he had intended it to. Steve was his friend still, despite the difference in opinion they had on the types of company they kept. He needed to stop treating him as though he were some sort of enemy.

But that day would not be today.

Steve gave him a look and it reminded Tony of being a teenager, of his dad looming over him and sizing him up. In a lot of ways, Steve was a lot like his dad. They had been raised in similar times after all. But where Howard Stark had been rough around the edges, Steve was a lot softer. No wonder his father had practically worshipped this guy.

The frown on his face deepened. “If you ever need my help, Tony. I’m available and-”

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep, Capsicle,” he walked by his friend, patting his shoulder awkwardly. He couldn’t remember touching him in a friendly way since before ‘the Avengers Civil War’, “but if you’re serious I might need your help babysitting in a few days. Pep and I have to get some things sorted out with Peter’s social worker and-”

It dawned on him only after he was halfway through his spiel that he had never explained to anyone (besides Wanda, Pietro and Bruce) the existence of Peter.

“I should probably call everyone back from their compound rooms to discuss this.”

“Tony! What did you do!?”