It Only Takes a Second

"Are you nervous?"

Tony gestured quickly towards Harry's leg that was bouncing up and down quickly before refocusing his eyes on the road. Only an hour into their almost four hour trip, Tony decided that Harry was going to work himself up into near hysterics by the time they arrived if they didn't talk it out now.

"A bit. I'm more excited than anything though."

While the words he spoke were calm, Tony eyed his son's bouncing leg again and decided to approach the subject a different way.

"He sounds like he's been doing alright on the phone, but he told me the other night he's been homesick. He told me he was really excited for us to visit this weekend."

Harry's body relaxed slightly into the seat. Peter had only been at college for a little over a month, but it was the longest they had gone without seeing each other since they first met, and despite the magic of technology and video chatting, he longed to see him again.

"I know he says he's been doing alright, but I just worry about him taking on so much. He sounded stressed the other night when I talked to him on the phone." Harry worried his lip between his teeth and watched out the window as the scenery flew by.

"I'm not going to say it's easy, but I think he's doing alright," Tony reassured, fondly remembering how his own phone call went with Peter the other night. The kid had excitedly rambled on about his physics lab for nearly ten minutes before Tony was able to get in a word edgewise.

Harry took in a deep breath and held it for a few seconds before blowing it out slowly, and Tony tried not to make it noticeable when he stole a concerned glance at him. Unfortunately, Harry caught him and sighed again.

"I just don't want to be an extra thing that is causing him stress," Harry admitted. "Long distance is hard, and we're only a month into it. I know that things are going to get more intense as he gets farther into college, and I don't want our relationship to cause any additional stress or pressure."

Tony frowned slightly as he wondered how long Harry had been carrying those thoughts around. He knew full well that Peter had never, and would never, see his relationship with Harry as an additional burden. But convincing Harry of this would be a different challenge.

"Harry, you know that Peter doesn't see if that way, right? He went on and on the other night about how excited he was to see you and how it's exactly what he needs right now. Talking to you and being with you is something that relieves his stress, not causes it."

Harry gave him a small smile and shrugged. "I know. I know the thoughts aren't rational, but that doesn't stop me from having them. I think after I see him this weekend it'll be better."

Tony reached out and gave Harry's shoulder a small reassuring squeeze.

"Alright kiddo. But you know you can always talk to me, right? And I'm always up for a road trip whenever you want to come see him yourself. Hell, I'll even teach you how to drive and you can borrow the car for the weekend."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Harry laughed, holding up his hands. "I'm not quite ready for that. I do not think I'm cut out for New England traffic."

Watching as someone sped past them, cutting off the car that was ahead of them, Tony mashed his lips together in contemplation, pressing hard against the brakes.

"Fair point."

"Are you sad about leaving Morgan all weekend?" Harry changed the subject, a smile appearing on his face as he thought about his sister who was only four months old.

"I'm going to miss her, yes, but I think Pepper is secretly excited about their 'girls weekend,' at least that's what she's been calling it. I was worried about leaving her alone with Morgan at first, but then I realized that she had to juggle my ass all on her own for 13 years, so she's fully capable of handling Morgan for two days," Tony laughed before continuing.

"Besides, how many more times are you and I going to have a chance to make this trip, just the two of us? Soon enough, the rest of the team will start wanting to take turns to come see Peter with us, and then we'll never get any peace and quiet together."

Harry smiled, knowing that there was probably more truth to that statement than either of them realized. Despite the fact that he had only been at school for a month, everyone missed Peter terribly and while still fun, team gatherings just didn't feel the same without the teen's boisterous personality.

"I'm really glad that we're getting to do this. And you get to show us all of your favorite places that you went to in college."

Tony winced and quickly glanced at Harry. "Yeah kid, I'm not thinking that I want Peter to go to any of my 'favorite places' to go to in college."

Harry bit back a laugh and nodded, knowing that based on the stories everyone told about Tony back in the day, he was probably right about that.

"Maybe just a few nice places to eat then," Harry teased, and Tony nodded.

"Now that, I think I could manage."

The rest of the drive passed by uneventfully. The top 100 classic rock rewind on the radio filled any lapses of silence between pleasant conversation.

It was 12:30 when Tony announced that they were almost there and Harry looked out the window. Impressive architecture surrounded them and he smiled when he saw the beautiful brick dormitory that Peter lived in, a sign above a stark white door reading "Burton Conner."

Tony found parking out front and expertly parked the car. Harry fleetingly wondered if they were supposed to have a parking permit, but figured that if someone wanted to ticket Tony Stark, one of the most famous graduates of MIT, they could knock themselves out.

Or realistically, Tony would pay the parking ticket without argument and throw in an extra donation to the university.

Harry shot Peter a quick message, letting him know they had arrived. Three dots immediately appeared, and a message only containing "!!!!!" appeared.

"I never lived in this dorm, but I always thought it looked like a really cool place to live," Tony commented, looking up at the large building.

"Peter said he lives in C4, I think?" Harry tried to recall. Peter had been really excited when he got his room assignment because he was going to be part of a living community that marketed themselves a small group of people that enjoyed watching movies together, doing puzzles together, going out to eat together, having costume parties, and petting dogs. Harry had laughed in excitement along with Peter as he had continued on about how excited he was. He was even more excited for Peter when he found out that he and Ned had been paired up together as suitemates.

As Harry and Tony made their way up the path, the main entrance door swung open and Peter flew towards them. Harry barely had time to process before he was being wrapped up in Peter's arms and embraced tightly.

"I'm so glad you're here, I missed you so much," Peter murmured into his shoulder, tight embrace never wavering. Harry smiled and glanced towards Tony, who was trying to pretend he wasn't watching, but wore a smile on his face.

All of Harry's previous concerns ebbed away as he and Peter continued to hug, neither showing any signs of letting go anytime soon.

"I missed you too," he whispered back.

"I love you so much."

An even bigger smile toyed at his lips, and he tucked his face against Peter's neck as he relayed the same words, "I love you too."

*

(Nine months later-- May)

The sound of the waves rhythmically crashing against the shore and the cawing of seagulls above head made Harry feel at peace. Down the beach away from the boardwalk, children built sandcastles and ran from the waves, shrieking with joy.

"I can't believe I've been in New York City for almost two years, and I've never been here," Harry shook his head, smiling as he watched two teenage boys, obviously on a first date, nervously interlock their hands as they walked by. He remembered the feeling like it was yesterday.

"I haven't been here in years, and I've lived here my whole life," Peter smiled as he followed Harry's gaze to the teenagers. "I think there are some places that are so special that if you went too often, it wouldn't be as special. May and Ben used to bring me here as a kid, and we would spend all day playing in the water, riding the rollercoasters, and eating so much food we would be sick to our stomachs by the end of the day. We'd stay and watch the sun set, and then leave so sunburnt, but it was always worth it. I think if I would have come back on my own, it wouldn't have felt nearly as special as it did when I came with them."

He looked at Harry and smiled, reaching out and lacing their fingers together. "It feels special with you."

And despite the almost two year relationship status between them, Harry's stomach still filled with butterflies at Peter's words. He doubted the feeling would ever go away, and he found himself perfectly fine with that.

"So," Peter's facial expression turned from serious to playful. "Any chance of getting you on a rollercoaster?"

Harry shot Peter a look, and Peter threw his hands up in defense.

"So you're perfectly fine doing nosedives and loopity-loops in the air on a broomstick, but you won't ride the Cyclone with me?"

Harry couldn't help but laugh, his attempt at a serious façade failing. He had never been on a rollercoaster before, but Peter was right, if he could survive some of the Quidditch matches against Slytherin, or even motorbike rides with Hagrid, he could probably make it through a 90 second rollercoaster ride.

"Fine, but we're not getting food until after we ride," Harry warned, and Peter laughed, tugging him towards the gait entrance for the amusement park.

Thirty minutes later, Harry practically dragged Peter out of the park.

"You are absolutely mental," he laughed.

"And you're alive, aren't you?" Peter teased.

"We just went upside down, restrained only at the chest, 130 feet in the air, moving at... how fast did that guy say?"

"60 miles per hour," Peter choked the words out through his laughter.

"I reiterate my point-- you are absolutely mental!"

"Oh fine, let's fine something calmer for you," Peter teased, taking Harry's hand in his and leading him to the Nathan's hotdog stand line.

"I'm only letting you order food if you promise that we're done with the rides." Peter fixed Harry with a look that said 'duh,' but he leaned in close and whispered to him.

"You do understand that half the time I'm swinging around buildings in the city, I'm actively eating a sandwich, right?"

Harry shook his head with a laugh. "You're an idiot."

"Never claimed to be anything different," Peter quipped back. He wrapped his arm around Harry's waist and pulled him in closer.

A breeze from the ocean blew on the boardwalk, and Harry took a deep breath. Peter noted that his entire body seemed to relax as he let out the sigh, and he smiled a bit at the thought. When he had first met Harry, it didn't seem that he'd every be able to truly relax. It had always seemed as though he would be slightly on edge, always waiting for some monster from his past to jump out at him from around the next corner.

But seeing him here, enjoying a simple afternoon, perfectly content with the idea of Peter's arm wrapped around his waist in a public area-- Peter couldn't be prouder of the progress that Harry had made. And Harry deserved every ounce of joy in his life.

"I have an important question for you," Peter leaned in and whispered in Harry's ear. Harry turned to look up at him, eyes wide with curiosity and slight concern.

"What is it?"

Peter looked around mischievously, eyes darting to the front of the line, then back to Harry.

"Are we each getting our own fries, or are we sharing?"

Harry elbowed Peter playfully in the ribs and rolled his eyes.

"Peter," he began seriously, "obviously our own."

The two of them began laughing and soon became unable to stop. Peter was aware that the people in front of them in line were eyeing them curiously, but they too were smiling.

When the two of them could finally catch their breath, Harry let out a deep sigh and took Peter's hand.

"I've really missed this."

The quick tone change of the words hit Peter hard, and he gave Harry's hand a small squeeze. The two of them had barely gotten to see each other this semester, between horrible winter weather that lasted into the month of March and both of their busy schedules. There had been times that Harry had offered to Apparate to Peter's dorm, but Peter had reluctantly talked him out of it, determining that there were too many people around at all times that would make the use of magic too risky.

"I've missed this too. I'm so sorry that things were so crazy this semester. I hope that next year isn't the same way, but..."

Peter trailed off and hung his head slightly to avoid eye contact with Harry.

"Hey, listen to me," Harry gently lifted Peter's chin to look him in the eyes. "You are doing exactly what you need to be doing, and I'm so incredibly proud of you for it. You got into your dream school and are thriving there. Yes, it sucks to not get to see you much during the school year, but it's only a few years right? We'll have the rest of our lives to spend time together.

"And it's not like we don't talk," Harry grinned, "the team teases me every night after we finish with supper because they know I'm going to disappear for a few hours to go talk to you. Everyone always wants me to tell you hello for them."

"They act like they're not calling me on a daily basis, too," Peter laughed. "It's actually amazing that I ever get any homework done."

"See?" Harry laughed. "It sucks to not get to see you every day, but we still get to talk. Sure, it's not the same, but I still fall in love with you more every day. And I promise that we'll make it through this together."

Peter smiled softly and gave Harry's hand another squeeze. "Thank you. I know that I know all of that deep down, its just... sometimes it's nice to hear."

"Anytime you need to hear it, I'll say it."

"Next!" The lady behind the counter called. Peter stepped forward and shot Harry a mischievous grin before ordering.

"We'll get two original hot dogs and two orders of fries, please."

*

(Two years later-- December)

"Mister Stark, can I talk to you about something?" Peter asked, popping his head into Tony's office. Tony looked up from the hologram above the desk and quickly swiped it back down to a 2D format.

"Sure thing kid. This about the job?"

Peter shook his head no and took a seat in a chair by Tony's desk. He was set to graduate in May with his doctorate- something he had busted his ass to achieve in four years like Tony had- and Tony had extended a formal offered to let him start working at Stark Industries in May once he graduated.

"Good, I thought you were backing out on me for a second there," Tony mimed wiping sweat off his forehead, but became serious once he saw the look on Peter's face.

"Pete, kid, what's going on? Is everything okay?"

"I'm 21 years old, only have one more semester of college left, and you still call me 'kid' every time you see me," Peter teased, absolutely no malice behind his words. He knew the nickname was going to stick, no matter hold old he was, and he would have it no other way.

"It's because you are a kid," Tony chuckled. "21 feels old in the moment, but trust me, you'll look back on it in 20 years and think to yourself 'man, I was so young.'"

Peter winced involuntarily, and Tony grew serious once more.

"Seriously Pete, what is it?"

"It's nothing bad," Peter started, and then smiled to himself. "Actually, it's good. It's really good. I just... I don't know how to go about this."

"You know you can trust me, Peter. Whatever this is, you can trust me," Tony rose to his feet and rounded his desk, taking a seat in the chair beside Peter.

"I know I can, it's just... wow, I'm a lot more nervous than I thought I was going to be," Peter took a deep breath.

"So, obviously Harry and I have been together for five years now. And like you just said, I know that we're young, but I really love him. I love him more than I've ever loved anything or anyone else in my life. And I know that it's never going to change, and I want to spend the rest of my life with him. Which is why I was wondering if I could get your blessing to propose?"

Peter's eyes widened the second the words left his mouth and hung in the air for a moment before he began rambling.

"And obviously I knew that Harry's not an object that I need to ask permission to 'have,' and sometimes I think the tradition is old and outdated, but I just felt like I needed to hear you say that it's okay, and talk it over with you because you're like my dad too, and-"

"Pete," Tony spoke, voice low and calm. His eyes were sparkling brightly, tears brimming at the surface. His brow was furrowed in a gentle manner, and he reached out to place a hand on Peter's shoulder.

"Over the past five years I've watched you show our son the patience, gentleness, kindness, love, and joy that he needed and deserved. You have always been respectful of his needs, wants, and boundaries, and it's been appreciated more than you could ever know. Of course you have my blessing, kid. I can't think of anyone else I'd rather have my son marry."

Peter launched into Tony's arms, taking the billionaire by surprise for a moment. Quickly Tony found himself melting into the hug as well. While he had always had a sneaking suspicion that Peter was the one that Harry would end up marrying, there had always been an underlying fear that the two of them would break up and he would lose Peter forever.

Now, he could relax in knowing that he would gain Peter as a son in the name of the law.

"Okay, before we get too far, I think you should ask Pepper as well. I know she'll say yes as well, but I think that it's best that you've asked both of us," Tony told Peter, who nodded.

"I was going to find her next, but I knew you'd be the less intimidating person to ask out of the two of you," Peter admitted, and Tony placed a hand on his chest in mock-offense.

"I'm hurt kid. I know exactly what you're talking about, but hurt all the same." He pulled his phone out of his pocket, hit Pepper's contact on speed dial, and put the phone to his ear.

"Hi hon," he answered, and there was a pause. "No, I didn't do anything. I'm honestly offended that you accuse me of that."

There was another pause, and Tony rolled his eyes. "Yes, I know that I'm actually in the office and that usually means trouble for you. I swear, I haven't done anything yet, Pep. I just wanted to see if you could come to my office really quick? Peter's here and needs to talk to us."

Peter could hear Pepper's voice on the other end of the line, but couldn't quite make out what she was saying.

"Okay, see you in a sec," Tony said as he ended the call. "She's on her way now."

Moments later, Pepper appeared, looking put together as always. Peter swallowed-- he had known that asking for Tony's blessing was going to be difficult, but he had hoped it would make him less nervous to ask Pepper. He realized now, it had not.

"Hi Peter," she greeted him warmly. "Is everything alright? Tony said you needed to talk to us about something-- is Harry okay?"

Peter's eyes widened as he realized that she may be imagining the worst. "Yes, everything is fine. Harry is perfectly fine. I just... I had something I wanted to ask you."

Pepper perched herself on the arm of the chair Tony was seated in, and Peter took another deep breath.

"I wanted to know if it would be alright with you if I asked Harry to marry me?"

Pepper's face broke into a wide smile. "Yes Peter, you completely have my blessing. Oh gosh, I'm so excited for you."

She rose to her feet and enveloped Peter in a tight hug. Over the past several years, Tony and Peter had built a strong relationship through the internship, so Peter hadn't always felt as comfortable with Pepper. But since he began dating Harry, he had come both Tony and Pepper like another set of parents. He was excited to become a permanent part of the family and have them in as in-laws.

"Tony, are you not going to say anything?" Pepper turned to her husband who was watching the two of them with a smile.

"He had already asked me," Tony blurted, and Peter's eyes bulged. The last thing he wanted to do was offend Pepper with the fact that he hadn't asked the two of them together, or asked her first.

Instead, she just began to laugh as she turned to Peter. "So you're admitting that Tony's the less intimidating one between the two of us?"

"100%, yes ma'am," Peter nodded emphatically, and Tony threw his arms up in a 'what the hell' gesture.

Pepper just winked at him. "Atta boy."

*

(One week later-- Christmas Eve, England)

"You don't have to come with me if you don't want to, I'll be okay," Harry reassured, zipping up his coat.

Peter just rolled his eyes as he donned a scarf, "I didn't fly all this way with you to stay here. I'm coming with you. I promise, I want to."

"I just... I felt like I needed to come. I promise we'll be back before Christmas."

"Harry," Peter's hands cupped Harry's face gently. "It's okay, I promise. I wouldn't have come if I weren't on board with this."

Harry nodded and stepped into Peter's embrace.

"Thank you," he murmured.

"Any time."

"You're sure you're going to be alright Apparating there? It might make you feel a bit queasy," Harry warned.

"I'll be alright. I have a stronger stomach than most muggles," Peter couldn't help but chuckle a bit at the word, earning a laugh from Harry.

Harry grabbed his wand off of the hotel dresser and cast a silencing charm around the room, in case any other guests were nearby to hear the echoing 'crack' of Apparition. With his other hand, he reached out for Peter who gladly accepted.

"Are you ready?"

"Let's do this."

Harry concentrated on the thought of Godric's Hollow and then there was a tight squeezing feeling, more and more pressure bearing down on them until...

CRACK

Harry's feet hit the snow and he stumbled a bit. Peter was a little less graceful, falling on to his hands and knees with a groan. Harry quickly helped him to stand up, and noted that Peter was looking a bit peaky, but he decided not to acknowledge it. Instead, he offered Peter his arm and they began making their way down the snow covered cobblestone path.

"It's so peaceful here," Peter commented as they walked past some shops that were closed, though candles flickered in the windows. A pub down the street let out a few intoxicated, boisterous men. At the opposite end of the street stood a church, the voices of a choir singing floating towards them.

"My parents are in here," Harry motioned with a nod of his head. Peter nodded and followed Harry through a gate. Rows of large headstone marked graves, some dating back to hundreds of years prior. Peter felt chills go down his spine, completely unrelated to the cold, as they found themselves in front of James and Lily's headstone.

Harry knelt down in front of the headstone and used his wand to conjure up flowers. Peter placed a hand on his shoulder before kneeling down beside him.

"Do you want... should we talk to them?" Peter spoke softly, and Harry nodded as he quickly swiped away a few tears.

"Hi mum. Hi dad," Harry began, reaching out and taking Peter's hand in his.

"I know it's been a while, I'm sorry about that. There's someone I want to introduce to you. This is Peter," he tightened his grip on Peter's hand, and continued. "I don't know where you're at now, but I'd like to think you already know all about Peter. He's the man I love the most in this world. He's stuck with me through the highs and lows, and I love him like crazy. I wanted you to meet him too."

Peter couldn't stop watching Harry as he continued on, telling them about Tony and Pepper, and the rest of the team. He told them about how he had started writing back and forth to Ron, Hermione, and Ginny again, and they were regaining their relationships back slowly. He told them about how Loki had continued to work with him on his magic so that he still had the option of rejoining the wizarding world if he ever desired to do so. He explained to them that he didn't foresee that being something he'd want to do, but he appreciated everyone making sure he had the option available.

And he told them about all of the love that he felt in his life. About how much love that he had for life now. Listening to him, Peter couldn't help but fall deeper in love.

"Now that I've blathered about like an idiot for probably way too long," Harry blushed, giving Peter's hand a squeeze. "Are you ready to head home?"

"Do you actually mind if I say something to them?" Peter smiled and Harry gave him a quizzical look, but nodded.

"I love your son, and it feels unfair that I've had more time with him than he ever had with the two of you. But I know that he felt your love. I can see it in him every day. You have an amazing son, truly. And I was wondering if I could have his hand in marriage?"

Harry froze in place, mouth slightly agape and tears making his eyes shine. Suddenly, a large gust of wind blew and something flew towards Peter, landing in his lap. Glancing down, Peter let out a small bark of laughter and glanced up at Harry with tears in his own eyes.

"It's a lily," he breathed, holding up the single flower.

"I think that may mean her answer is yes," Harry replied in a whisper.

"What about yours?" Peter turned, propping his leg up so that he was kneeling as he dug a box out of his coat pocket. "Is it a yes from you too?"

He opened the ring box to reveal a silver band, and Harry covered his mouth in disbelief before nodding.

"Yes," he breathed. "Yes! Oh Merlin, Peter, yes!"

Harry grabbed Peter's hand and pulled him to his feet before throwing his arms around his now fiancé.

"I love you so much," Harry spoke, giving Peter a tender kiss.

"And I love you," Peter replied, grinning from ear to ear.

"Everyone is going to freak out when we tell them tomorrow," Harry laughed, barely able to contain his excitement.

"Then we'd better get back to the hotel and on to the quinjet so we can get some sleep. I have a feeling we're in for a few days of excitement," Peter agreed with a laugh, both of them absolutely giddy.

"I would expect nothing less from our family."

*

(The next day-- Christmas Day, New York)

"Come in, come in! It's freezing out there!" Laura ushered them into the house.

"I brought you guys a few premade meals that you can put in the freezer and warm up whenever you'd like," Harry handed the casserole dishes he was carrying to Laura, who accepted them with a smile.

"Thank you, that was so sweet of you to do," she gave him a quick one armed hug before stepping into the kitchen to put the meals away. Harry and Peter shed their coats, scarves, and gloves, and removed their snow caked boots before following Laura into the kitchen. Lucy, who had joined them on the trip upstate, shook the snow off of her fur before trotting after them.

"Is there anything I can do to help you out?" Harry asked, watching as she flitted from one place to another.

"Hey, you made it!" Clint greeted from where he was peeking on the ham in the oven.

"Clint, step away from that ham. Everything you touch seems to burn," Laura swatted at him playfully, and they all laughed.

From the entry way, Harry could tell that Pepper and Tony had officially made it into the house with Morgan. Getting in and out of the car with the toddler had gotten more and more complicated. Laura poked her head into the hallway to greet them, and Harry could hear Pepper's voice say "Laura, you're an absolute saint for offering to host Christmas while barely out of your first trimester. Do you need our help with anything?"

Harry smiled, glancing at Peter. With all of the commotion that was sure to ensue in the next few hours, he doubted anyone would think to look at his hand to see the new ring that he was wearing.

"Steve and Bucky were right behind us with Sarah and Rikki, and I think Bruce, Caroline and Abigail followed on the trip up," Tony told Laura.

Harry smiled, thinking about when he and Peter had arrived home yesterday. He had been unable to hide the engagement from his parents, even though they hadn't seen the ring. The pure excitement on both his and Peter's faces were enough of a giveaway. He knew that they needed to get everyone to Clint and Laura's house fast, because there was no way that Nat wouldn't figure out that something had happened, just by looking at the two of them-- Harry felt like he was glowing.

The house began to fill up, and Peter pulled Harry into the living room where there was a bit less commotion than the entry way and kitchen. There was a fire crackling in the hearth, bathing the room in a warm orange glow which was accentuated by the lights of the Christmas tree in the corner.

"You know, one of these days, we're going to have a house like this of our own to decorate for Christmas," Peter whispered in Harry's ear as he stood behind him, wrapping his arms around his fiancé.

"And maybe some kids to help us out?" Peter held his breath for a second. He knew that they should have discussed whether or not they wanted kids before getting engaged, but it was something he kept putting off.

"Oh yeah, loads of kids. Fostered or adopted," Harry confirmed, and Peter felt all of the tension leave his body.

"What are you two love birds doing, hiding in here?" Nat teased as she entered the living room. Harry conspicuously tucked his arm behind Peter to hide the hand wearing his engagement ring.

"Trying to stay out of the way," Peter laughed, nodding towards the kitchen and entry way from which a loud bang had just sounded. "Case in point."

"Can't say I blame you there," she perched herself on the edge of the couch, grinning when Clint came sulking into the living room with Yelena on his heels.

"Get banned from the kitchen?" Nat teased, and Clint huffed as he plopped down on the couch. Lucy hopped up on the couch beside him and Clint immediately began rubbing her ears.

"You'd think since I paid for the house, I'd at least get to be wherever I wanted in it, but nooo. It's always 'don't touch that, it's hot' or 'you're going to burn it' or 'did you seriously just drop that,'" Clint rolled his eyes dramatically, but there was a smile playing at his lips.

"Where's Cooper at?" Harry asked, noticing the absence of the toddler.

"Upstairs napping. I'll be shocked if he stays down much longer with all of the commotion going on down here."

As soon as the words were spoken, there was a cry from upstairs.

"Clint!" Laura called from the kitchen, but he was already on his feet.

"I've got him, Laur!" He hollered back, and she appeared in the hallway.

"Thank you," she gave him a quick kiss before disappearing back into the kitchen, and Harry smiled at the interaction. He had never expected Clint to be the first one to be so domestic, but it worked for the archer and he seemed truly happy.

Steve and Bucky made their way into the living room, Bucky carrying an armful of presents to set under the tree and Steve with an armful of children. Peter held out his arms to take one of the kids, smiling when Rebecca was the one who began leaning in his direction.

"Hi Rikki, how are you today?" Peter cooed, and Harry smiled as he watched the man he loved snuggle with the eight month old.

Bruce, Caroline and Abigail filed into the living room with gifts to place under the tree, followed by Tony, Pepper and Morgan. Lucy leapt up off the couch to greet the toddlers who giggled as she licked their faces.

"If we keep adding kids like this, we might need a bigger house," Laura joked to Clint as he came back down the stairs carrying a sleepy Cooper.

"This is it babe, we might just need a few more chairs," he shook his head with a laugh.

Morgan raced to Harry's legs, and he reached down to pick her up, smiling as she wrapped her arms around his neck in a hug.

"Thank you Maguna," he smiled, adjusting her on his hip. It felt like every time he went to pick her up, she had grown even more.

From the couch, Natasha cleared her throat loudly, and Harry noticed her eyes narrowed in on his ring finger. Specifically, the shiny new ring on his ring finger.

"Would you like to share anything with us, boys?" She raised an eyebrow at the two of them, but there was a smile playing at her lips. Silence fell over the room as everyone's attention turned towards them. Peter glanced towards Harry, who nodded his head with a grin.

"We got engaged last night!"

The room erupted into a cacophony of voices, cheers, and laughter. Harry didn't think he'd ever be able to wipe the smile off of his face. He truly couldn't think of a time in his life that he'd been happier than right now, with a fiancé who loved him and a growing family who couldn't wait to celebrate with them.

*

(Eight months later -- August)

Peter knew that he'd cry the moment he saw Harry. And likewise, Harry had known he would cry when he saw Peter.

As he walked down the aisle, Tony and Pepper on each side of him, Harry only had eyes for Peter. His big brown eyes shined exceptionally bright in the August sunshine, and his curls were perfectly styled. As always Harry had fought with his unruly hair for nearly an hour before deciding 'fuck it, this is who Peter fell in love with.'

"You look amazing," Peter whispered as Harry reached him.

"You clean up pretty nicely yourself," Harry smiled, quickly brushing away a stray tear.

"We are gathered here today to celebrate the union of these two wonderful men in marriage," Bruce began, officiant's book open in front of him.

Bruce continued on, but Harry could only focus on Peter. The love in his eyes was evident, and it was all Harry could do to wait to kiss him.

"At this time, Harry and Peter would like to exchange vows that they wrote," Bruce announced, and Harry took a deep breath, reaching into his pocket and unfolding the piece of paper he had written his vows on, though he knew that he knew the words by heart.

"Peter, I know that in traditional vows, we would vow to be there for one another for better and for worse, and through sickness and in health. Unlike a lot of people at this stage in their relationship, we've already been through the better and the worse together, and likewise, the sickness and the health together. And through it all, you have stood by my side as my loving, amazingly understanding and caring partner, time and time again. I know that there will still be hard days together, but the hard days will be made slightly better by the fact that we are together. And I vow to stand by your side, through the good and the bad, from now on until death does us part."

He took a deep breath, and Peter reached out and took his hand lovingly, giving it a small squeeze. He reached into his own pocket and took out his own piece of paper and began reciting his vows.

"Harry, somehow you knew exactly what I was going to write in my vows to you. We have been through so many challenges together, from a long distance relationship while I was in college, to health issues. Throughout all of it, you have been the constant thing in my life that could bring me joy, just at the thought of you. You have persevered through more than anyone could imagine, and yet you are consistently the most selfless person I've ever met. I vow to never take for granted any of the time we have together, because if we've learned on thing in our time together, it is that life is uncertain. And I vow to treasure every second of every day until the day that death does us part, because I know that those days will be spent by your side."

Harry quickly wiped away a tear that had slipped down his cheek. As Peter tucked his vows back into his pocket, he reached out for Harry's hands.

"We will now exchange the rings," Bruce announced, motioning to Clint who held Cooper, who had been made the ring bearer. Both Harry and Peter bent down to accept the rings from the toddler with a smile, before standing back up and taking one another's hands again.

"A ring is an unbroken circle with ends that have been joined together, and it represents your union. It is a symbol of forever, and of your infinite love. When you look at these rings on your hands, be reminded of this moment, your commitment, and the love you feel for one another," Bruce continued, before motioning to Harry.

"Harry, please place the ring on Peter's finger and repeat after me." Harry slid the ring on to Peter's left hand, and grinned widely as he repeated after Bruce.

"Peter, I give you this ring as a symbol of my love with the pledge to love you today, tomorrow, always and forever."

Bruce smiled as he looked up from the officiant's book to the two men standing before him.

"And Peter, please place the ring on Harry's finger and repeat after me."

Harry's hand had felt bare for the past 24 hours, since they took the ring to put on the pillow for the ceremony. But as Peter slid the band back on his finger, he felt whole once more.

"Harry, I give you this ring as a symbol of my love with the pledge to love you today, tomorrow, always and forever," Peter repeated, grinning from ear to ear.

"And now, by the power vested in me by the state of New York, I now pronounce you husband and husband. You may kiss!"

Peter pulled Harry closer and they met in the middle to kiss. The butterflies had never disappeared for Harry when they kissed, but this time it felt like there were fireworks. Pure excitement coursed through him at the idea of spending the rest of his life with Peter.

They finally broke away and raised their joined hands up in the air, smiles plastered on their face. As they made their way back down the aisle, Peter leaned in towards his husband and spoke softly, but with a voice full of excitement.

"Can you believe it? We're married!"

Harry shook his head in pure disbelief. If someone would have told him six years ago that this is where he'd be, he would never have believed him. But he was here, and he was in love, and he was well and truly happy.

"I cannot wait to spend the rest of my life with you," he leaned into Peter's arm as they walked, and Peter grinned cheekily at him.

"Good, because you're stuck with me now."

*

(Three years later-- April)

"Harry? I'm home!" Peter placed his keys in the bowl next to the door. Lucy appeared to greet him, moving slower these days, and he bent down to pet her before making his way into the kitchen and living room. The bakery was closed for the evening, and Harry hadn't been in the bakery's kitchen prepping anything for the next day, so Peter's best guess was that his husband had already made his way upstairs for the evening.

He cringed when he saw the time on the stove's digital clock. He had meant to be home hours ago, but shit hit the fan at work and he had been left to clean up a mess.

Tony had recently taken a step back from the company, leaving Peter with a massive promotion. It allowed him a lot more freedom with what he could work on at the company, and he liked his job, but it had also come with a lot more responsibility and time.

"Back here," Harry called from the bedroom at the end of the hallway. He appeared a moment later wearing one of Peter's oversized sweaters and a pair of sweatpants.

"I didn't wake you did I?" Peter winced, and Harry shook his head.

"No, I just came up from prepping the bakery for tomorrow. I actually just finished changing when you came in," Harry raised himself up on his tip toes to greet Peter with a kiss.

"Have you eaten anything yet?" Harry asked, and the guilty look on Peter's face spoke for him.

"Come here, I'll fix you something," Harry pulled him over to the kitchen counter and pointed to the stool.

"You don't have to do that, I can just reheat something. You've had a long day too," Peter began, but Harry fixed him with a pointed look.

"Okay, fine. Is there anything I can do to help you?"

"You can sit down and tell me about your day while I make you a grilled cheese," Harry pointed to the stool again before rummaging through the fridge, pulling out four different types of cheeses. Peter's stomach growled at the idea of food.

"We're so close to finishing up on this project, but it seems like every time we make any progress, it's immediately undone and we're set back again by something else. I'm just really ready to be done with this project. And I'm just so tired, I haven't had the time or energy to go on patrol for weeks," Peter sighed, and paused. Harry glanced at him, noticing him fidgeting.

"What else is bothering you?"

Peter shrugged, reaching down to absentmindedly pet Lucy's head when she nudged his hand.

"I want to start out by saying, I like my job and I don't want to quit. But I also feel myself burning out so fast right now. And... I don't know, I was talking to a guy at work today and he mentioned that his son, who goes to Midtown High School, is struggling in his physics class right now. Apparently they've got this horrible teacher who's leaving at the end of the year and just decided he doesn't give a damn anymore. Anyway, they're looking to hire a teaching position, and I feel like it could be a nice change, but..."

"Hey, come here," Harry rounded the counter and pulled Peter into his arms. "You should talk to my dad. I promise you, he'd understand what you're talking about better than anyone. Would you just want to step back in your involvement from the company and teach as a second job, or would you want to take on teaching as a full time position?"

"I love what I do at Stark Industries, I just can't keep working like this. Especially not since we've started the process to get a foster license. I thought it might not hurt to reach out and apply for the job, especially since it sounds like it would just be two classes, rather than a full load. I think I could do both, I would just need to talk to Tony about lessening my workload."

"You've been so stressed recently, and I know that you say that it's okay, but you're not even 25 yet. You can't burn yourself out this quickly, especially knowing that eventually, if you want it, the company is going to become yours. Now is the time to pursue what you want to do, and if this is what you want, I'm here to support you completely."

"I know that taking on a second job wouldn't be less work, but do you think I could do it? Do you think I'd even be a good teacher?"

"I think that just like everything else, you'll be amazing at whatever you do," Harry smiled, placing a small kiss on Peter's forehead.

"I'll call Tony tomorrow, and talk it over with him and Pepper," Peter nodded as he made up his mind. "You don't think he'll be upset?"

"Have you met my dad?" Harry chuckled as he resumed making the grilled cheese. "Like I said, I think he'll understand you wanting a change of pace so you don't get burnt out better than anyone. Mum isn't going to be upset with you either-- they both love you Peter, and they only want the best for you."

"Thank you," Peter rose from the stool and walked around the counter, wrapping Harry up in a hug from behind. He rested his chin on Harry's shoulder, and placed a small kiss on his neck. "For being so supportive."

"You're my husband, and I just want you to be happy. I know that you hate coming in this late night after night. If that's what makes you happy, I am fully here to support you, but if you need a change and that's what brings you joy, I'll the first person to cheer you on. I love you."

"I love you too," Peter murmured as he squeezed Harry gently. "So how was your day?"

Harry turned to face Peter who raised his eyebrows when Harry began to smile widely.

"I got a call today from the social worker," he began, and Peter's heart began to beat faster. It had been twelve weeks since they had officially begun the process of obtaining a license to foster. They had just finished up their ten-week, 30 hour training class last week, and had been eagerly awaiting the call from their social worker about the next step.

"She called to schedule a home assessment visit," Harry told him. "This Friday."

"As in, three days from now?"

"As in three days from now."

Peter scooped Harry up into a bear hug and spun him around, the two of them laughing.

"That's so exciting! How did you keep such a straight face for this long?!" Peter exclaimed, lowering Harry back down to his feet. Harry shook his head with a laugh.

"It was hard, I'm not going to lie. But seeing your reaction was better than I could have expected." Harry couldn't imagine how excited he would be when they got a phone call that they were getting their first placement.

"We're getting closer," Peter spoke, voice soft but excited. "And just in time, since we just finished up both of the bedrooms."

They had been thankful for the three bedroom apartment when they began looking into what fostering entailed. Since they were open to fostering any age from infants through 17 year olds, Harry had wanted to have one bedroom prepped with a crib, changing table, diapers, and baby clothes. The other bedroom was ready for either a child or a teenager, with a full size bed and a dresser and closet stocked with a variety of clothes ranging in sizes.

Harry handed Peter the finished grilled cheese and began to clean up. As he did, he envisioned their space once they added kids. He knew that they wouldn't permanently be living in the apartment, and once they continued to expand their family they would most likely move upstate by Tony, Pepper, and Morgan, and the Barton family. But for now, while both of them were still working in the city every day, the apartment was perfect to begin a family of their own.

"You alright?" Peter questioned, eyeing Harry with an expression of slight concern as he bit into his sandwich.

"Yeah," Harry smiled. "Everything is about to change, and I think I'm just taking in the fact that for the first time, I think I'm 100% ready for the change."

Peter smiled softly, letting the words sink in. Harry was right, their lives were getting ready to change forever, but he couldn't be any more ready for it.

*

(Five months later-- September)

"Okay, before the bell rings, I want to remind everyone that we're four days out from the deadline on your rollercoaster design project! So if you have not already started it, now would be a great time to start," Peter smiled at the class as they packed up their bags, a collective groan throughout the room.

"Mr. P, do you care what kind of presentation it is? Like, do we need to make it a poster, or could we do a powerpoint?"

"It is whatever you guys want to do. Make it as creative as you'd like-- if you want to build a miniature demo rollercoaster, I might even throw in some extra credit points. Do whatever makes the most sense for you and your presentation! Just remember to actually include the physics and equations behind your work," Peter answered right as the bell rang. "If anyone else has any questions, I will be staying after school for a bit today, so feel free to hang around!"

The room cleared out quickly, which was one of the benefits of teaching a class during the day's final period. However, Peter noticed one student in the back who was slow to pack up his bags. He walked towards the student and took a seat on top of one of the desks.

"Hey Jamie, did you need help with anything?"

"No sir, I just wanted to work on my project for a little bit here, if that's alright with you?"

"Sure thing, I've got some grading to get done before I head home. If you need anything, I'll just be at my desk, okay?"

Jamie nodded, keeping his head down. Peter watched him for a moment longer before getting up and moving to the front of the room where his desk was.

It was mid September, but the summer heat had lingered. The windows that made up one entire wall of the classroom allowed in the afternoon sun, causing the temperature of Peter's classroom tick up a few degrees every day. Peter found himself rolling up the sleeves of the collared shirt he was wearing, thankful for the extra coat of deodorant he had applied this morning.

Jamie, on the other hand, was sitting in the direct sun, still wearing a sweatshirt and jeans. Peter wondered how the kid wasn't absolutely dying in the heat. It made him think back to how Harry used to be when they first met, and his mind began racing.

"Hey, are you alright if I turn on a few fans? It's pretty warm in here," Peter asked, and Jamie nodded again but continued to avoid eye contact. Peter rose to his feet and flipped on a few fans in the room, appreciating the white noise they created as well. He returned to his desk and began grading, but every few minutes, his eyes would flick back up to look at Jamie.

After almost an hour, Peter glanced at his watch. Normally he was getting home by this time, so he sent a quick text to Harry to let him know that he was going to be late.

"Hey, I hate to make you stop since you're working so hard, but I've got to get going for the evening," Peter spoke softly as not to startle student who had been working in silence for the past hour. Jamie glanced up at the clock on the wall and began packing up his things quickly.

"Sorry to keep you, Mr. Parker," he apologized. "I didn't realize what time it was."

"Hey, it's alright. I told you I was staying tonight, and I wouldn't have offered if it was any inconvenience to me. Do you have a way to get home?"

Jamie hesitated for a minute, then tentatively nodded yes.

"Jamie, do you need a ride home?" Peter offered, knowing full well that the teenager was lying to him.

"It's alright, I can walk home. I'd hate to put you out."

"Seriously, it's no trouble. I'll drive you home."

When Jamie nodded, Peter grabbed his keys and his bag before holding open the door to the classroom for Jamie.

The hallways were completely empty, all of the other teachers being long-gone for the day.

"Did you make good progress on your project?" Peter attempted to make small talk as they walked towards the car. Jamie shrugged before answering.

"I actually finished it last night. I just needed a quiet place to work on some of my other homework after school. I hope that's okay."

"Yeah, of course. Be honest, what did you think about the project? Too easy, too hard? Too cheesy? It's my first year teaching, so I'm open to feedback."

"I liked it," Jamie responded. "And I liked that you let us do the project however made the most sense to us."

"I know that students have different strengths, and I wanted to make sure everyone felt confident in what they were turning it, whether it be a paper, a diagram, poster, PowerPoint, any of those."

They reached the car, and Peter tossed his bag into the back seat before getting into the drivers seat. Jamie took the passenger seat, nestling his backpack between his legs. Peter watched as he closed the car door, the sleeve of his sweatshirt sliding up slightly to reveal a ring of bruises around his wrist. Peter quickly diverted his eyes, trying not to make it obvious to Jamie that he had seen the bruises.

The teenager quickly pulled down the sleeve, but Peter felt as though someone had punched him in the gut. The thought he had back in the classroom where Jamie reminded him of Harry came racing back to him.

They pulled out of the parking space, and Jamie began giving Peter directions. After about fifteen minutes, Peter glanced towards Jamie.

"Do you walk this every day?"

"Sometimes I catch the bus, but only when I leave right away. So yeah, I usually walk."

"This has got to take you a solid thirty to forty five minutes to walk home."

"I don't really mind," Jamie shrugged.

They pulled up in front of a dilapidated apartment building. Weeds grew through the cracks in the concrete in front, and the door to the building hung ajar like it had been broken long ago, but nobody had fixed it.

"Thank you Mr. Parker. Sorry again to keep you so late," Jamie apologized, opening his door and grabbing his backpack.

"It's no problem. I was actually pretty productive after school today, so if you ever want to stay and study in my room, feel free. I'll see you tomorrow."

Jamie gave him a small smile and closed the door, and Peter watched as he walked inside before driving off.

The entire drive home, he couldn't help but wonder what was going on with the kid. He knew that Jamie was smart- he wouldn't be the only freshman in the AP Physics class if he wasn't. But he also knew that the quality of work he had turned in so far this semester had varied from in-depth, quality work, to a rushed mess that was nowhere close to his best potential.

He wondered what he should do. It was obvious to him that something was not right with his home life, but he didn't have enough to go off of. There was no proof that the bruises were from someone within his home, and just because he liked to stick around after school to work didn't mean he lived somewhere unsafe. Still, there was a gnawing feeling in the pit of Peter's stomach.

The next day, Jamie stuck around after class again. And then he stayed again the day after, and the day after that. Each day, Peter gave him a ride home after and thanked him for forcing him be productive by sticking around.

Friday was the fourth day that Jamie stuck around after school, and Peter was sitting at his desk when he heard the teenager's stomach growl. Jamie shifted uncomfortably in the chair, and his eyes flicked up to meet Peter's.

"Sorry," he murmured.

"Why are you apologizing?"

"My stomach is being really loud," Jamie replied sheepishly. "I don't know... it's just distracting, I guess."

"Here," Peter reached into his bag and pulled out a sandwich, walking it over to Jamie's desk. "My husband always packs me an extra one in case I need it in the afternoons."

Jamie's eyes widened in slight surprise.

"Thank you," he accepted the sandwich, unwrapping it and taking a bite. "Okay, I don't know what your husband did to this, but this is the best sandwich I've ever had."

"You should taste his baking some time," Peter laughed, taking a seat on the desk beside Jamie. "He's the best cook I know."

"How long have you been married?"

Peter smiled as he answered the question, partially at the thought of his husband, and partially because it was the first time Jamie seemed to be coming out of his shell.

"We just celebrated three years married in August. But we've been together for nine years now, since we were 16."

"Wow," Jamie's eyes widened further. "Did you meet in high school?"

Peter bit his lip, trying to figure out how much he wanted to disclose to the student. "No, it's kind of a long story. He was adopted by a mentor of mine, and we met that way."

Jamie nodded before continuing. "Sorry to ask, but how does the last name thing work? Did you take his last name or did he take yours?"

Peter smiled as he answered. "We actually both kept our last names. I lost my parents at a young age, so it was important to me to keep my last name going. Harry also lost his parents at a young age, and then fought so hard to get adopted, so we didn't want to change either of his last names. So we both kept our own."

Jamie nodded again, but didn't prod any more. As he lifted the sandwich up to his mouth again, Peter noticed a new deep purple ring of bruises around Jamie's wrist, and it looked as though it would extend up his forearm if he slid his sleeve up.

He was about to say something when Jamie's phone rang, making him jump. He glanced at the screen, and the color drained from his face. He rose to his feet and hurried out of the classroom as he answered the call.

Peter knew that he shouldn't use his enhanced hearing to eavesdrop on the phone call, but with how fast Jamie's demeanor had changed, he had his concerns.

"... I stayed after school to get some help in my physics class," Jamie spoke, and Peter frowned.

"He can give me a ride home... no sir. I'm sorry," he heard Jamie say, then pause. "Okay, I'll meet you out front."

Peter pretended to be busy when he heard the Jamie's footsteps heading back into the room.

"Everything okay?" He asked, not expecting the teenager to say anything.

"Yes sir," Jamie replied. "My dad is coming to pick me up today. He'll be here in a few minutes. I'm going to go wait out front."

He began packing up his stuff, quickly polishing off the remainder of the sandwich.

"Mind if I walk out and wait with you? It would give me a lot more peace of mind than letting you stand outside all by yourself waiting on him."

Jamie hesitated, and Peter's heart broke as he watched how conflicted the kid seemed.

"I guess. My dad isn't much of a talker. Usually he's pretty tired after he gets off work."

"That's alright. I just want to make sure you get to where you need to go safely," Peter reiterated.

The two made their way out front and took a seat on a cement retaining wall as they waited.

About 5 minutes later, a car tore into the parking lot and sped up to the front of the school.

"Get in James," the man hollered through the open window, and Jamie practically sulked towards the car. Peter's heart pounded as he watched how the teenager's demeanor had made a complete 180 from ten minutes prior.

"Hi, I'm Jamie's teacher, Peter Parker," Peter introduced himself to the man. "Sorry to keep him so late, I lost track of time."

The man laughed as he looked at Peter. "Are you even old enough to be a teacher here?"

"Yes sir, I graduated with my doctorate from MIT three years ago," Peter answered with a tight smile.

"And you're teaching high school? Seems like a waste of a doctorate degree to me."

Jamie looked downright embarrassed, staring at his hands in his lap. Peter let out a terse laugh before continuing.

"You're right. I primarily work at Stark Industries as a COO, but I enjoy teaching so I decided to do it as a second job. Anyway, I've taken up enough of your evening, so I'll let you go. In the future, I'm always happy to give Jamie a ride home, it's no bother. You two have a good weekend."

Peter gave them a small wave and headed towards his car, not bothering to stick around to listen to another one of the man's snide comments. The sadness he had for Jamie was only growing, and he worried about the kid.

Peter drove home in silence, mind racing as he thought about Jamie's situation more and more. He only hoped that he caught the kid's dad in a bad mood, and that Jamie was just in trouble because he hadn't told his dad he was going to be late. Peter tried to rationalize it, remembering all of the times that May had scolded him after he forgot to send her a text, but the difference was that she never yelled at him like that.

He just hoped that the kid was okay come Monday, and could make it through another weekend in a home that he obviously did not enjoy spending time in.

*

On Monday afternoon, Peter noticed Jamie's absence and immediately became concerned. He asked a few of the other students if anyone had heard from him, but nobody in the class had his phone number.

After class, Peter decided to send an email, hoping that the student could check it at home.

Jamie,

Noticed you were absent in class today and wanted to let you know that we went over Chapters 6 and 7, and I handed out the worksheet that is attached at the bottom of this email. If you have time tomorrow afternoon, please stay after class and I can go over the content with you. Hope you're well,

Mr. P

Peter hit send and closed his laptop, hoping and praying that everything was okay.

That night, he could barely sleep. He laid awake, staring at the ceiling, afraid that he would wake Harry if he got up to go on patrol. The next morning at Stark Industries, he was a mess. It was as if his head wasn't screwed on right, and even Pepper made a comment.

"Peter, are you alright? Do you need to leave early today? You just don't quite seem yourself."

He had given her a small smile and explained that he just hadn't slept well. She gave him a weary look, but decided to let the obvious lie slide, knowing that he would tell her in due time if it were anything serious.

Peter sure hoped it wasn't.

He drove way too fast to the school that afternoon for his classes, and he found his leg bouncing anxiously throughout the honors chemistry class that he taught before the AP chemistry class. When the bell rang, he forced himself to drink some water to calm down as the students filed in. He tried to convince himself that he was overreacting. Jamie had probably just been sick-- kids got sick, it happened.

The one minute warning sounded over the loud speakers and Peter's heart continued to beat way too fast as he waited.

With only moments to spare, Jamie came darting into the classroom, wearing a thick hoodie with the hood up, and keeping his head down. He quickly took his seat in the back of the room, shoulders hunched and not making eye contact with anyone. Peter wasn't sure if he felt relieved or more concerned about the kid.

"Alright everyone, since we have our first unit test in class tomorrow, I figured we could play a Kahoot today. Pull out your phones," Peter announced, and the classroom went wild with excitement.

Peter was only half focused on the game and explaining concepts of questions missed as the hour ticked by slowly. When the final bell rang, the room began to clear out quickly and Peter spotted Jamie trying to slip out with the crowd.

"Jamie, can you come here for a second please?" He called out, and he watched as Jamie's shoulders sunk with defeat.

"Mr. Parker, I can't stay after school anymore. I have to go straight home," he explained, keeping his head down. Peter noticed that his voice sounded hoarse, and he wondered for a split second if he had actually been sick.

Peter glanced around the classroom, noting that everyone else had left. He rose to his feet and walked over to the door, closing it quietly behind him.

"Jamie," he began softly. "Can you look at me, please?"

Jamie's head shook back and forth, and Peter noticed that his shoulders began to tremble.

"Hey," he took a seat at one of the desks. "You're safe here, I promise. Can you please take your hood down, and look at me?"

When Jaime finally looked at him, Peter's heart broke to see his red eyes swimming with tears. It was at that moment that Peter realized how young the 14 year old looked.

The heart break quickly turned to rage, however, when the teenager lowered his hood, revealing yellowing finger print shaped bruises around each side of his neck and jaw.

Peter took a deep breath, trying to contain his anger and despair at the sight of the bruises.

"Can you tell me who did this to you?" He asked calmly, but he already knew the answer. He just needed Jamie to say it.

Jamie just shook his head adamantly, over and over again, and his shoulders began to shake as he started to cry.

"He doesn't mean to hurt me, I swear. I just push his buttons sometimes, and he gets so upset when he drinks, but he never means to hurt me. He told me over and over again that he was sorry," Jamie sobbed.

"Hey, hey, hey," Peter hushed, getting to his feet and grabbing some tissues. He offered them to the kid in front of him, wanting so desperately to hug him but not wanting to cross any boundaries or make him uncomfortable.

"Jamie, I'm going to be honest. I'm a mandatory reporter, I have to report this," Peter began, and Jamie's eyes snapped up to his, wide with fear.

"Please Mr. Parker, please don't. He doesn't mean to, I swear."

"Jamie," Peter's heart broke as he spoke the words, "people don't wrap their hands around your throat by accident."

Jamie launched himself into Peter's arms and broke down, full body sobs wracking his body. Peter just held the teenager until he began to calm down.

"So what happens once you report him?" He hiccupped, wiping snot and tears away from his face.

"Once I make a report, the local department of social services will immediately begin an investigation, and an agent from CPS should be by the house within 24 hours," Peter explained. "And from there, they'll determine what the best course of action will be."

"Meaning?"

"Whether the report of abuse is legitimate and further legal action needs to be taken. Do you have anybody else you can stay with, Jamie? What about your mom, or your grandparents? Any aunts and uncles?"

Jamie shook his head. "My mom died when I was nine, and both sets of my grandparents are dead. Both of my parents were only children. My dad is all I have."

Peter nodded slowly, taking the information in. He glanced down at his watch and noted that it had already been fifteen minutes since school had ended.

"Shit," he muttered, glancing up at Jamie. "Do you need a ride home? I can drop you off at the end of the block if you're scared he'll see me. I just don't want to get you into trouble."

Jamie bit his lip, then nodded.

Peter walked over to his desk and pulled out a sticky note, scribbling down his phone number on it.

"This is my cell phone number. It's most likely going to be tomorrow before someone can come and check in on you. If things get bad, or you need anything, you can give me a call. But if things are dangerous, Jamie, I really need you to promise me you'll call the police."

Fear appeared on Jamie's face, and he shook his head. "I don't know that I can do that."

"Then if you find yourself in a situation where you need to call them, but can't bring yourself to do it, you call me immediately. Any time, day or night."

He handed the sticky note with his phone number to the teenager who accepted it with shaking hands. He quickly entered the contact into his phone, and tucked the sticky note away inside his phone case. Peter noted that he set the contact as an emergency number, and he hoped that it was all for nothing.

Peter grabbed his keys and his bag, trying not to let Jamie see that his own hands were trembling. The two of them solemnly made their way out of the building together, Jamie putting his hood back up as they made their way past students that were lingering in the hallways for practices or chatting with their friends.

Peter drove slower than normal to Jamie's apartment, wanting to get him there faster than he would have gotten there had he walked, but not wanting him to get home too early to make it suspicious, in case his dad was home.

When they got to the street that Jamie lived on, Peter parked at the end of the street as promised. Before Jamie got out, Peter turned to him.

"I'm really sorry about everything Jamie, I really am. If you need anything, let me know."

Jamie looked at him with sad eyes, but nodded. As he climbed out of the car, he paused.

"I don't know what's going to happen, but in case I can't come back to Midtown, I want to say thank you Mr. Parker. For caring when nobody else ever has."

When the door closed behind him, Peter finally let the tears stream down his face as he watched the kid amble slowly into the apartment building and disappear.

*

Harry was in the process of cooking supper when he heard Peter's key in the door. He continued humming to himself as laid out the sheet-pan chicken stir fry on a pan.

"Hi hon, how was your day?" He called out as he slid the pan into the oven. When Peter didn't immediately respond, Harry turned to look at his husband who had made his way into the kitchen.

He saw Peter's red rimmed eyes and hair that looked like it had been tugged on several times throughout the day. Harry crossed the kitchen and immediately took Peter into his arms, holding him as he began to cry.

"Shh, I've got you. It's alright," Harry hushed, stroking Peter's hair soothingly. Peter just shook his head against Harry's chest, and Harry's mind began racing.

"Peter, everyone's okay, right? May...?"

"She's fine," Peter pulled away slightly to look at Harry, arms still wrapped around his waist. "I just had a really shitty day."

"Let's come sit down and we can talk about it," Harry guided him to the couch in the living room. Lucy followed the two of them, sticking close to Peter's side the entire time.

Peter took a moment to collect himself, grabbing a tissue from the box on the coffee table and wiping his face.

"I had to call CPS tonight to report abuse on one of my students," Peter blurted out. Harry's hand flew to his face and leaned over to pull Peter into another hug.

"I just feel so bad, because I've suspected it for almost two weeks now, but it took until today for me to do anything about it. God, I feel like a shitty person. And after everything that happened with you..." he trailed off, looking at Harry whose body language had shifted uncomfortably.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to try to bring anything up. I just... after seeing everything that you went through, I promised myself I'd always help anyone as soon as they needed it, but I waited, and he nearly killed the kid, and..." Peter shook his head as if trying to get the thought out of his head.

Harry reached out and took his husband's hand. "But you reported it now, and you're trying to get him help. Look, I know the system's fucked up, and it's going to suck, but right now it's important to get him out of a dangerous home."

Peter looked up at Harry with blood shot eyes. "I wanted to ask you... do you think I could call our social worker. Maybe we can take him in for a while if they remove him from the home? I mean, we don't have to if you don't want to, but I think he'd be more comfortable, and-"

"Pete," Harry placed a gentle hand on Peter's face, ending his rambling. "Of course I'm okay with that. Anything we can do for this kid, to make him more comfortable. What's his name?"

Peter gave him a weak smile. "James. He goes by Jamie."

Harry's heart felt like it stopped for a moment. He knew it was just a name, but the potential of their first foster kid to share a name with his father caused goosebumps to appear all over his body.

"Let me go give Sandy a call, and see what she says," Peter rose to his feet, wiping the remainder of the tears from his face. "Then we can go from there."

*

The ringing of the phone is what woke Peter up. Immediately, he was wide awake and gave Harry a small shake when he saw that it was an unknown number. Dread filled him, and he knew he was about to hear Jamie's voice on the other end of the line.

"Jamie?" He answered, accepting the call as he climbed out of bed to throw on a pair of pants and some shoes.

"Mr. Parker, I need your help. Please," Jamie's voice sounded like one of a child's on the other end of the line. Peter heard what sounded like glass shattering in another room, and Jamie whimpered.

"Jamie, I'm on my way. Did you call the police? Are you safe?"

"I couldn't do it. I just couldn't do it Mr. Parker, please, I need your help. I'm in my room, but my lock is broken. My desk is against my door, but I think he's going to kill me. He's really mad, and he's really drunk."

Peter motioned to Harry to grab his phone, and mouthed for him to dial 911.

"Okay Jamie, stay on the line. I'm going to call the police right now, but I'm going to put you on mute for a second. I can still hear you. I'm still here."

He hit mute and cursed under his breath.

"Can't you suit up and go help him now? Do we have time to wait for the police?" Harry asked, pointing to the box in the closet where they kept Peter's Spiderman suit. But Peter shook his head.

"We need to go about this the legal way. I know that nobody knows that I'm Spiderman, but we can't risk anything disrupting the legal process here. We need to make sure that we can still take him into our custody at the end of this, and we don't want anything, or anybody, like Spiderman, to cause any disruption that may interfere with a court case. And honestly Harry, I don't know what I'd do to the bastard once I get in there."

Harry nodded, and passed Peter the phone so he could call the police. Peter traded him the phone with Jamie.

"Can you talk to him while I call them?" He asked, and Harry nodded, unmuting himself.

"Jamie? Hi, this is Harry. I'm Peter's husband. Listen to me, you're going to be okay. We're calling for help right now, and we're on our way."

"Please," Jamie pleaded. "Please hurry."

There was a loud thud, and Jamie whimpered again. Harry swallowed the lump in his throat and reached for Peter, giving his hand a tight squeeze. Peter immediately felt bad as he spoke the police officer, realizing that by listening to Jaime on the other end of the line, Harry was probably being transported back to his days with the Dursley's.

As soon as Peter was finished calling the police, he offered to take the phone back from Harry, but he was surprise when Harry shook his head. The two left the apartment in a hurry, Harry staying on the line with Jamie to calm him down for the entirety of their drive.

When they arrived to the apartment, the police were already there. Peter parked at the end of the street, and they raced to as close as the building as they were allowed.

"Jamie, we're here. The police are on their way in. You've done such a good job, mate. Just a few more minutes, and the police will be in there to get you," Harry continued to reassure over the phone. Peter found a police officer who was standing guard to protect the area, and explained the situation to her.

Harry flinched when he heard the yelling on the other end of the line, and the loud sound of a door being broken down. Peter immediately noticed and pulled him close, planting a kiss against his temple, quickly blinking back tears.

"Okay Jamie, you can move the desk now. You can move the desk to let the police officers in. You're safe, I promise," Harry spoke, listening to what was happening inside through the phone.

Minutes dragged by at a snail's pace as the two of them stood out on the sidewalk, waiting for the police to bring Jamie out. By now, more police officers had arrived and an ambulance had showed up as well as a precaution.

The stupid door that Peter had grown to hate swung open, and he held his breath as police escorted a very belligerent, handcuffed version of Jamie's dad to a police vehicle. Peter watched as they tucked the man into the back seat of the car until more movement from the front steps of the building caught his eye.

Jamie appeared, flanked by three officers, looking like hell. Harry gripped Peter's hand tightly as he saw the black eye that was already forming on the kid's face, and a fresh set of bruises over the top of the ones already on Jamie's neck.

As soon as Jamie spotted them, both Peter and Harry stepped forward, and Jamie raced towards them. Peter immediately enveloped the teenager in a gentle but firm hug.

"Are you okay? How hurt are you?" Peter asked, pulling away the slightest bit to assess the teenager's wellbeing.

"I'm okay," Jamie replied, voice hoarse from both crying and the assault. Nonetheless, Peter lead him over to the ambulance to get him checked out, knowing that there was a lot that shock could hide from you.

Harry glanced up as another vehicle pulled up to the curb, watching as their social worker Sandy got out of the car. She smiled sadly when she spotted him.

"I was really hoping after Peter and I spoke last night that this was not how we'd be meeting again, but I had a feeling that it would be," she greeted.

"I've made some calls, and got approval for Jamie to be temporarily placed with you until the court hearing about his father's sentence. At that time, we'll reassess what we're looking at as far as long or short term placement. But for now, Jamie will be staying with you two."

Harry let out a breath that he hadn't realized he'd been holding. There had been a small part of him worried that Jamie wouldn't be allowed to come with them. And after the last hour that they'd had, he thought they all needed to be able to stay together for now.

The next several hours were a whirlwind as Jamie was checked out by paramedics, talked to Sandy and police officers. Harry and Peter stood by his side the whole time, patiently waiting until someone told them they were free to go home. By the time they arrived back at Harry and Peter's apartment, the sun was beginning to rise.

Lucy greeted them at the door, tail wagging excitedly. Harry reached down to scratch behind her ears for a moment.

"This is Lucy," Peter introduced. "She's very friendly, and I'm going to guess she's going to be sticking by your side for a bit. If you're not comfortable with that, just let me know."

"She's okay," Jamie gave him a half smile as he extended his hand to let Lucy sniff him.

"Jamie, I'll show you around and then if you'd like, you can either take a shower, or head to bed. You look exhausted, and I'll call the school to let them know you won't be coming today," Harry told Jamie gently. "I own the bakery downstairs, and I'm going to close for the day, so I'll be here with you."

"I'm going to call Tony and Pepper and let them know that I won't be making it into the office today. Then I can call the school for you and tell them that neither Jamie nor I will be coming in today," Peter placed his keys on the counter.

Jamie clutched his small duffle bag of belongings that he was allowed to bring and followed Harry down the hallway into the bedroom, Lucy following close behind.

"We've got a variety of clothes here. You'll probably want what's in these two drawers here. And once you get settled and things calm down a bit, we can go shopping for some more things. There's some open space in this drawer down here, and some more space in the closet," Harry showed him.

"This door here leads to a bathroom. There's shampoo, conditioner and body wash in there for you. Towels and wash cloths are in this cabinet."

Harry turned to face Jamie and spoke in a softer tone. "I can show you the rest later, but I understand how overwhelming this can be. So you just take some time to settle in, and we can finish up later. We'll be in the living room if you need either of us."

"Thank you," Jamie's voice was quiet and tired, but full of relief. Harry hoped that he would be able to fall asleep quickly without too much difficulty. He remembered the days of feeling dead tired, but being unable to relax enough to actually fall asleep.

As he made his way into the living room, he heard the bathroom door close and the shower turn on. He plopped down on to the couch dramatically beside Peter, who was on the phone with Pepper.

"- everything is okay now. We'll keep you up to date, I promise.... I'm not quite sure he's ready for that yet, but hopefully soon.... Okay, I'll let you know if I need more time off... Thanks Pepper... Okay, I will. Love you too.... Bye."

"How did I know she'd already be awake?" Harry joked half-heartedly. His mum had always been a morning person and was always up before the sun whereas his dad was such a night owl that he may have never gone to bed by the time the sun was coming back up.

"She said to give her a call if we need anything. She offered to come and help, but I told her that we're probably not going to be up for that for a while."

"I need to text Caroline and let her know that I'm closing the bakery for the day. And then I need to go downstairs and post a sign on the door. I know that they could open up without me, but I think we all need to sleep and I don't think it'll be possible to do that with the business open downstairs."

Peter reached out and gave Harry's hand a small squeeze.

"I'm really proud of you," he spoke softly. "You handled everything really well tonight, and I know that it couldn't have been easy for you. You've come such a long ways since we met, and I'm really proud of you."

He leaned over and gave Harry a kiss before laying his head on his shoulder.

"Hey Peter?" Harry asked, earning a hum in response.

"I know it didn't happen under the most ideal of circumstances, but we officially have our first foster kid."

Peter tilted his head to look up at his husband who was biting back a smile.

"Yeah," he smiled back, "we do."

*

(Two years later-- November)

"Jamie! Come on, bud, we're going to be late!" Peter called down the hallway.

"Peter, how do I look?" Clara, their 6 year old foster daughter, asked as she pranced into the kitchen. She gave a twirl to show off the French braid that Harry had just finished on her.

"Wow, I think you look very pretty," Peter grinned, glancing up at Harry as he walked into the living room. "Harry did a really good job."

"She's all ready to help out at the bakery today," Harry smiled fondly at Clara, who had been begging to help out at the counter for weeks now.

"You're going to be the best helper they've ever had there," Peter grinned as he reached out to give her a high-five. Clara had been with them for a little over a month as her mother completed a rehabilitation program out of state and got back on her feet. Caring for the exuberant 6-year old was bittersweet, as she was only expected to be staying with them for 3 months. But the time together had been filled with fun and laughter so far, and both Peter and Harry were happy with how she had handled the transition into their home.

"Hey, sorry. I couldn't figure out what I wanted to wear," Jamie apologized as he hurried into living room. "I'm ready to go now."

"That's alright, let me grab my keys," Peter's tone was soft with the teenager. He had been with them for two years now, as his short term placement had turned into a long term stay. Peter and Harry had spent many hours on the phone with their social worker about keeping Jamie with them, in a place he was familiar with.

Harry gave Jamie a quick hug and smoothed out the button down shirt the teen had decided on.

"You remember that no matter what happens today, we love you and you will always have a permanent place in this family."

"Thank you," Jamie murmured in response. Peter's heart squeezed as he watched the interaction.

It had been twenty two months since the last time Jamie had seen his father, the last time being at his last court hearing. Jamie had come to Peter and Harry a few weeks ago expressing his desire to go visit his dad.

The process of getting visitation approved had been somewhat challenging, especially with the nature of the crime he was in prison for, but Harry and Peter had done their best to advocate for Jamie's needs, citing that he knew what he could handle better than they did. Even still, the idea of the visit scared Peter a bit.

As the two made their way to the car, Peter noticed that Jamie was quiet.

"You're still 100% sure you want to do this?" Peter questioned, keeping his voice even. He wanted to make sure Jamie didn't feel pressured to go through with it if he was having any reservations. The 16 year old nodded his head.

"Yeah, I think I'm just a little nervous. I mean, we didn't exactly end on good terms," he huffed a half-hearted laugh, but it felt flat.

"Sandy told me you would be using a phone to speak with him through glass," Peter explained, wanting to give him a warning in advance.

Jamie nodded slowly as he took in the information. Peter reached out and flipped on the radio, letting soft music break the monotonous silence for the rest of the drive.

When they arrived, Peter got the two of them signed in and they went through the metal detectors before a security guard greeted them and began escorting them back to the visitation area.

"Peter, do you mind if I go in, just me? I just... I think he'd handle it better than if you were there," Jamie nervously pitched the idea, and Peter absolutely hated the thought of sending the kid into the visitation on his own, but he nodded.

"Of course. I'll wait right outside for you when you're ready, okay?"

Jamie responded with a nod of his head, and the security guard lead him into the room. Peter leaned against the wall and took in a deep breath, holding it for a few seconds before blowing it out slowly.

He lost track of how long he was standing there, but it couldn't have been long at all before Jamie came barreling out of the room with the security guard flanking him.

Upon spotting Peter, Jamie flew into his arms and began sobbing. Peter was transported back to the night that Jamie had come to stay with them two years ago, with the way the kid had clung to him then and sobbed.

Peter glanced up and made eye contact with the security officer who was standing beside them, watching Jamie sympathetically. Peter raised his eyebrows quizzically and glanced quickly towards the room that Jamie had just exited. The security guard gave a small shake of his head, and Peter's heart sank.

"Hey, let's get out of here," Peter whispered gently, and he felt Jamie nod his head against his chest. He kept the kid tucked under his arm as they made their way out of the building.

Once they were safely inside the car, Peter turned in his seat to face the teenager who was still crying silently.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Jamie tore his eyes from where he had been intensely studying the floor mats, and looked at Peter with bloodshot eyes.

"He asked if I had brought him a pen so he could sign me over to someone who actually wanted me. If those people actually existed."

Peter's blood immediately began to boil and he wanted nothing more than to march back in there and give the man a piece of his mind. But he knew that would only make him feel better, not Jamie, and Jamie was the one he needed to focus on.

"Hey, you listen to me," Peter began seriously. "You matter to us. I know Harry told you this morning, but nothing will ever change that. We love you, we care about you, and we love having you around."

Jamie sniffled and aggressively swiped at the tears streaming down his face.

"He told me I was a waste of his money and that his life would be better without me in it. What kind of parent says that to their fucking kid?" His tone had shifted into one of anger, and Peter decided to let the swearing slide. If there was a situation in which to say a few curse words, this would be one.

"He told me he was going to contact someone to relinquish his parental rights," Jamie finished, voice completely breaking off. And just like that, the anger had dissipated and he was overcome by a wave of sadness. Peter pulled him into his arms the best he could over the center console, soothingly smoothing his hair as he continued to cry.

"I thought maybe he'd be sorry," Jamie hiccupped a few minutes later. "I blamed his behavior on alcohol for so many years that I thought that maybe after he'd sobered up, he'd apologize for everything he's done. But now I know he just hates me."

Peter listened sympathetically, finding that he wasn't entirely sure how to respond.

"Jamie, you're an amazing kid. If he can't recognize that, then that's on him. But you deserve so much out of this life, and I know that no matter what happens, you're going to do great things. And you may not have the support and love you deserve from your father, but you've got it from Harry, and me, and Tony, and Pepper, and every person in our family. No matter what happens, you've got people in your corner."

Jamie nodded, and gave him a weak smile before saying, "let's go home."

As they drove, Peter thought about Harry and what his response would be. He thought about the conversation that they would have about Jamie's father relinquishing his parental rights, and what that would mean for him as a foster child.

Peter got goosebumps as the idea of legally adopting Jamie entered his mind. He couldn't imagine it was something that Harry would be opposed to-- they had both come to love Jamie as their own over the last two years-- but it was still something they would need to discuss before Peter made any executive decisions on his own.

When they arrived back home, Peter suggested Jamie use the back entrance and go up to the apartment. The teen had begun working at the bakery part time on weekends and after school, and was scheduled for a shift this afternoon, but Peter knew that he probably wasn't feeling up to it at the moment.

"If you want to head upstairs, I'll go grab Harry and we can all talk in a few minutes. Or, if you want some time, we can always do it later, too. It's all up to you."

"It's alright, we can do it now," Jamie told him with a small smile. "I don't know that I've said it enough, but thank you for all that you and Harry have done for me."

"No thanks necessary, bud. We love you, and we're so glad you've become a part of our family."

Jamie's smile widened a bit more, and he headed up the staircase that lead up to the apartment. Peter walked through the kitchen and into the lobby to find Harry and Clara at the cash register ringing a customer up.

Peter smiled as he watched Harry help the 6-year old, the customer on the other side of the counter laughing at something Clara had said.

"What do you say, Clara?" Harry asked with a grin.

"Thank you! Have a nice day!" She exclaimed, earning a laugh out of the customer.

"That was so good, you're doing a great job," Harry praised as he helped her down off of the step stool she had been on. As he turned, his eyes landed on Peter and his smile faltered slightly at seeing Peter's face.

"Clara, why don't you go find Caroline and see if she needs any help? And make sure to wash your hands first," Harry prompted, and Clara rushed back into the kitchen. "Abigail, would you mind running the counter?"

Abigail, who had just turned 18 and begun working at the bakery as she was going through college, smiled and nodded, stepping up to help the next customer.

Harry grabbed Peter's hand and pulled him into the back hallway to the bottom of the staircase that lead up to their apartment.

"What happened?" He questioned immediately, and Peter wondered if his poker face was just that bad, or if Harry could sense that something was wrong. They were always so in sync that it was if Harry could read his emotions with ease.

"He was horrible to him, Harry," Peter's voice shook with anger, something that hardly ever happened. Harry's eyes widened in slight surprise at the uncharacteristic nature of his husband's tone, but didn't say anything as he just gave Peter's hands a small squeeze.

"He basically told him that nobody wanted him and that he was a waste of money, and he told him that he was going to relinquish his parental rights because his life would be better off without Jamie in it."

Now it was Harry's turn to fume, and he could feel red-hot anger burning his face.

"Where the fuck does he get off talking to him like that?" Harry swore in a hushed tone. "He nearly kills him, and the first thing he says to him after that is that he'd be better off without him? Fuck that."

"I know," Peter placed a gentle hand on Harry's cheek in an effort to ground him.

"Sorry," Harry blew out a breath, trying to shake away the pure anger that he was feeling.

"You don't have to apologize," Peter reassured. "I felt the same way when he told me."

"What a piece of shit," Harry scoffed.

"You can say that again."

Harry paused, obviously thinking everything through. "So... he's relinquishing his parental rights?"

"That's what he told Jamie."

"Have you called Sandy?" Harry questioned, and the corner of Peter's mouth turned up in a small smile.

"Not yet, I wanted to talk to you first," he replied.

"We both agree, we want to see if we can legally adopt him, correct?" Harry laid the question out on the table, making sure there was no room for any miscommunication in this decision.

"I would love nothing more."

Harry smiled, and nodded. "Then it's settled. Let's go talk to Jamie and see if that's anything he's going to be open to."

Harry's heart raced as they climbed the stairs. When Jamie first came to live with them, his bond was closer to Peter because of their pre-existing student-teacher relationship. But Jamie had opened up to Harry since coming to live with them, and they had made a lot of headway in two years time. Harry had shared a bit of his story with Jamie, and the shared understanding of what he was going through had helped.

Still, Harry feared that Jamie wouldn't want to be adopted. After all, he was going to turn 18 in a little less than 2 years. Harry hadn't had an issue with being adopted at 16, but Jamie's situation was different and Harry respected that it may influence his decision. Whatever Jamie wanted to do, he knew that he and Peter would support him wholeheartedly.

When they entered the apartment, Harry immediately spotted Jamie sitting on the couch, hunched over as he sobbed. Both Harry and Peter hurried over, Peter kneeling in front of him and Harry taking a seat beside him. Harry placed his hand lightly on Jamie's back and began rubbing small, soothing circles.

"Shh, you're alright. We've got you," he hushed, repeating the words that he remembered Peter saying to him over the years.

"It's not alright," Jamie cried, and Harry's heart broke as he looked up at them with a tear streaked face. "My dad is signing away his parental rights, and I'm going to be without parents. Who's going to want to adopt an almost 17 year old?"

Harry and Peter glanced at one another before Harry responded.

"We do."

*

(Two years later-- August)

"I feel like I'm being used just for manual labor," Bucky huffed, placing another large box in the bed of Steve's truck.

"I'm glad you finally recognized it," Tony teased, and Bucky rolled his eyes.

"I'm getting older. This could be considered elder abuse," he continued on.

"Well, considering you're well over 100 years old at this point, you're probably right. But looking at you and knowing what your daily training schedule in the gym entails? Not a chance," Tony quipped back.

"I would just give it up, pal. You're not going to win this argument. Trust me, I've tried a few times," Steve laughed as he placed the box he was carrying in the truck.

"You want to talk about feeling old, I'm sending my son to college," Harry joked as he walked up on the conversation. Jamie grinned as he looked to his adoptive fathers who were helping him carry out the last of his things.

"I knew the day would come, but I never pictured it happening at the ripe old age of 29," Peter added, earning a laugh from everyone.

Pepper stepped forward to give Jamie a hug, donning her grey and red Cornell shirt in support. Harry and Peter had encouraged him to apply wherever he wanted, but were pleasantly surprised when he had received a full ride scholarship to study architectural engineering at Cornell, which was only a few hours away.

"We're so incredibly proud of you," Pepper told him as she pulled away from the hug.

"Mum, don't smother him," Harry teased, but he knew that the time for hugs and sappy moments was quickly coming. Pepper gave him a playful shove, before pulling him into a hug of his own.

"You two did good," she whispered to him, and he knew she meant with Jamie. The last two years hadn't been easy as they redefined their relationship once again after the adoption. Jamie was a good kid, but it didn't meant that they didn't have their difficult moments. Even still, both Harry and Peter were incredibly proud of him and all he had accomplished.

Harry heard a sound coming from his pocket, and he pulled out the baby monitor. Peter's head immediately turned towards him when he heard the sounds of their eleven month old foster daughter, Vivian, waking up from her nap.

"Can I go grab her?" Morgan, who was now 11, jumped up with excitement. "I'll bring her straight down here, I promise."

"Yes, you can go get her," Harry laughed, ruffling her hair as she ran past. She huffed with annoyance as she fixed her hair. From his place near the truck, Tony grinned as he watched his kids interact like typical siblings.

"You have your car all loaded up already?" Steve asked Jamie as he closed the tailgate of his truck.

"Yup, I'm all ready to go," Jamie replied, glancing towards his car that had the back seat loaded up.

"I think the only thing you're missing now is the kitchen sink," Tony teased, and Jamie rolled his eyes at his adoptive grandfather.

"You're sure you don't need an extra set of hands?" Pepper asked Harry with a laugh, knowing full well that adding her and Tony into the mix of people trying to move Jamie into his dorm room would be ta recipe for chaos.

"You two get to be the lucky ones to stay here with Vivian and Cora," Harry laughed. As if she knew she was being talked about, their five year old foster daughter Cora came running out to the curb, Morgan in tow with a squirming Vivian in her arms.

Harry and Peter had taken both Vivian and Cora in a few months ago when their social worker called, asking if they'd be willing to take in siblings that would most likely end up being adopted. The two of them had welcomed the girls into their home with open arms, and Jamie was thrilled at the prospect of gaining two sisters.

"We love our quality time together, don't we Cora?" Pepper asked as she scooped the four year old up into her arms.

"Yes!" Cora exclaimed, giggling as Pepper tickled her stomach.

"Maguna, share the baby!" Tony called, striding over to his daughter with arms extended. Morgan shook her head, and Tony feigned offense.

"How dare you!" He cried. "Remember who used to change your diapers? And now you won't even share baby cuddles with me?"

"I get just a little bit longer," she grinned, snuggling even closer to Vivian.

Harry watched his family interact with a smile. He knew that they didn't have the most conventional family configuration, and their home was always changing, but his parents and the team had been so supportive to both him and Peter and all of their foster kids.

"Are we ready to get this show on the road?" Bucky called. Harry and Peter gave Tony, Pepper, Morgan and their daughters quick hugs and kisses goodbye, and watched as they all said their goodbyes to Jamie, before climbing into their car to follow the convoy to Ithaca.

"Can you believe we're doing this?" Harry asked as Peter pulled away from the curb, following Steve and Bucky's truck filled with their son's belongings.

"If you would have told me five years ago that we'd be moving our son to college, I would have thought you were crazy," Peter laughed.

"I'm so proud of him," Harry smiled wistfully, blinking away tears that were threatening to surface. Peter reached out and grabbed his hand.

"I'm proud of us too," Peter spoke. "Look at this life we've built for ourselves. Look at the kids we've been blessed to know, and the family we've got supporting us. Look at your career, and mine, and the home we've made. I like to think we've done a pretty good job."

Harry looked at his husband, truly looking at him. He was beautiful, inside and out, and Harry learned to love him more and more every single day.

"Yeah," Harry agreed, giving Peter's hand a light squeeze. "We really have, haven't we?"

*

(Twenty six years later-- October)

Harry loved the smell of autumn upstate. The smell of the leaves, and the breeze, and the smell that blew in off of the lake.

Peter stepped out on to the porch, the screen door creaking slightly. Harry turned to face his husband and smiled when Peter handed him a steaming mug of tea.

"Thank you," he leaned in and gave Peter a small kiss.

Peter had aged remarkably, maintaining a full head of curls that had become salt and peppered over the years. His big brown eyes remained youthful but were marked at the edges with crows feet from years of smiling. Harry still found himself staring at his husband at times.

"No matter how much time passes, I can't get over this view," Peter spoke, taking a seat on the porch swing behind Harry.

"I know. The lake is beautiful, especially with the trees changing colors," Harry remarked.

"That wasn't the view I was referring to," Peter teased, winking when Harry turned around in surprise.

"Why, Peter Parker, are you staring at my arse?" Harry placed a hand on his chest, feigning complete innocence. He took a seat on the porch swing beside his husband and draped his legs over Peter's lap.

"Well, it's a very cute arse," Peter quipped, imitating Harry's accent. Harry gave him a playful shove, careful to not make him spill any of the coffee in the mug he was holding.

"You can't make any comments like that around the kids later," Harry chuckled, thinking about the way that Jamie would turn bright red and both Vivian and Cora would groan with false annoyance.

"What do you mean, that sounds like the perfect time to make a comment like that."

The two of them shared a laugh before falling into a comfortable silence together. Their days had become more relaxed and quiet since they had both decided to step into semi-retirement.

At 55 years old, they were both slowing down some, but wanted to enjoy the years they still had before they grew too old to have new experiences. Though, age hadn't stopped Tony. Harry smiled as he thought about his father's antics and how he still kept his mum on her toes. Likewise, May had decided to travel the world at the age of 74 and was continually sending photos from her travel.

"I should check the mail. Lila texted me earlier and told me to be on the lookout for a card from her and Matt," Harry broke the silence, slowly easing himself off the porch swing. Peter rose to his feet and helped him up, earning a kiss as a thank you. Harry found himself stiff a lot in the mornings or on cold days, old injuries flaring up and creating a deep ache in his bones. But Peter, his wonderful Peter, took amazing care of him and made sure the pain never became unbearable.

He made his way down the gravel driveway slowly, taking his time to soak up the beautiful morning. When he reached the mail box, he was pleased to discover a small envelope with Lila's looped handwriting scrawled across the front. He waited until he returned to the porch to tear into the envelope, pulling out a themed Halloween card with a witch and cauldron on the front. He opened up the card, the inside reading,

Surprise! DOUBLE, DOUBLE, toil and trouble,

Twins arriving in May :)

"Oh boy," Harry laughed, showing the card to Peter. "I bet Clint absolutely flipped out."

Peter's eyes widened as he read the card, but then he laughed. "I can picture them telling him."

"Hey, you weren't much better when Jamie and Olivia told us about Alexa," Harry joked. "How many times do you think you said 'shut up'?"

"Well, it's not every day you find out that you're going to become a grandpa at 36," Peter laughed. "And look at her now, a freshman in college. Oh, how the time flies."

"I never even imagined being a grandfather at 55, much less to 5 grandkids with one in college," Harry grinned. "But now I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Vivian and Elias have been going pretty steady for a while now," Peter stated, thinking about the three year long relationship their youngest daughter was in. "Do you think he'll propose soon?"

Harry bit his lip and grinned cheekily, and Peter sat up straight in his chair.

"Harry Potter-Stark, you'd better tell me what you know right now."

"I don't know anything for sure," Harry prefaced, "but Elias messaged me asking if we could find a time while they're here to talk, just the three of us. I told him that it could be arranged."

"Our kids are all grown up," Peter sighed wistfully, thinking about the last two decades that had been filled with graduations, proposals, weddings, pregnancies, moving days, first days of school, more graduations-- the list never ended.

"It happened so fast," Harry admitted. "Sometimes I wish I would have slowed down a bit to enjoy it, but if I were to go back, I know that I wouldn't change a thing about how we did it."

Peter reached out and grabbed Harry's hand, giving it a squeeze of agreement. "Me neither."

The two let silence linger, enjoying the October morning together, still hand in hand.

Much like silence at the Avengers tower, however, it didn't last long. A car pulling up the gravel driveway signaled to both Peter and Harry that someone had come to visit. Peter helped pull Harry to his feet as they made their way off the porch to greet their unannounced visitor.

"Good morning," Natasha exclaimed, climbing out of the car and placing her sunglasses on her head. Her vibrant red hair had since turned a striking silver color, somehow making her look even more badass than she previously had. Peter knew that despite her age, the woman was still nobody to mess with. He had no doubt she could still whoop up on anybody who dared to pick on her.

"Well hello," Harry greeted with a smile, walking around the side of the car to give her a hug. Peter was preparing to follow suit when both of the doors on the passenger side of the vehicle opened.

"Jesus Natasha, take the curves a little faster why don't you?" Bucky grumbled, climbing out of the car. Without looking in his direction, Natasha flipped him a perfectly manicured middle finger.

"Hey now," Steve chuckled. "There's children present."

Harry and Peter laughed, knowing that he was referring to them. However, despite the fact that both Bucky and Steve were technically the oldest of all of them, they still did not appear to be much older than 45 due to the slow aging nature of the super soldier serum.

"Jokes on you, you're the two that look like children here," Peter quipped back. Bucky rolled his eyes before pulling the kid into a hug.

"I've got about 90 years on you kid," he told him, and this time it was Peter's turn to roll his eyes.

"What brings you guys by?" Harry asked, changing the subject before a heated debate could break out.

"Jamie texted us that they were all coming over today, and it's been a while since everyone has been together, so we decided we were going to crash the party. Everyone else is on their way over now," Natasha grinned, before reaching in through the window of the car.

"But we brought wine."

*

Three hours later, Harry felt like the luckiest man alive. He and Peter had planned to have their annual get together in preparation for Halloween since they never celebrated on the actual holiday, partially because Harry never felt quite up to celebrating, and partially because they wanted their kids and grandkids to be able to go trick-or-treating on the actual day. Usually, nobody other than their kids were able to make it, but on this beautiful fall day, the entire family made it to the party.

Jamie and his wife Olivia had three kids, with Alexa being the oldest at 18. They had Evelyn three years later, and despite thinking they were done, August arrived six years after Evelyn. Jamie had accepted a job for Stark Industries right out of college to help with the design and construction process of another facility in California.

Cora and her husband Sam had just had their second kid, Henry. Cora swore up and down that he would be their last, especially since their eldest, Noah, was going through his terrible twos at the moment. With both a two year old and an infant, both Cora and Sam constantly seemed to be on the verge of falling asleep. Cora had been working as a social worker, but had decided to stay at home for a few years while both boys were little. Harry and Peter knew this decision had made her sad, as she had loved her job, but they knew that she was beyond ecstatic to be in a position to stay at home with the kids.

Vivian had graduated college with her Master's in criminal justice, and had accepted a job as a detective for the NYPD. She met Elias, her boyfriend, at a coffee shop that he was working at one day when she was cramming for a final. Vivian had explained that he brought her a slice of cake because she had appeared as though she were about to either cry or throw her computer across the room. The two had hit it off, and had been together ever since. They had recently moved into the apartment above the bakery where Peter and Harry had first lived together, as Elias was the one who had taken over the bakery full time.

Now, Harry arranged an assortment of meats and cheeses on a tray while holding baby Henry with one arm. Beside him, Elias was helping him prep some of the food. Peter was outside, firing up the grill to make hot dogs and hamburgers for everyone. Harry had shooed everyone other than Elias out of the kitchen, hoping to give the kid a chance to speak with him privately.

"So, I was wanting to talk with you," Elias began, looking nervous as he sliced up some fruit. Harry nodded, and Elias continued on. "Viv and I have been together for three years now, and living together has been amazing. I really love her, and I was wanting to know if I would have your blessing to propose?"

Harry smiled and turned to the anxious kid standing before him. He wondered fleetingly if this is how Peter had seemed when he asked Pepper and Tony for their blessing.

"Of course you do," Harry reassured, and Elias let out a big breath of relief. "Peter and I discussed how much we would love for you to be a part of the family. You make Vivian very happy, and we couldn't ask for anything more."

"Thank you so much, Harry. It really means a lot," Elias gave him a small side hug, staying mindful of Henry.

Through the sliding glass door, Peter entered the kitchen with a huge smile on his face.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt." Harry rolled his eyes at his husband, who obviously knew exactly what had just happened. Elias picked up on his because he stepped out from behind the counter and met Peter with a hug.

"Do you have any idea on when and how you'll do it?" Peter asked, snagging a piece of cheese of the charcuterie board that Harry was assembling. Harry gave a playful swat at Peter's hand, and Henry let out a small giggle from Harry's arms.

"I was thinking about the week before Thanksgiving. We're planning on taking a road trip and I think from there, I'll feel out when the perfect moment is. From everything we've talked about, we want it to be a private moment with just us. She doesn't care if her hair, makeup or nails are done, but I want to make sure the moment is still special for her."

"You're a good kid," Peter smiled and clapped Elias on the shoulder. Harry let out a small snort of laughter before his eyes went wide and he waved his hands in a 'take it back' gesture.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to make it sounds like I was disagreeing," he explained, turning red. "I was just laughing because Peter just looked and sounded exactly like my dad right there."

"Are you insinuating that's a bad thing?" Tony picked that exact moment to enter the kitchen, and Peter chuckled at the look on Harry's face.

"I'm just teasing, kiddo," Tony walked over to his son and law and placed a hand on his shoulder. "There are worse people to be compared to, you know."

"I know, Tony," Peter smiled warmly.

"Whatever happened to only calling me Mister Stark? Not that I'm mad about the 'Tony' thing, because I tried to get you to use my first name for years."

"I guess I decided at some point in the first five years of marriage that calling my father in law by his first name felt more appropriate," Peter laughed.

"Grandpa! Papa!" August came running into the kitchen, halting Tony from saying whatever he was about to say.

"Hi squirt, what's going on?" Peter greeted the kid by rustling up his hair. The nine year old scrunched up his nose in protest and immediately began smoothing it back into place. Harry bit his lip to keep from laughing, as he had seen Peter make the exact same face on occasion.

"Papa, dad said that we're going to have a pumpkin carving contest later, and that since I'm younger than Alexa and Evelyn, I can have a partner on my team. Can one of you help me?"

"Sure thing bud," Peter told him. "I think Harry is the best person for the job though. He's got super steady hands from all of the cookie and cake decorating he's done, and he is very detailed oriented. He's a great partner to have."

Peter looked at his husband and gave him a wink, and Harry couldn't help but blush. Even after thirty years together, he was not immune to Peter's charm. He hoped that never changed.

"Then whose team are you going to be on, Pete?" Tony joked. "Lord knows you need all the help you can get."

"I'll have you know, I can draw a very respectable..." Peter trailed off, trying to think of the last successful pumpkin carving attempt he had had. Tony, Harry, and Elias just laughed, knowing that try as he might, Peter was not the best at the activity.

"I'll just team up with Morgan, then. She'll be on her own because Isaac couldn't make it, and let's face it, she knows what she's doing," Peter decided, right as Morgan entered the kitchen.

"Oh boy, what are you guys setting me up for now?"

"Peter needs a partner for pumpkin carving," Harry stated, and Morgan's eyes widened slightly. She turned to Peter and smiled sweetly.

"I'm in charge," she told him, and he nodded. Despite practically looking like Tony's twin, it was in moments like this that Peter could see parts Pepper's personality shining through.

"Yes ma'am."

"Hon, I hate to interrupt the deal you're making with the devil," Harry began, chuckling as he dodged a playful swat from Morgan. "But you'd better go check on the food so it doesn't burn."

"Oh shiiii- oh shoot," Peter leapt up from the stool, barely catching himself before he swore in front of his nine year old grandson. The smirk August gave him indicated that it wouldn't have been the first time he heard the word. After all, he was Tony's grandson.

Ten minutes later, Harry and Peter had all of the food laid out on a picnic table that had been elongated by magic. Harry got Bucky to call everyone to the table, knowing that the man could be extremely loud when he desired. Harry chuckled when he heard Clint and Natasha debating on whether or not they could have been louder.

Deciding on when to tell the kids about Harry's magic had been a difficult decision. For Jamie, they had decided to tell him about both Harry's status as a wizard and Peter's status as Spiderman shortly after it had been determined that he would be staying with them long term. They had decided that there was enough trust between the three of them that nobody's secret would be spilled, and they knew that it wouldn't be easy to keep either secret quiet for very long while Jamie lived with them.

With their daughters, however, it was a bit of a more difficult decision. Harry and Peter had discussed at what point they would be able to keep a secret, even from their friends. They had finally determined that once the girls turned 11, similar to when Harry found out he was a wizard, they could be trusted to keep it a secret, with the understanding of consequences if they did not. Now, they followed the same rules with their grandchildren, and it seemed to be working quite well.

"Dads, this all looks amazing," Cora said as she approached the table. Harry wrapped an arm around Peter's waist and leaned into him.

"Papa did most of the work. I just made up the desserts and sides," Harry smiled up at his husband.

"I did not, don't even let him fool you," Peter rolled his eyes at his husband. Cora just laughed, completely used to her parents' banter and modesty.

Harry and Peter watched as everyone took their seats. A smile began tugging on Harry's lips, and he felt it grow wider and wider as he continued to watch everyone laugh together as they fixed their plates.

"What's got you smiling like that?" Peter murmured quietly to Harry as they stood at the head of the table, arms still wrapped around one another. Harry contemplated Peter's question for a moment-- what about this was making him smile so much?

The real answer was that, growing up, Harry had never imagined that life could look like this for him. His childhood had been comprised of tragedy after tragedy, hardship after hardship. When he had turned 11, he had hoped that the Wizarding World would be his way out, but after the five years that he had spent at Hogwarts and all of the tragedy and death that had ensued, he figured that he was wrong.

But after that one summer day that he had gone to the market and met Tony, his entire life had shifted. True, it had not all been sunshine and rainbows, or even anywhere close, but for the first time in his life he had been truly happy. He had a home, a place where he was comfortable and loved, and a family that supported him wholeheartedly.

And then he had met Peter, his Peter, the love of his life. And now, standing in the yard watching as his entire family laughed together and celebrated on an otherwise ordinary day in October, he wondered what reasons he would have to not be smiling.

"I'm just thinking about this life we've built together," he replied softly, leaning his head against Peter's shoulder. Reflexively, Peter placed a kiss on the top of Harry's head.

"We've done good," Peter agreed, wrapping both arms around Harry in a hug. Harry found himself melting into his husband's embrace, the place where he felt the safest in the world. He thought about the moment in which his entire life shifted, the time when this reality he was living had become a possibility.

"I love this life. I love our friends, I love our family. I love you," Harry murmured softly against Peter's chest.

"And I love you. Thank you for living this life with me," Peter responded quietly.

And Harry knew in that moment that he wouldn't change any of the decisions that he had made if it meant getting to this moment right here. Because while he couldn't change any of things that had happened to him in life, he was the one in control of how he dealt with them. And time after time, he had chosen to live, to breathe, to thrive, to love. Because if there was one thing he had learned, it was that it only takes a second for everything to change.

And man, had it been worth it.