A/N: BTW... this story takes place in 2017 (around the time that Spider-Man: Homecoming was released in theaters). I imagine that Peter is 15, which makes him born in 2002. I'm using the birthday that was shown on his passport in FFH of August 10. The day he is at school is September 12, 2017, and I imagine that it is the beginning of his sophomore year of high school. He is still attending Midtown School of Science and Technology.

Here we go. What will May have to say about the picture Peter saw in the article about Tony's missing son?

CHAPTER 1: PICTURES

May was surprised to get the call from Peter's school. She should've known that her nephew would be struggling after the past few days. Hell… she was struggling. She should've just kept him at home and let them both take a day to relax.

She sighed as she pulled her car up to Peter's school. She took a personal day from work, deciding it would be best for them both to have the opportunity to be at home. Besides, the school nurse seemed genuinely concerned about Peter's health. As a nurse herself, May figured he might need her to recover from whatever was causing him to feel ill.

May was let into the school building, where she found her nephew sitting in a chair in the office. He was waiting for her with his knees pulled up to his chest and his chin resting atop his knees. He was staring ahead with a blank, haunted look in his eyes. "Peter?" May asked, concern evident in the tone of her voice. Peter didn't respond. He just blinked, flicked his eyes in her direction, and then turned his eyes away again.

"You can sign Peter out here, Mrs. Parker," The school secretary told her. May quietly complied with the procedure to sign Peter out, all the while glancing back over at her nephew in concern.

May sighed and turned back to the pale teenager sitting behind her. "Hey tough guy…" she said, kneeling down so that she was eye level with him. "... you are looking a little green around the gills…" She offered a small laugh at her poor attempt at a joke, hoping to get some response from her nephew. It didn't work. He just blinked at her. She cleared her throat, "Ahem… okay. Why don't we get you home? How does that sound?"

Peter simply nodded before shooting up out of his chair and leaving the office ahead of May. He didn't even hold the door for her, which seemed totally out of character for him. May offered a quiet nod of thanks to the secretary before quickly following Peter as he left the building.

"Peter!" She called after him. "Slow down! Are you alright? What's going on? Do you think you might get sick?" She thought perhaps he needed to vomit. Why else would he run off so quickly?

They made it all the way to May's car before Peter finally stopped. Her nephew placed his hands on the roof of the car, gripping the roof like a lifeline. His breathing was fast and shallow, and it looked like he was on the verge of a panic attack.

"Oh… okay, honey… hold on." May immediately went to his side, rubbing the teenagers back. "Try to take some slow deep breaths for me, Peter. Come on… breathe with me. You can do it." She didn't miss the sideways glare he sent her way as he reluctantly complied with her request to take deeper breaths. May was beyond confused at this point. Was Peter angry with her? Perhaps he was just embarrassed to have his aunt display such open affection outside of the school. "Do you think you're ready to take a seat in the car? I have a bucket in case you feel you might get sick." May was always prepared for the worst when it came to illness. As a nurse, it was her job to be prepared.

Peter once again didn't respond. He just shrugged off May's hands, pulled the door open and plopped down in the passenger seat before slamming the door shut.

May blinked at him in surprise before rounding the car and entering the driver's side. As she closed her door, she looked at him and said, "Can you tell me what's going on, Peter?"

"No," He finally answered, looking straight out the front window and avoiding his aunt's eyes.

May contemplated whether or not to push, but she decided the car was not the place to prod Peter for more information. The ride home was quiet and the tension in the car was palpable. Something clearly had Peter rattled. She couldn't decide if it was connected to their rough week or not. She knew clearing out Ben's things would be hard for Peter, but it was hard for her as well. Plus, Peter had been so sweet to her that morning before leaving for school. She couldn't really understand what changed.

They finally parked the car out in front of the apartment. May had barely brought the car to a stop before Peter was hopping out and making his way to the elevator inside. May quickly exited the car after him, trotting to catch up. She made it to his side just as the elevator doors opened. They both shuffled in, and May looked closer at Peter. His face had more color now and red could be seen on his neck and face, his eyebrows drawn into a frown. So… he was definitely angry about something. May was tempted to ask him more questions right then, but decided it would be best to wait until they were in their apartment.

It wasn't long before May was opening their door and stepping inside. Peter immediately went for his room, slamming the door shut behind him. May even heard him lock the door.

"Okay… what the hell?" May was getting angry now, too. "Peter Benjamin Parker!" She called to him as she approached his door. "You need to talk to me…" She sighed and softened her tone. She couldn't raise her voice. Ben never raised his voice. "Please… Peter… please talk to me! What happened at school today?"

It was quiet on the other side of the door for a moment before Peter finally spoke. "Please… just… please leave me alone, May!" he pleaded through the door.

May sighed, raising a hand to Peter's door and caressing it, wishing she could be using her hand to offer some kind of reassurance to her nephew. She leaned her head against the door, listening for him on the other side. She took a step back a moment later, determination on her face. "Not until I know that you're okay. Something is wrong, Peter. I need to know what it is! You are my responsibility, damn it!"

"Maybe I shouldn't be!" Peter called back to her through the door.

Enough was enough. Patience wasn't exactly a strength for her. She quietly walked over to the closet and pulled a key out from a hook. She moved over to Peter's door, quickly unlocked it and stepped inside. "Guess what? Like it or not… I'm the one in charge of you, and I will make sure that you are okay… which you clearly ARE NOT! So tell me what is going on! Now, Peter!" She didn't exactly yell, but her voice was firm and full of determination. She made it very clear that she expected some answers.

Peter was sitting on his bed with his laptop open. He looked up at May and finally softened a little. He looked like he was deflating. It was as if whatever strength fueled his outburst was draining away in front of her very eyes. Peter's eyes met May's and she could see tears threatening to fall.

"Peter…" May quickly sat next to him on his bed, wrapping him in a hug. She didn't miss how Peter quickly slammed the laptop closed, preventing her from seeing what he was looking at. "What is it? Tell me what I can do to help."

Peter leaned into her hug, crying softly and doing his best to steady his breathing and keep some level of control. "May…" he spoke quietly. "I don't know what's going on… I don't know… I don't know what to think. I'm so confused. I think I'm going crazy."

May chuckled a little at the boy's quiet rambling. "You think you're going crazy? I'm most definitely going crazy right now. Sweetheart… What made you so upset? You mentioned you were confused… Talk to me."

Peter took a couple more breaths, looking up into his aunt's eyes. May watched as his eyes searched hers for a moment, as if he was looking for something there. Finally, Peter sighed and nodded his head, silently giving in to her pleas for more information.

Peter leaned forward and grabbed the picture of him sitting on Mary's lap. He looked at it for a moment before handing to May. "Who do you see?" he asked her quietly.

May was surprised by the question, surely Peter knew that they looked at this picture only the day before. They both knew who was in the photograph, but May decided to play along. "I see an adorable little Peter Parker sitting on his mother, Mary's, lap."

Peter nodded, "Right…" He turned the photo over to reveal a date that read February 2006. "I'm about 3 and half years old here, right?"

May nodded, "I guess. Peter…"

He cut her off opening his laptop and revealing the same picture of Anthony Edward Stark, Jr. that Flash had shown his classmates.

Anthony Edward Stark, Jr.

See links in the footnotes for a link to picture.

BORN: August 10, 2002

DISAPPEARED: September 12, 2004

May blinked at the photo before her eyes. "What? Peter… what?"

"Who do you see in this picture, May?" Peter insisted. He flipped the other photo back around for her to compare the 3 year old Peter to the 2 year old Stark boy.

May's mouth dropped open for a moment, but she quickly snapped it shut. She looked back and forth between the pictures, before settling her sight on the picture Peter had on his computer. She let out a steadying breath, "Peter… I see a picture of Tony Stark's missing son."

Peter nodded, holding out the picture of him with Mary Parker to her "And?" he asked, more insistent.

May finally understood… a little anyway. Peter thought he was the missing Stark. May let out a nervous laugh. "Peter… honey… I'll admit there is a striking resemblance, and it is definitely unsettling, but…" She looked up into her nephew's eyes. "...You can't really think that this is a picture of you?"

Peter studied her for a moment, desperately searching her eyes again. "Seriously, May? It's an identical match! I'm a little older in this picture with my m… um… with Mary, but…" Peter suddenly plopped the laptop down on the bed. He went over to his closet, pulling down the shoebox. He opened it quickly, dropping the lid to the floor as he pulled out some other pictures. He was searching for the earliest photo taken of him and his parents. He set a couple of pictures down on his bed, displaying them for May to look at. He pointed to one in particular. It was taken on Valentine's Day in the year 2005. A full year before the other photo of him with Mary. "I mean… just look at this May! If it's not me, then I'm this kid's long lost twin brother!" He began pacing in front of May and waving his hands wildly as he spoke, "Consider the evidence, May! The resemblance, the birth date…"

"Okay, but…" May tried to cut in but Peter kept going.

"Coincidence? Maybe… but think about this! I have no baby pictures with my parents, May. None! When did you first meet me?"

"Uh…" May's head was spinning, struggling to keep up. "Ben and I were dating. I think it was right before we got engaged?" There was a question in her voice as she frantically searched her memories and tried to remember.

Peter stopped and looked at her, "How old was I then, May?" He watched as the color started to drain from his aunt's face.

Her voice was quiet and it seemed like she was out of breath when she finally answered, "two."

"Do you remember when you met me, though? What month? Year?" Peter insisted, sounding eager to solve this puzzle.

May frowned in concentration as she tried to remember. "It was after Christmas. I remember we still had decorations up. Mary and Richard brought you over to Ben's old apartment. You played with the ornaments on his tree."

Peter looked thoughtful for a moment and then sat back down next to her on his bed. "So… you met me after September 12, 2004? You and Ben got engaged early in 2005, right? So what? You met me in December 2004?" Peter was desperately trying to put all of this information together.

May felt like she couldn't breathe. This was ridiculous. What Peter was proposing was absurd. She shook her head, "No… I mean… Yes… it was December 2004, but Peter…" She turned to look at him, taking a hold of his hands. "This is admittedly a crazy coincidence." She squeezed his hands and looked into his eyes with a look of desperation. "But you are Peter Benjamin Parker! Don't you think I would know if you were the missing son of Tony Stark? Surely Ben and I would've known about that!"

Peter studied her for a moment and looked like he was sorting through his own thoughts. "Maybe… or maybe… maybe you didn't know," Peter said quietly.

"I would know!" May insisted. Internally she was struggling. Was she trying to convince Peter of this or was she trying to convince herself?

Peter once again picked up the picture with Mary. "This is one of the last pictures I have with my mom, right? Their plane went down just before my fourth birthday? Right after you and Uncle Ben got married?" Peter's words came out as a question, needing confirmation from his aunt.

May nodded, "Yes. We had a funeral for them only days before celebrating your birthday. It was such a whirlwind, but Ben insisted we have a nice little party for you." She looked at him with a loving expression. "Ben wanted so badly to give you something good that year. He was so heartbroken about his brother, but he still baked you a cake and I hung streamers…" Her voice broke off at the memory. She remembered how excited little Peter was about the cake and colorful decorations, but she also remembered how confused the little boy was. He kept asking when his mommy and daddy were coming to the party. It had been so hard to explain what happened to Peter. He was so young. "You asked for your mom and dad, Peter. I remember. And I'm sure you meant Mary and Richard."

Peter nodded, "I'm sure I did. They were all that I knew then."

It was quiet as both Peter and May sorted through their frantic thoughts.

May shook her head some more, "This can't be real, Peter. It's too crazy. You're not Tony Stark's son. You can't be!"

Peter studied her, noticing tears that threatened to fall. "Are you sure, May? Because every bone in my body is telling me that this really could be me!" He pointed to the picture of the missing boy once again. "You can't tell me that you don't see how possible this is, May. The resemblance is too strong to be a coincidence."

Tears finally fell over her cheeks. "I can't lose you, too. Peter… this can't be."

Peter's eyes went wide, finally understanding his aunt's denial. If there was a chance that he was Tony's son, then there was a chance that he could be taken away from her. There was also a chance that she could get in trouble, especially if they didn't believe that she was unaware. He certainly didn't want anything to happen to May. He would be letting Ben down if he did. "No!" He finally said. "No, May… I would never let that happen. You'll never lose me." He looked back at the photo. "I mean… I don't know. Maybe this is nothing… maybe it isn't me."

May looked at the picture with him, studying it carefully. She wiped her eyes, "But it could be… you're not wrong." She looked thoughtful for a moment, "I always wondered who you took after. I always assumed you took after someone on Mary's side of the family."

Peter nodded in understanding. He remembered how confused he was when his class did a genetics unit at school. So many kids talked about the family resemblance; how they looked like a parent, a grandparent, or even an aunt or uncle. Richard and Mary Parker both had blue eyes, so different from Peter's brown ones. Mary had red hair and Richard had sandy blonde hair. His uncle very closely resembled his supposed father. And the pictures of his paternal grandparents yielded little resemblance as well. And while he didn't have pictures from his mother's side of the family, he didn't seem to fit their descriptions, either. May was right. He didn't really look like a Parker or a Fitzpatrick (his mother's side of the family).

Peter looked at May for a moment before opening a new tab. On a hunch, he entered a new search…

"Pictures of young Tony Stark"

What he found made May and Peter both gasp in surprise. This time a resemblance could be clearly identified. So much so that Peter quickly combined one of his own pictures with that of a younger Tony Stark.

See link in footnotes to view picture

"Oh my god…" May whispered in a combination of horror and wonder.

"You're telling me…" Peter agreed. On another hunch he Googled, "Pictures of Jennifer DeVega"

See link in footnotes to view picture

Here the resemblance wasn't as clear, but May recognized the fair complexion and brown waves as that of her nephew. Her nephew could easily be seen as the combination of these two people.

"No way…" he breathed out. "May… I uh… I know her." Peter studied the shot of the beautiful woman. It looked like it was taken at some fancy event.

"You do?" May furrowed her brows in confusion. "I mean… it's not like her photo isn't displayed from time to time. Her murder is still one of the world's biggest mysteries. Maybe you saw her picture in a magazine or something."

Peter shook his head slowly. "It's not that you're wrong. I may have come across her picture, but… I'm uh… I'm pretty sure I've seen her somewhere else, too."

May looked at him in concern. "Honey… She died years ago. Where could you possibly see her?"

Peter lifted his eyes to his aunt, "I dream about her sometimes."

May's breath caught at that and she paled even more. "Are you sure, Peter? You would've been so young… I mean… if… IF she is your mother, you would've been only 2 years old when you last saw her."

"I know," Peter admitted quietly, looking back at the picture. "The mind is a funny thing. We don't really know what babies remember, but…" His eyes met May once again. "I've always wondered who the lady with brown hair was in my dreams. I thought maybe my mind was just somehow twisting your image. You two don't look so different. You looked a little like her back then."

May scoffed, "I wish."

"You're just as beautiful as she is Aunt May," Peter insisted.

May scrubbed a hand over her face, "Peter… listen to us. We're talking about this as if it is fact. We don't have nearly enough evidence. This is just… uh… you know… a theory."

Peter nodded in agreement, "A strong theory."

May stood up and put her hands on her hips, taking her turn to pace in Peter's room. "Okay… alright… we owe it to you to figure this out." She stopped to look at him, "Where do we go with this? What do we do next?"

Peter raised an eyebrow at her, "I'm sorry… is the adult seriously asking the teenager what to do in this situation?"

May scowled at him and tapped her foot in annoyance, "You know what I mean. You're the smart one here, kiddo. You know science and biology better than I do. How do we get evidence to either prove or disprove this theory?"

Peter sighed and gave a shrug, "Ultimately, the best thing would be DNA."

May clapped her hands together, "DNA...hmm… how can we get Stark's DNA? Oh! I know… I'll follow Stark and steal his coffee cup or something! That will give us DNA!"

Peter couldn't help the burst of laughter that escaped at the ridiculous suggestion. "Seriously? That will never work!" Peter told her.

"Why not?" May asked.

"What are we going to do, May? Walk into a police station with Tony Stark's coffee cup and tell them that we think I might be his son? Ask them to please run it through their lab? That would surely get you arrested! They'd think you were some kind of psycho stalker!" Peter told her, mildly amused.

"Oookaayy…" May drew out the length of the word as she thought some more. "Right… um… I don't guess your school would have that kind of equipment?"

"Nope," Peter confirmed. "It's just a school, Aunt May. We do have some pretty advanced tech, but nothing that would accurately confirm a paternity test." Peter shook his head and flopped back on his bed, bringing his hands up over his face. "What are we doing, May? What are we even talking about?! I told you… this is confusing and I think I'm going crazy!"

"Peter… I hate to admit this because… well, it means that I'm equally crazy, but I think you're right. There is something strange here, and we owe it to ourselves… and maybe even to Tony Stark… to look into this."

"We've hit a dead end," Peter whined on his bed. "What do you suggest I do, May? Walk into Stark Tower and ask Tony Stark himself to run a paternity test because I think I might be his long lost son?!"

May stopped for a moment and suddenly looked at Peter like a lightbulb went off in her head. "Oh my God… That's it!"

Peter sat up and looked at her in shock. "No! No, no, no… I was kidding, Aunt May. We are NOT doing that!"

"I know…" she rolled her eyes and threw up her hands. "Not that exactly, but Stark Tower is here in New York!"

"Yeah… and?" Peter asked carefully.

"...and, so you are you!" May explained. "I mean… it would be a bit of a hike to midtown Manhattan from here, but it's not too bad. Probably like 30 minutes on the subway."

Peter shut his eyes and shook his head, "May what are you talking about?"

"We get you into Stark Tower! All we need to do is find a reason for you to be there," she told him. She quickly sat back down and opened Peter's computer, "And it could be a way for you to meet Tony Stark. One look at you and he may just want to do a paternity test himself."

"Are you serious right now?" Peter watched as his aunt went to the website for Stark Tower. "May… the Avengers are in and out of that place. They don't just let anyone walk in there to see Tony Stark." Peter's mind was going a mile a minute. Maybe Peter Parker couldn't get in, but Spider-Man might be able to get an audience with Iron Man. Peter entertained that thought as he continued to watch his aunt struggle to navigate through the website. No… it couldn't be Spider-Man. He needed to find a way to do this as Peter Parker. Peter squinted at the screen as May was moving down a page. "Wait… May, scroll down," he told her. "What does that say?"

"Oh! It's a link to apply for an internship! That could work," May said in excitement.

Peter was getting excited as well. At least until he saw the requirements:

Must be 18 or older

Must be enrolled in an engineering program at an accredited institution

Must present original work to be considered

And in fine print, "Interns are not guaranteed to work with or meet Tony Stark or his affiliates."

"Hmm… they must get a lot of applicants who want to meet the Avengers," May admitted.

Peter growled in frustration, "There's no way I can pass as an 18 year old! Ugh! Way do I have to look so young for my age?"

May smiled at him, "Stop… you're adorable and perfect for your age!"

Peter gave her a small smile, "You're sweet, May… but that's not going to help me right now."

"You really want to do this, don't you?" May asked him.

"I mean… yeah. It could work. The only thing on that list that I can really do though is present something original. That's no problem," Peter told her.

May looked around Peter's room at the technology that he customized and programmed simply by dumpster diving. "You are incredibly smart and innovative." She blinked and stared off in the distance, "My god… one could argue that you're as smart as Tony Stark himself. Peter… this… geez… you really could be his son!"

Peter offered her a smile that didn't quite meet his eyes, "I know."

May looked even more determined, "Okay… so, we get you some college credentials! Maybe you're a younger looking 18 year old!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Call Ned," May told him. "Don't think I don't know exactly what that boy can do on a computer. I have no doubt he can whip something up! Besides, we just need it to be convincing enough to get you inside to present your work. If I know you… and I do… You'll have a project that will surely get Stark's attention in no time!"

"Are we really doing this, May?" Peter asked incredulously. "I mean… there are so many ways that this could go wrong."

"We're doing this… call Ned," May insisted.

A/N: I picture Keira Knightly as Jennifer DeVega. Please copy and paste the links below to see the pictures that I imagine Peter and May looking at. (Try typing h.t.t.p.s./ / images. app. goo. gl and remove added spaces and periods. Put this in front of the last part of the address below. I'm having trouble saving the full links). I also tried to find a pic of Tom Holland that could be from when he was about 2, but I have no idea how old he actually is in the picture. It's all for inspiration, so hopefully it does the trick and helps with telling the story.

Again... please don't forget to review.

Picture 1 of Anthony Edward Stark, Jr/Age 2: /qapuUnyN12Lmo9wD8

Picture 2 of Peter and Young Tony: /MkijrL6erNypawej9

Picture 3 of Jennifer DeVega: /mKm8vg2cTNHkiLMK9