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Published:
2025-12-01
Updated:
2025-12-03
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2,372
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2/?
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at the end of the spider web

Summary:

Peter Parker, who lost his family at thirteen, is “adopted” by Tony Stark—but the Stark Tower never truly becomes his home. Harley is everyone’s golden child; Peter is the quietly forgotten kid. No one notices his intelligence, his trauma, or how much he has changed.

After testing the powers he gained from the spider bite on his own, Peter goes unheard for years. Finally, at seventeen, he hacks the SHIELD system and calls Nick Fury.

Perhaps this time, someone will actually listen.

Chapter 1

Chapter Text

Peter Parker was thirteen when Tony Stark adopted him. He had lost his aunt and uncle in an attack, and since Tony Stark was a friend of Richard Parker, Peter suddenly found himself living with him. But Harley Kenner was already there. He was three years older than Peter and Tony's golden child. All the Avengers treated her that way.

Peter had remained mostly silent for a while due to the trauma he had experienced. When he finally began opening up, unfortunately, there was no one there to listen or to talk to him. Peter was a talkative kid. Especially when it came to technology or chemistry, he could talk endlessly—but no one noticed. Tony Stark hadn’t realized just how smart Peter was, even a prodigy. Bruce didn’t recognize how skilled Peter was in chemistry for his age. Natasha barely paid attention to him, while Clint wasn’t bad—he occasionally asked how he was doing, and Peter didn’t mind, knowing the man was busy. Thor, on the other hand, was usually lost in his own world, but Peter admired him, just like Steve Rogers. However, Steve always seemed to prefer talking to Harley. Thor was strange, but it wasn’t a problem. Whenever the god saw Peter, they would talk a little. That was enough for a while…

As time went on, even those who spoke to him occasionally began ignoring his existence. It hurt—truly hurt. And the most painful thing was that Tony Stark, the one he admired most, barely ever spoke to him. Legally, Tony was his guardian, but Peter knew it was only on paper. Harley ignored him as if he didn’t understand anything they said. But she was wrong—Peter understood everything.

Oh, and there was a bite from a school trip, a radioactive spider that had given him some powers. This happened before his aunt and uncle died. Peter tried talking to Tony about it, repeatedly, but he was ignored. Then Pepper got pregnant, and Peter’s presence in the tower was almost completely forgotten.

Peter didn’t know what to do with his powers, but he wasn’t stupid. If he tried to use them without understanding, he could hurt himself or others. So, when he decided to take his first step, he was fourteen. He measured how strong he was, how fast, how acute his senses and metabolism had become. Apparently, he could easily lift ten tons and likely much more. He could run at jogging speed for five hours without breaking a sweat (of course, if he ran faster, it would be less time but longer distances). His senses were extremely sharp—he could hear distant sounds and even detect the smallest danger. He called it his “spider sense.” His reflexes were phenomenal. His metabolism worked incredibly fast; he used to eat five times as much as before, but luckily the tower’s fridge was always stocked. His healing factor was impressive—he once broke his arm by accident, and it healed in two hours.

Peter measured, wrote down, and noted all of this. Two things remained: learning to fight and figuring out how to use the web shooters on his wrists. Of course, these would take time, but that didn’t matter. There was no need to be an unprepared hero. He would be ready for everything. The man he saw as a father, who didn’t want to be his father, didn’t listen to him. No one did. So Peter decided to get help elsewhere.

A few months after he turned seventeen, Peter hacked the SHIELD system and found Nick Fury’s personal number to call him.

 

---

Nick Fury wasn’t an idiot. When a stranger called his personal line, and he realized it was one of Tony Stark’s kids, he knew something was up. Normally, he would have informed Tony Stark, right? Well, not in this case. When he arrived at the location of the call, he found an abandoned construction site. The kid was already there.

“Mr. Fury, it’s a great honor to meet you. I’m sorry to use your personal number this way, but I didn’t know how else to reach you.”

The kid spoke quickly, and Fury sighed. A talkative child, yes, but Fury was patient.

“Kid, Stark or anyone else doesn’t know you’re calling, right?”

Peter shook his head, and Fury sighed inwardly. Something big was coming, he could feel it.

“Then let’s get straight to the point. Why did you call me?”

And surprisingly, Peter began explaining everything. Fury was secretly impressed but kept a straight face. Stark seemed unaware of the genius beside him—he was even more foolish than expected. Setting aside these thoughts, Fury focused on the kid. Peter clearly wanted to use his powers to help people. No one in the tower would listen, so there seemed to be no one to talk to about this. Fury perhaps should have informed Stark, right? Would that stop Peter? He didn’t think so. Plus, he was impressed by the kid’s determination.

“No one knows about your powers?”

Peter nodded and then smiled faintly.

“Well… I’m a ghost in the tower. I’ve tried telling Mr. Stark countless times… anyway, I want to do something useful. Can you help me, sir?”

Fury said yes. Screw Stark—the man was more irresponsible than anyone.

“Alright, kid. I think we can help each other, but we need to figure out a few things. You’ll need a costume. Give me your ideas, and we’ll make it for you. You’ll also get training at the facility and be part of a team. I have young heroes like you, and a fifth member wouldn’t be bad.”

Peter nodded quickly, already pulling a few sheets from his backpack.

“I’ve already thought about costume designs! Here they are. And I’ll say yes to training. A hero team… sure, that sounds fine.”

The kid was both excited and nervous. As Fury took the papers, he held out his hand to shake.

“Welcome to the team, Parker.”

Peter grinned widely and shook his hand. Fury noticed two things: first, the kid was seriously strong; second, he had a damn sunbeam of a smile.

“Thank you, Mr. Nick Fury! And… can I use your lab too?!”

Alright… how bad could it be?

Chapter 2

Chapter Text

Ben and May’s death was something Peter could never forget. They had gone out to celebrate May’s birthday—enjoyed a nice dinner and then bought ice cream. Peter had given May the little robot he built. It was also an alarm clock, and May had adored it. She told him she was proud of him. Peter smiled from ear to ear and told them both how much he loved them.

But, you know how every good thing must eventually end?
Peter’s happy life ended that night too.

A man with a gun.
He wanted Ben’s wallet and May’s bag.
They handed them over without hesitation.

Peter, terrified, had pressed himself against the wall.
His newly gained powers made his senses explode.
Maybe the man would have taken the things and left…
But then he noticed the small robot Peter had made.
And when May refused to give it up—everything fell apart.

She should’ve given the robot away.
Peter could’ve made her another one…

Then maybe he wouldn’t have seen them laying there, covered in blood.
He wouldn’t have screamed until his throat burned.
He wouldn’t have felt his beloved family’s blood on his hands.

If he had used his powers, they would still be alive.

That’s how it was—Peter lost his family.
From that day on, gunshots and fireworks terrified him.

After that, Tony Stark adopted him.

 

---

Because of the trauma he went through, Peter became a quiet kid.
He was actually very talkative—really, he was—but the guilt and the grief of losing his aunt and uncle ate him alive.

During his first three months at the Tower, Tony, Pepper, and Harley all tried to talk to him.
Peter either answered with short responses or didn’t speak at all.
The small boy was trying to pull himself together.

Over time, Peter started to come back to himself and decided to bury the pain deep down. He gathered everything he’d made in his room and went to Tony. He had always admired Tony Stark. He liked Iron Man, yes, but Tony Stark—the person—was even cooler.

He found Tony in the kitchen drinking coffee and wanted to show him what he made, but Tony didn’t look. He told Peter to show him later.

Peter tried. He really tried.

He tried talking to Tony.
Funny enough, he didn’t step inside the lab even once.

But Peter didn’t give up.
He told Tony about his upcoming parent–teacher meeting.
Tony didn’t come.
Pepper didn’t come either.

Happy showed up instead.

But for Harley’s meeting? Both Tony and Pepper went.

Peter knew Harley didn’t like him much. Maybe Harley was afraid this older boy would steal all the attention from his family.

Then came the science fair.
Peter had built a small drone. It had a camera and a microphone too. He wanted to show it to Tony and invited him to the fair. Tony only gave it a glance and said he was busy. He also mentioned Harley’s career planning meeting.

Pepper said his “new toy” was cute.
(It wasn’t a toy. He had built it himself.)
Harley said it looked too simple.

The rest of the Avengers were generally polite but kept to themselves.
They loved talking to Harley, though.

It seemed like they didn’t take Peter’s words seriously.

Peter’s favorite person to talk to was Uncle Rhodey, but he rarely visited because of work.

So Peter became friends with the Tower’s AI—Friday.

Not too long after, Pepper became pregnant.

 

---

Actually, a while after living in the Tower, Peter wanted to use his powers.
He wanted to help people.

Like Uncle Ben said, “With great power comes great responsibility.”

But Peter had made a mistake.
He shouldn’t have jumped into a fight without knowing his limits.

But he did.

And the result? Someone died.

One of the people he tried to help was stabbed. She was married—he could tell from her wedding ring. Maybe she had a child. And because of him, that child might’ve lost their mother.

What was he doing?
Why did he jump into everything without knowing anything?

Wasn’t that the reason Ben and May died?

This wasn’t heroism.
Heroism was what the Avengers did, and Peter had failed miserably on his first try.

He had to learn his limits—what he could and couldn’t do.
Maybe he should tell Tony or another Avenger.

Did he try?
Yes.
But, as always, he was ignored.

Whenever he mentioned Oscorp, Tony got angry—after all, they were rivals.
Whenever he brought up superpowers, the other Avengers told him he was too young to be thinking about that.

In short, nobody listened to Peter.
He had to learn everything on his own.

Luckily, Friday would help him—as long as he didn’t get hurt.

Whenever Peter got injured while testing his abilities outside, he didn’t go home until he healed almost completely.

 

---

When Peter returned to the Tower after school, he held his backpack a little tighter as he stepped out of the elevator. It had been a few days since he talked to Nick Fury, and the man still hadn’t contacted him. Peter knew he shouldn’t be impatient, but he was excited, okay?

He walked through the hall lost in thought, thinking about the homework he had to do and the AI codes he could write for his suit. The rest he could finish in the SHIELD lab, right?

“Petey!”

Morgan’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
Peter loved Morgan. Drawing with her and drinking juice together was fun.

“Hey, Morgan.”

He bent down, letting the girl climb into his arms as he continued walking.

“I missed you,” she chirped, making Peter smile.
She was probably the only one here who missed him.

“I missed you too. Do you want to drink juice and draw in my room?”

Her eyes sparkled, and warmth filled Peter’s chest.
Homework and coding could wait—Morgan was more important.

“Yes! But let’s go to the common room first. There’s a new Avenger, and he has wings!”

The news made Peter tense up and curious at the same time.
Who could it be?
Did Peter really need to meet him?
Probably not.
But Peter knew Morgan wouldn’t take no for an answer, so he followed her to the common room.

When they entered, the room fell quiet.
Peter took a breath.

“Hi,” he said softly.

A few people nodded; Pepper gave him a small smile.
That was something, at least.

“Look, Petey! That’s him!”

Peter turned to where Morgan was pointing—and his eyebrows lifted.
Sam Wilson, a.k.a. Falcon, was here.

Still holding Morgan, Peter walked toward him.

“Mr. Wilson, sir—it's an honor to meet you.”

He took a deep breath, trying not to immediately ask about the wings.

“Just Sam, kid. You’re Peter, right?”

Peter nodded quickly, breath shaky.
Sam smiled warmly at him.
Well… that smile would fade eventually. That’s how it always went.

“Petey loves drawing with me. You can join us too! We can put stickers on your wings!”

Morgan announced proudly. A few Avengers snickered.
Sam only chuckled and nodded.

“Maybe another time when I’m less busy. Nice meeting you, Peter.”

Peter mumbled a few words as Sam walked away to talk to the others.
The Avengers were a family, and Sam Wilson would fit right in easily.

Unlike Peter.

“Hey Morgan, want to watch cartoons?”

Harley’s voice made Peter take a slow breath.
If Morgan said yes, Peter wouldn’t be surprised. Kids change their minds fast.

“No! Petey and I are going to draw. Let’s go!”

Peter blinked when her big eyes turned to him.
He nodded.

The little girl was the boss, and Peter followed her lead.

“Well, we can finish before dinner,” he said awkwardly before leaving the room.

The tension slipped out of his body as they walked to his room.
That’s why he didn’t like being in there.

“Come on, Mo, let’s draw something pretty.”

“Yes!”