Author's Note: Thank you again for all the support for this story. I am truly so grateful.

I wanted to note that I usually use UK English for most of the spelling because that's what I use everyday but I am aware that the characters are American so I have used some US English as well to try and keep it accurate.

Reminder that this story is no longer Avengers: Endgame compliant. The Battle of Earth took place in early June and this chapter immediately proceeds the previous one in the timeline.

No Place Called Home

Peter spent the next week in Wakanda, most of it by Tony's bedside. He was as brilliant with Morgan as Tony had always imagined he would be, happy to play games and read stories as she demanded. The genius couldn't keep the smile from his face as he looked at his daughter perched on his son's knee, looking as comfortable as if she had been there her whole life. When he finally tore his gaze away from the heart-warming scene, he found Pepper watching the pair with a fond smile of her own. It was clear that Peter was a part of their family.

When he wasn't entertaining Morgan, Peter was helping to design Tony's new arm. Tony felt quite smug when he noted the surprise of the Wakandan Princess when Peter was able to keep up with the discussions on the workings of the prosthetic, as well as making some suggestions of his own. However his pride was short-lived when the two teenagers became fast friends, laughing at jokes that no-one else seemed to understand and coming up with ideas for new technology that sounded downright terrifying.

The week passed far too quickly, and Peter had to return to New York, torn between his excitement to see May and reluctance to leave his mentor.

Tony had tried to appeal for a few more days but Pepper had quickly shut him down, reminding the billionaire that May needed Peter too and promising that they would all see each other again soon. Morgan still clung to her brother like a koala.

"I don't want you to go," she sniffed, pouting at him, her eyes looking huge as they filled with tears.

"I know," Peter whispered, "but my Aunt needs me. And I'll see you soon, I promise." He kissed her forehead and Morgan buried her face in his neck for a while before Pepper came over and extracted her. Despite the girl's reluctance to let go, she was transferred into her Mother's hold and promptly buried her face in her Mom's neck instead.

Pepper planted a kiss on Peter's cheek. "Take care, Peter. Thank you for coming back, and we'll have you to the Lake House soon," she promised.

Peter smiled. "That sounds great, Miss Potts… I mean, Mrs Stark, thank you!"

Pepper shook her head. "Pepper," she corrected with a smile, before turning to face her husband. "No emotional blackmail," she warned him with a glare, and stepped out of the way to let the two superheroes say their goodbyes.

Tony looked Peter over, trying to take in the image before he closed the gap between them and wrapped his arm around the kid. Peter dipped his face into the older man's shoulder, his own arms raising to return the hug.

"You sure you can't stay a bit longer?" Tony pressed, and Peter laughed when he heard Pepper sigh.

Pulling back, Peter shook his head. "I promised May," he replied, looking apologetic but for once, he held the apology back. Tony had been trying to get him to stop apologizing for the past week.

Tony nodded reluctantly, placing a hand on the kid's shoulder. "I should be home soon but until then, you keep in touch, okay?"

Something passed over the teenager's face then and he opened his mouth, then closed it again without saying anything. Then he forced a smile onto his face. "Okay," he agreed.

Before anymore could be said, the door opened and Dr Strange entered. "Peter Parker, are you ready?"

Peter glanced up at the wizard. "Uh, yeah, yeah, I'm ready."

Dr Strange nodded, opening a portal, and Peter glanced back at his family, his eyes full of sadness that contrasted with the smile he had plastered on his face. "Bye guys."

The portal closed, leaving the Starks alone in the room and for the first time since waking up, Tony felt the absence of his arm.

Two days later, Tony's prosthetic was ready and fitted. The red matched his Iron Man suits, much to Pepper's dismay. Morgan thought it was great although she was a little miffed that there wasn't a repulsor. He took a photo and sent it to Peter, trying not to feel too disappointed when he didn't receive any reply.

Shuri refused to discharge Tony until she had seen him put the prosthetic to every possible use that she could imagine and was satisfied that he could use it without breaking whatever he held in his grasp. Over a week had passed before the combination of the Princess' satisfaction and Tony's constant complaining led to his discharge, with the insistence that either Dr Banner or Dr Cho must check on his progress regularly and that Shuri would be making video calls as she saw fit to ensure that all was working as it should be.

Finally, Happy was able to organize their flight home and the family offered King T'Challa and his family their thanks for the hospitality and treatment that they had received, for themselves and all the others who had spent time in Wakanda after the battle.

Shuri stepped forward to shake hands before they left. "Stark, be sure to take care of my new favourite white boy," she said with a smile. Tony quirked an eyebrow at her questioningly, and her smile lit up her whole face. "Tell Peter I say hello," she elaborated.

Tony smiled, happy to oblige but still disappointed that he hadn't heard from the kid since he had returned to New York. He was sure once he was back in the States, he would hear from him.

Another week had passed, and still, Tony hadn't heard from Peter despite the numerous messages that he had sent the kid. He tried to conceal his disappointment but Pepper had commented on his moping several times.

Tony sighed. "FRIDAY, call Peter Parker," he instructed, scowling at Pepper who smirked down at her Stark Pad.

There were a few moments of silence before the AI responded. "Number disconnected."

"Disconnected?" Tony asked with a frown, and Pepper's head snapped up.

"Oh," she said softly, and when Tony looked over to her, she was gazing at him, looking almost guilty. "It never occurred to me," she said. "A lot of people who… vanished, well, their numbers were cut off during the five years. I never thought to check if you'd got a new number from him. He might not even have one yet."

Tony gaped at her, unable to find words before he choked out, "But… why wouldn't he say something?"

The look Pepper gave him said it all. When did Peter ever complain about anything?

The hero huffed out a breath. "I'll go and see him tomorrow."

Pepper frowned. "You're still supposed to be resting, and if anyone sees you visiting an apartment in Queens, it will attract attention and that's the last thing you or Peter need. I have to go to the Tower tomorrow anyway to sort out paperwork with Human Resources for Vanished employees who are looking to get their jobs back. Why don't I go after work?"

He didn't like it- not when he so badly wanted to see the kid but Tony had to admit that Pepper had a point. With a sigh, he agreed.

Tony was giving Morgan a bath when Pepper arrived home, and saw her only briefly when their little girl ran downstairs to say good night to her Mom before he put her to bed. By the time he made it downstairs, there were two steaming mugs of chamomile tea on the coffee table, and Pepper was sat on the sofa waiting for him.

He kissed her on the cheek as he took a seat beside her before getting straight to the point. "How's the kid?"

Pepper fixed him with a look that instantly had him worried. "I didn't see Peter," she told him, "but I did see May."

Tony frowned. "Okay," he said slowly. "Is Peter alright?"

"Yes, May said they're both fine," she answered, running a hand through her hair. "I invited them both to stay this weekend. May can't manage but she says Peter can come."

The CEO couldn't help but smile as she watched her husband's face light up with childish delight. "That's great!" he exclaimed. "Have you arranged times? Is Happy picking him up?"

"I said Happy would pick him up on Friday morning so that he can get out here for lunchtime," she said, then added, "May gave me their new address so Happy will know where to go."

"New address?" he asked.

Pepper sighed. "I didn't meet her at their apartment, Tony. I met her at the office of one of the charities- she's helping with one of the homeless shelters."

"Right." Tony didn't like the uncomfortable sensation in his stomach as he imagined where this might be going, hoping that he was wrong.

"When May… 'blipped' back, there was a family in their apartment. They had moved in during the five years."

Tony felt sick. "So where have they been staying?" he asked.

"Well, initially, they were in one of the local churches. A lot of people had a similar situation to May so a lot of the churches and community centres were able to create temporary shelters-," she explained but Tony began to drown it out.

His kid had been homeless. He was a hero and he had returned after five years to find that he didn't even have a bed, that all of his belongings, his clothes, his retro tech, his memories, were gone.

Pepper placed a hand on his arm, and it was only when her voice broke through the rambling of thoughts in his head that he realized he had been voicing them all aloud.

"He's not homeless, Tony. They have a new apartment now. And the family had kept some of their stuff- they didn't think it was right just to get rid of it so they had boxed some of it up and kept it in the loft. Tony, can you hear me? He's fine- Peter is okay, and he's coming here this weekend. You're going to see him and everything will be alright. Okay?"

Tony fought to take control of his breathing and eventually nodded. Once he'd seen Peter, he would be able to relax. Just a few more days and he would see that his kid was fine.

As soon as FRIDAY notified him that Happy's car was on the property, Tony made his way out to the front porch. The car crunched over the gravel and came to a stop, the passenger door barely open before a small dark-haired missile barrelled straight past him and towards the car.

"Peter!" Morgan yelled, launching herself at the teenager as soon as he was standing up. He caught her with one arm, dipping to collect his bag from the floor of the car and sliding it onto his shoulder with the other.

"Hey, Squirt," he said with a bright smile, as she planted a kiss on his cheek.

Morgan began babbling away excitedly as Happy grumbled in the background and led the way to the house. Peter followed behind, Morgan still in his hold as he reached his mentor.

"Hey Pete," Tony murmured, pulling both his kids into a hug.

"Hi Tony," Peter mumbled into his neck, while Morgan squirmed between the two larger bodies. As soon as Tony released his hold, Morgan wriggled until Peter set her down and she ran into the house, calling for Uncle Happy to follow her.

"Someone's noticed me," the head of security grumbled, marching inside as Peter and Tony sniggered. Tony slung his arm around Peter's shoulders and steered him inside.

"Peter," Pepper exclaimed, sweeping out of the kitchen and wrapping the kid in a hug. "How are you?"

"I'm fine thanks Miss… Pepper, how are you?"

Pepper smiled at Peter's politeness. "I'm great, thank you. Lunch is nearly ready. You can put your bag upstairs if you like?" She didn't wait for an answer, instead calling for Happy to make himself comfortable before disappearing back into the kitchen.

Peter glanced around, taking everything in until he felt Tony's hand on his shoulder once again.

"Come on," the older man murmured, maintaining his hold on the teenager as he started towards the stairs.

Peter followed obediently, amazed by the house. It was so different to what he had expected- so conventional and unlike anything he had ever imagined Mr Stark would want in a property. He supposed it made sense. After all, Mr Stark had a family now and this place was so homely- really ideal for raising a family.

The young hero was so lost in his thoughts that he almost bumped into his mentor when he stopped, opening a door and gesturing for Peter to step inside.

"This is your room," Tony said, watching Peter carefully as the teen stepped inside.

Peter blinked, looking around the room in stunned silence. The walls were a light grey, the queen-sized bed covered in navy bedding. There was a wardrobe in the corner, and a desk with several books stacked on it- a mixture of textbooks on physics and engineering, as well as some classic fiction. There also sat a lamp, a pot of pens and a laptop.

After several moments had passed, Tony spoke up again. "Do you like it?"

"It's great Mr… Tony."

Tony smiled. "Good. I didn't want to go too overboard so we can change anything you don't like. And you can take the laptop with you if you like, or keep it here. It's up to you."

At that, Peter frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Well, it's yours. You can do what you like."

"What's mine?" the teen asked.

"The room. Everything in it." Tony watched Peter's eyes widen in surprise, and he knew the protest was coming before the kid had even opened his mouth. "You didn't think I wouldn't have a room just for you, did you?"

Before Peter could answer, Pepper called that lunch was ready and Tony grinned before turning and making his way downstairs, leaving Peter to follow awkwardly behind him.

Lunch was simple- sandwiches, crisps and salad but the family dynamic was a pleasant experience for Peter. It had been a long time since he had been part of a group sitting around a table for a meal.

"So Peter, when do you go back to school?" Pepper asked.

"Next Monday," he replied. "I've been in to register, and we have to start the year again but apparently quite a lot of my year… uh, vanished, so at least I'll still know most of the people."

"Ah," Pepper acknowledged with a nod. "What about your friends? Have you seen any of them?"

"Uh, no," Peter answered with a frown. "It's kind of hard to get in touch… most people don't have the same phone numbers anymore. And a lot of people have moved. But I know Ned and MJ both vanished. I, uh, I checked the names on the stones."

There was an awkward silence that, fortunately, Morgan was quick to fill. She had lots of games planned for the weekend and Peter latched onto her chatter, keen to avoid any topics related to the five years he'd been gone and the changes he had come back to.

Tony took the opportunity to observe Peter while he was distracted by Morgan's rambling. He looked pale, a little gaunt and there were dark circles under his eyes that suggested he hadn't slept in a while. He glanced to Pepper, who was also watching the pair closely, and then to Happy who met Tony's gaze with a grim expression.

The afternoon passed quickly. Pepper declined Peter's offer to help tidy up, and so he and Morgan began a jigsaw puzzle she had dug out while Tony saw Happy out, the head of security reminding Peter that he would pick him up on Sunday afternoon.

They had done all the edges of the jigsaw when Morgan began to rub at her eyes, leaning into Peter's side.

"Looks like someone needs a nap," Tony remarked with a smile.

Stubbornly, Morgan shook her head. "No, Peter and I are busy," she whined.

"Come on, Little Miss," Pepper said, strolling over and lifting Morgan. "The puzzle will still be here when you come down."

Morgan's protests grew fainter as Pepper carried her upstairs, leaving Peter and Tony in the suddenly quiet living-room.

"Fancy a walk?" Tony asked, and when Peter nodded, the older man led the way to the door, grabbing a cardigan on the way.

The two heroes made their way towards the lake in companionable silence, eventually coming to a stop at a small wooden dock. When Tony leaned his arms against the wooden railing, Peter mirrored his movements.

"The new arm looks great, Tony," Peter finally commented to break the silence. "How is it working?"

Tony smiled. "Yeah, it's great. Shuri carried out every possible test before she would let me leave, and I spoke to her earlier this week to assure her that it's fine. She says hello, by the way."

The billionaire half expected the kid to get flustered at the message, wondering if he might have had a crush on the Princess but Peter only smiled as he looked out across the lake. "That's nice. Will you tell her I say hi, the next time you speak to her?"

"Sure," Tony agreed, and they settled into silence once again.

It was so serene, only the sounds of the trees rustling in the breeze, the water rippling in the lake and the chirping of birds. It was a great contrast to the chaotic thoughts whirling in Tony's head with no idea how to voice them.

"It's really beautiful out here, Ton-!"

"Why didn't you tell me you were homeless?" Tony blurted out.

Peter turned to him in stunned silence. "What?"

"When you came back to Wakanda- you could have told me. You should have told me!"

"You… you were recovering, and May was already sorting out an apartment by then. I didn't want to bother you with-," Peter began.

"I was fine by then," Tony interrupted.

"You weren't fine," Peter replied with a frown.

"Of course I was. You saw me. I was awake and-!"

"I heard your heart stop!"

Tony's jaw dropped as he stared at Peter. The kid was shaking, his lip wobbling and when he squeezed his eyes closed, tears spilled over. He turned away from Tony, back towards the lake.

"What?" Tony asked, his voice soft.

Peter inhaled deeply but he didn't change his position, keeping his eyes closed as he spoke. "When you snapped, I… I could hear your heartbeat as it got slower and… and then it… it stopped and the light of the arc reactor went out. I heard it, and I thought…," he broke off, unable to voice aloud what he had thought, but he didn't need to.

Tony knew because Rhodey had eventually told him what Pepper had never been able to. That his heart had stopped and it was only Thor stepping in with Mjolnir that had got it started again. Even that wouldn't have been enough to keep him alive if Shuri had not insisted he be brought to Wakanda, if Strange had not opened a portal to get him there almost instantly, and then fetched Helen Cho. By all accounts, he shouldn't be alive. Yet even though he was, Peter was torturing himself, still worrying that he could lose him at any moment.

Gently, Tony placed a hand on the kid's shoulder. "I'm so sorry Pete. That must have been… I'm so sorry," he murmured. "But I'm right here, and I'm not going anywhere."

Peter's chin dropped to his chest, his lips pressed together as he tried to contain his sobs. Tony tugged him into his chest, wrapping both his arms around him and Peter leaned into the comfort.

"You still should have told me," Tony finally said. "I mean, you didn't even have a bed." He felt Peter tense in his arms and he loosened his hold, turning the young hero round so he could see his face and those oh-so-dark circles under his eyes. "You do have a bed now, right?"

Peter dropped his gaze, and Tony immediately stuck a finger under his chin to tilt it right back up again. The kid sighed, "Well, you see, May got the new apartment when I came back to Wakanda so they gave her a one-bedroom. She told them she had me as well, and that she had applied for two bedrooms but they wouldn't listen."

Tony frowned. "So you're sharing a room with May?"

"Well, the first night, I made myself a web hammock but the next morning the landlord dropped in unannounced- don't worry, I'd already cleared the webbing away!" he rambled, misinterpreting the sudden tension in Tony's body. "But I didn't want to take the risk, so I've been sleeping on the couch."

"The landlord," Tony began, "does he 'drop in' a lot?" He was surprised when Peter smirked.

"Just twice," the kid answered. "That first morning, and then about a week later. May had just come out the shower and walked out of the bathroom in just a towel. He's not come back since she screamed at him. The air was bluer than Captain America's suit."

Tony couldn't bring himself to smile. "At least tell me it's a sofa bed?" When Peter didn't answer, Tony sighed. "That's it- we'll get you a decent place this week."

"No Tony, May wouldn't want-!" Peter began to protest.

"No kid of mine is sleeping on a sofa. I'm pretty sure May doesn't want you doing that either. I mean, look at you! When was the last time you had a decent sleep?"

Once again, Peter's silence spoke volumes, and Tony sighed again. "Alright Underroos, come on. Looks like both my kids are going down for an afternoon nap today."

"What? Tony, no!" Peter whined.

Tony only smirked as he directed his kid back to the house and up to his room. "Don't worry, Spiderling. I'll even tuck you in!"