Bruce let it go for now. If Tony was in denial about being a father figure to Tony, that was fine. In the end it didn't matter what they called it. What mattered was that they had each other. Peter needed someone to guide him, both as a normal teenager and as Spiderman. And even though Tony may deny it, he needed someone to look after. He had a lot more love to give than he gave himself credit for. He smiled and shook his head as Tony thanked him. "You don't need to thank me, Tony. I've got your back, no matter what." He was silent for a moment, a memory from a few weeks ago resurfacing. "With most things at least," he corrected himself, a small smile on his face. Tony had had to spent quite a lot of money to replace all the equipment and electronics that were destroyed in the explosion, not to mention the repairs to the room. They were lucky no one had gotten hurt. He lifted his hand and gently pulled Tony's away from his face, lacing their fingers together before pressing a soft kiss to the knuckles of Tony's fingers. "You just focus on the kid, I've got your back."<br/><br/>Clint frowned. "Why do you immediately assume I made the kid cry? Maybe I just wanna talk to Nat," he countered defensively. Steve just sighed, giving him a look. "Clint, what happened?" Clint seemed conflicted for a moment, then he threw his hands in the air. "I didn't know he was there okay! He was supposed to be in the kitchen, but then he was suddenly there and alone. I was just trying to cheer him up." Whatever he had said clearly bothered him. Clint was aware he could be an ass. He didn't mean to, though. Words would just come out of his mouth without him realising it. Steve frowned. "What did you say?" Clint looked guilty. "I may have said that Tony would kill me if he knew I was alone with the kid and that I valued my life." Steve groaned, but before he could say anything Clint continued. "I wasn't thinking okay! Normally that makes him laugh. He seemed fine when I left! He wasn't crying or anything. Just don't tell Tony, he might actually kill me for real over this."<br/><br/>Peter had taken a moment to recover from Clint's comment before continuing to the kitchen. He didn't blame him. Normally it would draw a chuckle out of him. It was just poor timing. That didn't mean it hadn't hurt. But Peter was determined to pretend like nothing had happened. He was tired of crying and having to be comforted and everyone looking at him. He could pretend like everything was fine. He didn't want to keep worrying Tony. He could pretend tonight that everything was fine and just deal with it when he was alone. When he entered he saw that Natasha and Phil had left, and he could just see Bruce slip his hand from Tony's. It wasn't the first time Peter caught them being affectionate, only for Bruce to pull away. He had always been a reserved man, but it was obvious to Peter that he did show his love in private. He liked catching those brief moments, even if it felt like he was interrupting. It was nice to see Tony and Bruce happy together. They certainly deserved it. Peter smiled faintly at Tony's spider comment. "I'm sure she wouldn't hurt you too badly," he joked. Bruce had gone back to focus on the food, putting the finishing touches on it before they could eat. Peter looked back at Tony as his hand settled on his neck, the weight grounding him. He glanced down at the shirt he had randomly pulled out of the closet. It was a little big on him. Though they were around the same height, Tony only being a little taller, Peter was skinny. He looked back up in time to see Bruce roll his eyes at Tony. "I'm not saying anything," he replied as he turned back to the food. Peter looked back at Tony. "It's comfy." It was Tony's, after all. It almost felt like he was wearing a layer of protection from the outside world. He needed that right now.