😂

The last couple of days had been rough. The warmth of summer was fading into the cool, crisp Autumn weather and Peter knew it was only a matter of time before the first snowfall. He was getting desperate. While he had gotten a job working at Delmar's, it certainly wasn't enough to afford clothes, food, and an apartment.

So Peter made a decision. One that may affect his relationship with Tony and the Avengers. But he had to do it.

With one final glance at the alleyway he had been staying in for the past week, he climbed up the brick wall and began jumping from rooftop to rooftop. It would've been faster to use his web shooters but he was running low and wouldn't be able to make more for a few days. In less than half an hour, the young hero was climbing up the side of Stark Towers.

It was difficult to enter without FRIDAY announcing his arrival but Peter used Karen to override the tower's AI and sneak in. All in all, it only took about 5 minutes to hack into the system and partially disable some of the programs.

He whipped his head back and forth, scanning for anyone on the penthouse floor. When he determined the coast was clear he began climbing the wall before shifting and hanging upside down on all fours from the ceiling. Peter began crawling to the small square vent in the middle of the ceiling, giving him access until the entire ventilation system.

Once in there, Peter began moving once again, scouring the area for a proper place to camp out. It only took ten minutes before he found a larger corner that he could stand up in. Tony had designed the vents extra large so that employees and Avengers alike could move throughout during emergencies and prank wars.

After assessing his new 'room', Peter began his journey back out of the tower before walking into the lobby. FRIDAY came over the hidden speakers and welcomed him back. The young arachnid practically ran to Tony's lab, ready to spend the day with him.

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Peter had to admit that living in the spacious vents of Stark Tower was a major upgrade from his cardboard box or tree branch. As far as Peter knew, nobody suspected a thing.

When he woke up in the morning, he would crawl through the vents before reaching the kitchen. From there he would use his web shooters to grab food. After that Peter would spend his day either lounging about Stark Tower like a game of hide and seek or going on an early patrol. He had dropped out of school so he didn't have to worry about homework and studying. Not his best decision but Peter wouldn't be able to keep up his facade.

It had been almost two months since May's death and just over two weeks since Peter had dropped out of school. The young arachnid was finishing upgrades on his suit with Tony seated next to him, offering the occasional tip and guiding the teenager. They were conversing exclusively in Italian since Tony was fluent and Peter wanted to improve his. The pair had built up a steady rhythm with minimal talking and a comfortable silence when FRIDAY interrupted.

"Sir, you have an incoming call. Should I put it through?"

Tony took the wrench out of his mouth and began tightening a bolt, "sure"

A new voice sounded through the lab, one that Peter recognized. "Is this the guardian of Peter Parker?"

Peter froze as he realized the caller. The billionaire on the other hand had yet to meet the elusive voice so his only concern was someone out to cause harm to the teenager.

"I'm the secondary guardian. Who's calling?" he finished tightening the bolt and grabbed a screwdriver.

"This is Leonard Phillips, the principal of Midtown High. I am calling in regards to Peter's absences. He has not been at school in over two weeks. Would yo-"

Tony interrupted. "Hold up. He hasn't been at school in two weeks?" He turned to face the young arachnid. "You haven't gone to school in two weeks? Peter, school comes before everything else you know that."

Peter gave his mentor a look, one that says can we talk about this later. Tony seemed to understand because he promised to call Mr. Phillips back before hanging up and facing the teen.

Peter was a little afraid to be honest. He didn't know where to start and he certainly didn't know how Tony would react. Would he get angry about lying and skipping school and not telling him? Would he kick him out on the street and say 'don't ever come back'? Would Tony be angry about a teenager living in his vents and hacking his AI security system?

But Peter was trying to stay positive. So he took a deep breath and began the story on the day of May's death. From there he told Tony about living on the streets and breaking into the tower to live in the vents, recounting every minute detail he could remember that was relevant to his plot.

Tony's expression was unreadable the entire time. Peter had chosen to sit on the couch while telling the story with the billionaire seated by his side. About halfway through the story, Tony had stood up and begun pacing around the room with a hand scratching his chin, almost as if in thought. Whatever he was thinking or planning, Peter couldn't tell if it was good or bad.

When he finished with the story, Peter sat awkwardly in silence while waiting for Tony to do or say something anything. His anxiety was growing by the second and the teenager was afraid he would have a panic attack in front of Tony Stark a.k.a. Iron Man. He buried his face in his hands, awaiting his future.

"FRIDAY, tell Pepper to come up here, please."

Uh oh.

Calling Pepper must mean he was in big trouble.

Peter's head snapped up at the mention of the woman closest to a (badass) mother figure. His eyes widened as he began to silently beg Tony not to bring her into this. If anything, Tony was probably calling his fiancé to sue for trespassing and hacking expensive technology and stealing food. Or maybe it was to find legal loopholes to throw a minor onto the streets without getting a lawsuit. Whatever it was, Peter was most likely in trouble and/or danger.

It took only a few minutes for the CEO of Stark Industries to reach the penthouse labs. Peter could hear her coming all the way from the elevator due to his enhanced hearing and the loud clicking and clacking of her heels throughout the long echoing hallway. Peter prepared for the worst as she entered the room with her ID card. The teenager dropped his face in his hands once again as Tony began to retell Peter's story to his fiancé. He could hear the gasps of surprise at everything Peter had done in the past two months, including his school absences.

The young boy decided to face his fears and lift his head up, only to find a teary eyed Pepper Potts staring at him. Once again, the adults had unreadable expressions, leaving Peter to speculate his fate. Pepper began to walk over. It took every ounce of restraint for the arachnid to not flinch or fall to his knees and begin begging for mercy.

Surprisingly, Pepper did not hit Peter or yell at him to leave the tower or call security. She instead enveloped him in a long and warm (not to mention well needed) hug. Peter instantly sunk into the embrace as he felt the tears begin to fall. Thinking back on it, Pepper was the first one to hug him since Aunt May's death. The feeling of a human and maternal touch was almost foreign to Peter. He hadn't noticed but he was practically starving for affection and comfort and Pepper gave it to him.

That woman had to be the greatest person alive because she refused to let go of Peter unless he was the first to end the hug. She even whispered in his ears (so soft she couldn't even hear herself in order to avoid damage due to his enhanced hearing) that he could hold on for as long as he needed. After a few minutes, Peter pulled away, the tears in his eyes matching Pepper's.

"Please don't ever feel like you can't come to one of us. My door is always open for you. And if you're more comfortable talking to Tony I won't take any offense. I just want you to be safe and happy. Okay?" Pepper's voice was so soft and comforting and welcoming that Peter almost started crying.

Peter couldn't find the words to say what he wanted so he had to settle for a simple nod instead. He tore his eyes away from Pepper's stern (yet still maternal and inviting) at the sound of Tony clearing his throat. Thanks to his powers, Peter could see the tears forming in Tony's eyes as well, even though the billionaire was trying to hide his emotions like usual.

Tony cleared his throat again, this time to stop the tears that threatened to spill, and began speaking in a semi-wobbly voice. "Pete, I'm not mad at you. I am a little disappointed you didn't talk to me right away, though, I saw you almost every day for two months and you never mentioned this. Peter, if you had told me I would have taken you in in a heartbeat. Like Pepper said, you are always welcome here. We think of you almost like the son we never had. We just want you to be happy" Tony's voice began to crack and the tears began to fall.

Pepper and Peter both followed suit shortly after and pretty soon all three of them were full on sobbing in the greasy lab, quickly pulling each other into a tight embrace and refusing to let go. They eventually did release each other when Tony asked FRIDAY to call an adoption lawyer. Peter's face was stuck in a constant look of surprise and happiness. He was going to have a mom and dad again. And as an added bonus they were Tony Stark and Pepper Potts.

Things were finally looking up for Peter. Within a week, he returned to school, began patrolling the city as Spiderman again, and was adopted. It was decided that the adoption would be kept a secret from all except for a select few. Those people of course being the Avengers, Ned, and MJ.

Two years later, at his high school graduation, Peter would look into the crowd and make eye contact with his parents before revealing himself as their son and thanking them for their sacrifices and love. Peter would dedicate the rest of his life not only to being an Avenger and saving the world but to paying back the couple for their love and support and giving him a home. It wasn't a perfect family but it was pretty close.

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