A/N: Hey, guys! It's been three and a half years since I've last posted anything. Actually, it's been three and a half years since I've written anything non-academic. It's been torture not being able to write and I'm trying to fix it. Slowly but steadily I'm getting back into my writing shape and I hope you'll be able to enjoy this little fic.

English is not my first language, so I apologise for any mistakes. Enjoy :) Reviews are loved and appreciated.

The roar of laughter interrupted the lazy silence of a stuffy summer evening. It was yet another typical Saturday night at Starks' lakehouse when some of the Avengers came to Tony's barbeque and decided to stay overnight. Although the house had enough rooms for the guests, most of the time they put up a makeshift campsite near the lake. Tony grumbled that it was just an excuse to make a mess out of his peaceful heaven but always ended up helping. It wasn't for his teammates, he claimed, it was for his kids. Between Peter's huge doe eyes and Morgan's cute and a bit whiny "daddy", Tony couldn't bring himself to say no.

So there they were again, sitting at the table that was brought outside for the barbeque night, arguing whether it would be a good idea to stay outside. Rhodey, being the sensible one, was looking through the weather forecast, which showed that there was quite a big chance of rain. Clint and Sam were all in for sleeping under the stars even if that meant getting "a bit wet". Tony was throwing his sarcastic remarks from time to time, but they had little to no effect as he was bouncing Morgan on his knees, while the girl let out loud giggles, which in turn made Tony smile softly.

"Ok, Morguna, go play with Mommy and uncle Bucky for a while," said Tony and stood up when his daughter hopped off his lap and ran towards Barnes, who was helping Pepper carry the dishes inside the house.

"Stark, so are you in or out?" Sam's voice caught Tony when he was walking away from the table.

"If there's rain, my kids are sleeping inside."

"But what about you?"

"I go where my kids go," answered Tony and ignoring Clint's comments about him being a mother hen headed towards an old tree near the lake.

"Hey, kid, why are you hiding?" Tony sat down on the bench under the tree and looked down at Peter. The boy was sitting on the ground with his back pressed against the trunk, scrolling mindlessly through the news feed on Instagram.

"'m not hiding."

"Mind if I join you in your totally not hiding place?"

Peter mumbled something, put away the phone and closed his eyes. The sounds of the waves, beating gently against the lake's shore and the rustling of leaves were lulling him to sleep. If it wasn't for distant, but because of his sensitive hearing, still loud noises from the avengers, the teen would probably be asleep by now.

"I brought you some cheese." Peter turned his head a bit to look at Tony. The older man looked better now, less tired and more relaxed. Even his greyish hair didn't age him. If it wasn't for the metal arm and a few scars that never really faded, it would be easy to forget the battle with Thanos, the Snap and everything that followed.

"Do you miss it?" asked Peter suddenly, after a few minutes of silence while both of them were eating the snack Tony brought.

"What? My awesome lab at the Tower? A bit."

"No. Your life before Iron Man."

"I've never thought about it, so I guess no. Why?"

"It's just … I don't know, like, haven't you thought how your life would have turned out if you hadn't become a superhero?"

"I would be found somewhere in a ditch, drunk and probably dead. So choosing between that and the superhero thing, my vote is for the red and gold suit." Tony waited for Peter to ask more questions but the boy kept quiet. "Something bothering you, kiddo?"

The teen shrugged and stood awkwardly from the ground to stretch his legs. Peter shivered when the wind blew. Looked like it was going to rain after all.

"Pete, come here." As soon as he was sitting next to Tony, the older man put his arm around the teen's shoulders and pulled him closer.

"I don't want this summer to end," mumbled Peter, snuggling into Tony's side. The beating of the man's heart was one of the most soothing sounds for him, so it was really easy to relax and let go of the growing anxiety.

"It's only the beginning of July, we still have some time. It's not just about summer being over, is it, Pete?"

Peter tensed for a second and sighed. "It is, in a way, I guess. I just don't know what will happen when we get back. I kinda like living here with you, Pepper and Morgan. It's so easy to be here, no secret identities, no responsibilities. I'm getting used to it, Tony. And that's scary. What if I don't want to go back to being Spider-Man?"

"Then Queens will lose its beloved superhero but the world will gain an amazing scientist and the heir to Stark Industries. Kid, nobody will judge you if you decide to quit the superhero business. You've done enough of "saving the world" shit to last you a lifetime." Tony ruffled Pete's hair and got back to rubbing the boy's arm. "Besides, I bet your Spanish tutor will be ecstatic if you have more free time for a couple of extra Spanish classes."

"I don't have a Spanish tutor."

"You do. You just haven't met her yet."

Peter groaned and Tony didn't even try to hide a grin. He did keep his mouth shut about hiring a couple of MIT professors as well. They'd talk about Peter's education in August when they got back to the Tower. If Peter wanted to go back to school, Tony wouldn't be against it, but he didn't want the teenager to waste time on something he already knew, so he got him a few teachers, who would hopefully be able to keep the kid challenged.

"But it's selfish. Quitting Spider-Man. You were ready to sacrifice yourself to save the world, and I…"

"You know it's okay to be selfish sometimes, right? All of the Avengers are selfish in one way or another. Well, I'm not gonna speak for everybody, but when I built the first Iron Man suit I was saving my life. Isn't it selfish?"

"It's different…"

"Different how? And about the sacrificing part. I wasn't thinking about saving the world. I was thinking about my family. I wanted you, Morgan and Pepper to be safe and happy. Selfish? Yes. Do I care? I guess you know the answer to that question."

For a few minutes, they sat in comfortable silence, watching as Clint and Sam carried the table inside the house. Seemed that Rhodey managed to knock some sense into them and everybody would be sleeping inside that night. Peter snuggled even closer to Tony and wrapped his arms around the man's torso.

"A true superhero has to think about himself too, Pete. Otherwise, there will be no one to save this world." Tony's words were so quiet, that the boy heard him only thanks to his enhanced hearing.

The wind started blowing again and this time it carried the first drops of rain with it. Peter tried to ignore the droplet that landed right on his nose and hid his face in Tony's arm.

"Tony?"

"Hmm?"

"Will it be a good kind of selfish if I ask you to put up a tent tonight?"

"It's raining, kid."

"I know. I like the sound of rain."

"No. I don't want to sleep in a wet tent."

"You don't have to."

"Pete, I told Sam that I go where my kids go. I can't just go back on that. No, it's my turn to be selfish."

"How is that your turn?"

"Well, I was a really selfless superhero when I shared my cheese with you."

The rain was getting heavier with each passing second, but the weight on Peter's shoulders was somehow getting lighter. He didn't need to decide anything for now. Even deciding what film to watch after they'd get Morgan to sleep would be later. Playful banter with Clint and Sam, making hot chocolate with Bucky and falling asleep on Pepper's shoulder halfway through the film would all have to wait. Now he was only focused on running towards the house under the pouring rain with a wet and laughing mentor/father figure by his side.