A/N: Wow, thanks so much for all the reviews for the last chapter! Seemed a lot of you really enjoyed that chapter. :)

Chapter 36:

Peter's POV:

I sat on the floor, both of Pepper's arms wrapped tightly around me to both comfort and restrain me. Not that she could restrain me if I wanted to move, but her intention was clear. There was quiet sobbing coming from a couple of children sitting across from me. Their mother had her arms around both of them, and I could tell she wanted to cry, but knew she had to be strong for her kids. An elderly couple was with us as well, holding on to each other. I could see they were scared, but they were doing the best they could to hide it. There were staff members from the café also: two waitresses, two male cooks, and a female manager, who was bleeding from a leg wound. Everybody's faces were pale and scared. The mother and one of the waitresses threw Pepper an accusing look, like this was her fault. The glares didn't last long, though as all our attention was on Tony.

So, how did we end up like this?

Pepper. She's the reason we're here, at least. Not that I'd ever blame her for what's happening, of course. Today was supposed to be a little family bonding time. Well, we were certainly bonding, but not in the way she'd hoped.

It goes back to Thursday, the day I'd blown up at Tony. He must've said something to Pepper because she'd burst into my room absolutely furious, demanding that I explain myself. I'd jumped to my feet, taken aback by how angry she was. I'd never seen her this pissed, so I'd just stared at her with wide eyes.

"Peter Parker-Stark, I tell me this second what you said to your father!" she demanded once more.

"N-nothing!" I exclaimed defensively. "Why, what'd he tell you?"

Her eyes were narrowed as she got into my personal space. "Did he tell me anything?" she asked rhetorically. "No, not at all. He's holed up in his lab, the glass completely dimmed so that no one can look inside. I tried to get inside, but I couldn't. Friday was the one to inform me of what happened. So, maybe instead of asking what you said, I'm going to ask you why."

"I didn't—I mean—I just told him the truth," I stammered with little heat. "It's his fault what's going on. He didn't have to tell the whole world"—

"Enough," Pepper stated in a quiet yet firm voice as she held up a silencing hand. She backed away from me, letting out a sigh. She ordered me to sit down, and I reluctantly sat myself down at my desk while she remained standing.

"This has gone on long enough, Peter," she lectured, seeming more tired now than angry. "Tony is not to blame for what happened. I'm sorry, we're all sorry with what you're going through, but it's really nobody's fault. The public was going to find out sooner or later that we'd adopted you, and what Tony and I did by putting on the conference was to protect you as much as we could. Now, I have to ask, why is it that you're only blaming Tony and not me?" she questioned curiously.

I shifted in my seat uncomfortably, fidgeting with my hands before answering, "Tony's the one who's constantly looking to bring attention on himself, so this was just another ploy to do that and to look good. I mean, have you heard how the media is describing me? It's like that dumb play, Annie come to life. Poor orphan kid taken in by a rich man and given the best life ever. It's ridiculous!"

Pepper inhaled deeply as she leaned against my desk.

"You know that's not true," she said quietly, and with a hint of disappointment. "Tony may be narcissistic, but he would never use you like that. You are not a publicity stunt. You are his son, and my son, and we love you. You are being unfair-no, you're being cruel with Tony. In fact, you are judging him as harshly as the media, as harshly as strangers," she accused, her voice oozing with disappointment that struct me deeply.

"I'm not…but he…," I trailed off pathetically, and she stood straight up, giving me a stern look.

"I'm extremely disappointed in you, Peter," she stated, and those words hurt. I didn't want to let her down. "It's okay to be angry by what's happened, but it's not okay to take that anger out on Tony. This attitude of yours is completely childish, selfish, and beneath you. You need to apologize for what you've said, and you need to shape up and get your head on straight."

"I don't want to apologize," I grumbled, pushing aside lingering guilt.

Pepper was all mom now as she crossed her arms and stared me down. "If you won't apologize, then your grounding will continue past tomorrow."

"What?" I gasped as I stood up angrily. "You can't do that! You can't force me to apologize and be nice to Tony!"

"You're right, I can't, but I can punish you for your behavior, and that is why you're grounding will continue," she declared. "Continue to snap at me, young man, and I will spank you. As it is, you have more than earned one, but I will not bother with a spanking if you won't even admit that what you're doing is wrong. Rest assured, though, that if you ever treat Tony so cruelly again, I don't care whether you're repentant or not, I'll spank you where you stand," she threatened, and I swallowed my arguments. My face heated up at her threat, and I settled for plopping back down in my chair and getting back to work on my homework. I heard Pepper let out a sigh before she just walked out.

Friday came and went, and my grounding didn't end. I fumed.

Saturday arrived and Pepper bribed me into going out to eat with her and Tony. She assured me we'd go somewhere secluded with not a lot of people. "I'm not looking to put on a show," she said. I'd flat out declined, so she'd pulled out the big guns and promised me that if I went out for this meal and acted politely, then she'd let me go out as Spider man tonight. When faced with a promise like that, I instantly got to my feet, forcing a wide grin on my face as I sarcastically remarked, "I love family outings." She snorted.

Tony's eyes showed surprise when he saw me with Pepper, and he offered me a small smile that I blatantly ignored. He sighed, but said nothing as we left. Pepper took over the driving, taking us to a café she said she went to occasionally with friends from work. The staff was nice, the food good, and everybody minded their own business. I was thinking it'd be in some uncrowded area, but it was an area surrounded by restaurant after restaurant. People were milling about, but as Pepper said, nobody really paid us any mind. We were seated in the café quickly, and we'd barely put in our orders when things turned south.

My spider sense went off, and I looked around the room, wondering what had set it off. I looked at all the occupants in the restaurant, not sure what I was looking for. I was staring at a group of five men, noticing that something seemed off about them, like their demeanor and even their faces when Tony called out my name. My face turned towards his, and I saw that he was suddenly on alert. I supposed something in my expression had set him off.

"What is it?" he asked quietly, and I was about to tell him I wasn't sure when my spider sense went off again. Tony's eyes widened, and I turned just in time to see a man from that group of five stand up and swiftly pull out a gun. A scream echoed before being cut off as one of the other men stood up and covered the waitresses mouth. Guns were out and being pointed at us all by four of the men while one rushed to the front door, turning the open sign off as he locked the door. There were only tiny windows high up with no way for any of us to signal for help nor for anyone to see inside. The manager rushed out at this point and was immediately shot in the leg. She screamed in pain as she crumpled to the floor.

"Hello Lisa, miss me?" the man who'd shot her asked in mocking casualness.

"Spike, here, has been telling us all about you and your cheating ways," another spoke with a sneer, "so we thought we'd stop by and see what he was talking about."

"Might even have ourselves some fun," a third man added far too joyfully. "Karma's a bitch, right?"

"Everybody throw me your cell phones and nobody else gets killed or shot," the largest man ordered authoritatively, pointing his two guns at everybody. "Our business here is only with the bitch here, so don't anybody try and be a hero." There was a flurry of movement as people reached for and then threw their cell phones towards the center of the room, my family included. Tony's eyes were glaring darkly at the men, and I noticed him fidgeting with his watch. I thought he was turning it into the Iron Man glove, but he then dropped it to the floor. He locked eyes with me, and his face was grave as he said, "Do not get involved unless I'm dead." With those cheerful and encouraging words, he stood up.

"Hey, sit your ass down!" a man roared when he noticed Tony, and Tony held his hands up as he cockily responded, "Oh man, do you have any idea how much trouble you're in right now? You do know who I am, right?" The one who'd ordered him to sit faltered, glancing to the other men for help.

"Y-you're Tony Stark," another man stated, well, he sounded more like a kid, like my age. All eyes suddenly turned towards Tony, and the largest man gave a low whistle as he began to chuckle. "Holy shit, fellas, look what we have here. It's Iron Man," he said, and I could hear the grin in his voice. "Spike," he addressed, and the man who'd shot the manager turned his head. "Change of plans. This has just turned from some fun revenge to a hostage situation." While this man seemed overly pleased at the thought of money, I noticed his buddies seemed more nervous, which I figured was because it was Iron Man they were dealing with.

"Everybody but our dear super hero on the floor over there," he ordered, pointing towards one end of the café. Everybody scrambled to their feet and over to the floor. Pepper pleaded with me with her eyes to move, and I reluctantly allowed her to pull me over with the other hostages. Two of the men surrounded us with their guns out while Spike, the leader, and a heavily tattooed guy stayed with Tony.

"Make sure he's got nuthin on him," the leader ordered, and the other two immediately started frisking him. They ripped off his jacket, searched the pockets and seams before tossing it away. They emptied his pant pockets and even removed his belt. I guess I knew now why he dropped his watch. Maybe he was planning on grabbing it later? Those thoughts were quickly refuted as Tony's hands were tied with rope from the kitchen, and he was pushed to his knees.

"Sir, are you sure we should be doing this?" the kid by us asked the leader. "I mean, that's Iron Man. What if the other Avengers come looking for him?"

"He's useless without his suit, and the Avengers don't even know he's in trouble," Tattoo muttered, giving my dad a light kick. Tony just threw him an unimpressed look, which Tattoo didn't seem to appreciate because he punched Tony hard enough that he hit the floor, and was spitting out blood when he pulled himself back onto his knees.

"Now now, Carl, there's no need for such violence," leader dude drawled. "I'm sure Mr. Stark here is more than willing to give in to our demands to save these good people's lives. Ain't that right, Mr. Stark?" the man asked, grabbing hold of my dad's hair and pulling it tightly. He pulled out his bloody knife and tapped the flat end of it against his throat. It took all my will power not to scream and attack those men. With a knife against Dad's throat and guns pointed at us all, there was no guarantee I could save anybody's life but my own if I did something.

"What do you want?" Tony ground out as he glared at the leader.

"From you? Money," he remarked simply. "And, revenge, of course."

"Revenge for what?" Tony asked, and there were a couple chuckles from all the men barring the teen, who just looked down at the gun in his hand. Looking closely at their faces, I realized now why they weren't wearing masks. Well, not obvious masks. What they had were bio engineered masks meant to make you look like someone else. Natasha had shown me these at SHIELD, and had made herself look like me. These guys looked like they had knock offs, because their faces sort of glitched every couple of minutes. I could also see the devices behind all their ears now.

"Revenge for getting my brothers killed during your little war with the aliens," the man remarked, his voice now deep and full of hatred.

"That was like twenty years ago," Tony replied flippantly, "and you're still bent up about it? And, in all honesty, I saved your—AARRGHH!" Tony screamed as the man holding him suddenly let out a stream of electricity. Gasps and shouts were elicited from the hostages and me as the man was now surrounded by so much electricity he looked like an electric man.

"What was you saying, Mr. Stark?" electricity man questioned mockingly as Tony was letting out loud gasps. Tony glared and was about to say something when he was electrocuted once more. He screamed briefly before clenching his mouth quietly. He jerked violently, and so I stood up, unable to keep from yelling, "Leave him alone!"

The man stopped, his joyful grin turning to a frown as he looked to me. Eyebrows rising, the man then grinned widely.

"Who're you?" Spike grunted irritably.

"It's the orphan kid, Stark here took in," the man supplied.

"I'm his son," I corrected heatedly, "so leave my dad alone." The man looked highly amused as he dropped Tony, and made to walk towards me. Before he took a step, though, Tony got to his feet and rammed into the man. Electric man instantly turned and began electrocuting Tony again, and this time Tony couldn't keep from screaming as he writhed on the floor.

"Stop it! Please, stop it!" I screamed, but Pepper and some of the other hostages placed their hands on me, urging me to not move.

"Electro, enough man!" Carl yelled in exasperation. "You kill him and we don't get nothing!" Electro stopped, arching an eyebrow at Carl before staring dispassionately at Tony, who lay on the floor twitching. His eyes were closed and he was barely moving, but I could tell he was still alive.

"Alright, Mr. Stark, looks like play times over," Electro drawled, hauling my father up by his neck. Tony's legs seemed shaky, and they buckled under him when he was forced to stand. "Why don't you take a seat if standings too hard on you," Electro drawled in humor before throwing Tony towards where we'd been sitting earlier. He crashed into the table, hitting the floor hard, and the men all laughed. I felt Pepper shaking beside me, and I was turning to give her an encouraging look when I noticed she wasn't shaking out of fear, but fury. The expression, if looks could kill came to mind.

"Here, let me help you up," Electro stated, hauling my dad to his feet. Tony's eyes were opened and he looked more alert than I thought he'd be; and as Electro held him up, I noticed Tony was wearing his watch.

"Now, Stark," Electro remarked, "my boys and I have been downright hospitable with you, but that can change if you try and do anything funny, you understand. You see, all we want is half a million dollars. Not too much, right? You can just wire it to this account," he told Tony, holding out a paper. "Wire the money now and we'll let you all live. Say no and I'll start killing hostages, starting with your uppity boy over there."

Tony's eyes were ice cold as he stood on his own feet now. "I don't know if you realize, but unlike the movies, wiring that amount of money to an account isn't exactly easy, nor is it something I can do without being present at the bank," he informed him.

"You're Tony Stark, I'm sure you can get around that," Electro responded, and Tony just shook his head grimly as he replied, "Even I am not above the law as much as I may act like it."

The men in the room started to look uneasy, throwing each other looks.

"Electro, sir, let's just take what we can and go," the second man by us said, a tremble in his voice. "We've been here long enough to rouse suspicion. People are knocking on the door. Let's go before we bring down on us the Avengers. This isn't worth it," he pleaded. The kid nodded his head, and even Spike and Carl looked like they were in agreement.

"It's broad daylight, boss," Carl stated knowingly. "We ain't killed nobody yet, so we can still get outta this without too much fuss. Live to fight another day, eh?"

"We're never going to get a chance like this again, boys, and you just wanna run?" Electro asked in quiet fury, his entire body crackling and vibrating with energy. There were some timid nods given, and he let off a growl, causing electricity to course through his body and into Tony once more. "Fine, if we can't get his money, then I can at least have his life." With those words, he turned up the amps, and Tony screamed. Mere seconds went by before Tony brought up his right hand, glove activated, and blasted Electro in the face. I acted, ripping the gun form the kid's hands and pistol whipping the second man across the face, hard enough to knock him off his feet.

Electro roared in fury, electricity coming off him in a wave, hitting his own men and Tony once more. It nearly reached me when the angry man was blasted into the wall. Looking to my right, I saw Vision, the stone in his forehead glowing. Natasha burst in through the front door, guns drawn. She came over to aid me with my two captives while Vision took care of Spike and Carl. Tony, smoke coming off of him, and breathing quite heavily, pulled himself to his feet shakily and remarked, "T-took you long enough."

"We stopped for drive-thru," Natasha quipped emotionlessly, and I was surprised when Tony started to laugh weakly. He stumbled towards us, and Pepper immediately rushed to him and threw her arms around him.

"Are you okay, Tony?" Pepper asked worriedly. I watched Tony smile and reassure Pepper he was fine, even though he clearly wasn't. His hair was sticking up, his ears were bleeding, his face was bruised, and I could see some burn marks on his wrists form where Electro had grabbed him. He could've died. Right here. Today. This could've been the end. I could've lost him. As these thoughts ran through my head, my heart began to beat faster and faster, the reality of what could've happened catching up.

Tony could've died. Dad could've died.

One hour ago, all I could think about was how pissed off I was at him for the media knowing I was his adopted son, and now that seemed irrelevant. In fact, it seemed childish and selfish.

Right now, after what had almost happened, the world looked different. Tony could've died right in front of me as I did nothing but sit and watch. I'd almost lost my dad. Tears welled up in my eyes as I realized that if Tony had died, the last thing he would've remembered of me was how much I detested him, and how I hadn't wanted to be a Stark. How childishly self-centered I'd been. I'd accused him of being the selfish one, but it'd been me. All I'd thought about was what I was suffering.

Police and medics arrived, and they were moving around, handcuffing the men and helping the hostages. Agents from HQ approached Electro and put him in bindings that I hoped were meant to keep his ability from being used. I could hear a lot of voices, and I noticed people—the press was trying to get in. I ignored them all, my attention turning back towards Tony, who Vision and Pepper were helping over to a table. He looked like he was in pain, and I couldn't keep myself any more from running over and wrapping my arms around him.

He gave a groan of pain, but I couldn't bring myself to let go. "I'm so sorry," I told him as I buried my head into his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Dad, I didn't mean any of it. I was being a stupid kid, and I love you, and you could've died, and I'm sorry!" I told him, tears leaking out of my eyes. Tony's arms were wrapped around me securely, and he shushed me, letting me know that there was nothing that needed forgiving.

"I love you too, Peter," he whispered, placing one of his hands behind my head, "and I'm proud of you. I know it couldn't have been easy staying out of this, but you did it anyways."

I felt warmth spreading through me as he told me he loved me, and as he then said he was proud of me. "Are you okay?" I asked after pulling away.

"I will be," he responded with a slight grimace. "I'm kinda hurting right now, and not sure if I can really walk without falling. My muscles keep spasming." I hugged him again, and felt as Pepper wrapped her arms around the both of us.

A timid EMT suddenly appeared, pulling us back to the moment at hand. "Mr. Stark, uh, we've been told that you were injured. Would it, uh, would it be okay if I checked you over?" Tony acquiesced, and the EMT let out a brief sigh of relief as he approached Tony. He looked over the injury to his face, took his blood pressure, and then his heart rate. He looked unhappy when he finished and told Tony, "Mr. Stark, you need to go to the hospital. We need a more in depth look to see what the electricity did to you. Your heart rate and blood pressure are way too high, and you're going to need stitches for your head wound."

Dad groaned dramatically, but at Pepper's pointed look, he gave a nod of agreement. "Alright, but I'm going to our doctor at HQ," he asserted, getting back onto his feet. The EMT frowned, but backed away, knowing better than to argue. Natasha and Vision approached us, and we informed them of what was going to happen.

"Happy is already waiting for us," Nat stated.

"Help me walk out there on my own two feet," Tony pleaded. "I don't want the media to know how hurt I was." I understood the need to not come off as weak, so I let him wrap an arm around my shoulders and Pepper let him wrap his other arm around her shoulders. We both helped him remain standing while Natasha and Vision helped us get through the crowd. Questions were yelled out, pictures being taken, and video cameras filming. As Pepper helped Tony into the limo, I turned to the reporters, and held up a hand like I'd seen Tony do when he wanted them to quiet. Surprisingly, it worked.

"I'm sure you'll get details on what happened from the hostages and authorities, but there's something that you must know," I told them seriously. "Tony, my dad, is the reason we're all alive. He took the bad guys' attention on himself, making sure nobody but himself was hurt until help could arrive. He's a hero even without the armor, and don't you forget it." And, with those words, I got into the car behind Pepper, Nat and Vision getting in with me. Natasha sat next to me and ruffled my hair affectionately before whispering into my ear, "Well done, baby Stark". I smiled at her.

Tony and Pepper seemed oblivious to what had happened, but I could see it was because Tony's state seemed to be declining. His face was white and sweaty, and it seemed like every movement he made, even breathing seemed to cause him pain. I could see some of his muscles spasming. Natasha ordered Happy to drive as fast as he could, and I felt as the car began to pick up speed.

"Hey guys…'m feelin' kinda weird," Tony slurred, his eyes closing as he started to fall forward. Everyone in the car reached out to catch him, and Pepper pulled him until his torso was lying on her lap. Natasha knelt before him, checking his pulse, her face deeply concerned.

"With how fast his pulse is racing, he shouldn't be unconscious," she informed us, and my own concern shot through the roof.

"He's going to be okay, though, right?" I asked the occupants of the car desperately.

"Do we need to stop at a hospital now?" Pepper questioned calmly, and Natasha nodded. Happy, clearly having heard our conversation immediately made a sharp turn.

"We'll be there in five," he said, "I'll call ahead."

Natasha started slapping Tony's face harder than I thought she should, telling the man to wake the hell up. "Come on Tony," she began to plead. "Wake your stubborn ass up before I decide to give you a real slap."

"Wouldn't it be better for him to stay sleeping?" I asked hesitantly, and she looked conflicted.

"I'd rather he be awake, even if he's in pain. Falling asleep when injured isn't always a good thing," she explained. She then gave Tony a quiet apology before she slapped him hard, the smack echoing throughout the room.

"Ah!" Tony yelled as he jerked awake, a hand going to his face. "What the fuck, Natasha?" he complained, throwing her a weak glare. "Not dying'," he grumbled, a pout forming on his face.

"Yes, and I intend to keep it that way," she said unapologetically, reaching out a hand to run through his hair once before she sat herself next to me again. Tony grumbled unintelligibly as he continued to rub his face.

We arrived at the hospital, and we practically carried Tony in. He refused to be rolled in on a stretcher, and I couldn't help but look to Natasha and remark, "If you'd left him unconscious there would've been much less complaining." She smirked.

The nurses brought us into the first available room, Pepper telling them just to stabilize him until a SHIELD doctor she'd called could arrive. Things moved slowly now as we were hustled out of Tony's room. It was only ten minutes before the SHIELD doctor arrived. It was then another thirty minutes before he stepped out to let us know that Tony would be just fine.

"I don't know what he's made of, but the electricity didn't cause as much damage as we'd have expected," he explained. "His muscles are still spasming occasionally, so I'm going to be prescribing him muscle relaxants along with some pain meds. I've stitched up the cut on his cheek and lip, and that'll heal quickly. There's some scarring on his wrists from the—I was told it as a man who did this with his bare hands?" he asked, looking for confirmation.

"He's called Electro," I answered. "His entire body turned into electricity, basically, and he channeled it into Tony through his hands; although, it looked like he didn't have to be in contact with someone to actually electrocute them." The doctor's brow furrowed as he nodded.

"Well," he continued to inform me, "he has scarring on his left forearm that is unlikely to go away."

"Can we take him home?" Pepper asked, and the man nodded. "Have Dr. Banner keep an eye on him, and feel free to contact me for any reason." Pepper went up, shook his hand and thanked him profusely for his help. The man smiled, assuring her that it was his pleasure.

The door opened, and Tony limped on out, looking rather haggard. "Let's go before I pass out in this hallway." I immediately went to help him, both of us ignoring nurses and his doctor saying he should use a wheelchair. I knew he'd refuse, so I figured we'd forego the argument and just get out. Happy ran ahead to get the car pulled up, and Pepper stayed behind to finish filling out forms. It was another twenty minutes before we arrived home, Bruce greeting us anxiously. As Pepper filled him in, I and Vision helped Tony into the elevator and up to our floor. We then led him to his room and to his bed, where he landed haphazardly on top of it. I snickered while grabbing his legs and shifting him until he was on the bed all the way. Vision excused himself and Pepper walked in. She let me know that she'd take care of Tony now, and that I should go and let my friends know what had happened as we were no doubt on the news by now.

I didn't want to leave, but I could tell Mom wasn't asking, but telling me to go. I ran to my room, grabbed my tablet, and immediately skyped both my friends. MJ answered after a single ring and Ned after three.

"Peter!" Ned exclaimed, "are you alright?"

"Of course he is," MJ snapped irritably, which meant she was worried, "can't you see him?"

"Yeah, but he likes to hide when he's injured," Ned argued, and the two began to argue, which amused me as I knew neither one was really angry with the other. They'd just been worried about me.

"Guys, come on," I addressed calmly, "I'm fine. Completely unharmed. I wasn't touched."

"Your dad didn't look well," MJ said. "In fact, it looked like you and Pepper were holding him up."

"We were," I confirmed sadly. "He was hurt pretty badly. He's fine now, or he will be," I stated before either one could ask.

"What happened?" Ned asked. "The news said some guys were holding you all hostage. Were they there for Tony?"

I shook my head, rubbing my hands over my face as I suddenly felt bone-tired. It seemed the adrenaline from the event had finally been spent, and now I wanted to sleep. Instead, I recounted to my friends what happened, and they thankfully didn't interrupt.

"A guy whose body was made of electricity?" Ned questioned in shock afterwards, and I nodded grimly.

"You think SHIELD will be able to hold him?" MJ asked skeptically, and I shrugged.

"I hope so," I said, and at their concerned looks, I decided to show more confidence. "I mean, yeah, of course. They're SHIELD, they're used to dealing with dudes like that. They dealt with the Lizard and Dr. Octopus."

Ned looked satisfied, but MJ didn't. She was a natural pessimist, though along with a cynic, so I didn't bother trying to change her mind.

"Do you think we could come over?" MJ asked, and I hesitated, unsure of what Pepper would say.

"I don't think today is a good day after what happened. I'll ask Mom, er, Pepper if you can come tomorrow," I said. "I'm sure she'll say yes." I frowned when I saw my friends sporting wide grins. "What?" I asked in confusion.

"You called Pepper, Mom," Ned said far too cheerfully as MJ said, "That's adorable. Do you call Tony, Dad?"

I blushed before rolling my eyes. "Rarely," I admitted. "I don't know if they want me to, and it kind of feels weird for me. I've never called anybody Mom or Dad."

"You think of them like that, though, don't you?" MJ pressed knowingly, and I nodded my head. "Well, then call them that. I'm absolutely positive they won't mind." I considered her words before nodding once more.

Conversation flowed easily, moving from the what happened today to lighter topics. Even though we saw each other every day at school, I'd missed conversing with them like this. I'd missed hanging out with them. I really hoped Pepper would let them visit tomorrow. My grounding was officially over, and I didn't see her lengthening it.

"Since your groundings over, are you going out as Spider man tonight?" Ned asked curiously, and I'll admit, I hadn't even thought of Spider man since this morning.

"I'd like to," I said, "but if Pepper says no, I won't argue, at least tonight. With what happened today, I wouldn't be surprised if she wants me close."

"Makes sense," MJ agreed.

We hung up shortly afterwards after I assured them I'd ask Pepper if they could visit tomorrow.

I yawned loudly as I stood up, wanting to take a nap, but wanting even more to check in on Tony. Making my way to my parent's room, I lightly knocked on the door, but I received no response. Friday informed me they were both sound asleep. I bit my lip, wondering if they'd mind if I went inside. My childish need to see my dad won out, and I quietly opened their door before stealthily making my win inside. Silently padding over to Tony's side of the bed, I saw him lying on his stomach, sleeping peacefully. I saw a bottle with muscle relaxants and another with pain meds, so I assumed he'd taken them, which was why he was able to sleep so peacefully. Pepper was sleeping right next to him, one of her arms wrapped around his back. I felt relief at seeing both looking okay. Feeling exhausted, I hesitated only a few seconds before going over to the other side of their bed and getting in to sleep on Pepper's other side. I fell asleep only moments after my head hit the pillow.

Tony's POV:

I jerked awake, instantly taking in my surroundings before letting out a groan. My muscles seemed sore, like I'd just gone through an intensive workout. I looked to my side to see Pepper sleeping soundly, and I smiled softly, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead. Lifting my head, my smile widened when I saw my little spider asleep, his head burrowed against Pepper's back.

"Hey, Fri, take a pic," I requested, and she replied, "Of course, sir."

I gently took Pepper's arm off me and slid out of bed. I stifled a pained groan as I fully stood up and tried to stretch my aching muscles. I couldn't keep the curse from slipping out of my mouth as the muscles in my arm spasmed painfully. Thankfully it wasn't my chest as my poor heart couldn't take any more damage. I was starting to think I should see a cardiologist.

"Dad?" I heard someone call out sleepily, and I turned to see Peter, hair tousled and eyes blearily opened. I couldn't help but smile not just at the sight he presented, but at the fact that he called me Dad, not just once today, but twice. This was a goddamn miracle seeing as just yesterday he couldn't even stand looking at me.

"Hey, pal," I greeted quietly, and he sat himself up fully, taking in his surroundings. He then got out of bed much more agilely and quietly than I managed. Punk. He walked over to me, and knowing what he wanted, I pulled him in for a hug the second he was close enough.

"Sorry for how I've been acting," he apologized sincerely. "I've been a selfish, childish jerk, and you didn't deserve any of it. I know it's not your fault what happened, and honestly, after today, it all seems so stupid. Who cares that people know you adopted me," he remarked seriously, breaking apart so he could look me in the eyes. "I'm not ashamed, I'm not," he insisted. "I'm proud to be your son."

My heart swelled with happiness at his words. I knew he hadn't meant what he was saying the past several days, but hearing him say this now was amazing. I honestly wouldn't have been surprised if he really was ashamed to be my son; but here he was saying he was proud. I pulled the boy in for another hug, placing my lips against his temple.

"Love you, little spider," I told him with conviction.

"Love you too," he responded emotionally.

A/N: I have a feeling some of you may think Tony let Peter off too easily, but I can't see Tony holding anger against Peter, especially after today's events.

On another note, I'm going to be taking longer to update now. I haven't started the next chapter. I've got ideas floating through my head, but I'm taking a short break. I WILL be continuing this story, so don't fear! It might be a week or so before the next update.

PLEASE REVIEW!