Pepper Potts
Peter never went to homeless shelters.
They were dingy and overcrowded and loud and overstimulating. The poor volunteers were constantly being harassed for more food and shelter. There’s never enough spots or sandwiches to go around.
But Peter is desperate.
He hasn’t eaten something of real substance in too long. He’s not entirely sure how long, but he knows it’s too long if the lack of pain in his stomach and his fuzzy brain have anything to say.
So he’s headed towards a shelter. There’s only a few in Queens and he’s not sure he has the energy to make a trek to any shelters outside of the borough. He’s not looking for a place to sleep or a full meal, he’s really just hoping one of them has a bag of chips or something.
Christmas is two days away and the shelters seem to have only gotten more crowded.
When he enters the first homeless shelter, he walks up to the front desk where a frazzled woman is writing something down frantically.
“Hi.” He gets her attention. Her head snaps up and he can see her eyes roll slightly. He can feel a pang of hurt in his chest, but ignores it.
“Kid, we’re completely out of spots, sorry.” The woman says shortly.
Peter licks his lips, “I’m- I’m not looking for a place to sleep. I was hoping you guys had a spare bag of chips or something?” He asks.
The woman stares at him for a second before her gaze softens slightly. She looks at him apologetically, “I’m sorry, we’re completely out of food until tomorrow afternoon.”
“Oh,” Peter says, “That’s okay, thank you anyway.” He turns and begins to walk out of the room.
“I’m sure some other shelters have extra food, check there.” The woman calls, pity written all over her face.
He thanks her and walks to the next shelter. And the next. And the next. And the last one.
Nothing. No spots, no food, nothing. It’s worrying how little resources the shelters have. Maybe if he sees Tony Stark again he can convince the man to endorse the shelters.
His shoulders slump in defeat as he walks out of the final shelter. There’s a few dumpsters around this area that he can look for, but he feels his lip curl in disgust at the idea.
His first few steps into the freezing December air are normal. As he walks down the path, he feels his vision blur at the edges. He feels his legs stumble slightly as black covers his vision.
He thinks he hears a feminine voice calling out before he’s completely unconscious.
When he wakes up, he’s laying on something soft, his head propped up. He blinks away the blurriness and comes face to face with a woman.
She’s beautiful. Red hair, brown eyes, a sharp nose. Her red stained lips are pulled in a worried smile as her fingers card through his dirty hair.
“Are you with me, Peter?” He hears the woman say.
Peter furrows his eyebrows, “‘ou know m’ name?”
The woman smiles more freely now, letting out a soft laugh. It rings in his ears, bringing a feeling of comfort around him.
He looks to his left and sees that they’re sitting together on the concrete in the middle of the street a few yards from the homeless shelter.
“Peter,” The woman’s voice calls him back, “Do you want to sit up?”
Oh, yeah he should. He braces his hands on the ground, pushing up on shaky arms. He sits back heavily against the wall, completely drained of energy. The woman tilts her head concernedly.
“You gave me a scare, sweetheart.” The woman says.
Peter sighs, “‘m sorry.”
He comes to himself a little more when a sharp wind hits his face. His vision clears further and he can make out smaller features of the woman. Her long white coat has a Stark logo on it, as well as her red heels.
He looks back up at the woman who smiles at him kindly.
“You're Pepper Potts.” He mumbles.
Pepper laughs, “Yes, I am.”
Her laugh is so nice, like birds tweeting and soft lullabies while being tucked in.
“You’re pretty.” He says, looking up at her.
She gives him a wide smile, cupping his cheek and stroking a small cut on his face. He leans into her hand, despite how cold it is.
“Any reason why you passed out, honey?” Pepper asks.
Peter shrugs, “Haven’t eaten in a long time, I dunno how long.”
He hears Pepper let out a long breath, shaking her head. The woman pulls out her phone, tapping on it a few times and turns back to Peter.
“Let me get you something to eat.” She says.
Now, normally he would protest. But he is so out of energy and so hungry, and this woman has the most comforting presence that he’s felt since aunt May before she kicked him out. He can only be strong for so long. Peter nods sluggishly, pushing to stand on his feet.
Pepper stands with him, wrapping her arm around his shoulders. She guides him back onto the street, walking slowly so as to not make Peter trip.
When they finally reach their destination, she lets Peter sit down on a curb. A car pulls up and a window rolls down. He watches Pepper speak quickly to a large man in the driver’s seat, who points to the back of the car.
Pepper opens the back door and pulls out grocery bags full of non-perishable foods. The man stays parked on the edge of the street and Pepper walks back towards Peter.
“Here, sweetheart, I had someone get some food for you. They should last a long time if you can’t eat them immediately.” Pepper says.
He nearly cries at the gesture. The bags might be hard to hide, but he’s Spider-man, he’ll manage it. It’s enough food to last him a month if he stretches it, which is more confirmed food than he’s had in such a long time.
“And,” Pepper says, “We got you this to eat tonight while it’s hot.”
She pulls out a warm sandwich and chips and places it in Peter’s hands. He holds it like its the holy grail, staring up at the woman like she's a goddess.
She might just be.
“Thank you so much, Ms. Potts ma’am.” Peter says quietly.
“Call me Pepper, sweetie.” Pepper says, cradling his face in her hand. She helps him take the bags to a small alley and sits with him while he eats.
When he finishes the food and drinks some water, she finally looks slightly more satisfied.
“You know, Tony’s offer to come to the tower is completely open. Come by if you need anything, seriously.” Pepper says.
Peter smiles at her, “Thank you, I’ll think about it.”
She sighs, runs her hand through his hair once more, and stands. “I’ll see you around, Peter.” She says.
“I don’t doubt it.” Peter says, giving her a wave.
He hears Pepper laugh as she walks away, getting into the car. As it drives away, Peter feels more content than he has in months. He has food, water, and although his residence is up in the air, it’s nice to know there are still good people who are trying to help the less fortunate.
He goes to sleep with a full stomach that night.
—----------------------
When Pepper crawls into bed that night, she turns to Tony, who’s already half asleep.
“I saw Peter today.” She whispers.
Tony perks up very slightly, shifting to turn towards Pepper, “Yeah?”
“He passed out right in front of me.” Pepper says.
“What?” Tony asks, shooting up. He turns back to his wife with wide eyes.
Pepper grimaces, “Yeah, apparently he hadn’t eaten in a long time. He was really out of it the whole time.”
Tony rubs his face tiredly, shaking his head, “Shit. This kid. How is it that I’m so worried about a kid I barely know?”
Pepper shrugs, “I don’t know. He’s the most adorable thing I’ve ever seen in my life, though.”
Tony laughs, “More than Morgan?”
“The competition is tight, I’ll give them that.” Pepper says, laying down against the pillow. Tony mirrors her, taking her hand in his.
“I just, like, want to bundle him in blankets and keep him away from the world.” Tony says.
“And show him your lab.” Pepper adds.
“And let him do whatever he wants in my lab. The kid is smart as a whip.” Tony says.
They quiet for a moment, listening to the sounds of the cars outside and Morgan humming in the room over.
“I gave him a couple bags of food which will hopefully last him a while.” Pepper says softly.
Tony nods, squeezing her hand, “I want to do more.”
Pepper turns to look at her husband, making eye contact with him and raising a brow in question. Tony just shrugs, giving her a smile.
“I think it would take a large amount of convincing to make him come to the tower, let alone join our family.” Pepper says.
“Well,” Tony whispers, “I am nothing if not stubborn.”
Pepper laughs, nodding. She listens to the sounds of Tony’s breaths evening out as he falls asleep. Her thoughts circle around and around, thinking of Peter and how skinny the boy was, how he leaned so eagerly into her touch, how he was so thankful for just an ounce of kindness.
She feels a protectiveness akin to Morgan wash over her. She wants to sit him in front of a fire and sing him to sleep. Maybe that’s something they can do. Maybe they can convince Peter to accept some help.
Maybe three can become four.