This story revolves around one man and the family he builds from nothing. A world similar to the one you may know, but with one little puzzle piece changed and a never-ending spiral of butterfly effects that change everything around him.

Tony Stark - scared and alone - in a grueling world that has only ever pushed him deeper towards the depths of his pain and suffering. Raised in a world of negligence and fear, closed into himself from a childhood that was never really his, to begin with.

A man soon to be tormented by his past crashing in around him, but with the chance to grow from the ashes and reform into the hero he could always be - his only chance to truly become something great.

His only comfort, the woman that keeps him in check. The woman that saves him from the mess he's created. The woman he so desperately desires that he never makes a move - he just can't afford to lose her - but will fervently continue to protect from all harm. The only one he can trust.

It's her heart and soul that keeps Stark Industries running, unconcerned for the lack of credit she receives in return. Because behind every great man, is an even greater woman. She's the one with the great ideas and heart of gold. It's her true never-ending passion and love for his family that keeps Tony working towards a brighter future.

And it's her attitude that keeps him on the right path despite his bachelor lifestyle. It's her stubbornness rooted in love that keeps him from missing out. Because out of all the times she promised she'd be there for Tony Stark, this is the one time she fights back.

Pepper Potts.

And then there's the bright little man that was created from a miracle.

Tony Stark had never wanted kids. His own fucked up childhood had been enough to convince him of that. Children were work. And if his parents couldn't handle the pressure, how could a failure like him ever figure it out?

But the one little fluke changes everything. Something fails and in the process creates something larger and more wondrous than ever before. Life is created. Beauty is created.

Peter Parker is created.

And at that moment everything changes for Tony Stark. He can no longer wallow in his misery, drowning in a never-ending supply of alcohol and beautiful women. He needs to face the mess he's made because there's only one way for this to end. And it isn't good.

Peter doesn't need Tony Stark. Peter Parker needs a family that will be there for him and loves him as he grows. He needs a support system for the horrendous unforeseeable future that faces him. Only then can Tony Stark and Peter Parker truly be at peace.

A ragtag group of lost souls that find hope in one another and unexpected love in the tiniest of places. A family formed from nothing. A need for love.

The story starts in the same place you'd expect, the same origin story of a man of iron, destined to someday take control and lead a movement of supers. It starts with one man who is only a mortal with potentially universal intelligence, but too stupid to see past his traumas of experience. A man named Tony Stark.

And while he has the potential to grow into the world's first protector, he isn't quite there yet. There's something all too disgusting and reckless about him, but necessary nonetheless, because it gives the man a chance to spread his genes and ignite the spark needed.

A simple one night stand that plants the seed for something better, something more. Something new. Something beautiful. Something different from everything he's ever known before.

It's Peter. The man created a boy by the name of Peter Parker. And it somehow becomes the most magnificent thing he's ever had a hand in creating. (And he did it by mistake.)

No one's sure how it happened. He wasn't supposed to be fertile. It was something meant to be avoided completely. Not even the doctors can explain the strange phenomenon.

But, the small event has the impact of changing the entire universe forever. Things shift in this world. Because now everything is different. Nothing will ever be the same.

And in that singular universe shifting moment, Tony becomes a father.

He has no idea that it's even happened yet. He hasn't a single clue that his life has so dramatically changed for the better. He leaves a business card with not enough information for her to ever find him on her bedside as sneaks out of the hotel as nothing has changed. (Because for him, nothing has changed. Nothing ever changes after his one night stands.)

It changes her world though. She's acutely aware of what happened the night before, but it's made blatantly clear by the business card that he doesn't want to be contacted. He owes her nothing. And she quickly decides that she owes him nothing either.

She's not even acutely aware that she's pregnant until months later when she realizes how late her usually uneven cycle has become. She's ashamed and unsure of herself but decides she can care for this baby. She can give him a home.

She doesn't contact him. He doesn't deserve any of her time. He made it clear that he wasn't interested in anything else but sex from her. And she's already decided she owes him nothing. He doesn't even deserve to know this child exists.

His money would be nice, she'd be entitled to child support at the least, but she wonders if the action is worth it. By involving the man that wronged her, she's signing up her son for a life of media attention and custody battles. It isn't worth it. Instead, she takes care of the baby alone and she struggles to keep them both fed.

She names the baby Peter Parker after her late grandfather who she never stops thinking about. They share the same bouncy brown locks. He has deep brown eyes and the most innocent smile she's ever seen before. He's smart and ahead of all of his peers and speaks his first word at eight months. She loves him so much it hurts.

And then she dies. And no one really knows how or when. No one really cares that much or notices when she doesn't come to work that night. It isn't really important to the story.

Only it leaves the State with a last-minute whisper of the father's last name in between final dying breaths. It leaves a lost baby crying for his mom with no hope to ever be held by her again. It leaves a partly orphaned child with little hope of succeeding in life in a completely fucked up system. It leaves so many people lost, including little Peter Parker.

And that's where our story truly begins.


Tony Stark doesn't answer phone calls. He doesn't need to. He has people for that.

All he does in response is turn up the volume of the music in his lab. It continues to ring over and over, but he's too deep in his latest weapon schematics to notice. He needs all his focus if he's going to make this next prototype worthy of his father's legacy.

He's too busy in his own headspace to realize the time or the intensity of the repeated calling. Whoever is on the other side of the line is desperate. It's a desperate act at three in the morning that shouldn't be ignored.

All he can do is continue to work. He ignores the phone as it rings over and over again, the blasting of the music just loud enough so that he can only feel the slight vibrations as his phone glides along the workstation. Whatever the nonsense is can wait until tomorrow when he's finished. What he's doing right now feels much more important.

He's arms deep in grease and a new invention and hasn't slept in at least thirty-six hours. He's arrogant in his new creation, so close to cracking the one problem that he dangerously needs to overcome. And he isn't about to break his concentration on something so unimportant to him.

Eventually, the calls stop and he can resume his work. He leaves the music blasting anyway. It calms him as he works.

He's not sure how long he gets to work in peace but Pepper finally comes to interrupt him with an urgent matter. He doesn't hear the stepping of her high heels approaching until it's too late. She's already entered his lab and manually override the music so she can be heard.

A growl escapes from his throat as he looks up at her to demand what is so important. This is his own personal haven that he prefers to keep empty and he just wishes she'd respect those boundaries, but when he looks up the anger quickly drains from his body. He can't snap at her that way. She's just too good. Too perfect. His tough persona melts every time he sees her eyes.

"Tony, why haven't you been answering my calls? I've been trying to get a hold of you all night," she tells him as she rounds the large workstation, a tablet in her hands as she scrolls through some important document. Her tone is firm and direct, but professional all the same. The same Pepper he's always known.

"I've been busy," he retorts, though he's unsure how to explain the new surge within him at this very moment, how he has to push to create something that will impress the father he never had. The drive is so strong that he can barely close his eyes as he lays in bed at night. He needs to invent now. He can't stop until he's finished. It's the only thing pushing him anymore.

Pepper doesn't push the matter further. She can see it in his eyes, even if he refuses to admit it. He's tired and this isn't the time to urge him to rest. He won't listen.

But she also doesn't forget the reason she's here. The reason she's been calling him for hours until she finally gave in, getting dressed and visiting him at four in the morning.

"Someone from New York Department of Child and Family Services has been trying to get in contact with you all night. I'm not sure what it's about, but I told them I'd reach out to you."

Tony only nods to himself as he tightens a bolt on his newest weapon. Honestly, he isn't even fully listening to the conversation between him and Pepper. She already has the full power to take care of the problem and Tony will blindly listen to her judgment no matter what she chooses. He trusts her completely with his company. Him being CEO is just a paper title at this point.

"I spoke to them for over an hour as I tried to get a hold of you. It seemed really urgent," she continues as she taps her fingernails on his workbench in an attempt to distract him. When that doesn't work and the room stays quiet, she switches to tapping her stylus to the tablet, unsure of how to bring up the news. There's nothing for her to do. The action just gives her a breath of normality against her otherwise racing heart.

Tony can't help but notice her uncertainty. She's usually so sure in her actions and words that Tony can't help but feel impressed. It is unlike her to hesitate and it immediately draws his attention, though he does his best to act like he doesn't care.

"Let me guess? Another momma looking for baby money?" he laughs at his own joke, though Pepper finds herself less entertained with how many times this has happened in the past. It's been a while, but she can remember when this scam used to actually worry Tony. There's a long line of women that he's defiled with his bachelor lifestyle.

"The mother is dead, Tony. She was found stabbed in an alleyway last night and passed away this morning as they tried to help her. She didn't even make it to the hospital," Pepper reported somberly. The details from the phone call still muddied her thoughts. It had sounded like a very avoidable tragic accident.

"Oh," he replies, now a bit more careful of his tone. He'd had more jokes lined up, but they suddenly seem inappropriate, even for him. "I still don't understand what that has to do with me, Pepper. Why are they bothering me about some drunk driving incident?"

"She died clutching a one-year-old in her arms, apparently it was her child. He'd somehow avoided the worst of the crash. And on the way to the hospital, she whispered to the ambulance drivers his only living kin. She claims that you fathered him."

Tony stops completely. He's frozen as the tool slides from his panicked unsure hand. It bounces off the ground with a large bang, but all he can hear is the blood pounding in his ears.

He seems frozen in his own time, unsure of how this is even possible. It can't be possible. He got snipped years ago. He's been tested many times since. He isn't supposed to be fertile anymore.

He's flashing through his own childhood. It feels hot, red and angry. The same rage pulses through him that only his father's neglect brought on. The same hatred that reminds him that he can never do the same as his father did to him.

All he can do is hastily murmur out that he has no son.

"Mary Parker seemed to think otherwise," Pepper replies.

His head is pounding. All he can do is throw back his glass of rum that he prepared earlier. It's warm, but it has to do something to clear his head. He has to figure out this puzzle.

Who even is this Mary Parker? When did he meet her? Is she using him for child support? Is this some kind of cruel joke? He doesn't remember ever having a one night stand with anyone by that name, though he knows he's usually too drunk to listen. And he usually doesn't care for the name of the women he's sleeping with. He should, but he just doesn't.

Tony huffs through his nose. He can't deal with this right now. He's not ready to deal with it all. He can feel his heart tightening in his chest as he's pulled back into his own baren fearful childhood that he's tried so hard to escape. The emotions are too overwhelming and he doesn't have enough booze in his system to deal with the pain he knows is coming.

"Send in a sample so that we can get this sorted out and cleared off the record. We both know that this isn't even possible," he demands. He's barely even able to look up from where his hands grip the table. "I can't have kids. Not anymore."

"Already done," she says as she taps a few buttons on her tablet. "I've sent a sample to a private lab to be analyzed at your expense. The results should be in tonight."

"Good," he replies, nodding to himself. "The sooner this is over, the quicker I can get on with my life. I have work to do," he says in hopes of dismissing the conversation entirely. This isn't possible. He doesn't understand why it's even become this much of an issue.

"And what if he is your child? What happens to him then?" she asks quietly. She's already invested in the fate of the boy, already attached to the baby she's heard so much about, even if it was only a single phone call as she hastily searched for clues.

She already feels like she knows Peter Parker. She feels something strong drawing herself towards the half-orphaned child. She can feel herself being bonded to him.

"He's got deep brown eyes unlike any I've ever seen before."

"His hairs long and curled and brown and dances with his movements."

"He's very smart for his age. He already can walk and knows so many words that we can barely get him to stop talking. He's practically teaching us at this point."

"He never stops moving. He's always exploring."

"He's weird sometimes. All the toys here and we found him playing with a spider in the corner."

"He loves everyone."

Tony doesn't hear. If he does, he doesn't say anything in response. He sits in the dark lab with his face in his hands, more unsure of himself than he's ever been before.

Eventually, Pepper gives up and leaves. She's not getting any more words out of him this morning. She knows he's lost, but there's nothing more she can do for him this morning.

Only once Tony's sure that he's completely alone, does he allow the tears to trail down his face. He cries out all the loneliness and pain left in his chest. He cries until he's completely empty.


It's six o'clock in the evening.

Tony sits in his living room with a drink in his hand, the strongest scotch that his money can buy. It claws at his throat as he pours it down his throat, but the strength of the drink is just an all too painful reminder that he isn't as strong as he needs to be. He embraces the burning sensation as it smooths its way down his throat, as long as it brings tingly numbness that will rest his tense muscles.

He's sitting hunched over in a large luxury chair with Pepper Potts on stand nearby, together patiently waiting for the results of the tests. It's felt like weeks have gone by since Pepper sent the samples to the lab, but lack of sleep has only stretched the single day, warping it into one the longest most stressful periods that Tony's ever experienced before.

Tony is unsure of his future, even more so than usual. He knows this is a ruse, a trick that's he's been playing straight into by entertaining the idea of having his own offspring. But something deep down is hopeful, something so far gone that he can't help but believe the trick may turn out to be true. It wouldn't be less painful, but it'd be a lot easier.

Pepper doesn't know how to feel. She's torn between her own developing feelings and the loyalty she's demonstrated for her boss for so long. What will happen to this boy when all this is over? Where will he end up?

She's talked to the caseworker twice now. She's heard Peter's voice giggling along in the background. Her heartstrings tug towards the boy who's now alone in the world, with no family to rely on. It takes her back to her own past where she spent days in a foster home, wondering if any visiting guests would ever find her worthy of a spot in their home. She tries not to dwell in the past, but it doesn't feel good to think about.

She also knows it isn't her place to say anything. This isn't her battle. This is Tony's decision alone, no matter how wrong she thinks she is to abandon this child in need. Instead, she sits quietly as she refreshes her email over and over waiting for the results of the test.

Finally her phone dings and Tony raises his head expectantly. Pepper carefully opens the email, her hands tender as if she can rip the theoretical envelope the news resides in. Her heart beats in her chest as she skims the contents. It only takes her a few moments to scan through the results for him.

"Tony, the tests are positive. He's your son," she finally whispers to the room.

Tony shakes his head. It can't be true. This isn't true. It isn't possible. This isn't supposed to be possible. He can't accept these results. Something must be wrong.

He's upset in so many ways. The alcohol in his system does nothing to calm his rage. He feels like vomiting but squeezes his fists instead. He needs to punch something, but he just can't afford to lose his cool with Pepper so close. She deserves better.

"It was a complete match. There's no doubt he's your boy Tony. Isn't that great?"

"I can't keep him, Pepper. You know that right?" he asks her, his voice terrified.

The room is quiet. Painfully silent. She can feel her heart breaking in her chest but pushes it deep down where her boss can't see. She needs to stay strong right now. She can't afford to break down alongside Tony, no matter how much she's yearning to do so.

Pepper doesn't understand. She'd thought this would be what he always wanted. He had been devastated when he'd been declared infertile. It'd sent him on a four-month bender that nearly ended in his death.

"There will never be a proper heir to Stark Industries. When I'm done, this will all be for nothing. The suffering will be over for the Stark Legacy."

This should have been great news. The universe was practically dropping a child into his lap.

But she can't see how terrified he actually is inside. She doesn't know that the infertility was purposeful in a desperate attempt to stop the cycle of abuse. She doesn't know that binder was him grieving the chance of ever being happy again, but also a celebration to a new peaceful era.

She can't even see how much scotch he's actually drunk tonight. It's the only thing keeping him from retching his stomach contents all over the floor, his past traumas swirling beneath his skin. It's the only thing keeping him under control.

"Why not?" she asks quietly, though she's already aware of the answer. She could never convince him to go through that type of pain again.

"Are you kidding me, Pepper?" he asks in response, his words slurring a bit at the end. "I can barely take care of myself, let alone a child."

"But he'll end up in foster care, Tony. He'll have no chance in this world. He'll be unloved and abandoned with no one there for him." Tears are forming in the brims of her eyes, but she holds back the sobs that fight through her chest.

Tony takes another chug of his drink and ends up downing the entire contents of the glass. It's the only way he can sooth the tugging in his chest and get his next words out.

"I'm sorry Pepper. There isn't much else I can do. I'll leave him a trust, some money for his future when he turns eighteen, but he's going to have to go into someone else's custody. I can't take care of him."

"He doesn't need money, Tony. He needs a family…"

Tony just shakes his head. He can't do it. He can't be the family this boy needs.

"I can…" she says. The words just flow out with no chance of her stopping them, but it's true. She means every word she says. "I can take care of him."

"Pepper. You can't raise him. You aren't his mother. His mother is dead," his words are harsh from his drinking, but it doesn't matter to her. It doesn't change that she wants to be there for him when no one else can.

When she doesn't reply, he continues. "I don't expect that of you. You already do so much for me. You aren't my nanny too."

The room is quiet. Pepper doesn't like fighting with her boss, but she has to say something. She can't let him pass up his only chance at a son. She can't let Peter's only chance at a happy home life slip away. She hasn't even met the boy, but she needs to keep him safe.

"Do you trust me?" she finally asks.

"You are the only one I trust in this whole company," he admits. "You know that."

"Then let me adopt him. Let me be his mother."

Pepper can feel her heart beating away in her chest. She can barely hear the room around her as it pounds in her ears, but she does hear his words anymore. His voice is unmistakable as he says the one thing she isn't prepared for.

"No."


Pepper follows her boss into the dreaded office building where the boy will be signed away forever. She keeps her eyes to the floor as she opens the door for Tony, still unable to muster the words to speak to him again. She knows if he didn't need to sign paperwork to surrender custody of Peter, he wouldn't even be here right now. It angers her to even think about.

Tony Stark sits down in a public cubicle as the caseworker begins explaining the paperwork in greater detail to him and walks him through the intensity of his decision. There's a large emphasis on how permanent the decision is if he decides to sign.

Pepper can barely stand to listen to the words the two men are discussing and finds herself wandering away as she fights back tears. She can't let Tony see her like this.

She's not sure why she's so attached to Peter Parker without ever seeing him.

Possibly something in her own upbringing and the way her adopted parents loved her so much, at least they did once they found her at the ripe age of seven years old. The first seven years of her life had been a monstrous hell she could barely muster the courage to think about.

Or maybe it's the idea that Tony is signing away his only chance to be a dad. Maybe she just can't stand to see an innocent child get hurt when she can do something about it.

No matter the reason, she has to admit the effect this decision is having on her. Her heart is breaking into bits of sand that won't ever be the same again.

And then something pulls her attention. Nearby laughter. Not just any laughter, but the laughter of a very young child. It pulls her towards it like two magnets fighting to stay together, forcing her towards it like destiny, like it was written in her tapestry by the gods themselves.

She rounds a corner quickly and finds a young Peter sitting at a small child sized desk with a puzzle that just won't seem to go together. She's unsure if all the pieces are even from the same set, but he laughs anyway as he tosses a piece at the social worker across from him.

The laugh works quickly its way through her heart and she feels her face soften. She can't help but find herself laughing too. The boy's energy is contagious.

Peter turns his head towards her laughter and his face brightens instantly. She can't help but notice that he does has a full head of floppy brown hair, just like the caseworker described, and the deep brown eyes he possesses. She sees it instantly. He looks so much like his dad.

The boy pushes himself from his chair and crawls over to Pepper. He's speedy for such a little guy. Just like his father when he's on a mission.

He reaches his arms up and calls out for his mommy. Pepper can't resist lifting him into arms and holding him close, though she hasn't yet realized that Peter was calling her mommy. She doesn't yet recognize the resemblance, though she can't help but think about how perfectly they fit together as he nuzzles his head against her neck. They're perfect for each other.

He even purrs in satisfaction.

Pepper can't. She just can't leave him here. He's all alone and he needs her.

He belongs with her.

She rushes around the corner, still holding Peter tightly in her arms, and finds Tony about to sign the final piece of paperwork. One signature and Peter's lost into a careless system, unable to ever be saved or returned to them. One more initial and he's gone forever.

"Tony," she shouts at him before it's too late. Peter flinches a bit from the noise but she sticks her hand in his hair to comfort him. She hums to him gently and he relaxes into her once more.

Tony turns his attention across the room, unsuspecting of the bundle of joy she's holding so close to her body. He sees Peter for the first time.

His heart skips a beat as he sees himself holding onto his own mother, the only bit of family he was ever close to. The only person he could ever rely on. It leaves him stunned long enough for Pepper to beg him one last time.

"Please, don't do this," she begs, running her fingers through Peter's hair. "You don't have to do this alone. We can figure this out. We can be his family" Tears stream down her face as she cries all the emotions she's been holding back.

She knows she has no say in the matter. She has no legal protection if Tony doesn't agree. She would have no way to adopt this boy without Tony's help. This could be the last time she ever sees Peter, the last time she holds him close in her arms.

The room is quiet. Painfully so. No one dares to talk, even if Pepper knows she's spoken out of line and pushed it too far this time. This wasn't her decision to make.

Tony shakes his head and her heart starts to break. She can feel it splitting into two and she holds onto Peter tighter than she ever should, her maternal bonds screaming to keep him safe.

She's not sure if she'll fight and scream when they take him away. She doesn't want to. It isn't like her, but every instinct in her body is telling her to protect the boy. To keep him safe.

And then Tony speaks.

"Alright. You win. We can take him home."

The office seems to resume at his words. The social worker switches out the paperwork for custody forms that agree Tony Stark will be responsible for Peter Parker. The child's well being will be his solely his responsibility in a court of law.

He signs the papers willingly, keeping his eye on Pepper the whole time as she rocks Peter in her arms. He seems stressed, but there's a fondness in his eyes that wasn't there before.

Pepper knows she should be listing out things they'll need to order on the way home. Things to be delivered to the house to care for Peter, but she can't focus just yet. She just needs to remember this moment forever.

She's too busy staring into Peter's eyes. His deep brown beautiful eyes that remind her so much of the man she loves. The eyes of Tony Stark.