Shadowbreath: The New Avenger

Chapter 10

Edit (02/01)

Breakfast the next morning was more than a little awkward.

When Peter shuffled into the kitchen with ridiculous bedhead and morning breath, five sets of eyes were waiting for him. He froze when he saw Aunt May, Pepper, Tony, Natasha, and Rhodey all lounging around the island. "Uh...good morning..." He muttered, suddenly hyper aware of how bad his temper tantrum last night must have looked.

May crossed her arms, clearly expecting an apology from him. Peter fidgeted with the hem of his shirt, not quite able to meet her gaze. This was embarrassing enough without an audience. "I..I'm sorry about last night. I shouldn't have raised my voice."

He chanced a look, praying that Tony had somehow convinced Aunt May to let him keep his suit without telling her what actually happened with the Vulture. He didn't want her to have to worry about any of that. Thankfully, she swallowed hard and nodded her head. "I forgive you, Peter. And after talking to Mr. Stark-er, Tony, I decided that I won't take the suit. But, you are still grounded. No Spider-Man for a week."

Peter could feel his face redden, and he wished that they could have had this discussion in private. It was just awkward having to be reprimanded in front of the freaking Avengers. Tony walked over and clapped a hand against Peter's back, and he forcefully had to push down the outrageous desire to hug the man. After last night, he could see a tangible shift in their relationship. Peter couldn't really view Tony as just a mentor anymore after their conversation, which had led to an exchange of trust on both sides. Last night, Tony became more of a father figure in his life than anyone he had ever met, and that included his own flesh and blood.

He was just a baby when his parents died in the plane crash, so Uncle Ben was the only father he had ever known. While it was always clear that him and Aunt May loved him, he never truly felt like their kid. They were close, sure, but he never felt comfortable coming to either of them when he found out about his powers, and they never really let him into their personal lives either. Maybe his inability to truly connect with either of them on a deeper level was the lingering mystery of why May and Ben never adopted him. He didn't have any parents, and while he still had May, he still felt alone most of the time. They were the only parents he had ever known, but they never took the next step on making it official.

Peter loved Uncle Ben, and still felt his loss every single day, but he wasn't his father. Not really. Peter did his best to be there for Aunt May, and tried to be strong for the both of them, because she was the only family he had left.

Tony...Tony was different. He had brought Peter in on something bigger than himself. Tony made him want to be better. The cell phone he had given him last night was burning a hole through his pocket, and Peter made a conscious effort not to fiddle with it in front of the billionaire. After finding out what went down between the two heroes, Peter could honestly say that he was over his hero worship of Captain America. It made him feel better that Tony had given him extra backup, but he prayed he would never actually need to call the super-soldier. Turns out the guy was a total dick.

"I think he's going to accept his punishment like a champ, won't you?" Tony's brown eyes were boring into his, and Peter could feel the warmth and affection behind them.

So, he sighed and nodded. "Yeah, I'm sorry again, May."

She gave him a little smile, "I forgive you, Peter. Now, let's have some breakfast and then you can pack your things."

Peter stilled, and looked between Tony and Aunt May. "Wait, we're leaving? It's only Saturday."

The hand on Peter's shoulder squeezed, "You're grounded kid, which means no Avengers compound for you until you've served your sentence."