Hello everybody! Been a while since I posted but it is a nice long chapter.

THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS ANXIETY, DISTRESS, VOICES IN THE MIND AND DETECTIONS OF BULIMIA. PLEASE DO NOT READ IF ANY OF THESE DISTRESS YOU IN ANYWAY.

These are all very serious aspects that people face in life. While I have faced anxiety in my life, I know that there are others that have had it a lot worse. You should speak to someone; a friend, family member or even someone you work with as it always helps to talk about this.

However, there is of course some lovely humour with the Avengers family since who doesn't love Irondad? And Steve is now coming around as the Grandpa I find! So I hope you enjoy, and remember, stay safe!

It was now early in the morning and Tony was the first one up. He was secretly trying to look up helpful tips online on how to look after a somewhat depressed teenager. As sad as it was, he needed help. Sure, the others were there but none of them had this experience. Despite Clint having kids of his own, nothing he had done had come close to this. Not to mention that this website had no tips for dealing with a teenager that had superhuman abilities. That wouldn't be a best seller at all. While he was sipping his coffee and reading the website on his tablet, he had failed to notice Natasha entering the room. She started to greet him but then saw how in thought he was with whatever was on his tablet. She silently creeped up behind him and snatched the tablet out of his hand.

"Damn you woman!" Tony snapped as he almost spilled his coffee in his shock and attempted to reach for his tablet, but she was well away from him now.

"Oh, lighten up," she said as her eyes scanned the tablet. She looked up at Tony who still had a frown on his face. This was too cute.

"Don't judge me I'm only human!" Tony defended, prompting a chuckle from the widow.

"Tony, there's nothing to be embarrassed about," Natasha said.

"I heard 'Tony' and 'embarrassing', I'm here!" Clint said, randomly appearing out of nowhere. Honestly, he was like a ninja whenever the topic of embarrassing someone came up.

"Shut up!" Tony almost shouted. Natasha handed the tablet over and Clint eagerly scanned it. He was slightly disappointed with what he saw but he appreciated the effort either way.

"Aw come on Tony, there's nothing wrong with this," Clint said in agreement. Tony ran a hand through his hair as he got up and swiped the tablet back. He cleared it from the screen and history quickly.

"I know that. I am well aware that he isn't himself and that he is hiding something, which was pointed out yesterday. I want to find out without making it an interrogation. Hence the website," Tony told them.

"Tony, a website isn't going to give you answers for this. We will help you all we can, but he has a closer bond with you. If anyone can help him it's you," Natasha said truthfully. She knew he liked being an Iron-Dad; denial or not.

"Yeah. But on that note, I need pancakes," Clint said as he then made his way to the kitchen counter and started pulling out the necessary ingredients.

"Is it your goal to burn down my kitchen?" Tony asked in annoyance.

This went unanswered as Clint started pouring substances into the bowl. Think toast will do, Tony thought with a slight shudder. He took notice of the time and then realised the day. While Peter had stayed in hospital for three days for recovery, Tony had insisted on keeping him there an extra day, so he could try to find May and prepare his room. Therefore, he had come home the next day, which had happened to be Sunday. That meant today was Monday. A school day. Tony felt like kicking himself. He had completely forgotten to ask Peter about school. Yes, his friends had brought in the work but if he kept him from going to school, red flags would go up. Hey, he had no issue with him staying home after all this. But this wouldn't not look good to the authorities if he wasn't receiving his education.

"Want some more coffee?" Natasha called over.

"No thanks!" Tony said as he then started to make his way to Peter's room.

Standing outside his room, Tony took a deep breath. Why was he nervous? Damn that website! It had made him uncertain. No! Come on. I am Iron Man! Man, up for crying out loud. He then knocked on the door. No answer. He then slowly edged the door open and it took all of his willpower not to take a picture. Peter was curled up in the sheets like a little sushi roll, the lower half of his face hidden by the sheets and the best part was the little Iron Man plushie tucked in with him. Thank you Pepper, Tony internally screamed. He made his way over to the bed and sat down. Tony placed his hand on Peter's shoulder and shook it slightly.

"Hey kid?" he said softly. Peter then opened his eyes wearily and proceeded to sit up slowly. He rubbed his eyes and was about to greet who he thought was May but realised his error a second too late.

"Morning M-Tony," he said, hoping his error would go unnoticed. He was incorrect.

"Morning. How'd you sleep?" Tony asked.

"Okay," Peter answered simply.

"I see the plushie helped?" Tony teased slightly, causing Peter to blush slightly and to push the plushie away slightly.

"I mean…" he said shyly.

"Hey as long as it wasn't a Captain plushie, I'm good," Tony said with a laugh.

"Right," Peter said with a smile. His eyes darted to the left slightly as he expected for the voices to make a comment. There were none. That was a little unsettling. There was a pause. Okay, time for the big question.

"So, um Pete. I know that you've had a lot to deal with. With May and your injuries, you've had to rest. Your friends have brought your work over from school, so I was wondering when you'd feel comfortable going to your classes," Tony said carefully, feeling the need to pat himself on the back for the wording. Thank you website, he thought.

"Oh, I see," Peter said. He was still a little hopeful that May would return but he wasn't so sure. His mind had repeatedly played the fight over in his head and his internal voices didn't help. It's not like Tony was forcing him to go…unless he just wanted rid of him for a few hours. No, that couldn't be it.

You sure about that?

Damn it. On the other hand, his friends did visit him, so maybe they'd be happy to see more of him. But then again, after all this, the school would have bound to find out. He knew that Tony had informed the school about it. Not the fact that he was living here. Just that there was a situation and he was living with a temporary guardian until the situation was cleared up. Ugh, temporary. It made him sound like a piece of trash that people were throwing back and forth and the loser had to keep him. House to house. Guardian to guardian. He couldn't speak out of term to either or else they'd hate him.

"Peter?" Tony asked, breaking the kid out of his mini daze.

"Sorry. I'm okay with going back. I do miss school," Peter said half-heartedly.

"You sure? I'm not forcing you," Tony said assuredly.

"Yeah I'm okay," Peter insisted.

"Okay. Well Happy will be dropping you off there every day and will be picking you up. Don't worry, he volunteered. I'm amazed that you can get him to have a conversation with you, he's such a stick in the mud," Tony said, making Peter chuckle. A thought then crossed his mind.

"Um, is it okay if he drops me like a little away? I just don't want to be stared at, you know?" Peter asked shyly.

"That's a thought. Last thing you need are people being leeches and nosey," Tony said with a nod. Tony then patted his shoulder and stood up. "So just get yourself sorted and then come out for some breakfast. Then maybe tonight I can show you a new project I've been working on."

"Really? Thanks!" Peter said with stars practically emitting from his eyes. Tony smiled as he left the room. Peter then stood up and started to make his way to the chest of draws for some clothes.

Charity case.

"Shush," Peter muttered. Push them away, he thought. Push them!

Tony walked back into the kitchen area, where the others had now assembled to eat some breakfast. Breakfast consisted of toast and cereal as they had refused to eat Clint's so-called pancakes. Tony eyed them as he sat down next to Pepper. Yes, he was pretty sure than pancakes weren't supposed to have green spots on them.

"So, how'd it go?" Pepper asked as she sipped her coffee while reading the morning paper. Tony poured himself a cup and thought about the question. He then nodded slowly.

"I think…it went okay," he answered honestly.

"Good. What'd you say?" Steve asked, buttering his toast.

"I asked how he slept, and when he'd be comfortable going back to school," Tony said.

"Which was met with?" Bruce asked.

"A yes," Tony said. Natasha narrowed her eyes at this as did Pepper.

"Is that a good idea?" Pepper asked.

"Yeah Tony. Not that you didn't do a good start but going to school seems a bit too early. I know he needs his education for the social worker's approval but is he mentally ready?" Natasha asked, lowering her voice at the last part.

"I double checked, he said he was okay," Tony said, but the women knew that he was confident with it either.

"When people say they're okay, they don't always mean it," Bruce said in concern.

"I know but what else can I do? Rip his emotions out?" Tony asked with a frown.

"You mean like how you all ripped Clint's out by not eating his pancakes?" Bucky asked with an amused smirk at Clint's pouty face at the stack of uneaten pancakes.

"You are all monsters," Clint said with a sneer.

"Oh, help us for not wanting to get food poisoning," Bruce commented. Clint almost threw the stack at his face until he saw Peter enter the room. He was wearing jeans, a green jacket and a shirt with an atom printed on the front.

"Hey everyone," Peter said with a smile.

"Hey Spiderling. Pancake?" Clint asked hopefully as Peter took a set on the other side of Tony. Peter saw them and laughed awkwardly. Tony came to his rescue.

"Ignore him, eat this instead," he said, sliding a plate of toast in front of him.

Peter stared down at his plate uncertainly. Did he need this? His stomach agreed but his head did not. He could get rid it all later, he thought. He picked up a slice, only hesitated ever so slightly for a millisecond and started to eat. That millisecond went past everyone's eyes apart from four. Natasha and Bruce watched him intently and then cast a gaze over to each other.

"So, are you all caught up on your work?" Steve asked.

"Yeah, my friends brought me the work in and helped me finish it," Peter said as he finished his slice; his hands unconsciously picking up the next slice.

"That's good then," Bucky said with a smile. Peter smiled back but then realised something. He was just about to something until something made him stop.

Don't burden them with your stupid questions.

"What's up Peter?" Natasha said, instantly picking up on the fact that he was holding back something. She slightly regretted it slightly since it would alter her thoughts on what he was actually hiding.

"I was just wondering…what should I say when people ask me about what happened," Peter forced out. The tone of his voice was picked up by Bruce instantly. Tony nodded in understanding, knowing this would come up.

"Well Peter, as you know I have talked to the school about this and kept it discreet. Only your principal knows about you living with me. He's told the other teachers that you're staying with a temporary guardian," Tony answered.

Temporary. You make me sick.

"So, if others ask you, just say that you've been rehoused with your aunt," Pepper said, hating to bring up the mention of that disgusting human. "I know it's painful to say but the less people know about you, the better. You don't need stress sweetie."

"Okay thank you," Peter said with a small smile. There was an awkward pause until Tony snapped his fingers.

"Oh, that reminds me," he said as he fished into his jacket pocket and handed Peter a very sleek looking phone. Peter blinked in surprise as he took it.

"Is this…for me?" Peter asked in shock.

"Of course, underoos! Since your old one got burnt up, we could you this new one. All of our numbers are in this, in slight code but you'll be able to guess who is who," Tony said with a smile. Peter opened up the phone and scanned through.

"Katniss?" Peter said with a slight smile, earning an annoyed huff from Clint, making the table laugh.

"What are the others?" Clint asked, eager to insult the others.

"Ummm…we have Katniss, Happy, Old Man, Metal Head, Dr Green, Salt, Scary Lady and…E.L.M.O?" Peter said in confusion at the last one. Everyone began yelling at Tony at once, who merely laughed.

"Real original," Pepper said at the obvious choice of name.

"Now, now, no need to be salty," Tony teased, earning him a smack in the face with the newspaper.

"I'd like to point out that only my arm is metal," Bucky chuckled.

"I am not old!" Steve insisted. Denial.

"Okay, now that everyone is happy with their choices, I think you need to be getting to school. Happy is waiting for you downstairs," Tony said, patting Peter on the back. Both of them stood up as Tony went to see him off by the door. Tony then whispered something into Peter's ear, causing him to laugh as he waved goodbye to everyone. Tony proudly made his way back over.

"What are you so smug about?" Steve asked.

"My code," he said smugly.

"You named yourself after a character off Sesame Street," Clint said in confusion. There was a slight pause as Bruce then deduced why he was grinning, as did Pepper.

"And you're smiling because…" Bucky asked.

"E.L.M.O is an acronym," Bruce said with an eye roll.

"Which stands for?" Natasha asked.

"Everyone Loves Me Obviously," Pepper finished with the shake of her head as everyone then proceeded to throw their toast at Tony. He was just thankful that it wasn't their drinks they threw.

Peter was currently sitting in the back of the car as Happy drove him to school. Happy looked in the mirror and saw that he was aimlessly looking out the window. He knew that Peter was overjoyed at having the phone but also knew that he was uncomfortable at having such an expensive gift. Damn, that kid was just too precious. Looking back to the road, he realised that he had now arrived at the spot where he was supposed to drop him off.

"Okay uh, we are here. You call me or the others if you're not comfortable okay?" Happy said, breaking Peter out of his daze.

"Yes, thanks Happy," Peter said as he went to open the door. Happy then opened his mouth again.

"Hey," he said quickly. Peter looked back at him. "It's going to be okay."

"Thanks," Peter said with a small smile as he left the car and slammed the door.

Peter then watched the car drive away and then started to walk in the direction of the school. He started to make his way towards school, his feet feeling like they weighed a ton of bricks. Okay he could do this. He had Ned and MJ for support. But then what if they left him too? No, they wouldn't do that.

Or would they? You're a loser. Your presence would only make them losers too.

"No…they hang out with me because they like me," Peter muttered to himself.

Sure, that's why they haven't checked on you since you've come home from the hospital.

"Mr Stark probably told them to give me space," Peter said to himself uncertainly. There was no response which relieved Peter but then realised that he had come into the school grounds and was now at the bottom of the steps.

"Peter!" a cheery voice yelled. He turned to see Ned and MJ approaching him. Ned was smiling hugely while MJ looked…well like she did but she was happy. At least he thought she was.

"Hey guys," he said.

"Hey? After living at you know where, all you can say is 'hey'?" Ned asked in bewilderment. He would have shaken Peter to death if MJ hadn't held him back.

"Easy loser. Let this loser have his space," MJ said in annoyance.

"Thanks," Peter said as he held onto his satchel as he was starting to get anxious as he noticed that people were starting to look at him oddly. The bell then rang out, making his senses spike slightly. Damn he hated that thing.

"Come on, science awaits!" Ned said, eagerly praying for time to go quicker so he could hear about Peter's adventures in the tower with the Avengers. In all honesty, the trip to the actual classroom was long enough. The whispers were circling him like wasps, practically stinging him at every word.

"Hey Peter's back. I heard he was in an accident!"

"No way really?!"

"I thought he was put into an orphanage!"

"Do you think he paid someone to cause the explosion?"

"Probably. I mean if my life sucked as much as his, I'd want to die too."

"Die?" Peter whispered to himself.

"You say something Peter?" Ned asked cheerfully.

Peter put on a fake smile and shook his head. But in the back of his mind, he was debating that last sentence. Die? That was…a thought. This word lingered in his mind as he headed into his first class of the day. It would have been his favourite except that there was a new teacher.

Mr Hopkins. He was a tall lean man with very thin cheekbones and beady eyes. He was a boring man, wore the same coloured suit to work every day and took the fun out of science. He was always harsh on the students. He strived for perfections. He took marks off papers when the writing wasn't neat enough. He especially didn't like Peter. Naturally the rumours of his internship got into the teachers' lounge and they were no strangers to gossip. Of course, Peter wasn't dull. Mr Hopkins was especially harsh on him. He knew why. The internship. He completely rejected the idea of Peter having an internship and he had pointed this out in front of his classes, causing many remarks from students. Cruel ones of course. Peter had done his research and it turns out that he had worked at Stark Industries for a month until he was fired. He had no idea what for, but Mr Hopkins took his anger out on Peter. there was a catch. Despite all this, everyone knew that Peter was a genius at science. Mr Hopkins couldn't mark him down if all the correct answers and working outs were correct. It just made science less fun and more exhausting.

"Morning class. Today we will be focusing on Radioactivity," Mr Hopkins said as he drew on the board.

The students groaned slightly and opened up their textbooks. Peter shook his head slightly as he forced the small voice out of his head, so he could concentrate. As Mr Hopkins droned on and Peter blindly started taking notes, his head started to practically itch.

You sure you're going to be able to keep up? You're not that smart.

Peter's eyes darted slightly. His sensory abilities seemed weird. For some reason, everything seemed to move in slow motion. The clock on the wall stopped. The turning of pages echoed. The scratching of pens and pencils stabbed through his head. His foot started to twitch as he tightened his grip. Everything seemed to speed up as his eyes then shot open at the sound of his name being called.

"Mr Parker! If you've had enough time day dreaming, perhaps you'd like to answer this question on the board?" Mr Hopkins said sharply. The class laughed, and MJ scowled at them while Ned did his best to pull a scowling face.

"Uh sorry sir uh…" Peter said as he squinted to look at the board. Easy enough. "It's Uranium-235 and americium-238."

"Correct," Mr Hopkins practically spat out. "Maybe if you focused more on the class than daydreaming about your internship, then you'd answer quicker."

"Nice one sir," Flash snickered.

"Quiet Flash," Mr Hopkins said, although there was a slight grin on his face.

"Sorry sir," Peter said automatically.

"Well your internship is one thing to lie about. But copying Stark's horrible attitude is another," Mr Hopkins said. That pulled a nerve.

You sure you wanna go there. You're not good at defending others you know.

"He's not like that," Peter said with a small frown. Mr Hopkins narrowed his eyes.

"Detention for talking back. Maybe in detention, you can think about the consequences about lying," Mr Hopkins said, with a hint of smugness.

"How is that fair?" Ned said in annoyance.

"Yeah, at least adjust your biased attitude problem," MJ said with a frown.

"One more word out of you two and you'll be joining Mr Parker. Understood?" Mr Hopkins warned. MJ and Ned went to speak again but then Peter gave them a pleading look. They grumbled and quietened down. Satisfied, Mr Hopkins turned back to the board. Snickers were still aimed at Peter.

Now see what you did. You got your friends in trouble too. You suck.

All Peter wanted to do at that point was to curl up in the corner and hide.

The remaining three classes flew by and while they weren't as bad as science, it didn't stop the whispers going around. Internship this, internship that. It was at points where he wished he could just reveal everything, but he knew that would do more harm than good to his head. He had thought about using music to drown everything out but that only gave him a very bad headache. It was now the middle of the day, which meant one thing. Lunch.

He, Ned and MJ were currently sitting in the cafeteria; one end discussing the potential of Star Wars, the other claiming the idiocy of the prospect that lightsabers can do anything but good. Peter was chiming in now and then but lacked the enthusiasm that he usually had. Ned had picked up on this as had MJ, but Peter had insisted he was fine. One thing that was noted was that Peter had practically inhaled his food. While Ned was happy his friend was sustaining his food, he realised that Peter's face was slightly sunken. If he was eating, why did he look like he was losing weight. Did it have to do with metabolism? No. he's been Spider-Man for well over a year now and this had never come up before. Should he tell his parents? No, what could they do? Well May was out of the question. There was only one option. Tony Stark. The question was how. Peter wouldn't be arrogant to throw away his number. Not that he was of course. He had admired the new phone greatly and had eagerly added his new number along with MJ's.

"So, what do you think about Mr Stark making an actual lightsaber?" Ned suddenly said, lowering his voice to a slight whisper at the mention of his mentor's name.

"I don't know. I don't think he has time for stuff like that. He's a busy guy," Peter replied.

"Thank you!" MJ said with a slightly mean grin at her point being clarified.

"Come on Peter, you live with him now," Ned insisted. MJ was not surprised by this as she was the other person beside Ned who knew this. She believed his 'internship' entirely, but the Spider-Man aspect was…left out.

"It's one thing to live with him but to demand stuff…" Peter trailed off.

"I guess," Ned said in disappointment.

Now you've upset your friend. Nice work. Idiot.

"I'm getting more water," Peter said quickly as he then got up and then started to make his way over to the vending machine.

"He's acting…odd. And not a good odd," MJ said with a raised eyebrow. Ned merely shrugged. Maybe he was just being paranoid like usual.

Peter was slowly making his way over to the machine, thoughts racing through his head. Maybe his friends made a point. Was he demanding too much off Mr Stark already. He felt his phone in his jacket inside pocket, carefully hidden. The last thing he wanted was for it get damaged or stolen. He was so in thought, he didn't realise that getting to the machine would take him right past Flash's table. He didn't hear the snickering over the voices. He didn't see the cruel grins. Nor did he see Flash's foot stick out. Peter felt his feet lift off the floor, only to meet it with his head. It slammed to the floor, doing a double bounce before resting there. His arms sprawled out and he felt a foot slam on one of them. The next thing he knew was cruel laughter echoing in his ears.

"Watch your footing there, Penis!" Flash taunted. Soon the insults were practically flying around the canteen.

"That's what you get for lying!"

"What a loser!"

"Fake!"

"Pathetic!"

"Attention seeker!"

"Just do everyone a favour and stop existing!"

"I'm sorry…I'm sorry," Peter mumbled under his breath as a loud ringing came through his ears.

He felt a warm trickle come down the side of his face. He needed to leave now. He practically forced himself to his feet and ran out of the canteen with the laughter following him. Ned and MJ got up from their seats and tried to follow him but the crowd of students pointing after him and laughing made them lose him.

Peter practically slammed through the door to the toilets, making a notable dent in the wall. He locked himself in the toilet cubicle and pulled his feet up so no one would see him. He had his knees to his chest as he wrapped his arms around them and started to rock back and forth. Tears streaked down his cheeks as he held in his sobs.

No wonder you're the laughing stock. Can't stand up for yourself, tripping over and crying like a baby. No wonder May left. Your friends will leave you too.

"No, they won't. they are my friends," Peter argued in a choked whisper.

How do you know? You've been wrong about so many things. You thought you were worthy to wear the suit? Mr Stark took it away. You thought Liz loved you. She left because of you. Want me to go on?

"No…please stop," Peter begged as he clutched the side of his head.

How long are you going to act like this? Soon you be all alone!

"Shut up!" Peter practically screamed.

There was a long silence. As he continued to rock, he felt a vibration from his jacket. With a shaky hand, he reached into his pocket, slightly thankful that he hadn't broken it in the fall. He opened his messages and saw…a group chat. It appeared that his new roommates had set up a chat with him. They had all sent him messages.

Dr Green: Hope all is going well in school!

Katniss: Yeah, listen to the nerd.

Dr Green: I am not a nerd.

E.L.M.O: He's right. I am THE nerd!

Old Man: You are all children. I hope you are having a good day Peter.

Metal Head: Spoken like a true old man.

Scary Lady: Amen.

Salt: But seriously Peter. I hope you're having a good day. We have some sandwiches from that place you love! Delmar's!

E.L.M.O: Yeah! One thing, gotta hold that surprise on you kid, it's not ready yet.

Katniss: You're slacking.

E.L.M.O: Do you wanna go right here?

This conversation went on for a while, but Peter didn't even read it. On hold? Why would he hold on the surprise?

Because you're not worth his time.

Peter then buried his head in his knees, continuing to sob until the bell went. He was being to think the voice was right.

The day kept getting worse and worse. After retreating to his next class after lunch, the insults just wouldn't stop. Ned and MJ had done their best to stop them even with MJ threatening a few people with a punch to the face. Nothing stopped them nor cheered Peter up. He wasn't even left alone in detention. The voices were louder and angrier. Not to mention the students who were also in detention were throwing paper balls at him. When he finally left school and headed to the place where he was supposed to be picked up, he saw, ironically, a very unhappy Happy.

"Where have you been?" Happy demanded.

"Sorry detention," Peter muttered as he walked past Happy and entered the car, practically pushing himself up against the other side of the car. Happy blinked at him as he was usually met with an un-witty response.

"Well…okay then!" he said uncertainly.

The drive back was slow. Peter's head was practically pulsing. Happy was shooting him glances now and then and he knew something was wrong. He did note that Peter was holding his hand at an angle. Was he injured? He didn't even get a chance to ask for the minute that they arrived in the tower, Peter practically leapt out of the car and ran inside the building. Curse that super ability, Happy thought as he followed him, not even trying to keep up. It wasn't that he didn't want to, it was simply because he couldn't.

Up in the main room, the group were currently sat around the sofa, debating…strength. Again. Clearly some people thought they were right, and others thought that they were wrong. In reality, everyone was practically arguing until one was declared the victor. Pepper was sitting with Tony and Bruce while the others were sitting on the opposite end.

"I am telling you, I am able to lift it with a few more modifications," Tony insisted. They were of course talking about Thor's mighty hammer, Mjolnir.

"And we told you that gadgets don't count," Natasha insisted.

"Well if that's true, then he's out," Tony said as he pointed to Bucky, who raised an eyebrow. He did get it. After all he had done, even though it was through someone else's actions, he knew he wasn't worthy.

"He could use his other hand," Clint offered.

"That won't make a difference," Bruce said. A thought then crossed Natasha's mind, and was just about to voice it until the sound of the elevator doors made them turn their heads.

"Hey Peter, how was…" Steve started but all they saw was a blur shoot past and then the slamming off a door. "School."

"What was that about?" Pepper asked as she shifted away from Tony to stand up. They all did at this point and turned their heads again when they saw Happy come through.

"What's the matter?" Tony asked instantly.

"I don't know. Apparently, the kid had detention which is why we were a little late," Happy answered.

"Detention? What the kid do; get full marks on a test?" Tony asked in bewilderment. It wasn't like Peter to get detention at all.

"He didn't say. But…" Happy said but then stopped as he looked away.

"But what?" Natasha demanded with folded arms. Happy didn't really want to speak since it wasn't his business, but the glaring eyes of the Avengers bore upon him.

"Well… he did look upset and he was clutching his hand. Like he was in pain. I thought maybe he had gotten in a fight but that's so unlike him. Then I thought he bunked off for spider stuff but if he was injured it would be more…you know…" Happy said with an awkward pause.

"No, he couldn't have been out anyway, his suit was destroyed in that fire. Whatever was left of it was brought here was for safety purposes," Steve said firmly. He himself had made sure that all traces of Spider-Man had vanished from that building.

"So, what could be the problem?" Tony wondered.

"Here's an idea, why don't you ask him?" Clint said, causing Tony to sweat slightly.

"I don't want to force him to answer," Tony replied.

"You won't. if he doesn't want to talk that's fine. Just let him know that we, or more importantly, you are here for him," Pepper said as she stood up beside Tony and rubbed his arm.

"Well alright but I'm bringing a sandwich," Tony insisted as he went to grab the one he had plated for Peter.

Tony now stood outside of Peter's door with a plate in hand and with Pepper by his side. He hated how nervous he was. God, he had talked to Peter loads of times before and he hadn't been nervous. Pepper gave him an encouraging nudge and he cleared his throat and knocked on the door.

"Hey Pete? You okay kiddo?" he asked. There was a short pause before a tired voice responded back to him.

"I'm fine Mr Stark. Just had a long day, I need a lie down," Peter responded.

"Okay then. You know I'm here if you want to chat or anything right?" Tony responded. There was another pause, only this time, Tony could have sworn he heard…retching?

"Of course, I uh…know that! Could I just…please be left alone for uh a bit? I'll eat later!" Peter said although it sounded a bit more…harsh this time. Tony masked his surprise at this but gave an affirming nod to himself. This was normal.

"Okay. It just here if you want it. Talk to you later," Tony said as he placed the plate down in front of the door.

"See you later Peter!" Pepper said cheerfully as she and Tony then headed back to the main room. Pepper turned her head back slightly and smiled when she saw that the door opened a creak and a hand snatched in the plate. Only it wasn't what she thought.

Peter hurriedly stuffed the sandwich in his mouth, not even bothering to savour the taste. He then threw himself into the bathroom and forced the new contents of his stomach up and down the toilet. He had no idea why he was doing this, but it made him feel less stressed. His throat felt like it was on fire, but it was worth it. It made him feel better.

That right do this. It's what you deserve.

"I know," Peter mumbled in between breaths.

"Peter, you seem to be in distress. Shall I alert Mr Stark?" Friday asked suddenly.

"No Friday I'm fine. No need to bother Mr Stark! Don't tell him anything!" Peter blurted. Damn, he had completely forgotten about Friday.

"I am unable to lie to Mr Stark," Friday responded.

"It's not lying if he…doesn't ask!" Peter said suddenly.

"I see. Very well. I will inform Mr Stark if he asks why you are unwell," Friday stated. Peter could have sworn that he heard a slight tone of concern in his voice but he brushed it off when she spoke no more.

"Thank you," Peter said quietly. Mr Stark would never find out. He wouldn't let him find out. His hands rubbed the injured one fondly; his enhanced healing already taking its toll. The side of his head still hurt. This would all pass.

Little was it known to Peter that the incident in the cafeteria had just been posted online.

Bullying is horrible isn't it. Nobody deserves to be bullied. So Peter is being bullied and doesn't want any help since he thinks he deserves to be alone. Will he talk to Tony soon?

Here are some places to call if you need to speak to someone.

Samaritans (UK): 116 123

No Panic (UK): 0844 967 4848

I am not sure what other numbers are available around the world since I am UK based and mainly UK numbers appear when I google them. You can always speak to a friend, family member or someone from work. There are Samaritan sites online if you need to search and they will provide you with a number or email address.

Wishing you all well! Stay safe and stay home! Love you guys! Bye for now!

- Star