Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing. You're making the process of posting this story a joy for both me and Snarks.

Chapter Twenty-One

Tony was worried. Peter had gone to his room to get something ten minutes ago, and he hadn't come out since. He'd killed time in the kitchen, wandered into the living room, and flopped down on the couch, but he couldn't wait any longer. What if Peter had fallen out of his chair or something worse?

He went to the door, rapping his knuckles against the wood. "Pete? You okay in there?"

There was a gasp and then a quick, "I'm fine."

"What are you doing?" Tony asked.

"You really don't want to know."

Tony's brow furrowed, and he leaned against the door. "You need help?"

"Definitely not," Peter said with strained laughter. "Just give me a few more minutes."

"You haven't fallen or anything, have you?"

"No! I'm just doing something that I do not need help for—really."

Tony fingers found the handle without him being aware of it, but he stopped himself before he'd done more than started to turn it.

"Mr. Stark!" Peter shrieked. "Do not come in here. I promise you, you don't want to see what I'm doing."

"Okay. Sorry, sorry. I'll wait in the living room."

He rushed back to the couch and sat down, his mind trying to puzzle out what Peter could be doing. There was one reason a sixteen-year-old boy might want private time, but since he had no feeling below the waist, he was sure it wasn't that. But he was worried. What could Peter be doing that he was that he didn't want Tony seeing? It wasn't like he didn't trust him, but his thoughts were going down a darker path. Peter had seemed anxious before he went to his room, distracted. He had to ask.

It was another ten minutes before he heard Peter's door open and he wheeled in. He was flushed and awkward looking, and when he stopped his chair beside the couch, he asked, "So, what do you want to do?"

Tony sat forward. "Look, Pete, I want you to have the space and privacy you need here, I do, but I have to know what you were doing in there."

Peter's eyes widened. "What? Why?"

"Because I'm worried. I know you're on that medication, and you're speaking to someone, but like you said, that's not a magic wand or something. I know some people, kids, have other ways of dealing with stress and their feelings that aren't smart."

Peter looked puzzled, and then he sighed heavily through his nose. He shook his head. "Are you asking if I'm a cutter?"

Tony nodded, equal parts worried and anxious for the answer.

Peter laughed, and it was light and without bitterness. "No, I'm not a cutter. I was peeing."

Tony's mouth dropped open. "Oh. I didn't—I mean … How does that work? No! You don't need to tell me. I just mean—nothing. Never mind."

Peter stared at him for a moment and then said, "It involves a pee bag and tube a few times a day and lots of handwashing. And privacy."

"Sorry, Pete. I should have guessed. Or known. I guess I'm seeing now that this thing is more complicated than I realized. I won't interrupt again."

Peter shrugged. "It's fine—really, not a big deal."

Pepper walked in with the brown boxes piled in her arms. She looked around the room and said, "Okay, what did I interrupt?"

Tony awkwardly tried to think of something to say. "Oh … uh … nothing?"

Peter started to laugh. "Mr. Stark was just getting a lesson on paraplegic life that he wasn't expecting."

Pepper looked from Tony's stricken face to Peter's amused one and shrugged. "It must be a male thing. Anyway, I've got something for you both. I figured it would keep you out of trouble while I worked. You've not got PT today, have you, Peter?"

"I do, but it's not for an hour."

She considered. "I think even you will need longer than an hour for this, but I guess you can get started."

She carried the boxes to the table and set them down. "Tony, yours is the one on top. I figured we should start you out small. Peter, you've got the big one since I know you can handle it."

Sharing a curious look, they both went to the table and took their boxes. Peter was the first into his, and he pulled out a Lego kit for the Millennium Falcon. His eyes widened, and he turned the box over. "Pepper! This is awesome! Thank you!"

She patted his shoulder. "You're welcome."

Tony noted the fact Peter accepted the gift from her even though he kicked up a stink if Tony spent more of him than the price of a sandwich, and those kits were expensive. He'd looked them up for Peter's Christmas present and figured he'd never accept it. Instead, he'd built Peter the custom tablet since he always took things Tony made for him.

He wondered if he could use Pepper next time he wanted to buy Peter a gift and then dismissed the idea. She'd never let him.

Tony opened his and found a mini Hogwarts that's advisory age was seven years old. "Really, Pep? You don't think I could handle anything a little tougher?"

She patted his head. "I know you're a genius, but I also know your limitations. I think that kit is perfect." She checked her watch. "Okay, I've got to run. Have fun, boys."

They said their goodbyes and she left. Peter opened his box and tipped what looked like a couple hundred small bags of colored bricks onto the table, then unfolded a huge set of instructions and began examining them.

Tony scoffed. "Instructions, Pete?"

Peter gave him a knowing look. "You do it your way. I'll do it mine. We'll see whose looks better when it's done."

Tony rolled his eyes. He was amused that the kid actually thought he was going to be any kind of competition. Peter was smart, damn smart, but he was also young, and Tony had been building things longer than the kid had been alive. He wasn't about to be beaten by a sixteen-year-old with a set of plastic bricks.

"You ready?"

Peter gripped the handle of the barre that Tony insisted was there for Pepper, and the new physical therapist, Mike, held his other hand. He knew the barre wasn't there for Pepper, the look on her face confirmed it when Tony had said it was, but he was grateful for it as it was helping him recover.

He'd been working on this for two weeks without telling anyone, the only one that knew what he was doing was his physical therapist, and he wasn't ready to tell anyone else. If he couldn't pull off what he wanted, he'd look stupid, weak, so he wasn't setting himself up for a fall, and a fall was exactly what he was hoping to avoid.

He nodded and said, "I'm ready."

Mike released his hand and stepped back, though Peter knew he was ready to jump into action if Peter looked like he was going down. Peter took a breath and took a step with only one hand on the barre. It was steady, he was in control, and he felt a rush of happiness.

He was really doing it.

"And now the tough part," Mike said. "I'm right here."

Mike was much better than his old physical therapist. He encouraged him without sheltering him, though he was still careful.

Peter relaxed his grip on the barre and took another step. He was steady, and he started to laugh. He felt Mike's hand on his back, ready to catch him, but he was in control. He could do this. He took another step and then another until he was in the middle of the room, standing beside the arm bike Tony brought.

"I'm doing it!"

"Yeah, you are. You ready to try a turn?"

"Definitely."

He knew how it worked. He just had to turn his upper body, and the braces would do the rest. He did it carefully, taking a step, and then he was moving again. He started to feel more confident, so he went faster, amazed at himself. He figured that this must be like what learning to walk felt like. He really did feel confident now, like he was finally in control of the whole thing.

He walked back to the barre and stopped to rest for a moment with his hand on the rail. It was more tiring than walking had been before, but he figured endurance would come with time.

"How do you feel?"

"Like you can't even imagine."

"No, I don't think I can. I've never seen anything like this before. I mean, we all heard about Colonel Rhodes, and I've seen him on TV, but seeing it in person. Your dad really is a genius."

"He is." Peter was proud of Tony and the things he achieved.

"What do you want to do now?"

"I want to…" He bit his lip. Was he ready for this? Was it the right time? What if he fell on his ass again? He felt a surge of confidence. He had to do it sooner or later, might as well get it over with. "Friday, can you ask Mr. Stark to come to the gym."

"Of course."

Mike was looking around the room. "Okay, where did that voice come from?"

"That's Friday. She's the tower's AI interface."

"The tower has an AI interface?" Mike chuckled. "Of course it does."

Peter released the barre and walked a few steps away, wiping the sweat off his brow with his shirt.

He heard fast footsteps, and the door flew open. Tony charged into the room. He looked worried. His eyes were a little wild. He skidded to a halt and stared.

"Peter …"

Peter took a step forward, and Tony's hands flew up as if to catch him, but then they dropped, and a look of awe covered his face. He stared as Peter walked toward him and then came to a stop a foot in front of him.

"Hey."

Tony laughed. "Hey."

He pulled Peter into a hug and pulled his head into this neck. Peter could feel Tony's breaths coming quick and he worried.

"Tony?"

Tony held him a little tighter and then straightened up, holding Peter at arm's length. His eyes were wet and there were tears on his cheeks, but he was beaming.

"Look at you! How long have you been doing this?"

Peter was a little embarrassed by Tony's obvious pleasure. "Uh … We've been trying a while, building up control, but today was kinda the breakthrough."

"He's been committed," Mike said. "Best patient I ever had."

Tony wiped at his face and laughed. "Committed is the word. Pete, this is amazing. I can't believe it. Do you know how long it took Rhodey to get this good?"

Peter ducked his head, shrugging a little. "He said it was a while. I get it. It's not easy."

Tony turned serious. "You're tired? You want to sit down for a while?"

Peter sighed, not wanting to hide anything. "Yeah. But I've got it." He turned and walked to the row of leather couches under the window where he and Tony had sometimes sat and rehydrated after a workout. He sat down on the edge, by the arm, so he could get himself up easier, and relaxed back.

Tony was watching him, clearly impressed, then he walked to the couch and dropped down beside him. "Hell, kid, you kept that quiet."

Peter shrugged. "I didn't want to disappoint you if I couldn't pull it off. It's hard."

"You'd never disappoint me," Tony said, earnestly. "Never. You are constantly amazing. You're a hero, Pete, and not just in the conventional way."

Mike cleared his throat. "I've got to head out for my next appointment. Peter, I'll be back tomorrow so we can do some more work. You going to be okay getting those things off?"

"I'll help him," Tony said.

"Great. Don't overdo it. We've got plenty of time."

"I know." Though Peter wanted to work hard, to get good, as he was excited about being in the braces now. He'd have so much more freedom once he got a handle on them.

Mike left, and Tony instructed Friday to put some music on. They just sat together for a while, not talking, though Peter could feel the happiness radiating out of Tony.

"Tony, can you teach me to get the braces on and off alone?"

"Sure. I don't think you'll have a problem with it. You do all the other dressing stuff alone. According to Rhodey, the only tough bit is getting them right around the ankles. Why?"

Peter grinned. "I have an idea for May…"

Tony listened as Peter extolled on his plan, his smile growing with every word. When Peter was done, Tony was nodding.

"Yeah, that's great, but I think you're thinking too small."

Peter was surprised. He thought it was a pretty big deal.

Tony went on eagerly. "This is bigger than May. We need to get Pepper, Ned, Happy and Rhodey in on it, too—even Bruce," Tony said. "What do you think?"

Peter smiled. If he was going to do this, he might as well do it for them all at once. "I think that's great."

Tony wrapped an arm around his shoulders and gave him a squeeze. "This, kid, is going to be awesome."

Tony was vibrating with excitement. He knew Pepper and May had probably noticed, but he wasn't tipping his hand. He avoided and dodged their questions. Peter seemed a little nervous, but that made sense, given the task he had ahead of him. The kid was in his chair, giving Ned a tour of the tower, which, from the sounds of pleasure Ned was making, was going well. They were currently on the landing pad, looking out over the city.

Turning away from the window that looked out to the landing pad, Tony went back to the kitchen, setting the table for dinner while May and Pepper sat with glasses of wine. Rhodey leaned against the counter, watching Tony with amusement.

"Very domesticated, Tony."

Tony shrugged. "I guess it's fatherhood. Having my kid living with me has given me a whole different view on home life."

May laughed, and Pepper called over, "Yeah, ask him how to work the dishwasher without Friday."

Rhodey looked expectant, and Tony shrugged again. "Why do I need to know what the buttons and dials do when I can just close the door and tell Friday to turn it on?"

Rhodey laughed. "I think sometimes you're a little spoiled with that brain of yours."

"Sometimes?" Pepper laughed.

"Good point. You're definitely spoiled with that brain."

Tony tipped his head to the side. "Those that can, do, those that can't, invent an interface to do it for them."

Rhodey's expression sobered, and he lowered his voice. "You going to tell me why you've invited me over? You've been putting off visits since Peter moved in, and then you call me out of the blue and demand I come over."

"Demand?"

Rhodey crossed his arms over his chest. "Yes. Demand."

Tony grinned. "I can't tell you, but soon you'll see. I promise it's worth it."

Friday announced Happy was on his way, and Tony instructed her to call Peter and Ned, then went to open the door. Happy was holding a pile of pizza boxes, looking a little annoyed.

"You know, when most people have guests for dinner, they don't ask them to bring the food."

"I know, I know, sorry, it's just you're faster than delivery."

"You know who's faster than me? Iron Man. You could have strapped on the suit and got it here yourself."

He squeezed Happy's elbow. "I could. I'm sorry. Next time I will."

Happy seemed surprised to see so many people, but after a quizzical look at Rhodey, who just shrugged, he took a beer from the counter and sat down at the table with May and Pepper. Rhodey joined them, and then Peter and Ned came in. Bruce slipped in a moment later, a little bedraggled, but smiling.

"What did you think of the tower, Ned?" May asked, taking a sip of wine.

Ned was so excited he was almost shaking. "It's so cool. I saw Mr. Stark's workshop and everything, and have you seen that view?"

"I have. It's pretty amazing."

"I can't believe you get to live here, Peter. Like being a superhero isn't cool enough, you live in a real superhero's lair."

Tony tensed, wondering how Peter would react to being called a superhero. He knew Peter didn't think he was one anymore. They were all watching, but Peter just shrugged and said, "Yeah, it's pretty awesome."

Tony set the pizza boxes down, and Ned hurried to the table, but Peter shot Tony a quick look, getting a nod, and said, "I'll be right back."

"The food is ready, Peter," May scolded. "Whatever it is can wait."

Peter grimaced. "It really can't, but don't wait for me. I'll only be a minute. Just save me a couple slices."

Tony could see May wasn't happy, but Peter wheeled himself away, and Tony heard his bedroom door close behind him. He was getting excited now. If Peter could pull this off, and he believed he could, it was going to mean a lot to everyone there, May especially. She was there for every step of it, each struggle, and the times they thought they'd lost him for good. She needed this moment.

"We can wait," Pepper said with a polite smile.

"No. It'll get cold," May said. "He's doing whatever is important to a sixteen-year-old boy, and if that means he eats cold pizza, that's his own fault."

Ned grabbed a slice from the box Tony was holding out to him and said, "Nothing wrong with cold pizza. It's a great breakfast food. It's what me and Peter what when you're working, May."

May pretended to look affronted. "You mean Peter doesn't cook you proper meals when you stay over? He told me you two made French toast."

"Oh … Yeah, we do that, too. We only had pizza one time, and we made it ourselves, and—"

"She's messing with you, kid," Happy said, and Tony couldn't help his smile.

Ned breathed a sigh of relief and took a bite of his pizza.

They were all eating, but Tony was listening hard for the sounds of Peter coming back. He was worried that Peter was having trouble with the braces, or that he'd fallen, but he had to let Peter do it.

Then he heard him coming. He looked at Rhodey, who was grinning as the braces make a distinctive sound. Realization dawned around the room, and eyes moved to the doorway to the bedrooms. A moment later, Peter walked in. He was steady, not sweating like he had in the gym because he hadn't been pushing himself too hard. He was smiling, too.

May clapped a hand to her mouth, and her eyes filled with tears, and then she was on her feet, rushing toward Peter. No one else seemed to be breathing.

May stared at Peter, placing a hand on his face. Peter raised his arms, and she stepped into them, hugging him tight enough to make Peter sway.

Tony watched, feeling the joy of the moment. May was crying and Peter patting her back. Pepper reached for his hand and squeezed it. He looked at her and saw her happiness, but there was also understanding. She knew just how big this moment was to him, too.

May stepped back and held Peter's face. "My boy …" She wiped away her tears. "You're incredible."

Rhodey started clapping, and they all joined. Peter's face flushed with color, and he looked like he wanted to disappear, but everyone was smiling. Ned did a double finger whistle, and Peter laughed. With May at his side, he walked to the table and carefully took the seat that May pulled out for him. He looked around, eyes shining but still embarrassed and grabbed a slice. He took a bite and said around his mouthful, "Knew it wouldn't get cold."

Pepper leaned to the side and kissed Tony's cheek. She pushed his hair back and whispered, "Feel it, Tony, it's over."

And Tony realized she was partially right. The very worst days were over. It was all recovery from here. Peter was walking in his new way. He was happy. Things were good.

This was the upside after way too long of careening down and then struggling up again.

And they all made it.

So… this chapter was a favorite of both me and Snarks. We'd built to this place for so long. Warning, the angst is on the way back as we move into the last arc of the story.

Until next time…

Clowns or Midgets xxx