Hello! Hello! Hello! Welcome to the next chapter. Get ready for some fun and lots of kids doing stupid stuff. Also just a housekeeping reminder. Tony can lie, just not about feelings and injuries. I don't want people blowing up my comments for inconsistency with that. I'll see you at the end. Enjoy!


Once Bucky started going to therapy and using B.A.R.F. to remove the trigger words he slowly started to slip into regular life at the tower. Everyone was there to support Bucky when he needed it and it was fitting into their little mismatched family with easy. Well, everyone except Sam. For some stupid reason, those two seemed to bicker a whole lot. Actually the bickering was a whole heck of a lot like when the Avengers first formed and Tony and Steve were at odds with each other.

Everyone knew the two would work things out in their own time.

The funny thing about Bucky now living in the tower was the strange relationship Bucky seemed to have with Tony's cat, Acorn. More than once Tony would walk into the kitchen in the morning to feed her and see Bucky and Acorn having a staredown. In fact, multiple people saw this. Nobody knew what to make of the situation so they just sort of let it happen.

One of the biggest changes to the tower, besides Bucky joining their little family, was the fact that Nicola was about 2 months away from turning two. And, like most two-year-olds, Nicola was starting to test boundaries. Because Nicola was testing boundaries that also meant that he was testing his parent's patience.

"Nicola, no. We don't hit." Scolded Steve as he moved Nicola away from a now crying baby Nate.

"I want!" shouted the toddler as he pointed at the toy Nate had previously been playing with.

"Nico, we ask if we want a toy. We don't hit. We ask. Now say sorry to Nate."

"I sorry." Spoke Nicola as he gave Nate a hug.

Hitting seemed to be the least of their problems because, after a few rounds of time out and no desert, Nicola seemed to get the message. No, the biggest problem was the fact that Nicola was a walking tornado hell-bent on causing the biggest mess possible.

Case in point, the time Tony thought he'd put Nicola down for a nap but found his baby covering the kitchen with a mixture of mashed bananas and flour.

And that wasn't the only big mess. There were toys all over the place, bath time was often a nightmare, and the walls of Nicola's room had quickly become his canvas. No parenting book had ever prepared Tony and Steve for this.

Thankfully they lived in a tower with Clint and Laura who knew what to do. The advice they gave was invaluable in keeping some sort of order. They helped childproof the tower as well as gave advice on how to get Nicola to stop making messes. Soon it became a big joke that Nicola was 100% Tony's son by the messes he was making.

But, even with Clint and Laura's help, Tony and Steve still had a lot of work to do when it came to Nicola's behaviour. They understood that Nicola was still learning and testing out what he could and could not do, but ma where they getting tired. But still, whenever they say their little boy smile it mad everything all worthwhile.

In late June, Tony got an alert from JARVIS about a new hero doing work in Queens. Tony had been keeping track of the new heroes popping up ever since that vision he'd had back in Sokovia. He just knew that something bad was going to happen so he needed to know where other heroes were in case of the worst.

So, when JARVIS brought up the footage Tony took a look at it. On the screen, in multiple videos was a person swinging around on some sort of thread throughout the city. They were dressed in a red and blue hoodie set that offered no protection what so ever and that really worried Tony. Then there was the fact that in one of the videos the person stopped a speeding bus with his body. That was… intense.

"JARVIS run some scans I want everything you can find about this… Spider-Man character."

"Right away Sir. I'll have everything ready within an hour."

With JARVIS on the case, Tony got back to work on the new suit he was making. He'd been messing around with his existing nanotech to try and make a suit. Hopefully, when he went to Wakanda in a few weeks he'd be able to bounce some ideas around.

"Sir, I've finished gathering the information." Interrupted JARVIS just as Tony was finishing some calculations.

"Bring it up J."

Suddenly there was a plethora of information on the screens in front of him, the most important being a name and a face. Peter Benjamin Parker.

"J… are you sure this is all correct?" asked Tony. He wanted to be sure that they had the right guy under the mask.

"By my calculations as well as by going off of body proportions, locations, and a backpack found near a scene where Mr. Parker changed into his suit I am certain that this is the person you're looking for,

"Fuck! He's just a kid! What the hell is a kid doing out there with superpowers and a subpar suit? Where the hell are his parents?" worried Tony as he looked over everything.

"According to my research, Mr. Parker's parents died in a plane crash when he was 6 years old. He now resides with his Aunt."

"Fuck! We need to get this kid some training and a better suit. He's out there with no protection. Maybe I'll offer him an internship. Looking at his school record this kid's smart. If he's here for an internship then he can get better training and gear and still do school stuff. Yeah, that sounds like a plan." Rambled Tony as he started to sort through all the information in front of him

"What are you going off about internships for?" asked Steve startling Tony.

"Where did you come from?"

"I was just coming down to tell you that dinner is ready. Bruce mad curry and I'm not too sure how long it'll last around Thor." Smiled Steve as he walked over a gave his husband a quick kiss. "So what's all this?"

"Something we'll all need to talk about after dinner. I've got information about a new hero and he needs some guidance." Explained Tony as he shut things down in the lab and followed Steve up to the kitchen.

"Is it just me or does Brucie-bear have a crush on Thor?" asked Tony as they got into the elevator as a chance to change the conversation.

"You see it too! Although I don't think anything is going to happen with that for a little bit. Thor's still torn up about Jane breaking up with him last week."

"Poor guy. At least they agreed to stay friends."

The two continued to talk until they for to the common floor where everyone was eating at the giant family-sized table they had set up there. Bruce just finished up plating everything so they hadn't missed out on his amazing cooking. Everyone joked and smiled and talked about their day as they ate. Tony and Steve took turns helping Nicola eat but the kid still made a huge mess of his rice and breaded chicken. Curry was just too spicy for the toddler.

After dinner, it was definitely bath time. Nicola sure was a messy kid. Steve took over that job because Tony still had problems with standing water. Nobody really blamed him. After that was story time and soon enough Nicola was off to dreamland and the two parents were able to join the adults and older kids as they didn't have bedtime yet.

Tony ended up helping Cooper with his math homework while Natasha played some sort of game with Lila. Everyone else was milling around and just enjoying the downtime they had. Even Bucky was pretty calm. He'd set himself up in the corner with a stack of books he wanted to get through. This way he was getting used to being around new people but also going at his own pace.

As well, Tony couldn't help but notice that Bruce was sitting a little bit closer to Thor as the two talked about the science of the Bifrost. Tony sent his friend a smirk and Bruce tried not to blush too bad.

Once all the kids were in bed sleeping Tony gathered up all the Avengers and told them what he'd found out. Most of them were shocked that this literal kid was swinging around Queens stopping crime. But, they had to admire the kid's gumption. The kid got powers and was trying to do some good with them.

But still, they needed a game plan. This kid needed their guidance and the Avengers were determined to help. So, they all worked together to make a plan. And, it seemed like a good plan. Now all they needed to do was talk to the kid and see if he was on board.

The next day was actually the last day of the school year so Tony thought it was the perfect opportunity to talk to the kid's aunt about a "summer internship." So, in the mid-afternoon, Tony made his way over to Queens to have a little chat.

The whole drive over to the apartment complex Tony kept rehearsing what he wanted to say. He wanted to make a good first impression. He really only had one shot at this and he wanted to get everything right. So, as Tony arrived and parked his Audi in front of the Parker's apartment block and walked inside without drawing too much attention to himself. He quickly made his way up to the door and knocked. Hopefully, this would turn out alright.

"Oh, um… Mr. Stark-Rogers. How can I help you?" asked a very confused May Parker when she opened the door to her apartment.

"Mrs. Parker. I'm here to talk about your nephew, Peter. May I come in?" Smiled Tony he was trying really hard to keep things casual.

"Oh, um… sure. Of course. I'm sorry." Fumbled May as he opened the door further and let Tony in.

"Just call me Tony by the way." Spoke Tony as May lead Tony inside and they sat down on the sofa.

"So, why do you want to talk about Peter? Has he done something wrong?" worried May.

"Oh, no! He hasn't done anything wrong. I wanted to talk to you about Peter's upcoming internship." Spoke Tony and May looked shocked.

"What internship?"

"He didn't tell you?" asked Tony and May shook her head. "Well, about a month ago he sent in an application for SI's Junior Intern Program. His application caught my eye and I've sent him a few emails about taking a position with us. I'm here to hash out all the details and to get your permission."

"No, Peter hasn't told me. I'm surprised. Peter tells me everything. And I'm surprised that you're here, no offence. I'd just think that something like this would be done by someone else. I'd assume that you'd be pretty busy what with being an Avenger, working for SI, and having a small child. Not a man to have the time to make house calls."

"Well, today's Daddy Son day so Steve his having fun at the park with Nicola. As for Avenger's work we've had some downtime lately. And this, this is SI business. I'd love to bring Peter on as my personal intern. He's smart. Very smart. With the right tools that kid is going to change the world. I'd like to give him those tools."

"And what exactly would this internship entail?" asked May. She wanted all the information before she made any decision.

"Well, he'd come by the tower 3-4 times a week during the summer. We'd work in his coding skills, as well as mechanics, mathematics, and sciences in a practical environment and not in a classroom setting. This way he can see how things are applied and not just what things look like on paper." Smiled Tony. And he wasn't lying about any of this. He really did want to teach Peter. Even Bruce was a bit excited to have a little student in the lab. The only parts he left out were the training things with the other Avengers.

"That… actually sounds good. Great even. Peter's a bright kid and I know the regular classroom setting is boring for him." Tony smiled sympathetically.

"I know exactly how he feels. Sometimes it's better to see how things work than to hear some old person drone on and on."

From there the two talked some more and hashed out the details. May seemed to be on board and that made things easier on Tony. He hated lying about the real reason he was there, but he really did want to help Peter. He was just a kid and a smart one at that. He didn't want Peter to end up like him. Poorly socialized because of his intelligence and struggling in conventional school because he did not have a conventional mind.

About half an hour after Tony arrived the front door opened and a kid wearing a hoodie and earbuds walked in.

"Hey May." Smiled Peter as he wandered through the apartment. He still hadn't seen Tony.

"Hey, Peter. How was your last day of school?"

"I was good. We didn't do much. Just went over when report cards would be in and wrote our final English essay. Hey, did you see it? There's this crazy car parked outside."

And that was the moment Peter caught Tony's eyes. The kid looked caught between confused and star-struck. Tony wanted to laugh at his expression but kept that under control.

"Um… What?"

"Hey, Mr. Parker."

"Um… What are you? How?" Stammered Peter as he tried to not lose his cool in the presence of his hero.

"It's Tony kid." Smirked Tony.

"What are you… What are you doing here?"

"It's about time we met. You've been getting my emails, right?" asked Tony as he subtly winked at Peter so the kid would know to play along."

"Yeah, yeah. Absolutely."

"Peter, why didn't you tell me you applied for an internship? Are you keeping secrets?" asked May worriedly.

"Well… um… I didn't think I would actually get it." Lied Peter and Tony sent him another wink.

"Well, you were the best applicant I received so of course I'm going to choose the best."

"Tony here has been giving me all the information on the internship, Peter. It sounds like you'll be learning a lot. I'm just surprised you didn't tell me is all." Smiled May and Peter looked down a bit. He was so confused but decided to just go along with it. Who knew what was going to happen.

"Do you mind if I talk to Peter alone Mrs. Parker? I just want to work over some details on our end before we move forward." Asked Tony as politely as possible.

"Of course. I'll leave you two to it. Just let me know if you need anything." Smiled May

Soon enough, Peter was leading Tony down the hall to his room. The room itself was small and full of things that just screamed "teenager". Finally being in the same room alone with the kid, Tony was struck with the realization that this was the same kid his alternate self had been so glad to see in that horrible vision of his almost a year ago. He tried not to dwell on that fact. The vision was just a vision. Although it felt like so much more.

"Oh, what's this? Retro tech! I haven't seen one of these since MIT!" smiled Tony as he looked around the room and tried to get his mind off his recent revelation. "Where did you get it?"

"The dumpster." Frowned Peter.

"Don't worry, I'll get you set up with some much better tech."

"Um… not to be rude Mr. Stark-Rogers but what are you doing here? I didn't apply for any internship." Asked Peter as he walked around his room.

"I know that, but I'm here to offer you one anyway. That and something else." Spoke Tony and Peter instantly looked worried. Tony pulled out his phone and began showing some of the footage JARVIS had pulled.

"That's you right?" asked Tony even though he knew the answer. "Wow, amazing. What was that, like 4000 pounds? Impressive."

"You know that's all fake right? It's all done on computers." Sputtered Peter as he tried to lie his way out of the situation.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. You mean like those UFOs over Phoenix?" smirked Tony as he picked up a broom handle from the corner and lifted up the trap door in the ceiling. Peter's suit came tumbling out and the kid ran forward to hide it. Tony walked over to Peter. Now he just had to broach the topic of what he was offering, but with just a little bit of sass because it was fun.

"So you're the Spiderling? Spider-Boy? Crime-fighting spider?" teased Tony.

"Spider… Spider-Man."

"Not in that onesie you're not."

"It's not a onesie." Pouted Peter indignantly.

"So, who else knows?"

"Nobody. Just you I guess." Mumbled Peter as he tried not to make eye contact.

"Well, me and the other Avengers."

"What!"

"They needed to know. They're part of the reason why I'm here." Spoke Tony. "You know what I think is really cool? This webbing. The tensile strength his amazing. Who made it?"

"I did." Spoke Peter proudly.

"And the climbing the walls thing? Adhesive gloves?"

"No… that's me too. Look, Mr. Stark-Rogers, it's this really long story." Started Peter but he was quickly thrown off by Tony fiddling with his suit.

"What even are these? Can you even see?" asked Tony as he put the very dark goggles over his eyes. "Ah! I'm blind!"

"Yes, I can see in those." Huffed Peter as he took his suit back. "It's just that ever since I got these powers my senses have been dialled to 11. Things just got to be too much."

"Sensory overload. Don't worry that's pretty common among the Avengers. We'll get you sorted with better stuff then painted over goggles."

"Look, you keep mentioning the Avengers and this internship I never applied for. What is going on?" asked Peter as he sat down on his bed. Tony sat down beside him and placed a hand on the kid's shoulder.

"Look Peter. I do want you for an actual internship. You're smart. You made that webbing all by yourself. The other Avengers and I want to help you. You've got the basics not it's time to take things to the next level, starting with a new suit. That things offers you no protection."

"Wait! You really want to offer me an internship?"

"Sure. You're Aunt already said yes. It would start two weeks from now after Steve and I get back from Wakanda."

"And what would this all entail?"

"Well, you'd split your time between doing science with Bruce and me, and training with the Avengers to work on your combat skill. The more skills you have the safer you are. You're still a kid Peter, none of us want to see you get hurt." Explained Tony.

"So this is all real." Spoke Peter in amazement. His eyes were shining like he couldn't believe this was happening.

"Yes this is real. Now like I said, Steve and I are going to Wakanda in a few days' time. I'll give you a call once we get back so you can swing by the tower and we can get started." Smiled Tony as he got up and Peter followed.

"Can I tell my friend about this? He'll freak out!"

"Sure, you can tell them. I'll make sure to tell your school too. This will look great on your college applications in a few years."

Peter couldn't stop smiling as Tony and May finished exchanging information and finalizing details. This was amazing and he couldn't wait to tell Ned. He was going to flip. And Tony, well, Tony left the Parker's apartment with a smile on his face. Everything was going great and now Peter would get better training and resources.

Tony returned to the tower that night to tell the team the news. Everyone looked pleased that the kid would be getting better training and better protection from now on.

Three days later Tony, Steve, and little Nicola found themselves on a Quin Jet bound for Wakanda. They'd made sure to bring plenty of things to keep Nicola entertained for the 6-hour flight. The only reason the flight was that short and not the typical 14 hours was because they were using the Quin Jet with Tony's repulsor tech. Tony didn't know what he would do id stuck on a jet with an overactive toddler for 14 hours. He'd probably go insane.

Arriving in Wakanda was an experience all on its own. Shuri had given Tony some very specific programming and instructions to get through Wakanda's shield. Tony trusted her so he was excited when he went thought the shield while Steve just tried not to freak out. But, once they were in Wakanda, everything was amazing. Everything looked so different and both of them were excited to learn everything they could. Nicola didn't really care. He just liked all the colours.

As they landed at the palace Tony carried Nicola down the ramp while Steve brought their bags. They were soon greeted by the royal family which included a very excited Shuri.

"Welcome to Wakanda." Smiled T'Chaka as he walked over and shook Tony and Steve's hands. "I hope you enjoy your stay."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Smiled Tony as he adjusted Nicola in his arms.

"Allow me to make some introductions. This here is my lovely wife Ramonda. You've both met mt son T'Challa. And this excitable young one over here is my daughter Shuri." Spoke T'Chaka with a smile. Very quickly Shuri was walking over and excitedly shaking Tony's free hand.

"Mr. Stark-Rogers, I'm so excited to meet you. I've read all your papers and seen all your work. I can't wait to work with you."

Tony smiled and tried not to blush. It wasn't often that people complimented his work without wanting something from him.

"I'm sure there are things you can teach me here Princess. I look forward to working with you."

Soon enough they were lead to their rooms where they would be staying for the week. While Tony and Steve unpacked, Queen Ramonda took it upon herself to watch over Nicola. It had been so long since she'd had a little one in the palace.

Soon after they all had lunch together and discussed what the week in Wakanda would look like. It was going to be jam-packed with science, cultural enrichment, and working on the best way to introduce Wakandan technology to the world. A busy week, but fun.

The second lunch was over Shuri was dragging Tony down to her lab so she could show it off. Tony was amazed as Shuri showed him around. The place rivalled his own lab. The only thing Shuri didn't have were AI's like his own. He promised to teach her how to code in personality learning programs. Hopefully, her first attempts would be less prone to putting motor oil in things like DUM-E, U, and Butterfingers. Tony still loved them though. They were just as much his kids as Nicola was.

There was also a lot of talk of memes in the lab, but Tony was a master of the internet so he knew what was going on. It was fun t help Shuri confuse T'Challa with all their pop culture talk.

The week Tony, Steve, and Nicola spent in Wakanda was amazing. Tony had a blast working with Shuri in her lab. She was invaluable in helping him perfect his nanotech for use in a suit. They worked on AI tech together and exchanged ideas on pretty much everything. Tony just knew he had to introduce this spunky teen to Peter. The two would get on like a house on fire.

And while Tony was having fun in the lab, T'Challa was showing Steve and Nicola around Wakanda and teaching them about their culture. There were some meetings where they all talked about the best way to integrate Wakanda and eventually they all came to the best agreement that would allow Wakanda to hold onto their customs and beliefs while providing aid to people who needed it. Even Nicola had a great time. The kid had fun chasing butterflies and looking at all the new things. There were some nights when that kid had one hell of a sugar high from trying all the unique sweets Wakanda had to offer.

By the end of the week, new friendships had been forged and alliances made. Things were going great and it was a very welcome change of pace to all the shit that had recently gone down. The break was nice, but all too soon it was time to return to the states and for young Peter to start his internship with the Avengers. Nothing could go wrong with that.

Right?


So… Cute chapter? I thought so. Now we have our spider baby and I'm absolutely having him and Shuri wreak havoc once I have them meet. Bucky's doing good. That's always a good thing. The kids are alright. All's good. Next up its HOCO time with a twist. I'll be seeing you soon! -Shadows