Chapter 3
Tony led him towards the kitchen below and prompted him to sit down at the table while Steve had his back turned, preparing eggs and toast. Turning around to face him, Steve carefully placed a plate in front of Peter with a nod and a smile as Peter muttered his thanks. A part of him couldn't believe how surreal this was – Captain America was making him breakfast - he remembered back to when he stole Captain America's shield in Berlin but his thoughts were interrupted as Tony suddenly clapped a hand on his shoulder and told him to eat up. Looking forlornly at his plate, Peter tried to eat what he could but felt his stomach threatening to reject the meagre bits he had managed and he pushed his plate away. Peter clocked Tony's eyebrows pulled into a slight frown before he offered another quiet thanks and he jumped up, making his way quickly back to his room where he resumed sitting in his corner.
Tony watched Peter go, uncertain if he should follow. The kid looked awfully pale and was unusually quiet but then what the hell did he expect - he knew he himself had been a mess when his parents died. Letting out a quiet sigh as he forced his mind away from that particular topic, Tony's eyes met Steve's in a silent question and watched as the latter shook his head. "Let him be Tony, kid's had a rough night" Steve advised sagely. Taking his own plate, Tony made his way back to the table which Peter had just departed and began eating. "Thing is spangles, kid doesn't shut up usually. What do I do with him? He can't lay about all day and I know he hasn't slept" Tony continued, he knew Peter wouldn't hear him from his room, they were all soundproofed. Steve chewed thoughtfully for a moment before asking if the boy had said anything at all since last night.
"Not a thing, he won't even look me in the eye" Tony replied grimly.
"It's not a question of what to do with him, but what can you do for him" Steve offered wisely, "why don't you give him a couple of hours and then approach him – see what he needs".
Running a hand through his hair, frustrated, Tony nodded before returning to his food. Once he was finished, he loaded the dishwasher and went to his office to make some phone calls, he knew he had a lot to arrange before the day was out. When he was done he made his way upstairs, passing Vision who had just walked through a solid wall - "Doors!" he called over his shoulder, before moving to his bedroom for a shower.
Peter sat in his corner for hours, his eyes itching with tiredness as his thoughts swam with the misery filling every fibre of his being. He had been thankful for his breakfast but his stomach kept doing flips and it made him feel rougher than he had done for a while, closing his eyes he willed his stomach to stop churning before taking off towards the bathroom and emptying his stomach into the toilet. Dry heaves racked his body and his chest ached with the exertion as he sat back on the cool, tiled flooring trying to catch his breath when he heard his phone ping from the bedroom beyond. Groaning, he pushed himself up and his vision swam temporarily before snapping back into focus again and he made his way back to his room. Frowning, he picked his phone up and noted a message from Ned before he swiped the notification off his screen for later. May was gone, he had nothing left, what was the point anymore. A new thought entered his mind, where would he go? Tony had picked him up last night but he knew he couldn't stay here, the man was his mentor – nothing more and that social worker had been really keen for him to go with her. His breathing sped up and came out in short, sharp pants at the thought as he thought of the lady from last night. Feeling the panic consume him, the need to be high overrun his senses and before he knew it he had pressed himself in the far corner of the ceiling, willing the solid surface to ground him as he fought to catch his breath and stop his chest from feeling tight.
Tony had just finished in the shower when the alert sounded from above – "Boss, Peter seems to be in some distress" – he threw the towel in the hamper and rushed to put on jogging bottoms and a black t-shirt before throwing open the door and crossing to the room opposite. Hesitating, he paused again then knocked smartly on the door and opened it before peering in. Heart shifting up a gear, he couldn't see Peter anywhere and as he glanced up to ask FRIDAY where the kid was, he caught sight of Peter in the far corner. Moving to shut the door and walking to the centre of the room, he called up to the figure pressed against the ceiling, "nearly gave me a damn heart attack, kid. You wanna come down?" Peter fought the panic attack as he shook his head, body shaking with the effort of holding his position and trying to control his breathing, "I-I'm f-f-fine Mister Stark, thanks" he managed to offer before Tony shook his head. "Nope, don't believe you kid", sitting himself down on Peter's bed, he waited for Peter to try and compose himself. Noting the kid's breathing ease slightly as he exhaled a long, slow breath, Tony waited with bated breath as Peter shook his head before easing himself down the wall and to the floor. "Thought I lost you for a second, forgot how well spiders can hide" Tony offered with a flash of a smile before patting the bed next to him – "I don't bite kid, sit."
Peter moved slowly to sit next to Tony, wondering why the man had come into his room as Tony looked around the room casually. "How you feeling, bud?" he asked Peter suddenly as the kid shrugged his shoulders before staring at the floor.
"We gotta talk, kid" Tony spoke calmly, unaware of Peter's heartbeat increasing before continuing: "I spoke with the manager of the building you live in; he's going to keep the lease running for the time being. I thought maybe we should discuss what's going to happen now" Looking sideways to watch Peter's reaction, he noted a slight tightening around the boy's eyes but little else. He asked if Peter needed anything as the kid shook his head, before his voice broke the silence – "I don't like that woman, Mr Stark. The one at the hospital, I don't want to go with her" Peter answered softly, unsure if he should say that.
Chuckling to himself, Tony responded cheerfully "Me neither kid, piece of work that one. You won't be going with her." Peter looked up in surprise, his mouth slackened as he made eye contact for the first time since he'd arrived, "I don't, Mr Stark? But then… who will I go with?" he asked, not sure he wanted to hear the answer.
"Nowhere, duh. You'll stay here, with me" Tony replied as if it was the most obvious answer in the world and he threw his hand in the air vaguely. "N-no Mr St-Stark, that's – that's okay, you don't have to do that. I'll be fine on my own" Peter responded, horror flooding his mind at the thought of inconveniencing the man further.
Tony frowned at Peter in response, "don't you want to stay here, kid? I know it's not… well it's not home but I got plenty of space" Tony trailed off, unsure if he was overstepping.
"I don't want to get in your way, Sir. I'm sure I can file for emancipation or… or something. Don't worry about me, Mr Stark – I'll be fine" Peter replied more calmly than he felt.
"Kid, you're not even 16, I can't let you take on the courts over this when I have more than enough space and resources. I don't think they'd agree" Tony finished, not unkindly. Letting his words wash over Peter briefly, he continued: "it's settled, Underoos. You're staying here for as long as you want. Now, meet me downstairs in 5 minutes, you look like you need food – and call me Tony."
Peter felt a tinge of relief, he didn't have to go with the social worker and he wasn't being made to leave today but that was short lived as the misery seeped back into his mind and his bones. Slumping as Tony left the room, he thought back to the conversation they had and his thoughts settled on the word "alone" as it echoed dismally around his mind. Sighing, he stood before heading downstairs, hoping nobody else was around. Truthfully, Tony's statement had raised more questions but he couldn't bring himself to voice them right now though his thoughts jabbed uncomfortably at him. Taking a seat, Tony thrust an apple unsuspectingly into his hand and Peter almost dropped it before his senses kicked in. Regaining his grip and taking a bite, he dully wondered whether he was cursed and his mind wandered back to the events of the last 24 hours. Tony watched him subtly out of the corner of his eye, feeling more pleased when he noted the apple had disappeared, "come on spidey – I'll show you around" he offered before handing Peter a bottle of Powerade from the fridge and leading him out the room. Peter guzzled the drink, unaware of how thirsty he was and finding his stomach stopped cramping as much. Walking a step behind Tony with his eyes looking at the floor, he was first taken to the gym, then the swimming pool, the lounge, various offices and conference rooms, the medbay and then the Avenger's living space. Looking around in surprise, Peter couldn't help but notice how comfortable and calm the space appeared to be though he was thankful nobody seemed around; he didn't feel like making small talk right now. Tony led him further through the building before coming to a stop and with a flourish, he explained he'd saved the best for last – his lab. Peter couldn't stop the thrill that spread through him as he looked around, this is where Tony made his Iron Man suits!
Noticing Peter's sudden shift in mood, though it wasn't too drastic, Tony offered Peter use of his lab if he wished – with supervision of course. He didn't need the kid blowing himself up on his watch after all and Pepper had explained the Social worker would be keeping an eye on him for a while given his… past.
Peter nodded, a shadow of enthusiasm slipping through his masked features before a single sentence flitted lazily across his mind and caused his stomach to drop - I've got to tell May about this – then he realised, he couldn't. Unwelcome, an image of May laying in the hospital bed flooded his brain, his face crumpled suddenly and he took a step back as tears caused his vision to blur and he glared at the floor attempting to regain control. Tony hesitantly held his hand out to clasp Peter's shoulder, offering him silent comfort as he waited for Peter to speak, when the boy didn't however, Tony motioned for the kid to follow him before taking him back to the kitchen and forcing him gently into a chair. "Sit there, kid. Didn't you like my lab?" he offered a silly stab at humour and Peter's frown barely shifted. Running a hand through his hair, Tony muttered a quick "damn" as tears leaked unbidden out of the corners of Peter's eyes. Looking around quickly as Peter continued eyeing the floor, he procured some tissues and handed them to the kid as he turned his head away in a show of respect and privacy. Peter roughly scrunched the tissues into a ball and began scrubbing at his face furiously, refusing to make eye contact as the shame and guilt flooded him.
"Kid?" Tony ground out softly after a few seconds, "you good?" Instantly, Tony's mind berated him – what a stupid question, he thought to himself angrily as Peter offered a stiff nod. "Did you want to - "
Peter cut him off suddenly with a quiet thanks Mr Stark, before heading out the room again, the tissue now gripped in his hand as he made his way back upstairs. Crossing his room, he moved back into the corner and slid down to the floor of his bedroom, his hands shaking as he closed his eyes and let his head bang against the wall behind him. He knew he had been rude to the man but he couldn't focus, couldn't stop May's lifeless body flashing in his mind and he felt stupid for crying. He was alone, he thought miserably, and May hadn't been cold for a full day yet and he was already experiencing slight joy at something which he couldn't ever share with her – God he was an awful person. Alone, he sat there for the remainder of the day wishing the floor would swallow him up and by nightfall, he felt he couldn't cry any more even though his mind and body ached with grief.
Tony had left the kid to himself, clearly Peter had wanted to be alone but that didn't make him feel any better about it. Joining Steve downstairs, he tried zoning out as he watched some random TV show before sighing and excusing himself to call Pepper. "I asked him if he was good, Pep. Good! What kind of idiot am I?" Tony mused on the phone as he waited for Pepper to respond. "Hmm, well… it's not the worst thing you could have said" she offered as she grimaced at Tony retelling the interaction. "He'll be okay Tony, he's got us" she tried again as Tony snorted loudly, the bizarre need to chuckle interrupting her sentence. "Yeah, Pep. That's what I'm worried about" he muttered darkly. Voices spoke in the background somewhere near Pepper and she answered quietly before returning to her phone call with Tony, "I'm sorry, I'm just about to go into a meeting but I'll ring you when I'm done and I'll be home in a couple of days, I love you" she stated briskly. Nodding, Tony said his goodbye's and hung up as he felt the frustration with himself grow stronger. Running a hand roughly through his hair, he made his way back downstairs before running into Rhodes in the kitchen. Surprise colouring his features, he eyed his friend up and down before grunting "long time no see bud, to what do I owe the pleasure?".
Rhodey looked at Tony, eyebrow raised before offering a simple shrug. "Business has finished, Tone. What's happening – Steve said something about a kid?" Tony brought his hand to the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes briefly before motioning for Rhodey to follow him; leading Rhodey into a nearby conference room Tony proceeded to explain everything that had happened the night before. "He won't even look at me Rhodey, I don't know how to help him. I'm not exactly the best role model but I already told him he could stay" Tony finished quietly, guilt prodding his mind. Rhodey watched Tony in silence before offering a simple question – "do you want him staying with you?".
"Of-course I do, he knows me. I understand his unique needs, his requirements and be damned if he's going into some system" Tony finished darkly; he had heard a lot of bad stories over the years.
"Well then, it's sorted. I don't see the problem Tones, he's just a kid. What requirements and needs could he have besides the typical kid kind?" Rhodey offered with a frown.
Choking on nothing but air, Tony spluttered as he realised his slip-up. He knew Rhodey was extremely observant but he hadn't thought about anything other than explaining and he had messed up in the worst way. "God Rhodey, I forgot!" Tony clapped a hand to his forehead, "it's not my place to say, you got to keep this quiet but the kid – well he's… he's Spiderman". Tony grumbled internally to himself at his thoughtlessness as he watched Rhodey's eyes widen in surprise. "Sp-Spiderman?! That one that walks up buildings and jumps from them? That freak that came to the airport with us?" Rhodey queried, barely able to contain his shock. Frowning Tony looked back at his friend feeling slightly irritated, "he's not a freak, Rhodes. He's a kid, a very lost kid whom I happened to find over a year ago when Cap and Co went AWOL and the kid helped us with the Accords business".
Throwing his hands up in an apologetic gesture, Rhodey looked at Tony before asking how old the kid was. "15…" Tony supplied, dread filling him slightly at Rhodey's narrowed eyes. "Fifteen – he's literally a kid Tony, how could you pit him against Cap and the others?" Rhodey demanded, paling slightly. Tony avoided eye contact as he added swiftly, "I know, I know believe me. I had no choice – we were outnumbered and you see, the kid's enhanced – radioactive spider bit him or something a while before I found him".
Letting a breath escape, Rhodey shook his head before clasping Tony's shoulder, "I get it man, I do. But he's young… what are you gonna do with him?"
"I don't know. Truthfully, I'm not the right person for this – but I've got to be you know?" Tony responded quietly before adding, "he doesn't have anyone else".
Rhodey nodded, motioning for tony to follow him as he added, "whatever you need man – I got your back" as they both made their way to the living area. Steve looked up as they entered and greeted Rhodes again before returning his gaze back to the TV, Tony flopped down and the night drew to a steady close with no sign of Peter.