Archive of Our Own ^beta

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Tony stark liked to think he's come A long way since his wild party days. He's settled down with a long term girlfriend (who is also the ceo of his Company and a badass business Women). Somehow ended up with an enhanced teenage boy living part time with Him. Co parenting with said teens hot but incredibly scary aunt. (now he thinks of it why are all the women in his life lowkey terrifying) overall living a strangely domestic lifestyle he had never expected to have.

It was a Monday morning when he got the phone call. The morning had started off as it normally had for the last 18 months or so. His alarm woke him up at an ungodly hour and immediately started running around his room. Yes you heard that right. His alarm ran around his room. He had Peter to thank for that. And himself partly for encouraging the teen to challenge himself and make something that wasn't a Web shooter. In order to turn it off he had to actually get out of bed. So he did…ever so reluctantly.

He threw on a jumper over his pjs and headed down the hall to the kitchen to make breakfast for his kid who stumbled into the kitchen 10 minutes later dressed in a nerdy science pun top, hair sticking up at all angles possibly, defying gravity. He throws Peter a comb knowing it would most likely have absolutely no effect on the teens unruly hair. After a cup of coffee Tony’s back feeling half alive and able to look at some of his emails whilst Peter finished getting ready for school.

By the time 8:15 rolls around Pete’s throwing his homework in his school bag and is rushing out the door. Tony looks up from his emails to call out some last reminders. “Homework?” “Yep” “lunch money?” “Yes” “coat?” Tony raises his eyebrows and is met with a groan and eye roll. So he has to put on his best ‘adult in charge’ voice. “Put on your coat underroos. You know your thermo regulation is nonexistent after the bite” Peter throws his head back in classic over dramatic teenage fashion but does as he’s told. ”Have a great day genius child” “I’ll try, bye Mr. Stark!” Now it was Tony’s turn to groan. “You know it’s Tony kid!” Peter giggles and ducks away from Tony’s attempt to ruffle his hair.

With the kid now successfully fed and on route to school it was time for Tony to get some work done. Weekends are great because Peter stays with him. He comes over after school on Fridays for lab time and stays for the weekend. He didn’t used too. It just kind of evolved that way. Both Tony and Peter easily loose track of time especially when they’re working in the lab. By the time they looked up it would be 11 o’clock, dark outside and Peter would still have to go all the way back to his and Mays apparently in Queens from the compound. So May said it would make more sense for Peter to stay over than travel home. That led to a friendship developing between Tony and May that Tony personally had never thought possible.

Pepper and May also became very close. Like bestie level close. Grabbing brunch and gossiping regularly. During this time May mentioned that an opportunity had come up for a promotion in her job. It was the job May had originally wanted and she was put forward for it. It would change her shifts. Allowing her time off during weekdays but make her weekends more hectic. Pepper talked to Tony that night. Bringing the idea of Peter staying weekends allowing May to have her shifts over by the time the weekdays roll around.

Since Ben died Mays dreams had been put on pause. She had been doing life alone and she didn’t need to anymore. Now she was part of a new family unit. When Pepper first brought it to May she was hesitant. Both Pepper and Tony had already done so much for both Parker’s but after some reassurance from Pepper that both her and Tony loved having Peter over she agreed.
For Peters birthday they did a room makeover to really make Peters room at the compound his. They also got him clothes and all the other stuff he might want or need so he doesn’t need to carry a bag of his clothes from house to house. Both houses were his homes, not guest rooms.

Pepper always says Peter helped Tony just as much as Tony helped Peter. Turning a workaholic who forgets too eat and sleep into a man who eats 3 meals a day and sleeps at least 5 hours a night. Now Tony actively makes sure there are snacks and drinks in his lab aswell as healthy food for Peter to eat.

The next hurdle they faced was mainly a school bassed problem. One day Peter needed to be picked up early from school for a dentist appointment . May was busy so Tony went to collect him at Mays request. It took an hour to check him out because the school needed May as his guardian to give consent for her kid to be picked up by an adult that isn't her. This led to them being very late to the dentist.

It was also a problem one night when Peter got hurt on patrol. A bullet wound To his leg. Tony rushed him to medbay only to have the kid almost bleed out because yet again only his legal guardian could make medical decisions. May decided there and then this was too dangerous of a problem to ever happen again. She had come to really trust Tony to care for her kid. She brought the problem to Pepper who agreed and found a legal way to declare Tony the second guardian Of Peter Parker allowing Tony to be an emergency contact. Pick Peter up from school, take him abroad, make medical decisions ect.

Tony was hesitant at first. Not because he didn't want to but he didn't want to step on any Toes. He had no biological claim, the kid already had an uncle he loved, why would anyone want him as co guardian. After some therapy because yes even the almighty Tony Stark needs help sometimes especially when it comes to worries about turning into his father. It also allowed Tony to pay child support wich he was thoroughly delighted by.

All in all life was good. Not predictable, never predictable but stable. Until a phone call Came along and rocked his world. 8:25 am he’s sitting in his office getting some work done and then his phone rings. His work number. All requests come through his secretary who approves or more often doesn’t approve before they get sent to the man in charge. Tony.
That being said it wasn’t often a call comes through. His secretary’s are under strict orders to never bother him unless it was important or urgent. So he picks it up putting on his businessman voice.

“Tony Stark what can I do you for?” A forced cheery woman’s voice answers him. “Hi Mr. Stark, my name is Sussie. I’m calling from the department of child protection services regarding a Aria Conners”. Now this is confusing. Tony can’t seem to recall that name or anyone else with the second name Conners. Still if it got through the secretary’s it must be something important. So he’ll play ball. He hums in acknowledgment prompting this lady. Sussie?. To continue.

Her voice fills the line again. Tony has a feeling she’s reading exactly from a file in front of her. “Aria came into our service after an accident involving her mother left her with no guardian. This was 3 years ago. Since then she’s been in a couple different homes. Yesterday her current foster family moved out of country leaving her here again. To get to the point Mr. Stark a dna test was carried out and only one match was found. You.”

Silence. No that can’t be right. This is definitely not the first child who was allegedly biologically his. But it is the first to get through all the bullshit filters Tony built into his life. Another minute of silence. Trying to remember. To place a face to A ‘Conners?’.

“Mr Stark are you still there?”. He snapps out of it. Clears his throat and forces himself to answer. “Yup still here. Could you please send me on the tests and all relevant documents. Also if this child has been in your systems for three years why am I only hearing about this now?”

“Good question. As I’m sure you understand the system is overloaded with children. Some times things like this slip through the cracks. Especially with kids like Aria. I’m not quite sure how to say this and it’s definitely not a good excuse for this terrible situation. Aria is not an easy child. Her teachers and past families have voiced concerns about possible undiagnosed neurodivergent traits.
The night she came to us after her mother’s death she was very upset. To avoid adding more stress to her after seeing her reaction when people attempted to carry out a dna test.

Instead they went through her mothers file but failed to find any relitive or family friends. Her mothers will was not updated and the birth certificate had no name of a father. Through the years she’s been with us her contact with the medical world has been short and few. She doesn’t tolerate that stuff very well. Keeping an eye out in case she starts showing signs of illness has been the priority. Wich she never has shockingly. I’m sure this has all been a lot at once and a real shock. Feel free to contact me with any questions. You do not need to decide right away. If you do decide to apply for custody we will help you through the process. Have a good day Mr Stark.”

With that she hung up. Leaving him alone with all of. That.

His computer dinged. Alerting him the documents have been sent over. Just then the love of his life walked into the room. Peppers face said she was already aware on the situation. He was expecting her to be mad. Or maybe disappointed maybe. Instead she pulled up a chair to join him. She placed her hands over his. Giving him a reassuring squeeze.
“I heard you’ve had a busy morning”. He was tempted to scoff. Understatement of the year. But he remembered all the work he’d been doing with his therapist. Not to lash out on his loved ones. He loved and respected Pepper, she didn’t deserve his anger.

“I’m sure your well aware what’s happening.” He says. The way her face doesn’t change tells him his guess is correct. She nods “Friday recorded the call. All the files were sent to me as well”. For some reason the fact she knew had him letting out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. He didn’t have to do it alone. “What do you think Pep? Any way it was all a mistake?”

“Sorry hon I’ve already checked. All files check out. No fakes here.” He places his head in his hands. Just trying to process. Pepper runs her hand up and down his back. He breathes through the panic attack. After his heart regained a regular rhythm he turns to Pepper. “What are we going to do?” His voice breaks. Thick with emotion.

“It’s up to you. We will all be here for you through it. After looking through some of these files. Gosh Tony I feel so bad for this little girl. She’s only 10. She’s got undiagnosed, un helped disability’s. Barely any medical files. I mean it can’t be legal. She needs a home with time and patience and money.” Tony listens nodding along.
Now it’s his turn to voice his opinions.

“I agree. All kids should be treated with love and respect but if she is mine who’s to say I could even give her that. It would also mean she’s a product of my….party years.” Peppers face doesn’t waiver. “you know well that I am not threatened by your party years. You didn’t cheat we weren’t together then remember. You’ve changed a lot. Now your a dad to an enhanced teenage boy. I think if you do decide to step up as a father to her you won’t be doing it alone. Bottom line is it took two people to make that girl. I’m not mad it happened but I really hope you’ll consider taking her in.”.

Ouch. Fair but ouch. The next step he supposes is a chat with May then Peter. With that decided, Pepper leaved to arrange a meeting with May. Even with all that was going on he still managed to get his work done and shower. Now he was waiting in the living room for both ladies to arrive. He shouldn’t feel so nervous in his own home but it isn’t like he doesn’t have a reason. Pepper and May fall in the door laughing. May has store brought cookies, Pepper has coffee. They both hug him and sit down.

“Pepper brought me up to speed on the situation. How are you feeling?”. Tony wasn’t sure why, but the kind un judgmental tone everyone was taking with him almost had him in tears. “I’m feeling a little overwhelmed to be honest. I know I didn’t purposefully abandon her. I didn’t know she existed. The women who called said she’s not an easy kid. Are we really ready for that?”

Pepper looks like she’s debating saying something but May beat her too it. “ Tony I get that. I really do. I was the same with Peter. But when it’s family you make it work. We will all be here to help.” Not going to lie that was very comforting to hear. That he wouldn’t be alone. May breaks the tension in the room by changing the subject for the second.

“Anyway how’s our boy doing? Get up to anything exciting this weekend?” When she first started saying stuff like that it took him by surprise. Our boy. Our kid.
Like he wasn’t just some random dude but someone deserving of having a kid. She’d been saying our kid for months now but it still gave him butterflies. Feeling a bit lighter he responds happily to her subject change. “You know Pete, he managed to teach Dum-e to wield a lightsaber.” All adults laugh at that.

Just as the laughter started dying down May added in a light voice. “He always wanted a sibling. Ben and I were too old when we took him in. We had no plans to have any kids at all but we love our Peter and I for one think he’d make a great big brother.”

Tony didn’t know what to say. On one hand he was stuck on the implication that he was a father to Peter. It was an honour he wasn’t sure he deserved. Pepper interrupts his self conscious inner monologue. “Aw I for one think Peter would make a wonderful big brother.” Tony smiles then. It’s hard not to when he thinks about his kid. He has no doubt Peter would make a wonderful big brother.

Tony speaks next. “I know Peter would make a great big brother. Before we go through with this we have one more person we need on board.” All adults share a knowing look. Peter. May thinks, than turns to Tony.

“I know it’s my turn to have Peter but how about you go get him from school today and bring him for a little spin. Chat it out. I’m sure he’ll be onboard. Go get some ice cream.” Tony sighs in relief. He knows Peter will most likely be okay with it but the chance to make sure so soon is a relief. Pepper nods in agreement “and whilst you and Pete are off chatting we’ll get in contact with our lawyers to start the process.

Now feeling so lucky he’s surrounded by his loved one’s he gathers his thoughts and stuff and heads to the garage getting into one of his navy-low attention attracting cars. He drives to midtown tech, mind going a million miles an hour. 25 minutes later he’s in the pickup line in front of Peters school.

His kid walks out of the school with his two best friends on either side of him. Ned was rambling. As he usually was. Peter was nodding along completely engrossed in whatever Ned was talking about. Mj rolled her eyes but had a fond smile on her face. Ned spotted Tony first. He stopped dead in his tracks causing a pile up of teens behind him. He turns to Peter to say something wich makes Peter blush and hurry through his goodbyes jogging over to the passenger seat in Mr Starks car. In typical teenage fashion Peter threw his bag in first then hopped in. Giving Mr Stark a suspicious look.

“What are you doing here?” He blurts then quickly realises how that sounds so adds “not that I’m not happy to see you sir.” Wich gets a groan from Tony and a giggle from Peter who knows calling Tony things like ‘sir’ and ‘Mr Stark’ annoys him.

After the giggles settle down Tony takes a deep breath and hypes himself up for the conversation ahead. The change in atmosphere does not go unnoticed by Peter who sobers up quickly giving Tony his full attention.

“So Pete… when you where in school today I got a call” worry wash’s over Peters face immediately. “ what kind of a call? Is May okay. Omg she’s not is she that’s why you picked me up isn’t it” Shocked momentarily from Peters panicked ranting it takes Tony a second to catch up but when he does he places a free hand on peters hand giving him a reassuring squeeze then puts the hand back on the wheel.

“No Roo it was nothing like that don’t worry. Everyone is safe and happy. The phone call was a shock for a different reason. I don’t really know how to say this. How much do you know about what I was like 10 years ago?” At this Peter looks out the window. Quietly contemplating. Like he knew the answer but didn’t know how to say it without it hurting Tony’s feelings.

“It’s okay your not going to hurt my feelings. I’m a big boy I can take it.” That earns a smile from Peter. For a moment he really wonders what he ever did to deserve having Peter in his life. Now more comfortable he’s not going to hurt his Da-I mean mentors feelings Peter answers the question. “Just that you liked Party’s and alcohol and girls i don’t the details. Plus the kind of person you where doesn’t define the kind of person you are now.” Tony almost melts hearing how confident his kid is in the kind of person he is. Now time to ruin that. Tony thinks to himself.

“Well as a result of my party days multiple women claimed to have been impregnated by me. I’ve always take those claims very seriously and have the best legal and medical team verify the claims with evidence. DNA test etc.” Peter nods along still not sure where this is going.

“Anyway, the call I got today was from the child protection service regarding a 10 year old girl who’s dna had matched with mine. After this was verified the woman explained as best she could why I was only finding out about it now.” He pauses to catch his breath and allow Peter to process a bit. Seeing Pete still seemed confused by the whole situation he went on explaining.

“She told me my name was never on the birth certificate so when the mother passed away three years ago they couldn’t find a father. She also told me that this little girl has suspected neurodivergent traits. A fact that did not help when it came to any kind of clinical situations. Seeing as the little girl was already so distressed about her mothers accident they just went through all of the mothers files instead of poking and prodding her.” Peter finally said something.

“Okay well that kind of makes sense. The thing I don’t get is her mothers been gone three years, how did she not have any check ups since them? I’m no child life specialist but surely it’s not ment to be that long between visits.” Tony nods at that. Also frustrated with the systems fuck up. Still being the adult he had to try explain how something like this happens.

“It’s definitely not meant to be that long. The reasing she gave me is the system is massively overloaded. Things slip through the cracks. This little girl has sensory issues and the system simply doesn’t have the time and manpower to get her through an appointment. Now I think that’s bullshit. Healthcare is a human right.” Peter nods equally as frustrated. Tony smiles for a second thinking Peter looks every bit the big brother he’s about to become.
After allowing both of them a while to quietly think by themselves Tony turns to Peter.

“How do you feel about a little sister?” If the massive grin on Peters face was any indicator things might work out okay.

Chapter Text

Ice cream bought and ate, Peter and Tony made their way back home where Pepper and May were chatting over an Indian takeaway. Opon opening the door both boys where waved into the kitchen. Peter kicked off his shoes and ran over to hug both Pepper and May who immediately opened their arms. Tony scoffed over dramatically “hey how come I didn’t get a hug?!” It was obviously a joke but Peter ran over to him and gave him a bone crashing hug anyway . Both ladies laughed at Peters antics.

When they all settled down a bit it was time to catch up on what both teams had got done. Peter is smiling in a way that makes everyone know he knows something exciting is about to happen. Pepper starts. Going over the legal side. House checks, background checks the whole jazz. Then it was Mays turn. “After we were finished talking with the lawyers we called our caseworker. She gave us a few more details about the sweet girl. She’s 10 almost 11, loves comfy everything. She is suspected to be autistic wich makes her really empathetic. She really loves animals, any and all animals. Pastel colours are her favourite.” All four people in the room have tears in their eyes. Not even sure why it’s just so emotional.

Pepper adds “she always wanted a big brother. Had imaginary big brothers so the caseworker, her name is Sussie, thinks she’s going to be thrilled to have a real one.” May lets out an “aww that’s so cute”. Peters wearing his cheek hurting grin.
All this love and support already for this little girl. The excitement is infectious and soon enough everyone is pilled on the couch looking through stuff for her room. It’s Peter who asks “what is her name. You never told me.” Completely out of the blue prompting Pepper, May and Tony to burst out laughing.

They all forgot to tell him. The revelation causes them to laugh even harder, mad cackles. When they finally calm down and get a hold of themselves Tony answers wiping his eyes. “Her name is Aria but May and Pepper said Sussie said she’s normally called Ari.” Peter melts hearing her name. “ that is the cutest name I’ve ever heard.” Everyone enthusiastically agrees.

Later that night when their all lying on the couch watching a movie everyone is only paying half attention. Most of their attentions where on their phones or tablets scrolling through possible things for Ari. Every time they find something cute or possibly useful it’s sent to the family group chat.

Family group chat😘
Underoos🩲🕷️: link to light pink and lavender ear defenders; these could be helpful I know I use my red ones all the time when my spider senses are acting up.

Boss woman👑🥂🫡: omg yes Pete your a genius, we will definitely order a pink and a lavender pair. Send us anything else you find helpful. You know sensory issues better then we do.

Genius billionaire💳⌚️: link to sensory swings; when me and Peter went to London they had one of these in a chill out room at their Stark industries building. Peter loved it. I practically had to drag him out of it at the end of the week. Might help her decompress after a long day.

Boss woman👑🥂🫡: love it me and May just ordered it✅

Aunt hottie🍷🍝: she definitely needs a lava lamp and one of those tanks with the bubbles and lights. They’ve got the fake fishes in them yk what I’m on about.

Boss woman👑🥂🫡: you are so right. I’ll send you some of the ones I can find and we can decide

Genius billionaire💳⌚️: I love how both of you have no problem spending my money

Boss woman👑🥂🫡: Our money

Aunt hottie🍷🍝: Our money

Underoos🩲🕷️: Our money

Genius billionaire 💳⌚️: yes so sorry my dears💞

By the time Wednesday comes around their getting ready for the house ready for a home check. The process was quick enough seeing as they had just done it a few months ago when applying as a guardian for Peter. The social worker was really nice. Seemed delighted with everything, especially Arias room.

On Friday Tony finally got the call they could come meet her. After talking to both Pepper and May the decision was made that Tony should go meet her alone first then if she’s feeling up to it go collect Peter from school.

On the way to the meeting centre Tony goes over his mental check list at least a hundred times. Wondering what she’ll be like. When he finally parks outside his hands are sweating. He has to wipe his palms on his jeans multiple times. Arguably more nervous than he was fighting aliens.

Walking into the building he’s met with the receptionist who doesn’t look up from her files as she hands him a visters pass and points him in the right direction. Waiting outside a colourful door decorated in little kids hand prints is a professional looking woman. The second she speaks Tony recognises her voice. Sussie. Arias caseworker.

She nods to him. “Good morning Mr Stark. It’s lovely to see you in person. Aria is in this room. Her foster family packed her a bag for today. It’s got snacks, water and her favourite stuffy. I’ve also left a booster by the door so if you want to leave the centre you can. It’s 11:30 now. If you could please drop her back here for 5 that would be wonderful.”

Tony’s not sure what he’s going to do with her for 5 and a half hours but if he’s going to step up and be the dad Aria deserves he will figure it out. Sussie opens the door and leads him in.

“Aria, this is Mr Stark he’s here to see you. Your going to spend the day with him okay. You be good for Mr Stark.” The little girl barely looks up but Sussie takes it as an agreement and leaves. Wishing Tony a final good luck.

Realising it’s up to him now he kneels down next to her. “Whacha drawing?” She doesn’t look up but she answers. Seemingly used to humouring adults. “Spider-Man”
Tony smiles to himself. This he can work with. “Spider-Man huh, you like super hero’s?” She shrugs. Just Spider-Man got it.

“Hey Aria, do you like the park?” She shrugs again. Accepting that she doesn’t want to talk Tony settles down next to her and starts colouring his own drawing. After a while she whispers “I like climbing.” He smiles but doesn’t look over at her in case it made her uncomfortable and stopped her from talking again.

“Peter does too.” He keeps colouring. He’s got her attention now, he can feel it. So he builds on it. “Peter is my 15 year old. He loves climbing. Like a little spider.” “When you’re ready we can go get him from school and go to the park if you want. He doesn’t know you’re hanging out with us today. He’s been so excited to meet you.”

Surprisingly she nods at that. Then she seems to think of something. “Isn’t he in school?” Tony chuckles and nods at that. “Yup he sure is. We get to go break him out.” She smiles. He thinks he’d do anything to earn another one.

Out of the blue she asks a question that makes him freeze. “Sussie said your my dad but you didn’t know about me. “ well it was less a question than a statement but still.
“Mhm. Sussie is right. I’m so sorry I didn’t know about you. How does all this make you feel?” She shrugs again. He thinks he’s blown it.

“Am I going going to come live with you?” He thinks for a second. “We would love for you to come live with us. It’s up to you though. That’s why we’re hanging out today so you can get a feel for us. By the end of today you’re going to go home to your foster family and have a little think on if you want to hang out again or possibly come live with us.” She looks slightly confused. Not really used to it being her choice where she lives.

“Who lives with you?” She keeps up her drawing. Tony takes it as a good sign she’s seeking more information. “ well I live in a tower, you might have seen it. It’s called Stark Tower. The lower floors have meeting rooms and labs where people work. At the top of the building is our personal floor. No one but the people who live there and a few of our really close friends can come up. I live there as does my wife Pepper. Peter lives there on weekends and holidays plus extra times now and again. When he’s not living there he lives with his Aunt May who is really nice and a good friend of ours.”

He can tell she wasn’t expecting that. “Why doesn’t Peter live there all the time?”
Oooh that makes more sense. Of course that would be confusing. It’s so normal to them he forgets it isn’t for everyone. He thinks for a minute before explaining the best he can.

“Peter isn’t ours biologically. When he was little his parents died so he went to live with his Aunt and Uncle. Then his Uncle passed leaving him and his Aunt alone. Soon after he started interning for my company. He’s incredibly intelligent and I loved spending time with him so he became my personal intern. Every Friday we’d have lab time. My wife and his Aunt became really good friends. We became our own little family. His Aunt works long hours weekends so he lives with us during weekends. It’s not exactly the kind of family people might think of but we love each other.”

She hums and nods in understanding. Surprising him. Most of the time adults struggle to understand and she just got it first time. “Can we go get Peter now?” Tony chuckles and nods. “Let’s go”.

She jumps up. Now able to get a good look at her after staring at paper for half an hour. She had long curly brown hair. Hazel eyes. She was wearing a dark blue tracksuit that was obviously a hand me down. It was a bit big but she looked comfortable in it. Her pink t-shirt had butterfly’s and writing that said ‘bee happy’. Wich didn’t make much sense but made him smile non the less.

He grabbed her bag and flung it over his shoulder using his other hand to pick up the booster. They made their way to his car. He placed the car seat in the back and her bag next to it so she could hold it if she wanted. She hoped into the backseat of the car behind the passenger seat. Tony hoped into the drivers seat.

The journey started quiet. An uncomfortable silence settled over the car.
Unsure of what to say or do but knowing he had to do something Tony thinks about what Sussie told Pepper and May Aria was interested in.
“What’s your favourite book?”. It’s not a great question but it will do for now. To break the ice.

“Percy Jackson. I like the far away tree too and inkheart.” She’s smiling now. He must have asked the right question. “Wow those sound epic!” He exclaims and he’s not being sarcastic or condescending they genuinely sound epic. She nods happy with his response, she starts rambling her hands flapping. “Yeah they are! I also love the racehorse who couldn’t gallop!” “Ooo I love Keedie too!”

Now their both smiling. “ you know Peter loves Percy Jackson too!” She looks even more excited now. “Are we nearly there yet?!” She demands too excited to wait. He laughs and says “almost kiddo I promise”.

Just as they round the corner the school comes into view. The car park is calm and quiet. Seeing as it’s the middle of the school day. Tony hops out and opens Arias door. Together they walk into the reception in the school. The receptionist smiles at them. “Hello Mr Stark, hello sweetheart. You here for Peter?” He nods and thanks her. Aria wonders over to the fish tank. “No problem, I’ll call Peter over the intercom. “

The intercom rings over the speaker system. Announcing it has something to say with 3 rings to gather everyone’s attention. The second the first ring comes over the intercom Aria claps her hands over her ears. By the time Peter is at reception Tony is panicking. Aria has her hands glued to her ears. She’s curdled up and rocking back and forth. This was NOT the plan. Sussie said her foster family packed her snacks and her teddy. He had offered her both and gotten no response other than a high pitched whine. Frantically searching the bag for something to help was proving useless. There was nothing to help her cope. He cursed under his breath, how long had Aria been with this family? Surely something like this happened before.

Peter pushed in front of him. Not rudely, just determined. He kneeled down in front of Aria, pulling something red out of his bag. Ear defenders. Of course. How didn’t Tony think to bring a pair. So far he was not winning the parenting game. Slowly he offered them to her. She looked confused and didn’t take her hands off her ears. Realising she’d probably never seen these before he demonstrated putting them on and taking a deep breath. Over exaggerating his relief so she could read his face.

He offered them too her again but she didn’t want to take her hands off her ears. So he slowly put them over her ears with her hands still covering them. After about 10 seconds she slid her hands out from under the ear defenders allowing them to properly work on keeping sound out. She looked so relieved. If it hadn’t been so scary for Tony he’d probably think the face she was making was cute.

Peter offers her his hand wich she takes and allows him to lead her out.
For a second the fear leaves his body seeing both his kids together. He squeezes Peters shoulders. Then decides to explain a bit. “We’ve got her till 5 today. I met her at half eleven. She really wanted to come get you from school so we did. Her foster family packed her a bag with some snacks and her favourite stuffy but nothing like ear defenders.” Peter hums and nods to show he’s listening.

When they get to the car Peter opens up her door. She hops in and Tony expects Peter to close her door and join him in the front as normal but instead he hops in the back with her. Tony dramatically mimes his jaw dropping. “Absolutely abandoned!” He clutches his chest. “After all we’ve been through you leave me for my daughter. “ she giggles and both Peter and Tony smile the most they ever had.

When they get to the park it’s around one o’clock. It’s still nice and quiet. All the kids are in school. The trio get out of the car and walk to the playground in the park. Tony finds a picnic table just outside the playground with a great view of the entire play area. Peter dumps his bag at the table and turns to Aria a spark in his eyes.
“Tag! Your it!” With that both of them race off, using the entire playground as their battlefield. Ducking under slides, jumping over swings and hiding in tunnels.

40 minutes later they were both panting and exhausted but smiling and laughing. Tony had never seen a game of tag last so long or look as much fun. Both Peter and Aria collapsed on the bench. Chugging their water. Tony decides to offer some snacks. “Are you both hungry now? I’ve got apples and crisps.” They both nod eating an apple each. Peter had Doritos and Aria had salt and vinegar chipsticks her foster family packed for her.

Now rested, watered and fed Peter and Aria headed back to the playground. Tony takes some pictures of them on the monkey bars and on the massive climbing frame. They both did Spider-Man hands at the top of the climbing frame pretending to have web slingers. Tony immediately made the picture his Home Screen and sent it to the family gc.

Family group chat😘
Genius billionaire💳⌚️: attached photo; Peter and Ari loving the playground

Boss woman👑🥂🫡: actually dying that’s the cutest thing ever😭wish we could take her home right now.

Aunt hottie🍷🍝: Anthony Edward Stark if you don’t bring her home and stop hogging her istg😡

Underoos🩲🕷️: dw guys we’re coming home soon

Both kids tired, they piled back into the car. Where Tony realised it was already half three. Luckily the tower was only ten minutes away so they were home in no time. Parking in the private garage to avoid meeting too many new people. Tony hoped out of the car opening Arias door for her. Seeing she was fast asleep he gently carried her over to the lift. Peter was taking photos cooing.

The elevator dinged, alerting them that they had arrived. Aria woke up at the ding so he put her down on the couch. When she came to her senses she looked around taking in the fancy but comfy sitting room. Approximately three seconds later Pepper and May rushed into the room.

Tony introduces them. “This is Pepper, my wife and May Peter's aunt. Remember I told you about them?” She nods studying both women. “Hey sweetie, do you want us to show you your room?”. Pepper asks enthusiastically. May is also vibrating with excitement. Tony watches Arias reaction. Expecting her to pull back or be overwhelmed but instead her eyes light up. She hops up and allows herself to be led down the hall.

Peter walks next to her as she looks all around the hall. Pepper points to the different rooms. “This is the bathroom. Tony and I have a bathroom attached to our room because it’s the master bedroom and Peter has his own bathroom too. It is smaller but it’s still nice for him to have his own. Means us girls don’t have to share with a stinky teenage boy.” She adds dramatically. Making Aria smile. Wich encourages Pepper to keep going with her tour.

Pointing to a red door covered in Star Wars posters and strips cut out of comics. Big blue letters spell out ‘Peters room’. “This is Peters room. Yours is right across from his. We’ve started decorating it based on what Sussie said you like buts it’s yours so we can change anything you like. That includes adding things.”

She threw open the door revealing Arias room. The walls were bare waiting for paint or wallpaper to be added. There were tester stripes of paint samples she might like and squares of wallpaper. But that wasn’t what cought her eyes. A section of the room was divided from the rest. The back left corner was hidden by 2 walls painted to look like a castle. It wasn’t just one floor. When she looked up she saw the roof of castle floor one, and behind it a lookout. Like the ones at soft play centres with a coloured person sized see through plastic semicircle. It looked safe and like it was made just for her.

She looked up to Pepper. “Can I go in?” She asks, pointing to the den. Pepper smiles “of course it’s yours! Go explore” she giggled and ran off. May smiles. “I think we might have lost her for now. Let’s go make dinner. Did Sussie say what she likes.”
Peter immediately volunteers to go ask Ari what she would like for dinner. Both adults had a feeling that had less to do with food and more to do with her cool den. He texted she likes chicken nuggets leaving them to figure out diner and both Peter and Ari to hang out.

The rest of the day was spent eating and playing in her room. By quarter to five the alarm Tony set went off. Marking the end of the fun. Time to get her back to the meeting centre. The goodbye was surprisingly emotional having only met her today.

After dropping her off Tony rushed home where a family meeting was held to discuss finalising the plan to apply for full custody. Everyone wholeheartedly agreed. Not knowing what to do with themselves whilst they wait. This is going to be the longest week and a bit of their life’s.

Chapter Text

Seeing as they only said goodbye on Friday Tony was surprised to get a text Sunday morning about Aria. Even more surprised it wasn’t from Sussie.

Unknown number
Unknown number: hello, this is Arias foster mother. Sussie gave me your number. We’re having a hard time this morning getting her ready for church. Since coming back from her visit with you she’s had these red noise blocker things on her ears. She has been refusing to take them off which we tolerated as we didn’t need to go in public. Now getting ready for church she won’t take them off. We would appreciate some help communicating our expectations to her.

Tony Stark: Hi Miss, you didn’t say a name. I think you’re talking about ear defenders; they help quieten loud noises. I can see why you would be concerned but I can assure you they only bring the noise level down they don’t silence everything. Sorry that they’re a bit big, they're Peters and he’s 15.

Unknown number: Mr Stark I don’t think you’re understanding what I’m trying to say. We can not bring her outside in them. We don’t want people thinking she has special needs or something. Church is very important to us as a Christian family. It gives us a community. We can not be seen as mocking the disabled community. We would have taken them earlier but she keeps screaming when we try.

Tony Stark: from what Sussie told us and what I’ve witnessed Aria can be very sensitive to noise. I think she’s clinging to them for the safety and comfort that they give her. As for the screaming, is she saying words or just screaming?

Foster bitch: she’s screaming that they are her brothers ear defenders so we can not take them away. This is the first we’ve heard of a brother bar the imaginary friends. We are losing our patience.

—————————————————————————————————————
Tony was losing his patience. The cuteness of her calling Peter her brother was lost on him. All he was seeing was a stuck up, rude, ableist woman. So he did what he could. He texted Sussie to try to get some answers to his confusion.

Tony Stark: Hey Sussie so sorry to bother you. Aria's foster mother has texted me worried that Aria wearing ear defenders will make her look ‘disabled’. I thought it was known that she is autistic so this is confusing me. I hope you're having a good day, kindest regards.

Sussie (caseworker): good morning Mr Stark, I’m sorry if I’ve caused confusion. Your daughter is on a waiting list to be seen for a diagnosis. These waiting lists have long wait times. She has been on it for two years now and will have to wait for another couple. The other option is to go private which would skip lines but is not government funded. Until she receives an official diagnosis she will not be able to access many specialist supports.
————————————————————————————————————-
This is so unfair. What happens to the children whose parents can’t afford to go private? Not to mention how much longer is his daughter going to be stuck living with a family who doesn’t even seem to try to understand her and her interests. He didn’t even realise how long he must have sat there. Staring at the wall. Until Pepper came in and snapped him out of it.
“Tony why are you looking at our kitchen wall like it has offended you? We only re-did it last year.”

He also didn’t mean to blurt out his frustrations without giving a bit of background or filling her in on his conversations. “Did you know the waiting lists for an autism assessment are so long? Kids are more likely to be young adults at the least before getting their diagnosis!”. She blinked face blank. Obviously not expecting his out bust. She recovers quickly though and seems to stare into the distance deep in thought.

“No, I didn't know that. Well I think I might have heard something like that on the news but I didn’t know the full extent of it. That’s terrible. What are we going to do?”.

Whilst it’s probably a bit selfish to be relieved when she said ‘us’ and not ‘what are you going to do’ but he definitely did. Pepper knew way more about systems than he did. She’d be able to find someone to help. That’s how they spent the next three hours researching and calling multiple organisations both private and government funded. Tony being a billionaire was able to get an appointment for Aria to have a meeting with a private psychiatrist. The appointment is in two weeks. The psychiatrist will be getting in contact with her school and caseworker to gather all relevant documents.

This is all good news. Aria will have a diagnosis in no time. He should feel good but he couldn’t stop thinking about all the other kids. Ones without rich parents. It seems Pepper was having the same problem. As she marched into the room 2 minutes later and announced her feelings on the matter. “Tony, we need to do something about these wait times. I’m thinking we should set up a fund for them. Charity whatever you want to call it.”

Pepper looked ready to go to war. Tony was ready to join her in any fight. “I completely agree. I’m prepared to donate any money I can, and sit through boring meetings. We could probably organise a gala too. You know, charm the founders. “ She seemed pleasantly surprised by this.

“Tony Stark just suggested we host a gala? Who are you and what did you do with my husband?”! Just like that the tension was broken. Cracked and melted replaced with a new feeling. Both grinning. He raised an eyebrow “Miss Pots did you just call me your husband?!” He teased. She didn’t back down stepping towards him and wrapping her arms around his neck.

“I married you remember? You are my husband and I am your wife.” Their Noses were touching now. His face scrunched up in mock confusion. “Hmm I seem to have forgotten that. I think I need a reminder.” They kiss but Pepper pulls away suddenly. Worry written all over her face. Terrified he had done something to upset his lover he took a step back to give her some space. He wasn’t left in the dark long.

“Is Peter home?” Oooooo that makes so much more sense. “Nope he’s at Teds.” She gave him the look. “Tony, you know his name is Ned.” He raised his eyebrow. “Do I? I don’t remember that.” One glance was all it took. “Fine fine you are so right my love Ned Ted whatever. Peters isn’t home and won’t be for awhile. May we please press play on what we were just doing. I promise I’ll keep my mouth shut. Scouts honour.”

“You were never a scout and we will need that mouth. I’m your wife, remember.” Wiggling their eyebrows and giggling like teenagers they took their fun to the bedroom. By the time Peter got back it was late and time to sleep.

Wednesday had everyone excited. Tony was meeting Aria at the access centre to take her to their local primary school for an interview. The word ‘interview’ had Pepper and May crying laughing multiple times that week. What is involved in a school interview with an 11 year old anyway?

Well I guess they’ll have to wait and find out. Somehow Peter was bribed into going to school, not tagging along with Tony. This was of course after a long debate ending in a shopping spree for Peter to spoil himself and his little sister.

Wednesdays drive to the access centre was slow. Morning school rush not helping. It felt like hours before he pulled up to the building. He quickly checked he was inside the lines and he looked presentable. Check and.. check enough.

Walking inside the building he smiled and said hello to the receptionist. Already heading to the room from last time. Pretty chuffed he knew his way around so well. Sussie was of course waiting outside the room. He greeted her with a smile. Upon seeing her face his smile dropped off of his. She did not look happy.

“Everything okay with Aria?”. She jumps, mustn’t have seen him. Plastering on a professional friendly smile she greets him. Shaking his hand. He notes her smile still doesn’t quite meet her eyes.

“Aria is okay. She’s just had a bad week. She’s clashing with her foster family at the moment.” He hums nodding. “I’ve been doing a final look over your file Mr Stark. If you’re ready I would like to finalise and send her home to you. All your home checks are passed. I don’t think it’s worth keeping her in a house she’s not happy in when she’s got a more suitable one.”

Even if her smile was fake his was not. What questions should he ask first?! “When? We are ready for her right now”. Tony didn’t bother trying to hide his feelings on the topic. Now Sussie had a real smile. This is what she got into this job. To reunite families. “Today if you are willing to sign the guardianship papers. “ he agreed immediately. She turned to open the door. “Cmon let’s tell the little boss”

The second he opened the door a small body crashed into him. Sussie laughed “I’m guessing you heard.” She nods still clinging to Tony. If he could have stayed there holding her all day he would but they had an appointment to get too. The only logical thing to do was pick her up and carry her to the car still hugging. Tony half shouted his goodbye across the car park.

“Bye Sussie see you after the meeting. Thank you for everything.” With that both Starks got into the car, buckled their seatbelts and drove off. “Where are we going?” Tony looked in the mirror to see Aria. She was swinging her legs looking out the window smiling. “We, little miss, are on our way to your possible new school.” He kept his voice light to try soften the blow.

“Why?” The huff and pout would have been funny had he not been so worried about the whole school thing. “Because you still need to get an education when you come home to live with us. Not to mention the fun of school. Learning how to navigate social situations etc. you know the whole lot.” She brightened at the mention of living with them. “Why possibly?” He smiled. “Well if you don’t like this school we can look at other ones.” Her jaw dropped. This time he couldn’t hide his chuckle. Aria looked shocked that something like this would be her decision. “I get to choose?”

“Yup, you’re the one that’s going to the school after all.” She didn’t answer. Just stared out the window deep in thought. About 3 minutes later he could tell she wanted to ask something. Her attention had shifted from her thoughts to him. He sat there quietly. Letting her ask in her own time. “Why this school?”

Tony hummed acknowledging the question. It was a dam good one as well. Made him think for a moment. Why did I pick this one? Countless conversations, late nights researching, stalking school websites. Why did he pick this one in the end? He smiled sure of his answer. Time to pitch the school to her. Is that even a thing people do? Pitch schools to their children? Oh well guess he’ll blame Pepper for this one.

“That’s a good question. It took me a long time to choose this one, I must’ve looked at. Hmm maybe 30 schools. I liked this one the best because it looks kind. Really fun as well.” She raised her eyebrows challenging him on that one. School, fun or kind. Yeah right. She looked just like Pepper. Despite having no biological connection. “What makes it different?” Yup definitely a CEO in the making.

“Well for starters all teachers are called by their first names. There is a big focus on not just learning to read and write but learning how to love learning. I know that sounds weird. I promise you’ll still do actually school work but they try make it more fun and engaging. With games and interactive learning. I’m using lots of big words sorry.” He cuts himself off. Worried he might be losing her a bit but his worry is in vain. She seems to be understanding everything.

“How do they make it kind?” She’s not looking as dejected anymore. If anything there is a tiny bit of hope in her eyes. “Well I talked to the principal of the school and she said it starts from the top down. They only hire teachers and staff they feel are a good fit. Then they go through a training program to learn how to bring positive energy and kindness into the classroom. They lead by example. I’m sure they’ll be able to explain it better than me.” She nods. A ghost of a smile on her face.

The drive to the school was much quicker than the mornings drive had been. Seeing as it was almost eleven all the kids were already in school. Pulling into the school’s car park the first thing he noticed were the colours. Everywhere. On the ground. On the walls. This place was nothing like the prison he went to school in. Aria noticed too. She was staring out her window. Looking as surprised as he felt.

Getting out of the car was misleadingly easy. Aria hopped out, closing her door behind her. You may be confused as to why Tony classed this as misleadingly easy. Surely walking into the building should be around the same difficulty as getting out of the car. If you thought so you where unfortunately wrong. Loud incorrect buzzer sound wrong.

Aria froze outside the door. Tony barely looked back. Just called her name holding the door. Much more focused on finding the office they were meant to meet in. She didn’t move forward. Switching off his phone that he had been mostly engrossed in scanning the email for a clue of the right direction to move in he gave Aria his full attention. “Cmon Ari we’ve got to go meet the principal remember? After if you decide it’s a no we can look at another one”

He had hoped a reminder that this was still somewhat in her control would help her enter the unfamiliar territory. He was wrong. She shook her head. Tony had to take a deep breath. Feeling his frustration levels rising and his patience thinning. They where going to be late to the meeting he tried very hard to set up and get too.

Just as he was feeling like he was about to loose it a kind looking lady approached them. She reached out her hand in greeting. He shook it. “Hello Mr Stark my name is Bea it’s lovely to meet you. And this must be miss Aria.” Her voice was light. Soft in a way he didn’t expect from a teacher. She looks between Tony and Aria, easily understanding the situation. She crouched down making herself appear smaller. Less intimidating.

“Hi Aria, I’m Bea I’m the principal of Pangea Primary. I hear you and your Dad are here to explore our campus and maybe see if this is the school you want to go to. Am I right?” Aria nods, making Bea smile at her. “Well how about we go to my office to chat for a bit so you know what to expect. I know that always helps me when I’m nervous. My office is through the door right next to reception. It’s quiet and cozy in there.” Aria thinks for a moment then nods holding onto Tony’s hand and staying tucked into his side. He squeezes her hand and gently guides her to Bea’s office.

If the car park was a shock this is a jaw dropper. Bea’s office looked nothing like a normal principals office. Instead of hard plastic chairs the room had beanbags. Instead of harsh fluorescent lights there were soft lamps. It wasn’t dark either. Natural sunlight filled the room from a window and skylight. The rest of the light came from said lamps. Her desk in the corner of the room had a house plant on it next to a laptop. Behind the desk on the wall were what looked to Tony like hundreds of drawings students must have done for her. Okay hundreds is an exaggeration but you get the idea.

Bea sat down on a beanbag rather than her chair behind her desk in the corner. Still slightly gobsmacked Tony sat down on a beanbag across from Bea. Aria opted for a pink beanbag next to the window on the left side of Tony.

“So welcome to Pangea Primary. We are so happy to have you both here. I understand Aria is thinking of moving here right?” The question was for Ari not Tony so he let her answer. She shrugged and mumbled an “I guess”. Worried Arias lack of enthusiasm would upset the teacher Tony was ready to step in and do the talking for her. But Bea didn’t look even the slightest bit put off.

“That’s cool what kind of stuff do you like doing?” I can not stress enough how unusual this’s school seemed to be. Neither Bea nor Ari made eye contact during their conversation. No pressure from Bea to preform. So it shouldn’t have surprised him when Aria answered her but it did.

“I like animals, reading and climbing” Bea hummed excitement crossing her face. “You know it just so happens we have a really cool playground with lots of climbing equipment. We also have a library and a school therapy dog.”

Arias head shots up. Her whole body wriggling on the spot. “You have a school dog?!” Both adults smile at her excitement. “We sure do! His name is Buddy” her hands are flapping uncontrollably. “I was thinking we could go look around the school, meet some teachers and students and Buddy the dog. I promise all our staff are lovely. We could explore the playground too. You know to see if it’s any fun.”

Aria was nodding so fast. Hopping up onto her feet. This is a completely different girl than the one at the door ten minutes ago. Bouncing on her heels at the idea of exploring the school. In that moment Tony knew for sure his research payed off. Pangea Primary is the perfect school for Aria.

Walking out of the office and into the hallway again was much smoother this time. Aria was searching every corner. Tony had no idea what she was looking for. “How will I know where to go?” Her voice was smaller now. Tony realised for the first time how daunting this all must be. A whole new school, home, family. He remembered how scary it was when he moved to MIT. Fifteen years old and completely alone . Howard never cared about how he might be feeling. But Tony promised himself he would be better than his father. So far he thinks he has done okay breaking the cycle. Other than that horrible day he yelled at Peter and took away his suit. That day he was exactly like Howard. Maybe worse. That guilt will follow him forever.

Bea snapped him out of his self loathing train of thought. Speaking in that soft kind way he had come to associate her with. “Good question. It does all seem a bit big and confusing. The way we try to make it easier is by using colours. You see how the floor has a yellow brick road? It goes all around the school like a path on a treasure map. Each class has a different path based on the theme of the class. For example sixth grades theme is the jungle. Their mascot is a parrot. So to find that class you need to follow the yellow brick road until you see a parrot. Most mascots are on the walls as well as the floor so if you come to the end of the corridor and you don’t know wether to turn left or right see wich wall has a parrot on it and follow that road.”

To Tony that sounded more confusing than picking a direction and hoping for the best but to Aria it looked like it made sense. “So if I wanted to find sixth grade I have to turn that way because the other wall has no parrot?” Aria was pointing left as they came to a fork in the road. Bea nodded excitedly. Delighted, she understood it so fast.

Low and behold it worked. Less than three minutes later they were outside a room on the corridor decorated to look like the entrance to the jungle. Big letters spelt out ‘welcome to sixth grade’. Bea knocked on the door Wich was opened only seconds later by a little boy around Arias age. He had blonde hair, a camouflage tracksuit and a blue t-shirt on. Behind him the class were all sitting at their desks in groups of four or five. The teacher at the front of the class was a nice looking older woman. Grey hair in a bun. She had a kind face, wrinkled by years of smiling.

She smiled the three of them. “Hello Bea, who do you have here with you today? We were just working on some maths. You're welcome to join us.” Bea smiled back at her. “Good morning Marge, good morning kids. I’ve got Aria here with me and her adult Tony. She’s thinking of coming here so we’re exploring the school and meeting some people to help them decide.” Marge smiled and nodded in understanding. Some of the kids in the class waved at Aria. Seemingly very excited at the possibility of having a new student.

“That’s lovely. Nice to meet you Miss Aria. Let us know if you would like to borrow one of our students to look around the school with you. Your welcome to join us if you feel like it at any point.” With that all three said thank you and went to continue exploring.

The next stop was the playground. Out the back of the building where the kids go at break time. “This is the playground. Where our children go at lunchtime. There is a couple trees at the back. In those trees are some hanging swings and a treehouse with a lookout, a fireman pole and a slide.”

In the main playground was multiple connected play structures. Wobbly bridges between, different kinds of slides and things to climb. Monkey bars and pirate wheels. Circaler net swings multiple kids could fit in. It looked like a child paradise. There was also plenty of space in and around to play tag or hide and seek. A roundabout with nothing to hold onto just flat space Tony can only imagine the giggles trying to hold on. To the right was a sports court painted with basketball, football and soccer lines. Multiple purpose. Making good use of the space.

After a good look through the playground Bea lead them back into the building and to the support office. After knocking a man opened the door with a dog next to him. Aria gasped hands fluttering. “Hey come on inside. I’m Luke this is Buddy” he beckoned them inside. Introducing Aria to Buddy the Golden Retriever. Buddy had a red vest on that said ‘Therapy Dog please feel free to pet me.’

Tony, Bea and Aria all entered the office. Aria immediately sat down on the floor to cuddle Buddy. All three adults sat down on the comfy couch’s in the room. Bea once again introduced Tony and Aria and why they were here.

“Cool nice to meet you both. I’m Luke the support worker at Pangea Primary. I’m here to help with all sorts of things. Like sorting out accommodations for students, chats on good and bad days. All sorts of things.” Tony nodded along trying to pay attention but being helplessly distracted by Aria and the dog. Before he could stop himself he was asking about the dog.

“How did the school end up with a dog? Also sorry I’m not very familiar with types of working dogs but what’s the difference between a therapy dog and a service dog?”. Luke didn’t look annoyed by Tony’s subject change or lack of knowledge. He just smiled as if his favourite thing in the world was brought up.

“No worries I love talking about this anyway. Buddy was in a training program for autism assistance dogs but he was too friendly. The trainers decided it would be best to move him to a therapy dog program. Service dogs need to be able to focus on their handler no matter the situation. Lots of dogs start in a service dog program but throughout the two years not all dogs graduate. There are lots of different types of working dogs. Guide dogs, medical alert dogs, police dogs etc. you get the general idea. They all need to meet certain criteria.” Luke takes a breath then continues

“So because Buddy was too distracted by other people he didn’t pass his handler test. After moving into the therapy dog program he graduated and got matched to our school. We had applied to the program a year prior. Any school or place that meets the criteria can apply. To answer your question on how their different therapy dogs have different access rights and a different job. Instead of having one handler to help, they help loads of people. You’ll also see Buddy’s vest encourages people to pet him where most service dogs vests will ask you not to distract them.”

Tony nods. That was a lot more interesting than he thought it would be. Everything in this school is more interesting than he would have thought. He could not wait to tell Pepper all about it. Tony smiles at both Bea and Luke. Happy in all this chaos to have one thing almost sorted.

“Thank you both. This has been very helpful. I’ll be in contact after we have a chat with the rest of our family to ensure we’re all on the same page.” Bea smiles back. Professional and soft as always.

“Of course Mr Stark. It was lovely to meet you both today. We look forward to meeting you again soon.”

Chapter Text

Leaving Pangea Primary was much easier than walking in. After saying their goodbyes and thank yous, Tony and Aria hopped back into the car. Both wearing matching smiles. Mission successful. School found.

“So how about ice cream to celebrate? I thought that went very well if I do say so myself.” Aria looked happy. Happier at least than two hours ago. He took that as a win and set course to the nearest ice cream shop.
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The rest of the morning went by peacefully. Ice cream got and eaten, it was time to head back to the centre. Paperwork to fill out and all. Sussie was waiting in the main office for the pair to return. Completely engrossed in whatever she was doing on her laptop.

Tony lightly knocked on the already open door, she snapped out of her mini trance. Startled back to reality. Her work face back on she smiled and beckoned them both inside. “Oh hello! It is so nice to see you back with a smile on your face Aria. I take it the new school went well.” Aria blushed slightly but gave Sussie a small smile confirming her suspicion.

Tony sat down on the chair opposite Sussie’s desk and Aria settled down in the corner of the room, on the floor with a colouring book that Sussie must have set up for her whilst they were away. Sussie lightly cleared her throat to get Tony attention.

“So Mr Stark, are you ready to go over the final details?”, He smiles.“Yes I absolutely am. Have been since the second I met her.” She nods. “Well that’s good to hear. I just have a few things to go over with you then you can sign some documents and go.” Evan her normally professional mannerisms where being infected from the excitement in the room.

Seeing Tony eagerly waiting for her to begin she reached into the drawer, plopping the pile of paper onto the table in front of them. “These are all of Arias files plus some final things to sign.” Opening the file on the top of the pile, Sussie begins showing Tony Arias medical records. Or therefore lack of.

“As we briefly discussed, Aria hasn’t had many interactions with the medical world. Every time any foster parent or staff from the hospital or cps has tried to help fix this they were..unsuccessful. The whole process was incredibly difficult for everyone involved. She screams, kicks, hits, cries, everything. By signing here you agree that you understand Arias past medical history and agree to work with professionals to get her where she needs to be.” Sussies tone was serious but not harsh. Tony takes a second to process than answers.

“Yes I understand. We will be working with the best team of people I know. Dr Cho and my friend Dr Bruce Banner leading the charge . We will do the best we can.” She seems to accept that and after he signs the form she pulls the next one from the pile.

“This one’s her placement history. No need to sign anything it just has interviews, statements from former homes and people she may have worked with.” With a quick nod it was added to the pile next to Tony and the next file was taken from Sussies pile. “This is her educational history, including end of year results and comments.” Again she places it on top of Tony’s pile and picks up the last of hers.

“Last one. It’s your home study, Arias passport, pps number etc. I know it’s big, don’t be put off by its size. This is your go to folder for everything Aria. You’ll need it for school enrollment, travel, doctor appointments, everything. I just need your final signature to make you officially Arias legal guardian. You will still have follow up random home checks. Standard procedure to keep families supported during reunification. Also to ensure the child is safe.” With a quick scribble it was official.

There was no confetti, or music to celebrate this moment. No physical change. Just acknowledgement that their whole lives are about to change. Sussie cut across his train of thought. She still had work to do and was keen to encourage the family to begin the settling in process. Reaching out her hand to shake Tony’s she gave her well wishes and sent them on their way. Insisting he call if he had any questions at all. “Well congratulations to your new family! I wish you the best of luck and will be checking in. Now go enjoy settling in.”

Aria looked up then, for the first time since they walked in. Her tiny voice cutting through the room. “So does this mean I’m really leaving?” Tony couldn’t tell what the tone in her voice meant so he decided to keep his neutral. “Yeah I guess it does mean that honey. But this doesn’t mean you’ll never see Sussie again. She’s going to come by to visit and check up on you.” This seemed to calm her nerves. Sussie opened her arms and Aria ran into them. A silent tear fell down Sussies face. A job well done, a life changed.

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Peters perspective
Wednesday morning
Guy in the chair: dude please tell me you’re coming to school today🙏🙏🙏i can’t survive this without you

Spider-nerd: yeah I’ll be in soon, Tony won’t let me stay home even though he’s literally going to get Aria and bring her to this interview for her new school

Guy in the chair: oof that sucks. If my dad was going to visit my little sister without me I’d be mad too, great for me though🥳

Spider-nerd: Mr Stark is not my dad!!!! How many times do I have to tell you?! He’s just my mentor guy?

Guy in the chair: yeah right. Didn’t he literally refer to Aria as your little sister? He’s got guardian rights?! You have a room on the family floor, full access plus he fathers you!

Spider-nerd: this is ridiculous he doesn’t ‘father’ me. He’s just being nice and all cuz I’m Spider-Man. The guardian thing is for practical purposes, like when I’m hurt on patrol and stuff

Guy in the chair: he helps you with your homework, sets curfews, grounds you. The list is endless. You live there half the week!!!

Spider-nerd: okay I see how that might be confusing…. And whilst I’d love for him to think of me as his son that is never going to happen. Why would Iron Man want to be my dad?

Guy in the chair: gosh your clueless 😔

Spider-nerd: ……..

Guy in the chair: wait a second.. NOO

Spider-nerd: did you just say gosh ?!

Guy in the chair: nooo

Spider-nerd: as in oh my-gilly-gosh🫢🤭

Guy in the chair: I hate you. See you soon

Mood lifted Peter put his phone in his pocket and finished packing his bag with everything he needed for the day. It being a Wednesday meant that he was taking the subway to school, All the people who would normally drive him were busy so after a lot of convincing “that he always took the subway to get to school before he was spider man” Tony gave in and allowed him to take public transport to school on Wednesday.

Swinging will always be his favourite form of transportation but the subway wasn’t bad either. Getting in the elevator Peter took his phone back out his pocket, connecting it to his headphones. Bopping his head along to the music. It takes 3 minutes for the elevator to get to the ground floor. Cons of having so many rooms. His favourite secretary Rose was working. He waved at her and she smiled and waved back.

The cold air hit him the second he walked out the front door. He could see his breath as he walked. Wrapping his coat tighter around him he admired the autumn atmosphere. Since getting bitten Peter's thermo-regulation was like that of a spiders. He was constantly cold but with the heated jacket Tony had made this cold season was shaping up to be the best yet. It was late September, well late is a bit generous. Mid September so he’d been back to school a couple weeks.

New York’s morning bustle was in full swing. Crowds of people on the stairs to the underground. His train shockingly came on time, sticky strength coming in handy holding on. Packed like peas in a pod. The subway lets him off a 5 minute walk from school. Ned was waiting for him at the gate.

“Heyy, How’s your morning going?” Ned dapped him up as he spoke. Intricate handshake they’d made when they were 8. Peter answered. Never tired of seeing Ned’s face light up at the mention of Tony.

“It was good , nothing too interesting or crazy. Pepper made breakfast so that was nice, we’re all buzzing cuz Tony’s bringing Aria to her school interview. Whatever that means. Hopefully she’ll come home soon, her foster family is awful.” The warning bell rang so they headed inside. Physics first period. Even though he had tried to explain why Aria wasn’t able to come live with them the second they found out Tony was her bio dad Ned still didn’t really understand.

“But she’s Tony Stark's child! Who would possibly tell the Tony Stark he can’t have his daughter?” Peter laughed at Ned’s tone and his face. “Why do you insist on calling Tony by his official title? You come over for dinner all the time?” The real bell rang just then so they took their giggles to class.

“I’m just saying there is no way I’d keep Iron Man away from his family. He could order an army of robots after me or something and it’s still crazy that you live with avengers!”. Peter rolled his eyes but smiled when he looked away. As they turned down the hall into the classroom the stuffy classroom air hit them. Lynx body spray, cheap perfumes, old fart and B.O. Yup Peter could definitely see why people were constantly saying his high school years are the best of his life.

The volume of the classroom wasn’t much quieter than in the hall. A group of girls were sitting in the back corner loudly reminiscing about one of the girls birthday party the previous weekend. Occasionally gasping or laughing/screaming far louder than strictly necessary. Flash was bragging about something or other to a group of students Peter vaguely recognised from robot club or academic decathlon.

Ned and Peter sat in the middle row. Ned was showing him a picture of the new Lego set his nanny got him when their teacher walked in. The classes up until lunch were much of the same. Loud but bearable. They took their usual lunch spot, under a tree. Soon the weather will change, the cold will come and they’ll be forced to retreat inside for lunch. Even with Peter's lack of tolerance for the cold there was something so undeniably special about watching the seasons change.

Their spot was mostly hidden behind the school. A bit of a trek to get too, bushes and overgrown plants. Ned always liked to say it was ‘giving bridge to Terabithia’ vibes, Mj definitely agreed . The boys had made a pit stop to the cafeteria for a roll and a hot chocolate each. Peter unraveled the small blanket he leaves in his locker specially for lunches like this. The blanket is a second hand picnic blanket, waterproof underside, worn but comfortable fabric on top. It’s not fancy but it gets the job done.

A comfortable quiet settled over their little hang out. Both boys munching away. The city was only a minute away but it never felt so far. Except for the sirens or horns now and again. Just as they were finishing up their rolls they heard footsteps and rustling approaching their spot. Peter tensed up. Ready for a fight. A voice shouted to them.

“Hey losers!” He let out a relieved laugh. Being a vigilante takes its toll. Always on high alert for threats. Ready for danger. MJ came into view. Battling the overgrown greens around her. She had her reusable coffee travel mug with her, Peter was willing to bet it had steaming hot tea in it. She plopped down next to him on the blanket.

“So what have you two been up to? I was in art history pretty much all morning. I also had debate club but not much happened because it's still the start of the school year. We are looking for new recruits if you see anyone who you could rope in.” She took a sip of her tea, satisfied with her summary of the day so far. Ned jumped into a dramatic retelling of the boy’s morning. Making Peter laugh because having lived it, literally nothing interesting happened.

The conversation moved to the great British bake off? Which naturally led them into other baking shows. Specifically ‘nailed it’ and ‘is it cake?’. The trio decided they would easily beat the competition despite having no baking experience. After another laugh Ned’s face turned dead serious.

“We should start a YouTube channel.” The idea wasn’t necessarily new. Peter and Ned had talked about starting one since they were little. It never felt like the right time to do it. When they were younger neither Peter or Ned had access to something to film on. Then Peter got bit and their life’s got crazy with new responsibilities to navigate. Peter thought about it. Leaving the question hang in the air.

They had equipment to film with. The craziness of superheroing had settled and became routine. Only one question seemed really important then. “What kind of videos would we make?” Ned’s smile tripped in size. Peter was so in. Ned started talking a million miles an hour, Mj didn’t say anything but had a soft smile on her face and quietly took notes of the boy's discussion.

“Everything! We could start with a video where we try to do a ‘nailed it’ challenge. Lego builds, vlogs!” Ned’s face was lit up. There was no turning back now. Peter hopped in. “Yeah! We could do vlogs of everything! Maybe some how-to build a robot and physics for beginners.” Ned nodded in agreement. “We are so the next big thing”.

The bell rang ending their fun. All three of them had English and maths next. Together they battled their way back through the bush. Stopping at Peter's locker to drop off the blanket. Mj was scribbling away in her notebook. Peter was just about to ask her what’s got her so interested when Ned read his mind and asked first.

“What’s got you so busy? And I don’t see anyone in crisis so you’re probably not drawing. Are you coming up with ideas for our super cool new YouTube channel?” The ridiculous way he was wiggling his eyebrows got a smile from her. She carefully put her notebook back in her bag, putting her pen behind her ear.

“Close, but no I’m not brainstorming ideas for your channel. I’m coming up with some ideas for mine. You nerds have inspired me to start my own channel. I think I’ll make some video essays and deep dives into topics I find interesting and that are important.” Peter immediately told her he’d follow, along with Ned.

English was exactly as Peter thought it would be. Boring. At least Mj looked like she was enjoying it. Ned ripped a piece of paper from his notebook, writing on it and passing it to Peter. Starting not only a desperately needed distraction but a challenge not to get caught. At half 2 a message lit up on Peter's phone. His volume was off but her kept his phone on for updates on Aria.

Family group chat😘
Genius billionaire💳⌚️: school interview over✅ It started off a bit rocky. Aria didn’t want to so much as walk inside the building. The principal was very nice as was everyone else. It’s such a lovely school even I’m slightly jealous I’m not going. School therapy dog buddy is a saving grace. *photo of Aria and buddy*

Boss woman👑🥂🫡: aww she’s the cutest! Thanks for the update.

Underroos🩲🕷️: we need to get a dog!!!

Aunt hottie🍷🍝: not a chance in our apartment. Ask your Tony

Underroos🩲🕷️: ………pleasesss

Genius billionaire💳⌚️: I don’t know why you’re asking me like I’m in charge. Ask Pepper!

Genius billionaire💳⌚️: wait a second. That’s not what I typed! Pepper did you get Friday to hack my phone and refer to you as the boss?!!

Underroos🩲🕷️: well she sort of definitely is

Genius billionaire💳⌚️: and you are sort of - definitely - grounded!

Boss woman👑🥂🫡: don’t worry sweetheart you’re not grounded. I unground you.

With that he put his phone back in his pocket turning back to Ned who had been reading the conversation over his shoulder. “Having Tony Stark and Pepper Potts in your family group chat arguing over who gets to ground you is crazy.” Peter snorted, resulting in the two of them being separated by the teacher because they ‘just couldn’t concentrate together’. Luckily there was only five minutes left of the class anyway.

Maths was much more interesting. Sure Peter already knew all the answers but the teacher was engaging and he found himself completely immersed in the problem solving. He didn’t think about anything aside from numbers, letters and formulas for the full hour and fifteen minutes.

The last bit of his day was a bit of a doss. They had a talk from a local pharmacy and the school nurse about flu season coming up. Nothing fun or slightly interesting to a room full of teenagers. Or anyone at all. Eat healthy foods to boost your immune system, get the jab if you can because of herd immunity and protecting those who can’t. Same stuff every year really. Not exactly cutting edge science. They did show a few gross pictures of what Peter thinks is mucus? Whatever it was, it was so disgusting it was almost interesting. Almost.

After school the boys had academic decathlon so they headed to the library where they practice.

—————————————————————————————————————
Tony’s perspective
Both Aria and Tony had tears in their eyes getting into the car. They drove home to the tower, “how do you feel about decorating? Want to get a start on your room?, make it yours.” He was expecting a straight up no but she nodded. He asked if she would like to go to any shops to get some new stuff for her room and for herself, she quickly shook her head no. No in person shopping today.

The rest of the way home was quiet. The elevator dinged when they reached the penthouse. Pepper's head whipped around, gasping when she saw the little miss. “Your home! Oh my I wasn’t expecting to see you today. How long do we get you for today?” Aria whispered “forever”. The tears in Peppers eyes were confirmation enough that she heard the whisper .

Pepper kneeled down to her level. “Well in that case, welcome home Aria. We’ve missed you”. Aria stayed rooted to the ground, lost in conflicting feelings. On one hand she really wanted to be loved and open to these new people, but on the other hand she didn’t want to risk being hurt again. So she stayed where she was. Pepper didn’t seem to mind. Offering a smile Aria half returned.

Then as if Aria had done nothing wrong Pepper stood up and led them to the kitchen for a snack. Tony began recounting the morning. Emphasising how cool the school was. Pepper laughed at his enthusiasm but it wasn’t mean like Aria had been expecting. It was more an indicator of her enjoying his company. After a couple minutes of Tony’s story Pepper turned to Aria. “How about you honey? Did you like it or will we have to send Tony to go in instead of you?”

Aria giggled and the room lit up. Tony brought the topic back to the present. “We were thinking about getting some decorating done, how do you feel about that Pep? I know you and May have been gathering ideas. Arias is not feeling in person shopping today so is there stuff you can do from home?”

Pepper's face lit up more if possible. Shopping she can do! “Of course! We can look online. Let’s maybe start with making a Pinterest board?” With that the girls headed to the sitting room to plan Arias dream room.

It was 30 minutes later when May burst through the door announcing in a sing song voice “not to fear, backup is here!” Tony was unaware back up was needed but what would he know? Another 40 minutes later Tony was called into the sitting room where the girls had been working. Projected on the tv was said Pinterest board.

Fairy lights, cozy rugs and pastel green summed up the room pretty well. It looked like it had crawled out of a story book. The far away tree or maybe ink heart. Aria was seemingly blown away by the possibility of a room like that. So her. Pepper began explaining her vision.

“Aria likes enclosed spaces, hights as well. They make her feel safe so we’re thinking her bed could be a loft style, the ladder or stairs up could be decorated to feel like she’s climbing up vines or a tree. A light breathable fabric creates a tinted see through way to view the room from. A hanging sensory swing or egg chair for under the loft bed which we’ll turn into a mini library. Soft rugs around the room and a climbing wall on one of the walls. Monkey bars on the ceiling next to it. Like a monkey corner. Under for if she falls or wants to jump into it a small foam pit.”

Tony was a bit shocked to be honest. It was ambitious. Massively so but it isn’t like he couldn’t afford it. “Sounds great, start ordering” he smiled seeing all three of them smiling.

Turns out he also drastically underestimated how long things would take to be delivered. He was used to not being kept waiting, billionaire and all. Both Pepper and May said they weren’t expecting to only have to wait until Saturday. It being Wednesday Tony still thought it was a long time to wait.

Saturday is decorating day now I guess. Tony looked at the time. Half 5, time to start thinking about dinner. Aria asked for pasta so pasta it is. Ordered from the family’s favourite Italian restaurant. Tony’s personal phone buzzed, he looked down expecting it to be Peter but it was Pangea Primary’s number ringing him. He answered.

“Hi Mr Stark, this is Bea from the school earlier today. I know it’s late notice but I just wanted to let you know Arias registration has been approved. She’s good to start from tomorrow onwards. No pressure if she’s not ready we’re just cautious that it’s three weeks into the term.” A sigh of relief. At least one thing was sorted.

“Hello Bea, thank you so much. I’ll talk to her and see if she’d be up to go in tomorrow. I’ll keep you updated, thank you so much for all your support.” She wished him the best and bid him good night.

Chapter Text

Peter was in the door only seconds after the food was delivered. Kicking off his shoes and dumping his bag on the couch. “Mmm smells good in here! What’s for dinner?” He followed his nose into the kitchen where all members of his family were sitting. Including a little girl .

His mouth opened in shock. Jaw dropped. Tony, May and Pepper chuckle at his reaction. Tony stood up , opening his arms for a hug. “Hey Pete, how was school? Was decathlon fun?” Tony’s exaggerated offence when Peter ignored him and made a bee line for Aria made May and Pepper burst out laughing again. “Hey Ari, I didn’t know you were home. I would have skipped decathlon practice!” Aria beamed at him. She carefully took Peter's red ear defenders from her bag. Handing them back gently.

He looked confused for a second. Then a light bulb went off in his head and he ran to his room to get something . Leaving Aria confused and worried about what she did wrong. He returned twenty seconds later holding smaller lavender ear defenders. He held them out, “tradies?” she nodded eagerly. Trying them on immediately. They fit much better than Peters had. She felt so lucky. Having people who really tried to understand.

A possibility of having a family. Something she had long since given up on. It was to early to tell but for a second she allowed herself to believe this was something possible. Even for kids like her .

The food was getting cold so they all sat around the table. The atmosphere relaxed, filled with contented humans satisfied that an animalistic need for food was being fulfilled. Tony spoke up after a while. “So I got a call from Arias school. Her registration was successful, the place is there for her so she can start as early as tomorrow. The principal, Bea, seems to think it would be best if she starts sooner rather than later. The terms have already started and this is a big change. Could be good to get some stability started.” He explained .

Aria didn’t look excited at the prospect of school but something in her looked curious. Peter remembered just then what a big day she’s had. “What was the school like Ari? Did they have anything cool?” Aria at the prompt of the question seemed to remember the weird awesome school she’s going to attend. Her hands fluttered as she told Peter everything she saw at Pangea Primary earlier today.

“They have a dog! Like a real dog! His name is Buddy, he’s a golden retriever. He’s a working dog but his job is to support everyone in the school so we can hug and pet him. Their playground is so good as well!” Peter asks loads more questions. At seven o’clock Pepper joined the kids in the kitchen.

“Right Pete, Aria time to wind down and get ready for bed. C’mon showers and pj’s. Peter headed off to his room. Aria followed Pepper into her new room. Pepper opened a drawer that had soft pink, blue and yellow towels.

“These are yours, you can move them around, we just didn’t want you to have to go rooting though bags, don’t worry the bag you brought from your foster home hasn’t been touched. Just some new stuff. The bathroom is through there. You’ve got pj’s you brought and two new pairs in the wardrobe you chose what you want to wear.” With that Pepper smiled and left, leaving Aria to explore her new room.

She opened her bag she brought with her. It wasn’t much but it was all she had. Sure in some homes she’d have things she used but not much she actually owned. Looking through the pyjamas drawer she found , two pairs of fluffy socks, two incredibly soft pyjama bottoms and matching tops. She added her pyjamas she brought. Though they were old and itchy. She picked up the new soft set of spider man pj’s, two soft pink towels and headed to the bathroom.

It took her three minutes to figure out how to work said shower and fifteen to actually shower, wash her head etc. The hot water and unlimited time relaxed her body. Green apple scented body wash, shampoo and conditioner had her breathing out a sigh of relief. Normally houses have weirdly scented everything. Shampoo passion scented, conditioner exotic Berry and body wash claiming to smell of places she never even knew existed. The too sweet smell made her nauseous, giving her headaches even after when her hair would fall into her face.

Every time she ever brought it up she was told how spoiled and bratty she sounded but she didn’t mean to sound entitled. Only to try to get anyone to understand how her skin crawls and her stomach churns by the scent.

They must have asked Sussie, she’s the only person Aria could think of that would know. Switching the shower off she carefully stepped onto the bath mat. Drying herself with her new pink towel then getting dressed into her soft new spider man pj’s. She walked back over to her room where she dried her hair and put on her lovely new fluffy socks.

She could hear voices in the sitting room. So she brought her still damp hair to the sitting room to see what’s going on. When she got there she lingered at the door frame. May had said good night and left a while ago so it was just Pepper, Tony and Peter lounging on the sofas. They looked happy and peaceful, like a real family. Suddenly Aria felt like an outsider. In the private family house after visiting hours. Peter was using Tony as a pillow. Spread across the couch. Both boys burst out in cheers or boos at the TV now and again. Pepper was tapping away on her tablet. Sitting in the seat Aria was coming to recognise as Peppers sofa. If you can call it that. It was more a comfy looking blob. A double egg seat without all the metal cage stuff.

Even though she was still seemingly working she looked relaxed and watched the boys reactions more than the TV. This is what a real home looks like. The kind of thing you can’t see from meeting someone during the day, or watching them on the Internet. Tony may be a public figure. But this? This is private. Was.

Before they brought in an outsider. And for what? Half a dna? She was about to patter back to her room when Pepper saw her. “oh hello my dear, C’mon in! We were just watching gilmore girls whilst you finished getting comfy. Tony and Peter are so invested. I swear they think the characters can hear them shouting through the tv”

The way Pepper was smiling made Aria know she didn’t mean her words in a bad way. More fond. Aria also appreciated Pepper referring to Tony as ‘Tony’ not as ‘Dad’ or ‘your father’ or anything else along that line. Sure he seems nice and he is technically her dad but he was a stranger. A man she didn’t really know yet. Despite whatever a test said.

When Pepper spoke both boys looked up, upon seeing what she was wearing Tony immediately looked to Peter. She had never seen anyone look so happy to see her. “oh my goodness I have never seen anything as cute in my entire life.” Peter did not look like he was joking. In fact he looked dead serious.

Pepper laughed at Peter's reaction. She gestures to the sofas offering Aria a choice of seating. She chooses to sit next to Pepper. Pepper whispers “girls couch!” solidifying Arias' good choice. They decide on watching an episode of Doc Mc’ Stuffins before Aria's bed time. A simple comforting show that the family had discussed might help her intense fears of doctors.

Aria seemed to enjoy it. Though she did get worried a couple of times. They picked an episode more focused on the toys than the doctor to try begin desensitise her. 40 minutes later the episode ended. Credits rolled. She looked around. Knowing she was meant to go to bed but wondering what to do before that. How to say goodnight?

Pepper seemed to sense Aria's hesitation. So she got up. “Right time for bed. Who , if any, do you want to help you get settled?” Aria looked around the room. Peter was still next to Tony but no longer using him as a pillow, instead he was sitting up alert. Ready to help in any way the second he is asked. Tony was much the same. Except for the energy, Tony looked truly tired.

She had once read a book on sleep. Well kind of. From her understanding kids go to bed earlier and get up earlier because that’s what their body’s tell them to do. The same way teenagers go to sleep late and wake up late . After that the book spiralled into dreams. Aria gave the book back to the library then. She had enough nightmares at night without adding additional readings on the topic during the day .

She knew all three wouldn’t mind helping her but there was something so comforting about Pepper. Maybe it’s because Pepper is a girl too. Whatever it was Pepper is the one she points at. Tony and Peter say goodnight. She mumbles a ‘goodnight’ back. Pepper leads the way back to her room.

Now for one of the worst things in a new place. Sleep. If you have ever been in care or other not ideal situations you will know the stress night time brings. Pepper gently stops her thoughts by explaining the plan best she can. “So now it’s time to relax, your bed is up those steps. It’s a loft bed which means it’s like a bunk bed without the bottom bed. It’s got raised sides so you can’t fall out. There is a soft light you can keep on for reading. Tomorrow morning Tony will take you to school. You don’t have to bring anything just yourself.”

Okay that sounds do-able. Pepper says goodnight and go’s. Back to the living room or maybe her own room. Leaving Aria alone in her room. Well it is time to wind down so she adventures over to her pretty empty bookcase, grabs the far away tree and climbs up to her bed, which is much comfier than she had expected.
—————————————————————————————————————
Tony’s perspective
Taking away the pressure of actually ‘falling asleep’ and replacing it with a calming act like reading turned out to be a fantastic idea. A first parenting win if you will. When Tony peaked in 20 minutes later she was fast asleep. He gently removed the book from her grasp, marking the page she was on and tucking her in.

When she walked into the living room after her shower Tony thought he was going to die of cuteness. In spider man pyjamas and fluffy socks. Her hair is still damp but matching with Peter's brown wavy hair. She looked like an official member of the family. Not that she wasn’t before.

Watching TV with both of his kids , he felt properly relaxed for the first time in a long time. Like most nights Peter was close to his side, unlike most nights Pepper also had a Buddy. Since
Peter started staying nights the line between Mentor and Father had started looking similar. Pepper had always been so supportive, if anything the champion of this new family life. Peter and her always got on Great. As far as parental roles May is Peters main maternal caregiver. Seeing Pepper look so motherly was new but welcomed. Multiple times during the episode Tony found himself distracted , watching and admiring, falling in love with his wife all over again.

Satisfied Aria is soundly asleep Tony rejoined Peter and Pepper in the sitting room. “She's fast asleep. “ Pepper let out a sigh of relief. “that is so good to hear. I was reading a bit of her file earlier, it says she has a lot of trouble sleeping.” Tony nodded, unsurprised. “well it seems we’re safe for tonight at least.”
The rest of the night was pretty much exactly the same as they always were when Peter was there. They watched star wars and chilled. With Aria asleep it was easy to forget anything had changed at all. Half eleven rolled around so the couple and Peter went back to their respective rooms. Exhausted from the long day Tony fell asleep quickly.

7 o’clock came far too fast . It felt like he blinked and the alarm was ringing. Running circles around his room. Pepper's side of the bed was empty. The smell of bacon floating in the air coaxed him out of his room and into the kitchen. Pepper smiled when she heard him enter. She didn’t need to see his face to know he looked a groggy mess. He always did in the morning.

“Good morning Tony, I made you a coffee. Can you please wake the kids up? Breakfast is almost ready and they’ve got school in an hour”. He gratefully accepted the coffee and made his way to Peter's lair. This wake up routine is tried and tested , loudly knocking on his door, barging in to open his curtains whilst saying “good morning! Good morning! Good morning!” loudly.

Peter groaned, pulling his blanket over his head. When he showed no signs of movement Tony yanked said blanket off his bed earning angry mumbles from the tired teen. Just as Tony was about to go for Peter's pillow Peter grumbled an “alright alright! I’ll get up. Tell Pepper breakfast smells good .” Appalled Peter smelled breakfast and immediately knew Pepper made it he huffed and headed to wake up the other kid.

As he came to Arias' plain bedroom door he hesitated. This is uncharted territory. Remembering her sensitivities to loud noises he lightly tapped his knuckles against her door. A pattern he remembered Javis used to use to let Tony know who was there. The code to be let into the closet or attic or any other place Tony used to retreat to after arguments with his father. The sound of a heartbeat, dun dun, dun dun. He found himself subconsciously reaching to his chest where his heart should be. A simple cruelty after everything that happened the last connection to his former Career would be taken.

Aria opened the door almost immediately. Fully dressed. Her room looked pristine, bed made, curtains open. For a second looking around he thought maybe Aria is simply a morning person. But the place was too clean, this was different. It didn’t seem lived in at all, it was like she was never there. Is this what her former families expected of her? To live as a ghost or a dream. Nice for a moment but gone in the morning.

He was brought back to the moment by Aria asking if everything is okay. She looked nervous, waiting for an inspection. He plastered the best smile he could manage on his face. “Yup everything is good, breakfast is ready. Pepper made a small feast. Come on down when you're ready, no rush.” He was hoping this would settle her nerves but her face still looked uncertain. That’s okay, he reminded himself these things will take time.

When he got back to the kitchen a very sleepy looking Peter was eating his breakfast. A plate stacked high with pancakes and bacon. Pepper was sipping tea, just another normal morning. The soft patter of feet came from the hallway. Aria appeared in the doorway, the second Pepper saw her she was pulling out a chair at the table and inviting Aria over. “Good morning hun, help yourself to whatever you would like. It’s all on the table.”

The presence of Pepper seemed to ease Aria a little. She sat down and took some fruit, two American pancakes and some water. Her plate made Peters look comical. An enhanced teenage boys next to a tiny ten year old girl's plate. Aria hummed happily after tasting the food.

Fifteen minutes later Peter was finished with his food so he stumbled off back to his bedroom to get ready. The closer they came to leaving for school the more anxious Aria seemed to become. When Peter came back out of his he looked much more alive. Science pun jumper, jeans and runners.

Aria had brushed her teeth and was back in the kitchen with her school bag. She was looking much more pale. Tony wasn’t the only one to notice this colour change Peter made a bee line for her the second he walked into the room. “Ari, whacha got in your bag for the first day? “ Tony did not think that would work at all. How would what she have in her bag change how scary this new school would be?

Aria also looked skeptical but humoured Peter anyway. She unzipped her bag and took one item out at a time. Peter gasped at every single one. Despite herself Aria smiled. In her bag was a couple copies, her pencil case and 3 plastic folders. Peter stroked his imaginary beard in thought.

“Where’s your stuffie? I bet she would love to go with you.” Aria thought for a second then nodded. “And how about you bring a pair of your ear defenders? School can be loud sometimes.” She hesitated. “Am I allowed to? What if they think I’m wearing headphones and I’m cheating?”

Peter looked incredibly serious when he reassured her that absolutely no one will give her a hard time for using ear defenders or fitgets or her stuffie. “Ari, I promise no one’s going to make fun of them or take them away. If they ever do, you need to tell one of your teachers okay?” She nodded and ran off to her room to grab her teddy bear and ear defender.

Bags packed, it was time to go get the kids to school. Tony ruffled Peter's hair, wished him a good day. Happy drives Peter to school most days. Aria will probably join that routine when she settles in to her new school. Until then both Pepper and Tony agreed it would be better to bring her themselves so they could support her transition.

The drive to Pangea Primary was quiet. Aria looked out her window, pretending she was on an epic quest. Being a brave hero felt so far away from who she is right now. Everyone is lost in their own thoughts. The car park was packed when they pulled in. Children squealing, running around playing games. Parents shouting their ’hellos’ and ‘good mornings’ through car windows.

A lively atmosphere that would make most people excited. Not Aria though. Dread seeped through her every bone. She imagined she was see-through. Able to melt through her seat and deep into the earth. So deep the warmth almost burns and the quiet is thick. No echoes or vibrations or noise of any kind.

Unfortunately that’s not where she is and she’s no hero. Tony, oblivious to Aria's struggle, gets out of the driver's seat and opens her door. “Come on kiddo, time to have a great day!” He practically sang. Aria gripped her seat harder. Tony may be oblivious but he’s not all that stupid he notices Aria's white face. Pepper also notices and within seconds she’s pushed her husband out of the way. Not unkindly.

Tony had frozen on the spot and was in dire need of help. Pepper is the help. “What’s wrong honey?” Arias' chin was wobbling as she tried desperately not to cry. “I don’t want to go.” Now it was Pepper who seemed at a loss for what to do. Sure Sussie had warned them Aria struggled going to school neither adults had fully understood the extent of this struggle.

Tony attempted to coax her out. Reminding her how much she liked the school last time. “But Aria remembers how cool it was last time we were here?” Aria only backed further into the car, knuckling white from her grip.

She looked so upset Tony was ready to pack it in and go home. This was traumatic for all of them. Maybe Aria could be homeschooled? A soft voice interrupted his train of thought. He knew that voice. Calm and kind, Bea. She tapped him on his shoulder to get his attention. “Rough morning?” He scoffed. “Understament of the year.” He was frustrated. Most people might shy away from him when he shows this tone. Not Bea though, she seemed to understand immediately his tone was a reflection of his stress not his opinion on her.

“Looks like it, I have an idea. Would you mind if I tried it?” He stepped out of her way. “Of course, thank you for your help. I don’t know if you can tell but we’re definitely out of our depth here.” She smiled with them, very different from laughing at them. Bea crouched at the car door. “What’s going on, Miss Aria? I can see this is making you very upset. Is there anything I could do to help? Or maybe something you would like to help us know how you’re feeling?”

Aria sniffled. “I want to go home.” Ah for fucks sake this is heartbreaking. Bea nodded solemnly. Not the kind of empathy you’d expect from a principal when a child’s refusing to go to school. “That makes sense, Aria. You’ve only just gotten to go home and now you’ve had to leave to come to a whole new school. The reason we think it is a good idea for you to come in sooner rather than later is to help you settle in quicker and so you don’t fall behind because that might be overwhelming.”

Aria didn’t agree but her crying had slowed down. Bea continued “I promise you will go home at the end of the day. No one is going to take you away from them.” Wow Tony didn’t even think that was something Aria might be worried about. Now he thinks about it that makes heaps more sense. Pepper and Tony quickly join in to reassure her she will come home after school.

Aria was still refusing to leave the car. The car park had mostly emptied leaving Aria one of the last kids left outside. Tony was beginning to think they’d never get her into school. Just as he was about to lose hope another voice joined them. Tony didn’t hear him walk over because he was so deep in his own head so he was startled and slightly surprised. It was Luke and his furry friend.

He was happy and joyful. Completely unbothered by the stress around him. “Hey I heard we’ve got a new student, Buddy loved meeting you yesterday so I thought we’d come say hi.” Aria peaked out from the corner of the car she was hiding in. It had now been 17 minutes since the Starks pulled into the car park. Pepper was half convinced nothing could persuade Aria to go to school.

Luke saw Ari peaking so continued. “Buddy was so disappointed he didn’t get to show you any tricks yesterday. Could he show you one or two now maybe?” Aria nodded slightly. A small win. Buddy’s vest today was decorated in iron on patches. Covered in back to school supplies like crayons and rulers. Themed perfectly for the season. In clear dark blue writing was his normal ’therapy dog please feel free to cuddle.’

“Alright let’s see what he can do. When I put my hand out like this he’ll give me his paw to shake.” Luke opened his hand which the golden retriever goofily shook. Aria moved a bit closer. “Here’s a really silly one, Buddy roll over.” Luke spun his finger and Buddy’s body followed. Lying down then flipping over. Aria flapped her hands smiling. “And this one might even help you sometimes, Buddy orbit.”

Buddy walked circles around Luke. Even as Luke began to walk himself. “This is how Buddy can help create space for you in crowds.” Tony’s jaw was hanging open. He sees miracles of science, engineering and technology every day but this? This is next level. With slow coaxing from Luke and Buddy Aria made it out of the car. Attached to Buddy’s harness was a small fabric handle. A little circle. Luke got Aria to hold onto it, allowing him to guide her into school. Absolutely phenomenal.

Both Pepper and Tony wave goodbye and get back into the car. As the engine starts Tony turns to an equally surprised Pepper. “Did you know dogs could do that?!” She shook her head and smiled, never leaving her face. “I most certainly did not. I wonder what else they can do” with that they went home to research what dogs but more specifically working dogs can do.