Peter was ashamed to admit it, but he almost bolted after Steve had left him alone in the kitchen. He felt like a scared animal who had been backed into the corner, anxious for the perfect opening for him to escape. So what exactly had kept him from doing so? Well, that was a mystery even to him. When he tried to move, it felt like his feet were stuck in molasses, keeping him glued to the floor.

No, that's a lie, A small voice echoed in Peter's head. You know exactly why you can't bring yourself to leave.

When Peter had gotten his emotions under control, he managed to scarf down the plate of breakfast in front of him. That in itself had been a chore, the entire platter tasted like ash in his mouth and it took his entire willpower to not upchuck everything he had just eaten. He needed fuel in his system, especially since the last day and a half wrecked havoc on his enhanced metabolism.

Soon enough, Peter found himself carrying a mug of coffee down to the workshop, the numbers on the elevator making the pit of dread in his stomach grow as they descended. He knew he shouldn't be such a baby about it, part of him wondered if he'd still be able to brush it off like nothing was wrong and that he was fine. Even then, Peter knew that was wishful thinking. If Steve told Tony everything that had happened last night, then Peter knew Tony would be very adamant about talking to him.

When the doors opened, the sound of AC/DC washed over him as the music blared through the workshop's surround sound system. Tony was hunched over his workbench, tinkering with Sam's wing suit and Peter wondered if Sam's suit had gotten damaged when they had been called to battle.

"FRIDAY?" Peter called out. "Can you turn the music down?"

Peter didn't hear her respond, but the music's volume reduced to a tolerable level. He could tell the exact moment that Tony returned to reality because he huffed in disapproval.

"Pep, I know I said I'd be home last night..." Tony turned around, but froze when he saw who was standing behind him. His hair was disheveled and there were dark bags that indicated the billionaire's lack of sleep. He was dressed in a black tank top and a pair of loose black joggers, the makeshift arc reactor that housed his nanotech suit was resting in the middle of his chest. "You're not Pepper."

Peter just held out the coffee mug sheepishly, "I brought a peace offering."

Tony reached out and accepted the mug without hesitation.

See, Pete, if he still takes things from you then that means that hope isn't fully lost, right?

The older man took a gulp of the hot fluid and Peter winced in sympathy at the billionaire who had just undoubtedly singed his tastebuds. "Now that tastes good." He set the mug down. "Pepper put me on a coffee ban awhile back, said it was setting a bad example for our daughter."

"How far back is awhile back?" Peter wondered curiously.

"Well she placed it about a year ago, but I mean, did anyone really expect me to stop?" Tony shrugged, turning back around and picking up a screw driver. "Wanna give me a hand?"

Peter's heart skipped a beat at that, "Wait, seriously?"

Tony just gave him a leveled stare before taking a step back, "Come here."

Peter walked up to look down at the suit and frowned, "What am I looking at?"

"Falcon took a hit from a EMP during our last battle and now his wings aren't contracting when he needs them," Tony briefed him.

Peter hummed thoughtfully as he glanced down at the interior of Sam's wing pack, eyes skimming over the circuits. "If the wings aren't contracting it either means the wires somehow got crossed or the entire frame got short circuited beyond repair."

"Yet when FRIDAY scanned the damage the entire hardware was in tact with no issue," Tony added.

Peter frowned in confusion at that before he managed to see something. "Wait, hand me those tweezers." Peter outstretched his hand and Tony placed the small tool in his hand. A moment later, Peter pulled out a small little device that had been shaped like a pumpkin. It was small enough to rest on his finger and thin enough to easily miss it, he had a feeling his senses were the reason he was able to find anything at all.

Tony let out an impressed whistle.

"They bugged the suit," Peter voiced aloud. "Somehow the EMP blast must've allowed the attacker to slip something into Sam's suit so he couldn't contract the wings." Peter looked up at Tony, "How did FRIDAY miss that?"

Tony also looked troubled at the thought, "I don't know." He took the device from Peter and studied it. "I've never even seen anything like this before. FRIDAY?"

"I'm sorry, Boss, I can't find anything in my records," FRIDAY announced. "Whatever it is must've been able to bypass my diagnostic scan."

"Maybe whoever did it didn't want you to know," Peter guessed. "That's why everything else seemed fine. Did you find out who you were fighting?"

"It was just a bunch of androids," Tony shook his head, evidently bemused. "When we got there we couldn't find the source of who was controlling them."

The pit in Peter's stomach intensified. "I don't think I like that."

Tony also looked unsettled, still eyeing the tiny device. "Yeah, me neither."

"Were you okay?" Peter glanced over at his mentor.

"Why wouldn't I be okay?" Tony set down the device and grabbed his coffee mug.

"You said that Sam was hit with an EMP blast," Peter said. "He's not the only one with a flying suit."

Tony took a sip of his coffee, "I wasn't hit."

Peter studied the older man for a moment, trying to detect any lie in his words, but when Peter didn't find any, he just let it slide. "When's the last time you slept?"

Tony raised an eyebrow in his direction. "Shouldn't I be the one to ask you how you're doing?"

Peter felt his lips quirk up into a small brief smile. "Figured it'd be rhetorical if you did."

Tony's face fell at that, "I don't know what to do here, kid."

"I'm not expecting anything," Peter shook his head, pulling out Tony's workbench stool so he could sit down. "I haven't expected anything in awhile."

Tony looked down at his feet, and Peter could've sworn he saw a hint of shame in the older man's features. "Guess my ability for pissing people off never changed in those five years."

Peter flinched at the older man's self-deprecating tone. "Don't do that to yourself, you know I hate it when you do that."

"There's no justification here, you of all people should know that."

Peter's shoulders slumped at that, "I didn't come down here to yell at you."

"Kind of feels like you should," Tony admitted, and Peter was blown away at the genuine tone in the billionaire's voice. "I screwed the pooch this time, Pete."

Peter wanted to reassure Tony that it wasn't his fault that Peter was broken, but he couldn't make himself to do it. "I didn't want anyone to know."

"You really think that makes me feel better? I used to be able to read you like a book, I was able to stop you before you even knew what mess you were getting yourself into."

"No, Tony, not always," Peter amended.

Tony looked offended at that, "Okay, but most of the time right?"

"You're not the first person to tell me I was practically an open book," Peter cringed when the words tasted like ash in his mouth.

Tony observed his behavior and Peter essentially saw the light bulb go off in his head. "You never told us because you wanted to be him. The person you were before the Snap."

Peter felt his stomach twist at that. "What's the point of trying to be a ghost? The old Peter Parker..."

"The old Peter Parker and the this Peter Parker are still one in the same," Tony told him. "It doesn't matter who you become, you're still always going to be you."

"That's not the point..."

"Then what is, kid?" Tony cut him off kindly.

Here we go, Peter gave himself a pep talk, but it was unconvincing even for him. "I feel like I should be happy because everyone expects me to be happy."

"Where the hell did you get that idea?"

"You don't have to sound so confused, I know you expect it too," Peter looked at his hands which were resting in his lap. "I came back five years later and people just keep looking to me like they think I'm still this innocent rambling kid who never knew when to shut up. The kid who always smiled even when the world goes to shit."

"You can't compare these two things," Tony protested. "You've been through hell and back and you're not even of age yet."

"You're still hung up about the fact that you still see me as a kid?" Peter narrowed his eyes.

"I know you hate it when I say it, but you are a kid," Tony emphasized. "Dammit, Peter, there are times where I wish I didn't bring you into all of this, but I can't even think about it because I know you'd have just..." Tony shook his head, furiously blinking as if he was trying to keep the tears at bay.

"I could yell at you for that," Peter admitted. "I could find a million ways to argue that."

"But you don't want to fight about it," Tony closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths.

"I'm just so tired all the time," Peter's eyes finally locked gazes with Tony's. "I miss everything that I used to have."

"What do you mean used to?"

"Nothing's been right since I came back," Peter shrunk in on himself. "And I've tried to deal with the changes, I swear I have, but I feel like I'm drowning and no one is there to help me."

"You never..." Tony began but quickly trailed off and sighed. "'Course you wouldn't."

"I wanted to hate you," Peter revealed, and he didn't miss the way hurt flashed across Tony's face. "I came back to a world that moved on while I crumpled to dust. It's my fault too, I just expected everything to be the same, you know? It started off with the small things, like finding out you didn't live at the compound anymore and then you were married to Pepper. Which, I mean, I'm so happy for you, I know how much you've been through, Tony, I would never hold that against you. It just still hurt, and I hated that it hurt because it shouldn't hurt. Then there was Morgan and I just..."

"You said she scared you," Tony realized. "Why?"

"She's just a reminder of what I can never have." Peter confessed quietly. He expected a weight to be lifted off his chest as soon as the words left his mouth, but his stomach knotted instead. "Which I know is stupid because I shouldn't think like that, I don't have the right to even think that. I knew what I was getting myself into, and I told myself I wouldn't..."

"Peter," Tony came up to place his hands on his shoulders.

Peter bit his lip to stop his rambling, hating himself when he felt more tears form in his eyes. Way to be a baby, Peter, you're so pathetically weak.

"Kid, you gotta look at me," Tony squeezed his shoulders.

Peter didn't realize he was hyperventilating until one of Tony's hands migrated to cup the back of his neck. Closing his eyes, Peter took a few deep breaths in an effort to alleviate the ache in his chest.

"I owe you more than just an apology," Tony told him, his voice quiet and soothing.

"No," Peter shook his head.

"Yes," Tony interjected.

"Since when does Tony Stark apologize?"

Tony flinched at that and Peter's heart broke. "I'm sorry, that was mean. I don't know why I said that."

"You're not wrong, that's the problem," Tony stepped away and Peter was scared he was going to leave. Instead, Tony grabbed another stool and pulled it so he was sitting in front of him. "I don't do well with change."

"I've noticed."

"It was one thing that always drove Pepper crazy," Tony continued. "It was one of the reasons outside of Iron Man that we took so many breaks. Before her, I had one constant after all the shit I had gone through and that was Iron Man. So I just got caught up in routines and it kind of helped keep everything else at bay."

"Humans are just creatures of habit," Peter interjected.

"That's not what I'm getting at here. When you were gone I didn't get a reprieve. Pepper had been pregnant with Morgan before our fight in space, and I didn't even know how to cope with having a kid when..." Tony's voice broke. "I was always scared of the idea of being... I never had a good relationship with my father. All I knew about being a parent was from him and all I was to him was his greatest creation."

"And you still think you're him?" Peter exclaimed. "You're not your father, Tony."

"It's hard to think that when you grew up to a world comparing the two of you," Tony told him bitterly. "But that's not the point I'm trying to make. I'm not trying to justify anything..."

"You were scared of getting close to me because you didn't want to do to me what he did to you."

"Turns out I did anyway by keeping you at arms length," Tony's eyes grew haunted.

"People do weird things when they think a person they care about is slipping through their fingers," Peter echoed.

Tony hands began to shake and he clenched his fists in an effort to stop them. "I should've seen how much you were hurting."

"I don't blame you for how broken I am," Peter told him truthfully. "I blame the world being cruel enough to bring us back to a place where people moved on."

Tony's eyebrows furrowed at that. "I do have to say that cynicism doesn't suit you at all."

"There's a lot of things that don't suit me nowadays," Peter shrugged.

"I know you don't believe me, but I do care about you, kid." Tony reached over to place his hands on Peter's knees. "I've got a messed up way of showing it, but I promise to try and be better."

"It's not that I don't believe you," Peter shook his head. "It's just that I don't really believe in anything right now."

Tony was quiet for a moment before he finally said, "That used to be me, you know."

"Tony..." Peter wasn't sure if he wanted to hear it.

"No, I'm serious, after I came back from space that was me."

"But you had Pepper and the original Avengers," Peter disagreed.

"But none of them were you," Tony corrected him.

"I don't know why you want to put me on some sort of pedestal. I'm not that special."

"How are you not special? It's not every day you see a kid with a bright mind that can crawl up walls or shoot spider webs from their wrist."

"But that's Spider-Man, you know that better than anyone. It's not the same."

"Spider-Man is nobody without Peter Parker, and not just literally," Tony insisted. "You're not expendable."

"That doesn't make me someone to worship."

"You were the person who taught me how to be a better parent."

Peter shook his head in denial, "I drove you up the wall. Figured it'd be a breath of fresh air to get rid of me."

"You are not expendable, kid," Tony repeated. "Look, I can't compare experiences, and I'm not going to because it's just going to demean you of what you're going through. What I'm trying to say is that you got a whole group of people who are willing to prove that you matter if you give them a chance."

Peter stared into Tony's eyes, desperate to find something that would determine if what Tony was saying was either true or a lie to make him feel better. When he didn't find anything to prove it a lie, the knot in his stomach loosened a slight margin.

"The invitation for coming over this weekend is still open," Tony offered. "It really would mean the world if you'd at least consider."

Peter nodded. "Can we just not do this weekend? I guess it's family night at Midtown's home game."

A spark of joy ignited in Tony's eyes. "Alex?"

"I promised I'd go," Peter said.

"As you should," Tony reached over to pat his cheek. "What about next weekend?"

"Yeah," Peter agreed before he could stop himself. "Okay."

Tony patted his cheek once more, a smile on his face. "Okay." When he said it, it sounded like a promise.

When Peter approached his apartment complex in Queens, a wave of apprehension washed over him. None of his friends had called him back, and school had been out for a good three hours by then. Tony had seen how anxious Peter was to get home to sort out his mess, and had driven him back to his borough himself. Peter wasn't sure where he stood with the billionaire, but he let himself give into the small spark of hope that maybe it was a first step in the right direction. Right now, he had other things he had to deal with, specifically the questions that would be undoubtedly thrown his way from Alex and George, if the latter was home and not on shift.

Walking into the apartment, it was strangely quiet and he couldn't ignore an uneasy shiver climbing up his spine.

"Hello?" Peter called out.

When no one answered, the hair on the back of his neck stood to a point and it was like someone was ringing a warning bell in his mind.

What the hell is going on? Peter's eyes scanned the entry room of the apartment. He made his way throughout the rest of the apartment, canvasing the open areas as if he expected someone to jump out at him at any moment. When Peter reentered the common area, it was like a flare went off in his mind and he tensed up, ready to fight. Doing a complete circle around him, Peter couldn't see anyone or hear anything out of the ordinary.

Come on, Peter mused. I'm listening. What are you trying to tell me?

Peter closed his eyes and pulled on the feeling in his mind, trying to see if he could find the source of his paranoia. Turning around so he was facing the strongest pull, Peter opened his eyes to see the common room window ajar behind the fluttering curtain.

"No," Peter muttered under his breath and ran over to the open window. His first instinct was to call Tony or Happy, but Peter reeled in the thought. There had to be an explanation for this, right?

"Peter?"

Peter almost let his instincts get the better of him at the new voice that appeared behind him. Instead, he reeled in the action of webbing up the intruder and just spun around with a startled yelp.

Alex was standing there in a hoodie and a pair of gym shorts, a backpack slung over his shoulder as if he was leaving to go somewhere. Alex took in his expression, and his face paled. "What happened?"

Peter placed a hand on his racing heart, "You scared the hell out of me."

"You're looking like you saw a ghost," Alex approached him cautiously, as if trying not to spook him further.

Peter's head flickered between Alex and the window before he asked, "Did you open a window?"

Alex gave him a look of complete bewilderment, "What?"

"Did you open the window?" Peter repeated, his voice still quiet.

"I don't know, maybe?" Alex was still confused. "I'm not really worried about that right now. Peter, what the hell happened?"

I was hoping you could tell me why the one window of our four story apartment without a fire escape is open if you didn't do it, The paranoid part of Peter's brain filled in. Instead he just shook his head, Alex said he didn't know if he did. That still means he could have. "Nothing, sorry."

"It's not nothing if it made you look like you were going to hurl," Alex protested.

"I'm fine," Peter asserted. "I guess I'm just a little jumpy."

Alex, who had moved so he was less than a foot away from Peter, studied him for a moment. "Is this related to what happened at school?"

Okay, maybe a little too close to home. "Maybe? I don't know."

"Peter, it was just a window," Alex tried to reassure him. "Unless someone tossed your teddy bear out of a window when you were a kid, there's nothing to be worried about."

"Where's May?" Peter asked automatically.

Alex held his hands out in a calming manor. "She's working for another hour, I'm sure she'd pick up if you called her."

"What about George?"

"Dad's at work too, he got called in for a double shift," Alex told him patiently.

Safe and safe then, Peter took a deep breath.

"We're all okay, Peter," Alex told him truthfully. "You're okay, right?"

Peter took a few more deep breaths before nodding, suddenly feeling embarrassed. "Yeah."

Alex smiled at that, "Good. That's good."

Peter's fists uncurled, "I'm sorry, I don't... I guess I'm just a little jumpy still." Something still doesn't feel right.

Alex looked conflicted. "Maybe I shouldn't go to practice tonight."

Wednesday night... Football practice, Peter's heart broke. "No, no, it's fine. I'm okay."

"You don't look the part, Pete," Alex shook his head. "One practice won't hurt."

"No," Peter adamantly shook his head. "May'll be home in an hour."

"I don't want to leave you alone when you're obviously still terrified," Alex protested.

That caused Peter's heart to break further. Way to go, Pete. "You don't need to stay, Alex. Please. Not because of this. That doesn't usually happen."

Alex bit his lip, obviously torn. "Maybe call Ned? If someone can come keep you company, I'll go."

That actually may not be such a bad idea. "Okay," Peter nodded.

Alex still looked wrecked, but his shoulders slumped in relief. Peter went to leave the common room, and the raven haired boy almost stopped him, but he let him go. It left him little doubt though, something still wasn't right. Sure enough, when Peter walked into his room, he stopped. Right away he knew something was missing, but he couldn't quite figure out what had been out of place. The nagging feeling, however, was the only thing that was keeping him from believing he had gone completely insane.

Grabbing his phone, he dialed Ned's number.

"Peter, oh my god," Ned sounded relieved. "Are you okay?"

"I need you to come over," Peter said quietly, his tone was off. It was a mixture between calm and panicked.

Ned was silent for a moment. "What happened?"

"Someone was in the house," Peter told him.

"What?" Ned's voice shook. "Is everyone okay?"

"I don't know what happened, I wasn't here for it. Alex saw me panic, I need you here so he can go somewhere right now." Somewhere safer until I can figure out what the hell happened here.

"I'll be there in ten minutes," Ned promised.

"Keep an eye out," Peter warned him. "I don't know what's happening, but I can feel it... I'm not liking this."

"I'm your guy in the chair dude, I got this," Ned reassured him. "Are you okay?"

Peter's eyes scanned his room once more. "I don't know yet. Just get here safe, please, I really don't like the feeling of this at all."

"Eye in the sky," Ned confirmed. "Hang tight."

Peter hung up the phone and closed his eyes. Honing in on the tingling in his brain, Peter found it all leading back into the common room. Whatever happened, he couldn't get rid of the feeling that something was watching him. He just wished he knew what the hell that something was.

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