Chapter Text
After that mess what was called the Civil War, everything really went to hell with Peter Parker.
Well, he never was really popular in school, quite the contrary. The bullying continued like normal straight after the feud. But it was not the worst thing in his mind, as he had really seen the shit hit the fan when he had been fighting alongside with Stark and his friends.
Or, some of them. He had heavily side-eyed Natasha, who had barked something at Stark after the whole thing, basically blaming Tony about everything. She had not cared about Tony's pain, not cared about the suffering. She did not care about the quilt Tony went trough as he saw pictures of them or when he saw Rhodey.
But one day everything really went to shit, and he had no idea how to fix it.
May had been overly stressed for a long while, working a bit too much and fearing for Peter, even though Stark had told him not to start any business with his Spiderman suit – he was too young, Stark had said.
When May was home, she was usually sleeping. Peter knew she slept badly and had bouts of insomnia, usually sleeping well only when she crashed with fatique.
Then one day she had fainted, hitting her head fatally onto the desk next to her. He had hear her fall, running to her. He had panicked when he saw her on the floor, bleeding and unconscious. Peter had dialed 911, but nothing was left to do when the ambulance finally came. Aunt May died on his arms, in a matter of seconds after he found her lying on the floor. If he could have been faster, if he could have done something to prevent this...
Peter had just sat there, when Aunt May's lifeless body was carried away. There was blood all around him and his clothes. A socialworker had walked to him at some point, trying to whisper consoling words to him. He did not listen to them. He just stared at the desk she had hit her head on.
Then someone barged into the house and everyone fell silent. Peter did not even raise his head as he felt arms wrapping around him, holding him tight. He only felt warmth and smelled a familiar cologne.
”I am so sorry” Tony had whispered, rubbing his hands up and down Peter's back. Peter had just nodded, he was not capable of talking then. Everything just hurt.
Only when he was dragged into a car, he snapped a bit out of his haze. He turned his head to see Tony, who was speaking to his phone quietly. After a while Tony stopped, turning towards Peter. He looked really uncomfortable, his eyes hídden by tinted glasses.
Even though his eyes were hidden, his whole body spoke of exhaustion. He was not well, Peter could tell. He was hurting too.
”Where are you taking me?” Peter had finally asked quietly, closing and opening his fists on his lap, like trying to test if this was just a bad dream or not. Tony just stared at him for a while, then he looked at the driver. Or the back of his head. Happy looked back at him from the mirror, not saying a word. He did not look happy at all, and his eyes spoke of grief and fear for both Tony's and Peter's wellbeing.
Then Tony had sighed, slowly dragging his hand down his face. ”Home. I am taking you home” he said, and Peter felt no will to fight against it.
After that day, Anthony Stark had an adopted son, Peter Parker.
He had hidden it somehow from the tabloids, and Peter went on with his usual life. As people whispered in the hallways of school, he just shrunk away. Everyone wondered who had taken him in – there was rumours that there were no relatives left. And they kinda were right. But Peter dared not to mumble the name Stark into the air – he did not need any more attention than he had already. Some even whispered their sorries at him. Even that damn Flash had let him be.
But for his luck, no one dared to ask him about where he lives now.
Peter saw Tony mourn too, but for different reasons. Tony's so called friends had turned their backs on the man, and he had ended up getting beaten to the brink of his life and was left to die. He had survived back into the tower, healing from his physical damages. But his mental scars were almost unrepailable after that, and Peter saw it in his eyes almost every day, especially when he helped Rhodey to walk again.
The fight with Captain America and Winter Soldier against Iron Man was a taboo in the tower. The only one who sometimes heard about the fight was Bruce, who had finally returned into the tower when he had heard what happened. He had immediately taken Tony's side, as they were really close friends and they knew about each other's demons. It was actually Peter who had managed to contact the man – he knew Tony needed some real friends right then.
When Bruce had arrived to the tower, he had straight ran to Tony and closed him into a tight hug. Peter saw tears running down Tony's face behind Bruce's shoulder, even though he mocked Bruce about wearing his clothes he had found from the quinjet. Peter knew that Tony would never admit to crying when he saw Bruce.
Bruce had came back to stay, both scientists carrying too many mental scars. Both of them kept silent about them when it came to the ”mascot” of the Stark towers, but Peter knew a bit more about Tony than he knew him knowing of. And he knew about Bruce's status as the Hulk – and that, how the media threw him happily under the bus if they found out something worth of telling to the people.
Just like Steve had done to Tony. Just coldly threw him under the bus, laying the blame on him after everything Steve himself had done.
After some weeks of arranging everything, Thor had appeared into the towers. For everyone's surprise Loki was with him, looking curiously around. He lingered near Bruce most of the time, and Thor had given Tony one of his familiar, bone crushing hugs. ”Oh no, Point break. Where's your hair?” Tony asked and Thor huffed something, looking very sour about it. Loki had told that they had found a temporary place for Asgardians to live. They weren't that happy about losing their home, but at least they had found a place to live for a while, before they could come up with something else.
Tony told a bit about the civil war to Thor, and Peter helpfully filled in everything about Steve's assholiness as Tony tried to beautify his words, not wanting to fight anymore. But Peter told everything, and Thor looked shocked. Even Loki had raised a brow, gazing at Tony.
”Color me surprised. I would not have awaited that from the captain” Loki had said drily, but his eyes held actual confusion. Then Thor had grown angry, grabbing Tony by his shoulders and told him he would be there for him, and he will not turn his back to his dear friend like that. ”What he did was cowardly, and a true warrior would not do something like that!” Thor had shouted, being his usual loud self. Tony just nodded in confusion, Bruce had let out a small laugh and Loki had rolled his eyes, not really saying a thing about opposing the idea.
And so the tower's grew with two gods and a scientist, and life was surprisingly peaceful between them. Bruce and Tony fell into a routine with working in the lab, Thor actively tried to get to know Peter better and Loki usually stood in the sidelines, eyeing everything and investigating with his eyes. Peter had noted him usually keeping close to Bruce if he saw him, and he had asked Thor about it. Thor just told him that the scientist and the trickster had found surprisingly many things in common when they travelled to ”Midgard”, and had developed a new friendship.
But even though everything seemed to be fine, Tony was very worried. He saw anger boiling in the teenager's guts and he knew the kid. He was very, very protective of his newfound adoptive father, and he had a feeling Peter would not leave this matter be.
He knows that the kid thinks he has a bone to pick with some of ex-Avengers, and he was kinda afraid the boy would actually do something. Now they could at least live in peace, or what was left of it. But he knew the boy – he would not let this go that easy. He could see it in his eyes, blue burning angrily if someone even mentioned Captain America.
Peter had actually seen the damn letter Steve had left to Tony, and the cellphone. Peter had immediately burned the damned piece of paper, cursing it and the writer to the lowest parts of hell. But he did not destroy the cellphone – oh hell no. He would save it, and figure out a way to use it to make the man's life a living hell.
The teen was lying in his bed, staring at the phone in his hand. It was a simple phone, compeletely harmless looking. No one who did not know would not think of it causing so much sorrow in Anthony Edward Stark. Peter felt his fingers grip the phone a bit tighter, but he managed to control himself. He should not crush the thing that could be used for revenge.
He would do it even trough a damn phone, if it made Steven Grant Rogers hurt even a bit.
Some beautiful day he would throw everything at Captain America's face, and make him hurt like he had made his new father hurt.