Chapter 66

Toni woke up with a smile as the sunlight hit her pillow. She'd forgotten how much she'd enjoyed waking up on the west coast, with the warmth of the sun on her skin. How it always made her feel happier starting the day off with it.

Well at least on days where she'd managed to get a few hours of sleep in here or there.

She'd had her mansion rebuilt after the Mandarin incident, wanting a place on the West Coast, even if she didn't live here any longer. And currently, that felt like a good decision to have made.

Her eyes fluttered open after a few moments, and she looked to the spot in the bed beside her to see Steve, carefully caressing her face, not wanting to wake her up with his movements.

She blinked in surprise.

She'd gone to bed with him almost every night for the better part of the last few years. But Steve was one of those morning people who often woke up at the crack of dawn and went for runs before she'd even had a chance to properly wake up. He'd always rejoin her after showering and stay there til she had a chance to wake up herself.

But this?

She smiled, seeing his bed head hair, tossed in a less than perfect manner, as he lay naked beside her.

She grinned, knowing that this here, him beside her? It was all hers. He was all hers.

He was her husband.

They'd been married the day before and now, he was in bed beside her, lazing around as he held her in his arms.

"What's got you in a good mood so early in the morning?" he asked, and she smiled up at him, running her hands down his chest.

"You stayed in bed this morning," she murmured. "You always wake up and go for a run first thing. Says it helps you get started on your day. You hate sleeping in."

"I do," he said, "But I love you more than I hate staying in bed. And we just spent our first night together as a married couple. I wanted to fall asleep beside you and wake up beside you. I can take a day off from running every once in a while. And well, today's as special of an occasion as any, isn't it?"

She pressed a soft kiss against his lips.

"I love you," she said, feeling warmth spread across her entire body, "Yesterday was amazing. I'm glad I finally get to be your wife."

"I'm glad I get to be your husband," Steve said, lifting up her hand and pressing a kiss onto her ring. "I should really thank Pepper for pulling all of this together. She gave us such a beautiful wedding in a short time."

"She's brilliant," Toni agreed. "I'd give her a promotion if there were any higher up for her to go without having to demote myself. Besides, she loves what she's doing now."

"She's good at it," Steve said in agreement. "And you're good at being CEO of SI."

She smiled, before staying quiet for a moment. Steve seemed to realize that there was something on her mind, and turned to face her.

"Is everything alright?" he asked her gently. "Where did you go?"

"We just adopted Peter," she said, "And we left him behind already. We should have brought him with us. Taken a trip as a family."

"Peter asked us to go," he reminded her, "He wanted us to take a few days for ourselves. He's with Rhodey and he's safe. We'll be home tomorrow, Darling. I know this wasn't the nicest of honeymoons, but it was just to give us a few hours alone. And when we take that honeymoon we had intended to take in June we'll bring him with us. It'll be our first family trip."

"Okay," she smiled, "I still want to call him in a few hours, just to check in on him and see how he's doing. Is that alright?"

"Of course," he nodded, "You don't need to check in with me for wanting to check in with our kid. Besides, it'll be good to know that none of the other Avengers are corrupting him in our absence. Can you imagine what kinds of things they could be teaching him?"

She frowned, "I'm going to wrap him in bubble wrap and keep him away from all of them. Especially Wilson. He seems like he'd try and corrupt Peter. And the kid's too innocent to let his mind be corrupted by the likes of them."

He laughed, "God help the man or woman that messes with our family. Having Toni Stark as their enemy should be enough to deter them. But if not, then I'll pray for their soul. I know what you could do to them if you put their mind to it."

"See if anyone messes with me or my children," she said, as she played with his hair. "Thank you."

"For what?" he asked her, a bit confused.

"For going along with this. For being on the same page as me. Other people would have called me insane for rushing our wedding like this. But I love you all the more for coming to the same conclusion that I did that we needed to move the wedding. I love you for wanting to go along with this so we could give Peter a proper home. I love you."

"He's a good kid," Steve nodded, "I may not have the same relationship with him as you do or have known him for anywhere near as long as you have, but I care about him too. I want to give him a home. Give him a chance to grow up with those who care about him, instead of being in the system for seven months while the two of us planned a lavish wedding. I didn't need any of that. I just needed you there beside me."

"And now we're married," she said, a smile filling her face once more, unable to contain her giddiness.

"And we have this big bed, in this big house, and no one to interrupt us," Steve said, winking at her.

She gasped in faux outrage. "Steve, you're supposed to be the innocent one out of the two of us. What will the media say if they know the things that you say behind closed doors?"

"I don't care," he said, growling, as he pulled her on top of him. "All I know is that I love you. And I intend to show you just how much."

She pressed her lips against his. "Well, lead the way, Oh Captain, my Captain."


Peter may have felt a bit guilty for convincing Steve and Toni to go on a honeymoon so soon after the adoption. But in his defense, he really did think that the two of them deserved some time alone. They were only going to be gone for a few days, and after everything they'd done for him, planning the funerals, moving their wedding date, giving him a home, adopting him, the least he could do was be okay for a few days while they went on a small honeymoon to spend some quality time together.

He shuddered, trying hard not to think about what it meant for the two of them to be on their honeymoon. He really didn't need that image in his head, not when he'd known Toni since he was a child, and Captain America was basically a walking US monument. Nope, that was not an image he needed in his head, now or ever again.

And well, if the two of them being gone meant he'd be able to do his planning in peace, then he was more than happy for that fact.

"JARVIS, black out mode please," he requested the AI, not wanting any of his actions to be monitored. Not until he had more of an idea of what he was doing. Toni had promised if he asked for the quiet mode, then he'd be given complete privacy. Something she knew was important for teenagers.

"Right away Mr Parker," JARVIS acquiesced.

He sighed. He'd really have to work on getting the AI to simply call him Peter. It was his name after all. And well, it made him feel weird to go by his surname. That seemed like something reserved for adults only. And not something for fourteen-year-olds.

He pulled out the suit he'd been working on. It wasn't as advanced as the Iron Woman suit, but he could hardly go down to the lab and use her expensive metals without her knowing. And she'd given him a home already. She'd given him food, and love, and a place to rest his head. He didn't want to take advantage of what he'd been given.

So he'd stick to his cloth suit. Red in design, because that was the colour of the Iron Woman suit. And she'd been his hero all those years ago. She'd been the one who inspired him to make a difference. She'd been the one who'd mentored him for years.

And well, he loved blue, so if he wanted to intertwine a bit of his own personality into it, then sue him.

He'd worked on the design for a few days already, while Toni and Steve were running around trying to pull together everything for the wedding and the adoption. They'd had a few meetings with lawyers and judges for it, but he was thankful that he was able to stay at home, despite the few Social Service visits he'd had to endure. It was nice to not have to take on all the responsibility.

Spider.

It had been what had bitten him.

It had been the thing that had given him powers.

It was the thing that made him a hero.

So he painted on the spider logo with the fabric paint he'd bought at an art store a few blocks over.

He looked at his suit in pride, knowing that it meant that he'd be able to make a difference. That he'd be able to be a real superhero like the rest of the Avengers. That he'd be able to go out there and save the world too. And maybe not to the same scale as Toni or Steve.

But if he could at least look out for the little guy in Queens. People like Mr Delmar who got robbed on a regular basis. People like Uncle Ben who got hurt for no reason. People like the old lady who just was trying to cross the street but didn't move quick enough for the lights, and thus became honked at angrily.

If he could help the little guy, then that would be enough. He'd be the friendly neighbourhood Spider-guy.

Spider-boy?

No, that sounded like he was a child. And he wanted people to think that he was an adult. Or at least eighteen if he was going to be taken seriously. The last thing he needed was for anyone to find out the truth.

Even if he was just fourteen.

He felt a little guilty about it. Toni and Steve had given him a home.

And he was about to rush into the streets in a suit to try and save the world.

They'd understand right? Why he had to do this? It was the same reason Toni wore the suit or why Steve picked up the shield. Because they knew they could make a difference. So they'd get it right? The had to. They had to know why this was all so important to Peter. Why he had to do this.

Or at least he hoped.

Toni may have asked Rhodey to watch him, but he was grateful that the man had decided to give Peter some privacy. He'd requested that the two of them watch a movie later on, but besides that, Peter was free to do what he wished.

He put on the suit carefully. It had been one of the first times he'd done any sort sewing work. And he'd seen Aunt May do it a few times with Uncle Ben's clothes. So he'd taken an old sewing machine he'd found in the tower and put together an elastic suit.

It had taken a surprisingly long time to put together even this, and while he was certain it wouldn't be the final version of the suit, he was pretty pleased with how it'd turned out.

Spider-Peter?

No.

He definitely couldn't use his real name in his superhero name, that was basically asking for trouble.

He sighed

Okay.

He needed a name he could use that didn't have his actual name

He tried to think of all the superheroes he knew.

Hawk Eye.

Black Widow.

Falcon.

Thor – well that was just his real name. He supposed being an alien god meant Thor didn't need a superhero name.

War Machine.

Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch.

Hulk.

Captain America.

Iron Woman.

Huh.

Well unless he wanted some sort of colour in his name like Blue Spider or Red Spider, that ruled out Natasha, Quicksilver, and Scarlet Witch's names. He didn't have any sort of military experience so probably best not to add a fake ranking or war association.

But Iron Woman.

Spider Man?

Spider-Man?

He liked that.

It made him seem more mature than he was and it was distinctive. Plus it was what Toni did. Even if the press had named her and she'd put her own flourish on it. Iron Man; they'd called her. And she'd corrected them all.

He'd thought it was so cool at the time; and being older he now saw just how badass it was for her to shut down all the people who assumed she must have been a man.

He wanted to honour her the best way that he knew how.

He looked at himself in the mirror and smiled at his appearance. It might not be the fanciest suit, but the spider logo on his chest was clear. And he especially liked the look of the webbing on his suit.

Maybe he should try and synthesize his own.

In a moment of weirdness, he'd tried to see if spiderwebs came out of his butt like they did for real spiders. And to his relief, but also strange disappointment, they did not. But where his powers failed, he'd supplement it with science. He was sure he'd be able to come up with something if he just put his mind to it. Chemistry was one of his favourite subjects, after all, even if it dismayed Toni.

He pulled on a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie as he headed out into the hall with his backpack.

"Hey Rhodey, do you mind if I go see Ned for a few hours?" Peter asked, trying to keep his voice calm.

Rhodey looked up at him from where he was sitting at the table, reading over some files. He looked a little conflicted at the ask but nodded after a moment.

"Okay, but make sure you have your phone on you, alright? And be home for dinner. The team was planning on getting a pizza and having a movie night, and I know they all want to hang out with you. I'm pretty sure you're everyone's favourite," Rhodey said with a grin.

He smiled, "Thanks Rhodey. I'll be home for then," he said, as he started heading towards the door.

"And Peter?" Rhodey said, calling out after him. Peter froze in his tracks.

Rhodey was high up in the Air Force. He had probably known all these interrogation techniques and what not. Did he know that Peter was lying to him? Was he able to see through it? Oh boy he was utterly screwed, wasn't he?

"Yes?" Peter said, trying to not let his voice get too high pitched.

"Call me Uncle Rhodey, okay?" he said with a laugh. "I've been trying with the bots for years and even JARVIS and Friday both refuse. But you're Toni's first human child so I'm hoping for better luck with you."

He relaxed at that. "I think I can do that," he said with a nod, before heading out the door. He felt a warmth feeling fill his chest. He'd always known Toni considered Rhodey to be her brother, and he knew Rhodey echoed the sentiment. And given that he was now Toni and Steve's adopted child, it made sense.

He wondered if they'd want him to call them Mom and Dad.

He felt a sense of panic fill him. It wasn't something they'd talked about since everything had happened, despite Toni and Steve having several conversations with him, making sure everything that was happening was something he would be comfortable with. They even promised they'd help find him a home he'd be more comfortable in if he didn't want to stay with him. But they'd assured him numerous times that they'd wanted nothing more than to take him in, and they hadn't given him any reason to doubt that.

Still.

What if they wanted him to call them Mom and Dad? How would that even make him feel? Uncle Ben and Aunt May hadn't wanted him to given that Uncle Ben never wanted him to forget his dad growing up. And that he'd wanted him to remember his parents.

But what would Toni and Steve want?

He tried to calm his breathing. That would need to be a discussion for when they came home. There was no point speculating about any of this, not unless it became a real problem. They didn't seem to mind him calling them Toni and Steve for now.

And deep down, Peter thought it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world if he were to call them Mom and Dad. It had been years since he'd had parents, and well. Maybe it would be nice.

He shook all the thoughts out of his head, as he got on the subway and took the line down to Queens. He didn't want to operate out of New York, not when there was too high of a chance of running into an Avenger.

But Queens is where he was raised. It was where he spent his days. It was where he learned to ride a bicycle. Where he learned how to swim. It was where he went to school, and it was his home.

It was also where Uncle Ben died.

It was where he'd made the decision to do something with his powers.

It was the neighbourhood he loved and the neighbourhood he'd protect.

He got off at the stop that was an exit before the one he used to live at, and made his way to an alley. He stripped off his sweatpants and pulled off his hoodie, as he stuffed them into his backpack. He pulled on the mask he'd made, fitted with goggles so he could hide his identity better.

It may not be the best suit for a superhero, but he was pretty dang impressed with what he'd managed to pull together in a few days.

He left his bag behind the dumpster, as he climbed up to the roof of the building, trying to spot where he'd begin spidering manning.

He scanned over Queens, as he let the sounds of the city sweep over him. He looked down, and saw a few blocks over an old lady was struggling to cross the street, holding groceries, and he moved across the rooftops to reach the intersection she was at, and climbed back down the building.

Wow, this really wasn't the most efficient way of getting up or down was it?

He really ought to look into designing that web fluid.

"Hi," he said in the nicest voice he could as he approached the older lady, "Can I help you carry the groceries?"

She looked over at him, and for a second he was worried she'd suspect him of being a kid who was up to no good, but she must have sensed his sincerity, and she smiled up at him.

"What a nice young man," she said, as she offloaded the bags to him. "I live just a few blocks down from here."

"Perfect," he smiled at her.

"My name is Mariam," she smiled, "I'm assuming from your suit you can't tell me your real name, but what can I call you?"

"Spider-Man," he said, testing the name out loud on his lips for the first time.

"Well Spider-Man, can I just say it's nice to see some of you heroes down on the street? I know the Avengers are busy fighting the big stuff, but I never thought I'd be up and close with a real hero. Well, I met Captain America many, many years ago. I was just a child. It's nice to see that he's doing well. I heard he just got married," she said as they walked towards her home.

"He seems like a nice man," Peter acknowledge, "Never met him, but seems like he'd do the same thing and help others with their groceries."

"He does, doesn't she?" Mariam laughed. "Well thank you, Spider-Man," she said, as he walked up the steps to her house. She unlocked the door, and he handed her the groceries, not wanting to intrude."

"Nice to meet you, Mariam. Perhaps I'll see you again," He waved, as he headed back towards the centre of the city.

The next few hours entailed of more of the same thing, from helping an older man cross the street, helping a couple move in a couch into their new apartment, and helping a pair of tourists take some pictures of them.

Maybe a lot of this wasn't actual superheroing, but he had to admit, he was having fun.

He was walking back towards the dumpster, ready to call it a day, when heard the screaming. He ran towards it then, and saw a woman struggling with her purse as a man pulled it away from her and took off running.

Right towards Peter.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay he had this.

He took a deep breath, and as the man approached him, he raised a hand up.

"Stop right there!" Peter demanded, and the man looked at him in confusion.

"Who are you?" the man asked, "What do you want? Go rob your own person. This purse is mine!"

"What, no!" Peter exclaimed. "I'm stopping you!"

"Oh yeah?" The man taunted, "And how are you going to do that?" he asked.

Peter walked towards the man, who pulled out a knife then, trying to slash at him. He moved quickly towards the left, dodging it, and the man swung at him again, and he blocked the attack, as the knife went flying out of his hand. He grabbed the purse from the man then, as the man looked surprised at the movement, clearly not having expected Peter to have the strength that he did.

Peter sling the purse around his body for the moment, as he walked the man up to a pole, despite his protests. The man was wearing a thick metal chain and he took it off his neck and used it to tie the man's wrists behind his back and around the pole.

Peter dug into the man's pockets and dialled 911 then.

"911, what's your emergency?" the voice on the other end said, and Peter spoke clearly into the phone.

"Hi, I have a man here who just tried to rob a young woman on the corner of 76th and 167th," he said into the phone, "I've detained him against a pole."

He hung up then before the responder could say anything and stuck the phone back into the man's pocket.

He handed the purse back to the woman who'd caught up to them then, and he noticed that a crowd had amassed around them.

And some of them were filming.

"Thank you so much," she said, breathless.

"Just doing my job, Miss," he said, trying to disguise his voice. He turned to leave then, not wanting to be followed and have his identity revealed on his first day.

"Wait, what do we call you?" she asked, and he turned then, and looked straight into one of the cellphone cameras that were filming.

"Spider-Man," he said.

And then he took off, climbing up the nearest building, before running across several others. When he was sure he was no longer being followed, he climbed back down into the alley he'd ditched his normal clothes. He pulled his sweats back on followed by his hoodie. And he looked around real quick to make sure no one was around before he pulled of his mask and shoved it into his bag.

Then he walked back out of the alley way, to head back home towards Stark Tower.

All in all, he thought it was a successful first day of superheroing.