Peter blinks his eyes open and turned to stare at his bedside clock. He groans loudly and pulls the covers over his head, curling back up again.
He'd not slept as much as he wanted, the night before was hectic to say the least and by the time himself and May had gotten to the compound, he was just about ready to pass out.
There had been a gas leak a couple of floors below and the entire block had to be evacuated for everyone's safety.
Of course Tony offered his home to the Parker's, letting them stay as long as they pleased.
"Peter?" F.R.I.D.A.Y. called out, inturupting Peter's dazed state.
"Mr Stark and even yourself have asked me to keep you awake after your alarm has sounded." She says and Peter pulls back the covers a little, his hair everywhere.
He sighs because, yes, F.R.I.D.A.Y. is only doing what he'd asked. He's at Tony's place after all and has longer to travel.
He sat up. It was a Thursday and he just needed to get through two more days.
Peter was almost sure he'd fallen asleep in the shower, even though it was probably not possible. He'd probably just majorly zoned out because the next think he heard was Tony banging on the door telling him he was going to be late on his big day.
Big day? What was he on about?
A thought suddenly stuck Peter and even under the running heat, he felt his face redden a little. He'd almost forgotten his own birthday.
Rushing the rest of his morning routine, Peter raced down to the main kitchen.
He had a long text from May, telling him she had to be up and at work early, wishing him the biggest happy birthday followed by a series of happy and birthday related emoticons.
Most of the Avengers were down in the kitchen, all wishing him a happy birthday at different times making it sound like an out of tune band.
He would have thanked them all and stayed to talk a while but he had about ten seconds to get out the door if he wanted to make it on time.
Peter walked around the kitchen island, slinging his backpack around his shoulders.
"Physics homework?" Tony called, looping a finger around the kid's backpack to halt him. Tony unzipped it, and shoved a couple books in there, including a fifty dollar bill.
He then proceeded to turn the kid around and shove a piece of toast in his mouth.
It made some of the Avengers laugh.
Peter adjusted the straps on his bag before grabbing the piece of toast, trying to eat it as quickly as humanly possible.
Just as he reached the door he turned.
"Keys?"
Tony turned towards the counter, grabbing Peter's locker keys from a wooden bowl and flinging them over his way.
"Thanks." He muttered around his toast.
Tony smiled, and it only widened when Peter charged into him quickly, giving him a quick hug before he really was late.
"Happy Birthday Kiddo." Tony's eyes were bright, and Peter beamed back at the man.
He looked past Tony at the others before speeding out the door.
"Thanks everyone, thanks dad!"
And then he was gone.
It took a few moments of silence before someone spoke.
"Well, who didn't see that coming." Clint said bemused as he grabbed his own toast out of the toaster.
"I think he broke Tony." Wanda mock whispered to Steve, Nat stifling a laugh when Tony still hadn't moved, back facing them.
He turned then, cheeks a little flushed, and cleared his throat.
"I, uh need to get ready myself." He excused himself from the room.
"Awww." The girls chorused together, laughing together afterwards.
o-o-o-o-o-o
The majority of the ride to school was spent in silence. Happy glanced at Peter every now and then in the rear view mirror.
Peter played with a loose thread on his sleeve, staring out of the window the whole ride over, cheeks heating up every now and then.
Peter's mind was racing.
How could he call Tony 'dad'. Especially in front of some of the Avengers. It was single handedly one of the most embarrassing things to ever happen to him. This was not the best start to a birthday.
He didn't even know what came over him. It wasn't like he did it on purpose, it just slipped out.
Maybe that was worse.
And what if Tony was disgusted by the idea? What if he didn't want to see him for a while because of it? He was supposed to be spending his birthday with him too!
Peter put his hands in his head and groaned.
"Kid?" Happy asked, glancing back at him again.
Peter looked up, caught up in his own thoughts he forgot all about Happy.
"Uhh, I'm all good. Sorry Happy." Peter tried a smile but Happy wasn't buying it.
"Peter, it might not be my place to say, but I'm sure Tony doesn't mind what you call him."
Peter's head snapped up, face heating up for the millionth time during this car ride.
Great. How on earth did Happy know about this? And did he really want to talk to his mentor's bodyguard about it?
Peter let out another small groan.
"Seriously kid, don't worry about it. Things happen, don't let it spoil your big day." Happy spoke as he pulled up in the school car park.
"You think he'll be mad?" Peter asked almost timidly, eyes focussed on on his hands. It was small moments like these that made Happy realise this kid was exactly that, a kid.
Happy turned in his seat, his glasses off.
"Peter. Tony will be anything but mad at you, okay? Hell if anything he'll be secretly pleased." Happy laughed to himself, thinking about how his boss had changed so much in the last year.
"You think?" Peter asked, still unsure.
"I promise you kid, and yeah you might get teased by the others, I can't speak for them, but Tony won't treat you any different." Happy smiled before he spoke again.
"If it makes you feel any better, I used to call my English teacher 'mum'. Like not even a one time thing either. This was multiple times in front of all my friends in class."
This earned a genuine laugh from Peter, and Happy nodded to himself in accomplishing his mission.
"Alright kid, get going before you're really late." Happy said as Peter reached for the door.
"Hey, uh. Thanks Happy." Peter ducked his head so he could look sincerely at his driver. Happy seemed to get the message.
"Anytime kid, happy birthday."
Peter pushed the door shut and, started to jog towards the school doors, the spring back in his step.
Today was going to be a good day after all.
o-o-o-o-o-o
Obviously, Peter told Ned what had happened this morning, the embarrassment worn off a little, even at Ned's boyish wonder.
He'd almost forgotten the whole ordeal when it came to the last class before lunch. Peter had been having a pretty good day so far, aced the test in biology and managed to get partnered with Ned in a science project.
He was carefully reading through the questions in his text book when there was a knock at the door.
All the students' heads snapped up, eagerly awaiting the only distraction a high schooler could have in class.
Peter watched his teacher stand and straighten her skirt out before opening the door, and he bowed his head back into the text book.
His ears pricked up when he heard a familiar sound. He frowned in concentration, dialling out every sound in the room except from the thump of a heartbeat.
His face broke out with an uncontrollable grin, his eyes lighting up when he heard the accompanying voice.
With the door swinging into the room, the class could only see their teacher, still holding tightly onto the handle, the intruder being obscured by the door.
A couple of students craned their necks to try and see, looking back to the rest with wide eyes.
"...yes as I was saying, I have a note from the reception. And since I'm an emergency contact there shouldn't be much of an issue."
Peter's teacher took a few unsteady steps backwards, silently giving permission for the guest to enter, said guest smiling at the class of shocked students.
Peter was already eagerly grabbing his books and stationary and stuffing them into his bag, some of the class alternating from gawking at the billionaire now standing at the head of the class and back to Peter.
Tony's eyes scanned the room before settling on Peter.
The smiled then reached his eyes.
"Dude. You're Tony Stark."
Tony laughed along with some of the other students at the remark.
"That I am."
A couple of kids at the front looked like they were going to pass out, the rest too stunned to speak. There was the actual real life Tony Stark in the same room as them.
"Uh, not to be rude but, why are you here?" One of the girls asked.
Some turned their heads to look at her, astounded she'd ask such a thing.
Tony smiled again, and his eyes must have been on Peter as several kids turned his direction.
"I'm here for Mr Parker here."
Now the whole class, including the teacher, were staring at him.
Peter looked up from his bag and flushed pink, eyes wide as his classmates stared at him.
"What would someone like Pe-Peter Parker have to do with someone like you?" No one needed to look around to realise who that was.
Tony pursed his lips slightly, eyes narrowed a little more as he tilted his head towards the boy who had spoken out.
Even without ever seeing the boy before, Tony could tell this was the Flash bully Peter had spoken about.
Tony clenched his teeth together and sighed a little, already irked by this kid. He probably shouldn't do anything drastic however, for Peter's sake, as the boy was now cringing in his seat.
"Flash, right?" He asked, taking the attention off Peter for a second.
Flash's eyes widened, mouth opening to speak but nothing came out.
"I-wha-? How do you-"
"You should probably be a bit nicer to the personal intern of Tony Stark. You never know where it could get you." Tony spoke evenly, his eyes still narrowed at Flash.
Watching Flash visibly gulp under the billionaire's stare was a moment many weren't going to forget.
"Come along Pete." Tony spoke, turning his gaze to smile at the kid, all hostility gone from his features, replaced with the soft smile reserved for Peter.
Peter scrambled up and headed out the door, Tony thanking the teacher as he too, left- not without comically shooting Flash a glare before swinging the door shut behind him.
Tony fell into step with the bouncy teenager, heading towards the school gates.
Peter wondered briefly if his mentor would bring up the whole 'dad' thing. He didn't seem to be any type of angry at him, neither was he treating him any different. Other than taking him out of school early that is.
"So, what's going on? It has to be important if you're taking me out of school." Peter asked, mind racing at all the possibilities.
"Is it mission related?" He whispered suddenly, getting a laugh out of Tony at how awful the whisper was.
"No kid, it's not mission related. It's very important though."
Tony huffed a laugh when Peter nodded to himself, eyebrows creased in thought.
It was no time before they were both in one of Tony's incredible sports cars, pulling away from the school.
Peter sighed happily and leaned his chair back a little.
The car ride was spent listening to Peter's favourite playlist on his phone, even thought it wasn't all Tony's taste, and idle chatter.
When Tony pulled up to the compound, Peter had his head back, his eyes closed just listening to the music.
"We're here kiddo." Tony turned to look at the kid, so peaceful.
He opened his eyes, blinking a few times before looking at his surroundings.
Walking through the compound was never dull. The ceilings were tall, the windows matching from top to bottom. Nearly everything was white and clean, not a spec of dust in sight. The hall in which they walked to get to Tony's living space was very open, they only had to pass by a receptionist, other than that there were rarely any people around.
The receptionist, Linda, always smiled and nodded their way and Peter often waved and said hello as they passed.
As they stood in the lift, Peter's mind began to wander again.
Tony hadn't actually said what they were doing yet. It obviously was something at the compound, or this was just a pit stop and maybe they were headed somewhere else.
When the lift doors opened, Peter walked in and slumped his bag down next to the cupboard like he did every time. As he stood back up however, some of the hairs on his arms stood up on end. He looked back to Tony, who grinned at him.
He went to open his mouth when-
"Surprise!"
Peter almost jumped in the air when met with a chorus of everyone's voices. And by everyone he means everyone.
All of the Avengers were there, Wanda to the side and holding up a camera. Aunt May and Pepper were at the front, May also holding up her own camera.
She handed it to Pepper as she wrapped her arms around her nephew, wishing him a happy birthday and holding on tight.
"I- uh- what?" Peter could only stutter out as he walked around the corner and looked at the room properly.
There were silly string cobwebs in the corners of the room, some bits hanging down far enough to walk into. Dozens of balloons were tied to various objects, some loose and high on the ceiling while others lay on the ground. They were all Spiderman themed of course.
"Happy birthday Peter!" Wanda came over next, ruffling the boy's hair and giving him a hug.
He pulled back, his smile enormous.
The amazing, world saving Avengers had made him a surprise party for his birthday. Peter was almost speechless, and if it weren't for his aunt May teaching him manners, he would have gawked at the situation all day.
"Guys, this is, this is beyond amazing. Thank you so much- I can't even begin with how cool this is." Peter looked around the room some more, eyes wondrous and mouth agape.
"Thank your old man, it was all his idea." Clint smiled at him, looking behind him towards Tony.
Peter grinned still, turning towards Tony. Not letting him speak, he spun and collided with his mentor, wrapping his arms around him. Tony returned the hug, his own smile on his face.
"Happy birthday Peter." He stood back and shook his hand through Peter's hair, messing with his curls and laughing when Peter didn't have enough time to duck away.
Peter was on cloud nine, and just as his stomach grumbled informing him that it was lunch, Tony announced that the dinning table was party food central.
Tony and May presented the cake, and quite frankly, it was the best thing Peter had ever seen.
It was the Spiderman mask. The eyes were a little wonky, the icing uneven in some places and if you focussed on it too long, the cake as a whole was almost tilting to the left, but Peter adored it. And although their efforts almost turned into a kitchen fire, Tony and May stood proud of their creation.
Music played and the Avengers grabbed their plates and stacked the food up high. Peter spent time with each Avenger, talking about his day and what they'd been up to recently. It was truly surreal and Peter was having the time of his life.
"Hey, Pete." Tony slung an arm around the kid's shoulders, leading him away from the party.
"I wondered if I could borrow you a sec."
Peter nodded along, his delightment and all the food making him as lively and excitable as ever.
Both teenager and billionaire headed down the steps towards Tony's lab, Peter bounding on ahead when he saw something new in the lab.
Peering round further, Peter was met with an old car, a little rusty in some parts and overall could do with a good wash.
Peter looked back at Tony, brows furrowed in confusion.
"Come 'ere Pete." Tony gestured towards his work bench where they both took a seat.
Wordlessly, Tony handed over a small wooden box with a bow on. Peter took it, running his hands over it before clicking it open.
On a blue foam bed, there was a single key, an Ironman faceplate keyring connected to it.
Peter looked up, smirking a little.
"I uh, I hope you like it. I know it's rough but that was kinda the point. I thought we could build it up together, make it whatever you want it to be, whatever colour. And then maybe I could teach you how to drive?" Tony spoke softer, unsure of himself.
Tony Stark was rarely unsure of himself, which is what made the kid even more special.
Tony couldn't explain it either, he'd not even known the kid that long and would happily do anything for him.
He'd never admit it to anyone, but he couldn't help that when Peter called him dad, he didn't feel scared or freaked out, he just felt happy.
"I don't know if it's my place or anything, but I've got easy access to a track and we could go whenever or if ever you want to." Tony finished, trying to gauge Peter's expression.
"This-" Peter began, looking towards the rusted car and then back at Tony.
"This is by far the coolest gift ever. I love it! And of course I'd love to learn to drive with you, it would be totally awesome." Peter's excitement was getting the better of him and he was almost bursting with joy.
Tony relaxed and pulled the kid into his side.
"Happy Birthday bud."
"Thank you, Tony."
They sat at his lab desk, Peter leaning his head against Tony's shoulder, mind already tinkering away at all the possibilities he could do with his new car.
"Hey, uh, Pete?" Tony's voice wavered slightly as he swallowed, feeling Peter's head shift to look at him a little.
"Hmm?" Peter responded.
Tony took in a breath and looked down at the boy.
"I call you my kid all the time."
Peter's heart swelled in his chest, leaning back against Tony's side as the billionaire rested his own head atop of Peter's.
"You know what I didn't think of?" Tony said after a long while, not really waiting for Peter to respond.
"How on earth am I going to top this next year?"
o-o-o-o-o-o
AN: Hey guys! This ones a bit longer hope you don't mind! Still only going to be doing a few more chapters but always happy to hear ideas! As always, love hearing back from you guys!:))