Doctor Bird arrived at the compound at three and was met at the main entrance by Peter and Tony.

"I honestly thought a guy that big would be driving something like a Hummer," Tony admitted as the car pulled up.

It was a small SUV with a personalized plate and Peter smiled.

"PB4UGO?"

"Good advice," Tony pointed out, stepping forward when the car came to a stop, with Peter walking up as well. "Doctor Bird," the billionaire said offering the psychologist his hand when the man opened the door and got out. "Thanks for making the house call."

The large man nodded, smiling, as he looked around – even while shaking Tony's hand.

"Of course." He smiled at Peter, but didn't even try to shake that injured hand. "I'd be nuts to pass on an opportunity to come out here – and we all know I'm not crazy, right?"

The boy nodded, and then looked at Tony, uncertain how to begin the conversation that was going to culminate in telling the psychologist that Peter was not only Spiderman, but also allowing him an insight to the bright light that most of the world knew next to nothing about.

"Why don't we show you around a bit?" Tony asked, gesturing toward the entrance. "Then we'll offer you some lunch – or refreshments – before you go back to the city."

He was going to stick around for the first part of the visit, and then allow Peter a chance to talk t o the man alone, for a while.

"Sounds good."

OOOOOOO

They didn't show him everything – and they didn't tell him everything. For one thing, some of it was simply so sensational that it would take more than a couple of hours in the afternoon for it to be explained, and for another, the aliens that were at the compound, just then, were not really a secret that Tony wanted out, pretty much ever.

They walked him through the corridors of the main building, and Tony wasn't worried that they would be interrupted since word had been passed quietly that Peter's appointment was that afternoon and anyone that would possibly be a distraction was avoiding the area to allow a little privacy. As they walked, they explained Peter's dual identity and how it had happened – as far as they knew. The doctor took it much better than some others would have, much to Peter's relief, and he wasn't annoyed that no one had told him before, mentioning that he could definitely understand why Tony and Pepper would want to make sure that Peter's alter ego was kept a secret.

"It does explain a few things I wondered about," he'd admitted to them, smiling. "And confirms just how amazing you really are, Peter."

The boy had blushed a brilliant red at the compliment, making both men smile.

"A few more things to let you in on," Tony had said, still amused (and in total agreement, of course). "Then I'll have Peter show you his room and let you guys talk in private for a while."

As they made their way toward the general direction of Peter's quarters, Tony explained that the light which had caused so much speculation and had done so much to the population of the planet had, indeed, originated from the compound, and that Peter had been caught up in it, which had caused his injuries to his hand. No explanation of the infinity stones, or even Thanos and his army, beyond what was already public but it was still more than anyone outside the close-knit circle knew.

"I'm doing physical therapy for the hand, now," Peter told him, holding it up so the psychologist could see the brace – and producing the ball. "And they say it looks good."

"Good to hear." He took the ball, giving it an experimental few squeezes. "I broke my hand when I was only a couple of years younger than you are, and was given a similar exercise to make certain of a full recovery."

"How did you break it?" Tony asked, curiously.

He was a large man, now, and had probably been a big, sturdy, kid.

"Fell off a friend's bicycle."

Tony and Peter smiled at that and then Tony excused himself, leaving Peter alone with Bird.

"Was your mom mad?" he asked, opening the door and gesturing for the doctor to precede him into his quarters.

Bird looked around with interest and winced when Nutmeg walked over and climbed up his pant's leg to get attention. He caught hold of the kitten and examined him as he stroked the fuzzy head.

"She wasn't," he said. "But my friend's mother definitely wasn't happy – since he wasn't supposed to be riding it at the time. He was grounded and had snuck it away to the park we'd gone to that morning."

"I'm grounded, right now," Peter told him, sitting down on the arm of his couch while Bird walked over and admired the Wakandan panther painting that was hanging on the wall. "MJ and I got into an argument and I got mad and tried to go for a drive and wrecked my car trying to avoid hitting a deer."

"Is that what you did to your forehead?"

"Yeah. I couldn't get my seatbelt on and I was upset enough that I decided I didn't need it, and hit the steering wheel with my head and my hand."

"You could have been seriously injured."

Peter made a face and nodded.

"I know. It was a bad idea. That's what I'm grounded for – not because I drove the car – or even because I wrecked it. I was just so angry at the moment I didn't care…"

"Angry from your argument with MJ?"

He already knew about her, of course. And Ned.

"Yes. She doesn't like me being Spiderman, because she worries about me getting hurt – and because I can't tell her everything that's going on, usually."

"And this time…?"

"She asked what happened to my hand and when I didn't tell her right away, she got mad and told me not to bother lying to her. I wasn't going to lie to her. I just hadn't figured out what I was going to tell her, yet."

Bird nodded his understanding.

"I imagine you've had a hard time of things; keeping your secret from everyone who isn't in the know."

"It's stressful," Peter admitted. "I hid it from everyone, at first."

"Even May?"

"Especially May. She was always telling me to run the other way when trouble." He shrugged, though. "She knew… I mean, she told me that she did, before she died."

"She must have been incredibly proud of you."

Peter couldn't help the sting of tears at the memory of one of his last conversations with his aunt before her death. He looked down at his hands and nodded, grateful to the doctor for giving him as long as he needed to get control of himself. When he was finally able to speak, he nodded, again.

"She said she was."

Bird smiled, gently, and changed to a less painful subject.

"Have you spoken with MJ, yet?"

"No. I'm grounded from my phone, so I can't call her – she probably doesn't want to talk to me, anyway. I can – and did – email her."

"Did she reply?"

"Yeah. But it's hard to tell if she's still mad, or not, and I can't call her to ask. And I'm not sure I want to, really. She said she's tired of worrying about me, but I never asked her to, you know?"

Bird nodded.

"It's human nature to worry about our friends and loved ones. Tony and Pepper worry about you – you know that."

"They have to," Peter pointed out. "They're my parents, now."

"And they love you."

Peter smiled, amazed as always by something so simple – and so profound.

"Yes." He looked at the doctor, who had seated himself on the couch by then, still holding Nutmeg. "I don't suppose you have any suggestions for me…?"

"Regarding MJ?"

"Yeah."

Bird snorted, softly, amused.

"Relationships are a specialty of mine," the doctor said. "But teenaged girls? Never have I been so glad my offspring is a boy. We'll discuss it, though," he offered. "Maybe between us, we can figure out a way to make things a little easier on you."

Peter nodded.

"Please."

OOOOOOO

"Are you sure this was a good idea?"

Stark shrugged.

"Bird's good with Peter – and Peter likes him."

Romanoff didn't look convinced, and it showed.

"You don't think it'll stress him out more? Having another person know his secret?"

Tony shook his head.

"I think he'll be good with it."

They were sitting in the lounge, where Natasha and Clint had come for lunch, and found Tony sitting at the table in the corner, drinking coffee and looking through an online order for parts to Peter's Pontiac while he waited for Peter to finish with his psychologist.

"You just don't like him because he asked Peter if he was having sex with you," Clint said, amused, as he took a bite of the huge sandwich that he'd constructed out of various meats and cheeses that he and Natasha had brought to the table.

She didn't deny it – but she did shoot the archer a look that suggested he eat his sandwich and not make another observation, just then.

"He's fine, guys," Tony assured them. He was amused, too, but was wise enough not to allow it to show. Romanoff had been fairly cheerful, lately, but that didn't negate the fact that she could break them all in half if they gave her a reason to. "Bird has some pretty good insights – and he's the one who realized that Peter didn't really want to live at the tower. Before Peter even knew he didn't like the idea."

Natasha didn't look mollified, but Tony wasn't worried. Before anyone could reply, there was a motion at the entrance to the lounge – which was devoid of aliens at the moment – and Peter appeared, with Bird next to him, looking around with interest.

"Wow… that's the psychologist?" Clint asked, staring. "He's huge…"

"Right?" Tony was amused, and watched as Peter walked the doctor over to the bar, first, introducing him to Deena, who poured Peter a cola and handed Bird a cup of coffee with a cheerful smile. "He's definitely not what you think of when you think of shrink, huh?"

"His brother's even larger…" Romanoff said, sipping her iced tea and watching as the pair stopped to look at the wood carving Peter had bartered for when he was in Wakanda. She scowled at the twin looks the two men were giving her. "What? I checked him out. It's what I do."

True enough.

Forcing down his amusement, Tony nodded.

"You two can keep Peter company while Bird and I discuss what – if anything – he has in mind to make things easier."

"We can do that," Clint agreed.

"No wrestling."

"Awww."