Peter's eyes grew as large as saucers as he froze in place. "P-punish?" he stammered.

Tony casually slung an arm over the teenager's shoulder and bodily led him over to the nearby sofa. Peter didn't put up much of a fight but continued staring at Tony like a deer caught in headlights. Tony gave him a little push and the kid plopped down on the sofa like a dead weight.

"You pulled the tracker out of the suit, Pete. You messed around with the suit's capabilities and you lied to me! If you think those things are okay, you're wrong!" Tony stood over the boy, being intimidating very much on purpose. Tony was desperate to make a huge impression on the youngster now so they would never find themselves in this position again.

Peter sat staring up at him but remained quiet.

"Don't look so shell-shocked, kid. You're telling me your aunt doesn't punish you when you screw up?"

Peter blinked. "Uh, well, yah, sure, she does but…like she grounds me or uh… gives me extra chores or something. S-she doesn't like to own anything like…uh…that…" whispered Peter, eying Tony's wrist watch.

Tony followed the kid's line of sight and saw what Peter was most worried about. Tony bit back a smirk and tucked away from the knowledge for later. He found it very interesting to note that Peter seemed to be most worried about him using the gauntlet. Tony had no idea if that threat would ever see the light of day but if the promise worked, he was willing to go with it. The less the kid knew the better and a small part of Tony didn't figure it would make much of an impact anyway. Having it hover in the air like a big scary monster suited Tony better. Tony had seen Peter being tossed around like a ragdoll, thrown into buildings and slammed to the ground; a few swats from his hand paled in comparison. Being afraid of the unknown was a heavy motivator.

"Well, I don't think grounding would work since you don't live with me. I can't take your cell phone away because while I can still track you, your aunt couldn't. The whole idea is to make sure your aunt doesn't find out and that you stay out of danger. Giving you extra chores seems like a waste of time. So, I'm at a loss here, kid, and running out of ideas."

Peter's face paled and he swallowed hard. "I'm s-sorry, Mr. Stark. Please believe me. I just wanted to try and handle things on my own. I admit when I found out about the training wheels application on the suit, I was…"

"How'd you discover that?"

"Uh, well, me and Ned were looking for the tracker to remove it because Happy called and reamed me out for leaving town for the decathlon and…"

"Happy was keeping an eye on you for your own safety, kid. I've been a little busy with figuring out the move of the Avengers…"

Peter fidgeted. "I know, Mr. Stark, it's just when I found out I was being tracked, I felt like it was an invasion of my privacy and uh…"

"Look, Pete, that suit is very technologically advanced. It would be negligent of me to give it to you and just let you have at it."

Peter stood to his feet making Tony step back. "But I just thought it was just a cool suit. How was I to know you made it into some kind of Spiderman weapon? I'm not a kid, Mr. Stark. You should have warned me. I was Spiderman before you met me, remember?" Peter's voice was not disrespectful, just matter of fact.

Tony's hands clenched at his sides. "Peter, that's what you don't get. You are still a kid. Stop being in such a hurry to grow up! Enjoy the ride."

Peter sighed and sat back down. "Easy for you to say."

Tony took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "Well, maybe we both made some mistakes. But you were never supposed to know about the suits perks until you were ready. Probably not even until you were eighteen and an adult. In time, I planned to train you myself. That's why I needed you to stick low to the ground and help out the little guy for a while."

Peter could not keep the look of surprise from his face. Mr. Stark had planned to train him? The man had practically ignored him for two months straight. It was very hard for Peter to believe.

"You once said you can't bullshit a bullshitter, Mr. Stark. I call bullshit."

Tony laughed out loud. "Man, if only Cap was here, kid. He'd so appreciate this moment."

Peter did not see the amusement at all.

Tony tossed his hands up in the air in frustration. "You seriously don't get it, do you?" Tony began to pace in front of Peter. "It must be a kid thing. It has to be a kid thing." Tony stopped and pointed at Peter. "Life doesn't revolve around you, Pete. You're a kid. Your job is to go to school, get good grades, kiss a girl or two and graduate. Leave the rest to the adults. No one asked you to save the world. It's great that you have that passion but, for Pete's sake, you are a kid. It's not your job yet."

"It is my job, Mr. Stark! I'm ready! I have been given enhanced abilities. It would be wrong to just sit on them when people need me."

Tony pointed a finger at Peter. "NO, kid! You've proven that you're not ready. You're impulsive and lack self-control. You have no idea how to handle the big stuff yet but that's okay, you're not supposed to. You're young and you can be trained but the first thing you need to realise is that you are a damned kid, not an adult. It's your time to learn about life. Are you listening to me?"

Peter groaned. "I can do it, Mr. Stark!"

Tony leaned in close, resting one arm on the side of the sofa. "No. Just accept the word, Mr. Parker. You and I will get along a lot better if you just heed it from here on in."

Peter crossed his arms in a huff.

Tony straightened up. He looked at the stubborn kid in front of him. It was becoming obvious to him that the kid wasn't going to be easy to tame. Peter had his own mind.

"Geez, kid. How does your aunt handle your obstinacy?"

"How do the rest of the Avengers handle yours?" Peter snapped.

Tony lifted a brow. Peter Parker surprised him sometimes. He liked the kid's tenacity. He was going to go places in life with his determination. Peter wasn't going to let people push him around but he was also endearing and likeable. It was a nice mix, but it also was a pain in Tony's side. Peter needed to learn that he was a kid and not the one in charge. Tony had no doubt that one day the kid would very easily slide into a position of leadership but now wasn't that time. Now, he needed to learn his place.

"I'll let that one slide, Mr. Parker."

Peter was on his feet right then. "Don't do me any favours!"

Tony's eyes darkened. "You keep trying to pick a fight with me tonight, don't you? What's the deal? Are you pissed at me or just really want a showdown between us?"

Peter narrowed his eyes and his jaw visibly clenched. "For two months, you've ignored me. I've been web-slinging all over Queens. I've checked in with Happy every night and reported everything to him. Not a peep from him or you. Hell, Happy doesn't even text back and you, well, YOU didn't even give me your contact information! How the hell could I have told you anything, huh? You obviously didn't care a rat's ass about me. Why the change of heart?"

"Did Happy answer when you called?" demanded Tony, growing bored with the kid's attitude.

"Well, yah, but I only called if it was important stuff."

"And?" Tony prodded, still looking for the reason why Peter was so angry.

Peter stammered a little, looked flustered but then closed his mouth. He didn't have anything to say in response to that.

"I told you that I was busy, kid. That wasn't a lie. DO you have any idea how complicated things are with the Slovakian accords and the split up of the Avengers? Things are messed up, Peter. I've got a lot of my plate right now and listening to you tell me about rescuing treed cats is just not on my radar right now. I'm sorry if that hurt your feelings."

Peter blinked back tears, his emotions more close to the surface than he realised. "You came to me, Mr. Stark! You involved me. I never asked for it…"

Tony sighed. "I know that, kid, and that's why I let you keep the suit. It was a perk for helping us. I couldn't discuss all the ins and outs just then and I still can't. Everything is so convoluted and top secret…"

Peter shook his head. "Bullshit!"

Tony shook his head. "Alright. Enough. I'm not going to try and convince you of anything. I'm just going to tell you how it is. I'm keeping the suit for a month. I'm going use that time to fix it and make it Ned-proof, and you, my fine Spiderling are grounded from going out as Spiderman until I give you back the suit. Understood?"

"What? No friggin way! You can't do that!"

Tony furrowed his brows, feeling angry this time. "Yes. I. can. Just try and cross me on this, Pete. You don't want me to tell your aunt and I won't. That won't change unless we agree otherwise, however, that means I am your Spiderling guardian and what I say goes. I am not debating with you here. This is an order. If you can't abide by it, I will discipline you like the kid you are."

Peter took a few steps backward away from Tony. His face was red but he wasn't going to back down. Spiderman was part of who he was and no one was going to prevent him from doing what he felt was right. He had his convictions.

"Fine, keep the stupid suit but that won't stop me from being Spiderman. I have my own suit!"

"Those pyjamas? That's no suit, kiddo. That's playing dress up. It's a dangerous job and without the right equipment, you could get seriously hurt so no, you are not going out as Spiderman for an entire month. End of story."

Peter shook his head again. "You aren't my father! I don't have to listen to you!"

Tony stepped forward, releasing the gauntlet on his wristwatch. He grabbed Peter firmly by the wrist and pulled him close. Peter, although angry, was not able to pull away. Tony's iron man gauntlet was strong and there was no way Peter could escape it. Peter was strong but he was still a child.

"Yes, you do need to listen to me or there will be consequences. Care to test me on that, my web-slinging friend?"

Peter could feel Tony's breath on his face. Tony's brown eyes were dangerously darkened and Peter swallowed hard. A part of the teenager was debating just how strong he really was. Could Spiderman take on Ironman with only one wrist gauntlet? Tony Stark did not have enhanced abilities. He was just a normal man. Peter was strong. He didn't even need his suit to give him strength. Not only was he strong, but he was fast too.

"Let me go," dared Peter, his heart racing in his chest.

Tony blinked, almost bewildered by Peter's resolve in the moment. "You really need a show of authority to get through to you? Are you that thick headed?" threatened Tony, forcing himself to stay calm under the challenge.

Peter struggled under Tony's tight grasp on his wrist. "I said let me go, damn it!"

Tony clenched his jaw and released Peter's wrist only to spin him sideways and land a superhuman swat on the kid's backside. Tony knew it was hard so he braced the kid's waist with his other hand so he wouldn't go flying across the room. Tony spun the boy around and stuck a finger in his face.

"Spiderman is grounded. No exceptions!"

Tony stared at Peter sternly, looking for the impact, if any, that he had made on the kid. Peter's eyes were wide and Tony could see the kid working hard to blink back tears. Perhaps, the gauntlet did have the power to make an impact on the kid. Tony's heart rate increased. Maybe it had too much power. Maybe he'd injured the boy or left a bruise. He'd walloped him with a good deal of force.

Peter licked his lips, fiercely blinking back tears. "Stop treating me like a stupid kid!" he shouted and ran towards the glass doors to escape up the stairs. He stopped when he reached them and yanked on the door. Tony watched feeling guilty.

"You can't get out without the code, Pete."

Peter stood at the doors, not looking at Tony. His hands were trembling and he felt trapped.

Tony walked towards him and tried to place a hand on his shoulders, but Peter pulled away.

"Did I hurt you, Peter?" Tony felt guilt pinch his gut, second-guessing the gauntlet. He had no clue how much force it held behind it.

Peter stood quietly but still trembling.

"Just leave me the hell alone, alright? Let me go! I hate you!"