"It's an awkward situation, and I'm so sorry to be putting you into it."

Peter groaned when his alarm went off, rolling over and searching for his phone with his eyes still shut tight. The night before, he and Ned had stayed up until almost two in the morning texting, and as he stared at the screen of his phone letting him know it was eight am, he reasoned that there was no real need for him to get up just yet. Something nagged at him, though, and he found himself checking his phone one more time, double checking that it was really Saturday…that he wasn't late for school. But no…he wasn't late for school. He had some homework, but nothing too bad. No plans with Ned…nothing with MJ. Nothing with his dad…

That was his last thought before he drifted back to sleep.

He woke with a jerk and he blinked at the ceiling and glanced at the window, staring as the sun streamed in through the curtains. "Friday?"

"Yes, Peter?"

He tried to remember if he'd had a nightmare…or any kind of dream. What had woken him up? "What time is it?"

"It is nearly noon."

He swore under his breath and wiped a hand over his face. "Why didn't Dad wake me up?"

"Your father is currently speaking to Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson in the living room."

That's what he'd forgotten. It was Saturday. Steve and Sam were coming on Saturday! He sat up, throwing the blankets off, then blinked hard when his head spun. He'd gone too long without eating. Bringing a hand up to his head, he slumped forward and took deep breaths. "Peter, would you like me to get your father?"

"No…no, I'm good," he assured the AI as he grabbed his phone and checked it for messages. Nothing. His dad had mentioned the week before, when the two of them had been driving back to the tower, Peter driving just a little too slowly and too cautiously, that he was inviting Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson to the tower the next weekend…that they would be trying to work through the Accords and figure out a solution. The new Secretary of Defense would also be contacting them, but Peter didn't know when. Was that today too? He'd stayed up too late and now he was starving and his head was spinning…

Pushing himself to his feet, Peter grabbed the wall, using it to hold himself up. Get dressed, get food, then maybe talk to his dad. That was the plan. So he grabbed a pair of jeans and yanked them on, then swapped out the white t-shirt he'd fallen asleep in for one with the periodic table on it, then, taking a moment to take a breath and try to clear his head, he left his bedroom in search of something for breakfast. Or…lunch. Whichever.

There were soft voices coming from the living room…soft, almost angry voices, and he paused in the hallway, knowing he shouldn't be eavesdropping but doing it anyway. "You're not bringing him here."

"Tony…Shuri is working with him in Wakanda. The brainwashing is…"

"No."

"Tony! She's fixed it! He's…he's him again…"

"Look, if you want to visit, I'll pay for him to stay at a hotel and the two of you can relive the good old days but…"

"He could be a valuable asset to this team!"

"He…" Peter was silent as his dad cut himself off. "He's not staying here. Not with my…not here."

With the world starting to spin around him once more, Peter realized he couldn't eavesdrop much more…unless he wanted to fall over and stay there. So he stepped forward and hovered awkwardly in the doorway to the living room, wanting to slip past them to the kitchen but worrying that might be rude.

"Tony, if you won't even try to work with…" Sam Wilson started, but his dad's eyes flashed over to him and he stood, making Sam go silent as the three man all turned to look at him. The two rogue Avengers…or, well…ex-rogue Avengers, looked stunned as they watched Tony approach him.

"Pete? Hey, you okay?"

"Yeah…um…I was just going to get something to eat," Peter explained when his dad put his hand on his shoulder.

"You feel okay? You look kind of pale."

"Waited too long to eat," Peter admitted, glancing over at Steve and Sam where they sat on one of the sofas in their living room. Were they moving in now? Were they going to be living there with them? In the tower?

"Come on. Let's get you a protein bar," Tony murmured, leading him into the kitchen. "Be right back," he called to the two men on the sofa, then pushed Peter to sit at the table. Less than a minute later, a protein bar was sitting on the table in front of him, and Peter ripped it open, devouring it in three bties. "Geez, Pete. Here." He handed him another one and Peter scarfed that one down too, glad when his head finally stopped spinning. "I'll go ahead and order lunch. What do you want?"

"Thai?"

"Fine. Friday, get our usual, and order something for Rogers and Wilson too."

"Yes, sir."

Peter glanced at the door to the living room, then back at his father who moved to rest a hand on his hair, ruffing it gently. "How long did you stay up texting Ned?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Tony snorted. "You two still fighting about colleges?"

"We aren't fighting," Peter muttered and Tony chuckled.

"Sure."

"It's just…he acts like MIT is the only good school…"

"It is."

Peter ignored him. "When there are schools in New York that are fine."

His dad was silent and Peter stared down at the granola bar wrapper. For a moment, the kitchen was quiet, and Peter wondered if they were finally going to have this conversation with Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson in the other room. Could they hear them? Tony sat down at the table, reaching out and patting his hand. Waiting. Tony had gotten pretty good at waiting since Peter had come to live with him.

"It's just…" Peter shrugged. "I just…I finally have…a family again. And…and I'm not ready…"

Tony squeezed his hand when he trailed off, swallowing hard and sniffing, trying not to let any tears escape. Not now. "You're not ready to leave it behind yet?"

Peter nodded. "Yeah."

"Hey, Pete…that's okay," his dad murmured. "That's fine."

"I just…I know you went there and I don't…I don't want to disappoint you."

"You couldn't," Tony told him without hesitation, shaking his head. "Not ever. Hey, I know that you're going to be amazing, no matter where you go to college. Or if you take some time off. I'm proud of you, no matter what you decide to do."

Swallowing hard, Peter ran the back of his hand over his eyes and smiled. Leaning over, Tony pulled him into a tight hug, then pressed a kiss to his temple. Peter leaned into it, taking a deep breath and feeling his shoulders relax for the first time in a while. The college conversations with Ned had been going on for a while, and more and more he'd felt the anxiety that went with planning college visits and applying to schools. But he hadn't felt any pressure from Tony…not yet. Still, he'd been waiting. Sure that Tony would push for him to go to MIT where he'd attended. But MIT was hours away. Peter finally had a home. He didn't want to move away from it yet. Not when it would mean leaving his father…the last family he had left

"Alright. Now that we've got that taken care of, why don't we talk about the two elephants in the other room."

Peter snorted. "Is that what we're calling them?"

"Not to their faces." Tony grinned, ruffling his hair.

"I uh…heard a little bit," Peter admitted, ears heating up. "I was just curious…" He shrugged when Tony lifted an eyebrow. "You were saying that someone couldn't move back in."

Tony sighed, nodding. "This is…" He sighed. "It's an awkward situation, and I'm so sorry to be putting you into it."

"It's fine," Peter hurried to assure him. "It's just…I didn't know if they would be moving back or…"

"We were talking about Barnes. Bucky Barnes."

"Oh. The Winter Soldier? He, uh…he was the reason you guys…"

"Broke up?" Tony asked with a quirked eyebrow and a half smile. "Yeah." He was quiet, then he rubbed a hand over his face. "There's a lot we haven't talked about when it comes to the Avengers. And we will…I promise. It's just…I don't want Barnes living here. Not with you here. Not…not in our home."

Peter nodded. "Okay." Tony just stared at him, seeming conflicted. "I mean…you must have your reasons."

Tony gave a half smile. "I do." Then he squeezed Peter's shoulder. "Alright, I can practically feel their curiosity from here. You ready to meet the Avengers? Or…well, two of them?"

He nodded again, feeling excitement and worry swirl together in his chest. "Yeah…okay. Sounds good."

The two stood, Tony throwing his arm around his shoulder, and Peter couldn't help but feel like his whole life was about to change in a dramatic way…and not just because he would soon be choosing a college. Something had led to the Avengers and his father's fight…something big. And Peter wasn't sure if he'd ever be able to really trust the people who had betrayed the man who had taken him in…had adopted him and had become his father. But if Tony was willing to try…then he would too.