The drowsiness hit out of nowhere. He'd been wide awake, demanding answers one minute and snoring the next. They had drugged him, Peter accused, in a dream or upon waking the first time. Tony only snickered and assured him that they didn't, and reminded him that they had to wake him every two hours. Why would they knock him out if they had to wake him frequently? Peter might have mumbled something about torture, but he couldn't be sure.

Tony's laughter woke him the third time, and Peter suspected it was due to the fact that he may or may not have been humming "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" sleepily. He was confused, because he was pretty sure he'd been reading Charlotte's Web, or watching it, and wow, he really did need sleep. Uninterrupted, and for possibly a few days. Peter blinked rapidly, turning his head every which way. He didn't remember coming back to his bedroom. "Didja carry me?"

"No," Tony yawned. "I've done enough of that for one night." Tony stretched and peered at him with one eye squeezed shut. "You really are out of it."

"Mmmhm," Peter said. The next thing he knew he was being fed water. Tony was on the phone, requesting Chinese. Bruce took his temperature. The TV being turned on and put on a news station. His cell phone ringing then being silenced. Time jumped from 9:31 to 11:27 to 1:32 and finally 4:01 the door was opening and Steve stood at the foot of his bed.

"Steeeeve," Peter hummed, patting the mattress. He didn't meant to do that. He meant to sit up. He kicked a leg. Peter grunted. The mattress was really comfortable and he kind of wanted to cry, he was so tired. "Mmm," he hummed, scrubbing his face hard and pinching his own cheek. "MJ?"

Steve frowned and shook his head. "I had her convinced, but when their mother began defending their father, both girls clammed up. They're accusing you of breaking into the house and causing trouble, but neither has their story straight. Nothing will come from it."

"Oh no, MJ," Peter groaned. "We have to do something."

"We've done all we can," Steve said, sitting on the edge of his bed. One of them was patting his hand, but Peter couldn't tell which. "Either Mr. Watson will be on his best behavior now that he knows he's being watched, or he'll become worse as a punishment for what happened tonight." Steve held up his hand when Peter scrambled up. "I have friends in the police department, I have friends in SHIELD. I'll make sure they have eyes on them at all times. If he steps out of line again, in anything, he'll be caught. I promise you. I know this isn't what you want to hear, I know it's not good enough. The system isn't perfect. Criminals walk every day, and innocent men are put in prison. Life isn't fair. I'm telling you this because you deserve the truth. Consider it a lesson. Things won't always work out the way they need to. You can't save everyone, and not all of the bad guys will be caught. The important thing is to do your best, which we've done. I know Mary Jane is your friend, and I promise...Peter, look at me." Peter blinked until he could see straight and met Steve's determined, solemn eyes. "I promise we will do everything we can to protect her. You can do your part by being there for her...I know you've both been through similar ordeals."

"Did he...I mean...?" Peter asked, not sure how to phrase it. He willed them to understand, shying away from the words himself. Steve turned to Tony and their expressions shifted, lines in their faces moving, shifting of the eyes and a quirk in the mouth, silently communicating with one another. It was a talent they would need to teach Gwen and Peter, so they wouldn't get caught passing notes in class again. Better yet, maybe all of his friends could learn, that way MJ could tell them there was a problem without telling them.

"That I don't know," Steve admitted. "That's something for Mary Jane to tell you, if she wants. And...if you need someone else to open up to about what happened, I'm sure she'd be willing to listen."

Peter shifted uncomfortably at the mention of his own past, thoughts already jumping to other subjects. The last thing he wanted was for any of his friends to find out. He wouldn't have told Steve and Tony if he hadn't been so upset about what happened with Skip. The best thing he could do was think about painting his walls and wondering if anyone would make comic books about Spider-Man.

"People know now, about Mr. Watson. That will help," Steve assured him. "Gwen knows to keep an eye out. You know. Mary Jane needs a support system right now. That's something you and Gwen can provide. Leave the rest up to us."

"Okay. I'll try, but..."

"But?" Tony prompted, as if he expected this.

Peter frowned guiltily. "I mean, I told you I can't stop being Spider-Man, but...I mean it. I can't just...ignore people when they're in trouble. If I can help, I...have to."

Steve and Tony stared at each other for a long moment. Steve tilted his head this way and Tony shrugged ever so slightly. Steve sighed and Tony sat forward, hands clasped in front of him.

"Remember what we talked about earlier? About the dangers of inexperienced amateurs in the field?" Tony asked.

"Yes, sir," Peter mumbled.

"We can't let you run off all willy-nilly for that very reason," Steve pointed out. "But...we do understand where your'e coming from. Look at what we do. We get that better than anyone. None of us can turn out backs on people in need. The difference is - "

" - you know what you're doing," Peter finished, bored of hearing it already. It made sense in his head, but that didn't change his heart.

"Right," Steve agreed. "There are so many people out there with so much knowledge, so much talent, for different things. You have firemen, who are experts at dealing with fire." He was given a hard look that made him want to pull the covers up over his head. "You're too young to throw your life away, Peter. We care about you, and we'll always worry about you. Tony and I are proud of you for having your heart in the right place. Your brain just needs to be in the right place, too."

"You don't have to give up being Spider-Man," Tony said. "Go apprehend muggers and bullies, leave them tied up for the police. But learn how to ask for help. You got in way over your head tonight and you are lucky it all worked out. Not just for you, but everyone else involved. You endangered the very people you were trying to save. No one was seriously injured - "

"Even in the fire?" Peter asked quickly, remembering his concern for his old house brothers.

"Even in the fire. Some smoke inhalation. Vern, the last boy, has a few first degree burns. You had the worst of it. Everyone will be A-Okay," Steve assured him.

"Oh, good," Peter sighed.

"It's a hard thing to live with, not being able to save someone," Tony went on, as if he hadn't been interrupted. "So you will continue your lessons. If and when we feel you're prepared to have more responsibility, we'll let you know."

"And you will let us know when you're parading around as Spider-Man," Steve said. "If you want to patrol the city, fine, but ask permission first."

"And if you spot a mugger, call. You can multi-task. You can walk or run while talking on the phone," Tony told him. "I know, I've done it before. Heck, let me install a comm-system into your mask. Easy-peasy lemon-squeezy."

"And if you fail to do so, you'll be grounded," Steve said simply.

"From Spider-Man," Tony added.

"Break the rules, you won't be able to help people," Steve said.

"Wait, so you mean, I can go around as Spider-Man and keep an eye out for bad guys?" Peter asked eagerly. There were a lot of rules, but it was more than he'd hoped for from them. They had been so adamant for so long that he stay off the streets and out of the fight.

"On weekends, yes," Steve said. "No skipping school, and your curfew will be strict on school nights."

"Okay, cool, yeah, deal!" Peter agreed excitedly. It wasn't ideal. He was always going to struggle sitting out some of the fights, but he would try. They weren't expecting him to hang up his mask altogether. If they were willing to compromise, so was he. They were still going to train him, still going to adopt him, and he could still help people. It might not be everything he wanted, but it was more than he ever thought he could hope for.

"Nothing for the next few days, though," Tony reminded him. "Dr. Bruce wants you to rest, remember? No superheroing."

"Spider-Manning," Peter corrected.

Tony fought a grin. Peter could tell by the twitching in his cheeks and the warmth in his eyes. "Nu uh, I don't think so. You don't get your own verb."

"You're just jealous you didn't think of it first," Peter joked.

"Whatever. Iron Manning is way cooler, by the way," Tony said. "What you do is Itsy Bitsy Spidering."

"Shut up!" Peter felt his face warm, in both embarrassment and irritation.

"Don't say 'shut up', it's rude," Steve reprimanded.

"You should have seen him, Steve, he was singing 'Itsy Bitsy Spider'," Tony curled over as the laughter hit, wiping tears from his eyes. Peter grumbled and scooted back down in his bed. He was never going to live it down. They were going to play that song at his funeral. There was no escape. Groaning, he pulled the blankets up over his head, prepared for Death by Humiliation.

"Hey, boss, we have company," FRIDAY warned.

Peter pulled down his blankets. Steve stood, eying the door warily as he walked to the end of the bed. Tony was frowning down at his tablet, pulling up video feeds and demanding information from FRIDAY. There was no response. Someone was toying with her. "Oh, no you don't." Tony typed in a few commands. "Not this again."

"Natasha told you about Peter," Steve said just before the door opened. Peter hadn't even noticed anyone out there. His Spidey-sense hadn't gone off. How injured was he, for that to happen? Had his Spidey-sense been killed tonight? Peter threw his blankets aside, but he'd only just sat up when Tony was shoving him back down. "Rest," he hissed, then went to stand beside Steve.

"She did," agreed Coulson. Natasha stood back to his left, another unknown agent standing off to the right. "We should have a chat."

Steve jabbed his finger angrily in Natasha's direction. "We are going to have a talk later."

Natasha's eyes actually fell, and she gave a sharp nod.

"Frankly, I'm surprised she had to," Coulson said. "We should have been your first call when you found him."

"We're taking care of it," Steve said. "We have been for months."

"Apparently not," Coulson said, holding up his tablet for view. The Amazing Spider-Man was the headline of a news site, a byline beneath it that Peter couldn't read. He perked up. Amazing? "He's been running around creating mayhem."

"I was helping!" Peter argued. Tony turned to him and gave him a look, wordlessly telling him to keep his mouth shut. Peter pressed his lips firmly, reluctantly together. He couldn't just sit back and listen to this when he knew the truth. These people didn't. They had to be from SHIELD, coming to take him away. "I don't want to go," he said fearfully, pitifully.

"Ease up, Ten," Tony said tensely. "You're not going anywhere."

Steve was confused, but it cleared within seconds. "Oh. Doctor Who reference."

"It kills me that you're still this impressed when you understand a reference," Tony a sharp edge in his humor. No matter what he said, this was Not Good.

"I wasn't trying to make a reference, I was just saying," Peter muttered.

"You sounded just like him," Tony pointed out.

"Without trying!" Peter retorted.

"We have a place for him," Coulson said amidst their bickering. "He'll be safe. We can gauge his abilities and handle them accordingly."

"As I said, Agent Coulson," Steve said. "We have this under control."

"And as I said," Coulson tapped his tablet pointedly before tucking it under his arm. "You don't."

"You are not taking him!" Tony snapped.

"I have orders - " Coulson began.

"He's my son," Steve said darkly, enough for Coulson to take a step back. The nameless agent turned to his fellows uneasily. Natasha's gaze was on the wall across the room, face blank, posture stiff. He didn't blame her, really. She hadn't liked him at first, but he'd grown on her. They were still family, and family messed up sometimes. You had to forgive them and move on.

If they didn't take him away from his family first.

His family, because Steve had called him son. No one had called him son before, that he remembered. He had been so young when his parents died, and his aunt and uncle had always been just that - they'd raised him, but made their relationship to him clear. They weren't trying to replace Richard and Mary. They told him about his parents, made sure he knew how much they'd loved him. They hadn't wanted to take that away.

Peter had never known Richard and Mary Parker. He'd known Ben and May Parker. And now, even if it had only been a few months, he new Steve Rogers and Tony Stark. His fathers.

"I know you were hoping to adopt him, but I must insist," Coulson was saying.

"We already adopted him," Steve said. "It might not be legally binding yet, but he is still my son. He made a mistake tonight, and we, his parents, will deal with it."

"Let them," Natasha spoke up. Coulson turned to her. "I only told you about Peter so that you could help keep an eye on him. Tonight was a cluster - " She coughed, and Peter knew what word she'd meant to use. "But I trust them."

"Don't do this, Agent Coulson," Steve warned. "I protect my family, and you don't want me as an enemy."

"Us," Natasha corrected, meeting his eyes and Steve gave a small nod. She wasn't forgiven yet, but she would be. Peter was really getting good at this Not Talking thing. At least he thought so. Natasha might have been suggesting tacos for dinner, for all Peter knew.

Coulson sighed and shrugged. "I will inform Director Fury of your decision. Spider-Man is too powerful to be left to his own devices. SHIELD will be keeping an eye on him, and on you."

"What else is new?" Tony snorted.

Coulson stared at Peter a long moment, and Peter looked to him, then away from him, whistling innocently. Eye contact could be considered aggressive and threatening, and what if Coulson jumped out and attacked if he stared too long? The agent might only be pretending to give in so he could catch them off guard and drag Peter away. Coulson didn't leap at him, biting and growling, he just stood there, like a normal human being. He didn't look all that impressive for a SHIELD agent, but the others respected him. Which meant he couldn't be as harmless as his appearance.

"You'll need to bring him by within the week. We need to make a file," Coulson said.

"That's not going to happen," Steve said.

"We'll see," Coulson smiled, and he left with the nameless agent. Natasha leaned against the doorframe, exchanging a long look with Steve and Tony. When she walked away, Steve followed.

"He's going to break in and steal me, you know," Peter said.

"Let him try," Tony sank back into his chair. "If they do anything, I will stick my foot so far up Fury's ass - and by my foot, I mean in the armor. In Veronica, to be exact."

"Is Natasha in trouble?" Peter asked.

"Oh yeah," Tony grinned evilly.

"Is S - Pops gonna be okay?" Peter asked. Steve might be angry, but Natasha was scary. Most days. Not tonight. Tonight she was guilty.

Tony blinked in surprise, but made no comment on the word usage. "Oh yeah, he'll be fine. Trust me, when Steve's mad...it's not pretty. Have you seen his Disappointed Face? I pee a little whenever I see it."

Peter laughed. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. Dad."

Tony propped his feet up on the bed, face contemplative. Peter settled back down, pulling the blankets back up. All the excitement had kept him going, but now that it was over he wanted to sleep some more. For a week, at least. His eyes were heavy and he was drifting off...

"You know you don't have to call us that," Tony pointed out. "I don't mind, but...Tony and Steve is fine, if you'd rather. No pressure."

Peter hummed. "But you're my dads. Remember?"

"I know, but - "

"You were my dads tonight," Peter explained. He was so tired, words were hard to string together, and he hoped it made sense. "For real. S...yeah. I wanna." Peter yawned and snuggled into his pillow. "Mom, if you want, though."

Tony squawked and Peter snickered and wore a smile as he fell asleep.

Natasha stood at attention, hands behind her back, feet apart. Steve was tall before her, petty pleasure vicious in his belly when she didn't meet his gaze. He folded his arms over his chest and waited.

"I don't regret my actions," Natasha explained. "I did what was right. SHIELD needed to know. Keeping Peter a secret was impractical. The more they know, the more they can help."

"You still trust them?" Steve demanded. "After everything."

"Hydra's been weeded out, Fury and Coulson worked hard rebuilding SHIELD."

"Hydra wasn't SHIELD's only issue, and you know it," Steve said, forcing his tone to remain level and calm. It wasn't easy. SHIELD might have backed off for now, but he knew this battle wasn't over, not by a long shot. "Fury thinks he can control everyone and everything."

"And you don't?" Natasha asked coolly, finally daring to look up at him.

"There is a difference, and you know it." He was the leader of their team. He did what he thought was best. Fury took it too far.

"I don't think I do. I want Peter here. I think you're good for him. I also think we need help. Peter's special. He needs all the help he can get, especially now. Spider-Man's out in the open. He's going to have a target on his back, and when you and Tony come out adopting Peter it's going to get worse. He's going to have it coming from both sides."

"We can handle it," Steve reiterated. Tonight hadn't been perfect, SHIELD would have noticed Spider-Man, would have eventually found him. What bothered him was the fact that Natasha had sneaked behind their back to feed them information. "If I can't trust you - "

"You can't trust me to follow your every order," Natasha acknowledged. "You trust me to do the right thing. And you can trust me with Peter." Natasha relaxed her stance. "He's a good kid."

"He is. That's why I'm not worried."

Natasha nodded. "I won't let them take Peter. Not unless they have to."

"They won't have to, Agent Romanoff," he snapped.

Natasha smiled, sad and amused that he'd addressed her so formally. "Permission to leave, Captain?"

Steve stared past her. "Permission granted. Go to bed, Natasha."

Instead of leaving, Natasha stepped closer, one hand on his chest as she kissed his cheek. "Fatherhood looks good on you." Steve wrapped his arms around her when she made to pull away and she huffed, but patted his back awkwardly in return. When she left, Steve waited, listening, until her door closed. Rather, Bruce's door. The sound was too loud, too close, to be hers. Steve smiled and headed back to his boys.

Two weeks later, Happy Hogan drove to Stark Tower with Peter, Harry, Gwen, and Mary Jane in the backseat.

"Why couldn't Liz come along?" Harry griped. His foot was crossed over his knee, being jostled by the bouncing of his heel.

"Because she can't keep a secret," Peter replied. Liz wasn't really his friend, so much as theirs, and however huffy she got, he didn't trust her.

"What's the secret? I thought we were going to meet your parents."

"We are. C'mon, all of you, blindfolds!" Peter said, tossing them all a strip of cloth. MJ and Gwen giggled behind Harry's back. Peter didn't want Harry to know he'd told the girls before he'd told him. It hadn't been planned, and he didn't want his best friend to get his feelings hurt. The girls dutifully covered their eyes, but Harry dragged on and complained until Peter threatened to kick him out and leave him on the curb.

"Are they famous? That explains the car," Harry said, finally letting Peter help him tie the blindfold.

"You'll see," Peter said glancing up with a grin. Harry looked at him in the rearview mirror and winked.

All of the Avengers, old and new, were present. Scott with Hope and Cassie; Sam and Sharon; Thor and Sif with Dr. Selvig, Jane, and Darcy; Natasha and Bruce; Clint and Laura with Cooper, Katie, and Nathaniel; Vision, Rhodey, and Wanda; even Agent Coulson and Pepper Potts. Happy led the pre-teens in, and Peter turned to his friends letting out a deep breath with a grin so big his face ached. "Okay, take 'em off!"

Gwen and Mary Jane took their time, but Harry was ripping his off. His eyes grew huge and he took a step back. He took in the huge space, the people, and Peter could tell the moment he started to recognize them. "Dude, you're living with the Avengers?!"

"Yep!" Peter said. "Come on..." Peter linked his arm through Gwen's, and Mary Jane did the same with Harry, and they walked around the room, Peter introducing his friends to everyone.

"So this is your girlfriend!" Scott exclaimed. "Aren't you pretty. What're you doing with this punk for?" He ruffled Peter's hair. Peter glared. It might have had more heat, if he didn't like Scott so much.

"Peter has a girlfriend?" Cassie pouted.

MJ was a little too excited to meet Clint, shaking his hand enthusiastically and begging for an autograph. Clint stared at her in bemused amazement, taking the pen produced by his smirking wife and signing a receipt MJ had in her back pocket. "We'll find you a picture later to sign," Laura said, patting his arm.

Harry might have ogled Wanda's behind a little, but she only arched a brow at him. When he dropped his gaze to Natasha's chest, however, Bruce cleared his throat. "Kid. Really. You won't like me when I'm angry."

"You won't judge me if I faint, will you, Petey?" Harry asked, gaping up at Bruce.

"I so will."

The best was saved for last and Harry and the girls hung back. Peter laughed. "Come on. Harry...Gwen, and MJ. These are my new dads."

"Nice to meet you all," Steve said politely, holding his hand out to Harry. Harry grasped it and wheezed a little. "I'm Steve Rogers."

"Oh, I know," Harry squeaked.

"Someone get this kid some punch, I think he's going into shock," Tony called out.

"Don't be mean, Dad," Peter said, shoving his arm a little.

"I'm not being mean, I'm being friendly. Wasn't that friendly?" Tony asked Steve.

"You wouldn't know Friendly if it walked up to you and introduced itself," Steve muttered.

"See, most people would make that violent. 'You wouldn't know Friendly if it walked up and kicked you in the - '"

"Tony."

"Right. No cussing in front of the young 'uns," Tony said.

There was punch, and snacks and music. The Avengers were all happy to welcome Peter's friends. Katie stuck to Harry after a while, and Harry didn't bother mentioning Liz to her. Clint took a picture with MJ with promises to sign it once they had a physical copy. Sharon and Natasha lectured Gwen about being a strong independent woman who didn't need a man and they all looked at Peter too often for his comfort.

By lunchtime the shock had died down and his friends were being cool, not pestering anyone as much. No one mentioned war stories or to see the rest of the tower. The team engaged them in normal conversations, about school and life, and by the end they were bragging about their accomplishments - tame, kid-friendly versions of their adventures. Thor boomed a lot, and waxed poetic about Pop Tarts. Scott put on his suit and rode one of his ants around the table.

"I can't believe you're being adopted by Captain America and Iron Man!" Harry whispered eagerly later that afternoon.

"Speaking of," Gwen said, approaching them with Peter's camera.

"What?" Peter asked.

Gwen pushed him to the living room where Steve and Tony were sitting and talking. "Come on, you need a family photo!"

"Oh!" Peter hadn't thought of that. He had been taking pictures of everything he could find, but he hadn't stopped to think about getting a shot of himself with his new dads. Peter settled between them and didn't feel out of place at all. Spider-Man might not be on par with the likes of Captain America and Iron Man, but Peter belonged with Steve and Tony.

"Say cheese!"

"No!" the three said in unison, offering great big, cheesy smiles for the camera.