I'll be your family now

Adoption? X

The next day Peter went down to the lab in the evening to see Tony, who had been working in god knows what. Of course, he invited Peter to come, too, but the kid got caught up with a show in the TV and lost track of time.

"Hey, Dum!" Peter smiled happily at the robot, who beeped with the same enthusiasm in return "What're you working on, Tony?"

"Nothing really, just messing up with some apps in the new model of the Stark Phone, that by the way, you're getting"

"What? No! It's not necessary, really" Peter responded immediately.

"Shut up, I can't see you with an IPhone, god" Tony rolled his eyes and smiled teasingly at him.

"Thanks" Peter said and then started working in making more web fluid.

They spend some time in silence, not uncomfortable, but rare when it came to Peter. That, and that the kid had been over the entire time working with the first set of webs, which usually only took ten minutes or so, is what told Tony that his kid had something in mind.

And Peter did have something in mind.

"Hey, what's up? You usually aren't this quite, only when you're thinking of something" he commented, casually but still concerned of what may be bothering Peter.

Peter sighed. Of course Tony would notice, he noticed everything. Not that Peter was complaining though, now more than ever he was happy that he still had someone who would look after him and took care of him.

"It's just... I mean, being honest I thought that by now May would've called or texted, at least to make sure I was safe or something, I don't know. She still hasn't texted me" Peter shrugged like it was no big deal but in reality he was worrying.

Oh, so that was, Tony thought.

He really, really didn't want to bring the kid down, but he would have to. Sooner or later, it might be better sooner, he realized, as how things were looking.

"Look, Peter" he started, looking for the right words, he didn't want to screw things up "You're always so positive and faithful and good, and I don't want you to change that, never, because it's a quality that few are having this days. But I do want you to prepare for the worst case scenario"

"You are... You're saying that maybe she wouldn't take me back?" Peter asked and Tony cursed internally, the kid looked like a kicked kitten. All small, and innocent, and ignorant of the harsh real world.

"I'm just saying that it might be a possibility. I do not want to be the bad guy here breaking it to you, but it might be the best if you just start preparing yourself for the worst from now" Tony hated that he had to tell something that real, that harsh, to the kid who was always looking for the good in everything, but he had to.

"But- I- She-" Peter stuttered a little, finding hard to process the words.

"Pete, I care for you, ok? I'm saying this because I wouldn't like seeing you hurting more for this. And because neither of us read minds- that's Wanda's job- we don't know what your aunt was thinking and neither if she really feeling it or not"