Special note with this one.

Great news is that most of this story has a skeleton already written out. Some of you praised me with how quickly I've pumped out updates but it's really because most of the story was already written and just needed some polishing up.

On the down side. Over the last week I'm working with a dog who possibly needs ACL surgery, a sibling possibly looking at divorce and my basement flooded with the recent storm. Joy's of being an adult. I'm a glass half full sort of person (when I'm not being completely sarcastic and vengeful) so I'm handling this best I can but there may be delays just do to other timely obligations.

Don't mean to spill my life in this author note but I like to set expectations when possible. Send love and positive vibes :)


Fast reflexes had allowed him to easily catch the package but had he known how the conversation would turn he would have ducked and dodged it like a hot potato.

"Uh...Mr. Stark-" The older man held up a hand before Peter could really start to word vomit.

"Easy kid, I'm not mad. Well. I am, slightly. Really I don't know if I should be proud or worried that your multi-million dollar suit made it all the way to my mailroom without being detected." He moved back to settle himself on the stool while Peter set the package down. Since the teen wasn't quick to open it, Tony tugged it back to do just that.

"So you said it was wear? Rooftop?" Peter nodded, "What were you keeping it in?" He wondered, talking over the sounds of the package ripping before pulling out the high tech synthetic fabric.

"Uh...I had to sorta, just wrap it up in another shirt, I didn't have time to find a bag or anything." Tony nodded, Peter sounded disappointed in himself, but Stark didn't much care about how the suit had been stored. It certainly showed some weathering- the suit was meant to handle much more than some rain but exposure to the elements in such a fashion and well, mold was possibly an issue. Still, Tony didn't react with distaste to any discoloration or damage.

"I'm sorry Mr. Stark…" Peter gave, and he was, God it was so easy to hear in the kid's tone. He could only imagine what was running through his head at the state of the suit.

"Oh? How come?" Tony wondered, tone asking as if he were clueless.

"The suit...It's ruined, I even tried to put the mask on to link up to Karen before I sent it but…" He shook his head. Tony gagged.

"Oh God kid...Ew, no wonder you were in such a crappy state...Better have Bruce check you for black mold." Tony exaggerated, just to try and lighten the mood a little, but also because it was seriously gross. The suit was strong but anything that came in contact with humans and then was left exposed to the elements was bound to grow some sort of bacteria. Bleh.

"I figured you'd be sorry about the whole monetary theft part."

Peter blinked. Oh. And then he squirmed. "I...I didn't really know what to do. If I had more time I figured I could try to...to I don't know walk dogs or mow lawns, collect pop bottles…" Yeah the kid had a heart of gold. "But I had to get the suit off the roof and then I knew the longer I tried to hide it in my room the bigger the risk so I…" He looked down, "Mrs. H and I were home when everyone else went out for the day." Peter too under the weather to go, "And I just...took the money from her purse. I figured I'd...I'd make it up to her somehow, you know, return it when I had time to make the money back." Tony's gaze went to the roof, honestly this kid was far too good, it hurt.

"Mr. Stark?" Tony glanced over with a hum, watching Peter pick at the flat work surface in a nervous gesture, "Is there any way I could, ya know, like...do some work here?"

Tony was scrubbing his hand over his face now, it was just too sickeningly sweet. Seriously, he was getting a cavity just sitting by the kid. Elbow on the table he turned his head in his hand to look over at the teen, "This Mrs. H. She run the place?" He already knew the answer, he'd had Friday give him all the details, Nat too. Peter nodded, "The place that poisoned you, almost killed you, and you want to work off the what?" He looked at the postage, "Twenty you stole?" Another nod.

Tony suddenly sat up, startling the teen with the quick movement before he drummed his hands on the table, "Alright tell you what. Let's start with getting this suit into decontamination. You might never need to wear it again, but I'd like it restored for display at the very least." Moving to stand again he instructed Peter on where to get a biohazard container for the suit so it could be sent to the appropriate teams to handle. He really didn't think it was dangerous- but it was a little gross and so only the best cleaning process would suffice.

While Peter boxed up the old suit, no doubt wondering what Tony meant about not wearing it again, the older man moved, ordering Friday to open '17A'. When they met back up at the table he set the heavy container down, "Okay, should have had the superkid carry the heavy box…" He chuckled causing Pete to smile. "Ya know, after you turned me down, and agreed to stay in the little league, I figured I'd just hold onto this until you were at least Seventeen...But considering your other suit is gross and by the time you grow up this will all but old tech, I figure you might as well have it now."

Peter blinked and Tony made a motion, "Go on. Open it."

The kid was smart enough to figure out how to open the container which was rocket propelled mind you, meant to be mobile like any of his suits. Inside a smaller capsule in iconic colors rested within with an elongated version of his spider logo on it. Peter blinked, "Is this?"

"The new suit? Yeah." Peter lifted it, feeling the heavier weight compared to his first Stark issued suit, "It is...it collapses in on itself?" Tony nodded, letting Peter look it over. "I'm guessing…" There it was, "Biometric?" Another nodded and was that some sort of pride from Tony? Pride at his device most likely.

"Yeah I figure this way as much as I love your little buddy Ted-"

"Ned."

"Whatever, I'd really prefer if you and you alone were the only one in the suit." Cheeks reddened, Tony knew about him letting Ned try on the suit? "I have a big enough issue sharing my toys." Let alone them being shared a second time.

Before Peter could apologize Tony tapped the table again, "Well go on, let's give it a try."

"Are you sure? Doctor Banner-"

"Isn't here and said I couldn't take you to the sublevels. Sorry kiddo you're not going to get to do much experimenting with the suit today but at the very least you can try it on." What harm could that do?

Peter found the little clasp that doubled as a biometric scanner, thumbing it and watching the tech move instantly. "Whoa…" He stood, stepping back but the tech moved with him, almost reaching out as it unfurled up his arm and across his chest.

In seconds he was enveloped within, glancing over the HUD when a familiar voice called out, "Hello Peter. I have missed talking with you."

"Karen!" He exclaimed in excitement and Tony blinked, gesturing to himself, what was he, chopped liver? This was his fault for making a kind and supportive AI for the kid, he should have made one sassy just like Jarvis and Friday.

Peter rolled his shoulders, "Oh man Mr. Stark, this suit...It's heavier."

Tony hummed, "Well yeah, with the amount of times you get shot at-with alien tech- I figured I'd beef it up a bit. Feel okay? Notice any restrictions?" He circled the other as Peter moved, poking at the teen with a screwdriver just to watch him twist and turn, testing the suit.

"Not at all Mr. Stark, wow this is awesome!"

Tony sniffed, as if unimpressed, "Of course it is. It's my tech. How about wall crawling? That's always a tricky one. Let's see what you got." He requested. Finding a material that was strong and yet allowed Peter's sticky fingers to work was a careful balance, one he was still trying to work out with the next suit still in development. One that happened to be made from a super rare and super strong material gifted to him by Steve on behalf of a King so he never ever ever visited the country for some reason. Tony couldn't imagine why, he was great company.

"Oh, lemme check." Peter backflipped, just because he could and also for science, right? To test the suit. Closer to the wall he jumped up, clinging instantly and it felt good, no slipping. "It's great!"

"Good. Hands and feet are the weakest points in your suit, obviously, had to compromise the structural integrity there to make sure you can well, spider around."

The next hour or two were spent with some minor testing of the suit, the HUD, new features that were installed, running the suit through anything and everything they could without actually putting Peter in any sort of field test situation. Peter did question if the training wheels program was installed and Tony gave a flippant comment back asking if Peter would just hack it again, before throwing a wrench at the teen which he caught with ease.

Reluctantly Peter had removed the suit so further diagnostics could be run and only Tony's promise of working on his web fluids had caused him to remove the suit. Truth be told Tony hadn't originally planned much of this, a few minutes in the suit and then he had originally planned on turning the teen loose in the Tower. Time had flown by though, enjoying the interaction with the teen. He might be a goodie two shoes like a certain Captain, but he was also beyond intelligent and the hero worship that fed into his ego was enjoyed. Hearing the disappointment in Peter's voice when he told him it was time to take the suit off had the older man thinking of any reason to linger in the lab longer- so, working on web fluids it was.

Working with Tony on the web fluid was surreal. Peter had made his own and Tony had made hundreds more off his original designs but being able to work with Iron Man himself on them was amazing. With unrestricted access to the machines and the chemicals needed they developed a dozen new ones in the span of just a few hours, testing several out with the new web shooters he had. Peter brought up redesigning the reload method- getting the empties out was easy but loading wasn't. It wasn't usually a problem but he could foresee a situation where having to stop to reload would be an issue. They talked out a few different reload functions and options, from storing the extras along the arms of the suit, to having them line Peter's waist so he only needed to smack his wrist against the sarcastically named 'utility belt' to have a new one insert into the web shooter.

They hadn't landed on a final design but a growl from Peter's stomach had the billionaire taking pause and glancing to the clock. "Alright. Let's take a break, get you fed before Bruce Hulk's out on me for starving his patient."

Peter was relaxed, the longer they spent together the easier it was to feel comfortable around the other. "I'm not starved." Another rumble in his stomach betrayed him.

"Yeah well maybe I'm hungry, you ever think about that?" Tony teased back, some part of him wanted to reach out and ruffle the kid's hair- just because he could. He resisted the urge, it was weird.

"So what'll it be? See what leftovers are upstairs or order out?" Whatever had been had for dinner had likely been had a few hours ago.

"How long for take out?" Peter wondered, considering his options.

Tony fixed him with a look, "Thought you weren't starved?" A light shove then as they headed to the elevator.

Peter smirked, "Not starved, just famished. Friday, is that a better score in Scrabble?"

"It is Mr. Parker." The teen beamed as the elevator doors slid shut.

Just as they stepped back onto the Avengers mainfloor Friday chimed in, "Secretary Ross on the line for you Boss." Tony sighed and Peter looked up to him in confusion. A hand dropped to the teen's shoulder, steering him forward and towards the large kitchen where only a red head currently resided.

"Nat? Can you feed the kid?" He wondered and she smiled, pulling out a few foil covered plates, shoving one directly in Tony's hands regardless of his wish to not be handed things.

"Only if you eat." He gave her a look but rolled his eyes a second later in defeat.

"Kid, I'll see you in a bit." he offered, heading off to the elevator to return to his own personal space in order to deal with the man he was slowly but surely removing from power.

Peter blinked, glancing to the elevator, the fridge, Nat, and then he did the whole cycle again.

She smirked, "Hello little spider." She offered, voice smooth and inviting, pulling out one of the high top chairs and patting it. Watching the doe eyed teen move to sit. She returned to the fridge and drew out the foil covered plate that had been left for him. Steve, honestly, didn't cook all the time but he had today and made sure to leave good portions for the team's new teenage spider.

As she went about moving it to the microwave it wasn't lost on her that Peter was watching her closely. She smiled once the uncovered meal was warming up, turning to face him. Unlike some of the other members of the group she had more experience with kids, granted they were just Clint's kids but still. "Did you have a good day Peter?"

Peter blinked, he was being addressed by Black Widow. Or Nat as she'd introduced herself earlier. He nodded, "Ye-Yeah. We uh...we worked in the lab, it was actually really awesome." He knew she was deadly if she wanted to be, but they were on the same side right? And she was warming up his dinner, he didn't feel scared, more just nervous.

"So, Let's talk about you trying to steal my name." She laughed when his eyes went impossibly wide. "I'm kidding Peter! What would you like to drink? We've got…" She turned again, looking over the options, "Coke, diet, Apple juice, Orange juice, water, all the best gatorade flavors…" She trailed off looking over.

"Coke please. You...you know I can handle dinner on my own...right?" He questioned cautiously, watching her smile as she pulled out two red cans, offering one over to the teen.

"I know, but everyone is off doing their own thing, and I'm bored and figured we could get to know each other better. You know, team Spider."

"Oh." That was actually not a bad idea, he was curious. "Were you bit by a spider too?"

She blinked at him, "Is that how you got your powers?" Granted she was a spy, she'd seen the file but it was always best to get information from the source. He nodded, explaining that it was a radioactive super spider but still. She confirmed back that she had not been bit and while she was better than average, she wasn't really enhanced.

Eventually the mircowave dinged and she'd check that it was well heated before setting the plate down in front of him. Chicken, veggies, and a heaping pile of rice that Peter didn't wait to dig into as Nat moved to sit across from him. "Easy little spider, there's always more." She chuckled, making a note to ensure Tony didn't starve the kid in the lab again.

Sheepishly Peter paused, taking a drink to wash down his last bite. Thinking, his fork pushed around a bit of rice on his plate. "Hey Miss Widow?" She smirked, "How come…" He fidgeted, if only all her interrogations were this easy to crack, "Why does everyone do that?" Her look clearly asked the question for her, "Call me those things 'kid' 'kiddo' 'little spider'..." He shrugged.

She figured it was mostly Tony using said nicknames as she didn't think the teen had encountered many of the other's long enough to have it bother him.

"Because you're you." She offered back, "Because most of us aren't used to dealing with children normally, let alone ones that can stop and lift moving cars." She shrugged, watching him eat as she sipped at her drink. Like most of the team she had mixed feelings. He was young, so very young and yet, where would he go? Was there really a good reason to berate Stark? From what she knew he'd been doing his vigilante bit long before Tony came along and with Stark tech he certainly was better protected. Besides, she was a teen once, she could only image someone telling her not to do something, it was all the more reason to do it.

Peter continued to eat but it was easy to see he didn't exactly understand or accept the answer. She shifted, drawing his attention, "Some advice?" He perked right up. Were they sure he didn't have puppy DNA? "Forget the fact that you're stronger than half the team. You're young and you're working with a group that are used to saving the world. They look at you and they see everything they work so hard to protect. They don't see Spiderman, they see you, Peter." Peter listened, it seemed like she was speaking from experience. He wondered if that had anything to do with being the first (and for a long time the only) woman among their ranks.

"For starters, understand that no matter how strong you get, no matter what you accomplish, you're always going to be a kid to them. Doesn't mean they don't respect you- or what you can do. Doesn't mean they don't trust you. But, that also means you need to earn that trust."

Peter thought he knew, "I tried that, I tried to show Mr. Stark with the Vulture…"

She smiled, "I read the file." She had, the second she'd seen the horrified look in Tony's face she'd found everything she could, "That sort of thing isn't the way to get what you want. You want them to treat you like an equal member? You have to show them you can hold your own. In a way that is responsible and works with the team, not worries the team." He looked adorably confused, "Not by going off on your own and trying to take on the biggest guy out there, but by playing by the rules. Trust has to be earned, slowly, bit by bit."

"How?" he wondered, meal mostly eaten and forgotten at this point.

"You train, you listen. You don't sneak out- I know you haven't yet but I was a little spider once too." She smiled at the protest that died on his lips. "You accept when you're told that something is too much and you wait, you'll get the chance to prove yourself. Remember that if they don't want you on a mission it might have nothing to do with you being you. There are larger things at play."

"The Accords?" She nodded.

"For starters yes."

Peter sighed a little. He supposed he understood. He was sure Black Widow could kill him faster than he could web away and yet if chaos struck right then and there his instinct told him to protect her. "Thank you. Miss Widow."

She chuckled, "Alright little spider. Lesson one. You can call me Nat. Natasha. Romanov, any combination thereof, but let's not ever let Tony hear you call me Miss Widow okay?" He smiled and nodded. Seeing him more relaxed and now full she turned the topic to something far more interesting. "So come on, show me your skills Spiderman." Everyone wanted to see him stick to walls, to climb, and now he could even web given the work he and Tony had done in the lab to replenish what he'd been without for months. His old suit was being washed and cleaned but he still had his web shooters though he only used it once to show her, too scared to damage something despite her lack of concern.

Tony never returned but Peter wasn't too bothered, others trickled in and after showing off a little (then subsequently cowing under Bruce's disapproving but completely interested look) they settled in to- of all things, watch a movie. He spent his first medical wing free night watching a movie with half of the Avengers.

Tony was nursing a drink. He did that occasionally, it was an old fall back. There was less drinking and far more nursing now than in his past but it was a hard habit to completely kick. He was sitting, slouching back really, and staring off at some offensive spot on the wall.

Steve was leaning against the desk nearby. From the outside it was easy to see that both men were in serious contemplation, knowing who they were it was easy to assume it was some world ending problem. It was, well, at least one person's world that could end.

"So what's the play here Tony?" Steve questioned eventually, the problem had been laid out in front of him and while Steve was used to calling the shots every good leader knew when he had to listen, to lead from the ranks.

Tony gestured with a hand in a wide motion, "Kill Ross?" Steve's look alone vetoed that idea. "What? Tell me it wouldn't make our lives easier." A brief joke on a very serious concern and Tony shifted gears, "What do you want me to say Rogers? Ross knows about the kid and he wasn't exactly coy about it."

Steve nodded, he'd heard the playback of the earlier conversation between genius and government official, "He does, but right now all he's got are threats. Accords don't cover domestic acts and that's Spiderman's MO." Germany aside of course but that was before everything had been ratified.

"Ross threatened him!" Tony barked out, Steve could feel the rage within the other, he could hear the hum of the nanotech wanting to do something, anything to right the wrong. Ross hadn't outright threatened Peter or Tony, but he had made it clear that he knew who the teen was and that Stark ought to be careful lest he find himself on the wrong side of the Accords for weaponizing a non-combatant. Steve didn't respond to Tony's outburst and the other calmed if slightly voice still deadly and serious, "I don't like people messing with my stuff." Because apparently that included Peter. Not the point right now.

"So we keep him close." Steve answered.

It was what Tony needed to hear and the billionaire glanced up as Steve spoke his very thoughts. The dark haired man echoed words he'd heard before.

"Safest hands are our own."


So there it is.

Ya'll continue to prove that the best responses are from chapters with Peter Whump so while this isn't direct it's continuing to drive the plot forward until it's a matter of time before our favorite Spiderling is in trouble.

Send love and reviews :)