When Tony finally drove up to the Compound's entrance, it was close to seven in the morning. He had trouble falling asleep last night which left him to leave the lake house as soon as the sun began to cross the horizon. In retrospect, he was supposed to be at the compound when Peter had arrived on Friday, but Morgan had clung to him, telling him that she wasn't feeling good. However, when Tony went to check her temperature, she just broke down crying and Tony couldn't say no to staying. To make matters worse, Pepper had been called away for an emergency SI meeting that afternoon so Tony opted to stay behind and watch Morgan.

It wasn't until the following morning when Morgan woke up and was miraculously feeling better that Tony had called her bluff.

"Morgan, darling, did you fake being sick yesterday?" Tony had asked.

Morgan wouldn't look at him, but Tony could tell by her slumped shoulders that she knew she had done something bad.

"Morg... Why would you do something like that?" Tony knelt beside her, gently coaxing her to look up so they were eye level with one another.

"I just didn't want you to leave," Morgan confessed. "I miss you when you're gone."

"Honey, I know you miss us, but we always come back don't we?" Tony poked her cheek gently. "Just because we have to go somewhere doesn't mean we're leaving you behind. What you did was a very bad thing, miss. You can't fake sick to manipulate people like that."

"But it was the only way I know to make you stay and not leave," Morgan was on the verge of tears.

Tony sighed. "This is what's going to happen. You're going to go to your room for a few hours and think about what you've done. After that, you'll give me a promise to never do it again and we'll go get some ice cream while mommy's working, yeah?"

Morgan nodded, a tear falling down her face. "I'm sorry."

Tony shook his head, "I know you are. I'm not mad, I'm just a little disappointed. Honestly is the number one rule in this house and you broke it."

"I'll never do it again," Morgan promised.

Tony kissed the top of her head. "Go upstairs, I'll see you in a few hours."

Tony hated being the one to discipline his daughter. Pepper always made it look so easy and painless. When Tony saw Morgan cry, he wanted nothing more than to scoop her into a hug and never let go. However, he knew parenting was never easy and Morgan did have to learn that what she did was wrong. When Pepper had gotten home that night, he decided he was going to set out for the compound first thing in the morning. At least that way he can spend at least one day with Peter.

Peter.

That name brought a wave of guilt with it. Tony hadn't been the best at keeping in touch ever since Peter was brought back. He had tried his best, calling him when he could, even if it was just for a few minutes at a time. He knew that Peter was probably just as busy trying to come to terms with how much things have changed since the kid had come back from being dusted. The kid had two new additions to his family that have been in May's life for close to four years. Tony didn't even want to imagine the overwhelming sensation of Peter's situation. However, if it was one thing that Tony knew, it was that Peter was a resilient kid, and he wouldn't buckle under the weight of the new world so easily. Peter never went down without a fight, and because of that fact, Tony wasn't as worried about him as he would have been. No that's a lie, he still worries too much about Peter for his own good.

Quietly making his way to the Avengers' kitchen, Tony paused when he saw Natasha sitting at the kitchen counter, a cup of tea in her hands.

Natasha's eyes flickered up to meet him at the sound of his approaching footsteps. "Well, look what the tide washed in."

Tony rolled his eyes at her sarcastic comment, "Good to see you too. What are you doing up so early?" He asked, walking over to the coffee machine.

"I could ask you the same," Natasha shot back, but her voice wasn't unkind. "Does Pepper know you left at the break of dawn?"

Tony sighed at that, placing a cup under the coffee machine before pressing the brew button. "I left her a note and a text message. Guess I couldn't sleep, so sue me."

"You're grumpy when you're tired," Natasha remarked, taking a sip of her tea.

Tony frowned at that comment as he turned around to face her. He noticed a bruise on her jaw and he turned his head in a questioning gesture. "Nice shiner."

Natasha pointed at her jaw, "What this? It's nothing."

"Nothing, huh? Something go down recently?" Tony wondered, genuine curiosity in his voice.

Natasha shook her head. "Just some sparring."

"Did Rogers actually manage to punch you?" Tony smirked.

"It was Peter actually," Natasha correctly smoothly.

That caught Tony's attention immediately. "Peter was sparring with you? Steve said he was in the lab all day yesterday."

"He was up early this morning, said he couldn't sleep," Natasha shrugged. "He said his senses were going haywire and he just needed to blow off some steam."

Senses going haywire... A pit of dread formed in Tony's stomach.

"Hey FRIDAY, has Peter mentioned if he's having one of his episodes?" Tony inquired.

"Peter does not seem to be having a sensory overload, Boss, his vitals are stable while he sleeps," FRIDAY replied.

Natasha looked confused. "Sensory overload?"

"Sometimes his senses get all screwy," Tony explained. "Think of it as a migraine on steroids."

"I'm not an expert or anything, but maybe it's because he's stressed? He thinks he's good at hiding it, but the kid hasn't been sleeping well."

Tony felt a little hurt at this new information. "He hasn't said anything..."

"Do you honestly think he would?" Natasha asked. "He's a lot like you, Tony."

Tony grabbed his cup of coffee and took a sip. "I don't think that's a good thing."

"In some ways it is," Natasha admitted. "In other ways, it's worrying. Steve was able to pull him up for game night last night, but he just shut himself in the lab all day."

Tony ran a hand through his hair, a nervous habit he has yet to break. "I knew it was too easy. For the longest time I thought that he was coping fine..."

"Maybe I'm crying wolf," Natasha held her hands up in surrender. "Talk to Steve, he seems to know more than me."

Tony nodded, "I'll talk to Peter when he wakes up."

Until then, down to the lab I go. Tony thought as he picked up his coffee and walked out of the kitchen.

When Peter finally woke up around ten o' clock that morning, his body felt rested but his mind felt fatigued. It wasn't the first time that Peter felt that way, and he knew it was because it was the sparring that mentally drained him. No matter how good it felt to forget his troubles in the heat of the moment, sparring strained your mentality just as much as it physically strained your body. It was one of the reasons why Peter tried not to let himself use daunting exercises as a coping mechanism, especially if he already had trouble sleeping. In the end, it always left him more tired than before.

Peter got dressed in a black long sleeve and gray sweatpants before he left his room and made his way down to the kitchen. Just as he was about to enter the room, two voices made him pause.

"When did he get in last night?" That was Steve.

"He got here this morning, actually," A feminine voice... Natasha.

"It doesn't matter, that still means he didn't sleep, we know him better than that," Steve protested.

"What was I supposed to do? You can't stop Tony from doing something, you know that," Natasha replied

Steve sighed. "I still don't like it."

"You always hated his wacked up sleeping habits, that seems like it hasn't changed despite having a kid," Natasha sounded agitated.

"I just wish he'd take better care of himself," Steve amended. "I wish he could see that he matters too."

Peter decided to walk in at that moment and asked, "Tony's here?" He hated how excited he sounded at the prospect of his mentor actually making an appearance.

"He got in this morning," Natasha nodded.

"Where is he?" Peter asked.

Natasha raised an eyebrow at him. "Where do you think?"

Lab , Peter's mind answered immediately. He went to turn on his heel, but Steve stopped him.

"Peter," The tone in the older man's voice was condescending. "Forgetting something?"

At that, Peter's stomach let out a loud growl and Peter turned back around towards the kitchen counter.

Steve chuckled at that, "Thought so."

After Steve made him a triple stack of pancakes, Peter was on his way down to the lab, bouncing on the balls of his feet in anticipation. This was the first time that Peter was going to see Tony in person since Thanos and it was more nerve wracking than he'd like to admit. Would it be awkward or would it be just like it used to be? Peter was really hoping for the latter because he didn't know what he'd do if it was the former.

When the doors opened, Peter's smile evaporated when he saw Tony glancing over the work he'd been doing yesterday.

Tony must've heard him because he turned around with an unreadable expression on his face.

"I can explain," Peter began.

"Please do, because I am completely confused," Tony crossed his arms. "What is this?" He pointed to the screen behind him that showed ideas for creating an invisible skin sealer, invisible skin cover and other web extraction ideas.

"Um... Did Steve tell you anything?" Peter wondered.

Tony raised an unimpressed eyebrow at that, "Was he supposed to?

"Um... No?" Peter winced at the obvious lie.

"What the hell is going on?" Tony more-so demanded an answer, but Peter could've sworn he saw a spark of concern in the billionaire's eyes.

"So... You know how we like came back after..." Peter trailed off, not wanting to say.

Tony nodded, "I'm following."

"When I came back, some things had changed," Peter fiddled with the end of his sleeves.

"I'm going out on a limb and guessing you don't mean the people around you have changed."

"Yeah, uh, some of my powers changed," Peter confessed.

"Changed how?"

"Well really only one thing I've noticed so far and really isn't that big of a deal," Peter rambled. "It's not life-threatening or anything, it's just really inconvenient."

"Kid, stop right there," Tony pinched the bridge of his nose to staunch his agitation.

Peter's mouth clamped shut for a minute before he just got straight to the point. Walking over to Tony, he pulled up one of his sleeves and held his wrist out to the billionaire. The white patches on his wrist stuck out against his tan-colored skin, taking on a complex web-like pattern. In retrospect, it could pass as a scar, but it was hard to ignore when an identical patch was also on his other wrist.

Tony's eyes widened when he saw what Peter was trying to say and he poked at the white patch on Peter's wrist. "Is that..."

"They're organic webs," Peter confirmed.

"But how is that even possible?" Tony asked. "You didn't have this before..."

"I don't know how it happened," Peter was starting to get uneasy at the scrutiny.

Tony poked the patch once more, "How is it you can see it but it's not sticky?"

Peter shook his head, "I don't know, I don't know how any of it works. It's just a white patch with a web outline that shoots out webs when I need it to."

Tony glanced between Peter and his wrist before letting go. "How long have you known?"

"I didn't know at first, I swear," Peter promised. "I didn't even get sick like I did when I first mutated so it completely blindsided me. I didn't find out until like a month ago when I was on patrol and realized I was using webs even though I left my web-shooters at home."

Tony blinked as he processed that, but his face grew stony. "You knew for a month that you have a new ability, something that is visible on your skin and you didn't tell anyone? You should've picked up the phone and called me, Pete. I mean, do you know how reckless that is? What if someone saw that patch on your wrist and connected the dots, huh?"

Peter's temper flared, "I'm not that stupid, Mr. Stark. I've been hiding it when I'm in the public eye."

"How exactly are you doing that?" Tony questioned.

"I just wear long sleeves," Peter shrugged.

"Long sleeves in 80 degree weather," Tony pinched the bridge of his nose once more. "You can't thermoregulate, Kid, that's even more reckless."

"What else was I supposed to do?" Peter asked, his voice tired, he really didn't want to fight.

"You could've asked for help," Tony said.

Peter looked away, ashamed of himself. Tony was right, if he hadn't been so stubborn... "I'm sorry."

Tony sighed and ran a tired hand through his hair. "Well now you have help at least. I think our best bet is to try and find a way to cover it, maybe I can work something with the nanites to make it camouflage your skin or something."

Peter's eyes lit up at the possibility, "I didn't even think of that."

Tony smirked at that, a smug look appearing on his face, "Of course you didn't, but I'm here now so you have nothing to worry about. But honesty is a two way street, Pete, no more secrets, alright?"

Peter nodded, signaling a promise, "Alright."

At least that way I can pretend that you care. Pick up the phone and call he says, if I did that would he have even answered? Peter thought bitterly but pushed the thoughts aside.

For the next couple of hours, Peter let himself get lost in the familiarity of working in the lab with his mentor. For a moment, Peter could honestly believe that nothing had changed and that the world he had been living in the past two months was indeed a nightmare. However, the science talk quickly turned into a Morgan talk and reality slapped Peter right in the face. Tony had been telling Peter all about Morgan's fake sickness due to her not wanting Tony to leave. Peter knew the feeling of not wanting to let go of the person you cared most for, and in a way he couldn't blame Morgan for doing what she did, even if there was a better way to handle the situation. But Peter didn't want to talk about Morgan, he wanted the conversation to be about what was happening in the present situation. Talking about what they were working on and maybe Tony asking about Peter for a change

Just as the clock turned towards four thirty in the evening, Tony had finished what he had been doing and called Peter over.

"Here, put this on your wrists," Tony handed two thin gray bracelets.

Doing as he was told, Peter put the bracelets on his wrist and a moment later the nanites activated and crawled over the inside of his wrists, covering the web patches seamlessly. As soon as they were covered, they changed to match Peter's skin, making them essentially disappear and making Peter's skin look completely normal, just minus the obvious webbing.

"Oh my god," Peter exclaimed happily. The nanite layer had been so thin that nothing abnormal was noticeable, hell, Peter couldn't even feel the little metal bots on his arms.

"They won't let you use the webs in the meantime since it's a temporary fix, but I figured it's better than nothing."

"Thank you," Peter was genuinely appreciative.

Tony waved off the comment, "No thanks needed, glad it worked. Now we both don't have to worry about you falling on your ass from a spider-induced heat stroke." He turned around on his barstool to face Peter fully. "So, let's talk about you."

Peter's eyes widened, "What about me?"

"Geez, kid, I'm not going to interrogate you," Tony frowned at the apprehension in the younger man's features. "Just, you know, how's everything going back in Queens?"

Peter's shoulders slumped shyly, "I mean, everything's going just fine."

Tony didn't look convinced.

Peter sighed in resignation. "It's been a little difficult getting used to it not just being May and I anymore. It took me a while to even come to terms that May remarried, you know. May loved Ben, and she still does even though he's gone, but I could tell how lonely she was, even before... before Thanos ." Peter's voice cracked at the name of the mad titan, but he pushed on, thankful that Tony didn't seem to notice his little hiccup. "So when I met George, it didn't matter what I thought about him because he was so good to May, and he welcomed me, a complete stranger, with open arms like I had been a part of this family since the very beginning."

"He has a son doesn't he?" Tony pressed gently.

"Yeah, his name's Alex," Peter said, fiddling with his thumbs. The more Peter talked about himself, the more he realized he genuinely didn't want to. He had been so sure that talking to Tony and spilling the beans would help make things easier, but it made him realize just how difficult of a time he was having adjusting to the present. "I guess once upon a time I was older than him, but I try not to think about it because it just confuses me. He's a really kind guy, and I can tell he's trying really hard to get to know me, but we're polar opposites. He's a popular student and the quarterback of our high school's football team. I wanted to hate them when I first met them, but now that I know them better I can't. They're too kind."

"What about your friends?"

"Ned's fine. I mean, he didn't... he got dusted so like we're still the same age," Peter stuttered out awkwardly. "His family's still intact and nothing else majorly changed when he was gone. I mean, he's still dealing with a lot on his own end, but he's coping alright I guess."

"What about the girl?" Tony asked.

A wave of sadness washed over Peter and he had to clear his throat before he could speak. "MJ's..." His voice cracked and he covered his face in his head. "Shit..."

Nice going, Pete. Tony's being polite, you know he hates the mushy stuff, he doesn't want to see you sobbing over the loss of a pathetic crush. Peter scolded himself, trying and failing to reel in the tears. However, the last part was a lie. It wasn't just losing a girl he loved at first sight that broke his heart, he had essentially lost a friend too.

"Whoa, hey, easy there," Tony stood up and came forward to guide Peter to sit down on the bench that Tony had been occupying.

"I'm sorry," Peter apologized, angrily wiping the tears from his face.

"She survived didn't she?" Tony prompted sadly.

Peter just nodded, sniffling as he said, "She's married now and has a kid. I tried reaching out to her, but she hasn't even answered my texts or called."

"It's probably a lot for her too," Tony tried to reassure him.

Peter shook his head, "Why? That's what I keep asking myself. Why me?"

Tony sighed, pulling Peter into a hug by his shoulders and Peter just rested his head on Tony's chest. He relished the comfort that his mentor and father figure was providing him. In the past, Tony didn't do well with human contact but Peter wondered if that changed the moment he had his own kid. He half expected Tony to pull away after a few seconds, but the billionaire didn't seem keen on letting him go anytime soon.

"I know you got dealt a bad hand, Pete, and there's nothing I can do to make that go away," Tony said quietly, his voice surprisingly soft. "But you are not alone in this. You have May, and now you have two more family members at home who seem more than willing to help you in any way they can. You have a new family here, one that probably understands you a lot more than the ones at home. We're a team, Kid, one that catches you when you fall. One that will stand by you during your worst. One who will hold on hope even when you don't see it anymore."

"I just miss how things used to be," Peter confessed. "Things seem so difficult nowadays."

"We'll get through it," Tony promised. "That I'm sure of." He pulled away to put his hands on Peter's shoulder. "Until then, I got a gallon of your favorite ice cream in the freezer with your name on it."

Peter smiled sadly at that, "Ice cream sounds really good right now."

Five minutes later, Peter is sitting on the couch in the Avengers' living room, a gallon of chocolate ice cream curled into his chest as he leaned back, watching the Empire Strikes Back with Tony Stark sitting beside him. The ice cream lasted only for the first half-hour of the movie but the sugar therapy did help ease his troubles a small bit.

Halfway into the movie, Steve came into the room and surveyed the scene before him for a split second before coming to sit on the other couch next to the one that Tony and Peter were sitting on. Clint came in next, coming to sit beside Steve. Eventually, Natasha, Wanda, Sam, Bucky and Vision also gathered around to watch the movie. Peter barely registered what was happening, because his eyes were closing against his will. One moment he was sitting up straight and the next he was aware of his head resting against Tony's shoulder. He sat up with a mumbled apology, but Tony carefully guided him back down so he was resting against his shoulder once more. When Peter finally dozed off to Tony's heartbeat sounding in his ears, he was faintly aware of how safe he felt in that moment.

Was it good? Was it bad? Feel free to let me know!