Chapter 1
You have fifty-six missed calls from Mr. Stark. Peter ignored Karen’s insistent prompting, leaning heavily against the cold brick wall. It had been over a week since he’d last set foot in a classroom, and even longer since he’d felt hunger fade into something less… hollow.
The call had come during third period, a sterile, clinical voice delivering the news that Aunt May was gone. The machines had failed, and with them, the last flicker of hope.
He hadn’t wanted to go back to the apartment. Another family, another life lost to the orbit of Peter Parker. He was a curse, a black hole for anyone he dared to love. His mother and father, Ben… now May. Each loss felt like a piece of himself dissolving into ash.
“Just shut up, Karen,” he mumbled, his throat raw from disuse.
“Overriding programming,” the AI chirped. “Incoming call from Mr. Stark.”
“Kid, you better have a damn good reason for ignoring my calls,” Tony Stark’s voice boomed through the phone, sharper than usual. “And it better not be homework.”
Peter swallowed, the lump in his throat a painful obstruction. “I… I just can’t,” he choked out, severing the connection.
Tony tracked Peter’s location, a small red dot pulsing on the map. Still in Queens. Still in an alleyway. Good. For now.
Peter stared at the grimy concrete, wondering how long it would take for the darkness to claim him. How long before the weight of it all crushed him completely. He imagined a quiet surrender, a reunion with those he’d lost.
“Kid, we need to talk.”
He turned, heart hammering against his ribs. There it was: the familiar gleam of red and gold. Before he could respond, his vision blurred, and the world tilted into blackness.
————Time Jump————
Peter blinked, the sterile white of a medical room assaulting his eyes.
“Easy, kid.”
Mr. Stark. He was at the Avengers Tower. Panic flared. He forced himself to look up at the older man, bracing for a lecture.
“So,” Tony said, his voice carefully neutral, “are you going to tell me why you were lying on the street, practically begging for oblivion?”
Peter sensed the anger beneath the surface, but something else too. Pity? A weary sadness? Relief that he hadn’t found him too late?
“I found out Child Protective Services was looking for you, Pete. You’ve been absent from school for a week. The news is starting to ask questions. And Spider-Man hasn’t been seen in days. I found you huddled in an alley, looking like you wanted to disappear.”
Tony looked at the pale, fragile boy on the bed. He hadn’t seen this kind of despair even in the aftermath of the worst battles.
“Underoos, I’m worried about you. Tell me what happened.”
Peter’s eyes stung, and the dam broke. The words tumbled out, a desperate, fractured torrent. “May… she’s gone. And she’s never coming back. And it’s all my fault. Just like Ben. Just like my mom and dad. I’m not a hero anymore. I’m a killer.”
“It wasn’t your fault, Pete.” Tony’s voice was firm, but laced with compassion.
“Yes it was!” Peter snapped, his heart racing, struggling to breathe. “It’s always my fault.”
Tony sat on the edge of the bed, his own chest aching with the weight of Peter’s grief. How could so much pain be inflicted on someone so young? He reached for Peter’s hand, and the boy leaned into him, tears streaming down his face.
“Kid, there are some things we can’t prevent. Death is one of them.”
“But I’m a superhero! I stop countless people from dying, but I can’t even save my own aunt. I’m pathetic.”
“Peter…”
“Just go away, alright?”
Tony stood, his jaw tight. He couldn’t push, not yet. He needed to let Peter sink into the grief, to understand that he wasn’t alone. He left the room, leaving Peter to bury his face in the pillow and sob.
Peter opened his eyes. His head throbbed, his eyes were raw and swollen, his stomach gnawed with emptiness. When would this torture end?
A man in a white lab coat entered the room.
“Hi, I’m Bruce…”
“Banner, I know.”
Bruce looked slightly impressed. Peter’s knowledge of his alter ego was… disconcerting.
“You’re a phenomenal scientist, your research is groundbreaking,” Peter continued, pushing through the fatigue.
“You like science?” Bruce asked gently.
“I love it.” Peter’s chest tightened, a familiar wave of pain washing over him.
Bruce saw the agony flicker across Peter’s face. “I’ll get you something to help with the pain.”
“I’m fine,” Peter replied, gritting his teeth. “I don’t even need to be here.”
Bruce smiled, a small, reassuring gesture. “Boss’s orders. Tony wants you to get as much rest as possible.”
Peter leaned back, exhaustion finally claiming him. “Okay, okay. But tomorrow I’m out of here. Orders or not.”
Bruce grinned. “I’ll pass the message on.”
————Time Jump————
Peter watched as Tony Stark strolled into his room, a strange, deliberate calm about him.
“Mr. Stark, I’m ready to go. I’m fine, honestly.”
“And where exactly would you be going? The apartment’s been sold. Child Protective Services is breathing down our necks. Where were you planning to disappear to?”
“I don’t know. Somewhere.”
Tony rolled his eyes. “You’re staying with me, until we sort this out.”
Peter opened his mouth to protest.
“No, no. This is final. You’re staying here at the Tower, until I say otherwise.”
“Yes, Mr. Stark.”
“And after all this time, don’t you think you could call me Tony?”
Peter nodded, a small smile tugging at his lips. “Maybe.”
Tony left Peter to his thoughts, pulling out his phone. He had to make arrangements, permanent ones. He knew exactly what to do.
“Hello? Yes, this is Tony Stark. I’d like to discuss Peter Parker. Yes, he’s safe. No, we’re not related. Yes, he’s with me now. I don’t want any unwanted attention. Is that everything? Great. Bye.”
He’d done it. He’d finally become a father. Now all he had to do was tell Peter.
He slid open the glass door, a genuine smile spreading across his face. Peter sat upright, smiling when he saw Tony enter the room.
“Hey, Mr. Stark… I mean, Tony.”
“I have some good news.”
“You mean I get to leave this room, stop Bruce from frantically worrying over me?”
“Well, that, and I have a permanent home for you.”
“Tony… I don’t want to…” He couldn’t even articulate the fear that gripped him.
Tony put his hands on Peter’s shoulders, gently calming him. “No, Peter, I mean you’re staying with me. I adopted you.”
Peter’s worried expression vanished, replaced by a confused smile. “Thank you, Mr. Stark… thank you,” he whispered, burying his face in the older man’s embrace.