Make Him Proud, Peter Parker

THREE. this is my home now, peter parker

After the funeral, almost everyone had cleared out by nightfall.

Pepper prepped the guest room for Aunt May and Nellie set the living room sofa up for Peter. For now, the two planned to stay so they could all figure out what the next step in their lives would be. Whatever that may be, Nellie knew it was going to be a challenge.

It was summer now but soon the school year would come back around, and what did that mean for Nellie? In her absence, the Starks had uprooted to Georgia, many states down the East Coast from her beloved New York City. From school at Midtown. From Peter.

"It'll be just like science camp, huh?" Peter's presence drew Nellie away from her thoughts as she tossed a brown and black woven blanket on the couch.

Nellie peered up at him, giving the couch pillow a good fluff, "Is science camp the only time you've been to the country, Peter?"

He chuckled, taking a seat on the sofa, "Maybe. . ." he hummed. "But think about it, we can roast marshmallows down by the lake, take the canoe out, and--"

Nellie shook her head, cutting him off, "And then you'll go back to Queens and I. . .well, I'll be stuck here."

She didn't mean to sound negative; that was the last thing the two needed after their difficult day. But since Nellie had been back, everything had felt so temporary. She hated the fact that even Peter being here felt that way, too.

Peter's face fell as if he had not considered the reality of the situation yet. She figured he probably had not had much time to think about it, not with everything he'd been through. Becoming an Avenger. Fighting Thanos. . .seeing Tony take his last breath.

He reached out and tugged on her hand, pulling her down next to him, "I'm not leaving here without you. You belong in New York, Nell. It's your home."

Nellie shushed him by putting a finger over his lip, worried that Pepper or Aunt May would over hear their conversation and come intervene. Nellie knew in her heart that there was no way Pepper was leaving the cabin, her home, the life that Tony had created for her to keep her and Morgan safe. Normal.

Peter tilted his head down and gave her a look; she removed her finger from his face and swallowed.

"This is home now. It's their home, which makes it mine, too. There is no place for me to go back to in New York anymore, Peter. It's been five years since we've been gone. They had to go on living. . ." Nellie trailed off, keeping an eye on the dim glow in the kitchen.

She could still hear Pepper and May talking faintly.

Peter cupped her cheek, causing her to shy away at first. She knew he was trying to make her feel better, but neither of them were going to feel very good if Pepper or May walked in on them embracing. They may have been dating for nearly a year in their eyes, but they were still incredibly sheepish when it came to watchful eyes.

"Hey, look at me," Peter whispered. "I'm not going anywhere without you. We'll figure this out."

Nellie nodded hesitantly, unsure how he possibly could find a way around this.

"For now, let's just. . ." Nellie's voice faded as something caught her eye on the mantle over the fireplace.

"What is it?" Peter tried to spot where she was looking, but looked back to her in confusion.

Nellie stood up from the couch quietly and approached the mantle -- a piece of paper folded in half sitting on it with intent. On it, read one simple letter: N.

Nellie swallowed the lump in her throat before reaching for the note, her fingers trembling even more so than they were after finding out Peter had been deemed an Avenger.

Peter's eyes found the note, too, but he remained on the couch, waiting for her to return with it.

Nellie stared at the note in her hands for a moment before rejoining Peter. He watched her carefully as she unfolded the paper and began to examine its contents.

Her lips parted but nothing came out but a quiet gasp. She tried to steady her hold on it, but her hands were shaking to violently.

Peter reached over and took her hands in his, holding them still for her, "I'm here with you." He reminded her.

She nodded and recollected herself before reading the words so carefully written on the page. As she read them, she could hear his voice crystal clear in her head. And it brought tears to her eyes once more.

Nellybean, it read, if you're reading this. . .God, I hope you are. . .we did it. You're back. Peter's back. Everyone is back. It's all I ever wanted to do but never thought I could do it. But I did, with a little help, of course.

Anyways, I guess here's the sad part. The not-so-good news. I didn't make it. And you're probably mad at me for it, and hell, you have the right to be. But I need you to toughen up and think this through. You get to have a life, a future. Isn't that what every father wants for his daughter? And I know what you're thinking. . .I have a real kid now. Morgan. She's a sweetheart, by the way, but don't you dare let her fool you. She's a real trickster at times.

But that's the thing; yes, she might be my biological daughter. But you're as much as my daughter as she is. It doesn't matter if we don't share genetics. In fact, it's probably better for you that we don't. I'm a real pain in the ass and you don't want that flowing through your veins. Makes it hard to keep friends. And even easier to make enemies.

Taking you in was the best thing I ever did. And arguably, the most heroic. The world needed Iron Man, but you just needed me. Tony Stark. Dad. Damn, I wish I was there to hear you call me that one more time.

I'll be honest with you, I was nervous about taking you in at first. I didn't think I was ready to be the kind of parental figure you, a sixteen year old girl, would need. But I'd like to think I passed the test. Because you sure did make me proud as hell to call you my kid. I wish I would have been there for your whole life, but we can't change the past. Well, I guess I kind of did if I brought you back. And saved the world. Yeah, that part of this story is going to be kind of badass I guess. I hope it all worked out.

Anyways. Time to go do this thing.

Take care of Peter. Make sure he knows that I'm proud of him. And that I always was.

I love you 3000, kid. Morgan can tell you just how much that really is. Don't let her forget me, Nellybean. Forever my girls.

Dad.