A/N: Just something quick to ease the lingering Post-Infinity-War-Depression and Pre-Endgame-Loss-Anxiety. I have plans to expand this into a longer story, but curious on feedback of this drabble first. I really wanted to meld the MCU Spider-Man with Spider-Man PS4. There's one Easter Egg in the game of a post-it in Peter's apartment reminding him to 'call TS about job offer'. Wanted to roll with it. There will be mention of Gwen's death as well, but not dwelled on. Ideally Zendaya MJ will come into the picture later.

Obviously, there are some inconsistencies between MCU and game-verse. In the game, it's showed like the Avenger's still use Stark Tower. I like that idea, so I'm sticking with it here.

Just Keep Swinging (A Place Called Home)

The Offer

He'd been doing this for years now, Peter realized one day. He was swinging through Chelsea on a bright fall morning in NYC. The air was crisp and calm and all was quiet down the small street. If asked, he would say he was "On Patrol" but the reality was he just wanted some quiet time to think before starting another day.

He'd been New York City's personal arachnid guardian for eight years already. Or was it finally? Some days, he couldn't tell if time was in overdrive or barely moving at all. So many things had happened...meeting the Avengers, defeating his first real Enemy, almost dying, becoming an Avenger, hell, actually dying on another planet somewhere!

And then there was college, being evicted, Doctor Octavius, being evicted again, May passing away, Gwen... he shook his head. At the end of the day, time didn't really make much sense to Peter anymore, so he usually just avoided thinking about it.

It'd taken him a long time to figure out how to partition out the heartbreak from his mind.

And there were times when it was still overwhelming, crushing his soul like a burning coal smoldering deep in his chest.

He remembered in Psych class, the professor said that a common help for anxiety disorders is to have the patient write out a list of everything that was actually causing the panic, and often they would realize it wasn't so bad.

Peter didn't do well in that class.

But he kept swinging anyway. Because really, it was all he had left.

He swung by a favorite corner cafe (they drew little chalk signs of him every weekend, and gave him free breakfast whenever he passed by) and soon found himself lounging on a web swing between two trees on the High Line.

It'd been quiet for a while after the whole 'Thanos destroys half the universe' thing, and sad memories still hovered on the people who never healed-those who died before the Snap. Most of NYC had gone back to normal at this point, but he found that there were less low-key criminals on nice days, even years after. Something he was grateful for. It was probably the only reason he managed to keep going in the first place.

Still, he was tired. Hardly 23-years-old, and already he'd seen more life (and death) than most ever would. He couldn't remember the last time he slept through the night. Not one.

As he swung on his web, absently picking at the bagel in his hand, he thought about the Avengers and how they'd changed.

They were a team that rarely spoke, rarely saw each other (that he knew of), but-he had no doubt-would still die for each other any day. Even Cap and Tony...maybe.

But part of him missed the old days back when he was first finding his feet as a Superhero. He smiled to himself as he thought of the time Tony 'grounded' him by taking away his suit. Back in those days, he relied on Tony so much. Or, Mr. Stark, as he was known back then to Peter. He wouldn't be anywhere near what he was today without the billionaire with the biggest hidden heart on the planet.

These days, though, he built his own tech. No babysitting protocols or limitations. No check-ins or orders. Just him and his suit.

Every so often Happy would give him a call when his vitals were off; just to 'say hi'. Peter loved those calls. It was the reason he left some connection to Stark Ind in his suit. He felt like it kept some part of him connected. Somehow, through everything, it was what made Happy become the closest thing to a best friend he still had.

Though...in some deep, untouched part of his heart, he felt guilty how many times he just wished it would be Tony calling, just to say hi. They were so close for so long...and now...he couldn't help but feel like he'd done something to push his Father-figure away. Peter visibly shook his head: Don't go down that path again. Everything's fine. Sometimes, Happy would even say so-careful to mention something in passing about Tony being proud of something he'd done recently.

All in all, life was decent enough for the time being. He had as good of a handle on Superhero life as he was gonna get, wasn't starving, and had a safe place to crash when he felt like sleeping...for the moment.

Still-he missed having a family.

And he hated the quiet.

From his place in the trees, he watched a father swing his son around as the kid pretended to be Thor. They were both laughing; pure joy emanating from their features. Peter smiled. He remembered moments like that with Ben.

Something in his chest clenched and he bristled before scarfing the rest of his bagel. Time to get moving again.

A few hours later found him at the peak of the Brooklyn Bridge, staring out over the space of Queens. There was nothing to be done-he was just resigned to just be sad that day. There wasn't even enough crime for him to beat it out of himself.

So he sat there, one leg swinging over the edge and the other tucked up so his chin could rest on his knee.

Then, quite suddenly, the faint wisp of repulsors washed in from behind him. His head whipped around with something akin to excitement and he found himself grinning under his mask at the sight of Iron Man lowering from a steady hover onto the metal platform.

"What? Quiet day?" drawled Tony as his mask pulled back to reveal his face. He'd aged gracefully in the last few years and he seemed at least content-if not happy. The lines crinkling around his eyes looked like those from smiles and laughter, not tears. That in itself lifted some of the heaviness from Peter's heart.

Peter chuckled, forcing his best cheerful voice. "Even thugs need a day off, I guess."

Tony laughed back. "May I?" he asked, gesturing to the empty space at the edge beside Peter.

"Yeah, 'course," Peter was thrilled...but concerned at the same time. "What're you doing in New York? I thought you were off in Dubai or something."

Tony sighed as he sat down, movements a little slow with the heavy suit. "Nah..well, I was, but then some meeting came up and Pepper needed to come back, and now I'm here. Figured I'd check in on ya. How ya been, kid? Haven't seen ya in...a while," everything came out in one big jumble, but Peter followed just the same. Maybe like he wasn't the only one who could use a friend that day.

Peter scratched his head and dared to take off his mask. He knew he didn't look his best. His eyes were dark with exhaustion and unkempt hair looked like it had been stuck in an electrical socket. Remnants of the same youth he'd always had was still there, but there was a heaviness now. Death and loss acting like off-color makeup on his skin.

"Good, been good. You know- just livin' the Spidey life," he was grinning, but it felt oddly fake to him.

Stark didn't seem fazed. It may have been a while since he's seen the kid, but that didn't mean he wasn't paying attention. "Heard you lost your job again."

"Wha-h-how did you..." Peter sighed, of course Tony knew. He knew every time he lost a job. Which was unfortunately often. "They didn't really appreciate me showing up late...or not at all..." how could he go so quickly from being thrilled to ashamed? Stark got Peter that job. And the last one...and he blew it, again. "I'm sorry, Tony."

Tony glared at him for the briefest of moments, then laughed, shaking his head. "Ah, don't worry about it, Kid. Kinda the problem with our side job...not really conducive to a normal lifestyle."

Peter snorted, running a hand through his tussled hair. "Yeah, tell that to my landlord."

"You getting kicked out again?"

Again. Peter hated that it was so normal for him to be homeless that it could just be part of regular conversation. "Nah...not yet."

Tony frowned and went silent, staring out over the water. Peter was sure the visit was over then. Sure that he failed some test of adulting and was about to be alone again any minute.

Then out of nowhere, Tony's gaze snapped back him. "Come live at the Tower."

The Avengers Tower. This was not the first time they'd had this conversation. It usually ended with some jab of disappointment from Tony at Peter's dropping out of grad school a few years ago. "I'm good, really. I'll get another lab job and be good to go. No worries."

Tony's frown wasn't going anywhere. Peter could almost feel the older man getting frustrated. He'd never really been one for patience. "Not this time, Pete. Bruce needs a hand in the lab. You're the only one with the qualifications."

Wait...Peter's eyes narrowed. Was this a job offer?

"It's not charity, kid, if that's what you're thinking. We could really use your help. If it comes at a good time for you, then great. Pep says we need to prove to the board that there's a reason we still own the building instead of just selling it like they want us to."

Peter sat, struck. He didn't even think anyone was still working at the Tower. Last he heard everything was moved up north.

"Most of the place is rented to Stark subsidiaries," Tony continued. He seemed to foresee all of Peter's thoughts like there had never been any time lost between them. "But the upper floors are still ours. Bruce's been hangin' out there lately 'cuz it's quiet...which seems weird since it's literally in the center of the most stressful city in the country. Anyway, you'll have a suite in the Tower, probably the best paying lab job in the country, and unlimited get-outta-jail-free cards for Spidey-ness," Tony's animated gestured made Pete snort a laugh near the end.

"I-are you sure about this? I mean...does Dr. Banner really want an assistant?"

"Pssh...don't be silly, of course he does. He talks about you all the time," that caught Peter's attention.

Really?

"Yes, kid, really."

Oh, he'd said that out loud.

"Yes, you did. Now, say yes."

Peter took a breath and sighed deep. "I-I mean, y-yeah, that sounds great...if you're really sure?"

Just then, Tony's demeanor softened. He slouched a bit and leaned back to rest his weight on his palms stretched out behind him. "We've never really been the same, you know...after Big Purple Baldy," his voice was light, but the emotion there was still easily heard. "I kinda miss it, before...when everybody was together. Even if we all hated each other most of the time..."

"I don't hate any of you!" Peter quipped in alarm. He never realized...all this time they probably thought he hated them for staying solo! But that was so far from the truth! Oh god...

"Relax, Pete. Not you. You are the one person who seems to be able to make friends with absolutely everyone," Tony smiled with something like pride. Peter felt a warm little flutter inside him. "Point is...Banner and I are the only ones left around these days on a normal basis. Sometimes Widow, too. Well, and Pepper and Rhodey when he's in New York, duh."

"What happened? I thought most of the Team was still at the Compound?"

Tony sighed somewhat sadly. "Everybody gets tired, Pete. After everybody died and came back...we all started looking at life a bit differently, you know?"

Did he ever. He was still trying to wrap his head around being dissolved out of existence for so long. He couldn't imagine what Tony went through then, or any of those left behind. They never really talked about it after.

There was a lot of things they never talked about.

Still, he had no family left, his non-hero friends had all moved away or died, and he was about two weeks from being completely homeless and destitute...again.

When he thought of it that way, he couldn't actually afford to say no.

The silence had hung low over them for a while, both lost in their own thoughts.

"Alright," Peter said, finally and held out his hand. "You've got a deal, Mr. Stark."

Tony laughed and eagerly took Peter's hand to shake. He wasn't even trying to hide the emotion brimmed in his eyes. "Wonderful news, Mr. Parker," then, standing, he walked briskly to the other side of the ledge and grinned. "I'll have Happy swing by later to help you with your stuff."

And just like that, the Iron Man mask slid back on and the repulsors jetted to life. Turning back as he hovered just off the edge, Iron Man's glowing gaze fixed on Peter's face. "And don't think I'm gonna be easy on you, kid. I'm famous for being a very difficult boss."

Without waiting for a reply, Iron Man took off, arching through the sky toward the NYC horizon.

Peter was grinning through his mask the entire swing back to his apartment. He hadn't felt this warm in years. It was like the change he desperately needed literally just plopped on his door and-for once-he accepted it.

TBC