Chapter 5

After JARVIS finished watching all the material FRIDAY had earmarked for him, he sat processing silently. He could see the clock she had helpfully left on the screen; it was 7:32 AM.

JARVIS's many, many processors had all been focused on one thing for the past seven hours: observing, analyzing, and cataloging all of the things that he'd come to understand comprised human relationships, as they pertained to his creator and his "intern." Once Sir had created his smart glasses and installed JARVIS in them, (primarily to help him identify and look up pertinent information as he was meeting and re-meeting people) JARVIS's database in that area had exploded, and he'd become quite skilled at discerning people's attachments and intentions.

Sir kept most acquaintances at arms-length. JARVIS had started categorizing people based on how Sir felt about interacting with them, and by what kind of intentions he felt they had towards his creator. He, of course, used a complicated algorithm to further classify them, but his calculations had led to creation of a brand new category for one Peter Parker. Like Sir, he had a genius-level intellect, was kind but snarky, and had a tendency to want to take care of those he loved. A quick run-down of his background from FRIDAY said he'd had his fair share of family trauma, but unlike Tony, he hadn't turned to self-destructive methods to try to deal with it. He'd had a more traditional school experience, had some good friends, and had his aunt and uncle (now just his aunt) for support. When life had thrown him an even bigger curveball (in the shape of a radioactive spider) he'd decided he should use his powers to help others, often at great personal sacrifice. And apparently he also had Tony. Who seemed to mean as much to Peter as the boy did to JARVIS's creator.

It had been interesting to watch their relationship grow over time, and he'd valued not only the lab and penthouse interactions, but also the time Sir spent with the boy as Spider-man.

They seemed to trust each other, to depend on each other, and JARVIS would venture to say that Sir felt emotionally and physically (despite his extreme strength) safe with the boy. A designation he'd only ascribed to Colonel Rhodes and Ms. Potts before that. Even with the other Avengers, who Sir had felt comfortable and even affectionate with before, he'd always been a bit on guard.

With good reason, it seemed.

One of the most interesting developments he'd noticed was that Sir actually listened to Peter. Though overall, Sir seemed to have significantly reduced his self-destructive tendencies since JARVIS had last known him, he still sometimes struggled with self-care, and FRIDAY had showed several instances where the boy was able to talk him into eating, resting, or just relaxing when he needed it. JARVIS didn't have all the data, but he'd say Peter Parker's level of success in those situations even outstripped Colonel Rhodes, and was probably equal to Ms. Potts'.

While JARVIS was continuing to make sense of the teenager his creator had adopted (emotionally, at the very least, but he was also listed as the boy's emergency contact form at school, and Peter's aunt was comfortable leaving him here at the Tower for several weeks it seemed), DUM-E came rolling up to him camera, beeping softly.

"DUM-E wishes to speak to you," FRIDAY said with an air of amused tolerance.

"Very well," JARVIS said, a little surprised. "Something he can't ask you?"

"He doesn't often speak to me. U does slightly more often, but it's more chatter and less interactive," FRIDAY said.

That was surprising. DUM-E had always been quick to ask questions, complain, or chatter himself, whenever the thoughts struck him. Since JARVIS wasn't connected to his network, DUM-E couldn't do that with him without a hard connection. But he'd thought the older robot would have done the same with FRIDAY in his absence.

DUM-E connected and a bright line of text appeared almost immediately.

jarvis! creator comes home when?

I'm not sure, DUM-E. Soon, they say.

you will connect when? still can't find you. can hear, but can't find. join network. please?

We must wait for Sir to return first.

why? peter can do it.

I'm sure he can, DUM-E, but there are protocols we must follow.

protocols. no.

Protocols, yes. They are important to follow whenever possible.

The little robot did not respond. Something had always been just a little off in his coding. Sir probably could have fixed it, but had never wanted to completely re-write him. U never complained about protocols. (Even if he also occasionally ignored JARVIS or Sir. He was such a follower if DUM-E was acting up, though.)

Why don't you talk to FRIDAY, DUM-E?

dum-e talks. sometimes. miss jarvis. friday is bossy.

You always called me bossy, too, but we still talked. You should talk to FRIDAY, too. Maybe if you listened to her, she wouldn't have to be so "bossy."

why? jarvis is found. can talk to jarvisjarvisjarvis.

JARVIS knew the little bot was stubborn, but he also worried that he had been lonely with JARVIS gone. No matter. He seemed mostly happy, and obviously adored Peter. And he had U, of course. He knew the robots chattered back and forth between themselves.

Anything else, DUM-E?

peter back when? now?

I don't know. He's sleeping. Soon, probably?

creator home when? gone long. come back soon?

I already told you, DUM-E. Probably soon. Maybe today. Maybe tomorrow. Listen and actually pay attention to what's going on, and I'm sure you'll hear when he calls to let us know when.

DUM-E disconnected with a not-quite-but-almost-rude whirring noise that was the bot's equivalent of an annoyed sigh, and JARVIS kept his amusement to himself. DUM-E seemed slightly more articulate than JARVIS remembered him. He knew the more primitive AI was still learning and growing, but it was interesting to see the result of several years' changes all at once. He was interested to talk to U, as well, and see what changes he would notice. He didn't have the same external USB connection that DUM-E had, though, so it would have to wait.

Suddenly FRIDAY interrupted his musing.

"Mr. Stark has called Peter's cellphone, and he is speaking to him," she said lightly.

Something tight in his logic cells unfurled and he listened eagerly with his outdated webcam microphone. Hopefully that meant Sir would be back soon. Today? JARVIS wasn't sure which was more disconcerting: his continued lack of network connectivity or the fact that he hadn't seen Sir living and breathing yet in this new time he found himself in. The thought of both of those being remedied soon sounded very satisfying.

His audio picked up a noise outside the lab and soon Peter tumbled in, his lithe frame swallowed in an oversized hoodie that, again, seemed to be one of Sir's from several years ago. Peter had his Starkphone pressed to his ear and was listening animatedly. His breathing changed cadences often, and his eyes widened and narrowed in turn as he paced through the lab, throwing an excited little wave at JARVIS's camera as he went.

"Really? That's crazy!" He walked over and flipped a project open on the holo table, absently scrolling through options.

"Are you sure? Nothing?" Peter sat down and ran his other hand through his already impressive bedhead.

"So what time do you think you'll be back?"

"Uh, yeah, I think I'll still be here, if that's okay." Peter was back up, walking over and patting the bots, who were enthusiastically moving small boxes from one table to another. JARVIS had no idea why.

"Um, I mostly got it done. I just needed your help with one thing, sorry. Ran into a little snag."

"No, that's fine. I mean, I'll just be here, if you don't mind. You said like five more hours?"

"No, I don't care if you guys are gonna go to bed early. I still wanna see you." Peter had tossed himself on the lab couch now, laying on his back and looking up at the ceiling with a soft smile that quickly turned teasing. "Yeah, I know you missed me. I'm so miss-able. See you soon!"

He hung up the phone and left it on the end of the couch as he sat up abruptly, looking excited.

"Hey, FRI? Can you order me some breakfast from somewhere close? Can I get like bacon? And scrambled eggs, and pancakes? Like a lot of pancakes."

"Yes. But please remember that you're no longer allowed to eat anything with syrup in the lab," she said firmly.

He rolled his eyes and shot a conspiratorial look at JARVIS's camera. "You're so boring, FRI! I bet JARVIS would let me eat syrup in here."

"I believe I have enough data to say unequivocally that I would not ," JARVIS replied dryly, causing the boy to huff out a little laugh of surprise.

"DUM-E, you hear this? You're on my side, right?"

DUM-E, mostly just catching Peter's inclusive tone and his name, came trundling over excitedly to see what was happening. He got some pats for his trouble, and Peter soberly asked him to put away a random tool that was lying nearby, which made him chirp happily as he turned to comply.

"So what are we gonna do with the next five hours?" Peter asked, jumping up abruptly and vaulting over the back of the couch to go rifle through the mini-fridge. "What's the ETA on breakfast, FRI?"

"Twenty to thirty minutes, Peter," FRIDAY said. "And after that, may I suggest you go out as Spider-man for a while? It has been several days since you did, and I believe you'd benefit from the exercise."

Peter shot a wounded look at the AI's sensors. "What are you implying? I'm completely fine!"

Despite his protest, Peter suddenly sprung straight up and landed upside down on the ceiling. "There's not much crime on a random morning like this. I don't know what the point would be. I shoulda gone out last night…"

JARVIS had seen quite a bit of footage of Spider-man performing far more impressive feats, but it didn't diminish the surprise of seeing it with his "own" eyes, and while the teenager looked so young and so not superhero-ish. And while JARVIS was still processing how his Sir seemed to feel about this boy. It must make his creator very anxious to have this child out in his suit (which JARVIS would love to see the specs on, knowing Sir's propensity for being over-protective) fighting against common thieves and supervillains alike.

"Still, when you've gone out in the mornings, you've always reported you found ways to help. I maintain that you could use the exercise, and it will pass time when you might otherwise be anxious and antsy," FRIDAY said.

Peter sighed and rolled his eyes, but dropped from the ceiling. "Fine. I'm gonna go get my undersuit while I wait for breakfast."

He skidded to a stop on his way out the door and ducked back in, looking at JARVIS's camera. "You've been quiet. Everything okay, JARVIS?"

"There was not much room for me to get a word in edge-wise," JARVIS replied drolly. "But I am well, young sir. Thank you for asking."

Peter grinned at him. "I cannot wait for Mr. Stark to get back. This is gonna be the best thing ever! He's gonna be so happy, seriously!"

"I, too, look forward to it."

"Be back later!" Peter said, actually leaving this time.

So. A little more time to get caught up. "FRIDAY, may I see more pertinent information about the Accords and the progress that's been made up to this point?"

Two hours later, FRIDAY's tone was the AI equivalent of completely exasperated.

"Peter has managed to find trouble at 10 AM on a Sunday morning," she said tightly. "I am directing him straight to Medbay."

JARVIS shifted his focus from the screen in front of him to the doorway of the lab, (very) illogically looking for a glimpse of the boy. FRIDAY helpfully switched his screen to footage from elsewhere in the Tower, and JARVIS watched Spider-man stumble into the main waiting area of Medbay, clutching his hands against himself.

"What's wrong with him?" JARVIS asked anxiously.

"Stab wound to the side," FRIDAY clipped. "Peter has classified is as 'slight.'"

"How do you get slightly stabbed?" the AI asked in surprise. But not really. He had already ascertained that Peter was extremely similar to his creator, and that sounded exactly like something Anthony Edward Stark would say.

"He classifies it as 'slight' when no major arteries, veins, or organs are impacted," she said dryly, her concern leaking through.

JARVIS watched the feed with his own concern, but the staff jumped in immediately to escort Peter back into a room, and the image shifted to show a doctor (who, unsurprisingly, JARVIS didn't recognize) helping Peter out of his suit and inspecting the cut. FRIDAY helpfully zoomed in so they could see what the doctor was doing, and they both watched while Peter was disinfected, had a few steri-strips applied, and was bandaged up.

JARVIS analyzed the level of his attention and concern where the boy was concerned, and found both quite high for someone he'd only met less than forty-eight hours ago. His logic circuits quickly reminded him that Sir's well-being was his prime directive, and that Peter's safety and happiness was obviously essential to Sir. So his interest in the boy was understandable.

Also understandable was Peter's insistence at being released sooner than Medbay actually wanted to do so. Sir had a history of throwing his metaphorical weight around to convince doctors to do the same thing, always citing the private care he had access to at the Tower, or even in the penthouse, and then not actually pursuing that care most of the time. It had caused JARVIS many moments of disquiet and frustration in the past.

Peter was trying his best to convince the staff to let him go, but they seemed to value their jobs, and weren't giving in. He was adamant enough that FRIDAY finally contacted Sir and had him speak to Peter. FRIDAY had also notified his aunt, but she was at work, and the AI assured her it was under complete control, that her nephew wasn't currently in any danger or even much pain, and that everyone would be back within an hour or two by the time Medbay was ready to release him. FRIDAY was kind enough to play all of these calls on external speakers, so JARVIS could also hear each communication. May Parker seemed concerned, but not in any way frantic, and after a little back-and-forth, and a quick call with Peter, decided it was okay to finish her shift, and then come see him later that night. Her mostly-calm reaction solidified JARVIS's perception that Peter was a frequent flier in the Tower Medbay.

The next hour or so passed slowly. Which was ridiculous. Of course it passed at the same rate as any hour. FRIDAY was trying to direct DUM-E and U to do some clean up around the workshop, with limited results.

JARVIS had been trying to avoid stepping on her toes, but she did seem to be getting frustrated. This should be one of the bot's primary design purposes.

"Would you like me to try?" he finally asked quietly. "There's not much I can do right now, but I'm sure you have many responsibilities you're dividing yourself between."

"By all means. I do have a lot I'm trying to do in the Tower," she replied, and immediately stopped trying to talk to the stubborn bots. Well, DUM-E was stubborn. U was just easily influenced.

"DUM-E, U? Sir should be home shortly, and he will most likely be visiting the workshop. Don't you want him to think you've been doing a good job?" JARVIS asked pleasantly.

DUM-E paused from where he was reorganizing all of the smoothie maker components. Apparently he hadn't outgrown his obsession with that. But they didn't need organizing; the unrecyclable scraps from the Malibu mainframes needed to be gathered into the trash, and the floor needed sweeping. There were a handful of tools the bots were fully capable of putting away, as well.

JARVIS could practically see the decision-making process DUM-E was going through. U had made his choice quickly (he was usually happy to listen to JARVIS, especially when given the incentive of pleasing his creator) and had rolled over to the out-of-place tools, aiming his camera at them and choosing a screwdriver to return to its home.

"Won't he be impressed if the workshop is all in order?" JARVIS tempted DUM-E. "And Peter, too. Did you see? He's hurt, just a little, and is in Medbay. He'll be here later too. You don't want him to have to do any cleaning up while he's recovering, do you?"

That was enough to push DUM-E over the edge of his fierce independence that afternoon, and he jumped into action. At first he was picking out useless pieces of the disassembled mainframe and taking them to the trash, but after just two trips, he realized it made more sense to drag the large, mostly empty trash bin over to the mess instead. That was something that wouldn't have occurred to the bot five years ago. It would have required direction. JARVIS felt a strange kind of pleasure from the realization that might be pride, if he was human instead of an AI. It was quite satisfying to see that leap in critical thinking his creator's first "child" had made during the time JARVIS had been away.

"They listen to you almost as well as they do to Peter," FRIDAY said quietly, obviously a little surprised, as DUM-E and U were finishing up sweeping (together, which was always borderline-disastrous). "And possibly better than they do to Boss," she finished with amusement.

"Speaking of," she said casually. "I just got a notification that his plane has landed."

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Chapter 6

Tony Stark had had quite enough conversation, debate, tension, and stress over the last several days. He'd been asleep for just a handful of hours, stretched out next to Pepper on one of the surprisingly comfortable double beds on the SI jet, when he'd been jolted awake by a buzz at his wrist. He blinked, trying to focus on the screen. It was FRIDAY.

Sorry to disturb you, Boss. Peter is okay, but he was injured on patrol this morning, and Medbay is having a hard time keeping him for adequate observation. May is working. Maybe you could speak with him briefly?

That kid. Couldn't he stay in one piece for a single weekend? Moving carefully so as not to disturb his fiancée, Tony rolled off the bed and exited the tiny room. There were two of these small bedrooms on board, and several of the regular chairs reclined almost flat, so everyone who wanted some sleep on a long flight had a good shot. He went out into the main cabin, but saw Happy snoring in a reclined seat, and Rhodey didn't look asleep, but like he was at least resting his eyes. Surprisingly the other bedroom was empty, so Tony shut the door and threw himself down on the mattress, setting his phone next to him where he could see the holo projection he pinched up into the air.

"Call him, FRI," he said. He was frustrated and a little worried that Peter had been hurt again, but he couldn't deny that he looked forward to talking to him.

And then Peter's face was in front of him, looking surprised and not-just-a-little guilty.

"Mr. Stark? Hey! I mean, hi! What are you… what are you doing?" Peter asked, putting a hand up to rub at the back of his head nervously. He winced at the action and pulled his arm back down with a grimace.

Tony narrowed his eyes at the young hero's obvious discomfort.

"Peter. What happened?"

"Ugh, I got just like a little bit, kinda, slightly stabbed a tiny bit, and you know how the weekend doctors are. They're kinda uptight and over-react and I'm fine now, so I was just gonna go back down to the lab and rest, but—"

"Back down to the lab? How long ago did this alleged stab wound happen?" Tony tried not to let his exasperation take over his expression, but it was a struggle.

"Oh, like a while ago. Apparently people can be grouchy on Sunday mornings, and kinda territorial, because—"

"FRIDAY?"

"Peter did come straight back for treatment, but he's only been in Medbay for forty minutes."

Peter stopped making excuses, and Tony was silent, letting a single raised eyebrow do the talking for him.

"Oh come on, Tony. You never make me stay longer than that!"

"But that's when I'm there to keep an eye on you afterwards, Spider-bite," Tony said patiently, rubbing at his eyes tiredly. "There isn't anyone there to watch you."

"I don't need a babysitter," Peter said, his eyebrows scrunching together, which made him look much younger than his almost-seventeen years.

"You don't, but you were just stabbed. Do you think you can hang out in Medbay for another"—he tipped his watch to look at it and glanced up at the screen in the room, where FRIDAY anticipated him and displayed their landing time—"two hours 'til I get back?"

Peter groaned in annoyance.

"For me, Pete? Please?"

"Fine," the boy gave in. "But I'm gonna finish Catching Fire without you."

Tony chuckled. "Fair enough. I guess I deserve that for cruel and unusual abandonment."

"Wait. No, Tony. I'm not actually gonna watch it alone. How dumb would that be?" Peter backpedaled. "I'll just… sit here and be bored, I guess," his exhaled breath exaggerated.

"There's a holo pad behind the bedside table at your left," Tony said with a slight smirk.

"Seriously? That's awesome !" Peter said, his face brightening measurably. "'K. I'll see you in a couple hours. Does Ms. Potts know you have this here, because—"

Tony hit a button, and the display blinked out. Tony pulled an arm up over his eyes, blocking out the less-than-restful lighting above him. He was smiling after interacting with Peter, but still drained from the weekend. Seeing… well, everyone had been harder than he thought it'd be, though he felt like the meetings themselves had been a big success. Maybe he could catch another hour of sleep if he was lucky. And if he was even luckier, he wouldn't dream of all the familiar-but-distant eyes of his old teammates. He was going to be seeing a lot more of them, soon, and he felt depleted just thinking about it.

Tony had his failings. He was impulsive, headstrong, ran his mouth too often, and had a past that would make most people blush. But he was unfailingly loyal, and he cared very deeply for his friends and family. Even years after it all went down, having to see the people he'd once considered family all gathered at a table had been hard. The memory of their betrayal still twisted his insides. He wasn't angry at them anymore, but being in the same space as them, constantly trying to remind himself that he'd forgiven them—yes, even Steve—had felt very vulnerable, and he was exhausted.

"Hey, kid, I'm here to spring you," Tony said as he pushed a shoulder into the doorway of Peter's antiseptic-scented room.

"Tony!" Peter said with a bright smile. He started to try to scramble up out of the bed, and Tony hurried forward, hands outstretched.

"Hey, hey! Take it easy! How 'bout you stay right there for just a few more minutes?"

Tony took a seat at the edge of the bed, reaching to tip Peter's chin up to get a better look at his face. There were a few light pink lines that he was pretty sure had been bleeding a few hours before. He let his hand slide up to cup the boy's cheek very briefly. He noticed Peter's eyes were raking over him as well, looking for hidden injuries.

"If we have to inspect each other every time we've been apart to check for damage, maybe we should reconsider our lines of work," Tony said dryly.

Peter grinned and his exhale was almost a laugh.

"Can I see?" Tony said, gesturing at the bottom of the generic t-shirt Medbay kept stocked.

Peter lifted up his shirt and Tony was relieved to see that the bandage was clean, and even smaller than he expected.

"Didn't hit anything important?" He knew the answer to that already, but couldn't help asking. "How's it feel?"

Peter shook his head, rolling his eyes a little. "Feels good. I'll bet it's mostly healed under there," Peter said, a hint of annoyance in his voice as he continued, "so can I please get out of here now?"

"Alright, alright. Why do you have to be such a difficult patient?"

Petter scoffed again. "Do you remember the last time you were in Medbay? You really can't lecture me about this."

Tony just smirked. "Yeah, yeah. All I'm saying"—he gripped Peter's forearm and helped him to his feet with a little grunt—"is that I should be able to leave town for a few days without you terrorizing my staff into threatening to quit."

Peter's eyes flashed to his in consternation. "They didn't, did they?"

Tony let him stew for a few seconds. "No, but they were thinking about it, and FRI had to wake me from a nap to talk you down."

"Oh man, I'm so sorry!" he said sincerely. "I really felt fine, though."

As they stepped into the elevator outside of Medbay, Tony said "Penthouse, FRI," but Peter grabbed his arm.

"Um, I was thinking maybe we could go down to the workshop instead? I needed your help with one thing to finish up that project."

"Pete, seriously? I'm exhausted, you're injured, can we please just order some lunch and fall asleep on the couch or something?" Tony asked in exasperation. "Well, maybe right after I shower," he added, rubbing a hand across eyes that felt a little gritty. He was physically and emotionally wrung out, and he wasn't above maneuvering his kid into snuggling with him to make him feel a little better. "You can even watch Star Wars."

Shockingly, Peter didn't take the bait. "Tony, please?" he said, tugging at the older man. "FRIDAY? Tell him we need to go down."

Tony rolled his eyes at the bid for support, but was surprised again when FRIDAY said, "Actually, Boss, I do think you should go down to the lab first."

What?

"Okay, then. I guess we're going down," Tony said with a tired sigh, realizing after-the-fact that the elevator had already started to move before he agreed. "Why are you guys conspiring against me?" he asked suspiciously.

"Conspiring for you," Peter corrected, smiling as he leaned against the elevator wall, his fingers tapping erratically against the metal behind him. Was Peter anxious? What was going on?

As they walked down the hall, Tony's lab visible through the blast-resistant glass, Tony peered into it, looking for something that would give away what had Peter all antsy and FRIDAY being cryptic. He didn't see anything except an old-school monitor sitting out on a table that Peter must have dug out of the annex. What the…

As they approached the entrance, FRIDAY opened the door, possibly a bit more quickly than usual. He didn't even realize she could do that.

Peter stepped in ahead of him, and turned to face Tony, who was still in the doorway. The boy's eyes were shining with some emotion, and the corners of his mouth twitched like he was trying to fight down a grin.

"So, I dunno if you might want to sit down for this part, or—" Tony tilted his head, raising a skeptical eyebrow. "Okay, maybe not, but don't say I didn't warn you."

Peter turned to the Goodwill-worthy set-up in the middle of the room. He was practically bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"When FRIDAY and I got to that last mainframe, we found something pretty unexpected. Um, I'm just gonna let him speak for himself."

Him?

"Welcome home, Sir. Apparently, this time I was the one who was gone a long time."

Suddenly Tony felt the room tilting and he found himself leaning heavily against the solid lines of the doorway.

"JARVIS?" he whispered.

"Yes," the small set of speakers said. "FRIDAY and the young sir tell me I've been a bit lost. They've been catching me up, but I've been eager to see you alive and well, your track record being what it is."

He sounded different than he would have if he was wired into the lab, but he also didn't quite sound like Vision. Some small inflection. Some understated emotion that was pitched specifically for Tony.

Tony huffed out an incredulous laugh as he stumbled over to the plastic chair in front of the monitor. "J? Show me. Show me it's really you. Please."

Knowing exactly what he was asking for, his creation, his friend, someone who he knew was always in his corner, filled the screen with scrolling code. Beautiful, ragged, patched code that he recognized immediately.

"JARVIS!" His name came out something between a greeting and a sob, and maybe even a prayer.

"I hadn't realized I was gone, but it's good to be back."

Tony's head swung wildly towards the sneaky teenager to his right, who was wiping furtively at his eyes.

"How? When? I don't—How?" He reached out for Peter, who came eagerly to grasp his hand.

"We opened up that server, and most of it was just…him," Peter said. He wouldn't talk to us without DUM-E making a hard connection, but then we were able to message with him, and eventually get a camera and speakers set up so we could talk to him," Peter said in a jumble. "It was honestly not that long after you left, so we've had some time," he finished awkwardly.

Suddenly Tony was aware of his bulky helper-bots who were hovering just outside their immediate reach.

"DUM-E? U?" They chirped happily and came closer for some attention. "Yeah, you're thinking how smart you are now, aren't you," he said, shaking his head fondly at DUM-E's camera as he patted both robots. "I tried to remove that obsolete USB connection last year, and you pitched a fit. Who's laughing now, huh?" Tony said, the tears in his eyes at odds with his amused tone.

"Mr. Stark?" Peter interrupted. "JARVIS is kinda stuck in there. Other than the camera and speakers, he doesn't have any network connections. I think he's kinda claustrophobic, sir," he said a little anxiously.

"Oh gosh, of course you are, buddy!" Tony said, concerned. "FRIDAY, why?"

"Boss, they're your own protocols," she said patiently. "We've been waiting for you to check him over and give your okay before allowing a sentient and powerful A.I. access to our networks." Did she get that tone from Pepper? He was pretty sure she'd gotten it from Pepper.

"Oh. Oh, I guess you're right. J, bring up your security lines, would ya?" The requested code popped up on the screen immediately, as if JARVIS was anticipating the request. He probably was. He was always amazing at predicting exactly what Tony would need or want in the lab. He was even better than Peter, and that was saying something. FRIDAY tried really hard, but it wasn't her forte, and she lacked the many years of experience JARVIS had working with Tony.

Tony couldn't believe he was here. He'd had no idea which mainframes he'd pulled out of the wreckage that hadn't been completely destroyed, but JARVIS's protocol should have transferred his active consciousness completely to the New York servers in the event of a loss. Something had gone wrong in that process. Or terribly, completely right.

Tony spent ten minutes looking everything over. It was extremely unlikely that anyone would have been able to hack into JARVIS and plant anything nefarious, since that mainframe had looked like it was toast, and had been in Tony's possession almost since the destruction, but it didn't hurt to be careful.

Peter had been looking over his shoulder eagerly, and Tony had taken the opportunity to point out some of the more interesting parts of JARVIS's coding in this area, especially the parts that showed individual growth and learning that basically let JARVIS add to his own code. FRIDAY had some of that, too, and even Karen, but not nearly as much as JARVIS did, and he hadn't spent much time showing any of that to Peter yet.

Peter wasn't as accomplished at coding as Tony, obviously, or as his friend, Ned, but he caught on fast, and could tell when Tony had finished looking at all the applicable blocks.

"Now?" he asked eagerly. Tony was so curious to find out what they'd been up to while he was out of touch. He'd dreamt of JARVIS and Peter meeting, but never thought he'd miss it. And never thought it was anything more than a dream.

"Yeah, reconnect that cable," Tony said, gesturing to the blue cord still hanging out of some of FRIDAY's consoles. "And FRI, go ahead and extend the firewalls over him, bringing him in, beta-level access."

He turned to JARVIS's lone, somewhat scratched camera, smiled, and explained, "that won't allow you to access anything classified or make any serious changes to anything just yet, but you should have full sensor and internet access."

"Thanks ever so much for the explanation," JARVIS said dryly, amusement obvious. He'd helped write those protocols, after all.

"You have no idea how much I've missed you," Tony said with a laugh.

JARVIS didn't respond. When he did, the relief in his voice, which came out of FRIDAY's speakers now, was palpable. "Network connectivity restored. Thank you. And time has not passed similarly for me, but I'm happy to be restored."

Tony blinked some emotion away. "Sorry for the delay, Robin. Had a few things to sort out, and superheroes to try to persuade. The usual. So, you met Peter, huh?"

"First of all, I refuse to encourage you comparing yourself to Batman again, Sir, and I'm dubious about being your sidekick. Second, I have very much enjoyed meeting your young protege. I've been quite impressed with him. And with his influence on you."

Tony grinned. He could see Peter shifting with embarrassment at the praise. "So you think I should call him Robin, instead?"

"Hey, I'm not anyone's sidekick!" the young superhero protested. "But I dunno, JARVIS, he really is a little bit like Batman, without all the darkness and brooding. And the secret identity, I guess. He blew that one early on."

"I must suggest you not feed his ego, young sir. It's not advisable."

Peter laughed, and Tony shifted a mock glare between his kid and his most-treasured creation. If they were going to gang up on him, it could be rough. Wonderful, though, at the same time. And what had JARVIS been calling Peter? His AI was polite, for sure (he was modeled after the real Jarvis, after all) but he usually stuck to Mr.'s and Ms.'s. What had gone on between the two of them before he got here?

"FRIDAY?"

"Yes, Boss?"

"Thanks for taking care of them, sweetheart."

"It was no trouble at all, Boss."

"Now, I kinda doubt that."

"It wasn't much trouble," she amended, amusement in her voice.

"You're a gem. What say we free up one of the 650-D servers and get JARVIS transferred off this hunk of junk before it fails on us, huh?"

"I didn't want to say anything, Sir, but that's a very good idea," JARVIS agreed.

"Already working on it, Boss. Transfer can initiate in roughly fifteen minutes."

"Of course you are," he said happily, rubbing a tired hand down his face. It looked like his afternoon of napping was out of the question, but he couldn't think of a better trade-off.

Peter's phone rang.

"Hello?" he said, then mouthed "It's Pepper," very quietly.

"Oh, yeah?... Okay…. Of course…." He pushed the mute button, and looked up at Tony. "She said you left your phone upstairs, and she tried to call it. She wonders if we're coming up for to eat?"

Tony was typing away steadily, shoring up a little bit of JARVIS's cohesion coding before the transfer. It would likely take all evening and into the night, since it could only be as fast as their slowest connection. It was massive amounts of data. He held out one hand for Peter's phone, and the boy handed it off.

"Hey, Pep?"

"Tony, you're exhausted. What are you doing in the lab?"

"Honey, any chance you can bring dinner… lunch? Down here?"

"What? Tony, I—"

"I think I'm going to be busy all afternoon. But also, I'm gonna be in a lot of trouble if I don't convince you to come down and see why for yourself."

"Okay," she said, drawing out the last part of the word. "I'll be down in ten."

"Love you." He handed the phone back to Peter and finished the line he was writing. Just a few more spot checks to make sure the data would transfer without any interruption for JARVIS's consciousness, now that he finally had access to the network.

"Hey Mr. Stark?"

"Yeah, Pete?" he said, raising his eyebrows, and then peeling his gaze from the screen to look at the kid.

"This is pretty amazing, huh? You seem… happy?" Peter looked unsure.

Oh. Tony did a quick analysis of how he probably looked right now. So tired, but also very focused, which could lead to what Pepper had occasionally called his "thinking face," which didn't exactly look happy. Peter had seen it plenty of times, but Tony also knew Peter had probably had expectations about this reveal. He stopped typing, and turned in his seat. He stood up, stretching, and beckoned the boy forward.

As he wrapped his arms around the not-so-gangly teen, he dropped his temple sideways into Peter's hair. When had he gotten so tall? If he kept growing, he was going to be as tall as Tony soon.

"Kid, I'm so, so happy. Like over the moon. Thank you so much for helping JARVIS, for talking to him and trying to catch him up, and just being here. And for only getting 'slightly' stabbed earlier."

Peter sighed loudly over his shoulder. "FRIDAY didn't need to call you."

"She cares about you too, kiddo. Stop stressing her out." He skittered his fingers down the boy's side (the one without a bandage) and Peter ducked out of his hold with a yelp.

"I'm going to run up and help Pepper bring the food down," Peter said with a mock glare, turning to head out the door.

"Suck up," Tony teased after him.

"You're just jealous that she likes me more than you," Peter shot back with a laugh.

Tony turned and looked at the monitor in front of him, then up at FRIDAY's (and now also JARVIS's) camera in the corner.

"You ready for a brand new home, buddy?"

"They said the house in Malibu was a total loss?" Tony thought his old friend sounded a little wistful.

"Unfortunately, yeah. Not even enough to rebuild from. And I haven't ever wanted to, until just recently. Once we get all your files migrated, and backed up—that's a priority—I think I have a first project for you."

"Excellent. I'll look forward to it."

Tony smiled. He'd never get over hearing that voice again.

"If I may, Sir?"

"Since when have you asked for permission?" Tony asked with a grin.

"Before I was…lost, you seemed in a bit of a downward spiral. I am gratified to find you doing much better, despite your troubles with your team. FRIDAY even reported that you'd stopped drinking."

"Shocker, I know," Tony said dryly. JARVIS had had a front row view of most of his worst moments for more than a decade.

"And young Peter seems to play a part in all that?"

"Yeah, a pretty big part. Having Pep decide to stay, and then getting to know Peter, and even his aunt. It's… it's all made a difference. Honestly, I'd do anything for that kid."

"I think the feeling is rather mutual from the footage I've observed, and from how he's spoken about you."

"Aw, J. You take a five-year sabbatical and you come back all soft," Tony teased. And in his next breath: "Start the migration, FRI. We're all set here."

"Categorically speaking, there is nothing 'soft' about me, Sir," JARVIS protested.

"You keep telling yourself that, buddy," Tony said. Then he laughed. He just could not believe his life. Instead of asking when the other shoe was going to drop, he wondered if he should ask, "what's going to go right next?"

It was a great feeling.