Over the next few months, Peter noticed a change.

It wasn't much at first, but it was enough to confuse him. Tony was still away some nights, attending galas or charity events or meetings Peter wasn't invited to (and honestly, he might throw a fit if he were dragged to one of them). He still worked long hours, sometimes days, in the lab or jetted off to who knows where with the Avengers. But there were fewer mornings when Peter woke up to an empty tower, fewer nights when he went to sleep without at least hearing Tony's voice echo through the halls.

The first time Tony stopped by his room while Peter was doing homework, Peter had almost dropped his pencil in shock.

"Whatcha working on?" Tony asked, leaning casually against the doorframe. He scanned the room slowly, taking in little facets of Peter's personality that wasn't there when he arrived almost two years ago – various different Lego sets lining on his shelves, a Star Wars poster hanging by his bed.

Peter blinked up at him, momentarily stunned. "Uh... just science stuff. For school." He quickly explained, fingers guiding a small wave over his open textbook.

"Ah," Tony nodded, stepping further into the room, eyes peering over the beginning of the paragraphs Peter had started in his report. "Need help?"

Peter's heart skipped a beat. "I... I'm good… Thanks, though," He stammered, instantly regretting that his nerves immediately shot down this chance to connect.

Fortunately, Tony continued to make more of an effort to talk to him. Peter started to be caught often in brief conversations about school, his friends, and anything remotely kid-related that seemed to pop into Tony's head. He wanted to bang his head against the wall one day when the man tried to strike a conversation about his favorite character from Bluey. Still, Peter was grateful for the awkward small talk, even if he didn't always know how to respond.

Progress in their relationship was agonizingly slow. Peter didn't open up easily, and Tony—well, Tony still wasn't exactly the nurturing type. But for the first time since Peter had arrived, he felt like Tony was actually warming up to him.

It wasn't perfect. They had occasional stretches where they barely talked, where Tony got caught up in his work and Peter was left to fend for himself for a few days. But those instances started to grow further and further apart, and every time Tony joined him for dinner or asked him if he wanted to watch a movie together, Peter would catch a glimpse of what life could be like if things were... different.

He was barely able to settle into the rhythm of their new dynamic when his world felt like it was flipped on its head once again. The Tower, normally quiet and still, was suddenly filled with a new energy. A boy, around Peter's age, was being shown around by Tony.

Harley Keener. His new... brother?

Peter sat on the edge of his chair, his legs dangling above the floor, eyes unfocused as they drifted to the half-built Lego spaceship on his desk. He could hear footsteps approaching down the hall, the familiar sound of Tony's boots against the sleek floors of the Tower.

He already knew what was coming. Tony had briefly and awkwardly mentioned it to him one night at dinner a few days ago. He was vague, of course, but later Peter had overheard him talking on the phone, and he learned that Harley was another one of Tony's newly discovered children. He had come from a rough situation, or so Peter had picked up – his mom was an addict who overdosed and step-dad was a drunk, Tony had said in a hushed whisper.

Peter didn't really know just how bad those things were, but when he looked up at the boy standing in the doorway beside Tony, it didn't seem like he had come from anything rough. He stood there with this air of confidence, like he'd been there his whole life.

"Peter," Tony said, his voice casual but expectant. "Come meet Harley."

Harley met his gaze with bright eyes and a wide grin. He stood a little taller than Peter, physically, and probably mentally too. Peter stared for a second, taking in his dirty blonde hair and beat up sneakers. He had to admit, Harley had a cool look about him.

Harley stepped in, spinning around in a carefree way, taking in all Peter's bedroom. "Hey! Nice place," he said, his voice full of excitement. "Seriously, this tower is crazy. I saw the lab on the way in—man, if I lived here, I'd be down there all the time!"

Peter blinked, taken aback by how quickly Harley moved, how he seemed to fill the whole room just by existing. "Uh, yeah... it's super cool."

"It's more than cool. I mean, Iron Man lives here. You ever get to help him with any of his tech?" He asked, eyes darting everywhere with fervor as flipped through the books stacked on the shelf closest to Peter.

Peter shook his head, eyebrows furrowing a bit. "Not really. He does most of the work himself. Plus the lab is too dangerous for a kid."

Harley lost focus from the conversation quickly. His gaze caught the Lego set on Peter's desk and he let out an excited gasp. "Whoa, is that the Millennium Falcon!? That's awesome! I've been dying to build that one."

Peter nodded, feeling a flicker of pride as Harley leaned in closely to marvel at it. "Yeah, I'm almost done with it."

Harley's hands shot out to pick it up, and for a moment Peter thought his heart might stop. He seemed to catch himself and backed away slightly, rubbing the side of his cheek bashfully. "Man, I can never finish stuff like this. I always get distracted and end up building something else. You've really got a lot of patience."

"Thanks." He replied shyly.

Tony was standing near the door with his arms crossed, watched them interact curiously. Peter felt like he was being evaluated, and the desire to shrink into the floorboards was growing stronger by the second. There was an ease to Harley that Peter didn't have—something natural about the way he fit in, even though he'd just arrived.

"Harley's room is down the hall," Tony said after a moment. "Figured it'd be good for you two to get to know each other. He's staying with us now, so... yeah."

Peter nodded, glancing at Harley. It was strange—Harley had just walked in, and yet he didn't seem nervous or out of place. Unlike Peter, who'd always been anxious, Harley seemed confident and comfortable, like he didn't care what anyone thought. That attitude made things easier for him—Peter could tell. Tony wasn't exactly affectionate with Harley, but there was something in their interactions that wasn't there with Peter. They joked a bit, Tony asking Harley questions that felt natural, not forced. Maybe that's just how Tony liked things—low-pressure. Harley didn't ask for much, so Tony didn't have to give much.

Peter stared as they talked, unsure of what to say next. He wanted to join in, but it felt awkward. He wasn't great at first impressions. He bit his bottom lip, fingers playing with the hem of his shirt.

Harley didn't seem to notice his dilemma at all. He diverted his full attention from Tony to Peter so quickly that he wondered how he didn't get whiplash. "So," he said, sitting slightly on Peter's desk. "You into video games? I've got a bunch of games I brought with me. We should totally play later."

Peter hesitated, offering what he hoped was a friendly smile. "Yeah, sure. You know, if you like video games –"

He was interrupted by Tony's cell phone ringing, the loud noise surprising both boys into silence. The man quickly pulled it out and looked at the caller ID, before clapping Harley on the shoulder. "Say, why don't you get settled in your room, kid? Peter can show you around later, and then we'll all have dinner together."

Harley nodded eagerly, giving another grin. "Cool, sounds good old man." Peter didn't miss Tony's snort and warm smile. Harley punched Peter lightly in the arm. "Catch you later, Pete. It was nice to meet you."

As Harley bounced out of the room, Peter stayed behind, feeling the silence settle around him again. Tony lingered for a second longer, his eyes hovering over Peter before he left as well, leaving him alone.

Peter collapsed onto his bed later that night, exhausted from the day's events. He had shown Harley around, as promised. It was a big place, and Harley asked a lot of questions, so it took some time. Harley almost reminded him of himself before everything happened. Peter imagined that if he had met Tony and seen the tower under different circumstances, he might have acted the same. The three of them had eaten dinner together, and Peter tried not to overanalyze their interactions.

He let out a slow breath he felt like he had been holding all day, arms sprawled out at his sides. He stared up at the ceiling, mind racing with a mess of emotions that he could barely make sense of. Uncomfortable thoughts he couldn't control started to surface at the front of his mind.

He knew Tony didn't want him at first. That much had been clear. He'd never said it out loud, but Peter had always felt like Tony saw him as a burden, someone he had to take care of because there wasn't any other choice. Peter was mature for his age, everybody told him that, so he had forced himself to accept that Tony simply never wanted to have children. They could get along, sure, and maybe their relationship could keep getting better, but Peter had never expected Tony to be a real parent. Not like his mom, anyway. Peter had decided it was easier for both of them that way.

Harley's arrival threw a wrench into Peter's understanding of the situation.

There must have been something different about Harley – something that made Tony willing to take in another kid after the disaster that was the beginning of his and Peter's relationship. Harley was easier, right? He was happy and chatty. Laid-back. He took his place by Tony's side naturally, almost effortlessly.

Peter chewed his lip nervously. He couldn't stop the jealousy creeping in, the feeling that Harley had already found a place here, had somehow already taken the spot that Peter had spent years struggling to find. The two years Tony had spent barely noticing him, had that all been because Peter had been too difficult? Too broken? And now that Harley was here, did that mean Peter's time was up?

It wasn't Harley's fault, Peter knew that. He hadn't asked for any of this. He wasn't doing anything wrong. He was just being himself. Peter didn't want to hate Harley for that, but it just wasn't fair.

He squeezed his eyes shut. As hard as he tried to block out the overwhelming swirl of emotions, he couldn't shake the feeling that things were about to change forever – and that, somehow, he'd be left behind.