Finding Their Way Home

Chapter Nine

"Hey Peter, how was sch---Oh my god! What happened to your face!"

Natasha's yells brought the rest of the people into the kitchen where Peter and Happy stood. Peter was looking at the ground, his sneaker awkwardly toeing the tile. Happy had a grim scowl set deep into his face.

Pepper let out a harsh gasp and rushed forward, taking Peter's face in her hand and gently turning it to the side so she could see the bruise better. "Oh, Peter," she said. "Are you okay?"

"What. Happened." Tony demanded, looking at Happy for the answer.

"A bunch of kids ganged up on him," Happy said. "They were beating him and his friend up. They said a lot of messed up things. Peter said it's been going on for a while."

"Someone's bullying you?" Pepper cried. Peter shrugged out of her grasp, feeling strangely uncomfortable.

"It's not... It isn't really bullying..." Peter said, avoiding everyone's questioning gazes. "He's just messing around." Peter knew that it really wasn't that big of a deal, so the fact that they were reacting this way was making him feel strangely inadequate. Like he couldn't take care of himself.

"Telling you your birth parents hated you enough to throw you out like trash is 'messing around'?" Happy asked harshly. Peter flinched.

Tony sucked in a deep breath at those words. He felt like someone had just punched him in the gut. He looked at Peter who was staring at the ground, his expression small and guilty. The very idea that his son---his son--might even think that might be true made his heart stutter in his chest. "He said what?"

"Happy don't---" Happy spoke over Peter's protests.

"He was saying shit like, 'Your parents hated you so much they got rid of you'." Happy snarled. "I swear if he wasn't just a kid..." Happy never finished his threat, but Peter got the gist. Irritation spiked in his gut. Who was he to tell them that?

Pepper whirled around on him. "You don't actually believe that, do you?" she asked, her eyes wide with guilt and sadness.

"Of course not!" Peter said quickly. "Not anymore!"

"Anymore." Tony parroted. Anymore. Because at some point Peter actually believed that they just got rid of him! Tony grit his teeth. He stared at Peter for a second before turning back to face Happy. "Who was it? Names?"

"I don't know, Boss," Happy said. "Ask Peter. According to him this 'happens all the time'."

Peter did not appreciate his tone. Why were they making this such a big deal? Aunt May would never have yelled at him and demanded he tell them everything. The Starks had no right! So what if they're his birth parents! They weren't there for him, so they had no right to dictate his life! And what was Happy's problem, anyway? What did he stand to gain from telling the Starks about the whole incident? He could've just gone with the very believable excuse that Peter ran into a pole.

(He's done it several times before the spider bite.)

He would rather suffer the embarrassment and teasing of not watching where he was going, over having to deal with everyone looking ready to murder a teenager for some light bullying. And Peter was fifteen years old, damnit! He could take care of himself! He'd practically raised himself after Uncle Ben passed and Aunt May had to take double after double just to keep the duo afloat.

"Peter?" Tony asked. "Who was doing that to you?"

"Does it matter?" Peter asked.

"Yes!" Tony snapped.

"Why?!" Peter cried. "Why does it matter?"

"Because they're hurting you---"

"I've been dealing with it just fine on my own, thanks." Peter snapped. Tony flinched back at Peter's tone, his eyes widening in surprise. This was the first time Peter had spoken to anyone like that. Peter sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose before letting out a hiss when he remembered the bruise. "Look. I'm fifteen. I can handle this kind of thing."