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I hope you enjoy this chapter and apologies for any mistakes!

Chapter 9 – The Bully

"Boss."

Tony jolted awake, shooting upright in bed. The sheets pooled around his waist, and he gazed about the room, looking for the threat. The room was still, and Tony huffed, scrubbing a hand down his face as his heart rate decreased slowly. He turned to look over his shoulder, a smile tugging at his lips.

Beside him, still asleep, was Stephen. The disturbance of the covers had revealed Stephen's bare chest, long lashes resting on his cheeks. His chest rose and fell with even breathes. He looked peaceful and Tony drunk in the sight.

"Boss, apologies for waking you," FRIDAY voice was quiet in the room. "Rogers is requesting you in the communal living room."

"What time is it?" Tony asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"It is 7 am, Boss," FRIDAY relayed.

Tony blinked. He couldn't remember the last time he had slept in so late. Usually, he would catch a few hours here and there and then head straight to his lab. Despite the waking, Tony felt more refreshed than he had in years. He shook his head to hide his smile. Who knew having a doctor in his bed would be so good for him?

"Why must Roger's want something so early in the morning?" Tony grumbled, pushing the covers off his legs.

"The faster you find out, the faster you can come back."

Stephen voice was deeper than Tony had ever heard, and it sent a shiver down his spine. He turned back to Stephen; the Doctor's eyes now open in a lazy slit. His lips lifted into a smile and a hand stretched out to brush at Tony's hip.

"Or I could just ignore Rogers and stay here," Tony said, letting his gaze rake of Stephen.

"Tempting," Stephen said. His fingers slipped up underneath the tank top Tony wore, now brushing against his warm skin. The touch sent goosebumps across Tony's body. "But Peter needs to get to school."

"How about I take Peter to school, and you talk to Rogers," Tony suggested.

"No," Stephen smirked. He lightly pinched Tony's side. "The longer you delay, the longer Steve will draw out whatever he has to say. You know he suspects something."

In their last meeting, Steve had not outright said is suspected of Tony keeping secrets, but it had been heavily implied. When Peter had moved in, Tony had put everything else aside to help the kid get settled. He had ignored team get together, missing two of them now, and had been avoiding the communal floor, spending more time on his own floor with Peter and Stephen.

Tony knew it wouldn't take them long to notice but he really didn't need everyone knowing about Peter. It was up to the kid to decide when he wanted everyone to know, and Tony respected that.

Stephen sat up, his fingers falling from Tony's skin. Instead, palm slid up Tony's spine as he moved to sit cross legged. He swept his palm back down Tony's spine, the genius leaning into the touch.

"That's not encouraging me to leave," Tony murmured.

"Neither will this," Stephen murmured, leaning in close.

Tony turned his head, their noses brushing together. He closed the gap between them, lips pressing against Stephen's. Their lips moulded against one another, Tony bringing up a hand to cup Stephen's cheek. Tony was tempted to push Stephen on to his back, to run his hands all over his chest, to taste him deeper. Before he could put any of that into action, the doctor was pulling away, his eyes sparkling.

"Go see Peter before you leave," Stephen said, hand sweeping up Tony's back one more time.

"Tease," Tony grinned. He reluctantly slid out of the bed, knowing that if he stayed any longer, he would not leave at all. He ducked into the adjoining bathroom, closing the door to the tempting sight.

When he finally left the bathroom, the bed was empty, the sheets still rumpled with the reminder of who had been there. Tony made the bed and headed out to the kitchen. The scent of pancakes reached his nose and as he rounded the corner. Peter was at the kitchen island, shovelling pancakes into his mouth while Stephen watched him, sipping on his tea.

"Morning kid," Tony ruffled Peter's hair as he passed on the way to the coffee machine.

"Morning Mr. Stark!" Peter beamed, syrup dripping from his chin.

Stephen threw a napkin at Peter who snatched if deftly out of the air and wiped his chin.

"Ready for school, kid?" Tony asked.

"Yep!" Peter nodded. "I did all my homework"

"Great. Anything you want to do after school today?" Tony asked.

He asked Peter the same question everyday but so far, the kid had not taken him up on his offer to do, literally, anything. As it had only been a few weeks since Peter had come to live with him, Tony was aware it would take some time for Peter to feel truly comfortable.

Peter's longest stay at a foster family had been three weeks and two days. Tony had been made aware of all the foster families Peter had come from (and the not so good ones that Tony may have had Pepper investigate for him so he could do something about that) so he was trying to be patient. He just wanted Peter to feel comfortable, safe, and loved here.

"Can I patrol after school?" Peter asked.

"Sure," Tony agreed. "Curfew though, remember."

Peter nodded his head eagerly.

"Great. Strange is going to take you to school today. I've got a meeting with Rogers."

"A mission?" Peter asked, perking up higher in his seat.

"No." Tony smirked as Peter deflated. "It's about why I have been spending so much time up here."

"Oh," Peter said quietly. He fiddled with his fork, his gaze dropping to his plate. "I'm getting you in trouble with the others."

Tony shared a look with Stephen. Abandoning his coffee, Tony strode over to the kitchen island and leaned across. He carefully lifted Peter's chin so the kid could look him in the eye.

"Peter Parker," Tony said firmly. "You are the furthest thing away from being troublesome. We love having you here kid. You are our priority. Don't ever think that you are burden by being here. It's the opposite."

"Tony is correct," Stephen said. "Having you in our lives, you gave us something we had not realised we had been missing. We will be forever grateful for you, Peter."

Peter blinked back tears and gave them a watery smile. "You're the best thing that has ever happened to me too."

Tony smiled, gently rubbing his thumb across Peter's jawbone. "It's an adjustment, kid. It will take time and we'll get you some help to make it easier for you."

Peter scrunched his nose. "You mean like a therapist?"

Tony nodded. "I have one. They've helped me with a lot of issues I have."

Peter's eyes widened. "You do?"

"Yep. But we'll discuss this more later. Right now, off to school." Tony ruffled Peter's hair and then pulled away.

"I'll just grab my stuff, Doctor Strange," Peter said. "I'll just be a second."

"You've got time," Stephen said as Peter started edging his way out of the room.

As the kid rushed out of the room and Stephen leaned into Tony's space, the genius had the hopeful feeling that everything was going to be okay.

Peter stepped through the portal and into an alleyway that was close to his school. When Doctor Strange stepped through after him (dressed in jeans and a jacket the top) the portal closed behind them. Together they stepped out of the alleyway and headed in the direction on Peter's schools.

"Thanks for the lift," Peter grinned as he bounded alongside Stephen.

"You're welcome," Stephen smiled back.

Usually, it was Tony who dropped Peter off a block away.

"Not because I'm embarrassed by you, kiddo," Tony had told him firmly. "But if the press saw us, I don't want it ruining your life. You deserve your privacy and to be a regular super powered teenager."

It was nice, Peter thought, being walked to school by his second dad (though the Doctor didn't know that Peter had been referring to him as that in his head). His uncle Ben used to do the same thing but when Peter went into foster care, he had to make his own way to and from school.

"What are you doing today?" Peter asked.

"I'll be at the Kamar-Taj," Stephen said. "The students there are coming up to what you would call their final exams."

"Whoa," Peter breathed. "Is it hard?"

"Harder for some than others," Stephen said. "It is like any field you choose to go into. You must put in the effort and work hard."

Peter nodded, licking his lips. He hesitated, wondering if he should ask. He had been curious about it for a long time but had never had the courage to ask. His curiosity won out and he asked carefully, "Was it hard for you?"

"Yes," Stephen said. "It was the hardest thing I ever did."

Peter didn't ask any more questions, not wanting to push the Doctor away. Peter had been very curious about the Doctor's scars and a quick internet search showed why they were like that. Peter never asked about his hands.

The school came into view, student's flooding in through the front doors.

"Dinner will be at eight," Stephen said. "Make sure you are home in time."

"I will!" Peter said. He darted forward, giving the wizard a quick hug before stepping back and giving a wave. "Bye!"

"Have a good day," Stephen called after him.

Peter grinned, giving the wizard a thumbs up and then turned around and headed into the school. On his way to his locker, Peter felt a warning tingle travel down his spine and then he was being shoved hard. He hit the locker with a loud bang. He could have easily avoided the attack but didn't want to draw attention to himself. He couldn't fight back before and he couldn't fight back now.

"Penis Parker," a boy, Adam, sneered at Peter. His eyes raked over Peter. "Where did you get that jacket?"

Peter looked down at the warm jacket Tony had gifted him. Tony had at one point filled Peter wardrobe with new clothes. When Peter had tried to thank him, Tony had acted like he didn't know what Peter was talking about. But Peter knew it had been Tony and so he kept saying his thanks and was still trying find a way to repay the man.

"It was a gift," Peter said.

Adam face lit up and his sneer turned into a smirk. "From that old man you were walking with?"

Peter frowned. "He's not that old."

"You sucked him off for it, didn't you," Adam jeered. "For a warm jacket and a hot meal, you'd get on your knees, wouldn't you?"

Peter recoiled with disgust. "Ew! No! Don't say that about Doctor Strange!"

"A doctor?" Adam laughed. "The only way a doctor would take you in is if you were doing them favours."

Peter tried to push past Adam, but the bully grabbed Peter and shoved him back into the locker. Peter's head hit the locker, sharp pain throbbing his skull. Before Peter could recover, Adam was dragging him forward and slamming him into the locker again. Another flare of pain radiated through Peter's skull and a headache flared into life.

"You're such a loser, Penis Parker," Adam sneered. He shoved Peter down, Peter falling to his knees. "This is where you belong. On your knees." He yanked the sipper down on Peter's jacket and then roughly yanked it off Peter, slamming him into the lockers again.

The morning bell rang loudly, the round ringing in Peter's ears. He flinched at the noise, letting out a small gasp as it played havoc on his senses. The headache that had formed flared bright hot and Peter let out a gasp. He was vaguely aware of Adam leaving and the students around him flooding to their classes.

As the hall emptied, Peter struggled to his feet. He swayed as his vision doubled with the headache and he sniffed. A quick stop by his locker and Peter hurried as fast as he could to his class. He slipped into the only available seat, the girl next to him ignoring him completely.

"Today we are continuing on with Shakespeare," the teacher called out.

Peter tried to concentrate through his class, but his headache continued to throb painfully in his head. It didn't help that several of his classmates were snickering behind his back and flicking small balls of paper at his head.

He could hear them whispering about the rumour Adam had started and his cheeks flushed hot, and tears pricked his eyes. When the bell rang, it felt as if it was going off inside his head. He folded his arms on his desk, dropping his head down to try and block out the sound. People jostled him purposely as they passed him until finally it was blissfully still.

Peter picked up on a heartbeat approaching him and he winced.

"Mr Parker. The bell has rung." His teacher's voice was too loud in Peter's ears. "Mr Parker? Are you well?"

"No," Peter managed to mumble out.

"Head to the nurse, Mr. Parker."

Peter dragged himself up and out of his chair. The halls were empty, thankfully, and Peter trudged to the nurse's office. When he got there, the nurse took one look at him and sighed.

"Go lay down. I'll call your case officer."

"Foster father," Peter slurred out. "My file has been updated."

"Again," Peter heard the nurse mutter under her breath.

Peter laid up on the bed, feeling miserable. Peter's file was always being updated and after the spider bite he had been able to hear the teachers talking about it one day. Peter had been left feeling humiliated and embarrassed. Instead, he kept his head down, did his work and left school as soon as he could.

The nurse stepped out of the room to call Mr. Stark. Peter tried to block out the sound, clamping his hands over his ears, but he could hear her make the phone call. Peter slumped against the pillows in relief when he heard that Mr. Stark was coming to get him. He was going to go home.

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