Finding Their Way Home

Chapter Four

Peter stared at the couple in front of him with caution. They'd been sitting in the chairs in front of him for at least a minute now, and still nothing had been said. Peter wasn't really sure what he was supposed to say. And the Starks seemed content to just stare at him with smiles, as tears slid down their faces.

Finally, Peter spoke. "Hello," he said softly. "I'm Peter."

Mrs. Stark (Potts?) let out a laugh and wiped her eyes clean of tears. "Hi Peter," she said. "I'm Pepper. I'm your mom."

Peter smiled. (What was he supposed to say to that?!) "It's nice to meet you." he finally settled on. Mrs. Stark seemed to accept that, because she smiled warmly at him and let out a soft chuckle.

"It's nice to meet you too," she said. "And I know you must be going through a lot right now and we're going to do everything we can not to add any more stress."

"Thanks." Peter said with a shy smile. He felt at ease around Mrs. Stark, not to mention, she understood that he was just barely keeping it together. The fact that he was sitting in a room by himself with his idols (and his parents?) was the only thing keeping him from freaking the fuck out. He looked at Mr. Stark and waved at him shyly. "Hi." he said.

Mr. Stark stared at him for a long time before he licked his lips and nervously began to tug at his hair. Peter watched him with mild fascination. He did the exact same thing. Was this what people meant when they talked about seeing themselves in their parents? "Heya Pete." he said. Mrs. Stark shot him a look at he grimaced. "Er, can I call you that? Sorry...force of habit, I suppose."

"It's fine," Peter said. "I don't mind."

(It was actually really interesting to see Mrs. Stark trying to make him as comfortable as possible)

"That's good." Tony said before coughing into his hands. "So...tell us about yourself. We'd love to get to know you."

Peter ducked his head bashfully. He wasn't used to so much attention, and to be honest he was slightly uncomfortable. (He was really uncomfortable) It was quite the transition going from thinking your parents abandoned you to finding out you were kidnapped from an otherwise loving home.

"Um, I'm fifteen, I go to Midtown," he said, his fingers tapping a nervous rhythm on the metal table. What was he supposed to be doing with his hands? "I like legos and Thai food. My best friend Ned and I are building an A.I."

"Really?" Mr. Stark asked, looking amazed. Peter nodded, suddenly unsure. Was it really the best thing to tell the literal tech genius? "That's incredible! What do you want her function to be?"

Peter bit his lip while he thought about the best way to answer that question. The truth was, the A.I they were trying to make was meant to be a way to monitor and protect Peter while he's in the suit. But there was no way in hell he'd be telling Tony Stark he's Spider-Man, so he needed a better lie.

"Erm...a caregiver?" he said after a moment's hesitation. "She's supposed to like, monitor your health and keep you in contact with your family."

"That's a brilliant idea," Pepper said, her smile a tad bit tighter. "What's her name?"

"Karen." Peter answered.

"Like Plankton's wife?" Mr. Stark asked. Peter nodded. "That's brilliant." he said with a chuckle.

"What else do you like to do?" Pepper asked. Peter opened his mouth to continue when the door to the interrogation room opened and in walked Chief Stacy and Agent Gonzales. Officer Roth was nowhere in sight.

"Alright Peter," Agent Gonzales said. "You can see your aunt now. She's done with questioning."

Peter smiled brightly, and Pepper bit back a jealous frown. "Really? Thanks!" Peter moved to stand, grateful for the opportunity to finally see his aunt when a blinding pain stabbed through his leg. A gasp escaped his lips before he had time to stop it and he stumbled back into the table, his hand bracing the edge to steady himself. Tony stood with alarm and Pepper cried out.