Celebrating the first day of Whumptober (A Little Out of the Ordinary) and Flufftober (Wearing Each Other's Clothes) 2022 and also incorporating a prompt by The_woods_protects_its_own.

Tony and Pepper were just finishing eating a late dinner, something healthy-ish Tony didn't recognize, with pasta and chicken and zucchini. He liked the idea of being healthy, he just didn't enjoy actually following through when it didn't involve any cheeseburgers. He had recently flipped the news on to see what it said about the sudden thunderstorm that seemed to be moving in, when the signal suddenly cut out. Tony looked up at the screen, confusion wrinkling his brow. "FRIDAY? What's up?"

"City-wide power outage, Boss." Ah, that made sense. It wouldn't really affect the Tower much because of the arc reactor, but something about their cable broadcast was obviously impacted. "FRI, can you run that through our WIFI instead, dear?" He probably should have done that before, just because.

The screen flickered back to life, but the local channel was still out. "Switch it to a station that's still broadcasting." FRIDAY did.

"That's such a crazy storm," Pepper said uneasily, looking at the satellite image moving from the south, just starting to blanket the city in earnest. "I hadn't heard anything about it until just recently. They usually give us more notice than that."

"Yeah, it seems a little suspicious, honestly. I wish Bruce was here," Tony said wistfully. "He always had a good handle on weather, for not being any kind of meteorologist. It came up so suddenly, and it's moving strangely."

Tony picked up his phone and paused for a moment before finally deciding to go ahead and ask.

Yo, Nicholas. Is the storm over NYC really natural? I'm thinking not.

Don't call me that. No, it's not, and we have the creator handled, but the storm itself is just going to have to burn itself out. Unless you know anyone who can influence the weather.

Not at the moment. Let me know if you need my more mundane talents for anything serious.

I always do. You seen the Spider-guy lately and talk to him about meeting with us yet?

Nah. He's busy.

Stark.

Fury.

Tony tossed his phone on the couch, ignoring the few text alerts he heard come in after that.

"Fury says it's man-made. Supposedly the wanna-be-Mother-Nature is handled, but they can't stop the current storm. FRIDAY, lights off."

The lights cut out, and Pepper protested at the lack of notice. "Tony, seriously, I was just putting the food away…"

Without lights they could see the crazy lightning off in the distance, and see the lights of the city reflecting up through the increasingly heavy rain. It was an awesome sight, but still unsettling.

"Boss, Spiderman is requesting access to the building."

"What? FRI, what's he doing out in this storm? Where is he?"

"I'm sure I have no idea why, but he's on the roof."

"Well, open a door for him or something, FRI."

"Of course. I had to ask because you haven't added him to those door protocols."

Well, why not? Who made such a complicated building anyway? Tony shook his head at his internal monologue.

"Let him in, FRI, and add him."

Within a few minutes the elevator for the penthouse dinged, and a very wet, rather sheepish-looking Spider-kid was stepping hesitantly into the entry hall, his feet squeaking slightly on the now-wet flooring.

His mask hung from his fist and was dripping water as well. "Hey, Mr. Stark. Oh, and Ms. Potts. Hi. I…was home when the power went out, but then I thought I might be needed, so I decided to go on patrol instead, but the lights were out everywhere, and then it started raining, but I was far enough over that I could see that you guys still have power, so I, uh… I'm here?"

"Take a breath, Spiderling. This is quite a ways from home. What were you thinking, bud? You're soaked to the skin."

Peter ducked his head. "'s not so bad, with the suit heater. Just my head's cold, now, really…" he muttered.

"But why didn't you go home, Pete?" Tony asked in confusion, passing Peter the big fluffy towel Pepper had run to fetch from the guest bathroom. "Why come way over here in this rain?"

"I dunno, sir. Uh, May's at work - they have generators, so they're okay - and it was just so dark and quiet, and-" A clap of thunder, not close, but still loud, interrupted the teenager, and his whole body flinched, his hands clapped over his ears, and he was left crouching just slightly from the noise.

Tony had a realization. "Are you worried about the storm, kiddo?" He tried to keep his voice soft and even. He knew if the kid was scared, he was probably a little embarrassed about it.

"Not worried really, though it's a super weird storm, Mr. Stark, I-"

"Yeah, I talked to Fury, and it's man-made," Tony interrupted. " He says it's all under control, but just going to have to burn itself out." Tony's tone revealed that he was skeptical about how this was "under control."

Peter's eyes blew wide. "I knew it! It was moving so weird, and kind of coming from a funny angle, and… do they need any help?" His voice and eyes were both edging into "wild," and Tony just shook his head calmly, gesturing for the boy to calm down and continue.

"The towel, Pete?"

"Right, sorry." He started using it in earnest to mop the water out of his hair and off his suit, then dropped it to the ground and leaned over to wipe up some of the wet spots. Pepper acted like she was going to tell him not to worry about the floor, but Tony stopped her with a slight wave. The kid talked best when he had something to do with his hands.

"But yeah, I just don't do well with thunder. Especially since my senses got dialed up. It's pretty overwhelming, and it's so much more intense than it used to be, and…"

"Well, yeah. I guess your hearing is a little out of the ordinary these days."

"Pretty much. And I just didn't really want to be in the dark by myself with the storm coming through, but I could see the Tower still had light, and wondered if you guys were here, so…" He was standing again, but his gaze was somewhere near Tony's feet, and he was hugging himself tightly, despite his still-wet spidersuit.

"Peter." The boy's eyes shot up to meet Tony's. It's fine that you came here. But let's get you some dry clothes, okay? And we still have some leftovers. I'm sure you're hungry?" he asked, a teasing glint in his eyes, trying to lighten the moment.

"Uh, yeah. Thanks, sir, that'd be great."

Besides, the more leftovers Peter ate, the fewer Tony would have to eat. Win-win.

Tony made a shoo-ing motion, and Peter grinned and jogged down the hall towards the room he usually used. With the vigilante-ing and the messes they sometimes made in the lab, it was easiest to just keep several changes of clothes here.

Tony returned to the living room with Pepper, shaking his head at the sensitive, exuberant kid. Pepper was making a plate for the always-hungry baby superhero.

"Thanks, Pep," Tony said, wrapping his arms around her waist and pressing a kiss to the side of her neck.

"You think he's okay, Tony? He seemed pretty shaken up."

"Probably? I'll see if I can get him to talk some more once he's dry and fed."

She turned in his arms, her eyes glinting with amusement. "When did you turn into such a dad, Tony Stark?" Her tone was appreciative, but her words still made him start a little.

"I am not - I didn't-"

Pepper kissed him firmly to stop his sputtering, then slipped away, picking up the plate for Peter and carrying it out to the dining area.

Tony followed her, still mulling over her words. Peter was just sitting down at the table where Pepper had set his food when Tony took a good look at him.

"Hey, mister, I have been looking for that hoodie!" Tony said without heat. Peter was wearing one of Tony's older MIT sweatshirts. Not an original one, but one they'd given him after one of his speeches five or six years before. It was extra cozy, and Tony wore it a lot. But it had been missing for weeks.

Peter's head jerked up, his eyes wide. "I'm sorry, sir, I didn't know you were looking for it. I've just had it in my room, because it's so warm, and…"

"Chill, kid. It's not a problem. It fits you better anyway." A lie. It was at least two sizes too big for the kid, and almost swallowed him. Tony was pretty sure he spied an old pair of his pajama pants peeking out from under the table too. How did his clothes keep making their way into the boy's drawers? He shook his head in fond exasperation. This kid.

As Peter ate, and Tony and Pepper made small talk with him, the thunder continued to crackle in the distance. Each time, Peter flinched a little. It was kind of obvious that he was using some willpower not to cover his ears. Tony hated seeing him uncomfortable.

As he finished his food, Tony said, "Hey Pete, what about your ear buds? The noise canceling ones we made to help with your sensory overload? Would those help?"

"Yeah, maybe, but they're in my locker at school," he said ruefully.

"If you look in the drawer in your room, there's a second set."

"Seriously? That's awesome! Thank you, Tony!"

He jumped up and started to head for his room, then did an about face, almost tripping over his own toes, so he could come grab his plate. He headed toward the kitchen with it, but Pepper intercepted him.

"I've got that. You go get the headphones," she said with a smile.

"Are you sure? I-"

"Peter, never argue with Pepper. It's just not worth it," Tony teased from the table. She gave him an unimpressed look and carried the plate into the kitchen, while Peter headed for his room.

Tony went to his own room and rummaged through the drawers of his bedside table for a minute before he came up with two little metal canisters.

He walked back into the living room to find Peter already settled on the couch, adding a comfy throw to his hoodie and pajama pants. His hair looked mostly dry, and he was wincing less at the thunder when it rumbled. Good thing, because it sounded like it was getting closer. He realized the rain had picked up a little outside, to, when he listened carefully.

He tossed one of the metal discs at Peter, who caught it automatically. "What's this?" he asked in confusion.

"You go to that genius school, right? Read the label.

"Thinking Putty? What's that?"

"Open it up and find out." Tony opened his own canister to reveal the silvery putty. A little like silly putty, but more satisfying, and a less messy. The one he'd grabbed for Peter was a blue-green with sparkles mixed in. Seemed like something the kid would like.

He did. "Mr. Stark, it's so cool!" Peter started playing with it, stretching and sculpting, and seeing how it interacted with different surfaces.

"That one's magnetic, too," Tony said, which led to Peter having to test his claims.

After the kid had settled in a little, past the excitement point, but still working the material through his fingers, he finally started talking. Pepper had wisely retreated across the room, to a chair under a lamp, and was engrossed in a book. She knew the boy liked her, but didn't know her like he did Tony, and would probably feel most comfortable if he didn't feel like she was actively listening.

"It's not just the noise, Mr. Stark, though that's a big problem these days," Peter started out, staring at the compound stretching between his fingers. "My parents' plane went down in a big thunderstorm, and I remember how scary it was that night. And that was even before I knew it had made them crash. Ever since, sometimes when thunder gets really loud, I just feel like I can't breathe. I used to be able to hide under my bed, with a pillow over my head, or sometimes Uncle Ben and Aunt May would let me sleep in their room with them." His eyes were unfocused, and Tony was careful to just listen, his fingers moving around his own putty.

"But since the spider bite, I can't seem to muffle the noise, so it's been bothering me more again. We don't get a lot of thunder here in New York, thankfully. But still."

The kid seemed to have talked out what was on his mind, so Tony figured it was his turn to say something. Don't mess this up.

"I imagine it was more intense when you were alone tonight, and the lights were off?"

"Yeah. I mean, it was better when I went out patrolling, but then it just got so rainy, and I could hardly see, and the thunder sounded like it was getting closer."

"I'm glad you came here, Underoos. You gonna stay the night, I'm guessing?" Tony said, eyeing the pajama pants.

Peter glanced up shyly. "I mean… if you don't mind? May won't be done with her shift until early tomorrow anyway."

"Not a problem. What do you want to watch?" Tony asked, relaxing his body language and gesturing to the TV.

Peter's face lit up slightly as he carefully returned his thinking putty to its bin. It seemed to have done its job, helping his senses calm down and giving him something to do so he'd open up a little. "Have you ever seen that old movie, Avatar?"

Tony rolled his eyes. At least the kid hadn't added "really" in front of the "old" like he usually did. "Play it, FRIDAY."

Just then the sky lit up outside the windows, and thunder cracked immediately, closer and louder than it had yet. Even in a building as reinforced as the Tower, the windows shook a little. It sounded like the worst of the storm was right over them. As his senses cleared, Tony realized Peter had basically leapt across the couch cushions previously separating them, and had ducked his face into Tony's shoulder, hands pressed over his ears. Apparently the ear buds were no match against that noise level.

"Shh, hey. I've got you, Pete. You're okay. It'll pass soon." He brought up his arm and wrapped it around the boy's shoulders, pulling him into his side and putting his own hand up over Peter's far ear, so he could drop one of his hands into a more comfortable position. Peter scrunched down and rested his other ear against Tony, and the next thunder clap just made him flinch a little.

The movie started playing, and as the storm moved on, Tony was able to relax his hand until it was just idly brushing through the kid's hair instead of pressed to his ear. Peter made it almost to the last battle in the movie before his breathing evened out and he leaned more heavily against Tony as he drifted off. The thunder rumbled angrily in the distance, but the boy slept through it now, obviously content and feeling safer.

Tony sighed. How exactly had they gotten to this point? He didn't know, but he was glad Peter felt safe with him, and trusted him enough to talk to him when things got rough. He was a little low on parents these days, and Tony was happy to pinch-hit, especially for such an amazing kid. He was going to try really hard not to strike out. Surely it couldn't be that hard to help take care of one precocious, self-sacrificing Spider-kid, right?