It had been three weeks since May kicked Peter out onto the streets. And Peter had to say they were the best three weeks of his life. He spent his days in the workshop with Tony, learning Russian with Nat and Bucky,in the lab with Bruce, learning Italian from Tony, training with the rest of the team, cooking with Pepper and Bucky, and just lounging about the penthouse when he wasn't at school.

The entire team had warmed up to the teenager. They all had inside jokes with him and practically commanded the young hero to call them 'aunt' and 'uncle' respectively. It was amazing how well Peter adapted form his small apartment in Queens to a multi-billion dollar skyscraper in downtown NYC. Peter was happy to finally have a large family.

There was only one problem. Tony didn't have guardianship over the teen and the only way to do so would be to get permission from May. If she happened to die, it would be a different story. But as Tony told the team, they couldn't murder Peter's last blood relative.

Tony had talked with Peter and they decided it would be best to talk with May. Peter didn't say it out loud but there was a slim chance he would go back to his aunt. Tony didn't say it out loud but there was a slim chance he would let Peter go back to his aunt.

The two drove over to her apartment and knocked on the door. Tony turned to ask Peter how he was feeling but stopped when he saw the teenager shaking from nerves and possibly fear. He placed a gentle hand on Peter's shoulder, causing him to glance up. If it hadn't been obvious before, it was now. Peter was afraid to see his aunt.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Tony spoke softly. "I'm right here. I won't let her hurt you"

Peter nodded and gave a weak smile. "Yeah. Yeah. I-I'm fine. Just a little nervous"

"About?" He pressed.

He shrugged. "I don't know. I don't know which option is scarier- she doesn't want me back or she doesn't give you guardianship rights. I want her to want me 'cuz she's my last blood relative but at the same time I went her to give you the rights because she was really angry at me. Aunt May's never done anything like that before so I don't if I should forgive her or if I should hold a grudge. I don't know."

Tony was silent for a second, trying to gather his thoughts. "Peter, I can't decide that for you. You make very valid points though. I would love nothing more if I got your guardianship rights. But I don't want to tear you away from your last blood relative. If I were you, I would decide after we talk with May. Just know that whatever you choose, I will support you. No matter what." He smiled and Peter returned it.

Tony opened his mouth to speak some more but was interrupted by the door opening. Aunt May stood there in a robe, her pjs peeking out from the bottom. If she was surprised by the sight of her nephew and Iron Man standing at her doorstep, she didn't show it.

"Tony. Peter. What a lovely surprise. Come in, come in." May said in a terribly fake voice, sounding like someone inviting her new neighbors inside. She stepped aside to give space for her guests to walk through the door.

"Can I get you something to drink?" Peter looked up at Tony, surprised at how pleasant and polite his aunt was being.

The two politely declined before sitting on the worn out coach. After a minute, May returned from the kitchen with a mug of tea. She sat down on the opposite end of the coach from her nephew and his father figure. The deranged aunt stirred her tea before taking a sip. Then she spoke.

"I know why you're here"

"Well obviously" Tony glanced down, surprised that the introverted teenager had spoken so sarcastically to his aunt.

Aunt May glared at her nephew before softening her gaze. "Peter, I never should have acted that way. I was just so surprised and I acted very badly. I understand if you don't want to live with me anymore."

Peter was stunned. It took him a second to respond. When he did, he said something that shocked even him. "I want you to sign over the guardianship rights. Preferably to Tony or Pepper but I'll go with pretty much anyone. You may have been surprised but you said some hurtful things and almost gave me a concussion from throwing things at me. I deserve a family that will love me and support me and won't throw a college textbook at my head because I surprised them. And if you don't sign over the rights I'll run away."

Now it was May's turn to be shocked. Even Tony was surprised. Neither could imagine sweet little Peter being so ruthless to someone he loved. Peter just continued to stare his aunt down, challenging her to refuse.

Tony cleared his throat. May looked over, but Peter didn't stop staring. "How about I send you the paperwork or you can get in touch with my lawyers."

May nodded, still too sister shook to speak. She stood from the couch and her guests followed suit. "I'll show you out"

For the first time since speaking to his aunt, Peter moved his gaze. He began walking out the door and didn't wait for Tony before heading down the stairs. Tony turned to apologize to May, but decided against it. He handed her a business card from his suit pocket. "Call me when you're ready to talk about his guardianship." With that Tony walked out the door in search of Peter.

It took some time but the billionaire found him sitting on the street curb, his head resting on his knees and his arms wrapped around his legs. Tony felt a pain in his chest as he looked at the state Peter was in. The teenager looked heartbroken and near tears.

With a sigh, Tony sat down beside Peter, ignoring the dirt probably ruining his Tom Ford suit. He tentatively wrapped a comforting arm around his shoulders. The two sat in silence for a second before Peter spoke.

"She didn't even try to fight you for me." His voice was weak and wobbly, cracking from the effort to not cry. Tony felt his heart break just hearing the teenagers sad voice.

"I mean I knew I would most likely choose you over her anyway but it would still be nice to know she still loved me. But...I guess not." With that, the tears began to fall.

Tony gently unwrapped Peter's arms from around his legs, unfolding the young hero from his fetal position. Then he embraced him in a soft but firm hug. Even though Peter was probably staining the suit, Tony continued to hold and comfort him.

It was quiet between the two, save for Peter's tears. Tony didn't say anything.

Peter didn't realize how much he needed a hug until he felt Tony's arms wrap around him. He didn't realize how much he just needed silence until Tony didn't speak, only comforted. He didn't realize just how much Tony was a father to him until then. He didn't realize how much he would rather be with Tony, his 'boss', instead of May, his last living blood relative, until he heard his aunt's weak apology.

But with Tony's arms holding him in a confronting embrace, Peter felt all of his negative feelings disappear. The two sat on the dirty curb on a loud street in Queens. They probably would've stayed that way for the rest of the day were it not for the loud clicks of cameras.

Paparazzi.

Tony cursed under his breath before standing, grabbing and shielding Peter as he did so. He started to walk away, keeping the teenager in front of him in an effort to protect him from the paparazzi. As he did so, he activated JARVIS. A ping sounded from Tony's modified watch as Happy alerted Tony of his arrival.

The limo hadn't even stopped moving before Tony practically ripped open the door and threw Peter inside, climbing in behind him. Happy floored it with the door still slightly ajar and began expertly weaving through typical mid afternoon New York City traffic. Tony took a second to calm himself, reaching into his suit pocket to find his red stress ball.

It wasn't there.

Tony's breathing increased as he frantically searched for the stress toy. He couldn't hear Peter trying to help over the sound of his thumping heart. He didn't even register the other people in the car until he felt a firm but comforting hand on his shoulder. Tony snapped his head to face him, finding a concerned teenager. His teenager.

"-ster Stark? T-y? Da-?!" Peters voice was clouded, muted. Tony could barely register what he was saying. He felt Peter's comforting touch on his shoulder, lightly shaking, trying to bring him back.

"Dad!" Peter shouted, his voice coming out small and childlike, frail and frightened.

Tony snapped back to reality, his breathing frantic and his heart beating even faster. Peter began to lightly stroke his mentor's shoulder, quietly shushing him. The billionaire felt himself relax. His breathing slowed and his heart rate followed suit. He closed his eyes, calming himself both physically and mentally. When Tony opened his eyes again, a tear slowly rolled down his cheek.

"Da- Mr. Stark? Are you okay?" Peter was concerned, worry evident on his face.

Tony shook his head. "No" he began to cry.

The teenager instantly began comforting him. "Hey, it's okay. You're okay. Please don't cry. Tell me what's wrong. Please?"

He took a deep breath. "I had an...anxiety attack. I- I left my uh my- my stress ball back at the compound and I- I need it...right now. The uh paparazzi always makes me nervous and I need some- something to help me...relax. So I freaked. Some big shot hero huh?" Tony gave a weak chuckle, embarrassed. His voice was weak. He wanted nothing more than to be far away from anyone present at the time.

Instead of harsh judgment, he was faced with compassion. Peter's voice was soothing. "Mr. Stark, I don't think anything less of you. In fact it's kind of the opposite. Knowing that you deal with this kind of stuff daily and you still face it. Wow. Talk about courage." Tony smiled at the compliment. "Next time you leave it behind, let me know and I'll help you out. Okay?"

The billionaire nodded. "On one condition"

Peter was skeptical but nodded his head anyway.

"Well, more like two but I already know the answer. One is you have to let me adopt you. Tw-"

"Yes" Peter interjected

Tony laughed, his panic attack long forgotten. "We still have to get the rights first, silly"

"Right. I knew that" he said with a sheepish grin. Tony found it kind of endearing.

"Numero dos. That means 'number two' in Spani-"

"I know what it means!"

"Alright alright. Anyway, number two is you have to call me 'dad'"

Peter was silent for a second. Tony of course instantly began to worry that he had crossed a boundary. He instantly started to explain himself and possibly take it back. "It's just that you called me 'dad' when you were trying to help with my anxiety attack but you don't have to if you don't want to I just thought that si-"

Tony was cut off by Peter hugging him. The older man was surprised for half a second but quickly overcame his initial shock. Without another seconds hesitation, Tony returned the embrace, smiling at the feeling.

"I'd love to call you dad."

The billionaire thought he was going to burst with happiness. "I'd love to be called dad"

————-

In the end, May refused to give up the guardianship rights. She almost did, but stopped after she realized how much money she could get out of suing Tony Stark, one of the wealthiest people alive. The case went to court and Tony won. He sued the delusional ex-aunt for $1, just to show her plan of gaining money backfired, before signing adoption papers with his new son Peter.

The teenager was happier than ever before. School was great, he was living in Stark Tower, he was training with the Avengers, Pepper Potts was the greatest mother alive (not that he could compare her to his biological mother since she died when he was three), and he got to hang out with his new family all the time.

Everything was perfect. And then Pepper had news.

"We haven't told anyone else yet so you have to keep this a secret. Okay?" She asked in her soothing motherly voice.

Peter nodded, eager to hear the news. He was practically vibrating in his seat.

Pepper handed him a shopping bag. Similar to the one you would get from Walmart or H&M. Peter opened it to find a dark blue shirt. He gently unfolded it, trying to find what was written on it. In a light red color (Peter just noticed the shirt matched his suit) there was an arrow pointing up with letters reading 'BEST BIG BROTHER'.

It took a second for the shock to wear off and the meaning of the shirt to sink in before Peter jumped out of his seat. "You're pregnant!"

Pepper smiled, overjoyed at her son's enthusiasm. "Yes, Peter. We're having a baby" she nearly squealed at the end of her sentence but decided against it. Instead, she opted to rest her head on her husband's chest.

Peter was ecstatic. "I'm gonna be a big brother!" He bounced around the room, wanting the whole world to know the news. "I've never had a younger sibling before!" He stopped loving momentarily. "When do we know the gender?"

Tony answered "In two weeks. I'm hoping for a girl"

Pepper smiled contently. "Me too." She kissed Tony's cheek with a grin on her face.

"Me three!" Peter shouted from across the room where he was frantically researching everything he needed to know about a younger sibling.

Tony and Pepper laughed at their son's enthusiasm, excited for another child. The two smiled at each other before Tony rested a gentle hand on top of Pepper's, laying softly across her small baby bump. They couldn't be happier.