Chapter Text
Peter was praying. For the first time in his life, he was praying that it wasn’t true. An hour ago, his aunt had been laid to rest, and he was left completely alone. No family. No one. He had no idea what he was supposed to do next.
*"An orphanage, Peter. An orphanage. You finally screwed up."*
Yeah. As if he had a choice. He had missed the car accident with his aunt at the center of it all, and he still dared to hope for something better.
A heavy hand suddenly landed on his shoulder. It was Mr. Stark. All the Avengers had attended the funeral to support their little spider, even though only half of the team had actually known his aunt personally.
"Spider, it’s time to go," the billionaire said, and Peter got into the car…
***
"Too much alcohol is bad for your health," Sam said calmly.
He wasn’t surprised by either the teenager sitting on the roof under the cold wind and rain, hugging a bottle of whiskey, or the fact that this was already his eighth bottle. Even considering that alcohol affected Peter only about half as much as an ordinary person, it was still far too much for a kid’s body.
"Maybe," Parker shrugged. "But it helps calm me down."
"Using alcohol to calm yourself isn’t the best idea," Falcon continued. "There are other methods."
"I don’t need other methods!!!" Spider-Man snapped. "I’m alone! The last person from my family is dead! What else do you want me to do, bird-boy?" Peter hissed angrily. The last thing he wanted was someone hovering around him right now.
"You’re not alone," Pietro interrupted their argument.
Maximoff was one of the people closest to Peter among all the Avengers. Peter often called him his older brother.
"There are many people who are ready to help you at any moment," the young man said reassuringly.
"I don’t need anyone’s help! Leave me alone!"
Peter suddenly moved forward, shoving past Sam and Pietro. Falcon was about to run after him, but his friend stopped him with a hand.
"Don’t. He needs to let it out, but he’s not ready. He needs time. Let him sleep, sober up, think things through, and then we’ll figure out how to deal with it."
Both of them sighed. Such an outburst wasn’t surprising, but seeing their kid like this was painful.
***
Wanda was sitting on the floor of her room. She had been monitoring Peter’s emotions ever since he left the cemetery, and his thoughts were deeply concerning.
There were things going through his mind that were terrifying even to imagine. The moment Peter’s thoughts began turning into curses directed at Pietro and Sam, Wanda finally decided to intervene.
Peter was sitting on a couch in one of the living rooms, sipping wine. It was the only thing he had found — apparently, no one had gotten around to hiding it yet.
The Scarlet Witch walked carefully and quietly. She wasn’t a threat, but Peter’s spider-sense still reacted to her.
The girl slowly approached Peter, reached her hands toward his head, and the tips of her fingers began glowing with red energy.
"Don’t even think about it, Wanda," Peter said. "The brightness of your magic gives you away completely."
"That doesn’t change anything," the witch calmly replied.
She prepared to begin, but Peter grabbed her hand, stopping her from entering his mind.
"Didn’t I say I don’t need anyone’s help? Or do I have to repeat myself every second?"
The boy tightened his grip, preventing her from focusing.
"I didn’t ask," Wanda replied indifferently.
With her free hand, she reached into the boy’s memories.
Once inside Spider-Man’s mind, the witch realized just how bad things really were. All of Peter’s memories and emotions were centered around his deceased aunt, mixed with thoughts of suicide and loneliness.
Wanda placed Peter under a hypnotic spell, showing him images of May alive, and began stabilizing his emotional state. Though because of the alcohol, it was extremely difficult.
Once Peter fell asleep surrounded by warm memories, the Witch carefully laid him down on the couch and began thinking about what to do next, because in his grief Peter could hurt himself or even someone else.
"So you decided to get involved in saving Peter too?" Tony’s voice came from the doorway.
"And you’re not interested in the condition of your student and almost-son?" Wanda raised an elegant eyebrow.
"Why almost?" Tony smiled slyly.
He pulled a piece of paper from inside his jacket and handed it to the witch.
After seeing the contents of the document, Wanda was genuinely shocked.
"Are you sure he’ll approve of this?"
"He won’t approve," Anthony answered confidently. "But it’s still better than an orphanage. I’ll come up with something else if I have to, but he’s not getting out of this. Honestly, I’ve been planning to adopt him for a long time, and May agreed. It’s just that everything happened so… suddenly."
"I hope everything goes according to your plan," Wanda said.
"Me too. But something tells me it won’t be that simple. He has school the day after tomorrow. Tomorrow we’re going to bring the old Peter back."
Tony and Wanda nodded to each other. The genius’s phone rang, and he left, leaving Wanda alone with Peter.
"I’ll personally make sure he’s safe…" the witch whispered gently.
She placed the boy’s head on her lap and didn’t notice the smiling Stark, Pietro, and their friends standing behind her.
***
Peter woke up surprisingly late. Usually, regardless of his condition, how long he slept, and sometimes even his own wishes, the boy always woke up early and immediately got to work.
The work varied. When Stark got tired of the fact that Peter, just like himself, could spend hours sitting in the lab, he would kick him out and order Friday to block access there for at least a day.
But then Peter would take care of things around the tower. Considering that the kid lived in the Avengers Tower — and the tower was huge — Peter always found something to clean or wash.
Pietro’s, Sam’s, and Clint’s teasing usually went completely unnoticed. When even that work was finished, Spider-Man would go to the gym and train himself to exhaustion.
And despite the fact that cases where Peter was carried out unconscious from the Avengers’ training area were rare, he always received serious lectures from every Avenger individually.
Even the antisocial Bucky and the always-busy Bruce somehow managed to add their own comments.
This time, Peter woke up at noon in his room, even though he clearly remembered falling asleep on the couch.
In general, Spider-Man remembered everything “from beginning to end.” It was incredibly embarrassing, especially in front of the twins and Sam. He definitely owed them an apology.
There was no hangover. Whether it was because of Wanda’s efforts or his own body’s unusual abilities, Peter didn’t care.
What interested him was who had carried him to his room and what homework he had for tomorrow, because as usual, Peter hadn’t managed to do anything.
Leaving his spacious corridor painted in light colors, Spider-Man headed toward the bathroom.
After spending about fifteen minutes there and making himself look “presentable,” Spider-Man went to the kitchen.
***
Tony was waiting for him there.
Nothing could be determined from his expression, but Peter’s sixth sense told him that something was about to happen.
Thinking about the conversation about Aunt May that he expected was something he didn’t want to do. It ruined his mood.
Peter was grieving and didn’t want to let go of his loved one, but he had no desire whatsoever to show his pain to everyone else.
"Good morning," he greeted his mentor, who was staring at his phone.
"Morning?" A cheerful smile appeared on Stark’s face. "So the hangover isn’t bothering you?"
"No, M-Mister Stark," Peter answered nervously. "And how did I…?"
"It was Wanda. She pushed all the men to bed and carried you to your room. I have a surprise."
"A surprise?" Peter frowned.
He had already had enough of surprises like that.
He had completely forgotten that Wanda was the one who transported him.
"Why the frown? It’s a good surprise."
Stark lightly ruffled his intern’s hair and stood up from the table.
"I’ll bring something now. You eat for the time being," he said before leaving.
"Intriguing," Spider-Man smirked.
He began making himself coffee, toast, and cereal. The classics.
When the coffee was finished and the toast and cereal were gone (we’ll politely ignore how quickly Peter shoved everything into himself), Tony and Pepper entered the kitchen accompanied by Rhodey.
"Good morning to the young teetotalers! How’s it going?" the colonel joked.
He burst out laughing together with Tony when he noticed the blushing Spider-Man.
"Rhodey, don’t embarrass him!" Pepper stepped in. "And it’s already daytime, you office mice!"
"Hey!" all three men protested at the same time.
"Not ‘hey.’ Hello, Peter. Tony told you I’m not here for no reason, right?" Mrs. Stark asked.
"Y-yes," Peter started stuttering again.
Too many eyes were on him at once.
"He said that I was waiting for a s-surprise."
The Iron Man suddenly let out a breath, and his wife gently stroked his head.
Peter realized that words and actions were not always easy for Stark either.
When the silence dragged on too long, Rhodey broke it while eating spaghetti with meatballs.
"Tony, come on! Stop dragging it out, the cat’s suffering. Just say it already."
Stark exhaled once more and placed a document in front of Spider-Man.
"I’ve wanted to present this for a long time, but apparently I had to speed things up. May… she agreed from the very beginning."
Peter opened the document and slowly, carefully read what was written there.
Then he looked at his mentor.
"Mister… Father, are you sure about this decision?"
Peter didn’t want to embarrass himself again.
So he mentally slapped himself, pulled himself together, and decided that calling Tony “Father” was the most appropriate word for what Stark meant to him.
"Yes, Pete. Pepper and I are sure about this."
This time Tony exhaled in relief.
Peter didn’t try to make excuses or show uncertainty. He had even called Tony his father immediately.
It couldn’t have gone better.
"But still… why?"
No. Stark had celebrated too early.
"What do you mean ‘why,’ Peter?" Mrs. Stark asked gently.
"You’ve spent so much time with us that we thought it was a good idea. May was completely supportive of it! She told us that you had wanted parents for a long time, and we decided to make your wish come true."
Pepper hugged the boy.
"What could be better than parents who love you?"
The question was rhetorical.
"Nothing. Thank you."
Peter smiled sincerely, and the newly formed Stark family hugged.
The sound of a camera shutter was heard.
"What?" Rhodey looked surprised. "A moment like this? I had to capture it!"
The kitchen was filled with laughter.
When the meal ended, the Avengers in full force organized a movie day and announced the new addition to the Stark family.
It was a celebration.
Peter refused to drink and went to bed happy.
The homework remained sadly abandoned on Spider-Man’s desk.
***
The next day, Peter woke up well-rested for the first time in a long while, thanks to the scream of his alarm clock and Natasha.
"Kid, duty calls!"
Along with the ringing alarm, a pillow flew straight into the “kid.”
"You have fifteen minutes to get yourself ready. If you’re late — punishment awaits!"
"Time moves forward, traditions never change," Peter sighed.
Getting out of bed, he headed to the bathroom.
Exactly ten minutes later, after getting himself ready, he entered the kitchen, where Nat was busy.
"I could have done everything myself," Spider-Man grumbled.
A spoon immediately hit him on the forehead.
"Ouch."
"Appreciate my work. I don’t cook that often, ungrateful child," the spy replied without anger, messing up his hair. "Most of them are currently on patrols or missions. Your mother went to Japan. Those anime and stupid TV show lovers are causing chaos there."
"Your father is also on a mission, and he asked Happy to drive you to school. Wanda will come with you so you won’t be bored on the way. The big guy is in a bad mood, I’m leaving for a mission soon too. We’ll all be back by three."
Natasha gave him all the information while simultaneously frying pancakes and typing something on her phone.
"I could have walked to school myself," Peter shrugged. "I don’t want unnecessary attention."
"You’ll have to deal with it!"
The redhead laughed.
"You’re now the son of Stark himself. Attention is guaranteed. Soon Stark will introduce you to the whole world!"
"Yeah, and apparently he forgot to ask me. I need at least some time to prepare for that. If the whole world starts watching me, I’ll hang myself."
Spider-Man instantly darkened.
"Oh, come on. Tony will do everything possible to make you comfortable," Nat replied.
"If they try to hide you, believe me, there will be even more problems."
Finishing the pancakes, she kissed the boy on the forehead.
"I’m heading out now, so don’t get bored. In fifteen minutes Happy and Wanda will be waiting for you near the car."
"Oh, and your father informed the principal about your new status, so if you really need time to prepare for the attention, I suggest talking to him about keeping things confidential."
With that, the redhead left. Peter simply started eating pancakes and drinking coffee.
Fifteen minutes later, just as they had agreed, Peter approached the car where a clearly sleep-deprived Hogan and Wanda, who was in a good mood, were waiting for him.
After greeting them, he got into the car, and they headed toward the school.
Happy, just as Natasha had warned him, was angry as hell and clearly in a terrible mood, while the Scarlet Witch was acting very strangely.
One moment she was blushing, the next she was turning pale, constantly trying to start a conversation with Peter directly, yet her mood remained cheerful the entire time.
***
"Stop here," Peter said, pointing to a spot about thirty meters away from the school.
Happy looked at him in confusion, while Wanda became tense for the first time during the entire trip.
"Stark told me to drive you straight to the school and only drop you off there," Hogan muttered darkly.
"I’m a Stark too," Peter shot back. "Officially, at that. And I told you to stop and let me out here. Did I say something unclear?"
Happy sighed and waved his hand as if saying, *"Fine, get out already."*
The Scarlet Witch looked at this with obvious disapproval but didn’t say anything.
Peter calmly got out of the car and headed toward the school. There was still plenty of time.
"Something is wrong," Wanda quietly said to herself. "I’ll keep an eye on him. There’s something I need to figure out. You don’t have to wait."
Wanda stepped out after the younger Stark and carefully followed him.
Hogan realized he could finally relax and, letting out a relieved sigh, drove away.
***
"Pete!"
Ned happily dragged out his friend’s name as he greeted Stark at the school entrance.
"So, how are you? I’m really sorry that this happened," he said, lowering his enthusiasm after seeing Peter’s condition.
"Don’t remind me. I’m only just starting to get back on my feet," Peter answered gloomily.
Ned lowered his head.
"But thanks for the support. You really are the best friend anyone could ask for."
The two boys smiled at each other.
"Any good news? I can tell from your face that after the dark period, something good finally came along," Leeds said with a sly wink.
Peter’s eyes lit up.
"Just don’t scream too loudly," Peter warned immediately. "I’m officially a Stark now."
Judging by Ned’s expression, it was obvious he was about to scream in excitement, but he managed to hold himself back and simply gave Peter a thumbs-up while squeezing his friend’s shoulder.
"When?" was all he managed to say.
"The documents were officially signed the day before yesterday. But Dad told me he had been planning this for a long time, and Aunt May had agreed to it."
At the mention of May, both boys became sad again.
They remembered her as a kind and warm person, and neither of them wanted to let go of that image.
On the way to class, the boys got lost in nostalgic memories, trying to lighten the mood and share the warm moments they remembered.
But when they entered the classroom, both of them — especially Peter — were met with disappointment.
"Penis Parker!"
Flash, the biggest bully in the class, dragged out Peter’s name mockingly.
"How’s your aunt doing underground?" He laughed like a horse.
Peter immediately realized that this was only the beginning…
***
When Wanda returned to the tower, Happy, who was standing at the entrance, immediately noticed that the girl’s mood had clearly worsened.
"So? What happened?" he asked as the witch walked past him.
"Nothing good," Wanda hissed. "Text Stark that we need to talk face-to-face immediately. I think Peter has a problem. And not just one."
With those words, she greeted Friday and entered the elevator, heading somewhere toward the upper floors.
Happy typed a message to Tony, and something told him that Peter was about to have a conversation that would be no less serious.