It had been quite the adventure to explain other-universe's Peter's visit the next day. Tony was grateful, once again, to have FRIDAY, because without her back-up, he was fairly sure his wife would have had him at the Compound for a bunch of brain scans. He had told Rhodey about it too, but hadn't mentioned it to anyone else.

After a few months had passed, Tony stopped thinking about Peter so consistently, and finally stopped seeing his ghost everywhere he looked. He hoped the kid would be able to come back, but didn't have any idea what kind of timeline they were talking about. It could be any day, or it could be five years from now. Selfishly, he hoped it was soon, and more than a one-time return, but realistically he didn't expect him anytime soon.

Which is why he was surprised on a random Wednesday morning in January when FRIDAY made another announcement.

"Boss, you have a visitor." The same words, and the same tone sent a little thrill down his spine. He tried to quash it, knowing it really could be anyone in the middle of the day like this, but he couldn't help but hope…

"FRI?" he said, glancing anxiously at a sensor.

"Yes, Boss, it's Peter."

Tony's pace increased as he approached the door and flung it open. There was his kid, looking excited, and a little uncertain, and so, so grown in the sunlight.

"Pete," Tony grinned, reaching out to pull the young man into the house and into his arms. Man, it felt good to hug him again, and to feel him, warm and real against his chest.

"Hey, Mr. Stark!" The kid didn't seem quite so broken this time, thankfully, and Tony was just overjoyed to see him. And that he was home. What if he'd been in the city when Peter showed up?

"To what do I owe the pleasure, kiddo? Not that you need any excuse to visit. How long do you have?" he said, eying the backpack the kid carried. He knew from their previous conversations that time seemed to run similarly in many universes, but some were asynchronous, and some were just a little off from each other.

"It's actually a long weekend for me. I don't know if you're busy, or available, or if it will cause any problems, but I thought about staying a couple days, maybe?" Peter acted like it would be some kind of imposition, or some other delusion.

"No argument here. It's mid-week for me, but I don't have anything pressing in the next few days. We'd love to have you."

"We? Uh, that's one thing I wasn't sure about. Does Pepper know? About… me?"

"Yeah, Pete, she does. Morgan doesn't, though. She's at school right now, but I guess we'll have to explain that to her."

"Hey, is it okay that I brought my suit? I've been having some trouble with it, and thoughthatmaybewecouldworkonittogether…" The last part came out all at once, again, like he was afraid he might be imposing with that request.

"Pete, I can't think of anything I'd love more." He slung an arm around Peter's shoulder and steered him towards the kitchen. "I was just making lunch. You hungry?"

"Always. But since when do you cook?"

"What kind of house husband would I be if I hadn't learned a few tricks in the kitchen?" Tony asked, his hand pressed to his chest in mock offense.

"Seriously, Mr. Stark? A 'house husband?'" Peter was grinning at his phrasing.

"What happened to 'Tony?'" He tousled the kid's hair teasingly, though he had to reach a touch higher than he used to for that. "And fine, I do do some work for R&D on the side. More than on the side sometimes. But with Pepper running the company, one of us had to keep the home fires burning, so to speak, and take care of Morgan. Overall, I've never been so unstressed in my life, especially once she started going to school and I had a big chunk of the day to work on projects again."

"I did notice that," Peter said quietly. His eyes seemed drawn to to the smattering of gray throughout Tony's hair, and to his more-obvious smile wrinkles. "It's a good look for you."

"Luckily, Pepper thinks so, too," he said, winking suggestively.

"Mr. Stark, ew."

And they were right back in comfortable territory. Playing with words and teasing, elbowing or shouldering each other out of the way as they worked in tandem on Peter's suit, scoffing at and praising each other's ideas and comments. It felt wonderful. And though Peter had been through hell, and seen some things Tony wished he hadn't, that same loveable, brilliant, starry-eyed kid was still there. He just needed to feel safe to come out, and it seemed like that safety was in short supply in Peter's life.

With Tony's help, they had the issue in Peter's suit worked out in just a couple hours, and had added a few upgrades that would be useful as well. Peter was effusively grateful, and Tony wondered how long it had been since someone had helped him in this way. Well, there probably weren't many people who could help him. But still, his heart ached for his kid. Because even though he wasn't meant to be Tony's Peter, in a couple short visits he already was.

Tony left Peter eating a snack and watching his universe's news in bemusement while he went to pick up Morgan from her after-school program. Pepper wouldn't be home until after 8 that night, and it would have been later, except Tony had already let her know Peter was there, and she was eager to see him.

He used the car ride home to explain to Morgan about Peter's visit. How he wasn't their Peter that she'd always heard about growing up, but that he was a Peter, and one who could use a little love and some time with them. By the time they got home, he felt like she had a good understanding of what was going on, and she seemed cautiously excited to actually meet him.

"He's not our Peter, I get that. But Dad? Is he still… Spiderman ?" Oh. That's right. Morgan had always loved stories about her "big brother, Peter" but she had been fully obsessed with Spiderman. She had watched videos of him on repeat from a young age, and he was pretty sure she owned most of the small amount of merchandise there was.

"Yeah, Morguna. He's Spiderman there, too. We actually worked on his suit all afternoon."

Her mouth formed an excited little "o," and Tony could see the flames of hero worship burning brightly now. This should be interesting. Hopefully this Morgan was close enough to the one in his universe that he'd know what to do with her boundless enthusiasm when she actually met her idol.

As they walked up the steps of the house, Morgan was vibrating just a little bit. "Dad? What if I'm different than his Morgan? What if he doesn't like me?"

"Well, I think I can count on one hand the people that Peter doesn't like," Tony said dryly, though it seemed like that number had probably increased since he had known the kid. "Don't bowl him over, and I'm sure you'll do just fine, Mo."

They walked into the living room, Morgan grabbing at his hand for support. That was already getting less frequent at the ripe old age of 8. Peter stood up to greet them, smiling cautiously at this universe's Morgan.

"Hey, Morgan. I'm Peter."

"I know. I didn't think I'd ever meet you. Um… nice to meet you?" she said, trying to remember that she had some manners.

But that was all she could handle before the next sentence jumped out, at least a few pitches higher. "But are you really Spiderman?"

That surprised a laugh out of Peter, and he responded by jumping lightly up to the ceiling and grabbing on for a moment. Tony could see Morgan's head exploding, and she squealed as he landed back on the living room rug.

"Can you… will you show me some of the other stuff you can do?" she said, wide-eyed and a bit breathless.

"Hey, Morguna…" Tony began. But Peter waved him off. "It's fine. Morgan in my universe likes that stuff, too. Do we want to go outside?"

"Yes!" So Tony was dragged out for an impromptu show-off-Peter's-powers session, which he enjoyed more than he let on. It had been a hot minute since he had seen any of the kid's more impressive feats. Morgan was thrilled because Peter also changed into the suit in order to stay warm.

It was interesting to watch how he handled himself compared to his alternate, younger counterpart. Mostly he moved the same, but Tony could see a few differences, and wondered how they had developed. There were even some really sturdy tall trees that Peter could use to show Morgan how he used his webshooters for swinging, and his technique seemed slightly different. Thankfully, they didn't have any close neighbors to notice the show or to hear Morgan's squeals of delight.

When the dark and cold started encroaching, they retreated inside, and Tony threw together a simple chicken fettuccine alfredo with some homemade pasta he'd pre-made, and Peter couldn't stop raving about it.

"How can you be good at pretty much everything you try?" he mock-complained. "You couldn't even make scrambled eggs in my universe, but apparently it was just for a lack of effort."

"Oh, I couldn't make them here either, until… after. I learned to cook a lot of things once we moved out here away from endless take-out options, and when my responsibilities eased up." And when I was looking for ways to not think about you, or the other you, all the time, he said silently. "Plus, there's a very long list of things I'm not good at, Pete. But I can teach you to cook a few simple meals next time, if you want? Or even tomorrow."

"That would be kinda cool. I can make a few things, but they're not great. Lots cheaper than eating out though," he added quietly.

Tony side-eyed the kid a little bit, but he was distracted by his food. He thought Peter had said Pepper was helping him, but it sounded like finances were still an issue. That could be a problem with his enhanced metabolism. At least he knew Pepper was helping with rent and tuition, but he was still concerned.

Tony was a little worried that all the excitement would make it hard to get Morgan to bed, but she agreed readily, if Peter would come tell her a bedtime story. Tony felt an unexpected emotion watching his daughter disappear down the hall, her hand trustingly in her nearly-brother's as they headed to her room. That was definitely something he never expected to see.

When Peter returned twenty minutes later, he looked bemused. "Man, I think she asks even more questions than the Morgan I know."

"She is particularly skilled at it."

"She's different, actually. It's interesting. I wonder how much of that is because she's spent so much time with you here. She asked lots of great questions about how my powers work. Stuff the other Morgan hasn't ever thought of, I don't think. But maybe I just haven't spent enough time with her." He shrugged and settled down on the couch next to Tony. But not as close as he wanted to be, Tony figured. He opened his arm in invitation, and Peter looked a little abashed, but scooted over to lean against him. The kid sighed, finally seeming relaxed and content.

It seemed like Peter and Morgan weren't that close in his universe. And that would make sense, since everyone forgot Peter even existed several years ago and had to try to become reacquainted. Without Tony as the bridge, he could see how it would be hard for Peter to connect with Morgan and Pepper, especially if they didn't even live in town.

"That's an interesting observation about the two Morgans. I can't imagine how difficult it must be for Pepper to try to raise her by herself."

"Yeah. But you know she's not by herself. Happy is with them a lot. Like a whole lot. And Colonel Rhodes is around sometimes, and Morgan has a nanny slash tutor, Julia, who's really good with her. They do a lot of science and art extracurriculars. But it's different than if she was with you all the time, of course," he finished quietly.

Tony was glad to hear all that. It sounded like Pep had pulled together a good team, and was making the best out of a hard situation.

"I have a lot of people that help me, too, don't get me wrong. But none of them are you."

Aw, kid. Tony moved his fingers up to stroke Peter's hair gently. He'd gotten a haircut since he'd been here last, but there was still enough to slip his fingers through. Peter hummed in appreciation.

"Sorry, Pete. I wish the other me was there with you. But selfishly, I'm so glad you came looking for me here."

"Yeah. This is kind of amazing."

After a few minutes, Peter sat up a little bit, acting like he heard something, but Tony just kept running his fingers through the short waves of his hair, and the kid settled back into his side with a sigh. It took Tony a full minute before he heard Pepper's car pull up.

As he heard her come in, he and Peter both got up and went in to greet her. Peter seemed pretty nervous, but her effusive welcome settled him.

"Peter, ever since Tony told me about your last visit, I so hoped I'd get a chance to meet you!" she exclaimed, pulling him in for a hug of her own. He seemed surprised. Tony saw her eyes flicking over the young man, possibly taking note of some of the same changes he'd noticed, though she hadn't known their Peter as well as he had. And of course, it had been nine years for them.

"Have you both eaten?" Both men nodded their heads, but Pepper was well aware of Peter's metabolism. "Well, I haven't. Come eat with me again," she insisted. And Peter did. Tony had a cup of coffee, and they had a nice conversation at the dining room table, mostly with Pepper asking Peter about life, and school. He limited his answers to ones that didn't highlight all of the hard things he'd been through, but Tony had already explained most of that to Pepper before.

Tony could see the empathy and the understanding in Pepper's eyes as she chatted with Peter. She had always been great at reading between the lines. He was sure she and Tony would have another conversation about it all later.

"Well, I have an early day tomorrow," Pepper finally said, after they'd had some dessert, and been chatting for over an hour. "I'm going to go check on the monster and head to bed. You boys don't stay up too late, okay?"

She squeezed Tony's shoulder gently as she leaned down to kiss him goodnight, and cupped the back of Peter's head briefly before taking her leave. Tony saw the kid's eyes widen at the casual affection she showed him, and Tony wondered if he was close enough to anyone who "re-knew" him to get what he needed in that department. The Peter he'd known had always needed a lot of touch, and though it hadn't been an easy adjustment for Tony, he'd tried to adapt to the teen's needs. This Peter seemed just a little too touch-starved for Tony's liking. There wasn't much he could do about that in his daily life, but he could help while he was here.

"Hey, Pete, you have some pajamas?" Peter nodded.

"What do you say about getting ready for bed, and then we can watch a movie or something?"

Their "movie" almost turned into an impromptu couch sleepover, since Peter fell asleep against Tony about 45 minutes into "The Return of the Jedi." Tony found himself nodding off as well, and thought he'd better get them both to bed. His back was way too old to camp out on the couch all night.

They kept busy the next day as Tony helped Peter make baked french toast for breakfast, then they dropped Morgan at school and spent the rest of the morning in the garage working on different projects, and adding a few more features to Peter's suit. Tony was just finishing some of the coding when something occurred to him.

"Hey, Pete, if you have any trouble reproducing these upgrades on your back up suit, bring it with you next time, too."

"My back up suit?" he responded absentmindedly, focused on the coding he was doing. "It's just fabric, mostly. Nothing to upgrade."

"Excuse me, what did you just say?"

Peter looked up slowly, realizing Tony wasn't happy. "Well, when the world 'forgot' me, neither of my suits would recognize me anymore either, so I had to do a little sewing in the meantime. It wasn't perfect, but at least I could still be Spiderman. The look was pretty similar to the real suit. After a while I could afford the material for a second one, too. Now I only use them if something happens to this one and I need some time to repair it."

Tony tried hard not to think about the kid swinging around fighting crime in a glorified onesie again, but it wasn't easy. He rubbed at the bridge of his nose where a slight tension headache was suddenly blossoming.

"What about your old suit?"

"Destroyed beyond repair. And it's a really long story, but the fabricators kinda got seized by the government? And I haven't figured out how to reproduce the specific one that works on my suits yet. Maybe after I finish my degrees I'll have the time and knowledge to make that happen, if Pepper doesn't mind me using SI resources."

"Okay. That's a lot of information. Well, I know what we're doing with the rest of your time here."

"Huh?"

"I don't want to hear about you swinging around in a sweat suit-"

"Spandex."

"Fantastic. Even better. In spandex, with almost zero protection, ever again. Not if I can do anything about it. Let's get working on some designs, and I'll have Happy bring a few pieces of equipment down from the Compound tomorrow morning that I don't have here. You're going back with another suit."

"Mr. Stark, that's really not necessary. I mean-"

"I don't care if you're technically an adult now. The more-adult adult is talking, and I say you need a second suit. Now hand me that hydrospanner," Tony smirked.

Peter gave him an incredulous look. "Did you just make a Star Wars reference?"

Tony smiled enigmatically, and gestured for the tool that, yes, did look a bit like the imaginary one from Peter's favorite franchise.

"Chop chop, Spiderling. We've got a lot of work to do."

They spent most of the rest of Peter's stay designing, coding, and creating Peter's new suit, which meant neither got much sleep the second night. But the joy of working on a big project again together (along with copious amounts of coffee) carried them through. They broke briefly for Tony to teach Peter how to make simple (and economical) homemade pot pies for dinner, but otherwise stayed busy. Morgan joined them for a few hours after school, and had the thrill of her young life getting to actually help work on Spiderman's suit.

When Peter left the next evening, he was carrying not just his backpack, but a duffel bag full of his new suit, as well as a few letters for Pepper, Morgan, Happy, and Rhodey. Tony had agonized just a little bit over whether he should send them, and what he might say, but finally decided it might help give some more closure, and maybe a little extra help for the kid. Because Tony was going to do whatever he possibly could to help Peter. He'd had more than enough trauma already in his short life. If he couldn't be there for him in person, hopefully there were other ways he could ease things for his kid.