Note:

Hey, thanks for everyone who nominated some of my stories for the Irondad Creator Awards! I'm so, so glad that people have been enjoying my little stories, because I have definitely been enjoying realizing how fun it is to write (though I'll always be a reader at heart, and I've been loving discovering so many great stories through the Awards process)! Voting is open for the next few weeks, so go vote for your favorite authors and stories! You can find all the information if you search "Irondad Creator Awards" on Tumblr (web or app). It might still say 2022 in the title, but you'll see the posts are up-to-date.

Part 1

May Parker hated these calls. Actually, as much as she had grown to tolerate, and then respect, and now even liked the man, anytime she saw an incoming call from "TS," her heart rate jumped up. And with good reason. Usually if he was calling her, instead of texting, especially at this time of night, there was an excellent chance some of her nephew's blood was on the outside of his body.

Unfortunately, tonight was no exception. She glanced at the clock. 11:30. She'd only been asleep for maybe thirty minutes, and that's only because she'd worked a double today and was exhausted.

"Tony? What's going on?"

"Hey, May. Don't freak out; he's going to be okay."

She did breathe a sigh of relief, but she was still flustered and sleep-fogged.

"What happened?"

"Tried to break up a gang dust-up that he should have stayed away from. There were too many of them, and he caught a few bullets, then managed to break his ankle."

May inhaled sharply. "He was shot?" She had switched her phone to speaker and set it on her dresser, already gathering her hair up into a quick bun. Sleep would need to wait.

"Didn't hit anything critical, according to Karen, but we should be back to the Tower in seven to eight minutes for treatment, and we'll know for sure. Just letting you know in case you want to come over. But he said you're okay either way."

"Of course I'll come. I'll be leaving here in just a minute."

"Do you need me to send Happy?"

"No, it will be faster if I leave now."

"Okay. Sorry, I'd come grab you in the suit, but I don't really want to leave him," Tony said hesitantly.

"No! No, of course not. Stay there with him, please. There's not much traffic right now; I'll be there soon."

"Great. You know where to find us. I'll let you know if anything changes before then. End call."

May set her phone down and stumbled into the bathroom, splashing water on her face, then pulling on a hoodie over her sweats and t-shirt. It was unusually cold for February, and she'd probably need her winter coat on top of that. She stumbled into a pair of boots and dug through her purse for a minute to find her keys, then hurried out the door.

As she drove towards Stark Tower, May considered the chaos that was her life. How did she always manage to surround herself with first responders? Her dad had and Ben had both been police officers. So many nights as a child and as an adult she had worried about whether they were going to come home or not. It was ironic that she had lost Ben to street violence when he wasn't even in uniform. She blinked hard against the pain that still bubbled up whenever she thought of him and how much she still missed him. Working as a nurse at the hospital, she often saw the aftermath of terrible accidents and violence, as well. She had always hoped, as smart as Peter was, that he was going to be an engineer with a boring 9-5 job where he got to build robots or something. But it was her lot in life to be in the wings worrying, apparently. Because there was no way her super-powered kid would ever stop using his abilities to try to help people. To try to save them. She sighed and took a moment at a red light to rub her face in her hands. Trying to wake up more? Trying to comfort herself? She wasn't sure.

At least Tony was with him. The only way she'd even been able to stand the thought of him continuing to be Spiderman, (once she'd finished freaking out), was knowing the older superhero had promised to teach him the ropes. Had promised to be there for him, and monitor him, and to try to take care of him in a world May didn't have access to or an understanding of. The kind of people and events Peter had and would be called on to deal with were so outside the realm of "normal." Of course, so was he, in all the good ways.

May was grateful that the mandatory involvement she'd pushed on Tony Stark had grown into voluntary and then into completely above-and-beyond what she could have ever expected from him. Over the last fifteen months he had possibly spent more time with Peter than she had, turning his "internship time" into an actual internship, where Peter was gaining valuable skills and experience, along with truly mentoring him in his self-imposed superhero ideals. That time had bled over into nights, weekends, and even trips with the man who had slowly become a definite father-figure in Peter's life. She knew that Tony cared for him-even loved him, and she was so happy that her kid could have that in his life again.

But no matter how hard she and Tony loved and tried to protect Peter, the stuff he threw himself into was dangerous. His body might be superhuman, but his brain was still much an adolescent witch's brew of crazy chemistry and hormones, and sometimes he didn't make the best decisions.

Including tonight. As May parked in the Tower's underground garage, then rode the elevator up towards Medbay, she tried to feel some of the negative emotions she had about all of this flow through and out of her, using techniques her grief counselor had taught her. She visualized sending them on their way, so she didn't explode at a kid who was probably in pain, and needed reassurance and support more than a lecture. There would be some of that later anyway, from both of the adults in Peter's life, but she needed to just be there for him right now.

As she entered the Medbay, she heard Peter before she saw him. His cry wasn't loud, but for him to make that much noise, she knew the pain must be excruciating. She hurried forward, clutching her purse to her side so it wouldn't bounce as she almost jogged. She finally saw Peter through the glass windows (which could be turned opaque when needed) of a room towards the back. She stopped in the doorway and took in the scene. They'd already cut Peter out of his long-underwear type undersuit, and dressed him in a more accessible hospital gown. His Spiderman suit was crumpled on a side counter, and May could see what she thought was blood staining the side. Tony Stark was in sweats and a t-shirt, and was up on the exam bed with her nephew, Peter leaning back against his chest with Tony's arms wrapped carefully around him, avoiding the visible wounds in his arm and shoulder on the left hand side. The older man's head was tipped forward, and Peter had his own head pulled around to the side so he could press his forehead against Tony's cheek.

"I'm so sorry, Peter," Dr. Brewer (a kind-eyed, middle aged black woman, who was often on-call overnight) said softly. "We had to get those bones set before they started healing wrong. It looks good now, though, and I'll put the temporary cast on before we deal with those bullet wounds. Hopefully your painkillers will start kicking in before we need to dig that one out of your shoulder."

"I know," he said weakly, his body more relaxed now already since the doctor was done manipulating his bruised ankle. Thankfully there didn't seem to be any swelling. May could see the sweat along his brow, though, and the way his hands shook lightly where they gripped the side of the hospital bed. The metal edges looked a little mangled. He always refused to hold on to anyone during these rough moments for fear of hurting them, which is probably why Tony had decided to to offer physical support a different way. Peter's body was slumped heavily back into his mentor now, as Tony whispered reassurances into his ear. May moved forward quickly as Dr. Brewer turned away to gather the short-term cast material.

"Peter, sweetheart!"

"May! Hi! I…uh…" Peter had tried to sit up a little more as he realized she was there but he winced at the movement.

"No, honey, you're just fine. Don't move!" She cupped his cheek with her hand and he turned his face into her hand.

"I'm sorry, Aunt May, I didn't mean to-" She could see he was making an effort not to cry. She's seen that look plenty of times in her sensitive kid's face.

"No, baby, just relax and let's get you taken care of. I'll yell at you later, okay?" she teased.

"Me first," she thought she heard Tony say under his breath.

"Okay," said Peter, as his eyes flicked nervously behind him. If she'd heard him, Peter certainly had.

"Are you up to telling me what happened?" she asked, turning and pulling a chair towards the side of the table so she could hold his hand while they put the cast on.

"May, do you want me to move? Because I can just-"

May saw the worried look in Peter's eyes and hurried to reassure Tony. "No, you're perfect where you are. Unless Peter wants to lay back on the bed?"

"No," her nephew said quickly. "I'm good."

She gathered his hand into hers and raised her eyebrows expectantly.

"You know it was really cold tonight?"

She nodded patiently. Which is a reason maybe he shouldn't have been out, but since the heater in his suit usually kept him warm unless temps dropped below freezing, she couldn't argue much.

"Well, you know those teen-only shelters we've been setting up for homeless youth this last month?"

May just looked at him, her eyebrows raised for him to continue. Of course she knew about them. She'd helped with a lot of the fundraising and set-up he'd been spearheading. Peter had been looking for ways they might make a difference for the homeless teenagers of the city every since he'd been mistaken for one and abducted.

He took a deep breath and pushed forward, sliding down just a little so he could lay his head back and rest it against Tony's shoulder. "Well, a lot of kids still don't know about them, so I was moving all around the city, trying to spread the word about how cold it's getting tonight, and I was in a part of Brooklyn I don't usually get to, and these two groups were getting all up in each other's faces. I tried to get them to de-escalate, because I really thought they might just need an intermediary, and-"

May and Tony shared twin "He's never going to learn, is he?" looks as their kid rambled on, wincing a little as the doctor finished up the cast.

"And, well, they didn't want that, and then someone started shooting, and then the other side did, too, so I was trying to web up all the guns. But there were just too many, and my spidey-sense couldn't keep up."

May swallowed a few of the choice words she wanted to share with her selfless, stupid nephew. "What about the ankle?"

"Oh. Well, apparently I'd gone farther than I thought, and Karen had warned me my web fluid was low, and then reminded me to change the cartridge, but that was right when I happened on the people fighting, and-"

"Gangs. They were rival gangs , Peter. Not random people," Tony couldn't help but interject. "And we have a few guidelines about those, don't we?" He was obviously frustrated and upset. May gave him a quelling look. He was in charge of all the "superhero-stuff" according to her, and could lecture and give consequences later, but right now Peter's eyes were a little droopy. She could tell his super-strength painkillers were finally starting to kick in (thankfully) and it wasn't going to do any good to try to reason with him from here on out. The billionaire huffed out an exasperated breath, but stopped talking.

Peter continued hesitantly. "And as soon as I webbed away most of the guns, and realized I'd been shot, I got out of there right away, just like you said, I promise , sir!" He was starting to slur his words.

Tony's brow furrowed, and he opened his mouth to argue a point, then just closed it again, readjusting slightly to get his arm out of the way as the doctor came up to inspect the bullet hole in Peter's shoulder.

May moved her chair back and moved to the other side, setting her hand next to Tony's on Peter's uninjured arm.

The doctor tsk-ed at the wound, wiping away the excess blood with an alcohol wipe. Peter hissed briefly at the sensation.

"Unfortunately, this has started to heal over, but the leg was a priority," she said with sympathy in her voice. "Scalpel, please? And tweezers." She prodded it lightly, then said, "I need you take a deep breath for me, Peter, and then hold very still."

"So you ran out of web fluid while you were actively swinging?" May asked, drawing his eyes back to her and hopefully distracting him from the needle she saw the doctor picking up. Probably a local anesthetic to help top off the pain medication he was on, but she knew how he felt about needles.

"Uh yeah, and I almost landed it, but then my leg just kinda crumpled, and it really hurt," he finished with a slight whimper.

"Pretty sure we've talked about not trying to "land" stuff like that, Pete," Tony said in quiet exasperation. "A forward roll is a much better way to absorb the impact."

All of a sudden Peter yelped quietly and tried to turn his head towards the arm where Dr. Brewer was injecting the lidocaine. Tony blocked his view of it with his hand, turning him back to look at May.

"Eyes over there, Spiderling. Yes, it's a needle, but she's almost done," he assured the teenager. Peter looked a little woozy, and May snapped her fingers to make him focus his gaze on her.

"Stay with us, mister," she instructed. You don't want her digging around in your shoulder without at least trying to numb it."

"That makes me feel loads better, May. Thanks for that visual," Peter said dryly, flinching a little as the scalpel went in to re-open the wound so Dr. Brewer could get to the bullet.

"You've got this, Spiderman ," said Tony softly, pushing his cheek against Peter's in support.

May hated that he was in pain, but hopefully it would be over soon. He had released her hand as soon as the doctor moved up to his shoulder, but she rubbed his leg, hoping her touch brought him some comfort.

The doctor was, thankfully, fast and efficient, and even decided no stitches were necessary, much to Peter's relief. "I'd say it would definitely leave a scar otherwise," she said, "but look who I'm talking to." She bandaged it quickly, surface-cleaned the other two bullet holes (entry and exit - her kid was basically full of holes right now), and then left them with instructions for him to stay overnight and get re-checked before leaving in the morning.

Tony moved to a chair next to the bed, and he and May got Peter settled. The pain medication was making him pretty sleepy, and May was sure he'd be out within fifteen or twenty minutes at the most.

Tony left for a moment and came back with a protein drink and a straw. Peter made a face at it and Tony didn't even let him get started. "I don't want to hear it. You need food to heal, and it's been hours since you ate anything, according to Karen. This is the fastest way to get some serious calories in you. Drink this, and then you can sleep. Or not. You can even pick what's on TV, if you're not tired." Yeah, right. The teenager's eyes were already stuck at half-mast.

"What if I don't drink it, we're watching Murder, She Wrote ?" Peter was awake enough to sass his mentor, anyway, and May hid her smile. He'd always had a snarky side, but mostly opted for polite with adults unless he was super comfortable with them. Of course, Tony Stark had more bite than any angsty teenager when he was on one, but she'd noticed Peter held his own quite easily with the billionaire.

"Oh no, we're definitely watching golf if you don't drink that."

"Where are you gonna find golf this time of night?" The boy's screwed up expression told what he thought of that as a spectator sport, especially on a screen.

"You really want to test FRIDAY and I?" Tony asked cheerfully, hands on his hips. Peter fake-glared at him, and held out his hand for the shake.

May shook her head in amusement at the pair of them. She touched Peter's arm to draw his attention. "Do you want me to stay, baby?" I can stay here, or in a guest room, if you want." She knew the Tower was always open to her, and she saw Tony nod in her periphery.

"Oh, no way, Aunt May. You had a super long day, and you could sleep in tomorrow if you go home." He peered at the clock. Almost 12:30. "Why don't you go home and get some good sleep. I know you'll do better there. I have everything I need here, and you can come back tomorrow, or if they'll let me, I can come home tomorrow afternoon." He was still making sense, but his words were getting harder to understand. "Tony doesn't sleep anyway. He likes staying up with me," he said with a loopy grin at the engineer. Tony scoffed at him and shook his head, but he was smiling.

May brushed Peter's hair back from his forehead, and his eyes fluttered shut. She pressed a kiss to his forehead, considering. She loved him so fiercely. It was hard to leave him, but she knew he'd be out for at least eight hours after he fell asleep, and she trusted Tony to hover even more than she would.

"That okay with you?" she quietly asked the man next to her, who was watching her nephew carefully as the teen tried to finish the shake before he fell asleep.

Tony blinked at her, and said quickly, "Of course, May. Why don't you go home and get some rest. He's gonna be boring tonight, anyway."

Peter made a slight squawk of offense. "I'm always excitin'. Just for that I'm gonna sing to you all night. I know all the verses of Found a Peanut . Wanna hear?"

Tony looked at Peter with contrived concern and enthusiasm. "That sounds fantastic! Right after you take a little nap," he said brightly to Peter. Peter looked at him suspiciously, but was too spacey to know exactly what he was being teased about.

May didn't try to hide her amusement, and gave Peter another kiss on his forehead and then a quick hug. She stood, picking up her purse, and surprised Tony with a hug of his own. It took him a second to return it, but he did, warmly.

"Hey FRI? Put on Empire Records ," Peter said sleepily. What?

"He means The Empire Strikes Back ," Tony said with a grin, moving towards the couch that pulled out into a twin-sized bed, and starting to pull the cushions off.

"I knew that, Boss," his A.I. said calmly, already queuing up the opening fanfare.

May walked outside the door and gestured for Tony to follow her. They stepped outside, and she said, "You're sure it's okay if I go? I know he'll probably just sleep all night, but I don't want to have him need me and not be here."

"May, he'll always need you. But he should be fine tonight, and I'm not planning to leave him. You know he'll be happier if you go home and get a good night's rest, then come see him tomorrow. He almost wouldn't let me call you, because he said you'd probably had a really long day."

"I know. He feels guilty for too many things that aren't his fault. "

"And not guilty enough for some things that are," Tony said, with a hint of tomorrow's stern conversations glittering in his eyes.

"You wouldn't actually listen to him and not call me about something like this, right?" She was pretty sure she knew the answer, but needed to hear it.

"Are you kidding? I do value my life," he teased.

She sighed, but smiled softly. "Thank you."

He looked truly surprised. "What for?"

"For being here for him. For helping him figure this stuff out, and for doing your best to keep him in line, and… and alive. I appreciate you. And he needs you. Just… thank you."

Tony ducked his head, actually looking humble for once. "I can't think of anywhere better to be, May. Well, minus the anesthetic smell and that lovely pull-out couch in there," he said with amusement. "That kid… he's something else. Just keeping him alive is almost a full-time job," he joked. There was a hint of pain around his eyes, though. May knew he'd been as worried as she had tonight. And every night that this happened.

"Right? We've got to stop meeting like this," she said with a tired smile, glancing at her watch.

"Do you work tomorrow?" Tony asked.

"No, not until about noon on Sunday."

"Why don't you plan to come and just stay for dinner tomorrow. Pepper would love it, Pete could rest a little longer, and then you can stay the night, or take him home, or whatever works for you guys." He looked a little nervous, but his offer seemed sincere. She'd been over for dinner several times, but she hadn't ever come for a longer period and just hung out with the Starks like that.

"Okay. That sounds nice, actually."

"Tony?" Peter's voice came from inside the room.

"Right there, Pete," he called, smiling apologetically at May, before turning to see what the teenager needed. May sighed, feeling a little bad about leaving, but knowing she would definitely sleep better at home, and knowing Tony would take good care of Peter.

She enjoyed the (relatively) quiet streets on the way home, so she had time for some reflection. It was hard to "share" Peter sometimes, both with the world as Spiderman, and with Tony as Peter, but it was also reassuring to know she wasn't the only person he had to lean on. After Ben had died, and she'd been all Peter had left, it had made her really anxious sometimes, wondering if she could give him all the support he needed, or worrying about him if anything happened to her , too. She was glad she had gone with her gut instead of with what her logic told her about 15-year-olds being masked vigilantes, and hanging out with billionaires of questionable repute. And with time, she had started to realize they were both good influences on each other and she was grateful that fate had brought the man into Peter's life. Tony seemed more grounded, less selfish, and kinder than when she first met him, and Peter's confidence had blossomed as he started spending lots of time with the older genius.

It didn't keep her from wishing Peter was just a normal kid, living a normal life, and that their family (complete with Ben) and life was just boring and predictable, but she also knew Peter was no ordinary kid, and was meant to do great things, both as a superhero, and as a genius in his own right. She felt like even if Ben was still here, they might still need outside support for a lot of this. She was glad Peter also had Tony to lean on and to learn from, and for the security and back-up his presence provided for her and Peter as she tried to finish raising her extraordinary nephew. If she was still on her own in this whole "parenting" thing, she thought she'd be a little too unsure, and a little too scared of what might happen, and she would end up holding Peter back.

But she wasn't on her own, and as much as she could do without the middle-of-the-night meetings in Medbay, she seldom felt panicked or overwhelmed by Peter's superhero-ing, because she knew Tony was mostly handling that part of it. She could do the other stuff. The take-out dinners and puzzles and parent-teacher conferences. The Brooklyn 99 marathons and 5-backpacks-a-semester and last-minute wardrobe crises. The late-night snuggles on the couch, and subsequent talks about friendship and crushes (though he hadn't mentioned anyone but his MJ in quite a while now… hmm) and insecurities and hopes and dreams. She could do that stuff. But it was so nice to have someone else to help with the things she didn't know how to help with, and couldn't advise him on. She still worried a lot. But she had faith in her kid, and faith that he had good people on his side, and hoped he would continue to be okay. She was grateful he was (mostly) okay tonight. She prayed he would continue to be okay, and that their love and care could help him stay safe through many more nights of being both a typical teenage kid, but also a "friendly neighborhood Spiderman."

Part 2: Redux

May was usually the one receiving the late-night calls, but apparently it was her turn to make one. She'd been woken shortly before midnight not by her phone, but by a crash from the other room. She'd jumped out of bed and run into Peter's room to find him looking bewildered, and frankly, terrified, all tangled in a sheet on the floor. Apparently he'd taken his bedtime lamp with him when he'd fallen out of bed, which added to the crash.

"May?" His eyes were unfocused, and as she hurried to help him to a sitting position, she found he was sweaty, and trembling.

"Sweetheart, what's wrong?"

"Just a dream? Everyone's okay?" he asked. Then brokenly, "Tony?"

May hurried to wrap her arms around her disoriented nephew. "What? Honey, everyone's fine. I'm sure Tony's fine, too, sweetheart. Did you have a nightmare?"

"Um… yeah. I guess."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Peter shook his head, closing his eyes tightly and wiping at the tears there.

"How about some hot chocolate? Want to come in the living room?" He considered this, and nodded, standing up and offering her a hand to get up as well, though he still seemed unsteady on his feet.

Twenty minutes later he was sitting on the couch with his mug, staring into space, and not looking any more settled. Well, this wasn't going to work. Peter had school tomorrow, and he'd already missed Monday that week because of his broken ankle. It was still tender, but he should be able to walk normally, without a brace, even by next week. And for just moving around the house, he wasn't even using that. But he needed to sleep to go to school. She'd suggested he try to go back to his bed, but he'd adamantly refused, telling her she should go ahead and go to bed herself, though. As if she could do that while he was in this state.

"I'm calling Tony."

"What? May, no!" Peter's eyes finally focused on her, alarmed.

"Peter, you're obviously still upset about your dream, and if you can't talk to me about it, I'm calling him. What are the chances he's actually asleep?"

He glanced at the clock and reluctantly said "Low. I can just text him though. Like you said, just a dream. I'm sure he's fine." He didn't sound sure in any way. "Don't bother him, May." The last came out as a bit of a whine.

"Overruled." He made a noise of disagreement, and she just stared at him with an eyebrow raised, then walked into the kitchen and made the call.

"May? Is everything okay?"

"Yes, mostly. Were you headed to bed?"

"Mmm. Probably should be, but I wasn't yet. What's up?"

"Peter had a nightmare, and I think it involved something happening to you. He's been unsettled since, and I can't get him to go back to bed. Any chance you want to come by so he can see that you're okay? Oh, and I'm making this call over his strong objection." She knew Peter was listening, and knew he wouldn't want Tony thinking he'd asked her to call him.

"Of course. Give me ten minutes?"

"Thanks, Tony."

Fifteen minutes later there was a knock on the door. Tony was dressed in track pants and a band t-shirt so old it was almost undecipherable, and looked less rumpled than he should for the middle of the night. He raised a skeptical eyebrow at May. "The elevator's out again?"

"Oh, yeah. Sorry I didn't think to tell you."

"Hmm. I think I might have snuck in through the window versus climbing five floors in the middle of the night. Is this your way of telling me I should be doing more cardio?" She could see the concern in his eyes through his practiced deflection.

"Thanks for coming. He's in the living room." She led the way, and Peter's face greeted her with a pout that made him look about eight years old. She knew he felt ridiculous having Tony come over for something as silly as a nightmare. But there was also still fear in his eyes, and the eager look he got as Tony walked in behind her made her regret nothing.

"Hey, bud. Nightmares again?" the genius asked mildly, immediately sitting down right next to him on the couch and placing a hand on his shoulder. Peter's tension had visibly dropped as Tony made contact, and he nodded, eyes downcast, and a sleeve creeping up to wipe at the unwelcome moisture there.

"I… you're okay, though," Peter said, almost too quietly for May to hear. Tony wasted no time pulling Peter into his arms, and the teenager seemed to melt into his side, relief and exhaustion both apparent.

Tony smiled slightly at May over the top of his head. "Why don't you head to bed, May? I can take it from here."

She eyed the pair tiredly, her desire to be there for Peter warring with the knowledge that she wasn't who he needed tonight. Her 7 AM shift talked some sense into her, and she decided to bow out. It was a little hard to not be the one her kid was turning to right now, but she was still grateful Tony was able and willing to be there, and that he could fill in the gaps where she couldn't fix things. She dropped a kiss on Peter's head, and he mumbled a muffled "Thanks, May," as she headed back in to try to get some sleep.

As May walked through the living room the next morning, almost ready to leave for work, she paused and smiled at the sight. Thankfully, neither of the superheroes were overly tall, because their couch just barely accommodated them, even with the extra pillows removed. Tony was stretched along the back, looking far less intimidating than usual with his dark hair all tousled and his mouth slightly open. She grinned at the two of them, snapping a picture on her phone for Pepper. Peter had evidently retrieved his favorite blanket from his room, because he was wrapped in it like a cocoon, and somehow had managed to fit in right next to his mentor.
Mentor? Was that all he was? Obviously not, and he hadn't been for some time. May had a sudden flashback to finding Ben and Peter snuggled together on this exact couch more than once after Peter had had a particularly rough night, and she had to blink away just a little bit of emotion. Again, bittersweet.

She saw that Peter had brought his phone out as well, probably to make sure his alarm would wake him in time for school. She picked it up and gave them both an extra thirty minutes of sleep, trusting that the great Tony Stark could find a faster way to get her nephew to school than public transportation. She hurried into the kitchen to grab a breakfast bar and her lunch for later, then paused on her way to the door to glance at them one more time. Tony's eyes blinked drowsily as he made eye contact. He raised a questioning eyebrow at May.

"You're okay getting him to school?"

He smiled and nodded slightly, obviously not wanting to disturb Peter.

"See you later, Iron Man," she said softly, letting her honest gratitude show through her expression. "Thanks for another midnight rescue."