37. Cheap shot!

Peter's eyes water a bit before he goes to hug Hope, "You are now my favorite student."

"I'm your only student," she replies with her face smooshed into his chest and not returning the hug.

"Not true, I used to be a teacher," he tells her before he lets her go and hugs Cap, "And you are now my favorite Avenger."

Steve chuckles a bit as he pats the younger man's back, "Heh, okay Spider-Man. Let's just clean up whatever mess you made so we can go home."

Spidey lets go, and while cap walks away, he turns his attention to Hope, "Okay my young padawan," he says with white a smile while Hope gives him an annoyed frown, "Time for you to apply what I taught you."

"You know damn well that other than your speeches you did not teach me a thing."

****

(Funtime, Inc. A Stark Enterprises Subsidiary)

Tony Stark sits in the Illuminati meeting room waiting for his fellow members to arrive. Rogers sent a message to him to call in Stephen Strange and Reed Richards for this since they were essentially the only members left to call. And the reason for the meeting is that Spider-Man needs to tell them something important.

And in that thought process, Tony goes back to what he went through when he saw the webhead's corpse. How it broke him inside to see him lifeless in Cap's arms.

He didn't understand why at first. Until it felt like some repressed memories were trying to come to the surface. He remembered working with some guy, whose face was a total blank, on some suits. He remembered how that same guy came to him for personal advice on his love life. And he remembered how that guy slipped on some spandex and became Spider-Man.

He remembered being a father figure to that guy.

And that's when it hit him, once told them that he cast a 'forget me' spell on the world so that everyone forgot who Spider-Man was underneath that mask after he revealed his identity because Tony convinced him to during the whole superhuman registration debacle. It hit Tony like a ton of bricks, and he would know what that feels like, that he lost the trust of someone who was like a son to him because he thought he knew better. And worse still he got that same kid killed because he thought he had another brilliant idea to save the world.

And frankly, it hit a little too close to home. Tony's relationship with his father was horrible. The man was an abusive drunk. Despite all the praises he's heard from people like Steve and Nick Fury, Tony never really got to see the best of his father. The man even thought he knew what was best for Tony and aimed to micromanage his life since he was a kid.

And the worse part is how much Tony is like him. Granted he may not be drinking anymore, but he still thinks like his old man. He still thinks he knows better and makes sure everyone knows it too. Hell, the Illuminati is a prime example of him thinking he can run the world better than anyone. All of this is an example of why Tony never wanted to be a father. Because he was afraid of how much he would be like his own.

Life certainly threw him a curveball when it came to Spidey. The memories, recently recovered they may be, showed how close he got with the kid. How much he mentored him in so many different ways. And how he blew it up by convincing the guy to side with him over Rogers in the Superhuman Registration act, and his life started to go to hell. He doesn't remember the specifics, he just knows it didn't end well.

"Doctor Stark."

He's brought out of his musing when he hears his name called out by a familiar voice.

"Doctor Richards," he greets back as he turns to look at his fellow genius and notices some redness in his eyes, "You look like you had a rough day."

Reed gives a hollow chuckle, "It's been a rough few days."

He was going to elaborate more when a portal opens up and they both know that means Strange is coming. They weren't expecting him to have company.

The first to come through is Steve Rogers, who seems to have gotten wet if the splotches on his suit and wet hair are any indication.

Followed by him were Spider-Man, who had two buckets in his hands, and . They were in conversation, or is it an argument?

"I'm just saying if you waited that long you could've lent a hand."

"And I'm telling you I'm not going keep being your personal janitor. Clean up your own messes."

"Cheap shot."

Tony looks at the two with a raised eyebrow, "And what exactly are you two talking about."