Authors Note: I do not own any Marvel characters so all rights go to the respective owners and creators and all that jazz.

Okay, so I will be honest. I am incredibly new to the MCU so I am sorry if the story does not completely line up with the universe it has come from. I just fell madly in love with the Spider-Man: Homecoming movie and it made me want to watch all the Marvel movies so I can see Tom Holland in Avengers: Infinity War while also having an idea of what is going on at the other parts of the movie. I really liked the movie and this little idea came to my head so I decided to write it up and post it. I have actually started writing multiple chapters for this, but I refuse to make any promises. This might just be a one/two shot. It really depends on what my mind conjures up and if I like where it is headed.

Well, anyway. That is the end of my spiel. Thank you for clicking on this story and I hope you enjoy. Please feel free to give feedback if you feel so inclined. I greatly appreciate when people give me their feedback, whether its nice or critical, so I can improve my writing!

Chapter 1

It had been a few weeks since the Vulture incident and Peter Parker was still feeling overwhelmed by it all. Aunt May had figured out about his secret and Peter could not stutter out a suitable, believable lie for the life of him. She had been extremely mad upon hearing that he was the "Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man". She had been fueled by rage because of his lying but also by worry and fear because Peter had been putting himself in danger for months. She had promptly grounded him and declared that he was never allowed to wear that suit again for the rest of his life. Now every time he was around Aunt May he felt guilt because he knew she was beating herself up because of his own choices and actions. She hovered more now. But Peter had stuck to his word and hadn't touched the suit since his revelation. He also hadn't seen or received any calls or texts from Mr. Stark since he had offered him a spot on the Avengers and he had turned it down. The lack of communication bothered Peter, but he tried to keep his mind off it. If he let his thoughts linger too long he would overthink everything and would end up feeling miserable about himself. He could barely handle his guilt about Aunt May and it was pure torture to think that Mr. Stark thought he was a disappointment too.

He also spent a lot more time at school. He rejoined all the extra curricular activities that he had quit upon pursuing so much time patrolling as Spider-Man. When he was free, he would spend an ample amount of time hanging out with Ned and Michelle (except he had the privilege of calling her MJ now). If he wasn't busy with them, he found himself continuously spending hours dedicating his time to homework and extra credit assignments. To everyone around him it just seemed that Peter was an overachiever and was doing his best to succeed academically. But really, Peter was trying to fill a gap in his life in the only way he knew how: with distractions. By the end of the day he was normally too tired to dream or overthink things, which was nice because at night he was plagued with nightmares about what had happened when he had taken on the Vulture solo.

He tried not to let the bad dreams affect him so much, but he was pretty sure they were a crucial part in why he was so hesitant about being an Avenger right away and why he hadn't been itching to put the suit on again. He loved the idea of being a superhero, but he hadn't really realized the seriousness of the risks.

He sighed and ran a hand over his face as he rolled over onto his back. It was close to ten in the evening and he couldn't stop thinking about everything. It was Friday. May was at work, Ned was on a family outing, and MJ was doing whatever MJ normally does on Friday nights. Peter had to admit, even though they had started getting closer since homecoming night, he still didn't know that much about her. Maybe she also had superhuman abilities and they could team up and solve crimes together. He managed a weak chuckle at that thought and couldn't help when his eyes shifted to where he had poked the Spider suit away. He missed talking to Karen, the AI Mr. Stark had programmed into his suit. And he missed the view of Queens at night from the tall heights of the buildings. Honestly, he just missed being Spider-Man without feeling bad about it. He sighed once again and checked his phone. No new messages, as per usual. He looked out his window. Every time Peter remembered the little things about being Spider-Man, his entire being seemed to ache. But then when the mere thought of what could happen if he put the suit back on surfaced in his brain, his blood ran ice cold. But the part of him that was fueled by fear was being quiet tonight.

Peter played with the idea in his mind... One night back in the suit wouldn't be too bad, would it?

Before he could even register what he was doing, he was across the room and was hauling on the suit. It was comfortable and fit him perfectly. He smiled at himself in the mirror and felt more at home than he had felt in weeks.

"Okay Peter… Just a few swings around the block… and then you're retired," He spoke to himself in the mirror, pointing a finger at his reflection. He gave himself a serious look before breaking into a goofy grin as he hauled the mask over his face. He knew Aunt May would be pissed if she found out, but she wasn't home so… what was the harm?

He was greeted with Karen's voice.

"Well hello Peter. It has been 3 weeks since you've suited up." She informed him.

Peter let out a heartfelt sigh. "God, I missed you Karen."

"Well I am flattered," Was the AI's response. Peter laughed a little because for an artificial intelligence, he could hear the amusement behind it's voice. "I've missed you too. Why haven't you been active lately?"

Peter sighed, heading to the window after making sure he had his web capsules and he had locked the door. "Aunt May found out about my identity and has forbade me from ever putting the suit back on."

"And here you are, back in the suit." Karen stated. Peter rolled his eyes.

"I just need to get out for a bit… I need to be Spider-Man for a bit." Peter explained with a certain conviction in his voice.

"I was not judging you Peter. I was just saying—"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it," Peter cut the voice off and climbed out onto the windowsill. He didn't know where he was going... but he was going somewhere. He let out a soft breath and shot the first string of web that he had in weeks on a nearby building. He couldn't help but laugh and let himself fall, swinging through the air.

"You seem to be enjoying yourself." Karen said after Peter had made some distance away from his little apartment in Queens.

"Yeah, it's been awhile," He admitted, trying to not let this moment of happiness fade at the thought of how he had been spending his days for these past couple weeks. There had been a few local news stories done on the "disappearance of Spider-Man" and how little crimes had started to become a much more rampant thing since the little Spiderling was not there to stop them. Things like robberies and muggings. He didn't know how many times he had heard reporters mumble out the "You don't know what you have until it's gone" line. Peter had felt guilt about that, but every time the stories would pop up on the TV he seen the way Aunt May promptly focused on whatever she was doing even more and how she wouldn't even look in Peter's direction. And that guilt bothered Peter much more. It stung. And it hurt a lot more than he was willing to admit.

Peter decided to stop swinging for a bit, landing in a little alleyway between a local sandwich shop and a bank. He was honestly feeling a bit peckish because he had to make himself supper tonight and the best he could come up with was a microwave TV dinner. But he knew he couldn't go out in actual public as Spider-Man. Swinging through the town at night was one thing but walking in somewhere where civilians were, likely with phones with cameras, wasn't something he could do. If that managed to make its way to the headlines (which it would seeing Spider-Man hadn't been seen for weeks) it would be the end of Peter. May would gut him like a fish.

He pulled his mask up a bit, breathing in deeply. He regretted it and ended up coughing a fair bit as he got a whiff of the dumpster behind him.

"Jesus, what the hell do they make sandwiches with here?" Peter whined. He quickly hauled the mask back down over his mouth. It was a putrid scent. He sighed as he heard Karen start listing off the normal ingredients at a sandwich shop.

"It was a rhetorical question, Karen." Peter snapped, head whipping around when he heard the metallic clanking of something land behind him. Peter spun around as fast as he could, preparing to fight whatever was behind him. He caught himself just in time before he shot webs out at the Iron Man suit behind him. His heart was racing, and Peter tried to calm himself down. It was just Mr. Stark… Not some intense and scary winged monster.

"Peter, what are you doing out parked in an alleyway?" Mr. Starks voice radiated through the suit before the mechanics flipped the mask back revealing the actual face of Anthony Stark.

"Mr. Stark!" Peter exclaimed. "I uh, was just out for an evening walk?" He mentally winced at the way his statement had turned into a question.

Tony tilted his head and hummed. "An evening walk? In your Spider-Man suit?"

Peter sighed and shrugged. "Yeah, why not? You can't tell me you don't spend hours in your suits just because you want to."

Tony gave Peter a look. "I'm more interested in why you're using your suit for walking purposes rather than patrolling around." The older man crossed his arms and looked down at the teenager, like a parent getting ready to scold their child over something small and stupid. However, Peter had a strong suspicion that this lecture wasn't going to be about anything small or stupid if he was reading Mr. Starks facial expressions and body language correctly.

Peter put up his hands in surrender, "Mr. Stark—"

"What? I give you a new suit and you just stop being Spider-Man?" Tony asked, taking another step forward. His hands moved to his hips and Peter's brain searched for a decent answer to give the man. Before anything came to mind, Tony had continued.

"What? Is the suit not enough for you? I congratulate you on a job well done and even offer you a spot on the Avengers, which you turned down by the way, and then you hang up the mask? What happened to wanting to look out for the little guy? Huh?" Tony kept ranting as Peter just let all the words sink in. He was already feeling pretty bad about himself but listening to Tony chew him out without even giving Peter a chance to explain himself was just rubbing him the wrong way. Mr. Stark had it all wrong and the young teenager wanted to set the record straight.

"You finally get my approval and then you give up? What kind of messed up, reversed psychology is this?"

Tony's last statement was a slap in the face to Peter and it just so happened to be the thing that brought Peter to his breaking point. He had been holding all his emotions in for three God damn weeks and all rationality went through the window as he opened his mouth.

"Look Mr. Stark," Peter all but hissed, too in the moment to be surprised at the edge in his voice. "I am so tired of you swooping in and acting like this! You set limits for me that don't even allow me to prove myself to you, and when I go out of my way to try and do the right thing, I get reprimanded! And we both know you only offered that position on the Avengers because you felt bad about the Vulture thing!"

Tony's mouth dropped, and Peter's eyes widened as he realized what words just flew out of his mouth. God, did he really just scream at Iron Man? The man he had been looking up to since he was in kindergarten? His idol?

"Mr. Stark… I am so sorry…" Peter blurted out, his voice much softer now. He took a small step back, running a hand over his face. When did that thought even cross his mind? The spot on the Avengers was given out of pity or sympathy? No. That couldn't be right. The Avengers was a huge deal… Mr. Stark wouldn't recruit him just to make him feel better about taking away his suit. Getting back the suit seemed like a plausible way for Tony to make amends about the Vulture thing. But there was no way the offer to join the Avengers had been because Tony felt guilty… Right? Peter felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. Now that the thought had been vocalized it was nagging Peter. Maybe his subconscious thoughts were right.

"Kid," Tony spoke, obviously surprised at the turn this conversation had taken. "I offered you the position because you proved you were worthy enough to be an Avenger… with the Vulture thing that happened." He tried to explain but was unable to get a reading on what the kid was thinking with that mask over his face.

"Really?" Peter asked. The heat had left his voice but it was laced with an odd combination of hope and skepticism.

"Yeah. Really. And I gave you the suit back, new and improved, because you deserve to have the suit," Tony finished and tilted his head at Peter. "Can you take that mask off while I'm talking to you?"

"Please," Tony added as an afterthought as Peter's hands scrambled up to his face and he tugged the mask of immediately.

"Oh, of course, Mr. Stark... I'm sorry," Peter stumbled on his words as the mask left his face. He stared up at the older man in with a look that was unreadable. He didn't know what to say, but a small part of him felt like Tony was lying to him to spare his feelings.

"You can stop apologizing kid. You have nothing to apologize for. I mean, yelling at me was kind of uncalled for…" Tony watched Peter and stopped him as he opened his mouth, no doubt to apologize again.

"I was surprised though that I never even got a text from you about the adjustments I added to your suit. Even a bit more surprised that the TV keeps blaring news stories about your alternate persona and how it's gone missing."

Peter shifted from foot to foot awkwardly as Tony continued to stare him down. "For a Friendly Neighbourhood Spiderling, you get a lot of publicity. And your absence is duly noted." Tony finished, feeling like he was talking to a wall at how quiet Peter was being.

"And your absent because?" Tony prompted, seeing he was getting nowhere with the fifteen-year-old.

Peter sighed and looked around, "Can we talk somewhere else? It reeks down here."

Tony nodded in agreement and Peter lead them up to a rooftop with a decent view that was close by. Peter plopped himself down on the edge, letting his feet dangle. Tony slowly joined him after stepping out of his Iron Man suit to sit next to him, person to person. They sat in silence for a bit as Peter tried to figure out what to say and get the courage to actually say it. Tony waited impatiently, figuring the ball was in the kid's court now and if he wanted to talk he would.

Peter finally let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding and rubbed his hands down his thighs. His voice was quiet when he spoke, and he didn't dare look in Mr. Starks direction.

"It's been a really rough couple of weeks, sir," He admitted.

"Do you want to enlighten me on why? Rough enough to keep you from your favourite Spider suit?" Tony asked, trying to lighten the mood. However, it seemed his attempts were weak because Peter only shrugged. That worried Tony a bit. The kid had a great sense of humour and was always trying to make Tony like him more by nodding and laughing at his jokes. Peter normally radiated with his happy and childish personality. He was constantly making pop culture references that Tony never really understood (but Peter found himself hilarious). But now he was staring out at the city with a solemn look on his face and he didn't seem to be nearly like the Peter Parker that Tony had recruited for the "Stark Internship".

"Well, uh. For starters, Aunt May found out about me," Peter finally looked at Tony. "She knows I'm Spider-Man."

Tony nodded slowly, starting to understand why the wind had been knocked out of the boy's sails. He remembered how adamant Peter had been about May not finding out about his abilities when Tony had visited him the first time. No wonder why the kid hadn't been active lately.

"She was pissed," Peter continued, his eyes trailing down to watch as he fiddled with his mask between his fingers. "She grounded me forever and told me I couldn't… be Spider-Man anymore... basically." He snorted after the last word and shrugged.

"And you listened?" Tony was kind of surprised. Whenever he gave Peter orders, Peter had the tendency to do the complete opposite. But he knew how much Peter cared about his Aunt May and decided he shouldn't be surprised at all. She was a beautiful woman, but she was certainly intimidating when it came to Peter.

Peter just nodded in response and looked at Tony again. "It wasn't easy, but I thought I should lay low for a bit." Peters gaze shifted back to the city lights. He hated the way Tony was looking at him. It made him feel even worse because he couldn't tell if it was empathy or sympathy that he was looking at him with and he didn't want Mr. Stark to pity him.

"Just until Aunt May accepts it." He wanted to laugh at the bitter irony of it all. May would never accept it. He bit his lip and shook his head as he looked down at his hands once more. He didn't really want to talk about the complicated relationship him and his aunt shared with death. Peter had lost many people in his life and so had May. It had taught them things that they never really wanted to know. It shaped the way they viewed the world. It made Peter want to reach out and help people in need. Hopefully he could prevent the unfortunate things that didn't have to happen but did. He didn't feel like he could sit idly by, not with his powers. But Aunt May clung to people like magnets. With what she knew about loss, she constantly worried herself sick and she held people too close so she couldn't lose them. Which is why Spider-Man had been a secret... Not anymore though.

"Hey, kid? You with me?" Tony snapped his fingers in front of Peters face and Peter was hauled out of his spiraling thoughts.

"What? Oh… Sorry Mr. Stark," Peter apologized as if it was second nature honestly. Tony had to stop himself from rolling his eyes.

"Hey. Stop apologizing," He said, eyeing Peter for a moment longer. "Look, I know being a hero isn't easy kid. Trust me, I know. And not everyone is going to want you to be. But… you're really good at it."

Peter shrugged but smiled weakly, "Thanks Mr. Stark. But, I don't really feel like much of a hero." He sighed.

He had given up; resigned. Now he was just plain old Peter Parker. All he did now was make Lego sets with Ned and study for tests weeks before they were to happen. Or he spent hours at decathlon practice or the hundred other clubs he was in that he didn't even enjoy.

It hurt Tony seeing Peter doubt himself so much. The enthusiasm and excitement that radiated off the boy had been completely sapped from him. Hell, it had been a few rough weeks for him, hadn't it? Tony barely recognized the young man sitting in front of him.

"You know, Pete," Tony said, resting his hands back on the roof. He sighed a little, "I'm going to drop a little wisdom on you, okay?"

"Okay," Peter said, a small smile creeping on his face as he gave Mr. Stark his undivided attention. It meant a lot to him that his mentor was taking the time to help cheer him up.

"Not all superheroes feel all that super a lot of the time, you know?" Tony started, continuing when he seen Peter nod. "We all have our highs and lows, and that's because we're human. You don't have to be on top of things 24/7. You can take a break and be mad and be upset. But you can't just give up."

A few seconds passed and as Peter opened his mouth to speak, Tony cut him off. "You know why I recruited you, Peter?"

"Uh… Because I have super abilities?" Peter guessed as if the answer was obvious.

"Well… Yes. I was impressed by your physical capabilities. But, what impressed me more is your potential, Pete." Tony explained, watching the kids eyes light up. "You told me your motive. Your drive. The reason why you became Spider-Man… and as far as reasoning goes, yours is the best I've ever heard."

"Really? I mean… Really Mr. Stark?" There was the brightness that had been lacking from Peters persona.

He was really struggling to stop himself from smiling as he sputtered on. "I mean, come on. My reasoning can't be better than Captain Americas… Or yours… Or everyone elses..."

Tony chuckled, "It's a pretty damn good reason Parker. Look, all I'm saying is, your heart and head is in the right place. And look, anyone could put on that Spider suit Peter… But what makes Spider-Man Spider-Man, is the person inside of it."

Peter bit his lip, having an overwhelming urge to hug Tony Stark and thank him a gazillion times over. "Thank you... Mr. Stark… It... It means a lot."

"Oh, don't start crying on me." Tony teased, standing up from the ledge and helping Peter up as well. He smiled at the young man as he quickly came to his defenses.

"I'm not crying!" He wiped at his eyes just to make sure which made Tony laugh.

"So… are you planning on putting that suit to good use anytime soon?" Tony asked, tilting his head at Peter with a curious look.

Peter sighed. "I don't know. I feel guilty about not patrolling but then I feel guilty about being Spider-Man... And... I can't really win." He let his shoulders slump. He looked out over the city again before looking back up at Mr. Stark.

"If you want, I could talk to your Aunt—"

"No!" Peter's eyes widened. "Don't bring it up. At all."

Tony put his hands up in surrender. "Alright kid. Your life, your rules. But really, you shouldn't let your anyone hold you back from what you want to do, Peter. Even if it's your aunt."

Peter bit his lip. He knew Mr. Stark had a point but part of him felt safer as just Peter Parker right now. Every time he thought back to homecoming night, all he could think about was the Vulture. And sure, he had his suit back now. But it didn't soothe Peter much at all knowing that there were plenty of other villains out there that could do much worse than drop a building on him and he didn't want to have a target on his back.

"Hey, kid? I lost you there again." Tony snapped his fingers, watching Peter jump as he came back to focus on what was right in front of him. The kid kept zoning out in the middle of their conversations which was really starting to annoy and worry Tony. What was he thinking about in that brilliant head of his?

"Well I mean, Mr. Stark. She is my guardian, and I am fifteen. So, she kind of can." Peter said weakly, trying to play off his sudden absence from the conversation.

"I mean it kid. I know how much being Spider-Man means to you. And just because your aunt doesn't support that right now doesn't mean you should drop it. People need you." Tony patted him on the shoulder, looking him over a bit worriedly. Peter just nodded in response, clearly wanting to drop the topic. He did manage to mumble out a quick thank you though. His aunt and uncle had raised him with manners.

"What's that old cheesy line? With great power comes great responsibility?"

"I mean, I wouldn't call it cheesy, Mr. Stark." Peter piped up, feeling more like himself after the conversation they just had. "It's a very relevant line. It's truth."

"Yeah, you're right." Tony smiled at him, walking back towards his Iron Man suit. "Well, Peter. It's getting late. You should be getting home."

"You know, you can come to the compound tomorrow. A bit more time actually doing intern stuff probably won't be too bad for you." Tony suggested, not wanting to step into the suit until they were finished talking.

Peter paused, looking deeply confused, "But the internship was a cover for—"

"Well, maybe we should change that." Tony stated, watching as Peter's mouth dropped and he resorted to gaping at him, speechless.

"Are-Are you serious?!" Peter's eyes were wide with excitement but his voice was barely audible, as if he were in shock. Which he probably was.

"Yeah. Like I said, you got potential kid. And besides, I really am interested in the formula you have conjured up for that web stuff. Maybe you could help me out with a few things in the lab…"

Peter was almost squealing with excitement. Tony Stark wanted to collaborate with him. Tony Stark wanted to WORK with him. He swallowed it down, trying to play it cool.

"I don't know Mr. Stark. I'm grounded, remember?" Peter laughed a little, hoping his voice wasn't giving him away before shrugging for extra effect.

"Well that's a shame. We were really starting to miss you." Tony announced as he moved to step into the suit. The suit enveloped him, but over all the metal clanking, he still heard Peter calling out to him.

"Wait… You miss me?" the hope and excitement back in the kids voice was painfully obvious and made the older superhero chuckle.

Tony smirked before putting on a serious face and moving the mask back. "By we I meant Happy… and just Happy."

Peter smiled, knowing the difference, "Well let him know I miss him too." He joked, slipping the mask back over his head. The teen turned to make his exit when he heard Tony take a step forward and call out his name. He turned back.

"You know, if you ever need anyone to talk to, you can call me."

Peter blinked, surprised. "Really? But aren't you like super busy? I mean, you're Iron Man"

"I can make time," Tony assured him seriously, giving him a tight smile. He wasn't good at affection, but he could tell the kid looked up to him and the least he could do was give him the time of day… considering his situation. It's not like Tony cared or anything. Peter was nothing more than an intern. At least, that's what Tony kept telling himself. His actions… however, did not line up with his thinking and it conflicted him just a bit more than he wanted it to.

"Take care of yourself, okay?" He added, pausing for a few seconds before he spoke once more. "And Peter, don't feel guilty about being Spider-Man, you're doing a great job."

Peter felt something inside his heart swell and he couldn't help the goofy grin that plastered his face under the mask. His idol was praising him for his efforts and kind of letting it know that he cared. Well, he said he'd make time for him. And he clearly already made moves on this statement as the older man had sought him out and then sat and talked with him for such a long time. Peter doubted Tony Stark would ever explicitly state he cared about anyone except Pepper Potts. But Peter let himself be content with how he thought the events had played out.

"Thank you… Mr. Stark, it means a lot," Peter gave him a quick wave.

"If you're coming, I want you over by ten tomorrow morning, okay? And you better bring coffee and donuts, Okay Peter?"

Peter smiled even more, so much his face hurt. "Sure thing Mr. Stark, I'll see you tomorrow!"

With that, Peter started his journey back home to his little apartment in Queens. Where his Aunt May would be. Sitting on his bed. waiting for the teenage boy in the Spider-Man suit to slide in through his partially open window. And boy, she was NOT happy.

Thanks for reading!