ACCOUNTABILITY

Author's Notes: I've only recently gotten into the Marvel Universe and have watched a few of the movies here and there. But, through reading other fan fictions, I've developed an interest in the relationship between Tony Stark and Peter Parker. I hope I haven't gone too far off character for everyone involved, and I apologize in advance for any errors I have made in describing technology or character. This story assumes that Aunt May knows Peter is Spiderman and takes place sometime between Spiderman Homecoming and Avengers: Infinity War.

My writing muse has been absent for a while, and I haven't decided yet if this will be a one-shot or a continuing story. It all depends on whether my muse sticks around and if I get more ideas.

UPDATE: I've revised this chapter to correct grammar, typos, and other errors. I really need to take the time to proofread my writing a lot closer before it's posted. I just get so excited to share it that I don't take the time needed. I've also converted the first person POV to third person. I'm much more comfortable writing in that voice, and I think it works better. There maybe a few other changes here and there, but nothing major. I'll also be editing and reposting the other chapters over time.

Summary: After a dangerous encounter with enhanced humans, Tony Stark decides someone needs to hold Spiderman accountable for his actions. Warning: contains disciplinary spanking of a teenager by a father figure/mentor. If that isn't your thing, please move on. Flames will be used to warm my cold hands before being deleted.

CHAPTER 1

"Sir?"

"What is it now?" Tony Stark demanded grumpily, barely taking his attention away from the minute repair he was making to one of the miniature arc reactors that powered his latest Iron Man suit. Friday hesitated only a second before continuing, "Karen has informed me that Spiderman is currently experiencing difficulty." That statement immediately caught Tony's full attention. "Video," he ordered curtly, taking his attention away from the devices on the work table in front of him.

Watching the live feed from the monitors in Peter's suit, Tony immediately got to his feet and activated his suit. As the nanotech formed around him, he stepped toward the balcony outside his lab. "What have you gotten yourself into this time, kid?" he mused aloud.

It took only moments for Iron Man to arrive at the location of the ensuing battle. Quickly scanning the scene, he took in the devastation below - cars were overturned, a fire hydrant was spraying water high into the air, and at least one building lay in rubble. His attention was caught by the two figures dressed in black leather. What are they supposed to be, he mused briefly, wannabe bikers? His musing was cut short when he saw one of them shoot a blast of what appeared to be air from their hands. Following the path of the blast with his eyes, he watched as it caught Spiderman in mid-swing, sending him tumbling head over heels in mid-air. Tony's heart stopped as he watched a blast of what appeared to be sonic energy coming from the other black-clad villain catch the teenager in mid tumble, sending him hurtling off in another direction.

"Karen, talk to me," Iron Man demanded, holding his breath, waiting for the young superhero to shoot a stream of webbing toward the nearest structure and arrest his free fall. It only took seconds for him to realize that wasn't going to happen. He didn't need Karen's confirmation to know that Peter was unconscious.

Iron Man sped toward the falling teen. "Come on, damn it," he chanted under his breath, urging his suit on to greater speed. The image of Rhodey plummeting to Earth after being hit with a laser blast played over and over in his head. This couldn't be happening again. He wouldn't let it happen again. Tony mentally urged his suit to move faster, terrified that he would be too late.

It seemed like time slowed before Iron Man managed to scoop a still unconscious Spiderman out of the air a mere ten feet from the ground. Making the split second decision to protect the young superhero rather than pursue the bad guys, he instructed Friday to notify the remaining Avengers of the trouble. He then sped off toward HQ, cradling the teenager in his arms.

Three days later . . .

Tony sat in his car outside the Queens apartment building where Peter and his Aunt May lived. His mind wandered back to the incident with the enhanced humans. The doctors at Avengers HQ had determined that the sonic wave that had hit Peter had overwhelmed his senses, causing his brain to overload and shut down, rendering him unconscious. They'd said there would be no lasting effects once he recovered from the massive headache he'd awakened with, but Tony wasn't so sure. He hadn't been able to get the image of Spiderman plummeting toward the Earth out of his mind.

Tony Stark don't know exactly when it happened or how, but Peter Parker had somehow become more than merely a protege to him. They had gotten into a habit of the teenager spending at least a weekend a month (and often at least one night during the week) at the Tower, where they'd usually do some training and work in Tony's lab. Tony had also laid down some ground rules - one of which was that Peter didn't go after anything more dangerous than your typical petty criminal on his own. He'd broken that rule and had nearly gotten his idiotic self killed. Tony couldn't just let that go.

After the kid had been released from the med bay, Tony had driven him home. He'd been in no condition to make his way there as Spiderman, and the older man had had a few things he had wanted to say to the teenager about him risking his life. The last thing Tony had said to Peter before he'd exited the car at his apartment building's front door was that they would be discussing his actions further during Peter's visit to the Tower that weekend. The tone of his voice left no doubt in Peter's mind that he was in trouble. Tony just didn't tell him that he had no idea at that time what he was going to do about it. Peter's actions had clearly shown that being lecturing until Tony was blue in the face or taking his Spiderman suit wouldn't work. Tony sighed and rubbed his hands over his face in a mixture of frustration and resignation. He needed to do something that would really drive the lesson home and make the hotheaded teenager think before he took unnecessary risks with his life in the future.

Tony checked his watch as he made his way into the building. Peter was due home from school in half an hour. That should give him just enough time to talk to May about what he had planned for Peter, he thought. Tony wasn't sure she would approve of his chosen method of discipline, but he didn't want to do it without her consent. Plus, he needed to let her know what had happened. Tony had told Peter to tell her, but somehow he doubted the kid had actually done it.

"Mr. Stark," May greeted him as she usually did - civilly with an edge of ice. Tony know she really doesn't trust him, but she tolerated his presence because she also knew it was in Peter's best interest for him to be in his life. After all, what did she know about being a superhero and the risks it entailed? She was just not equipped to handle everything it involved - and that was one of the reasons Tony had asked to talk to her before he and Peter left for their weekend at the Tower.

"Please, call me Tony," he responded, yet again. They went through the same routine every time they saw each other. Tony wondered if she'd ever feel comfortable enough to call him by his first name.

They attempted to make small talk for a few minutes until May finally asked, "What did you want to talk to me about, Mr. Stark? What has Peter done?"

"What makes you think he's done something?" he responded a bit too glibly. May raised an eyebrow and just gave him a hard look. The gesture clearly asked whether he was being serious. The older man imagined it worked well on Peter, since it had him squirming in his seat.

"Did the kid tell you what happened Tuesday night?" Tony asked. He groaned aloud when she shook her head no. Watching her face as he did so, he told her what he had learned from watching the video footage Karen had recorded and what had happened from the moment he'd shown up on the scene. Her expression cycled from shock to fear to anger - feelings Tony knew all too well, having only recently experienced them himself.

"Something has to be done to curb Peter's tendency to jump in over his head without thinking, or one of these days he's going to bite off more than he can chew" Tony stated, hoping his aunt would agree.

"But what can I do?" she asked as she started pacing the room. "He's basically a good kid." She gave a short laugh. "I've barely had to deal with the typical teenage stuff. I mean, I can't remember the last time I had to punish him for anything."

Tony waited until she passed by him and grabbed her hand, stopping her in her tracks. "Sit, please." He waited until she'd taken a seat in the armchair next to where he sat on the couch. "I have a suggestion, but you might not like it." He paused for a moment and took a deep breath before continuing. "I want to deal with what happened on Tuesday and take over his discipline for Spiderman. He's shown that talking to him or grounding him isn't going to do any good. Spiderman is too much a part of who Peter is, and he's going to do it regardless of what you or I say."

May nodded for Tony to continue. "Exactly what are you proposing to do, then?"

"I plan to spank him - with your permission of course," he hurried to add. Tony held his breath, waiting for her reaction. For some odd reason, what she thought about his plan actually mattered to him. It was a new feeling, as he'd long ago overcome the needed to have the approval of others.

"You want to spank Peter?" She asked a bit incredulously. "Don't you think he's a little old for that?"

"Actually, no, I don't," Tony replied. "Look," he said, leaning back into his seat. He hoped he came across as confident in what he was saying, because he certainly didn't feel that way. "If you have a better option, I'm all for listening to it. If we don't nip Peter's tendency to go off half cocked, he's going to end up seriously hurt or dead." He paused a moment to let that sink in. He was sure May had already figured that out for herself, but he wanted to drive the point home. "So, something drastic has to be done to make him stop and think. I'm not proposing to take over every aspect of his life," he quickly added. "He's still yours for the everyday stuff. I just want to have more flexibility to mentor him as Spiderman - including discipling him when it's needed. I promise," Tony continued, "other than a temporarily sore backside, I won't hurt him."

The silence in the room was definitely awkward. Tony was afraid he was going to have to play his last card - threatening to end his role as Spiderman's mentor if he didn't receive May's blessing. He was about to say just that when Peter's aunt nodded. "Okay," she said reluctantly. Tony sighed in relief. He couldn't help thinking that he'd been doing that a lot lately. He started to say something more, but the sound of a key turning in the lock brought both his and May's attention to the front door just as Peter walked in.

Tony smirked at the surprise on Peter's face when the teenager spotted him. Normally, either he or Happy would pick Peter up on Saturday morning for their weekend together. Tony had never come to get him on Friday afternoon.

"M-Mr. Stark, what are you doing here?"

"You and I are due for a discussion, Underoos," Tony said, studying the kid's body language. He could tell the second Peter realized what the older man was talking about. "Yes, she knows," he said, answering the teenager's unasked question with a nod toward his aunt.

"I can't believe you would do something like that," May said, coming to her feet to stand in front of Peter. "What were you thinking?"

"I, um," Peter stammered, looking between Tony and his aunt.

"I'd like to hear the answer to that as well," Tony commented, not moving from his seat on the couch. He almost felt sorry for the kid, being under the magnifying glass with both May and himself. "I, um," Tony repeated mockingly when Peter didn't say anything further. "Is that all you have to say for yourself?" The kid's tendency to gab had certainly disappeared at the moment.

"No," he said, shaking his head. "I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking."

"You weren't thinking?" Aunt May said sharply. "You could have been killed." She threw her hands up and started pacing the room. "Peter, I don't understand you sometimes. I know you feel like you have to be Spiderman and help people, but you are fifteen years old. You have no business putting yourself in that kind of danger." Her voice rose with each word. May turned and pace away from him, trying to control her temper. Once she had calmed down some, she turned back.

"I don't know what I'm going to do with you, Peter. If it were up to me, you would no longer be Spiderman."

The color drained from his face. "Aunt May, please. You can't take Spider Man away from me. It's part of me. I have to help."

"How are you going to help if you get yourself seriously hurt or killed, kid?" Tony asked sternly. "If I hadn't gotten there in time, that's exactly what would have happened on Tuesday." He came to his feet and moved to stand beside Peter. "Sit," he ordered, giving him a slight push toward the couch he'd just vacated. Once he was seated, Tony continued. "Your aunt and I have made a decision about your activities as Spiderman. You're going to be answering to me beginning right now. I'm going to hold you accountable for your actions." It was clear from Peter's expression and body language that he thought the discussion was over or that Tony would going lightly on him. "This discussion is far from over, Kid," Tony said, his voice hard - probably harder than the teenager had ever heard it. "We're just tabling it from now. You and I have a long, serious talk coming up."

Tony turned to May, silently asking for her consent and back up. He was relieved when she stepped forward. "I'm in complete agreement with Mr. Stark on this." Tony didn't attempt to suppress the smirk that crossed his face when the realization of exactly how much trouble he was in dawned on Peter.

"But . . . "

Tony didn't know what Peter was planning to say, but he immediately cut him off. "But, nothing. Now, go get your stuff together. We're leaving soon. You got homework?" He nodded. "Bring it with you, you'll have time to work on it this weekend."

An hour later they pulled into the parking garage beneath the Tower. Their trip from Queens had been mostly silent. Tony didn't know what had been going through Peter's mind, but his was on what he was going to say and do with the spiderling. This mentor/parental role was a whole new territory for him, and he wasn't quite sure how he wanted to proceed. He glanced over at the teenager, who was staring at his hands.

Tony reached over and put his hand on Peter's knee to draw his attention. He didn't know what to say to the kid. It was a new and decidedly uncomfortable situation. Hell, he thought, was Tony Stark - always ready with a sarcastic comment for every occasion. "Peter," he said simply. As soon as he said it, it dawned on Tony that that may have been the first time he'd ever called the teenager by his name. He swallowed hard, trying to regain some moisture in his suddenly dry mouth. When Peter turned to look at him, the fear in his eyes sent a knife through Tony's heart as he suddenly realized the kid was afraid.

"It's going to be okay," Tony said, hoping he sounded more confident than he felt. "I promise. You screwed up, Peter." He'd planned to start this discussion later when they were both in his office, but he decided now was the time to lay it all out in the open without pulling any punches. "You knew the rules, and you ignored them. So, you have to face the consequences for your actions. That's how it's going to be. But, once it's over, it's over. You will be forgiven, and we won't speak about it again."

Peter nodded. "I'm sorry, Mr. Stark," he said in a small voice, still not looking up from his hands.

"I know you are, kid. But, you still have to be held accountable for your actions, and you need to be given a reason to think before you act in the future. It's called discipline." Tony hesitated a moment then ordered, "Look at me." He waited until Peter's eyes met his. "What's going through your head?"

Peter shrugged. Tony gave him a hard stare for a moment, and the teenager just looked away. He rolled his eyes and sighed again. Lord, he thought, he really was turning into a damn teenage girl. "Alright, kiddo. Let's get on with it, then." He turned off the car's ignition and unfastened his seatbelt. "Take your stuff to your room, then go to my office. I expect you to be there in fifteen minutes. Take my advice and don't make me have to come looking for you," Tony warned sternly. He left the part about not liking the consequences unsaid. Peter was a smart kid, he could figure that part out for himself. As Peter started to get out of the car, Tony stopped him. "I suggest you think about what you did and why you did it. I'm going to expect answers from you, and a shrug isn't going to cut it." Peter nodded his understanding and climbed out of the car.

Tony watched as the teenager walked toward the private elevator to his private quarters. The kid's shoulders were slumped, and he was dragging his feet like he was on his way to the gallows. That's probably how the kid felt, Tony thought, thinking back to similar experiences from his own childhood. Tony felt like a son of a bitch knowing he was the cause of the kid's pain, but he also knew that if he didn't do something now Spiderman would end up getting himself seriously injured or killed. That couldn't happen, for Peter's sake and for Tony's mental health.

Ten minutes later Tony was sitting at his desk, pretending to review his Stark Industries emails. In reality, he was watching the clock, mentally urging Peter to show up on time. It was going to be hard enough to punish him for his exploits on Tuesday without having to add to it for failure to follow orders.

A knock sounded on the office door. "Enter," Tony ordered curtly. He glanced at the clock on his computer monitor. Assuming it was Peter, he'd made it with 30 seconds to spare. He watched out of the corner of his eye as the door opened and the kid walked in. "Cutting it pretty close, aren't you?" he asked, only then looking up from his computer.

"Yes, sir," he answered quietly. The uncertainty in his voice cut Tony to the quick, especially since he knew he was the one who caused it.

"Close the door and take a seat," Tony ordered, pointing to one of the leather visitor's chairs in front of his desk. Once Peter was seated, Tony moved around to the front of the desk, and leaned on the edge with his legs stretched out in front of him and crossed at the ankles. His hands were braced on the wooden surface on either side of his hips. He hoped the more casual stance would help the kid relax some. It was one thing for the kid to be nervous, which he should be. But, it was quite another for him to be too scared to carry on a meaningful conversation. That wouldn't help anything.

Tony studied the teenager a moment before asking before asking, "Do you remember when we talked about your role as Spiderman and the importance of your safety?" Now was not the time for small talk.

Peter nodded in response.

"I want to hear your answer."

"Yes," he replied quietly.

"And what did I tell you then, Peter?" Tony could tell the use of the kid's given name rather than one of the many nicknames Tony had for him had startled him. Good, he thought, maybe that would help drive home the seriousness of the matter. The silence in the room was thick as Peter studied the floor. "Well?" Tony demanded.

Peter shrugged.

"I told you earlier that a shrug is not an acceptable answer. Look at me, Peter." Tony waited until the teenager's eyes met his. "What did I tell you about your role as Spiderman and the importance of your safety?" He repeated his question, his voice taking on a sterner edge.

"I was to stick to being a friendly neighborhood Spiderman and not do anything to put myself in unnecessary danger," he finally responded. "And if I ran into something involving enhanced humans, alien tech, or anything more serious than a petty criminal I was to contact you immediately."

"And why is that?"

Tony had to fight back a smirk when he saw Peter stop himself from shrugging in response. "My safety is more important than stopping the bad guys," Peter responded, quoting Tony's exact words back to him. So, the kid did listen after all, Tony thought. That, at least, made him feel slightly better.

Tony nodded to indicate his acceptance of Peter's answer. "So, why did you go after the slabs on your own?" He saw Peter's lips twitch slightly at the Doctor Who reference, glad to see the kid hadn't lost his sense of humor in the seriousness of the situation.

"I . . . um . . . I don't know?" His words were more of a question than a statement.

"I don't know isn't an answer, Mr. Parker. I gave you plenty of time to consider the question. Now, I'd like to hear what you have to say." Tony shifted to cross his arms over his chest.

Peter looked at his mentor, tears forming in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Mr. Stark. I didn't realize they were enhanced when I first arrived. Once I realized they were, I thought I could handle them without any help. Karen offered to contact you, but I told her not to do it," he confessed, looking down at his hands again. Tony hadn't been given that information by the suit's AI. He knew he shouldn't have been surprised by that confession, and he didn't know if the kid had actually intended to tell him that. Still, he was going to have a discussion with Karen about withholding pertinent information.

"And how did that work out for you?" Tony asked sarcastically as the image of Spiderman plummeting, unconscious, toward the Earth flashed in his mind.

"Not well."

Tony gave a short bark of laughter. "Not well? That's quite an understatement. When I got there, you had been knocked unconscious and were falling out of the sky. Do you have any idea what could - no, what would - have happened if I'd been just a few seconds later? As it was, I was almost too late." His voice rose with each word, and he was yelling by the end.

He scrubbed his hands over his face in an effort to regain control. Tony started to tell Peter to talk to Rhodes some time about what can happen when you plummet to Earth, but he thought better of it. That would put Rhodey in an uncomfortable position of having to answer questions about an event that had irrevocably changed his life, and not for the better. Tony had never actually talked to his friend about it, and he didn't know if it was something the colonel would want to discuss with the kid. Taking a deep breath, Tony continued more calmly, "You came within seconds of being seriously injured or killed. "That can't happen again."

Peter nodded. "I understand." He was back to studying the floor boards.

"I don't think you really do, Peter. What you did is serious. I meant it when I said that something like that can never happen again." Tony straightened and moved to stand directly in front of Peter. "I'm going to make damn sure you think the next time."

The teenager looked up at Tony and swallowed hard. The seriousness of the situation was finally starting to dawn on him. "What are you going to do?" he asked nervously.

Tony reached down, grasped Peter by the upper arm, and drew him to his feet. He started toward the sofa in the sitting area at the far side of his office, pulling the teenager behind him. "I'm going to tan your hide," he responded.

"No, you can't do that," Peter said. He dug in his heels and struggling to break Tony's grip on his arm. With his enhanced strength, he almost succeeded in gaining his freedom, but Tony managed to get him to the sofa without slowing or breaking his stride.

"I can and I will," Tony stated firmly as he sat on the sofa and pulled Peter to stand between his legs. "Lectures and grounding you obviously haven't worked. You've proven taking your suit isn't an option, either. You'll just go out without its protection. Your Aunt May agrees with me on this. From now on, you answer to me for your actions as Spiderman. If, like now, your offense is serious I will spank you." Tony paused and leveled a hard look at the teenager.

Peter squirmed slightly and nodded his understanding and acceptance. Tears were already forming in his eyes, caused more by the idea that he had so disappointed his mentor than the idea of the upcoming punishment itself.

"Good," Tony said, giving his protege a reassuring smile. "Now, unfasten your jeans."

Tony intended to let Peter keep his dignity by leaving his underwear in place, but he didn't want the thick denim fabric of the kid's blue jeans to act as a cushion against his hand. He knew Peter had increased healing capabilities, but those capabilities didn't stop him from feeling pain. Tony had no idea what he was doing, but he wanted to make sure he spanked Peter hard enough to get his point across without causing injury beyond a sore, reddened backside.

"No, please, Mr. Stark," Peter begged, trying again to pull out of his mentor's grasp.

"Peter, this is going to happen one way or another. If you fight me, you'll only make it harder on yourself. Now, do as you are told."

Tears were already forming in Peter's eyes as he reached down with his free hand to unfasten the button on his jeans. Seeing that he was going to comply with his directions, Tony released his hold on the kid's other arm to make it easier on him. After his jeans were unfastened, Tony grasped Peter by the wrist and guided him over his lap.

"Please, Mr. Stark," the kid tried again. "Don't do this. I'm sorry. It won't ever happen again."

"I know you're sorry, Underoos," Tony said gently. "But this spanking isn't just about punishing you for what you did. Yes, that's part of it, but it's also to help make you think the next time you are in the same situation. Because if I have to do this again, it's going to be a hell of a lot worse." Once Tony was satisfied the kid was in a good position with his upper body on the sofa and his backside at a good angle over his knee, he grasped the waistband of his jeans and pulled them down to his knees. He smiled slightly at the groan that escaped Peter's lips. Tony couldn't help but think about how much he'd hated that moment when he'd been spanked as a child. For some reason, it was almost as bad as the spanking itself.

Tony took a deep breath and steeled himself for what he was about to do. He had been on the receiving end of more than his fair share of spankings as a kid and couldn't help but wonder how his parents had been able to do it. He was ready to call the whole thing off. But, the image of Spiderman falling, unconscious, to Earth once more flashed into his mind, and he brought his hand down hard on the middle of Peter's backside.

Peter jerked at the impact of Tony's hand and let out a gasp. He experimented with the strength behind he swats and the timing until he found the right combination. Tony had never spanked anyone before - even for fun - so he was learning as he went along. By the time Tony found his rhythm, Peter was crying and struggling to avoid his hand. "Quit kicking," Tony ordered, landing a few hard swats to the tops of the teenager's thighs. He caught the hand Peter threw back to try to protect his reddening ass and held it at the small of his back. Tony continued to swat him until his cries became sobs and he'd slumped over Tony's lap in surrender.

"We're almost finished," Tony said and cringed when Peter simply whimpered. He could feel the heat of the kid's reddened backside through his underwear and knew he must be hurting pretty badly. He felt guilty at being the cause of Peter's pain, but he forced himself to continue. "You do not put yourself in unnecessary danger." He punctuated each word with a hard swat to the tender junction where thigh joined buttocks. "You do not face enhanced humans on your own." Again, each word was punctuated with a swat. "And, you do not tell Karen not to contact me when you need help." The last swat fell. "Do you understand?" Tony demanded, his hand resting on Peter's backside. When Peter didn't respond, Tony swatted him again. "I asked you a question, Mr. Parker. I expect an answer."

"Yes." He was sobbing so hard, Tony almost didn't understand him.

"Yes, what?" he questioned.

"Yes, sir," Peter responded a little more clearly. It wasn't exactly the response Tony was after, but he chose to accept it anyway so he could bring this spanking to an end.

"Good boy. We're done." Tony smiled slightly at Peter's sigh of relief. He rubbed the teenager's back gently while he composed himself. When he was ready, Tony helped him come to his feet and looked away as he pulled his jeans back into place. He couldn't help but hear the gasp of pain when the rough fabric rubbed across his sore backside. He'd made sure Peter would be feeling that spanking for a while, although he was sure the teenager would be completely healed by morning.

Tony stood and opened his arms wide. That was all the invitation Peter needed. He threw himself against Tony's chest and wrapped his arms around his back. Tony pulled him close and rested his cheek on the top of his head. It dawned on Tony just how natural the embrace felt. Normally, he wasn't one for physical displays of affection, and he didn't particularly care for being touched. Other than Pepper, Tony couldn't think of anyone else he'd hugged in the last ten years. The mentor and protege stayed that way for several minutes as Peter soaked Tony's shirt with his tears.

Once he regained control, Peter pulled away. "You okay," Tony asked gently as he ruffled his hair. Peter glared at him as he finger combed it back into place.

"Yeah," he said somewhat reluctantly, his glare turning into a sheepish grin.

Tony pointed to the sofa, indicating he wanted Peter to sit. He suppressed the urge to smirk when the teenager winced as his backside made contact with the rich leather of the seat. Tony sat beside Peter and draped an arm around his shoulders, pulling them both into a slump against the backrest. They sat that way for several minutes before Tony said, "Underoos, I'm proud of you." Peter looked at him quizzically. "You are a good person, and I love the way you want to help others. But," he said, pausing for emphasis, "you can't continue to take risks with your safety. If you get seriously injured or killed, who is going to step into your role as the friendly neighborhood Spiderman?" Again, Tony paused to take a deep breath. "And, what do you think that would do to your Aunt May . . . and to me?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Stark," Peter said quietly. "I won't do it again."

"Tony," he corrected. "I think we've reached a first name basis now, don't you?" Tony grinned as he nudged Peter's shoulder with his own. Turning serious again, Tony continued, "I don't ever want to have to do that again, Peter. But, I will if I have to," he felt his words from earlier beared repeating.

"Me, neither," he said. Tony couldn't help himself and laughed at the little boy quality to Peter's voice.

"Just so you know, kid, you are completely forgiven. You've accepted your punishment, and we won't speak of this again." Tony felt him nod against my shoulder. He straightened and came to his feet. "Now, I suggest you go to your room and work on your homework until dinner's ready." He headed toward the door, intending to go to the kitchen to start their meal. He was relieved that it was over and they seemed to be back to our old, easy relationship - at least until the next time the kid screwed up. Tony knew better than to hope this would be a one time thing. Peter Parker was a good kid, but sometimes his impulsive nature and desire to help others got in the way of his good sense and self preservation.

Author's Note: The Doctor Who reference is to the Third Season (NuWho) episode Smith and Jones. The black leather clad slabs were what I pictured in my mind when developing the idea for the enhanced humans.