Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Peter was instantly regretting his late night, impulsive decision, but it was too late now. He was watching the numbers on the elevator climb as he nervously wrung his hands, trying to keep from anxiously scratching his left arm, a habit he hasn’t been able to get rid of just quite yet.

At the ding of the elevator that signaled his stop, he knew he couldn’t turn back. Peter took a deep breath and stepped out, into the penthouse.

“Peter?” asked a tired voice. “FRI said you were one your way up. It’s 3 am on a Thursday night, why aren’t you at school, bud?”

Peter looked down to the floor as he felt Tony’s hand rest on his shoulder. He hunched into himself, shrinking more into the oversized MIT sweatshirt he wore whenever he needed comfort. When it looked like Tony was willing to wait for an answer, Peter just shrugged.

“I just couldn’t be in my dorm tonight, Tony,” he answered honestly. Truthfully, he couldn’t fall asleep, and the longer that he stared at the ceiling, the more closed in he felt in the small college dorm room. Tonight, he couldn’t get a reign on his thoughts, and without that small amount of control, they had just ran wild until he couldn’t lay still anymore. He threw off his sheets, grabbed his mask and web shooters and made his way back to New York. Back to Tony, more importantly.

“Why couldn’t you sleep, Pete?” Tony led him to the couch, not taking his hand off the younger man for a moment. Tony could see the signs of anxiety rolling off the kid in waves. He knew that in those moments, Peter needed a physical touch to stay grounded.

Peter just shrugged again, letting himself get pulled into Tony’s side. He sighed in contentment, sinking into the warmth and comfort his mentor provided. “It was too loud tonight,” he muttered, closing his eyes for the first time that night.

“Your senses are acting up?”

Peter shook his head, burrowing further into the man’s chest. He felt Tony give a soft chuckle at the actions, but he didn’t care. When he felt like this, he needed all the physical touch and comfort he could get. Which wasn’t much when he lived in a college dorm room hours away from his family. “Not my senses, my mind. It’s too loud and too fast. Won’t stop.”

Tony sighed, wrapping his arms tighter around the kid. “Yeah, those are the worst nights,” he whispered, knowing from experience how dangerous your own mind could be at times when you’re left alone with your thoughts.

“What’s going on that head of yours, kiddo?” He asked, again, rubbing on hand in circles on Peter’s back, letting the other one rest on the back of Peter’s neck, keeping him close.

Peter was quiet for a while, so long that Tony thought he fell asleep. Until he heard a quiet whisper, almost too faint to distinguish.

“Is May trying to have a do-over?”

Out of everything he imagined, that was not the question Tony expected from Peter. “What makes you ask that?” he asked.

Peter shifted a bit, so his face wasn’t directly buried in Tony’s chest. As comforting as it was, it made it difficult to talk and breath. “I left for college and suddenly everything changed. It was almost like she became a completely different person. She met and started dating Ethan, and now after 3 years they’re married. Not to mention that Ethan had 3 little kids and that meant she moved from our apartment to a bigger house. She has a new job, a new husband, little kids that call her ‘mom’ instead of ‘Aunt May’, a new everything.” He paused, sniffling and forced himself to breathe so the tears didn’t escape his eyes. “It’s like, once she got rid of me, she could actually start the life she wanted,” he added in a hoarse whisper.

Tony was quiet, thinking over everything Peter said. He didn’t quit rubbing his back, but the genius was at a loss for words. He knew May had a lot of life changes after Peter started college at MIT, but he always saw Peter looking and acting genuinely happy whenever he was with his aunt and their new family. Tony should have figured some thoughts like these would come up at some point in the kid’s mind.

“Oh, Peter,” Tony eventually whispered, not wanting to disturb the quiet that had briefly blanketed them in the penthouse living room.

“Sometimes,” Peter croaked, his voice thick with repressed emotions and held back tears, “it feels like she’s better off without me around. We hardly talk anymore, and if I do see her, Ethan or one of the kids are around and it’s never just us.” He coughed, gaining control of his emotions once again before shrugging. “I don’t blame her though. She’s got a great life compared to before. Why would she want to focus on someone who reminds her of all the bad stuff in her past when she can just focus on what’s in front of her.”

Tony shook his head, holding Peter tightly. “No, Pete, none of that is true. At all. Your aunt loves you so much and could never imagine a life without you in it.”

Peter gave a self-deprecating laugh and shook his head. “She doesn’t have to imagine it. All she has to do is wake up and get out of bed in the morning and see her great husband and new kids.”

Tony sighed. “I thought you liked Ethan and the kids?”

“I do,” Peter said, shrugging once more. “Ethan’s really great, and the kids are cool, I guess. That makes it even worse though, because I can’t blame any of them for May replacing me with them either! It’s not any of their faults.”

Tony used a finger to lift Peter’s face so he could look into the younger man’s eyes. “Peter, May is not replacing you. She wants to include you in her growing family. It’s not just her family, it’s yours too. May and Ethan want you and his kids to be considered family, not just one or the other.”

Peter didn’t say anything, he just gave a small shrug and hid his arms in his sweatshirt sleeves, ducking his head back into Tony’s chest. Deep down, he knew everything Tony was saying was true, but there were moments where everything seemed to point to the opposite of that. Apparently, tonight was going to be one of those nights.

“What brought all this on, Pete? I know you, and I know that this couldn’t have been a one-time incident to bring up these feelings.”

At this question, Peter almost blushed. The rationalized part of his brain knew that his reasonings surrounding all of this was childish and stupid, but he couldn’t help himself. Sometimes his anxiety decided to take control and mentally ruin his perception of all his relationships. Currently, his anxiety seems to have taken a favorite with his relationship with May.

Peter refused to move his head from against Tony and mumbled an answer.

Tony chuckled and gave Peter a faint kiss to his temple. “Not everyone has spider-hearing, kiddo. I’m an old man, I need you to speak up.”

Peter gave a groaned and pulled away from the protective warmth of his mentor. “May cancelled our weekend, again, and hasn’t been free to either call or answer any of my calls for almost a week now. It’s not the first time she’s been too busy, either.” Peter saw Tony opened his mouth to say something and continued before that could happen. “Again, I don’t blame her for anything, I know that she’s busy and has a lot on her plate right now and that little kids are much more high maintenance than a 20 year-old, but it’d be nice to hear her voice again, rather than her voicemail.”

Tony sighed again. Maybe he should have a chat with May, let her know how Peter’s been feeling without actually telling her about this conversation. That thought gave him a question, though. “Hey, Peter?”

“Hm?”

“Have you told May any of this?”

Peter vehemently shook his head. “I can’t tell her any of this!”

Tony tried not to roll his eyes. “And why not?”

“Because,” Peter exclaimed, “then she’ll feel horrible and think it’s all her fault and it’s not because she deserves to be happy. Plus, then she’ll take more time out of her busy schedule to focus on me instead of the other kids and that’s not fair to them because they need her more than I do because I’m an adult and she’s just my aunt, but she’s now their mom so they obviously need her more than I do. Then if she focuses more on my than them, Ethan might become annoyed which could lead to them disagreeing and possibly splitting up which would be horrible for everyone. Then, it would be all my fault, just because I told May I was bothered that she didn’t call me more.”

Tony was silent for a moment again, giving Peter a moment to breath after that word vomit episode. “Do you feel better, now?”

Peter shrugged again. Tony was afraid he’d get whiplash or something at this point.

“Well, kid, the only advice I have is to tell May how you feel about everything. Make sure that she knows that you love everyone still but that you would just like a little more intentional attention. Especially after it had just been the two of you for years. And no, you’re not being selfish if you say that,” Tony added before Peter could object. He tightened his hold on the younger man and pulled him in for another extremely tight hug.

“In the meantime,” he added, running his hand through Peter’s curls, “you can come to me anytime you need something. Whether it’s just to vent or you’re feeling lonely and want a hug. I’m still and will always be here for you, Pete. I love you, kiddo.”

Peter melting into the hug, finally letting his whole body relax, his mind finally quieting down. “Thanks, Tony,” he sighed, sleepily. “I love you too.”

Tony gave Peter another kiss on the forehead, before relaxing into the couch. He hadn’t had much sleepy-cuddles with Peter since he started college three years prior. That meant he took any chance he was offered, even if it was brought on by an emotional and mental break down. He decided that he was still going to talk with May about Peter’s feelings. It was only fair to the both of them and was helpful to get them to start talking about it all.

Only once Peter woke up, though. It can wait until the morning.

Chapter Text

Tony never did talk to May about Peter’s late-night visit. That was probably his third mistake in this gigantic mess, if he honestly thought about it. He didn’t want to betray Peter’s trust by telling her what the younger man told him in private confidence. He felt confident that Peter would eventually talk to May, though. The kid couldn’t keep a secret other than Spider-Man to save his life. He also wore his emotions on his sleeve and both Tony and May were experts at reading the younger man.

After Peter had fallen asleep, they both slept through the rest of the night, so Tony didn’t have a moment to make Peter promise to talk to May. That might have been his first mistake. That next morning Tony had woken to Peter fast asleep, clinging to him like an octopus. Tony smiled, and despite how much he enjoyed moments like these, he knew that Peter has classes at MIT he had to get back to. So regrettably, Tony gently shook Peter’s shoulder, eliciting annoyed grumbling for the younger man.

“Come on, Pete, it’s time to wake up. You have to get back to school,” Tony whispered, trying but failing to stop the soft smile from growing on his face. Peter just groaned and turned his face deeper into Tony’s side, refusing to wake up.

Tony chuckled before giving the younger man’s shoulder a rougher shove, accidentally pushing him off the couch.

Peter gave a yelp and then sat up, glaring at Tony. “Did you have to shove me off the couch?” he demanded.

Tony shrugged, still grinning. “Glare all you want, kid. I keep telling you that you look like an angry puppy when you’re mad.” Nonetheless, he stood up and held his hand out to help Peter off the floor. “Besides, you have to make it back to MIT for your 11:45 lecture.”

“Why am I not surprised you have my class schedule memorized.”

“Don’t know, Pete. Come on, I’ll make you some pancakes before you leave,” Tony said, making his way into the kitchen.

“With chocolate chips and blueberries?” Peter asked, bouncing beside him.

Tony laughed, throwing his arm over the younger man’s shoulders. “I taught you well, kid. Of course they’ll be chocolate chip and blueberry pancakes.” He then ruffled Peter’s messy brown curls, eliciting a squawk of protest and offense from him.

After Tony made Peter breakfast and made sure his kid didn’t need anything else before he headed back to his school, Tony bid Peter farewell with the assurance that he could call the older man any time he wanted or needed to talk. All notions of actually talking to May about why Peter had swung to Tony’s apartment in the middle of the night was nowhere in any conversation that morning. That was Tony’s second mistake.

Two months go by and that nighttime visit was but a fleeting thought in the back of Tony’s mind by that point. Peter didn’t act any different around his mentor, in fact, he seemed a little more like himself. Tony assumed he and May had a heart-to-heart and worked everything out. He never mentioned May, or Ethan or his kids, but that didn’t mean much as he hardly talked to Tony about them in the first place. Tony was glad that it seemed like Peter finally got it all figured out.

Until May called him one evening as he was getting to bed. He heard his phone ringing and grabbed for it to answer quickly, because he knew Pepper was already asleep and he didn’t want to wake her. He saw May’s picture flash on his screen and he answered the call, walking from his bedroom back into the living room. “Hello?”

“Tony? Did I call at a bad time?”

Tony heard how shaky May’s voice was and knew that something was wrong. “Not at all, May. What’s wrong? Is Peter okay?”

At the mention of Peter, May let out what sounded like a choked sob. “That’s just it, Tony. I don’t know if he’s okay. He’s avoiding me and dodging my calls. At first I thought that he’s just busy being a junior in college, but then he just sent me a text saying that he’s staying at MIT over the holidays. No explanation and now he won’t answer any of my calls and texts. Ethan tried reaching out to him too, and he won’t answer him either. Do you know why he’s avoiding us?”

Tony paused. He was caught off guard by what May said. He thought things were getting better for Peter and May. Apparently not. Tony sighed and rubbed his eyes. “I might have an idea. This is something that should be said in person, not over the phone, though.”

“Ethan and I can meet you at the Tower. The kids are at his parents’ house for a sleepover. We can be there in 20 minutes.” May answered instantly.

Tony hesitated. “I think Ethan should stay back. This might be better if it’s just you.”

“I think my husband deserves to hear what’s up with Peter too.”

“I’m not saying he doesn’t, but I really think you should hear this first before Ethan does. Please, May.”

Tony could hear her sigh over the phone then mumble quietly to someone else, Ethan, he assumed. “Fine, Ethan will drop me off in 20 minutes.”

Tony nodded, fully aware she couldn’t see him. “I’ll meet you in the lobby when you get here.”

While waiting for May, Tony sat on the couch, head in his hands, as he went over all of his interactions with Peter for the last two months. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary to him, even when he thought back, trying to pick out any details that could have alluded him to Peter’s actions.

He also checked with Friday to make sure Pepper hadn’t woken up from his phone call. His wife had been working overtime lately, a result of some turnover happening in the higher positions of SI, and she deserved all the rest she could get.

Soon, Tony found himself taking the elevator down to the lobby as Friday alerted him to May arriving in the lobby. He smiled and walked over to her. “Hey, May.”

May gave him a shaky smile. “Thanks for being willing to talk this late. I’m just worried about Peter, and I don’t know what’s going on any more.”

Tony could see her trying to hold herself together, so he didn’t something completely out of character. He pulled her into a hug.

That was apparently the right thing to do, because May sagged into his arms like a puppet that just had its strings cut. Maybe it was a Parker trait, because Peter did it so often that Tony was more than prepared to catch May as she rested against him. He felt his shoulder begin to dampen with tears as May quietly cried into his shoulder.

“I don’t know what to do,” she cried, gripping the back of his shirt like a lifeline. “Did I do something that made Peter so upset he doesn’t want to talk to me? Why doesn’t my baby boy want to see me, Tony?”

Tony just held her tight, and let her cry. He didn’t try to answer right away, as he knew he’d have to explain everything for her to understand and that wasn’t something he wanted to do in the middle of his lobby.

“Come on,” he said, gently leading her towards the elevator. “Let’s talk about this on the couch instead standing here.”

May sniffed, but wordlessly followed him anyways. They didn’t speak throughout the entire elevator ride, nor the walk to the couch. Only after Tony handed May a fresh cup of coffee and they both sat down on the couch in his penthouse living room, did May speak up.

“So what is it that you know? Why is Peter acting like this?”

Tony sighed, taking a gulp of coffee before placing it on the coffee cable. “First off, I don’t know why he has decided to avoid you guys, but I think I know some of the reasons leading up to this.”

May just gave him an expectant look, so he began talking. He told her about Peter showing up in the middle of the night two months ago. He told her about the younger man’s crazy idea that May was replacing him with a new family and trying to have a do-over in life. He told her how Peter was scared to tell her because he didn’t want to make May unhappy or ruin her life. Tony also told her how he told Peter it was all absurd and how much May loved him.

“I thought he went back to school and ended up talking it all out with you, May. Any time I saw him afterwards, everything seemed okay. I just assumed you two had worked it all out.”

May had her hand over her mouth, eyes full of tears. “Oh, my sweet baby. Why on Earth would he think that Ethan and the kids were replacing him? What would have given him that idea?”

Tony hesitated before answering. “Well, it was just you two for the longest time. Then after Peter has a big life-changing milestone of moving out on his own, he comes back to find you dating a man who has 3 little kids that lost their mom. Suddenly, he had to share you with four new people. And because he’s so self-sufficient, we both tend to forget that he still needs us as much as he did as a teenager. That part isn't just on you. But either way, he didn’t want to cause any trouble but he saw you happy with strangers while he was at college trying to figure out how to be an adult without the constant contact he’s always had with you.

“I know you’ve always tried your best to make time for Peter, but sometimes the heart tells us things we know in our heads that they aren’t true. This is something that Peter is struggling with because his head is logically telling him one thing but his heart and feelings are telling him the complete opposite. That’s not your fault, just the facts.”

May sat there, tears silently streaming down her face. She couldn’t believe it. She tried so hard to make sure Peter always felt included with her, Ethan, and the new kids. She always saw him smiling and looked like he was enjoying himself. She felt so happy at how both of her worlds seemed to have seamlessly fit together. But apparently that wasn’t the case at all.

Her heart broke at the thought of Peter pulling away in pain because he didn’t want to hurt May by voicing his feelings of being replaced. She knew that she’d been focusing more on Audrey, Micheal, and Leah lately, but with Peter away at college, she thought she was doing good at splitting her time between the three little ones and Peter. She felt like an utter failure of a parent.

No matter how much Tony told her it wasn’t her fault, she knew it was. No one else was letting Peter slide through her fingertips as she spent more and more time with Ethan and the kids. She thought he was just growing up and becoming an adult, but only a horrible mother wouldn’t see the pain she was causing her own child.

May let her head drop into her hands, unable to keep her crying silent. “I’m a terrible mother,” she cried. “My poor, sweet Peter.” She looked up at Tony, who looked slightly uncomfortable in front of a crying woman. “He won’t answer any time I reach out. Could you try reaching out? I need to make this right. Please Tony.”

Tony rubbed the back of his neck, nodding. “Of course I’ll talk to him, May. I told him that night that this is something you two need to talk about because it was probably a big misunderstanding. I’ll talk to him tomorrow, though. It’s too late for me to call tonight and it not seem suspicious.” He stood up and offered a hand to pull May up. “In the meantime, I suggest you get some rest. Do you want to stay here in our guestroom or would you like me to drive you home?”

May smiled but shook her head. “Thank you, but Ethan said he was just going to drive around until I called him to pick me up.”

Tony nodded again. “Alright, but at least let me walk you down and wait with you until he picks you up. It’s late and no matter how Peter is acting or feeling right now, he’d have my head if something happened to you on my watch.”

May gave a watery chuckle. “Ever the gentleman, then.”

The elevator ride down to the lobby was just as quietly awkward as the ride up had been. As they walked to the front doors, though, May turned to Tony and pulled him into a hug. “Thank you,” she whispered, “for helping me get my boy back.”

Tony stood awkwardly for a moment, as he was caught off guard by the sudden affection. Before wrapping his arms around May to reciprocate the hug. “Of course, May. I care about both of you and want you guys to be both happy. I’d do anything I could to help.”

May stepped back and patted his arm. “You’re a good man, Tony Stark. You’ve proven that time and time again, and every time you do, I’m so grateful you came and found Peter six years ago.”

With those words, she left and Tony stood and watched her get into her car, hug Ethan, and drive off. Tony sighed, rubbed his eyes again, and shook his head. He should have just talked to May two months ago...

Chapter Text

Peter felt his phone buzz on his desk for the umpteenth time that day. He groaned and grabbed it, unlocking it to see who texted him again while he was trying to finish his schoolwork before finals. He saw 12 unread texts and several missed calls from May, a message from Tony telling Peter to call the older man when he was free. Apparently they needed to discuss something, but Peter didn’t know what they’d talk about. This newest text though, surprised him, as it was from Ethan.

Ethan:
Hey, Pete. I know you’re probably busy with school right now, but May’s worried about you.
Even more now that you’re not responding her calls or text.
Just wanted to let you know that it would make her day to talk to you.
But you probably don’t need to hear that from me.

Peter bristled in annoyance for a moment. Why did he assume that Peter didn’t know how his aunt would be feeling? Peter’s known and lived with her a lot longer than Ethan had. Then, the guilt sat in. Of course Peter knew how worried May was getting as Peter ignore her. He knew it broke her heart when he told her that he wasn’t going home for Winter Break, but he just couldn’t stand it any more.

He couldn’t just show up and pretend he was happy with everything any longer. He just felt exhausted and guilty as he played pretend with his masks on to make it look like he was okay with May’s new life. He felt bad because he honestly enjoyed being around Ethan and his kids, but he just couldn’t stop seeing how little he fit into their life anymore.

Sure, they left a room for him in their new house with all his stuff from his and May’s old apartment, but he also knew that they used his room as a guest room and sometimes an office if it needed to be. He felt like his presence in their lives is shoved into the back closet until he shows his face again. So he decided to just remove himself from the situation, although that seems to have made everything worse at the moment.

Before he could decide what to do, Peter felt his phone buzz again and looked down at it.

Tony:
Alright kid, enough sulking and avoiding everyone. Call me. Now.

Without giving Peter time to think, his phone lit up with Tony’s face, showing that the man was calling him. Peter sighed but answered the call. “Hey, Tony.”

“Peter, it’s time to stop ignoring everyone. You’re finals haven’t started yet, so I’m going to send a jet to bring you home for the weekend. It’s time for everyone to sit down and talk.”

Peter sighed, resting his head against the back of his chair, eyes closed in exhaustion. “Tony, I don’t have time to come down. And there’s nothing to talk about. Everything’s fine.”

“Is that why May has been calling me in tears because she can’t figure out why you are ignoring her and refusing any form of contact with her?”

That got Peter’s attention. He didn’t know that May was so upset that she was talking to Tony about it. Well, not that she was talking to Tony, the two adults talk to each other about him all the time. But the fact that she went crying to Tony is what shocked him.

“Wait, what? She was crying?”

There was a pause, before Tony answered. “Yeah, kiddo. She called me in tears last night, then came over to talk and ask if I had any idea why her kid was ignoring her. I told her about our talk a couple months ago. She thinks she’s failed you as a mother, Pete. She’s devastated. You need to come home and talk to her.”

“Why would she think that?” Peter asked, “None of this is her fault! It’s all just in my head. That’s why I didn’t want to tell her any of this! She would think it’s her fault and blame herself and that’s not true!”

“So tell her that, Pete. Go pack a bag. I have a driver arriving at your dorm in 15 minutes to bring you to the airport.”

Peter shook his head but started packing some clothes in a duffel bag nonetheless. “Why did you send a driver? Afraid I wouldn’t go to the airport?”

Tony snorted. “Yes, actually. I had to pull out the big guns considering you have been refusing to talk to any of us for the last couple of days.”

Peter gave a small wince, even though he knew Tony couldn’t see it. “That’s fair.” He kept packing and Tony stayed on the line with him, talking about random topics. As he was exiting his building, Peter stopped. “Wait, you said ‘big guns’. What did you mean by that?”

“Come on, Peter. We’re going to be late if you don’t hurry.”

Before Tony could reply, Peter slowly turned at the voice to his side. He stopped and stared as Pepper left the sleek black Audi and walked over to him. He heard Tony chuckle in his ear. “I sent the biggest guns I had, kid. Good luck.”

With that, Tony had hung up, leaving Peter to fend for himself against Pepper Stark. Before Peter could even react, Pepper had reached where he was standing. Peter prepared himself for a lecture, but was surprised when the CEO pulled him into a bone-crushing hug. She didn’t say anything, just held him tight, one hand on his back and one cradling his head, tucking his face into her neck.

Peter broke.

He didn’t realise how tightly he was holding himself together until he didn’t have to anymore. He fell against Pepper like a puppet with his strings cut. He wrapped his arms around her and held on just as tightly. Peter sniffed, and suddenly he couldn’t stop the tears from welling up and quietly flowing down his cheeks.

Pepper must have felt his tears, but said nothing as she just rubbed his back. They stood there, in front of his dorm building at MIT for several minutes. They didn’t talk, just held each other, giving and receiving comfort in a way only family can give. After several minutes, Pepper pulled back, giving Peter a warm smile. He sniffed and wiped his red eyes, giving her a shaky smile back.

“A little better?” She asked, rubbing his arm.

Peter just nodded, not trusting himself to speak.

“Good,” she grabbed his bag before Peter could protest and started back for the car, “let’s go catch a plane, then, and fix this whole mess.”

Knowing it was easier to just listen to the business woman, Peter just sniffed again and followed. He put his bag in the backseat then found himself in the passenger seat as the two of them drove to the nearby airport. They were silent for the entire drive and until about halfway into the flight, when Pepper finally broke their quiet bubble.

“I don’t know everything that’s going on, but I do know that whatever thoughts about this that are running through your head is wrong.”

Peter looked up from his window, where he was watching the world below them, and turned to Pepper. “What?”

Pepper gave him a soft smile and moved to sit next to him. Without thinking, she wrapped one arm around his shoulders, drawing the young man in close, and used her free hand to cup the side of his face, making sure Peter met her eyes. “Peter, I know we aren’t as close as you and Tony, but I know you well enough to confidently tell you that whatever presumptions you’ve thought of about May and Ethan and yourself are wrong. Whatever you’ve convinced yourself is true is false. We all love you so much, kid. Now you just have to see that too.”

Peter didn’t trust himself to answer. He swallowed thickly and gave a jerky nod, trying to keep the tears from escaping. He didn’t know why Pepper’s words made him tear up, but they did. Maybe it’s because he’s just so tired of trying to keep it together and act like nothing was wrong.

Pepper seemed to understand his silence because she just gave him another smile and held him closer, guiding his head to rest on her shoulder. “Close your eyes and relax,” she murmured, running her fingers through his curls. “I’ll let you know when we land.”

Peter let out a long breath and felt his body relax for the first time in what seemed like forever. Suddenly he couldn’t seem to keep his eyes open and slowly let the haze of sleep wash over his body, Pepper’s fingers gently carding through his hair being the last thing he remembered.

Tony stood up from the couch when he heard the elevator ding, signaling someone was on his floor. The second he saw that it was his wife and kind-of kid, he rushed over and pulled Peter into a bone-crushing hug, leaning over the younger man to give Pepper a kiss. “Thanks for getting him,” he whispered to his wife.

Pepper smiled and rubbed Peter’s back. “Of course, Tony. He’s mine as much as he is yours.” She gave Peter a kiss on his forehead when he tilted up to look at her. “Now, take him and go fix all of this.” With that, she smiled at them both and went to head to her office to finish some paperwork.

After Pepper left, Tony gave Peter one last squeeze before pulling him away and holding him by the shoulders to assess how his kid was at the moment. He saw how red his eyes looked and were filled with unshed tears. He could feel Peter trembling under his hands. Tony took one hand and cupped Peter’s cheek, almost identical to Pepper’s actions on the plane. Tony could see how exhausted and on edge Peter looked. With a sigh, Tony pulled him close again, whispering into his ear. “I gotcha, kid. It’s alright, I’ve got you.”

Peter didn’t cry like he did with Pepper, but he felt his whole body shudder as he leaned into Tony, already feeling safe and comforted in his mentor’s arms. They stood like that for a couple minutes before Tony pulled away. He moved to grab the keys to a car and headed to the elevator. “Come on, kid. We have a long talk that you’re due to have.”

Peter sighed, but followed nonetheless. He knew what was coming, he just didn’t know if he was prepared for it.

They pulled up outside of May’s house, and Tony turned the car off. Instead of getting out right away, he turned to Peter, who was intensely studying his hands in his lap. “Are you ready to go in?” Tony asked.

Peter shook his head, refusing to look up. Instead of pushing, though, Tony just sat and waited. “You look exhausted, kiddo,” he murmured, almost to himself.

Peter shrugged. “I’m a junior at MIT getting a double major. Of course I’m going to look exhausted.”

Tony shook his head. “Not what I meant, and you know it.”

Peter sighed, letting his shoulders sag. “I’m just tired, Tony. I’m tired of all this. It’s exhausting.”

Tony nodded, setting a hand on the younger man’s shoulder. “I know, kid. That’s why we’re here know. If you talk it out, everything will be a lot better, I promise.”

Peter was quiet for a moment before taking a deep breath and nodded. “Alright, let’s go then.”

Tony nodded and stepped out of the car, moving to open the passenger door for Peter to follow. They walked to the door in silence, but Tony kept a hand on Peter’s shoulder, keeping him grounded. They stared to the freshly painted front door for a moment before Peter raised a fist and knocked.

The door opened and May gasped at seeing the two men. “Peter,” she whispered, instantly pulling him towards her. Peter didn’t know how to react, especially when he heard his aunt sniffle and felt his shoulder dampen with what he assumed was her tears. He hesitantly wrapped his arms around her, which prompted May to just tighten her hold on Peter.

They stood there, in the doorway for several minutes, May just crying into Peter’s shoulder. Peter stood there, hugging May but not really responding, which surprised him considering how emotionally charged and vulnerable he had been the rest of the day so far.

Finally May gave one last sniffle and stepped back. She gave Peter a wet smile and wiped her eyes. “Oh, baby. It’s so great to see you. I’ve missed you so much.” She pulled Peter back in for one more hug before gesturing for both men to follow her into the house. “Come on, let’s go inside. We don’t need to stay out here.”

The trio made their way inside, moving to the couch. Tony and Peter sat while May moved to the kitchen to make some coffee for her and Tony and a hot chocolate for Peter. Even though he was an adult in college, she knew that her nephew still enjoyed sweets over caffeine. May brought the drinks back into the living room, passing them out before joining the other two on the couch.

“Where’s Ethan and the kids?” Peter asked, looking around and noticing how quiet it was.

May shrugged. “After Tony said he was bringing you over, Ethan felt that it would be better to take the kids on a weekend trip. That way we could have time to just focus on us without any distractions or interruptions.”

After May sat down next to Peter, she put a hand on his shoulder and just looked at him, a sad smile on her face. Peter squirmed slightly, glancing at Tony, who just shook his head and sat back in the arm chair he claimed, drinking his coffee and observing. He didn’t plan to intervene on any of it, he was just there to make sure Peter stayed long enough for him and May to talk through all their feelings.

Peter looked back at May, seeing a few tears in her eyes. “May, I-” Peter started, but his aunt quickly interrupted him.

“Peter, baby I am so sorry that you thought I was trying to replace you. Trying to replace us. I hope you know that you could never be replaced, or that I would want to replace you and our whole life together. You’re mine, Peter. You may not be mine by blood, but you’ve been my son since Ben brought you home after your parents died. You made me a mother, and that’s something I’d never even wish to give up.”

Peter blinked rapidly, trying to keep from tearing up. “I know that,” he whispered, his voice slightly cracking.

“So why do you think that Ethan and his kids are replacing you?”

Peter shrugged. “I don’t know. It just felt like you suddenly had a second chance at a good life. I know you and Ben couldn’t have kids, and now you suddenly have three. And a really great guy as a husband, which is something I know you never imagined being possible after Ben died, because- because Ben was Ben and then he’s just gone and you’re stuck with a kid that isn’t even yours but this time it was your choice and now you live in this great house and don’t have to work 24/7 just to get by and you don’t have me around to complicate everything with my enhancements and being Spider-Man. It’s just, you suddenly have a great life and I watched it all happen so quickly, and… and I don’t know. I know it’s not true but sometimes it really looks like you’re happier and better off without me and it just hurts.”

Once Peter started talking, he couldn’t stop. The floodgates opened, the tears started and all his thoughts and feelings came out, laid bare between them. By the time he was done, both he and May were tearing up, and pulled him towards her, tucking him against her chest, his head on her shoulder, holding him close like she used to do when he was younger.

“My sweet boy,” she whispered, sniffing her tears away. “I’m so sorry you’ve been hurting so much. I’m so sorry I failed you so much you believed that I could ever find someone to replace you as my child. Please know that none of what you said is remotely true. I think about Ben all the time, and I think back on the life we had together with such fondness. I want to give these kids the same chance to have those kinds of memories to look back on, but that doesn’t mean I’m just shoving you off to the side to be forgotten about.” She pulled back and gently wiped away Peter’s tears from his face. “You’re my first child, always and forever. Nothing can change that. I love you so, so much Peter Benjamin Parker. I can’t tell you enough how much I love you.”

Peter didn’t say anything but he dove back into May’s arms, clenching the back of her shirt in her fists and he cried into her neck. May simply held him, letting him cry out all of his hurt and pain. She whispered assurances into his ear, occasionally pressing light kisses on his head.

While Peter cried, May looked up at Tony, who had been quiet during all of this, doing work on his phone as he pretended not to be listening in an attempt to give them a semblance of privacy. She caught his eye, though, and mouthed a thank you to the billionaire.

Tony simply smiled and nodded. He stood up, grabbed his car keys and walked over to the couch. He placed a hand on Peter’s back to not startle his kid and leaned down and kissed his temple. “I’ll see ya later, Pete. Stay here with May. You guys have some time to make up for.”

Peter just nodded, not willing to pull himself out of his aunt’s arms just quite yet. He couldn’t remember the last time she held him like this, like she used to when he was a little kid and wasn’t afraid to seek out affection from his aunt and uncle.

He heard the door open and close, and could hear Tony drive away, but he didn’t care. He just snuggled closer to May. He felt May maneuvering them to lay down on the couch instead of sitting at their awkward, hunched angle. He melted when May started carding her fingers through the hair on the nape of his neck.

“I love so much, Peter,” May whispered again. She felt like she could never say it enough times to convey how much she loved her boy.

Peter sighed, closing his eyes and completely relaxing, feeling so much stress just melt off his body. Exhaustion from all the emotions and crying was starting to set in as well. “I love you too, May,” he replied, slipping off into a restful sleep, feeling completely safe and loved and surrounded by him mom.