Heyy, it's been awhile (6 months oops). I've been having a tough time and I got really discouraged from some comments on where I've taken this fic, and every time I tried to go back I've been pretty disappointed with how I've characterized the guys here. But I'm back now! I can't promise regular updates, but I've said it before and I'll say it again, I'm not abandoning this fic (if you haven't either, you're a saint). That being said, after this there's not gonna be a lot of plot stuff for awhile, just a lot of fluffy/angsty one-offs like I had planned in the first place, so if you have suggestions for those feel free to leave them for me! Also, get in touch with me or see my other works on tumblr ifdragonscouldtalk. 3 Sorry for the filler chapter, still trying to find my groove again. Love y'all.

"What the hell makes you think you have the authority to do that?!"

"He flinched," Clint breathed, earning a sharp glance from Natasha where she was standing stiffly, taking Fury's abuse.

"Of all the stupid ass decisions you've made in your life, Romanoff, this has to be the stupidest! I'm bringing him in. I let him off the carrier because you and Cap promised me you'd watch him, and that clearly isn't happening."

"What I think gave me the authority to do that," Natasha said calmly as Fury paused for a moment, "is the fact that we have a panicked, depressed, PTSD-prone little Stark and a newly upgraded JARVIS on our hands, and I watched two civilians stare down two assassins and a super soldier before singlehandedly calming Stark down, never treating him like he was anything but a scared little boy, and I realized that is what Stark needs if we don't want him to break. More than that, you have no authority over Stark, and you have minimal authority over the rest of the Avengers. You may have hold over Clint and I, but that's it. And I promise you, sir, you wouldn't be able to keep Stark on the helicarrier if you tried, even if you had all the Avengers on your side. Which, you don't." Fury opened his mouth angrily to respond, but Natasha forged onward. "Stark isn't going to stay pent up in this tower much longer. Not only because he's a child now, but because he's Stark. And he's not an idiot. If he trusts the Parkers, then I trust the Parkers."

"He trusted you," Fury pointed out, his jaw clenched, and Natasha resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

"He trusted Pepper," she almost spat back. "And Pepper didn't know any better than to trust me."

"You said Pepper didn't trust you."

"Pepper," Natasha sighed, "is a clever woman, and she didn't trust me. Tony trusted Pepper to take me out if I ever did something that justified her distrust." A muscle in Fury's jaw twitched.

"I think you should go," Bruce said softly before the Director could open his mouth again, still slightly green around the edges. "It wouldn't do well to make an enemy of the Avengers, Director. I believe we've proven that before." Fury glared before turning, his coat billowing behind him as he stalked into the elevator that JARVIS helpfully opened for him.

"One day, you'll regret siding with Stark," he muttered under his breath as he passed Steve.

"Doubtful," Steve answered dryly, his arms crossed.

"He flinched!" Clint screeched as soon as the elevator doors slid closed. "He flinched! Jesus Christ, how did we not notice it before?! What the fuck!"

"Clint, shut up," Natasha hissed, leading Bruce to the couch as his hands shook and his eyes flashed green. "Stop yelling, don't be an ass."

"He was abused, Natasha, this is serious."

"It's gonna be real serious when Hulk puts his fist through your face," Bruce growled through gritted teeth, and Clint's mouth closed with an audible click of his teeth.

"I think perhaps we should all take a breath," Thor said gently.

"Him being in a house full of super soldiers and spies is only going to make this all worse. We saw this coming, we knew he wasn't going to stay locked up in the tower." Steve sighed, his shoulders sagging, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's probably for the best that he found those two. JARVIS, do you trust them? You ran background on them?"

"Extensively, Captain. They are more than trustworthy. Sir will be fine."

"There's nothing we can do about any of it now," Natasha said calmly, rubbing at Bruce's shoulders. "We can only wait for him to calm down and come back to us." She looked up, her eyes piercing. "And he will. And we will act normally. There's a reason he didn't tell us, Clint, it's none of our business. We all have things that are none of anyone else's business."

May looked up at the knock on the door, glancing down at Tony. He was curled against her side, under her arm, his thumb in his mouth, watching the TV absently through bleary eyes. She looked back up at Peter, who had turned in his chair, still doing homework at the table. 'Can you get that?' she mouthed, and he nodded, shooting her a grin. She could tell he was proud and surprised at her actions earlier - honestly, she was just as surprised as he was. But the fact that this was Tony Stark didn't change that he was also a little boy right now, who needed someone to take care of him. Maybe an unbiased someone like May and Peter would do better than a tower full of superheros.

"Hi," she heard a soft voice from the doorway. "I'm Pepper Potts, I'm here-"

"Ms Potts!" Peter gasped, and May rolled her eyes, an indulgent grin spreading across her face. It was good Peter had ambition, but sometimes she wondered about how he had found his role models. "I'm Peter Parker, it's such an honor to meet you!" There was light laughter as the door closed and Peter led Pepper into the living room. May glanced down to see Tony was focused on his CEO now, his thumb out of his mouth. He smiled lightly at her.

"Hey Pep," he sighed tiredly, smiling a bit more when she crouched down in her heels to brush the curls off his forehead.

"Hey Tones. Having a tough time?"

"I'm sure not as tough as you, trying to handle the company..."

"It's not a contest," Pepper said with a smile, pressing a kiss to his forehead. "I brought your bag." May glanced up and saw Peter was indeed carrying a duffel bag slung over his shoulder. "They said you'd be staying here a few days?"

"Are you upset?"

"No, I'm not upset. If this is what you need, I trust your judgement. I know you've been struggling." She tilted her head, and they watched each other for a moment, the two connected by a deep understanding. "You know you can let go. They don't care if you don't act like an adult. They won't judge you."

"It's hard," Tony answered, his voice soft.

"I know," Pepper sighed. "Make sure to call them, alright? They worry. And keep your phone charged, or JARVIS will freak out."

"Quite, sir." Tony laughed.

"Alright, I have to go. You can call me, whenever you need, babe."

"I know." He leaned up to kiss her cheek before she stood, straightening her skirt.

"Thank you for looking after him," she said to May with a genuine smile.

"It's no problem. He's a good kid."

"Hey! I'm not a kid!"

"Sure, Stark." Tony pouted, crossing his arms, and Peter stifled a laugh behind his hand. May and Pepper grinned at each other.

"Call me if he gives you too much trouble. We'll reimburse you for the food and whatever else he uses."

"That's not necessary! We invited him!"

"We want to," she and Tony said at the same time. Pepper shook her head, smiling. She waved as she turned. "I really do have to go now! But my phone number is in the bag, so call me if something happens, really, Ms Parker."

"Of course, Ms Potts. Thank you for letting him stay here."