"You know, I'm still embarrassed that I passed out on my first mission." Mr. Stark—Tony just laughs at that. "I'm serious. I was trying so hard to make a good impression, and I ended up passing out before I could do that much."

"It's okay, kid." He replies, still focused on the work in front of him. "Don't beat yourself up about it. I mean, you held your own against two super soldiers. I think that's pretty impressive."

"Is that why you let me keep the suit? And why you invited me to work here?"

"Partly." I wait for more, but he doesn't seem willing to offer anything more. It's just the classic rock and tinkering. I want to ask him more questions, but I've learned that I can't push too much.

Right now, I just decide to gather up the courage to bring up my new idea to Tony. I've been working on it since the fight, but I wanted to make sure I had all the details worked out first. I mean, if I'm gonna pitch an idea to him, I want to make sure it's perfect.

"So, um, Tony?" My voice is shaky and nervous, despite my best efforts to keep it otherwise, and Tony seems to pick up on it judging by the look on his face. "Can I show you an idea I had? It's, um—it's for Rhodey."

He crosses his arms and leans against the work table. My hands shake as I wait for him to say something—anything. "Okay, yeah. It's part of why you're here."

I meekly smile in appreciation. Tony's been incredibly supportive in hearing my ideas, but I can't help but get overwhelmed and nervous. "So, I've been reading up on spinal damage. I had to ask my Mom a ton of questions to understand a lot of it, but I was trying to see if there was a way to repair the damaged nerves, but as you probably guessed, I didn't get very far."

"Trust me, I think we've got a ways to go before we can accomplish that." He pauses and looks at me. "So, what did you come up with?"

"A modified design of the legs on the Iron suits." I reply and pull out my notebook. "Currently, this is what Rhodey is wearing on a daily basis. The thing is, while it's great for fighting, it's not very practical for daily use."

"You calling my design bulky?" Tony asks, and the smile on his face reminds me he's only teasing. "It's okay. Rhodey's been on my ass about it being took much."

"Yeah, he's mentioned it before." I flip the page to another series of sketches. "Which is why I came up with these. Same principle, same supports, but only a fraction of the parts required." I continue to explain and show the mechanics behind it.

All the while, he just listens and nods. I stand there with my heart lodged in my throat as he thinks it over. "It could probably use some modifications, but I think it could work."

"Really?" I bounce on my feet with excitement. Tony just nods with a smile.

"You did good, kid." He says and clears a screen. "We should get started on it, but I just remembered I was going to make a call to your boyfriend."

"Oh, thank goodness. He won't admit it; but he's been doing extra patrols without me to try and make you proud."

"Well, he's listened since I told him to drop this weapons dealer case, which I know probably wasn't easy. He deserves to know he's done a good job. Especially considering what he did in D.C." I nod in understanding.

The Vulture has been bugging him since he first encountered him. It still kills me that I wasn't there. I was supposed to go to the party with him and Ned. I was supposed to be there to help him, but I wasn't.

Nope, I was home with the worst flu of my entire life, and Peter nearly got killed. He's said it a million times it's not my fault. But I still feel guilty.

Even more so for not going on the extra patrols with him. I promised I'd always be there to fight alongside him, but lately, he doesn't even tell me about the extra patrols. I only know because Ned told me, which somehow feels even worse than Peter going out without me.

"Mr. Parker," Tony says from the other side of the lab, "you got a sec?" I can't hear Peter's end of the conversation, but I still can't stop myself from listening. "I just wanted to say, nice work in D.C. My Dad never really gave me a lot of support, and I'm just trying to uh, break the cycle of shame."

I smile down at my work station. My parent's struggle to find ways to be genuinely supportive. Most times they get caught up in worrying that I'm doing too much or small things. They tend to forget that I'm getting a chance to do amazing things every day, but even if he doesn't always say it, I can tell Tony's trying really hard to make sure Peter and I know when we're doing something right and that it's appreciated.

"Don't cut me off when I'm complimenting you." My head snaps up at that. Peter's been waiting to hear from Tony for weeks now, and knowing him, he only does something like that when he's—when he's nervous. "Anyway, great things are about to happen—" Tony pauses for a second. "What was that?"

"That's odd. Happy told me you quit band six weeks ago. What's up?" Tony gives me a look and motions to a screen, which is his way of asking me to pull up the tracker on Peter's suit. I quickly type in the command, and my heart nearly stops as my worst fear is essentially confirmed. "Hey—"

I back to Tony, who has a deep frown etched on his face as he flexes his jaw. He quickly moves to see what's displayed on the screen. "That's where you told the FBI to go. Isn't it?"

"Yeah. It is." He grits his teeth. "Suit up, kid."

The lab is suddenly half its usual size, and I can't breathe. My hands shake as I type the command in the system to bring one of my suits up, and I half wonder if I'll break the glass with how hard my fingers are slamming into it. I can't decide what to focus on more—my worry over Peter possibly in a place to get himself killed, or the frustration that he didn't trust me enough to tell me in the first place.

I grit my teeth and step into the newest suit Tony made for me. It's not even field tested yet, but it's the only one that has the equipment to help in this situation. "Sir," FRIDAY's voice echoes through the lab's speakers, "A distress signal just went out from a Staton Island Ferry."

It takes everything in me not to throw up in my suit, and I'm pretty sure it's the only thing holding me up right now. "We're on our way." Tony replies and looks at me. "He'll be okay."

I only nod. Right now, I can't really trust my voice. I can barely trust myself to function. We both walk on to the launch pad and blast off into the air. Even from a distance, I can spot the ferry. It's not far from the Statue of Liberty, which feels like lightyears away. "ARTHUR, can you give me an assessment from here?"

The AI zooms in across part of my display. "It looks like the ship's been cut in half. I'm detecting faint energy signatures of a chitari energy core. Currently, it appears to be held together by webbing, but it won't last for long."

"Put everything you've got into the thrusters, kid." Tony calls, "That ship's about to go down."

"On it!" I shout back and shoot forward as ARTHUR inputs the change. As we approach, I see a small figure being suspended between the two parting halves of the ship. "He's gonna get torn apart."

"No, he won't. I've called in the other suits for support. We're gonna push it back together. Got it?"

I nod, even though he can't see it and follow his lead. We both brace agains the side of the ship and push it closer the other. "Hi, Spiderman." Tony seethes, the anger so clearly evident in his voice it sends a shiver up my spine. "Band practice, was it?"

I look behind us to see the carrying units for the individual thrusters arrive. It opens up and each one finds and locks into place. They lock into place, which I use as my cue. The rest of the thrusting systems kick in on mine and Tony's suit.

Once it's secured, I watch as Tony solders the ship back together, which will be enough to hold it until everyone can be evacuated on rescue boats. Peter runs after him, and I fly over the entire ship to wait. "Mr. Stark!" Peter calls as he swings up and around. "Can I do anything? What do you want me to do?"

I can feel Peter's panic as he looks between me and our mentor, who coldly replies, "I think you've done enough."

Tony flies off, leaving a message across my lenses about where to meet. I settle down next to my boyfriend. "C'mon," I offer my hand, "he wants to talk."

Helicopters and boats begin to circle the ferry, and I can only imagine Peter's anxiety. "I really screwed up. Didn't I?" I ignore him, only keeping my hand extended. "Y/NN?" My heart breaks at the crack in his voice. "Please, just say something."

"We should go." I reply, "It will only be worse the longer we wait."

All he does is nod as he takes my hand. It feels strange to be the one carrying him around, but I have a feeling we won't get the chance to get used to it. Tony already was clear that this suit isn't mine just yet, which I'm fine with. Natasha has been taking some time to help improve my fighting skills, and I hate the bulk of a full iron suit.

Then again, maybe I'm just trying to hope for the best. Tony's already pissed, and I have a feeling he's not going to go easy with his punishment. I drop Peter off at the rendezvous point and hop out of the suit. It feels like my heart is way below us on the street, being run over by the countless cars speeding by.

"Y/N," Peter whispers as he takes off his mask, "I'm—I'm so sorry." I can't bring myself to even look his way right now. Tears prick at my eyes, and I hope he can't see them. "You don't have to talk to me. I know I screwed up."

Even if I knew what to say to him right now, I wouldn't have the chance as Tony flies up to us. "Previously on: Peter screws the pooch, I tell you to stay away from this. Instead, you hacked a multi-million dollar suit—which I really hope you weren't involved with Y/N—so you could sneak around behind my back doing the one thing I told you not to do."

I stay quiet. All I can do is stare at the same spot on the horizon. Peter seems to be doing the same, "Is everyone okay?" His question makes my heart break further. Of course, despite everything, he's still the boy I fell in love with—the one who cares about everyone before himself and always tries to do the right thing.

"No thanks to you." Tony replies.

"No thanks to me?" I screw my eyes shut. Of course, this can get worse. Why wouldn't it? "Those weapons were out there, and I tried to tell you about it, but you didn't listen. None of this would have happened if you just listened to me! And for the record, Y/N had no idea I was doing any of this." He pauses, his shaky voice suddenly gaining some stability as he continues, "If you even cared, you'd actually be here."

Oh my gosh. I really wish he didn't just say that. I open my eyes to see Tony's suit open up as he steps out. Peter takes a few steps back, and I can see his shoulders tense up even more. It's quiet between them for a second, and all I can do is watch. My whole body is stuck in place, forced to watch the painful exchange—the disappointment and anger on Tony's face, the way Peter tries to hide his anxiety through clenched fists.

"I did listen, kid. Who do you think called the FBI, huh?" Tony keeps walking forward, inadvertently pushing Peter back and closer to me as he continues, "Do you know Y/N fought for you? That I was the only ones who believed in you two? Everyone else told me I was crazy for recruiting 14-year-old kids."

"I'm 15."

"No," Tony interjects and starts shouting, "This is where you zip it, all right? The adult is talking." His voice goes eerily calm as he continues, him and Peter now only a foot or two away. "What if someone had died tonight? Different story, right? 'Cause that's on you. And if you died—" I wrap my arms around myself, unable to even handle the thought. "—I feel like that's on me.

"I don't need that on my conscience."

"Yes, sir." Peter nods, "I'm sorry. I understand."

"Sorry doesn't cut it."

"I just—I just wanted to be like you." Peter stutters, and I wish more than ever that I had just stayed home today. I should have taken Mom up on her offer for a girl's day. Maybe if I had, I wouldn't have to face this happening—to face this heartbreaking conversation and my worst fears in front of me.

"And I wanted you to be better." Tony states. "Okay. It's not working out. I'm gonna need the suit back."

If my heart was broken before, it's shattered into dust now at the sound of the fragility in Peter's voice as he asks, "For how long?"

"Forever."

"No, no, please."

"Yeah. That's how it works." He talks over Peter's pleas. "Let's have it."

"Please, this is all I have. I'm nothing without this suit."

My head snaps in Peter's direction at the last comment. How—how can even think that? Does he really think so little of himself?

Tony seems unfazed by the statement. "If you're nothing without the suit, then you shouldn't have it. Okay?" He pauses for a second and shakes his head. "God, I sound like my dad."

Peter just looks around, and I can see the pain he's in clearly written across his face, even though I know he's trying his best to hide it. "I don't have any other clothes."

"Okay. We'll sort that out." Tony states and looks at me. "Go find him some clothes, just the first thing you can find, and hurry back. Okay?"

I hesitantly nod and push myself off the ledge. Tony hands me some money, and I avoid looking at either of them. It takes me a minute to get down to the street level. A part of me just wants to take my time, maybe even just keep walking and not go back, but Mr. Stark is already angry. If I don't go back, it might be worse off for Peter.

So, I duck into the nearest tourist shop. They always have a bunch of clothes. Granted, they're all kinds of ridiculous, but I don't have a lot of time to find anything reasonable. The first thing I come across are pink hello kitty pants, which I grab along with a random shirt and awful sandals from a shelf. "Sorry, Pete, but you're just gonna have to walk home in hello kitty pants. Plus, if you want to act like a child, you can dress like one."

The cashier gives me a strange look as I set the items down. Not that I can blame them. I'm a teenager in the middle of Staton Island buying random tourist clothes, while clearly be a local. Then again, it's not probably not the craziest thing they've seen. It is New York after all.

I grab the change and clothes without another word and head back to Tony and Peter. The pair of them still look sour. From the looks of it, I'm pretty sure Peter tried to talk Tony. Clearly whatever happened while I was gone didn't go very well because somehow they look worse than when I left a few minutes ago.

"Here. This is the best I could find." I tell Peter as I hand him the clothes. He looks between Tony and me, clearly hesitant to just strip out in the open. "I—um—I think I passed a bathroom earlier. I can show you where it is."

"Go ahead." Tony nods, "Y/N, bring me the suit back, and then you can both go home."

It's deathly quiet between us. I want to say something, but I don't even know what to say. At this point, it'll probably just make everything worse.

I gently grab his wrist as he goes into the bathroom. "Pete," I whisper as the tears threaten to fall again, "I'm sorry too."

All I get in reply is a puzzled look, but it seems to dawn on him when he looks down at the clothes in his hands. I watch as he only nods and goes into the bathroom. My whole body starts to shake, and I lean against the wall to keep my knees from buckling under me.

It feels like hours go by before Peter comes back out, with the suit neatly folded in his hands. I hesitate to take it. Instead, I rest my hands over his. "I really don't want to do this, you know."

"I know." He replies, "And I'm not mad. It's my fault, and you need to do what you have to."

"Doesn't make it any easier." I mumble. "Please, don't leave without me. I'll—I'll get us a cab, and maybe we can—we can talk about all this." Worry flickers across his face for a second before he nods. I squeeze his hand in what I hope will be a reassuring way before taking the suit back to Tony.

Tony nods as he takes the suit. "You two gonna be okay?"

I try to hold back the tears and bitter laugh that almost escape me. "I really hope so."

"I hope so too—for both of your sakes." He gives me a serious look. "Take your time, kid. You're always gonna have a spot in the lab whenever you're ready to come back. Okay?"

I start to protest before I think better of it. Tony probably knows this kind of feeling better than I do, and I would hate to rebuke his kindness after everything else he's done for me. So, I just nod. "Thank you. I'll—um—I really appreciate it."

"Don't worry about it, kid. Whatever you need, you know I'm here to help." He tells me as he steps back into his suit and heads off with mine following close behind.

"You ready?" I ask Peter, who barely looks my way as he nods. "Should we get a cab? Or do you wanna walk?"

"I don't have my stuff with me."

"It's okay. I keep my card in my phone case for emergencies. Plus, we can—we can go to my place so you can get a better set of clothes. I still—I still have a lot of your clothes that I've borrowed."

"That's fine." He mumbles, and I watch him as we hail a cab. It's awkward between us in a way it's never been before. I don't know what to do or say after everything that's happened.

I keep wishing he would say something—literally anything as we sit in the cab. Maybe it would be easier to find words if he started.  But nope, it's dead silent except for the constant noise of Queens. Except now, I appreciate it since it helps distract me for a little bit.

We pull up in front of my apartment building, and I quickly pay the cabby before rushing out. "Wait," Peter gently grabs my arm before we get into the elevator, "aren't your parents going to be home?"

I look at him in confusion as a thought hits me. Peter and I practically live at each other's places and always seem to know when the adults will be in and out. "No? You know my Dad works on Saturdays, and my Mom is running errands, which always takes up most of the day. We've got time."

Peter just nods and shuffles into the elevator with me. I watch him the whole time. He keeps his eyes locked on his feet, brow furrowed, and a deep-set frown on his face. It breaks my heart to see him sad, but that pain is lost underneath everything already there.

The apartment is dead silent except for Milo's snores. "Hello, my sweet boy." I whisper and pet him. His little chirp makes me crack a smile as I settle down on the couch next to him. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Peter's head snaps up at that. "Tell you what?"

"That you were still chasing the Vulture." I sigh and lean forward as I watch him. "Why didn't you tell me? You know I would have been right there with you, without any judgement. I've been trying to figure it out since I realized what was happening. Was it because I've been working at the lab? Because I haven't been on the extra patrols with you? Because I wasn't there when you first met him?"

"No, no, it's nothing like that." Peter replies as he sits down next to me. "I just—I didn't want you to get into trouble with Tony because of me."

"Peter," I sigh, "I would gladly have been on your side today. It would have felt a whole lot better feeling like you trusted me instead of being blindly stuck in the middle. I know it may not seem like that, but I'd fight the whole world at your side if that's what we needed to do."

"I know." His eyes drop to his shoes, which he now seems studying intently. "Except, I don't know how much fighting I'll be doing without a suit."

"Why not?" His eyes immediately snap to me, and I shrug. "I'm serious. You're born to be a hero. I know you struggle to see it—especially right now, but it's true."

"How? How? Can it be true?" Peter snaps, and I instinctively flinch, which makes him soften for a second. "I am nothing without that suit. Without it, I'm just a teenager trying to fight crime."

"If—if that's what you think of yourself," my throat tightens around the words so I have to force them out in a wheeze as tears brim and begin to fall, "then—then what do you think of me?"

I can see the immediate flash of fear and guilt in his eyes, "That's—that's not how I see you." He reaches for my hand before thinking better of it, and I push myself to my feet and begin to pace. "Y/N, you're amazing—with or without a suit."

"Then how can you say you're nothing? You have powers at least. You can still climb walls, stop buses, and swing around. The best I can manage is punching someone in the face." I sigh and cross my arms, "I know you think that a suit is everything, but it's not. Just remember how it was before Tony found us. We were wearing suits we scrapped together, and always went out there no matter how hard it was."

"Yes, we did, but we messed up so many times, and we were never able to take on someone like the Vulture. If I'm going to make a real difference, I need the suit."

"That's where you're wrong. You did make a real difference—for so many people. You fought criminals to protect your neighborhood. You—you stood up for a stranger before you got your powers." Every inch of my body shakes as I say the last bit of my piece, "You saved my life without even knowing it, Pete. How can you not see that you're a hero with or without a suit?"

Peter's mouth opens and closes as he tries to formulate a response. He doesn't get the chance to as my phone starts ringing. I pull it out of my pocket, happy for the way out of the conversation. May's name and picture appear on the screen, and I can only imagine the panic she's probably going through with how long Peter's been gone.

"Hey, May." I answer, and she immediately launches into a worried rant that I can barely understand. "May, please, take a deep breath, and then repeat that because I couldn't understand what you said."

"Have you seen Peter? He's been gone for hours. I saw the ferry accident on the news, and I've can't get a hold of him. I've contacted five precincts trying to find him, but I can't."

"It's okay." I close my eyes and try to come up with a reasonable lie. "I saw him at the internship earlier today. Pretty sure his phone died, and there was a small incident—nothing major—in the lab today. He'll probably be home soon, but—um—if he's not there in like an hour, I can call Tony and ask?"

"Okay. Yeah, that'll work. I'll keep you updated, okay?"

"And I'll do the same." May hangs up, and I turn to Peter. "You should—you should probably go. May is really freaked out, and I hate lying to her."

"I know. I'm—I'm really sorry, Y/N." He whispers as tears brim in his eyes too.

"I'll grab you a change of clothes."

"No, it's fine." He stands up, looking entirely ridiculous in the giant tourist shirt and hello kitty pants. "I don't wanna make May worry any more than she is."

He makes it to the door before I stop him and pull him in a tight hug. "For the record, I'm still hurt you didn't tell me, but I don't want you to go in the middle of a disagreement." I hold him as close as possible as I continue. "I love you, Peter Parker, and even if you don't realize it—you're my hero, with or without a suit."

It takes a moment before his arms wrap around me as he hugs me back. "I love you too, and I'm sorry for all of this."

"I forgive you." I tell him and pull away. "Let me know when you make it home?"

Peter just nods and walks out the door without another word. The second the door closes behind him, I already feel like he's miles away. I can't stop the tears that fall. I can't stop my heart from aching wondering if somehow we won't be okay after this.

All I can think is—he lied to me. In DC, he and Ned explained what happened, but just like with Tony, he told me that he wasn't going to keep going. 'It's too dangerous for us' were his exact words. Or maybe he just thought it was too dangerous for me.

No, nope. I'm not gonna go down that road. I know Peter. He's always been one of the few people who genuinely believed in me as much as I do. If he decided to pursue this without me, I have to believe it's for a good reason.

The more I think about it, the more it makes sense. Peter has lost so many people in his life—more than anyone should face at our age. So maybe in his mind, it was his way of making sure he wouldn't lose me either.

I hold on to that hopeful thought as I slip on one of Peter's sweatshirts. They've always brought me a sense of safety and comfort, which is exactly what I need right now. It helps me calm down a little and remember all the times he's tried and failed to steal it back. Whenever he does, it always manages to find its way back to my drawer.

It makes me smile. Because even when one of us has been in our darkest time, we were there for the other. All I can do is hope that we'll be there for each other through this.