It happens at the worst possible moment.

Really, it should be one of Tony's best moments. A memory he will look back at and refer to as some of the happiness seconds of his entire life, along with the day he found Peter and made him part of his family.

Instead it's this.

He stares at Pepper with his hand latched on her elbow. He's speechless and emotional. His mouth doesn't know if it wants to be open, if he wants to speak or stay quiet in reverence of this miraculous revelation. His brain does, finally, form words. He's about to tell her how happy he is that they're getting married in just a week, how happier he is now that in nine months he'll get to meet their child and see Peter become a big brother, but he never gets the chance to speak.

An alarm sounds. FRIDAY booms over the intercom.

There's an alien spacecraft hovering over New York City.

Tony removes his hand from Pepper's elbow. He looks away before he sees her head tilt to the floor with disappointment. It has to be Tony. They both know it. Even in this private, specular moment, the city needs Iron Man.

The other Avengers, well, they were probably on their way, but Tony is experienced enough to know when it comes to aliens, every second counts.

He goes for the shorted version of what he wants to say.

"I'm happy, Pep," he tells her, as he backs away from her and closer to balcony. "This is our best day."

He taps his chest as he steps out onto the balcony, letting the armor grow over his body, before jetting off into the sky. He doesn't look back. Looking back will tempt him to stay with Pepper and celebrate, will remind him how much he disappoints her when he has to fly away and fight monsters in the sky instead of enjoying the moment with her.

Tony finds the trouble in minutes. If it can be called trouble. The spacecraft that had triggered the alarms is small. Almost puny, and it's parked on top of a building. That's not what irks at Tony's nerves. It's his Spider-Child, on top of that same building, engaging in a fight with who Tony can only assume is the owner of the spacecraft.

He lands just as Peter and the human-alien are in a stare down. Tony's heart jumps around in his chest as he watches the alien raise his laser gun at Peter. He lifts his arm, gets his own blaster ready, completely ready to smoke this guy threatening his kid, but Peter is faster. It takes just one thin and nearly invisible web to disarm the alien, sending his gun tumbling to the other side of the building.

Peter charges him, lands a kick into his chest and sends him flying backwards, into the ship that brought him here, while Tony stands off on the sidelines. His heartrate returns to normal, but it's replaced by an increasing familiar sensation, the same one he gets everything he has to listen to Peter and Ned talk in what feels like a different language to him. Irrelevant. He feels irrelevant, and like a dad who worries too much.

It doesn't seem to matter that Peter is skilled in combat, that his instincts are sharp, and it's been months since he's had any major Spider-Man related injuries. Tony still worries. Sometimes his talent makes it worse. The idea of having a war-ready teenager is responsible for more than a couple of his sleepless nights.

"Oh, hey Spider-Man," says Tony. Peter turns and spots him. "Strange neighborhood for you. What are you doing here?"

"Saving the city from aliens?"

Tony lets the armor guarding his face fall away, so Peter can both see and hear the fury, so he can understand how much trouble he's in. That alien, or human, or whatever the hell he is, falls off Tony's radar completely. He's also irrelevant. At least in that moment.

"This doesn't look like grounded," says Tony. He looks over the edge of the rooftop. "This looks like the opposite of grounded."

Peter's spidey eyes go comically wide. "Dad – not in front of the bad guy."

"Uh, it's Star-Lord, actually," says the bad guy. He struggles to get to his feet, and Tony doesn't envy him. Without his armor, he wouldn't want to be on the receiving end on one of Peter's physical assaults. "And I'm not the bad guy. I'm one of the galaxy's greatest defenders."

"Really?" asks Peter. He throws his hands up. "I guess we're screwed, then."

"Is this how earth greets it's visitors? By setting the attack spider on them?" Star-Lord brushes dust off his clothes and looks at Tony. "Are you in charge here? Please call off the freak. I come in peace."

"We haven't had the best luck with foreigners," says Tony. "So, you'll have to forgive our shoot first, ask questions later policy. Just works better that way."

He readies his own blasters. Never one to put his guard down, but as it turns out, he doesn't have to. It takes just seconds for the Quinjet to appear, apparently out of nowhere, and land on the building. The three of them watch as Captain America, Black Widow and the Winter Soldier unpack from the vessel.

"Peter," says Cap. "How's school?"

"It's good. I aced my calc test last week."

The self-proclaimed Star-Lord looks back and forth between them all. "Are you guys having a family reunion right now?"

Tony doesn't want to break it to him, but yes, they are having a reunion, of sorts. There isn't a member of the Avengers who had been there the night they found Peter that doesn't still feel responsible for him in some way, and the ones who don't have the pleasure or annoyance of living with him are constantly under the impression they don't get to see him enough.

He's a busy kid. At least when he isn't grounded, like he's supposed to be now.

"You guys good to take care of star freak?" asks Tony. "Jailbreak and I need to have a conversation."

He avoids looking at Natasha and her raised eyebrow. He and Peter are pass the time in their lives when they needed her to mediate in their relationship. Tony can deal with his son, by himself, without input from her.

"Sure," says Cap. "We got this handled."

Peter slumps his shoulders and sighs. "I guess I'll meet you at home."

He points his wrist to the sky, slings a web at a taller building and swings away, through the buildings and towards the penthouse.

"Try not to kill him, okay? We're all looking forward to his party."

"Noted."

Forget his and Pepper's wedding. Everyone is most excited about celebrating Peter's sixteenth birthday. It isn't shocking. Peter is everyone's favorite Stark. His charm even works on Tony, and as he jets off into the sky, Tony feels like an asshole parent for grounding his child on his birthday. The feeling doesn't last long. He rather keep him safe than happy, and running after alien spacecrafts falling from the sky definitely isn't safe.

Peter lands on the balcony, disconnects his webbing and rips the mask from his face. He needs to feel the wind blow through his hair one last time before Tony gets home and overreacts and puts the penthouse on some sort of lockdown. He pauses, just for a flickering moment, then crosses over the threshold as the door slides open automatically.

Finn comes running to greet him, barking and jumping, as if Peter has been gone for days instead of just ten minutes. Peter pats his head, then walks over to the couch and sits down. He lets Finn jump up on the couch with him.

Pepper tried her best to keep him off the furniture during the early days, but now, they all just accept it. Finn will be wherever Peter will be. He pets him, and plays with his ears, and thanks whatever power in the universe that's responsible for letting him have this dog. Finn is tied with both Ned and Harry for the spot of his best friend, and without him, without having to take him on bathroom walks, Peter wouldn't ever get to see daylight. At least not during the past week.

Peter hadn't been so aware that a week could last so long until being grounded, or maybe he did once, but has since forgotten.

He watches Tony land on the balcony and march inside the penthouse. He doesn't bother unsuiting from his Iron Man gear, and as he approaches, Peter really wishes him would. He doesn't want to have this argue with Iron Man. Tony Stark is enough by himself.

Finn sits straight up and stares as Tony moves to stand in front of them. The dog, at least, always has his back in these situations.

Tony stands in front of him, with that firm look in his eyes, that look that demands answers, and Peter has to turn his head. It's a necessary sacrifice, and it's better than doing what Tony expects him to do, spill his guts. He's waiting for an explanation. With each passing second, Peter's determination to stay silent melts away with every tick of the clock.

He swears he can hear the seconds tick by. It gets louder and louder every day, but in this moment, Peter knows how he can make it stop.

"Listen," he starts out. He can't take it anymore. "I just thought I'd help you out."

It's the wrong thing to say, and it sends Tony's eyebrows into a harder crease.

"Look I was in the hall and overheard Pepper tell you that she's pregnant and that's awesome by the way, I've always wanted to be a big brother, but then that alarm went off and I just thought you'd want to stay with her and celebrate… and really, isn't an alien invasion one of those few times a grounding becomes invalid?"

Tony exhales, and the room gets unbearably silent again. Peter gets it. His nervous rambles are a lot for him to process, but it never stops him from rambling.

"You didn't tell me you were leaving."

"Well no, I knew you wouldn't let me –"

"How was I supposed to know you were, what did you say, oh yeah, helping me out, if you weren't going to communicate it to me?"

Peter blinks. He hadn't thought of it.

"And forget about being grounded, Spider-Man doesn't deal with aliens. Spider-Man takes care of petty criminals and helps little old ladies across the street."

"But I'm ready for more than that –"

"-No, no you're not."

"Nat thinks so. She told me during our last training session," says Peter. Normally he wouldn't sell out Nat, but he has to make Tony understand what he can do, what he's capable of doing, if only he would be given a chance.

This comment isn't appreciated, and it causes Tony to let out another frustrated, yet resigned, breath of air.

"We can't have this discussion right now," he says. "So, this is what's going to happen. I need to go to the compound –"

"-why?" asks Peter. "Shouldn't you be with Pepper? They don't even need you just for that one guy." He catches Tony's glare, and backtracks. "Sorry."

"And since I can't trust you here by yourself, you're coming with me."

It's bullshit.

All of it, but especially the part about being untrustworthy.

Peter clicks his jaw shut tight, not wanting to incriminate himself even further. He lets the screaming bang against the inside of his skull. That this isn't fair. That his dad didn't even try to listen to him. Most of the time when they argue, Peter knows deep down he's wrong. He doesn't feel that way now. Just angry, and slightly confused. Tony is usually more understanding.

He forces himself up from the couch, and says, "I'll go change."

"Just put your mask on," says Tony. "We'll get that faster if you ride on my back."

"No way."

"I know you're not afraid of heights, Spidey."

Of heights, no, but of Spider-Man's reputation being ruined by being seen carried around by Iron Man, yes.

"What about Finn?" asks Peter. "We can't leave him if we're staying there long. He needs someone to walk him."

"Pepper –"

"-is too busy to take care of the dog," says Pepper. She strides into the living room dressed in heels and her typical office clothes with her work bag in her hand. "There are a few things I need to take care of before our wedding and honeymoon, unless of course there's another disturbance in the universe that calls my husband away."

Peter tries not to look thoroughly smug. He stands a bit taller, though, at the Pepper's slightly passive aggressive statement. He's right in assuming Tony should have stayed behind with her when the alarms went off. He wants to say so. He wants to point it out and brag, but he doesn't think Tony is in the right mood for it.

"Fine," says Tony. "We'll take the car. Get changed."

Peter stares out the window and watches scenery pass him by. There's no talking in the car as Tony drives, but even when they're arguing, they're both experts at managing a comfortable quiet. He sort of wishes they had something to talk about this time, though. He's struggling to stay awake. Being on bad terms with Tony both stresses him out and exhausts him. Besides that, driving around in cars still puts him straight to sleep.

It'll be different when he's finally allowed behind the wheel, and he hopes Tony isn't so mad that he puts off taking him to get his learner's permit.

They pull up into the back entrance in the compound, and as soon as the car stops, Peter gets out. He opens the backdoor, hooks Finn's leash on his collar and speeds off towards the building. Tony isn't far behind him after handing the key fab off to valet. Neither of them stop walking until they're inside the building, where they must go their separate ways.

Tony will go to question their visitor, and Peter… well he's waiting for his orders. He's expecting to be told to go up to the suite and stay there, but this kind of pettiness isn't found anywhere in Tony's expressions anymore. All those hard lines have disappeared, and it drains Peter's anger.

"I'm sorry," says Peter. He isn't apologizing for leaving the penthouse while grounded or joining the fight, but he's sorry they're frustrated with each other. Tony doesn't need to know that, though.

Tony steps forward, and wraps him in a half-hug, with one arm, then steps back. "I'll be done with this by tomorrow, and then we can celebrate your birthday."

"You didn't cancel it?"

"If that was possible," says Tony. "I'd be years younger."

He turns and stomps off in the opposite direction.

"Wait," calls Peter. "Celebrating means taking me driving, right?"

"We'll see," says Tony. He doesn't stop walking or even turn his head back to look at him. Just gets smaller and smaller until Peter can't see him anymore.

"Well looks like it's just us now, buddy," says Peter. He pats Finn on the head, and looks up and around, at all the high ceilings and high-tech designs of the compound.

It's a boring place. He suspects it might be more exciting if he were allowed to access the interesting areas when they were interesting, like wherever they're holding and questioning their new friend from space. That isn't going to happen, though. Tony won't ever allow it. He clenches his fists, feeling that anger spark back up again, but ultimately, it has no place to go.

Peter doesn't have any place to go, except the suite, where at least he has his room and a few things to do to kill time. With a sigh, he heads towards the elevator, but gets distracted by the hallway leading to the Medical wing.

The past is calling him in these few last moments he has as a fifteen-year-old.

"A detour won't hurt," says Peter. Finn barks his agreement, and they head off to search for Peter's old room.

The room he woke up in two years ago, free and scared and thrown into a world bigger than himself. It seems smaller now. Peter's grown out of it, but Tony refuses to let him have room to grow further.

After a few minutes of searching, he finds the room, and finds that bed inside of it is occupied. He has to squint to see the form laying on the bed fully. The sun is streaming in from the window, and it's incredibly blinding.

"Michael?" Peter guesses.

His voice is confirmation enough. "Peter? What are you doing here?"

Peter steps forward, past the sun's glares and his eyes settle on Michael. He doesn't really feel like explaining to Michael the circumstances of his arrival at the compound, so instead, he returns the question.

"Umm…what are you doing here?"

"I'm injured, obviously," he tells him. Then smirks. "You wouldn't know, but sometimes the missions get a little dangerous. It's probably good you stick to car-jackers."

Peter clenches his fists again and tries to think of something in his life comparable to all the risks Avengers take when they save the world. His brain is a whirlwind of calculus, surviving the social hierarchy of high school, dealing with the media, and his adventures as Spider-Man. None of it seems important. None of it seems cool enough to say out loud, as a defense or bargaining chip in being as important as Michael thinks of himself as.

"Cool dog," says Michael. He tries to call Finn over to his bed, but Peter keeps a firm grip on that leash. His eyes flicker to his dog, his best friend, and Michael's bare arms. The decision to take the metal sleeves that once keep the fire at bay came months ago. Steve and Bucky trust him. Peter doesn't. Not with Finn.

He doesn't know if he would survive if something happened to his dog.

"What? You think I'll cook your dog?" asks Michael. "I wouldn't hurt an animal. Even I'm not that demented."

Peter narrows his eyes.

"Anymore," he amends, and Peter relents at the admission.

He and Finn walk over to the bed and sit down. Finn doesn't waste anytime hopping up and attempting to lick Michael's face. Peter is tense as he watches Michael play with Finn. His mouth was doing something. Almost smiling. It's the closest sincere, normal smile he's ever since from him.

Peter looks around the room. Everything is the same as that day two years ago, when his real life began, except everything is different now, like Michael almost smiling and him being actually excited for his birthday.

"Can you believe we've been out of there for two years?" asks Peter.

"I still can't believe I'm letting you sit this close to me without turning you into charcoal," says Michael.

Peter makes a face, and gently tugs on Finn's leash as he leaps from the bed. It's time to go. He knows he's kidding, that he's just remarking on the progress they've both made but putting distance between the boy with fire hands and his beloved dog seems like a good idea. He tells Michael goodbye, and just like Tony, doesn't look back.

A/N: Thanks so much to everyone still reading this series! This story means the world to me, and I'm happy it's found readers.

Also, I have a Tumblr if you want to come say hi. It's .com

It's plain right now, but I'm still working on it.