"Does that hurt?" Bruce asked as he pressed near the wound on Peter's leg while Tony stood off to the side and tried not to fidget.

"No."

Bruce hummed and shot Peter a look that Tony had been on the receiving end of more than a few times. It was his 'I know you're bullshiting me, but I'm too polite to call you on it' look.

"Are you sure?" Bruce asked and pressed a little harder. Even Tony caught his son's slight flinch.

"Um maybe just a tiny bit." Peter admitted.

Bruce nodded. "Lay down for a second."

Peter shifted, pulling his legs up and resting them on the bed so he was no longer sitting with them dangling over the side. Bruce kept ahold of his bad leg and helped lift it as he moved, but Tony still noticed Peter's wince. He knew his kid didn't need his help, but he couldn't stop from giving him a reassuring shoulder squeeze.

"Let me know if any of this hurts." Bruce said once Peter was settled on his back. Tony watched as his friend moved his kid's leg, slowly flexing and extending it.

"How does that feel?" Bruce asked.

"It aches a little, but not too bad."

Bruce nodded and flexed Peter's leg so is it was bent with his foot flat on the bed.

"Try to straighten it out. Slide your heel down."

Peter hesitated for a second but then he did it. Bruce watched Peter's face carefully throughout the movement.

"No pain?" Bruce asked.

Peter shook his head. "Not really. Just sore."

"Ok. Now bring your foot back up. Flex your knee."

Peter did, and he still didn't seem to be in any pain.

"Good." Bruce nodded. "Now straighten it back out again."

Tony watched as Peter's movements grew less tentative now that he knew it didn't hurt.

"Ok. Now try to lift your leg up off the bed."

Peter lifted it a few inches into the air.

"Good. Try to hold it there." Bruce said, hand hovering under his ankle in case he needed to catch it to keep it from falling roughly back onto the bed.

After a handful of seconds, Peter's leg started shaking with the effort.

"A little longer. You can do it." Bruce coached him.

Tony could see the tension on Peter's face as he grit his teeth and tried to do as Bruce asked. He managed another ten seconds or so before he gave in with a grunt and Bruce caught his leg before it could fall.

"Sorry." Peter took a few short breaths. "I can't."

"No that was good." Bruce smiled at him. "I think you're ready to try walking."

"Really?" Peter asked, excitement wiping away the fatigue.

"Really?" Tony echoed. The kid could barely hold his leg up and Bruce thought he was ready to walk?

Bruce nodded, smiling knowingly at Tony. "Let's see how it goes."

"Great." Peter sat up and moved his legs over the edge of the bed. "I'm ready."

"Take it slow." Bruce warned and grasped Peter's upper arm to support him. Tony mirrored him and did the same with Peter's other arm.

Peter slid off the bed and onto his good foot. He tentatively placed the foot of his hurt leg down on the ground.

"How's that feel?" Bruce asked once Peter was standing normally, weight balanced between both legs.

"I think it's ok."

"You think?" Tony asked. He didn't like the hint of uncertainty in Peter's answer.

"It's fine Dad." Peter rolled his eyes and then looked at Bruce, "Can I try walking now?"

"Yes, but take it slow like I said. One step at a time, and Tony and I are going to help you."

"Ok." Peter didn't waste a second before taking a small step forward.

Tony automatically tightened his grip, afraid Peter's leg would give way and he'd topple to the ground. But he didn't. His leg supported his weight just fine. After the first step, he took another, and then another, and pretty soon he'd crossed the Medbay, reassuring Tony and Bruce he was ok all along the way.

They stopped when they ran out of room and Bruce smiled as he suggested, "How about you walk back to the bed on your own now? Think you can do it?"

Tony shot him a sharp questioning look, not at all comfortable leaving Peter bereft without support yet, but Bruce refused to look at him.

"Yeah. Ok." Peter smiled and pulled away from them, walking slowly back to the bed. Bruce followed a few paces behind, but Tony hovered a couple feet off to the side. Just in case.

It turned out Bruce knew what he was talking about. Peter made it back fine. He didn't falter once.

"How was that?" Peter asked, beaming once he completed his trek. Tony didn't see a hint of exertion or pain on his countenance, only pride at his success.

"Good job kid." Tony patted him on the back.

"That was really good Peter." Bruce agreed. "I think it's safe to ditch the crutches."

"Awesome." Peter grinned.

"But," Bruce held a finger up, "no crutches doesn't mean walking all over the place or running around Spidermanning."

"Oh don't worry. There won't be any Spidermanning." Tony added.

Peter looked abashed at the reminder, but Bruce shot him a confused look. Tony sighed.

"He's grounded, remember?" Tony had told all the Avengers about Peter's hack job on FRIDAY and subsequent punishment a couple days ago.

"Oh that's right." Bruce said with a wince as he cast a sympathetic glance toward Peter.

Peter's cheeks flushed and he shot Tony a slightly betrayed look.

"Well I guess we won't have to worry about the Spidermanning part for awhile." Bruce said as pulled off his glasses and cleaned them on his shirt.

"Nope, no Spidermanning for a long while." Tony reiterated, reaching out to ruffle Peter's hair to soften the blow.

Peter ducked away with an eye roll.

"You guys know that's not actually a verb, right?" Peter asked as he tried to fix the mess of his hair.

When both he and Bruce frowned at him, Peter clarified, "Spidermanning."

"Yes it is." Tony argued. "It is if I say it is."

Bruce snorted.

"Technically, you should say 'going out as Spiderman'." Peter corrected.

"That's too many words kid." Tony said.

"It's really not."

"Well, if you want to get technical it should be Spiderkidding not Spidermanning, since, you know, you're a kid and all."

Peter narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth to argue when Bruce cleared his throat, interrupting their banter before it could devolve any further. "Anyway, you're good to go. But still try to stay off your feet as much as possible. At least for now. And let me know if you start having any problems."

"Ok." Peter readily agreed.

"I mean it. If it starts bothering you, don't keep it to yourself." Bruce said, eyeing him seriously over the rims of his glasses.

"Ok." Peter repeated, more sincerely this time.

"I'll check in on you tomorrow."

Peter nodded.

"All right kid. Let's go. Brucie here has things he needs to do and there's a couch with your name on it upstairs."

Peter groaned, but Tony could tell it wasn't heartfelt.

Bruce just chuckled at the familiar teenage angst.

Tony grasped Peter's shoulders from behind and nudged him gently toward the elevator. They made it there without incident. Tony couldn't wait until Peter was completely back to normal. Maybe then he'd finally be able to put this whole nightmare inducing event behind him.

"So um you told Bruce about the no Spiderman thing?" Peter asked from his position on the couch with his head in Tony's lap as they watched some kind of cop show Peter seemed to like.

"Yep." Tony said as he ran his fingers through his kid's soft hair.

"Why?" Peter asked, eyes flitting up at him with a narrowing of his brow.

"Because I need all the help I can get to keep an eye on you so you don't get up to your shenanigans." He answered, his own eyes dancing in amusement.

Peter huffed and went back to watching TV. Another few minutes of the show passed in comfortable silence before he asked, "So how long am I grounded for?"

"Three months." Tony answered. He knew it was severe, but it needed to be to keep Peter from doing something like it again.

Peter's eyes widened in shock, but he surprisingly didn't protest the punishment.

"Harsh." He mumbled instead and sighed. "I guess I deserve it."

Tony hummed. All the white hot anger he'd felt about it before had evaporated in the aftermath of his kid's kidnapping and near death experience.

"Can we count this week as time served? For good behavior?" Peter asked hopefully.

Tony huffed out a short breath of air, feeling equal parts amusement and annoyance. He shook his head ruefully. "Sure. Why not? You still have two months and three weeks left to go though."

Peter nodded. "I know. And I know I told you before, but I really am sorry."

"I know kiddo." Tony kept running his fingers through Peter's strands, trying to keep the tone of the conversation light so he could hopefully lull his son into sleep. It was past time for his afternoon nap, but he hadn't shown any signs of fatigue. Maybe he really was on the mend.

"You were really mad at me." Peter continued so softly the sentence was barely audible.

"Yeah I was bud." He frowned. It was the second time Peter had brought up his anger in regard to that situation. Maybe it needed a little more examination. "Did that bother you?"

Peter shrugged.

"Hmm?" He prompted, scratching his kid's scalp gently. Peter's eyes closed predictably.

"I guess." Peter admitted with a sigh.

"Why?"

"I don't know. I guess it maybe kind of scared me a little."

Tony swallowed hard and his fingers froze, memories of his own fear of his own dad bubbling up.

Peter turned to look up at him and quickly correctly, "I'm not saying I was scared of you. Just that it was scary."

"Ok." He let out a little puff of air in relief but asked, "If it wasn't me then what was scary about it?"

"I don't like fighting with you. And I know we've fought before, but you haven't been like that since the whole ferry thing and I think maybe it brought me back there, and we weren't exactly good then." Peter hesitated and glanced up at him again.

Tony nodded in encouragement for Peter to continue.

"I guess I was worried that, like back then, you wouldn't think I was worth the trouble anymore."

"Never." Tony said with the gravity of solemn promise.

"I know that now." Peter smiled up at him. "We talked about it after you got me back, remember?"

He nodded. He did, but he wasn't sure if Peter did with all the drugs that'd been coursing through his veins, it would've been enough to make anyone's memory hazy.

"Um, for what it's worth, I promise I'll never hack FRIDAY again."

"What about promising to never sneak out again?"

Peter looked up at him, mischief written all over his features. "Well, I've got to keep you on your toes somehow."

Tony shook his head and ruffled Peter's hair. "You're a demon child."

Peter laughed, leaning into the contact instead of away.

"Good thing I love you." Tony said, letting all the affection he felt for his kid saturate the words.

Peter smiled, his own feelings apparent as he echoed, "I love you too old man."

Instead of faking indignance at the title, he scoffed and said, "Damn right. And don't you forget it. I'm not getting any younger, and all the grey in my hair is from you. I don't know how much longer my poor heart can take all this stress, so can you try to cool it, and stay under the radar, and behave for awhile? For me?"

"I suppose I could do that. For a little while at least."

"How about until you turn eighteen?"

Peter laughed and complained, "I have to live my life sometime."

"That's what college is for."

Peter rolled his eyes.

"Ok how about this, just promise me no more getting kidnapped or almost dying." Tony hesitated briefly before adding, "Or actually dying. Fair?"

Peter's amusement faded slightly, and he nodded, looking chagrined as he agreed, "Ok. I guess I can do that."

"Thank you."

Peter turned the corner of the hallway and stopped in front of the secretary's desk. He waited patiently for her to notice him as she examined something on her desk. When a few seconds had gone by, he cleared his throat quietly. She looked up and her mouth parted in surprise.

"Oh sorry. I didn't hear you." She apologized.

"It's ok. I was quiet." He smiled. "Is uh Ms. Potts in?"

"She is." The woman said hesitantly. "Do you have an appointment?"

"Um no but I was hoping I could talk to her real quick? It'll only take a minute."

"And you are?"

"Right. Sorry. I'm Peter. Peter Parker. Ms. Potts knows me, I promise." He stepped forward and held out his hand.

She shook it weakly still looking perplexed as she asked, "Are you a new employee?"

"Oh no. I'm just um…" He trailed off, not quite sure how to explain his relationship to Pepper when no one knew he was Tony's kid. Maybe this had been a bad idea, but he couldn't think of any other way to talk to Pepper alone without Tony finding out about it. Although knowing Tony, he might still find out about this. There wasn't much that went on in his Tower that he wasn't aware of. Peter would have to think of an appropriate alibi for the visit just in case.

"I'm family." He settled on. It was sort of true.

The secretary frowned and looked him up and down, hopefully deciding that he wasn't some serial killer or weirdo since he'd cleared security and been granted access to their floor.

Still, he tried his best to look as innocent as possible under her scrutiny.

"Let me check with her." The woman said finally, picking up the phone to the left of her computer and pressing a button.

"Ms. Potts, there's a Peter Parker here requesting to see you? He said you knew him?" She said into the phone, her tone disbelieving.

"Oh." The woman's eyes widened. "Of course. I'll send him right in then."

She hung up the phone and stared at him, scrutinizing him for an entirely different reason now.

"So can I…" He motioned toward the closed office door.

She straightened and cleared her throat before telling him, "You can go right in."

She pressed a button on the underside of her desk and Peter heard an audible click as the door unlocked. Impressive security, although he should've expected nothing less.

"Thank you." He smiled politely and walked right in, not sparing a glance to the secretary even though he could feel her gaze on his back.

"Peter." Pepper greeted him warmly, standing up from behind her desk to walk over to him and give him a hug. "What a nice surprise. You're looking better. No more crutches?"

"Nah. Bruce said I could get rid of them yesterday."

"And your leg's feeling ok?"

"Yeah it's not bad. Hopefully I'll get to go back to school in a couple days." He really hoped so anyway. It felt like he'd just gone back after the school had been rebuilt and now he'd been out again for over a week.

"Just in time for holiday break?" Pepper teased.

"Yeah I guess." He smiled. "But at least I'll get to see my friends before I have to spend the entire break trying to catch up on all the work I missed."

Pepper nodded and gestured toward the sitting area with a small couch and a couple chairs off to the side in her office. "Why don't we have a seat? You can tell me what I've done to deserve this great excuse for a break."

Peter laughed. Pepper seemed to genuinely mean it. It still surprised him sometimes how much Tony's friends and the Avengers actually cared about him. He knew Tony did, but that didn't automatically mean everyone else had to. For some reason, they all did anyway.

Peter chose a seat on the sofa and Pepper sat down on the other end of it, slipping her heels off and turning to face him with her legs curled underneath her. Even in such a relaxed position she still managed to look regal.

"I was actually wondering if you could help me with something?" He started out right away.

"For you? Anything." She said warmly.

"You know how Christmas is coming up soon?"

She nodded. It was only a week away.

"Well I had this idea for what I wanted to get Tony as a present, and I wanted it to be a surprise, but I wasn't sure how to go about it without him finding out, or if it was even possible to do it without him finding out." He rambled. "So, I thought I'd ask you and maybe you could help?"

"Of course. What is it you want to get him? I have to admit I'm curious. He's notoriously impossible to buy for."

"It's not something I want to buy. At least I don't think I have to buy it. Maybe it actually does cost some money." He frowned.

Pepper leaned forward and placed a hand over his to stop him from wringing them in his lap. "Before you start worrying, why don't you tell me what it is first?"

"Right." He nodded. "Um, I…I want to change my name."

Pepper's brow furrowed slightly before it shot to her hairline, obviously realizing what Peter meant. A smile slowly spread across her face.

"That's really sweet." She said. "Tony will like that a lot."

"You think?" He asked, suddenly insecure. He'd figured Tony would like it, but he hadn't been entirely sure, and he hadn't wanted to run it by any of the other Avengers, or Happy, because when it came down to it, he didn't trust them not to ruin the surprise. For being superheroes and spies, they sure were huge gossips and terrible secret keepers.

"I do." Pepper patted his leg in reassurance.

"Ok." He managed to give her a slight smile in return. "So um, how do I go about doing that? Without him finding out? Is that even possible?"

"Oh I'm sure it is. I can't imagine it's all that complicated, but I'll talk to our lawyers about it and get things rolling."

"And you're sure Tony won't find out?" Peter asked.

"I promise he won't find out. Our lawyers are very discreet, and I'll make sure everything goes through me."

"Thanks Pepper." His smile widened.

"You're very welcome." Pepper said as she unfurled her legs and stood. "Now, I'm starving and it's almost lunch time. I don't suppose I could convince you to take an old lady out to lunch?"

"You're not old." Peter rolled his eyes. "But I'd love to go to lunch with you."

"Great." She held a hand out and helped him to his feet. "What sounds good to you?"

"I don't care. Whatever you want."

"There's a new fusion restaurant on 5th I've been meaning to try. It's a blend of Spanish and Caribbean. My friend told me it was delicious. Does that sound good?"

"Yeah sure. Let's go there." Peter readily agreed.

Pepper nodded and paused to type something on her phone. A few seconds later it vibrated as she received a text message in response.

"Happy's going to drive us so I don't have to worry about trying to find parking. That'd be a nightmare." Pepper informed him.

"Oh. If Happy's busy, I wouldn't mind taking a cab." He knew his dad and SI employed the man, but Peter still felt guilty whenever he had Happy drive him around.

"We're not taking a cab." Pepper shook her head, looking amused at the suggestion. "Does Tony really let you ride around in cabs?"

"Um…" He thought about it. "I guess it hasn't really come up?"

"Well I can tell you I don't think he'd like it." Pepper said and started ushering him toward the door of her office.

"Why not? It's not like anyone knows who I am."

"Let's just say Tony's always been overly cautious when it comes to the people he cares about, and I can't see him letting you to ride in a stranger's car when he could have Happy take you instead."

"Yeah you're probably right." He admitted.

As he thought about Tony's overprotective instincts, another realization struck him while Pepper held her office door open for him to pass through. His eyes widened and he looked up at her before blurting out, "I guess that means the subway's out too?"

Pepper laughed and reached out to pat his shoulder. "You would guess right."

Peter sighed, face falling. He wondered why he hadn't realized sooner that he hadn't actually taken a cab since they'd moved back to the city from the compound, and the one time he'd taken the subway, he'd done so without Tony knowing about it, and it had only been because decathlon practice had been canceled. Either Tony took him everywhere himself or he had Happy take him.

As they walked past the secretary, Pepper informed her, "I'm going to lunch. I'll be back in an hour or two."

"Of course Ms. Potts." The woman nodded back. "Have a good lunch."

The secretary eyed Peter again.

"Um it was nice to meet you." He said over his shoulder as Pepper guided him toward the elevator.

"You as well Mr. Parker." She said in response. He was surprised she remembered his name, but he figured she must be excellent at her job. Pepper wouldn't hire anyone less.

"Oh Ms. Potts." The receptionist called out as Pepper pushed the button to the elevator.

"Yes?"

"Would you like me to add Mr. Parker to your list of pre-approved visitors?"

"Yes Shannon. Thank you." Pepper answered.

"Very well."

The elevator dinged and Peter stepped in, Pepper a step behind him.

Once the doors slid shut, Peter commented, "She seems nice. And competent."

Pepper smiled. "I'm glad you think so. She's been working for me for a couple years now. I'd hate to have to fire her if she was rude to you."

Peter glanced over at Pepper, trying to decide if she was joking. It didn't seem like it. Something warm blossomed in his chest.

Another few seconds passed in silence as the elevator descended. Peter tried to get his ears to pop as the pressure changed, one of the side effects of living in the tallest building in New York.

"Oh," Pepper said suddenly with a slight shake of her head, as if she couldn't believe she hadn't already considered whatever it was that had popped into her mind. She turned to him. "Before I forget, when I talk to the lawyers, what should I tell them you want to change your name to?"

"Um…Stark?" He thought that'd be obvious.

Pepper let out a small laugh. "Of course. I mean, what about the rest of your name? Are you changing your middle name to Parker or dropping it all together?"

He knew Pepper didn't mean it maliciously, but the way the phrase came out, the dropping it part, still made him cringe.

"Sorry." Pepper apologized. "If you want, you can think about it and I can let the lawyers know once you decide." She offered, misinterpreting the reason for his unease.

"No, it's not that. Uh, I've thought about it." He had thought about it. A lot actually. "You can tell them I want it to be Peter Parker Stark."

In the end, he'd decided to keep Parker as his middle name and forgo Benjamin. Ben was still a Parker along with May and his parents. And he knew Ben would understand. They all would. They'd told him as much when he'd been officially dead. It was actually what had given him the confidence to decide to change his name.

"Peter Parker Stark." Pepper echoed, trying the words out on her tongue. She nodded and gave him a warm smile. "It has a nice ring to it."

"Yeah? I thought so too."

"He's going to love it." She didn't have to specify who she meant by he.

"I hope so. It's not too forward? Or overstepping? You don't think I need to ask him first?"

"Definitely not. Trust me, he's going to love it." Pepper kept smiling, eyes twinkling. "I think you'll be giving him one of the best presents he's ever gotten."

Peter didn't know if that was true. He figured Pepper was exaggerating, but then he remembered the adoption paperwork Tony had given him on his birthday. That had been way better than the Audi. The love he felt toward his dad swelled just at the thought of it.

"I hope so." He said, unable to completely keep his deep seated insecurities at bay.

"I know so." Pepper said with absolute certainty.

Maybe she was right.

Either way, it was too late to turn back now.

Thank you so much for the amazing reception and comments to this story! It really makes my day. I have a lot going on with work and life so I can't promise speedy updates, but I promise to try to update as fast as I can.
Also, if you want, come check me out on tumblr at starryknight09.
I wrote a couple extra missing scenes by request there that I haven't posted on AO3. You can find them by searching 'missing scene' under my tumblr.