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Meet

"Alright, kid. You remember to pack your toothbrush?"

There was a soft sigh from across the room. "Yes, Tony."

"Enough clothes for the weekend?"

"Yes, Tony."

"Your phone charger?"

"Yes, Tony."

"Granola bars for the ride over."

"Yes, Tony." Tony grinned down at the skillet as he scrambled the eggs for their breakfast, glancing over at Pepper who was frying bacon and fighting a smile at Peter's increasing exasperation.

"Clean underwear?"

"Tony!" Pepper snorted, covering her mouth, and Tony grinned back at Peter's faintly red neck. The boy was making smoothies and chose that moment to turn the blender on. Unfortunately for him, Tony's blender wasn't very loud, so the man was able to keep talking.

"You don't want to be left in another city with no clean underwear, Pete. And you know, I can't just drop everything to bring you clean underwear."

"Tony!" Peter groaned, refusing to turn around. Rhodey arrived as Peter flushed, lifting an eyebrow at Peter's long, drawn out groan.

"Everything okay?" He asked, looking between Tony and Peter, eyebrows raised.

"Oh yeah. I was just reminding Peter of how important it was to always have clean underwear." Peter muttered something under his breath and Tony chuckled, glad that Peter was still at an age where just about anything could embarrass him. Pepper shook her head, elbowing him gently, and Rhodey laughed, moving over to Peter's side and wrapping an arm around his shoulders.

"That is a lesson Tones had to learn the hard way." Tony paused, turning in concern. "Did I ever tell you about the time we were in college, and we decided to go on a road trip during spring break?"

"Rhodey…" Tony warned, but his friend was already leading his kid away from the blender and towards the living room, speaking softly, and it was Tony's turn to groan. Pepper lifted an eyebrow.

"Does this story end with you getting drunk and peeing yourself on a road trip?" She asked, crossing her arms and leaning back against the counter. He pushed some of her hair back, leaning forward for a quick kiss.

"It's...possible."

"It concerns me how many stories about your college days end that way."

He dropped his head on her shoulder. "Tell me about it."

By the time breakfast was on the table, Peter was grinning down at his food, he and Rhodey fighting laughter, and Tony couldn't bring himself to be upset. Not when his kid looked so happy. Pepper rubbed her bare foot against his calf under the table, and even though it was six in the morning, he felt awake and happy...completely happy.

It was Friday, and Peter's Academic Decathlon team was leaving for their meet that morning before first period. They'd be staying overnight, then returning home the following evening. Then it was only a week before his sixteenth birthday, which they hadn't actually discussed. Of course, he knew what he was getting him. Well, he'd already bought a lot of it. A lot of clothes. Various Avengers T-shirts, plus a special Thor and Loki one that glowed in the dark. He was sure Peter would love that. Those he just planned on hanging in Peter's closet for him to find. There were other things...a new watch with a tracker. New shoes (with trackers.) New Bluetooth headphones (he hadn't figure out how to install a tracker in those yet but he was working on it…)

The gift he was most excited and nervous about was the car.

It was a junker, to put it delicately. It didn't run...the entire thing would need to be rebuilt from the ground up...which was what Tony planned on doing with Peter over the summer. It was something he'd learned from Jarvis, and something he wanted to teach Peter. The kid was already great at science, could have a serious career in engineering or research and development...but Tony knew of at least two colleagues in the mechanical and technological engineering field that couldn't even change a tire. That wasn't going to be his kid.

Plus it meant the two of them would get to spend plenty of time together. Bonding. Joking. Laughing. Working. It was what he'd always wanted his father to do with him. He was breaking the cycle. Giving support and love to his son. For a moment, as he stared down at his breakfast, he felt a pang in his chest. He loved Peter...the boy wasn't even his biological son, but he was so proud of him. For the last few weeks, Peter had been improving...almost daily. Sure, he still had rough days. He still had nightmares sometimes, but they happened two or three times a week, not nightly. He was doing great in school, keeping up with Academic Decathlon and acing all of his classes. He'd gone out as Spiderman almost every evening after school, taking the weekends off as per Tony's request, and never missed curfew. And every time Steve and Sam came over to the tower, he was polite, calm...courteous. He made small talk and smiled...he was doing great.

Beyond that, he loved Peter. He loved his kid. Loved spending time with him and talking about his day and working in the lab together. He loved him on his bad days when the boy would drag himself out of bed and sigh his way through his homework. He'd loved him when the boy had screamed himself awake after a nightmare and had sobbed in Tony's arms, clutching at him like a lifeline, and then stayed home from school the next day, practically refusing to leave his room.

So why hadn't Tony's father loved him?

It was a question that hurt...one he tried not to think about. He had his own family now. Pepper, the best woman in the universe, who would be his wife as soon as they nailed down all the details of the wedding. He had Peter, his son, who went out after school and saved people, and who could nearly keep up with him in the lab. He had Rhodey and Bruce and Thor and even Loki, all good friends. Almost family. Peter loved all of them, and they were all fond of him. Even the rogue Avengers who had met him liked him.

The few times that Clint and Wanda had come to the tower, Peter was at school. Or at Ned's. Tony may have planned it that way. It wasn't that he didn't want them around his kid...Clint had his own kids and Tony didn't think either of them would hurt Peter. It was just...they were still working on forgiving him. Things were still...rocky. And he didn't want Peter in the middle of that. So he had invited them to come during the day each time, making sure it was early enough that Peter wouldn't be home anytime soon.

Once breakfast was over, Petter hurried back to his room, grabbing his backpack and a duffle bag, and then returned to the living room where Tony waited. "Alright, Pete. You ready?" He asked, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. The kid turned his head, coughing quicking into his sleeve, and Tony suppressed a spike of worry. He looked fine though, and it was probably just a cough...the kid was fine. He didn't think Spider-kids could even get sick.

It would be the longest that Peter would be away from Tony since coming to live with him. Nearly two full days. But Tony wasn't worried.

"Yeah." Peter was excited. He was glad...glad his kid had something fun to look forward to.

"You sure you got everything." The boy rolled his eyes and Tony's heart clenched, a smile taking over what felt like his whole face.

"Yes, da...Tony." Peter hurried to cover his near-slip up, and Tony pretended not to notice despite the spike in his heart rate. So far, the boy had only used the title while half-asleep, when waking from a nightmare, or, that one time, after a particularly bad patrol. Never like this out in the open. But that was okay. Peter could call him whatever he wanted. If, one day, Tony got to be 'dad' then, well...he'd think about that when it happened. Peter was his kid, no matter what.

"Good. Come on, kiddo." Leading him downstairs, the two climbed into one of Tony's cars. He was taking Peter to school...because Happy could use a break. The man needed a vacation...well, Tony had suggested he go ahead and take a long weekend. He didn't mind driving Peter. He had plans to meet with Steve and the others, all of them together at the tower, and there they would look over the final version of the new Accords and send them to the UN. Steve had mentioned moving back into the tower once or twice, and although Tony wasn't sure how he felt about that, he was willing to give it a try. If Steve moved back in, Sam probably would too. He knew that Wanda was considering it too since Vision already lived mostly at the tower. He'd already made Vision's room bigger to accommodate Wanda if she wanted to live with him.

"You don't have to drive me...I can take the subway." Peter repeated for what must have been the fourth time in the last two days, and Tony waved him off once more.

"It's no trouble, kid," Tony reassured him as he pulled carefully into traffic. "I need to make a stop on my way back anyway." That was a lie...he was planning on stopping for a coffee though, and he'd probably grab one for Pepper too. "You pack your suit?" Peter nodded. "Good. Emergencies only though, okay? No sneaking out of the hotel in your suit just to patrol."

"I noticed you didn't say no sneaking out of the hotel in normal clothes," Tony smirked.

"Hey, as long as you don't get caught…" He waved a hand and Peter chuckled. "You're a smart kid, Pete. I'm not worried." He glanced over to find Peter smiling down at his hands that were clenched in his lap. The rest of the drive was spent in comfortable silence, and when Tony parked in the school lot, they both jumped out of the car, Tony ready to walk him over to the bus that sat on the other side of the lot. Ned and MJ, along with a few other kids and their teacher, Mr. Harrington, were already there, all of them gathered in the lot. Another car pulled in and a man Tony immediately recognized as that kid, Flash's father, climbed out, his son just a second behind.

"Alright, Pete. You ready?"

"Yeah." Peter put his backpack on, then slung the duffel bag over his shoulder easily. That super strength really came in handy.

"You have your phone?" Peter pulled it out of his pocket, showing the full battery. "Alright, kiddo. Call me if you need anything, text me when you get there...and whenever else you want…" He wiped some imaginary lint off of Peter's shoulder. "Be careful, kid. Good luck."

Peter only hesitated for a second before lunging forward, apparently not caring that the other kids were watching. Well...if Peter didn't care, then Tony didn't either. He wrapped his arms around his kid, nose against his hair. "Love you." Peter whispered, and Tony squeezed him.

"Love you too, buddy. I'll pick you up tomorrow." Peter squeezed him one more time, and then Tony put his hands on his shoulders, holding him at arm's length. "Call me when you're almost here."

"Okay." The kid smiled, and Tony felt his chest tighten.

Everything was fine.

He let the boy go, waving to Ned who practically jumped up and down, waving back. He snorted. Peter's friend had been to the tower a handful of times in the last month, seeing Tony every time. Was he really still so excited to see him? Chuckling, he climbed back into the car, not moving until the bus pulled out of the parking lot.

Everything was fine. Peter was safe. He was smart...a great kid. A superhero. He didn't have to worry. It was a two-day school trip with the Academic Decathlon team, the nerdiest of all the nerd clubs.

Fighting the urge to text him, Tony drove to the closest coffee place that offered drive-through, ordered two coffees, then hurried back to the tower where he found Pepper already in the conference room. Placing the coffee on the table beside her, he kissed her cheek, then grabbed a folder off the table and tried to focus. It wasn't long before Bruce, Rhodey, and Thor joined him.

"Peter's field trip was today, right?" Bruce asked, yawning and rubbing the sleep out of his eyes as he took a seat beside Tony, Rhodey taking the seat across from him. Beside Bruce was Thor who glanced up from where he was glancing through his papers, one finger adjusting they eyepatch.

Tony and Bruce had been working on a synthetic eye for him and it was almost ready. The biggest issues would come after testing, especially since they hadn't really brought it up with him yet. They had also been working on pain medicine for Peter but that was something they couldn't test very well without hurting him, which neither of them was willing to do...so they would just have to wait. "Yeah." He told Bruce, trying to keep his mind on the present. "He'll be back tomorrow night around seven." He planned on taking the kid and Pepper out to dinner, somewhere nice, as long as the kid was up to it.

"He seems to be doing good." Bruce pointed out, and Tony nodded.

"Yeah. He is." He didn't want to get into specifics...they still didn't know very much about the nightmares. Only himself, Rhodey, and Pepper knew that he was Spiderman. Bruce, Loki, and Thor knew that he was enhanced. Natasha, Steve, Sam, Clint, and Wanda knew nothing. He was going to need to make himself a chart to keep track of it all.

The others trickled into the room, each of them going over to the coffee cart in the corner, mumbling 'good mornings' and taking their seats. Tony was glad to note that most of the awkwardness was gone from the group, even if they weren't completely back to normal. Then again, normal hadn't been so great. He was ready for a new kind of normal. A more comfortable one...one in which the team was what it had always set out to be...a kind of family.

They were in the middle of working when his phone chimed in his pocket and he pulled it out, ignoring the glances from the others and bringing up the text. "We just got to the hotel! Ned and I get to room together, plus they have wifi! The first competition starts in an hour."

"Good luck, kiddo." He typed back, pocketing his phone once more and looking up to find all eyes on him.

"Your son?" Clint asked, his words sounding like a peace offering...like an invitation.

"Yeah. He's on a field trip until tomorrow for one of his nerd clubs." He waved a hand.

"Is he getting sick?" Tony jerked his head around to face Natasha who had an eyebrow lifted.

"What?"

"He's been coughing…". She shrugged. "It's probably allergies or something." Tony swallowed, remembering the kid coughing earlier that morning. Was Peter sick? How had Tony not noticed?

Pulling out his phone as everyone else went back to the tablets, Tony opened a new message. "You feeling okay, Pete?" Placing the phone on the table, he went back to half-heartedly paying attention to his tablet before his phone buzzed.

"Yep." And then a thumbs up emoji. He rolled his eyes, catching the smirk Rhodey sent him.

"Kids and their emojis." He told his friend who chucked.

"Everything okay?" Steve asked. Tony nodded.

"Yeah. You guys about ready to wrap this up?" There were nods all around the table, so Tony turned to Rhodey. "You want to send it all in?"

"Yeah. I'll meet with the new defense secretary and let her know." He hesitated. "She did ask about Spiderman." Tony shook his head.

"Tell her not to worry about Spiderman." He ordered, voice soft and firm. "He's small-time."

"He would need to agree to the Accords," Rhodey told him quietly.

"Why don't we just talk to him?" Steve suggested. "He doesn't have to sign anything. Just...make him aware of it." Tony sighed, rubbing a hand down his face.

"Tell her I'll take care of it." He told them, wanting to get the topic off of Spiderman.

"Who is this man of spiders?" Thor wondered.

"Small time vigilante," Tony told him shortly.

"He's strong." Steve put in. "Maybe stronger than me."

"He's definitely stronger than you," Tony said with a wry smile.

"He was at the airport." Natasha put in. "Young guy. Wears a mask and a suit...no one but Tony knows who he is." Rhodey didn't comment, heading out of the room to make his phone call.

Once this was done, they were in the clear, free to operate as the Avengers once more in the United States and, with some conditions, outside of the states. Anything in foreign countries had to be approved by the UN if it was a major operation, but small missions could be done without any approval. Things like finding Hydra bases and chasing down terrorists.

"He's no one. Just some guy that fights crime in Queens." Tony slapped a palm down on the table, pushing his chair back from the table. "Are we done here?"

"Actually...I had a question." He turned to Wanda, everyone else going quiet. She glanced over at Vision who nodded to her, as if in encouragement. Was she actually worried about asking him something? Then again, they hadn't exactly spoken much since the airport.

"What's up?" He wondered.

"I wanted to ask if our rooms were still available." Her eyes were downcast, jaw tight, and he nodded immediately.

"Of course. Wanda, your room is beside Vision's. Everyone else's room is in the same spot. There were some renovations but otherwise, everything is the same."

There was a moment of silence, then Wanda looked up at him. "Thank you, Tony." He shrugged her off. Getting emotional with his kid was one thing. The rest of the Avengers...well...they weren't there yet.

"Alright. Anyone that wants to stay, your rooms are the same. Kitchen's stocked. FRIDAY has all the movies, etc. I'll be in my lab if anyone needs me." He waved a lazy hand over his shoulder, heading over to the elevator and taking it up to his private lab. Once inside, he pulled out his phone, checking the time, then stuffing it back into his pocket. The kid was probably busy with his meet and hanging out with his friends, so he'd wait to text him.

He would need to talk to Peter about the Accords. He didn't think that Spiderman would ever do anything to break them, or get involved in any international incidents, but still, if he talked to him about it and got Peter to agree, he could pass that on to Rhodey and it would be fine. Then they could move on from the Accords and he could focus on the Avengers and maybe, eventually, introduce Spiderman to them. Plus, now he'd need to actually introduce Peter to Wanda and Clint, even though he'd briefly met them before when he'd helped Natasha move out of her apartment.

The protestors were another issue they'd need to look into. Of course, people were welcome to protest...and sign petitions and write letters. Regardless of what they did, they wanted Loki in prison. On the Raft, most likely. Ever since the shooting at the press conference, Tony had been a lot less likely to actually listen to their complaints. Still, as long as they stayed away from him and his kid, he didn't care. He did wonder what the secretary of defense would say about it though...he'd thought about officially making Loki an Avenger, but hadn't brought it up yet. At this point, everything still felt so fragile. Loki got along fine with the others for the most part, and he usually kept to himself, but Tony wasn't willing to risk the peace.

Tony waited until four to text Peter, asking how the competition had gone. He got another thumbs up emoji and chuckled, going back to his work until his phone rang about an hour later. "Hey, kiddo."

"Hey, Tony." The boy's voice was subdued, and immediately Tony was on edge, putting the screwdriver he'd been holding down onto the table.

"What's up?"

"Nothing, really. We won our competition…"

"That's good," Tony said hesitantly. Peter hadn't sounded too excited.

"Yeah…" Peter muttered, then he heard muffled coughing.

"You sure you're okay, Pete?"

"Yeah. I just...uh...I think I'm getting a cold or something. I just feel...weird."

"Yeah?" Tony asked. "You want to come home?"

"No!" Peter hurried to assure him. "It's only one more day. I got some cold medicine...I'll be fine. We have another competition tomorrow and I can't miss it."

"Okay." He hesitated. "What did you mean, you feel weird?"

"I don't know." Peter sounded frustrated. "Ever since we got here I just...I don't know. I feel like something's going to happen but I don't...I don't know what."

"You want me to come up here?" Tony asked, wondering if a few of the Avengers would be willing to come with him. He was sure they would be...they all liked Peter.

"No. It's probably fine." Peter coughed once more, head turned from the phone so that the sound was muffled. "How is the stuff with the Accords going?"

"It's going well. We finished up a few hours ago. Wanda is moving back into the tower."

"Oh, that's cool. I haven't really gotten to talk to her...she won't use her mind-reading magic on me will she?"

"No." Tony shook his head, even if Peter couldn't see him. Maybe he should have video-called him so he could get a good look at him. The kid had looked fine that morning. He sounded upset, though...worried or on-edge. "She doesn't use her freaky magic for evil, don't worry." He told Peter with a smile, making his tone teasing.

There was a muffled voice in the background and for a moment, Peter held the phone away from his face, calling out something that Tony didn't catch. "I'll let you get back to your friends, Pete. Call if you need anything, alright?"

"Alright. Thanks, Tony." Peter's voice was soft and a little calmer.

"No problem, kid. Be careful if you sneak out. Good luck with your competition."

"Goodnight, Tony."

"Night, kiddo." And, pocketing his phone, Tony tried not to worry. He tried not to worry as he finished up working in the lab and then as he ate dinner with Pepper. She wasn't fooled.

"Tony, what's wrong?" She asked when he missed something she'd said at least twice.

"I think Pete's getting sick."

"He looked fine last night." She frowned in concern. "Is he okay?"

"Yeah...he said it was just a cold."

"I'm sure it is." She soothed, resting a hand on his. And that evening, as they curled up in bed together, he very determinedly didn't think about Peter being sick without him...or about Peter feeling weird. What did that mean anyway? Like something was going to happen...that's what he'd said. But what? He was at a nerd competition! With a bunch of other nerds!

All night he dreamed about Peter...about his kid screaming for him, reaching out for him...and no matter how hard he fought, he couldn't reach him! Like he was moving through jello, he would run and fight, reaching his arms out and never reaching the boy.

He woke up at nine-thirty to pounding on his bedroom door. "What the fuck." He rasped, rubbing a hand over his face. "What!" He snapped, grabbing his phone off the bedside table and feeling his blood turn to ice.

He'd missed three calls from Peter...just five minutes ago.

That didn't necessarily mean anything. Everything was probably fine.

"Tony!" He threw the blankets off, jumping out of bed and yanking the door open, then coming face to face with Rhodey who had a cell phone clutched in his hand. "We need to get to Peter. Now." Tony shook his head. It wasn't possible. Peter was fine. He had to be fine. "Someone tipped off the press. They know his name and they know where he is...he just called me...there's an active shooter at his decathlon competition. The shooter is looking for Peter."

Tony couldn't breathe. He couldn't breathe! A shooter…a shooter who was looking for Peter. "Tony!" Rhodey cried, grabbing his shoulder, and Tony nodded.

"Give me...just...let me get dressed!" He cried, grabbing his undersuit from his closet and shutting his door for just long enough to throw it on. "FRI, get Bruce up here right now!" He practically screamed. "Did you talk to him?" He asked Rhodey through the door.

"Only for a few seconds. He…the phone cut off. I called him back but he didn't answer." Tony's stomach knotted in terror, but he didn't have time for terror.

Peter had tried to call him.

He'd been asleep.

Undersuit on, he touched a button on his watch, summoning the suit as he followed Rhodey into the living room just as Bruce stepped off the elevator, followed by Steve. "Tony? What's going on?" Bruce asked as the suit covered Tony's body, taking entirely too long. Behind him, Steve watched with wide eyes.

"Peter." Tony choked out, refusing to let his anxiety choke him. "A shooter...they know who he is. They're after Peter."

Immediately, everyone went rigid before exploding into action, and before he knew it, the four of them were on the Quinjet, Tony wondering when he'd invited Captain America to join them.

Sitting in the copilot's seat, he stared down at his phone, heart racing.

Three missed calls.

They knew who Peter was. Someone was trying to hurt his kid.

He didn't know why. He didn't care why.

He was going to kill them.

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