DIsclaimer - I own nothing.

A.N. - Welcome all to this new journey! Times are crazy right now, so I hope everyone is safe and keeping healthy and that this story makes you all smile in these dark times!

Just wanted to get a quick fact out of the way: Tony and May have a complicated relationship entering the co-parenting stage. So it might to some seem like there's maybe a tiny bit May/Tony if you squint really really really hard, but that's it. If you're looking for a full on May and Tony romance this story is not for you. Anywho, hope everyone enjoys!

/We're in the homestretch of the hard times

We took a hard left, but we're alright

Yeah, life sure can try to put love through it, but

We built this right, so nothing's ever gonna move it

When the bones are good, the rest don't matter/

-The Bones, Maren Morris

Chapter 1 - Parenting is Hard

Peter was tired, and bored, and he couldn't really focus on anything–except MJ was smiling at Brad. He was in their grade, and nice.

Brad had even helped him up once, freshman year–back when Peter easily stumbled and fell. Peter liked Brad–really.

"Dude, why are you glaring at Brad?" Ned widened his eyes like saucers.

Peter shrugged. "I'm not glaring at Brad. I like Brad."

"Uh," Ned raised his eyebrows slowly. Peter sighed harshly. "Okay, okay. Sure. Except, yeah, like, your 'I like you' face needs to be a little less intense. To separate it from your 'gonna kill him and bury the body' face."

"Why is MJ smiling at him?"

Ned shrugged, and continued with the group work handout. "I don't know. She's team captain now, right? She's gotta be nice to people. Encouraging, y'know?"

"What does being team Captain have to do with anything? He's not on the team."

Peter could feel himself getting agitated. Maybe he needed to stop patrolling so late. Clearly being tired was making him a bit cranky.

"Class" Mrs. Morrison called the class to attention. "I'd like to introduce a new student."

A pretty girl with blonde hair and the grayest eyes he'd ever seen walked to the center of the classroom in the front.

"Hi, I'm Gwen Stacy," she gave a small smile. Peter's eyes locked onto hers and he wanted to smile back, but there was something about her that just screamed trouble. It made a shiver run through his spine, and Peter gripped the desk so hard he was sure there would be an imprint of his fingertips in the desk.

"Dude," Ned nudged him, eyes screaming at him. He mouthed, "what the hell?"

Peter just moved his textbooks over a bit to hide the new marks. He shrugged, and that was enough for Ned, but Gwen…

It was like he could feel her energy around him. It set him on edge. But it wasn't in the same way that imminent danger did. This was different.

It relaxed him somehow, too. Enough that he closed his eyes for a second to breathe.

He just wanted to breathe for a moment–forget about MJ smiling at Brad, forget about the crushing exhaustion that consumed him, forget about existing. He just let the tingle that went up and down his spine relax him until his breathing was deep…

Everything was dark…

He'd open his eyes...soon...

"We need to iron out these details Tony," Pepper nagged at Tony in their private floor of Avengers Tower. He was sick and tired of thinking about the accords, let alone talking about them.

"We need a break, is what we need–"

"The first meeting with the UN is tomorrow, and we still need to hash out where you're willing to bugde," Pepper glared. "We have an entire list of things you want in the accords, and zero contingencies."

"Look–" Tony started, but his phone started ringing. He was surprised to see the name May Parker flashing. She never called. The one and only time she'd called was when she found out Peter was Spiderman and that he'd been monitoring the kid. So, of course, he picked up, worry clear in his voice–so much so that Pepper sat up trying to pick up what was being said on the other side.

"What's wrong?"

"Hello to you, too," May snarked.

"You never call. Something's wrong, what happened?" Tony tried to relax, but his shoulders were tense enough that his neck was starting to hurt.

"Peter got detention."

"Okay?" He relaxed. This was just a school thing. That wasn't any reason to panic. Even more important was the fact that Tony had no idea what that had to do with him. "What's the big deal? He's a teenager. Teenagers get detention."

"He didn't get detention before he met you!" May exploded, and they both knew it was highly unfair. But then again, he'd knowingly and purposely had put the kid in danger taking him to Germany so he knew there would be some bad blood between them for a while after she found out that was completely fair. May continued, and he let her. "The principal just called me up saying that we have to go in to talk to him."

"What do you mean we? And this sounds like an overreaction over a detention," Tony glanced at Pepper who didn't look worried anymore. Instead, her eyes told him that she was annoyed.

"I mean we, because this kind of stuff didn't happen before you stepped into his life. So if I've got to be there, missing work, then so do you!"

Tony wanted to tell her that the logic was faulty as fuck, but he could hear the stress in her voice. He knew, objectively, that missing work for a lot of people had serious economic consequences. His first instinct was to just tell her to chill the hell out and that he'd put some money in her account. But this was May Parker. If her pride levels were anywhere near Peter's, he knew she'd tell him exactly where to take his money. He took a breath, and thought about how hard it must be to raise a teenager on her own, not just financially, but emotionally. Not just any teenager, either, but an enhanced one.

The stress in her voice gnawed at him.

"You know I'm here, May," Tony looked away from Pepper. He tried to relay to May that he was invested, but Pepper's eyes bored into him with such precision that he felt he was being sliced.

May's voice went slightly gentle, and Tony felt like she'd punched him. "I know you are. You're in his life now–not as his superhero boss, but as more. But it can't just be about Spiderman. If it is, he'll forget he's more than that. That he has value outside of that."

Tony ran a hand through his hair, and closed his eyes. "When's the meeting?"

"Tomorrow at noon."

"You'll have to reschedule. There's a UN meeting for the accords happening tomorrow. I won't be back until the day after tomorrow."

Tony could hear the pause, pregnant between them. Because if they were going to be in this together, then she was going to have to compromise too. Fuck, what was he getting himself into? He could practically hear Steve in his head: you're being better.

I just wanted to be like you.

And I wanted you to be better.

But he had to try to be better, too. That was the only way he could demand it of Peter, if he was trying too.

Fuck.

"I'll call the school back and reschedule for noon, the day after tomorrow. Don't be late."

The line went dead, but Tony wasn't offended. He could finally breathe. That was the thing with Aunt Hotty–she had this knack for fucking him up inside without much effort. Did it the first time he met her, too–back when she was all badly baked cookies and sharp smiles. Did it the only time they'd ever spoke on the phone before today, too.

"What was that about?" Pepper brought him back down to earth. She was like the other side of that coin that tore him up inside.

"Peter got detention," Tony shrugged.

"Oh?" Pepper pursed her lips. He knew what that meant, and there was some comfort that he could read her like a book.

"Me and May have to go meet with the principal," he went towards the bar to pour them both a drink. "Sounds like an overreaction if you ask me, but what can you do. I guess everything's a big deal in schools for genius kids."

"You can tell her to handle it alone the way she did before she met you. Tell her it's a little out of your purview," Pepper gave the simple solution, but that wasn't an option Tony would consider. She knew it the second she said it, because she knew how to read him too.

You know I'm here, May.

I know you are. You're in his life now–not as his superhero boss, but as more.

"Let's just get back to hashing out these accords revisions," he handed Pepper a glass of white wine as he sipped on a bourbon, neat.

"Okay." Pepper refocused, but he could see the seed of worry in her eyes.

He wasn't sure there was anything he could do about that; Tony figured in a few days she'll recalibrate–see that being more involved in Peter's life was a good thing. For Peter.

For Tony too, somehow.

The day after tomorrow came too quickly for Peter, and he was on edge all day. May had told him that Mr. Stark was coming to the meeting, and he'd almost caught a heart attack.

"Why is he coming?"

"Because he is, Peter!"

That was probably the least productive and informative conversation he'd ever had with Aunt May. But as he walked through the halls to his second class of the day, he couldn't think of it anymore as he was pulled into an empty chemistry classroom.

"You've been watching me," Gwen stated as though she hadn't just accosted him in the hallway. Frankly, she wasn't wrong. But he couldn't admit that he was watching her because he felt strange whenever she was around.

The past two days had been a crazy cycle of watching MJ smile at Brad–and what the hell was that about, really?!–and watching Gwen talk to people, Gwen eat her lunch, Gwen do her homework in study hall–GwenGwenGwen.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he lied badly. He could see the flecks of green in her silver eyes, they were so close. Too close. He felt his breathing change, and fuck but he thought he could hear her breathing change too.

"Don't bullshit me," Gwen called him out on it, and she invaded his space even further. "Why?"

Peter raised his hand, and moved a lock away from her face slowly. He wasn't sure if it was okay, but she was sort of intoxicating. He'd never felt anything like it. Like her. "I don't know."

"I feel it too," she whispered, and he wasn't sure what she felt, but suddenly her lips were on his, and nothing mattered.

Nothing kept him to the ground.

He was floating, but he was burning too. His arms strained, as they wrapped around her, trying not to crush her, but there was something about her that told him he wouldn't crush her.

Electricity cycled through him, and he sighed into her open mouth.

His hands trailed along her back, until they were frantically grasping at every inch of her he could reach.

They were out of control, her small moans echoing around them, between them, as his lips latched onto her neck like he was a damn vampire, dying of a thirst only she could quench with the soft sounds of her pleasure–

The door opened. Principal Morita and Mr. Harrington stood there, an unamused and equally surprised look on their faces.

Shit.

Aunt May came into Principal Morita's office and sat down primly, her no nonsense face on full display. Principal Morita shook her hand, and Peter wanted to hide in a corner, because he had a feeling the principal wasn't going to keep what he'd walked in on earlier to himself.

"If we're all here–"

"Actually, we're waiting on one more," May cut him off before he could continue.

Before Principal Morita could ask who they were waiting on, Tony Stark opened the Principal's door and walked in with such a flex that Peter couldn't help but smile. Though Peter didn't want to be there, he felt vindicated for a moment. It wasn't a secret among the students or staff considering how much of a big deal Flash had made of Peter lying about having a Stark internship. He knew that none of the teachers believed it either, and so to see Tony waltz into the room with that same flare that he seemed to do everything–the principal's jaw slightly open in shock–well, fuck it, but it was worth it.

"Mr–uh, Mr. Stark," Principal Morita stuttered for a moment.

"Principal," Tony looked down at the nameplate, "Morita. Nice to meet you. Peter speaks very highly of you."

It was a blatant lie, and May's raised eyebrow told him exactly what she thought about it. Tony ignored her look, and clapped a hand on Peter's shoulder.

"Well," Principal Morita preened a little under the false praise. He cleared his throat and motioned for Tony to take the other seat across from him, leaving Peter in the middle of him and May. "I think very highly of Peter. Which is why I called you here, actually."

"What's Peter done, exactly?" May cut to the chase. She was tired from a long shift, and she was missing out on extra hours today to be here. She wasn't in the mood for pleasantries.

"I originally called you, Ms. Parker, because Peter's been habitually falling asleep in his classes. His grades are steady, and he's a stellar student holistically, but the fact that he can't seem to keep his eyes awake in class is worrisome for multiple reasons."

May looked at Peter and then at Tony. Tony already knew what was going through her mind and he cut her off before she could blame him for everything under the sun.

"Nuh uh," he shook his head at May. "This one's on you. He's not doing any extracurriculars past ten pm on a school night. Karen would've alerted me if he was."

"Well, it's not the first time he's gotten around Karen," May pointed out. After Peter had told her everything, she'd called Tony to get the details she was sure Peter had left out, being a typical teenager.

"You mess with Karen?" Tony turned to Peter, his eyes serious.

"No! No, Mr. Stark–we haven't. I swear." Peter stumbled, but there was a guilty look in his eyes.

"Don't lie to me, kid."

"I'm not–I–we haven't messed with Karen," Peter said honestly. But he knew they knew there had to be a reason he was falling asleep in class. And that it was most likely Spiderman related.

"Just be straight with us, Peter," May laid a calming hand on his shoulder, and he took a breath.

Peter looked at his feet, acutely aware that Principal Morita was watching the interaction closely. "Sometimes, after I come home from my extracurriculars, I just can't sleep. So, I go back out again. Without Karen."

"You what?!" Tony's heart pounded in his chest.

"We'll talk about this at home," May pursed her lips, her eyes reminding Tony that they had an audience that didn't know about Peter's spidermanning.

"Thank you, Principal Morita," Tony stood and stuck his hand out, which Principal Morita took automatically. "For bringing this to our attention. We'll make sure that this is rectified immediately."

Fuck, he felt like his own father. He had a vivid image of his father saying those same words at Tony's principal once upon a time. He was turning into Howard Stark. What the hell was his life?

May went to stand too, but Principal Morita's next words stopped her short.

"While I have you both here, I would recommend talking to Peter about some of his feelings."

May frowned, confused. "Feelings? What do you mean 'feelings'?"

"Earlier today, I caught Peter in a compromising position with another student. Teenagers will be teenagers, but I think a conversation about boundaries, appropriate spaces, and safety wouldn't be remiss," Principal Morita smiled meaningfully, and May was almost proud.

This was something that she could absolutely handle. Her little Peter got caught getting frisky! This was so normal compared to all the non–normal they'd been adjusting to lately, that she couldn't help but smirk.

Tony wore a similar look on his face, and she already knew that she would have to be the bad guy when it came to this because he clearly wasn't going to be.

She was used to being the good guy and the bad guy. May wasn't sure she knew how to just be one–and she realized this is what she would've had to learn if Ben were still around.

"Thank you for letting us know," May shook Morita's hand.

Peter stood up too, and it was like his movement sparked a light bulb in Principal Morita's mind.

"Oh! Before I forget," Principal Morita stopped them from leaving. There was a glint in his eyes that told Tony the man was about to be a nosey busybody. "Should we update Peter's emergency contact and secondary guardian contact to include Mr. Stark?"

Ah, and there it was. It seemed like a perfectly normal question, but was completely unnecessary. They could've updated it online whenever they wanted to without any flare, but clearly the principal wanted to know firsthand what kind of role Tony had in Peter's life.

Tony wasn't sure what role he had in Peter's life though. Mentor? Super older brother? Father–figure?

It was slightly awkward, too. He wasn't Peter's guardian. But…

You know I'm here, May.

I know you are. You're in his life now–not as his superhero boss, but as more.

May and Tony avoided each other's eyes for a moment. But they both said yes simultaneously, and Peter felt some kind of warmth spread through him.

It settled in his stomach, and he thought–maybe this is what people with two parents always feel.

As May, Peter, and Tony were leaving the building, Peter saw Gwen looking at them. He knew he shouldn't make a scene, but he also couldn't just go on with what had happened between them without talking about it.

"I–uh," Peter stopped walking. Tony looked impatient enough as it was to leave, and Aunt May looked about ready to drop on her feet. Peter felt a bit bad, but he had to talk to Gwen. Even if it was just for a moment. "I forgot something in one of the classrooms. I'll be right back."

They both nodded.

"We'll be outside waiting," May called after him, but he barely heard her as he turned the corner and saw Gwen walking through a door.

Peter didn't even think about it when he followed her.

"Did you get into a lot of trouble?" Gwen asked quietly, leaning against the wall next to a massive pile of dirty erasers. They were in the eraser room, and Peter couldn't help but smile. Legends have been made in the eraser room.

Many guys have been destroyed in eraser rooms, too.

"I don't know yet," Peter shrugged. He wanted to erase the space between them, but he wasn't sure it was okay. He wasn't really sure of anything. "Probably though. Not–though–yeah, not over us. Not us, us,–but, like, you and me. Not over what Mr. Morita caught us–"

"Take a breath, Parker," Gwen let out a breathy laugh, and Peter thought that it felt like a caress on his skin.

"Sorry," Peter ran his fingers through his hair, and sighed. "I just–what's going on between us?"

"I don't know," Gwen whispered. "It was kinda like I couldn't even control myself–you set me off."

"Yeah," Peter closed some of the distance between them. "Like I forgot what it meant to breathe without touching you–"

Peter blushed, but he couldn't look away from her. What the serious fuck?

"I like MJ," he blurted out, and it was the first time he'd admitted it out loud to himself, let alone anyone else.

"Oh," Gwen looked away, clearly startled. "That's...nice."

"Yeah, I just–" he raised a hand to move some of the hair out of her face but stopped, hand middair. This is what started it last time. "I like her, and suddenly you show up, and I'm focused on you. But it's not the same. This doesn't feel as natural. As normal."

"What's so great about normal?"

It was such a pointed question, that Peter could almost see the aura of life surrounding her. He saw into her essence, and was overcome. His lips slammed into hers, without reservation and the moan that rocked his whole body practically shattered him.

"What the fuck?" Peter whispered harshly, his voice gruff with passion and awe. He'd never felt anything like this. He didn't think he ever would again, either.

Gwen tried to calm her breathing. "You should go–weren't you with your parents?"

"Shit!" Peter had forgotten completely about Aunt May and Mr. Stark waiting for him. "Yeah–well, they're not my parents. Just my aunt and Mr. Stark–but yeah. They're waiting for me–I've gotta go."

"Go," Gwen pushed him slightly towards the door. "We'll talk tomorrow."

Peter nodded, but he couldn't help but hesitate. He wanted to unpack what was happening, but he wasn't sure how to do that in under thirty seconds. He wasn't sure he could do it all, let alone on a time crunch.

"Go," Gwen repeated, and finally Peter turned around, opened the door, and ran.

Meanwhile, May and Tony were outside, standing underneath the unseasonably hot sun.

"Jesus fuck," Tony ran his hand through his hair. "This kid is gonna give me a heart attack."

"Join the club," May said sardonically. "We can't attack him though. Teenagers don't do well when they feel they're being persecuted–"

Tony's eyes practically bulged out of their socket. "Persecuted? Am I the only one who remembers what happened the last time he went gung ho without the suit?"

"Yeah, and whose fault was that?"

She had him there and they both knew it.

"Maybe he needs therapy?" May suggested casually, because, frankly, she wasn't sure what else could really help at this point. "Maybe he needs to talk to someone about all this stuff that isn't you or me."

"Maybe," Tony shrugged, hands in pocket, eyes cloaked behind black shades. It's not that he was against therapy, he was just slightly uncomfortable with the idea that the kid would need one already. Shit, even he hadn't needed one so young, and he had Howard Stark as a father.

If the kid needed therapy, was it sort of his fault?

May saw how uncomfortable Tony was with the idea, and headed off any objections. "It's something to consider. We don't know why he's doing this. Is this just acting out? I know I'm not home a lot because of work, and you're not exactly the most present and involved person."

"Yeah," Tony leaned against his sports car that was obnoxiously parked right in front of the building. "But I'm trying. And I think so is he."

"I know," May sighed, and Tony was reminded of how tired she must be. "So, then what?"

"Maybe–I don't know. Maybe he's just being a dumb kid. You said it yourself, teenagers are stupid–"

"That's not what I said–"

"Could simply be that this is normal teenage stupidity, just the enhanced version."

They stood in silence, contemplating the possible truth of Tony's words.

"We need a schedule," May said firmly. "We've been really lax with keeping tabs on him because he's such a good kid, and he's enhanced. But, clearly, that wasn't the best approach."

Tony could already see how this was gonna turn his life upside down. He could already hear Pepper in his head: Does this really seem like the best idea? I could barely get you to stay on a schedule. But he also thought,

You know I'm here, May.

And he'd meant it. So, yeah, guess schedules were going to have to be his new normal.

"Ok," Tony agreed. "Send me your work schedule, and we can work something out."

May really looked at Tony for a moment, and she felt a pang of guilt.

"I know this is putting a lot on you," she bit her lip nervously. She didn't want to be in this alone anymore, but she knew she wasn't being fair to him either. Besides the Germany fiasco, which she would never really be over, Tony Stark hadn't done anything except try to help Peter. And he had no obligation to him. May recognized that, and she knew she had to let him know that she would understand if he didn't want to be as involved as she'd hoped he would be. "When I called you the other day, I was having a bad day, and it's just been me dealing with Peter for so long now, that–I was just tired. It gets to be a bit much sometimes. So, I appreciate you 'being here'. But I can respect the fact that you have a life, a full one with a fiance and a company and–what I'm saying is that you can take a step back if you want. I wouldn't blame you. You don't owe Peter anything, and I know this is going to be a shitshow for a while. Especially now that he's hit his full teenage rebellion years apparently. I was kind of hoping he'd skip the rebellion part all together, honestly."

Tony knew this was the perfect out. She'd basically told him where the exit sign was if he wanted to get out before it got too late. He knew he should take it. He wasn't fit to be anyone's father.

Just trying to break the cycle of shame.

But the kid deserved for him to try at least. Before he could give May any kind of answer, Peter came barreling out of the school's front door like a bat out of hell.

He was flushed, but both May and Tony knew there was no way the kid was going to be out of breath just from a bit of a run. Maybe before he became Spiderman, but not after.

There was only one plausible reason, and Tony couldn't help the smirk that grew on his face.

"Uhh," Peter tried to think of an excuse but he could tell from Aunt May's roll of the eyes, and Mr. Stark's smirk that he was so busted.

"You're grounded," Tony interjected, smirk in place.

May looked at Tony, eyes searching.

Tony continued, "No if's or buts about it, kid. Ya screwed the pooch, and you've gotta pay the piper. So you're grounded. No extracurriculars for at least two weeks."

"That's not fair!"

"Want to make it three weeks?" Tony raised an eyebrow. Peter bit the inside of his cheek, but stayed silent. Tony nodded smugly, "Didn't think so. Get in the car–we'll talk about whoever this girl is later–or boy, no judgement."

May huffed out a laugh, and nodded.

She might not have gotten a grand declaration, but she'd gotten her answer.

You know I'm here, May.

Tony Stark wasn't going anywhere, and suddenly, the weight on her shoulder's felt a little bit lighter. So did Peter's, because though it totally sucked that he was grounded...it felt kinda nice to know that Mr. Stark cared enough to ground him.

It felt really nice.

And as May and Tony got into the front seat of Tony's Audi, Peter thought that he understood that family came in all shapes and sizes.

Tony already knew that from having the Avengers in his life, but after the Civil War (as newspapers were calling it), he'd thought he'd lost sight of the different types of family. He thought he'd lost pretty much everything when Steve and the rogue Avengers walked out on him.

They had left to a life he couldn't follow. But he felt the burning of the black burner phone that he always carried in his pocket–despite the fact that he didn't think he'd ever use it. Though sometimes the urge overwhelmed him.

It burned in his pocket, reminding Tony that you couldn't lose family even when things fell apart. Peter's face in the rearview mirror, pouting, reminded Tony somehow that you could gain family too, as time moved on.

"Who wants a cheeseburger?" Tony asked as they drove through traffic, smile still firmly in place, Peter practically shouting all the things he wanted in his cheeseburger pushing Gwen from his mind for the time being.

In that moment, Tony and Peter were certain that everything would be okay. Nothing else really mattered.

Thanks so much for reading! Next chapter, you'll see how Pepper deals with Tony's new schedule, and his involvement in Peter's life. Anywho, So, what do you think? Liked it? Hated it? Let me know and Review! **Reviews are love**