He couldn't take it

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Trigger Warning

Harley Stark, the son of Tony and Steve, didn't know what was happening at first, and he almost wished he never knew.

Harley and Tony had great lives, but it got even better when a smart and quippy superhero crash landed into their lives. Tony took Spider-Man under his wing, helping him become the hero Tony knew he could be. And Harley got a brother out of it.

Peter was like Harley in terms of them being smart, clever, kind, and sassy. But Harley was more cocky and agressive, while Peter was somewhat shy and doubted his own worth a lot. But that's what balanced them out, making them the best of friends, and brothers.

Morgan and Steve later met Peter, falling in love with him just as fast as Tony and Harley. Peter become like this weird person who smuggled himself into the family without anyone realizing. But Peter did have a family outside of the Starks, that being his Aunt May.

Harley, of all people, knew just how much Peter loved his aunt and missed his uncle. It was something Peter just showed in the way he did things.

But one day, Peter didn't come to the lab. Or school. Or anywhere in the world. Harley was waiting for him to play a prank on him but it never came. Peter just didn't come that day, and he didn't say anything to anyone, no matter how many times they tried to get through.

Tony didn't like that, and left in search of Peter. Harley wanted to come, but Tony said he needed to stay at the Tower, so that's what Harley did.

Harley could remember the look on Peter's face when he first came home. He looked so small in the arms of the Iron Man suit, sobs wrecking through his body as he kept muttering how he was sorry. Tony had a few tears falling as he led Peter to his designated room. Harley didn't like how Peter looked.

Steve called Harley and Morgan to his and Tony's room to talk. Morgan crawled into Steve's lap, asking about Peter. Harley just sat beside Steve on the bed, waiting patiently for Steve to start talking.

"Okay, kiddos, something happened today, and I want you guys to know what. Peter's Aunt May died today," Steve started. "Peter, he, well, he just... felt lost. He didn't know what to do, he didn't know would happen next. And Peter thought he was alone, and he didn't want to live anymore. So, Peter tried to do something that would kill himself. Tony just barely got there in time to stop Peter, and now Peter feels bad because he thinks it's his fault. Tony is gonna stay with Peter for awhile until he feels better."

Harley felt his gut tighten with guilt, knowing that he should have done something to make Peter know he was apart of the family. Morgan looked up at Steve with watery eyes. "Why did he try to kill himself? Why didn't he come to us? Does he not love us?" 

"No, baby, Peter loves us, he just didn't know that we loved him. Peter sometimes feels like a burden to everyone, Peter sometimes feels like he should have been able to save his uncle or been able to save someone on patrol. Sometimes Peter feels like the world is trying to kill everyone around him to leave him alone in guilt because Peter feels guilty about things that aren't his fault," Steve described quietly, his own eyes filling with tears. "But I wanted to ask you guys something. I know Tony will bring these up when Peter feels better, so would you be okay if me and Tony adopt Peter as your older brother?"

"Will Peter want that?" Morgan asked quietly, her head nodding to show that she wanted that. Harley also nodded once, to busy thinking about what Steve said before to answer properly.

"We hope so," Steve said quietly, rocking Morgan in his arms until she fell asleep.

****

And that's how Peter got adopted.

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