Author's Note: Hello, hello, my readers! Welcome back to another chapter of Raise Me Up! We are at CHAPTER 19! Peter has his few last moments in the apartment, we get to see Tony's feelings on this possible father/son relationship with Peter, and we get to see some hijinks on the morning of the press conference. I know I said we would get to the press conference in this chapter, but it will be in the next one because this one got a little too long. I hope you all enjoy it nonetheless! Before we get to that…REVIEW REPLIES!

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Disclaimer: I do NOT own anything related to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.


Chapter 19

His guardian gave him one last smile and a pat on the shoulder before walking out the door leaving Peter alone in the apartment…one last time. As soon as Tony closed the door behind him, Peter sighed as he looked around the apartment. It was now empty…completely devoid of any sign that May and Peter ever lived there, and it looked so much bigger without the picture frames, books, and whatever else May and Peter had used to make it feel like home. As he fiddled with the key in his fingers, he walked around trying to take in as much as he could before leaving. May got to say goodbye before she was brought to the cemetery, and now it was her nephew's turn.

He took another deep breath as so many memories ran through his head…the first time he and May moved in…about a month before school started not long after Peter returned from his "retreat" in Germany…


"Well, what do you think?" May said happily as they walked in through the door.

"What do you mean? I've seen it before, May," Peter retorted smiling and chuckling, "and we haven't unpacked yet."

"Alright, wise guy," she said with a chuckle of her own. "That's not what I meant. I just…want," she put her things down on the floor before walking over to him placing a hand on his cheek, "to make sure you're really okay with this, you know?"

"I mean…I'll definitely miss our old apartment…I mean, that was where we loved before Uncle Ben…you know…but I also think…this is good, you know? It'll be a nice change, so long as we're together…you know?"

May smiled at him with tears in her eyes before pulling him into a hug. "Of course, baby," she said. "We'll always be together…no matter what, and I know Ben would want us to be happy… It's you and me now…always…"


Tears formed in his eyes as the memory faded to the back of his mind. May had kept her promise no matter what, and he made sure to do so in return. It was all taken from them in one night all because of someone's horrible decision. It made him angry, but he couldn't stay angry for long. May would never break that promise…even in death, and he knew that. She gave him one last gift…naming Tony his guardian…making sure that he had someone if anything were to happen to her, and that someone was someone she wasn't a huge fan of before she found out Peter was Spider-Man. Somehow, she knew Tony and Peter needed each other, and he couldn't help but laugh as he looked at the doorway to his old room…where May stood almost a year ago finding him in the Spider-Man suit not long after the Vulture incident.


"What the f—" May shouted from behind him.

"May! W-What are you—this…this isn't what it looks like!" Peter shouted as he quickly turned around to face her and pressed the logo on his chest to release the suit from his body allowing it to fall from his body leaving him in his boxers.

"Oh, so I didn't just catch my nephew wearing Spider-Man's suit?!"

"Uhhh…no…"


Peter couldn't help but chuckle and shake his head at the memory. He should've known that he couldn't keep Spider-Man a secret from her for long. Of course, she was bound to find out. She was Aunt May, the most amazing and smartest person in the world…right next to Tony, Pepper, Ben, Rhodey, Med, MJ, and Happy! It looked a little bleak for him that following week when he had to lay low and to try to convince her that everything was fine and that Tony was a huge help. Then once all three of them sat down and talked, she was onboard.


"I'm really sorry I kept this from you, May," Peter said once he and Tony finished giving their sides of the story. "I just…I thought…w-with Ben, you know…you wouldn't…"

"I wouldn't let you?" May finished for him as Tony witnessed the scene unfold between aunt and nephew.

Peter sheepishly nodded as he twiddled his thumbs. "And…it's like Uncle Ben always said," he began, "'with great power comes great responsibility.' I…I wasn't born with these powers, but that spider bit me for a reason. I-I'm meant to do something with them…by looking out for the little guy, and I guess I just…worried about what you would say."

May sighed. "You are so much like Ben, baby," she said running a hand through his hair. "I guess I can understand why you didn't tell me, but…Peter, we are family. You and me, baby, so we need to be more open with each other. Because what if something were to go wrong out there? I mean…you were fighting Liz's dad… If something happened to you…I wouldn't have known."

Peter looked from May to Tony, who nodded fully supporting May's statement. She was right as always. If something had happened to him…if he died…she wouldn't have known it until it was too late. "I'm…I'm sorry, May," he said with tears in his eyes. "I-I didn't…I didn't mean to upset you."

"I know you didn't, and that's why we're not going to dwell on it now. It's all out in the open. The cat's out of the bag, and all that jazz. Now…we can focus on moving forward, okay?"

"Okay," Peter said before wrapping his arms around her.

"We'll be okay, Peter," she whispered into his ear.


Peter sighed shakily as that memory faded into the back of his mind as he continued to fiddle with the key in his fingers refusing to let it go and slowly moved closer to the table. That was something May always said to him when he was upset about something or after they had an argument. It was never one of them would be okay. It was always that they would be okay, and she had been saying that ever since the night Ben died. Now, he would never get to hear her say it again. It was only a memory that he would carry with him for the rest of his life.

"You were right, May," he whispered aloud as the tears streamed down his cheeks. "We…We will be okay. You, Ben, my parents, Tony, Pepper, Happy, Rhodey, and Vision…we'll be okay." He looked around the apartment again. "I'll never forget this place, I promise." He took a deep breath and slowly placed the key right next to Tony's.

Once he placed it on the table, he stepped away from the table making his way toward the door refusing to take his eyes off the apartment. He slowly placed his hand on the doorknob and turned it opening the door as the tears formed in his eyes again.

"Bye, apartment," Peter whispered. "Bye, May…" With that, he turned off the lights with the flick of a switch and walked out closing the door behind him leaving the apartment in darkness. He found himself on autopilot as he moved from the door down to the front doors of the building, and sure enough, he found Tony, Pepper, and Happy out front. He could see that Tony, Pepper, and Happy out front. He could see that Tony had his back to him and appeared to be talking to somebody on his cellphone while facing Pepper.

"Yes, that's perfect," Tony said to whoever was on the phone with him. "I will tell Peter right away. Pepper and I both will." He paused. "Thank you so much. Bye." He hung up the phone as Pepper noticed Peter standing on the top of the stairs.

"Tony," she whispered as she gestured to him causing her fiancé to turn around.

"Hey, kid," he said upon seeing Peter standing there. "You…uh…you ready to go?"

Tears formed in his eyes again as Peter nodded. Tony and Pepper must've noticed the tears because both their face softened even more, and Tony smiled opening his arms. Peter wasted no time in running into his guardian's arms nearly knocking the older man over, and Tony wasted no time in returning the gesture.

"I hate saying goodbye like this," Peter said sniffling burying his face in Tony's chest.

"I know, buddy," Tony said soothingly. "I know. I wish I could tell you it gets easier, but unfortunately, it's only a matter of getting used to it."

"But we're here for you, okay, sweetie?" Pepper said as he rubbed Peter's back with Happy right behind her.

"She's right, kid," Happy added.

"And it's not goodbye to Queens forever," Tony said burying his face in Peter's hair. "You'll still come back here for school and your…you know…the other guy, and we can always come back to Delmar's deli, okay?"

Peter nodded with a small smile and a sniffle. It wasn't going to be the same, but hearing Tony reassure him that he would be back in Queens for school, Spider-Man, time with his best friends, and trips to the deli made his chest warm again. No matter what, Tony always knew how to make him feel better, and even Pepper and Happy knew what to say as well. Not that he doubted them, it was simply nice to be reminded of that every once and a while. He sniffled again. "Thanks, guys," he said.

"You're welcome, buddy," Tony said. He was about to press his lips to Peter's head, but managed to stop himself at the last minute. "Now…how about we head home? Maybe we can spend some time in the lab before you go out for patrol?"

"Umm…actually, Tony," Peter began as he slowly pulled away to look at his guardian in the eye, "I don't feel like going out on patrol tonight. Can we have a movie night and lab time instead?"

"Absolutely," Tony replied nodding. "Come on, let's get going before some cops decide to give Happy a ticket."

"Technically, boss," Happy began as they walked to the car with Tony keeping his arm wrapped around Peter, "the car is in your name, so you would be the one to get the ticket."

"True, but I'm not the one in the driver's seat," Tony said as he and Peter climbed into the backseat as the teen wiped his tears and chuckled.

Pepper and Happy could only laugh and shake their heads as Happy climbed back into the driver's seat while Pepper got in the back with Tony and Peter.

"By the way, kid," Tony began as they all buckled up before Happy started the car and pulled into the street, "I was just on the phone with Ms. Walker."

Peter immediately froze and looked up at Tony with widened brown eyes at the mention of the social worker. He had not thought much about her since the day those pictures from the hearing and Coney Island leaked.

"It's nothing, nothing bad," Tony said quickly holding his hand up to calm Peter down. "Remember what I told you after the funeral…how she was going to meet with us at least once a month or so to check in? That's what it was. She's going to meet up with us on Friday for dinner after the press conference. This way, we can get it all out of the way, okay?"

Peter felt himself relax somewhat once Tony explained and sank back into the seat. "Oh, thank God," he said. "Sorry I got a little freaked out. I just…got a little nervous, I mean I'm still nervous."

"There's nothing to be nervous about, buddy," Tony said wrapping his arm around Peter pulling him close to his side. "It's all going to be fine. The press will love you, and other than Spider-Man, we have nothing to hide from them or the social worker. And the social worker will be fine too. She's just going to have dinner with you, Pepper, and me to see how everything is going."

"But what if I say something or do something that makes you look bad?" Peter asked.

"You won't, buddy," Tony replied. "For the press conference, like we said, we'll go over what we can talk about and what's going to happen. For Walker, all you need to do is be yourself and just say how everything is going with Pepper and me…just like you did at the hearing. Trust me, buddy, you'll be fine, and we'll be with you the whole time."

"Promise?" Peter asked.

"Promise," Tony replied with a smile, which only made Peter smile in return. "Now, what movie should we all watch tonight?"


Later that night, Tony found himself sitting between his fiancée snuggled on his left and his charge—he still wasn't sure what word to use at this point—snuggled on his right on the couch while Happy sat in the recliner near the couch as the movie continued. Peter of course picked a Disney movie, and of course, no one minded knowing that Peter needed a lighthearted movie to help him deal with the grief he felt that day. So, that was what they found themselves doing after eating some Chinese for dinner.

"Well, not that this wasn't fun," Happy said standing up as the credits rolled signaling the end of the movie, "but I'm pretty wiped from today. The Donate boxes are in the garage for tomorrow, so I'll make sure they get everything."

"Thanks, Hap," Tony said smiling at his best friend and forehead of security, "for everything."

Happy couldn't help but smile. "You got it, boss," he replied. "I'll see you guys tomorrow. Good night."

"Night, Hap," Tony said as Happy made his way out of the penthouse.

"Good night, Happy," Pepper added.

"Hey, bud, why don't we head to bed, huh?" Tony asked as he ran a hand through his brown hair.

There was no answer except for a little snore coming from the teen causing Tony to furrow his eyebrows together and angle his head so that he could get a better look at Peter.

"Kid?" Tony asked again.

He got his answer when he saw that Peter was sound asleep on his chest snoring lightly.

"Awww…he really is cute when he's asleep," Pepper said as she ran a hand through Peter's hair smiling. However, the smile fell away. "I would hate to wake him up. He's had a long day."

Tony sighed knowing his fiancée was completely right. Peter had an insanely long day from getting up early that morning to moving his aunt's things out of the apartment. He had every right to be tired especially when dealing with the grief. The grief always seemed to have had that effect on people…emotionally and physically draining the person. "I better get him to bed," he whispered to Pepper.

"Need some help?" Pepper asked as she leaned back allowing Tony to stand up.

"Nah," Tony replied as he scooped Peter up into his arms making sure the teen's head was resting against his shoulder. "I've been meaning to work out the muscles a little more today."

Pepper couldn't help but giggle at Tony's comment and at the sight of her fiancé and…his kid in her arms. Over the past 10 months, Pepper got to watch Tony and Peter slowly grow from mentor and mentee to almost…father and son, but recently, ever since Tony picked Peter up from the hospital…after May died, she could see her fiancé slowly settling more and more into that of a father. She could help love every minute of it, and there was a part of her that couldn't help but think that there was…something stopping Tony and Peter from embracing it…whether it was not wanting to admit it or not fully realizing it. She could only hope that the walls would continue to come down…to let the relationship continue to grow even more, but it was Tony and Peter. She realized that she had nothing to worry about as she followed Tony as he carried Peter to his bedroom.

She wasted no time in pulling down the covers allowing Tony to place Peter on the bed and pull the covers up to the teen's chin. She smiled to herself as she watched Tony run a hand through Peter's hair.

"Night, buddy," Tony whispered to Peter. "See you in the morning."

"Good night, sweetheart," Pepper whispered before she walked out of the room with Tony close behind. She found herself staring at Tony again smiling as he closed the door behind them and turn back to her.

Tony saw Pepper staring at him with that beautiful smile of hers, and he couldn't help but furrow his eyebrows together. "What?" he asked.

"Nothing," she said. "It's just…it's a good look on you."

"What is?"

"Fatherhood…"

Tony couldn't help but smile and sigh. "Pep…" he began. It wasn't that he didn't see Peter as…something like a son to him. He had been feeling it for quite a while now…like he told May the day she officially named him as Peter's back-up guardian in her will. It was like they were slowly moving from mentor and mentee to…something more than that…sort of like father and son, but was that what it was? If it were…how would Peter even feel about it? He just lost his aunt, and before that, he lost his parents and his uncle. He didn't want Peter to think that his family was being replaced, but…he wanted Tony as his guardian and saw them as his family like May. That…had to count for something.

Pepper seemed to know that he was going to say that, and she reached for his hands taking them into hers. "I know," she said. "Just take it one day at a time and see where this leads you two…where it leads us, but…you wouldn't be replacing them. He wants this like you do. He's said so himself, and you…we have been doing pretty good so far, don't you think?"

"Yeah…yeah, I think we have," Tony said smiling at her.


Friday came in the blink of an eye as Peter woke up that morning to his alarm. It had only been two days since they moved everything out of his and May's apartment, and just the day before, Good Will came to pick up what was being donated. Thankfully, Tony kept him distracted in the lab, which he greatly appreciated, and after he and Pepper helped him to prepare one last time for the press conference, they were able to enjoy the rest of the day once Happy came back to the penthouse…after Good Will left. The teen couldn't help but sigh as he rolled onto his back remembering what was to happen that day…the press conference to confirm that Peter was now under Tony's care…and the dinner with the social worker. His heart began to pound. At either one of those things, one slip-up—one mistake could result in making Tony look bad or…worse…being taken away from Tony, and he absolutely refused to let that happen.

"May," he whispered, "if…if you can hear me up there, please don't let me mess this up. I don't want to be taken away from Tony and Pepper…or make them look bad." He closed his eyes tightly wishing more than anything that May could respond…give him some advice, but she couldn't. However, her pearls of wisdom from the past ran through his mind.

"We'll be okay…"

"Don't be creepy…"

Peter chuckled at that.

"You need to use your instincts."

He took a deep breath remembering the night she told him that. It was the night Ned found him in his suit when he snuck back in through his room, and they were eating Thai food together. She was telling him that she didn't like that Tony was overworking him with the internship, and she had no clue that he was Spider-Man. Either way…it was something she always tried to tell him growing up…that he was a smart kid…and that he would always do the right thing if he went with his instincts, especially once she learned about his sixth sense. No doubt that was something she would tell him now.

"You need to use your instincts."

"I will, May," he said with a small smile. "I won't let you, Tony, and Pepper down today, I promise. I'll just use my instincts, like you always taught me."

With that feeling of sadness…and confidence—he couldn't help but wonder if that was May giving him that confidence—he stood up asking FRIDAY where Tony and Pepper were, to which the AI explained that Tony was in the kitchen while Pepper was at the press conference room making sure everything was set. Peter immediately ran to his bathroom and brushed his teeth knowing that Tony was probably making breakfast. Once he was ready, he walked out of his room and made his way into the kitchen.

Sure enough, he found Tony at the counter with various ingredients spread out in front of him. "Morning, Tony," he said as he walked over to him.

Tony looked up and smiled at the teen. "Morning, kiddo," he replied. "Sleep well?"

"Yeah, sure did," Peter said smiling. "What are you doing?"

"Making some pancakes," Tony replied. "We've got a big day today, and as your guardian, I want to make sure that spider belly is full. Want to help?"

"Heck yeah, I do," Peter said happily as he walked around the counter to help. This was a little something he and Tony always tried to do together ever since he started staying over for weekends and overnights. Whether it was omelets, pancakes, or whatever breakfast food existed, they always tried to make it together when Peter stayed over. It had been a little hard to do it during the last couple of weeks when May died, but Peter could only hope they would be able to continue this little tradition of theirs.

"Alright, so, first, we got to open this box of batter," Tony said as he opened the box of pancake batter, took out the clear bag inside, opened that, and poured it into the bowl.

"Now, we just need some eggs, right?" Peter asked.

"Just one, buddy," Tony replied as he reached into the egg carton and took one out giving it to Peter. "Why don't you go ahead and crack it?"

The teen nodded and did as instructed cracking the shell allowing the egg to fall onto the powder in the bowl.

"Pepper coming back up here soon?" Peter asked as he watched Tony pour some milk into a measuring cup.

"Yup, she should be back in about 20 minutes," Tony replied. "She just needs to make sure that everything is set, and I confirmed our plans with Ms. Walker. She's going to be here around 6:30 tonight for dinner, so we'll have some time to goof off or if maybe you want to go patrolling, you can do that."

Peter let out a shaky sigh as he listened to his guardian lay out the plans for today. "Okay," he said feeling the nerves take over again.

Tony clearly caught it because he looked at Peter with concern. "You okay, buddy?" he asked wrapping an arm around Peter's shoulders.

"Just…still a little nervous, you know?" Peter replied leaning closer into Tony's side wrapping an arm around him. "I…don't want to…make you and Pepper look bad."

"Well, I got news for you, Pete," Tony replied. "You won't, and Pep and I will be there with you the whole time, and we've gone over what we're going to say. I promise, everything will be fine. Besides, don't sell yourself short. You're a smart kid…a genius. So long as you know right from wrong, your instincts will never steer you wrong."

Peter couldn't help but widen his smile at the very familiar advice. "You got that from Aunt May?"

"Of course, I did," Tony said. "I was her padawan when it came to taking care of you, and she was right to say that. Use your instincts, remember what we practiced, don't overthink anything, and just be yourself. If I'm not worried, then you shouldn't be worried."

"Thanks, Tony," Peter said with another smile, "and just so you know she would be proud of you too."

"You're welcome, kid," Tony said with a big smile of his own, "and thank you."

Both guardian and ward smiled at each other before turning back to their concoction on the counter in the mixing bowl. Tony poured the milk into the bowl allowing Peter to mix the ingredients together. Soon enough, the batter was mixed together and ready to be placed on the griddle, and just as Tony was about to explain to Peter what they would do next, something wet and gooey was placed on his nose.

Tony looked to his left and saw that Peter was looking right at him with batter on his fingers and a smile. "What?" he asked innocently.

"Did you just put batter…on my face?" Tony asked raising an eyebrow at the teen.

"Well, what gave you that idea?" Peter asked. "I mean, other than when I promised to get back at you when you did it to me last time?"

"You have batter on your hand…and on your face," Tony replied.

"No, I don't," Peter replied furrowing his eyebrows together.

"Now, you do," Tony said before wiping some on Peter's left cheek.

"You're going down, old man," Peter said as he wiped more batter on Tony's forehead.

"Is that a fact?" Tony asked with a straight face. "Because I think…that you're going down…"

Peter's eyes widened slightly before he suddenly took running away from Tony prompting the billionaire to chase after him…with batter on his hand. Tony simply chased Peter all the way to the couch in the living room, and just as the teen was about to jump over the couch while somehow managing to avoid getting batter on the couch as he wrapped an arm around Peter before smearing batter all over the kid's face.

"Ugh…Tony! You're the worst!" Peter said laughing and smiling the entire time as he looked up at the guardian while they laid on the couch with their legs hanging over the back.

"I'd like to think I'm the best, thank you very much," Tony retorted with a smile.

Peter rolled his eyes and was about to say something when the door to the penthouse opened causing both Tony and Peter to peer over the couch only to see that it was…Pepper and Happy walking in.

"Hey, Pepper!" Peter said happily despite the batter still all over his face. "Hey, Happy!"

"Hi, Peter," Pepper and Happy said in unison rolling their eyes.

"Let me guess…another pancake battle?" Pepper asked as she raised an eyebrow and placed her hands on her hips smirking.

"He started it," Tony said chuckling as he maneuvered so that he could climb over the couch to face Happy and Pepper, "and then I decided to be lenient…and join in on the fun." He gave Pepper a look that hopefully gave a clear indication that Peter needed a little laugh.

"Sorry, Pepper, I couldn't help myself," Peter quickly said before Pepper could reply.

"Yeah, well, maybe you can help yourself now by kindly going to clean yourself up," Happy said as he went over to the abandoned mixing bowl, "so that we can have some of these pancakes."

"Happy's right," Pepper said. "We still have some time before you need to get ready for the press conference. Go wash your face, sweetheart, Tony you, too."

"Yes, ma'am," Tony and Peter said in unison before Tony guided Peter back down the hall toward their bedrooms.


Author's Note: Alright, that's it for CHAPTER 19, boys and girls! I really hope you all enjoyed it! Like I said, the press conference and dinner with Ms. Walker will be covered in the next chapter, so stay tuned for CHAPTER 20! Don't forget to read and review, and I will see you in the next chapter! Thanks, guys!