Rating: G

Summary: When he thought about it, it made him smile. Learning to be a father, a better one than his own, was easier than he would have thought it to been. Which was why Tony immediately realized something was wrong with Peter.

He didn't understand why the combustion sequence on the arrow wasn't detonating correctly. It wasn't like this some ultra-super-complex system that might trip up on detonation. It's a fucking bomb! The idea was pretty simple: it hits target, it goes boom. He had put a small 3 second delay in so that the hawk could run away just as quickly as he got there, but that was child's play. He'd built his first robot at the age of seven and that'd been over thirty years since then.

A lot had happened in thirty years, not even including the whole graduating MIT at the age of 16 or running the largest, most influential company in the entire world. That was nothing compared to his role as a 'superhero'. When he'd invented the Iron Man suit, he knew he was going to do great things. His experience in Afghanistan had told him to stop building weapons that killed people and build a single one that'd save them.

He hadn't expected to be a part of SHIELD's Avengers Initiative. He hadn't even known the agency existed, let alone that there were other superheroes out there and that they could join together to become one of the strongest force for human kind. Alone they were strong; together they could save the world.

They quiet literally had. Their first mission together, not only did they save the world from an Asgardian God's madness but the invasion of an alien army he'd joined forces with. After that, there was nothing they thought they couldn't handle; they became the face of justice throughout the entire world, the entire universe.

A lot had happened in those thirty plus years that he had to be proud of. But it was nothing in comparison to his more recent, most important job.

"Hey Dad," a voice called to him, as a familiar moppy haired teenage rolled into the lab. Tony sighed.

"Hey!" he shouted, turning around to point the screwdriver he had in his hand at him. "Peter, what did I tell you? Wheels up."

Peter groaned. "Yeah, yeah. You're as bad as Principal Newman," said teenager complained, yet still jumped off the board now holding it in his hand. Well, at least the kid listened to him.

"Yeah, well last time you did it in here, you almost killed Dummy."

Peter rolled his eyes. "I only knocked his lens off. I even fixed it for him."

"Yeah, well now Butterfinger hides behind the counter every time you come in," Tony accused, turning back to his work. Peter just jumped up on the workbench, watching what his father did with an understanding curiosity. The boy loved to watch Tony work, hoping that he'd teach him a few tricks that he could use on his own weapons.

This… this was the most important thing he'd done in the past thirty years, raising a young Peter Parker into the young man he'd become. When Peter's parents left, Fury had assigned the Avengers to watch over him. His father's work had been important and they feared harm would come to the little boy if left unprotected, that his father's research would be uncovered.

Clint and Natasha wouldn't, more like they were afraid to, deal with a little kid. Bruce would have liked to but a crying six year old was rubbing on his nerves just a little too much. The kid was smart, asked the right questions that would have made anyone frustrated. After all, how could you convince a small kid that his parents leaving wasn't his fault?

Tony knew that you couldn't.

But Steve seemed to handle it all in stride. His husband just took the little boy and tried to take his mind off of all of it. They played with the toys he brought from his house, board games that Clint had stashed in his closet, held him when he cried. It was as if Steve was meant to be a father.

Tony on the other hand, struggled with it a little. In the beginning he had locked himself in the lab. How could he play with little kids? He'd never even been a real kid himself. It wasn't until Steve brought him into the lab that Tony realized he had more in common with this kid than he thought. Peter was fascinated with science, a part of being the son of a scientist Tony guessed. After that, they immediate hit it off. Tony was showing Peter the basics of engineering and Peter was asking all the right questions. Before he knew it, he was falling in love with the little boy.

Needless to say, it hadn't been a difficult decision for him and Steve to adopt him.

When he thought about it, it made him smile. Learning to be a father, a better one than his own, was easier than he would have. Which was why Tony immediately realized something was wrong with Peter. He had been quiet, quieter than usual.

"Something wrong?" Tony asked. Peter seemed to jump at the question. He always seemed surprised when Tony or Steve just knew when something was bothering their son.

Peter shook his head. "It's nothing… really."

Tony put down the screwdriver and sighed. "Peter, when you say something like that it always means that something is," he looked Peter dead in the eye. "What's wrong?"

He looked down, as if trying to hide from his father's gaze. "I… I broke up with Gwen."

"Wait. What? Why?" he asked, surprised. The last he heard, just a few weeks ago, everything was perfect. She knew he was Spiderman and it didn't bother her. But most importantly, they were happy together. What could possibly drive them apart?

"I can't be Spiderman and still be with her," he explained. "I just… I don't want her to get hurt. I don't want to get her dragged into this."

"Pete…" Tony just sighed. "Is that what this is about? Protecting her?"

Peter lifted his head and just looked at him. "I promised him, Dad. I promised Gwen's dad that I would let her go; that if I loved her I'd protect her and just let her go."

"Do you think this is protecting her? Making her cry, worry whether or not you're okay but never knowing because she can't see you? All this is going to do is hurt you both, physically and emotionally."

"But I don't want to be the reason she gets hurt. The longer she stays with me the more likely something's going to happen to her; someone to use her to prevent me from helping others. And I'd hate to choose between the two. I just can't do it. I can't be Peter Parker and Spiderman."

Tony bent down and run his hands through his hair. "There's no way to say this gently," he said as he exhaled. "You can't protect her, Pete. You can't protect the people you love… She knows what could happen. Yet despite all of it she wants to be with you still.

"Just trust me; pushing her away will only make you miserable. It's rare that someone is willing to accept this lifestyle, as dangerous as it is. They worry, not for their safety, but for yours. Having someone there that loves you that much, someone that you can come home to, to love you… It makes it all just a little bit easier."
"I get what you're saying Dad, I really do. I just…I want her to have a future; one where she doesn't have to worry about whether I'll come home, or where something would happen to her. I don't think I could handle it."

"And I don't worry about your father? Anything can happen; superhero or not. Peter, I could lose you or your pop to a drunk driver just as easily as I could to Dr. Doom. Anything can happen. That's why you have to enjoy the chances you have now while you can.

"So long as you two are happy, it's worth it; the pain, the worry, the fear. I'm sure that's what Gwen's dad is really wanting, for her to be happy." Tony smiled, gently ruffling Peter's hair. "That's all we want for you."

He squirmed under his touch. "Hey! Hey! My hair can't handle the abuse."

Tony laughed. Peter still resisted their teasing but at least he was no longer sulking. "Please, with that mop of hair, a little abuse might actually make it better."

Peter groaned, jumping off the table, obviously already planning to escape the teasing. Tony just rolled his eyes with humor, picking back up the screw driver to turn back to his work. He could only hope that what he had said stuck with Peter. After all, he was a teenager. It was already difficult and being a superhero was only making it harder.

"Hey Dad," Peter finally spoke up as he exited, just short on the door.

Tony raised his head. "Yeah Bud?" He was silent. Tony just waited, knowing that Peter was gaining every ounce of courage he had left.

"…Thanks," he said quietly. "I'll try what you said. I don't know how it'll go, but I'll try."

A small, sad smile crossed Tony's face. He wished that Peter would have never had to go through this. But the moment he dawned a mask, he and Steve knew that a day like this would be inevitable. It was just part of the job description. A part of his heart ached as Peter slowly slipped through the door, hands shoved into his pockets, still obviously troubled.

He wished that Peter wouldn't have to deal with this, the balance of being a superhero and that need for a normal life. They'd wanted him to have a normal life where something like this couldn't exist, and cause him so much pain. But Peter was their son… superhero and all.

A/N: What can I say? I love superfamily. My Steve pretty much demanded I write this after we watched The Amazing Spiderman. Now I have a whole headcanon of the Domestic Avengers... It may turn into a series of fics.