Introduction
Christmas.
Christmas was arguably Peter Parker’s favorite holiday. He liked Halloween, but... Christmas.
The holiday was special to the fourteen-year-old. It always had been, and it probably always would be. Having been orphaned at a young age, he’d held tightly to the memories he had of his biological parents and uncle at Christmas. Everything was loud and fun; people were happy and smiles were bright. Everyone would get along, and feuds would be set aside, solely for a spirit of Christmas.
His parents held him close, nuzzling their noses into his dark curls as he fell asleep on them, party around him in full swing. The season of Christmas was always soft, close and intimate, both his busy scientist parents and uncle Ben, all taking the time off work to be a family. He loved this. The closeness and the cuddles. Just being together, without a paper, or a call from work dragging them away.
And then, of course, there was the idea of Santa. He who would swoop down the chimney and leave gifts and toys for those who had been good children all year. The man in red would come Christmas Eve, hours after Peter had finally blinked his tired eyes closed, cuddled into his mother's or his father's arms. Then, he'd wake the next morning, drag everyone else out of bed and he’d tear into the presents left under the tree for him on Christmas morning. Smiling and cheering as he showed those around him what exciting new toy he'd received for being a good boy all year.
He liked the closeness of it, and how everyone seemed to get along, even those unlikely to, like his uncle Ben, and his mom's friend Karen, who never really saw eye to eye and were always bickering back and forth.
He supposed it should make him sad, being alone on the holiday- and maybe it did, a bit- or maybe he should dislike the holiday, since he’d lost those he shared the memories with, but he really couldn’t find it in himself to do that. The memories were happy and made him happy, and he knew he couldn't look at them in a sad light, or they'd lose the brightness he craved and associated with Christmas. The memories that kept his Christmas spirit alive, despite his hardships.
Plus, it was an overall happy holiday. People here happy, places decorated beautifully, trees erected in random places and everything was just full of cheerfulness and character, unlike any other time of year. Random acts of kindness at their fullest, shelters open, and food banks donating to those in need just a bit more. Everything just a bit more compassionate then November or January.
But now, he has a new family to spend it with.
His first year with an actual family. He was being fostered by Mister and Mrs Stark.
Peter had first met Mister Stark when he was twelve years old. His middle school had hosted a science fair and as it so happened, Mister Stark had been bullied into judging by Pepper, his wife and the CEO of his company, Stark Industries.
Peter had been thrilled as he showed off the miniature Arc Reactor he’d spent a great deal of time during and after school working on, to the inventor of the real thing. There wasn’t much to go off since no one but Tony Stark knew what went into it, and he knew he wasn’t close to the real thing, but he’d just been so interested in it.
And, to his surprise, Tony Stark had taken an interest in his project; asking questions and talking about the real thing (to which Peter listened enthusiastically). He hadn’t won first place, sadly, but he did win second.
Plus, Tony had rolled his eyes, muttering about how dumb it was that a baking soda and vinegar volcano could beat a mini arc reactor as he patted Peter on his shoulder. Peter had to say he agreed, not that the volcano wasn't cool, because it kind of was.
Despite it all, he was pretty syced about that outcome.
After that though, Peter didn’t really hear much else from the billionaire. Not that he expected to either. That is, until his last year of middle school.
Since Peter's middle school was a high end STEM school, building a path to bigger and better things like Midtown School of Science and Technology (Peter had already been accepted) and M.I.T, the students were always offered things that could be useful in life, or their career path.
Every year, Peter's school would set up a program for over the summer, deliberating with each major technology company in New York; Stark Industries, Hammer Technology and Oscorp. This was a sort of way to keep the kids engaged in important things and be bettering them for the future at the same time. Any student that was interested in their last year of middle school could take a test to see if they had what it took to maybe start interning at one of the companies, who were always looking for help over the summer with little mundane tasks around the building.
Of course, the companies had full control over how many students they took, the hours the students were there, who the kids would be working with and, of course, the ability to fire students who weren't up to their standards. After the students took the tests and wrote the accompanying essay, Oscorp, Hammer Tech and Stark Industries all went through the tests and papers, selecting a few kids to intern for them.
Everyone knew it was super had getting in though. You had to really present yourself in the essay and test, since the high-end companies only took those who were hard working, and would improve work at the incorporation. Nothing was set and stone, since they could can you just as fast as they hired you, if you don't take it seriously.
Peter had taken the test, and written the accompanying essay (which he wasn't good at; English was his least favorite subject); handing it in to the teacher and awaiting the results. He had a dream of getting into Stark Industries, but he’d settle for any internship, if he were completely honest. Any would be a huge privilege to attend. But, there was also the fact that kids from schools like his all across New York were also fighting for the same thing, so the chances here low, considering each company only took two or three students.
To his utter surprise, his teacher informed him that he’d gotten into the Stark Industries internship program. Peter had almost fainted. It was literally the greatest thing ever. He's always wanted to just see what the place was like, and now he'd get to intern there! The only minor flaw was that he had to get himself to and from the internship, since his foster family didn't have the time to be driving him around. He was willing to do it, a two hour public transit ride both ways was well worth it. So, everything worked out just fine for the teen.
Peter had actually been really surprised he’d made the cut. Him and two other students (though only one was from his school). The only three accepted into Stark Industries, which was the best of all the options.
Now, though, he’d known Tony Stark for just over two years, interning for him. Peter had managed to get to keep his internship through the start of the new school year at his new high school: Midtown School of Science and Technology. He knew the billionaire (who he may have been personal interning for now) had some say in this. No one else usually got past working for the summer, but Peter had taken it in stride.
It hadn’t taken much persuading through the guidance counselor, and the principal had been easily on board. After all, this was essentially a way to start teaching Peter how a real job worked, and gave him good credit on his resumes and future college applications. Peter was learning a lot, and no one could deny he'd done pretty well, managing to become Tony's personal intern over just two short months. Plus, it also looked really good on Midtown to have one of their young students interning at a place like Stark Industries.
So, his afternoon classes on Monday and Wednesday were swapped out for the internship. But he still got all the credits he’d need, and his morning was filled with the essential hard classes. That was all the school could do for him, but that didn't stop Peter from going down after school some days, or heading over on the weekends to work with Tony Stark.
The boy wasn’t actually sure how anything progressed past his internship; how he'd moved so quickly to becoming Tony's personal intern. But Peter was thrilled.
He’d met Mrs Stark a couple weeks after starting that summer, and then she introduced him to Tony Stark again. She seemed to like him, and he was always doing anything he could to help her out. Running to get papers, delivering papers to people on different floors, going to the photocopier for her.
Peter had been floored, when meeting the billionaire again, that the man had remembered him- called him Pete and clapped him on the shoulder as he asked if he'd made any progress on his arc reactor prototype. It was a dream come true. He met Iron Man, twice. Iron Man knew his name. Ned almost cried when Peter had barreled into him the following morning at Ned's door, gushing about it all. They'd both always looked up to Tony, because who wouldn't? The man was super cool, and a literal genius.
Peter hadn’t known he’d been doing anything worthy of Tony Stark’s attention, but Pepper Stark seemed to think differently. So, from there, Peter got lab time with Tony Stark. Get to go in Tony Stark's lab and see the Iron Man suits up close and personal. Amazing.
They, of course, didn’t really know of his home situation. And they didn’t find out for a while.
Just last year, when Peter had stayed later at Stark Industries then he should have. Tony Stark had asked him if he needed a ride home, and Peter had graciously accepted, under the pretense that he wasn’t being a bother to the billionaire.
They’d gotten to talking, Tony asking about his parents, and who’d raised such an intelligent boy, and Peter getting all quiet and finally admitting to being an orphan.
He relayed the sob story the next time the man dropped him off. Explaining the plane crash and having no other living relatives. Uncle Ben had died the year before their crash in a work accident, and he had been the only relative Peter had ever seen. And if there were others, they hadn't wanted him, which had him dropped into the foster system.
Peter had been pretty lucky when it came to foster families. He'd heard some serious horror stories from other foster kids, and he was thankful he seemed to get the good ones. The only reason he'd been in a couple different families, was mostly just from him switching around to be able to go to schools like Midtown.
But the sharing, quiet moments in the car after Peter had confessed to the billionaire had been a bonding moment, and from that point on the billionaire kept a closer eye on him, and it made Peter happy. That someone like Tony would be watching out for someone like himself.
And then from there, Tony was always driving him home, or Pepper was. He’d met Morgan, their one-year-old daughter, and absolutely adored her. She as so cute, and was a perfect mix of her parents and she was almost like the sibling he'd never gotten. He loved holding her, and cooing at her, and even loved the wet slobbery kisses she smacked on his cheek when she was in his arms.
Before Peter knew it, Tony and Pepper were asking him if he wanted them to be his foster parents, and that was approved because; duh, it was Tony and Pepper Stark. And they’d asked for him specifically, which had been even more shocking. He was all about kids finding ideal foster families, but he never really thought about it for himself. They were ideal foster parent material, and Tony Stark was a powerful man, and it was weird they wanted him. There wasn’t anywhere Peter would be safer, theoretically.
Plus, the internship, which often went later into the night, would be easier since the billionaire could just bring the teen home with him. And Avenger’s tower, where the family lived most of the time was close to Peter’s school, closer than his previous foster.
And, he himself had grown to love their family. Morgan was this cute little sister he never got the chance of having, Pepper a mother who looked at him the same way she looked at her daughter, and Tony Stark himself had practically adopted Peter from their first meeting at the science fair.
It was amazing, and terrifying, but heartwarming all the same. They’d accepted him into their small family without a question, and now Peter had the one thing he’d always wished for; a new family.
It was his first Christmas with a real family. A mom, a dad and a little sister. He was excited to be sharing things he remembered and loved from Christmas with his own biological family. And he really couldn’t wait to do all the traditions he’d never gotten a chance to do.
A real Christmas with a real family!
He couldn’t wait.