(Sort of imagining this⬆️??? but also a little bit Jessica Jones ish??)

Requested by: @Rebekah_Winchester15

Iris Parker, Peter's twin sister.

After their parents died, they had been in an orphanage for a week before Ben and May could get custody. They both became inseparable from a young age. It hadn't been easy to be told their parents had died and being put into a new environment. They weren't there for long, but that's where their dependency started. And it just got worse after Uncle Ben died. 

There weren't any secrets between them, including Spider-Man. As soon as Peter found out, he went straight to Iris. May understood and never tried to split up their bond, trying her best to keep them together even after Iris almost got expelled from school. It was for a good reason, she beat up Flash for hurting her brother. The principal checked the tapes and she ended up with a week of in school suspension and two weeks of detention. It was worth it.

After Ben died, May started falling apart. She's always been a tough woman, but with having twins to pay for on a not so great salary, hasn't been easy. Especially since she found out about Spider-Man. May spends her days at work and normally her nights with guys. When she's home, the only thing she cares about is Peter. About her poor superhero. And sure, it hurts Iris, but she'd never admit it. Her and Peter are basically on their own most of the time. All May provides are paychecks and groceries. She's not a mother to them.

Through everything, they always had each other's backs. They protected each other where and when it mattered most. They're best friends.

Iris and Peter aren't identical, but they're close enough that nobody could ever mistake them for anything other than family.

Iris has curly brown hair, falling to just above her shoulders, but can add a good few inches whenever straightened. Peter sometimes French braids it after she washes it before it has time to curl. (Peter learned how to french braid before he learned how to tie his own shoes.) She has matching doe eyes to Peter's, able to pull off the puppy-dog eyes just as well as Peter can. She's shorter than Peter, which has made a lot of arguments between them and way too much teasing.

They're both insanely smart, both got the smarts from their parents. And their morals are pretty similar.

The biggest difference is their personalities. Peter wears his heart on his sleeve. Iris is insanely guarded, walls built to try to protect herself from getting hurt any more than she already has been. She's not afraid to speak her mind and acts like she's some confident bitch.

The only person she'll let her walls down for is Peter.

It happens more often than not that Peter will get home from patrol and Iris will patch him up. She's gotten insanely good at being a medic.

They're just co-dependent and even Tony's understood. Since Peter's internship started with Tony, a real one, Iris has been invited to join it. She was smart enough to keep up, easily plus Peter didn't want to leave her out from the opportunity. Tony didn't care, enjoyed it actually. Because Iris was like a mixture of Peter and himself.

The only issue that ever comes up is the jealousy on Iris's part. Sometimes she gets jealous because Peter's the superhero. He's the one who makes the news and who May fusses over and who Tony watches like a hawk. He's the one who everyone cares about more than her. She's come to terms with it though. There's nothing she can do to change it, so she tucks the feelings aside like they mean nothing to her.

*

"Peter? I'm home!" Iris calls, tossing her bag onto the couch and walking into the kitchen in search of a snack.

There's no response so Iris heads into their shared bedroom.

There's a sticky note on the desk. Headed out for patrol early. Should be back for dinner. With an obnoxious smiley face and a little doodle of the Spider-Man mask.

The girl sighs and heads back to the kitchen, picking up her snack of leftover pasta and collapsing onto the couch. She turns on Lord of the Rings, knowing she'll have to pass the time on her own without Peter or homework to keep her company.

Her phone rings when she's about halfway through the movie. It's Tony.

"Hey, Mister Stark," she says, more monotone than she normally is. It hasn't been the best week for her. Iris and May have fought a lot. Normally ending in screaming and tears or slammed doors, normally both. Peter hates it when they do that. He doesn't see why May is being a bad parent to them. He can't see why Iris gets so angry.

"You doing okay, Ryssie?" Tony asks, voice going soft and soothing. Tony and Peter both call her Ryss or Ryssie.

"Just been a long week, I guess," Iris sighs, kicking her feet up on the coffee table.

"Do you and your brother wanna come over tomorrow? Happy can pick you up after school and you can stay the night here?" Tony suggests.

"I'll ask Peter tonight and text you," the teenager replies halfheartedly. "He's doing an early patrol tonight."

"You're in the house alone?" Tony says. His voice is sad, melancholy. Bitter.

"Yep. This is a regular. Pretty much every night is by myself. Just depends on whether it's before or after dinner," Iris explains, shrugging despite knowing Tony can't see it.

"I remember those nights," the billionaire sighs. "When Howard and Maria were busy and Jarvis was gone. And I'd be by myself."

"Yeah, well, you get used to it after a while. May's never home and Peter's gone pretty much every night for at least a couple hours," Iris says nonchalantly, taking a bite of her leftover pasta.

"Speaking of May, are you doing okay?" Tony asks quietly. He understands better than anyone what's going on. He's kinder than most towards Iris.

"We had a big fight a few days ago. We both said some shitty things. She left. Peter left. I stayed and cleaned up and made dinner," Iris says, voice rough with bitterness.

"Why do you even bother fighting back?" It's a genuine question, no judgement behind it.

A long silence follows. Finally, Iris says, "She uses Peter. She pretends to care about him. I'm worried, with how naive Peter is, that May's going to use him. She came home fucking wasted the other night without enough money to cover rent let alone groceries because she spent half the cheque on alcohol for her and whatever guy she was sleeping with that night."

"And you screaming at her is going to fix things?"

"It'll get her to leave Peter alone. He doesn't understand. He hates it. But it's better for him to see me as the bad guy than for him to have to be the bad guy," Iris explains. Her voice is steely, jaw clenched in hidden anger.

"Do you need some money when you come by? I can give you a cheque to cover the rest of your rent," Tony says, changing the topic.

"It's okay," the teenager sighs. "I've picked up a few shifts next week at Delmar's to cover it."

"You know I don't mind covering some of your expenses, right? I've got more than enough money to spare," Tony says, shuffling papers on the other end of the phone.

Iris crosses her ankles, leaning her head back and rubbing her eyes. "I know, but I can't become reliant on your money. It wouldn't be fair on anyone. Just as long as you can feed Peter to his heart's desire tomorrow, I'll be happy."

"It's not fair that you have this kind of responsibility..." Tony mumbles, trailing off.

"Peter's got the responsibility of being a superhero. I've got the responsibility of rent and groceries," Iris mutters, rolling her eyes darkly. Sometimes she worries that if she were the one to get the powers, she'd become a villain with how much pent-up anger she's got.

"That's not fair and you know that," Tony says, sounding just as angry.

"Listen, I've gotta start making dinner before Peter gets back. I'll text you later about coming over tomorrow night."

"Take care of yourself, Ryssie."

*

Friday nights at Tony's house are the only high points in Iris's life and the second highest point behind Spider-Man for Peter.

Until, Peter gets a phone call.

"Hello?" Peter says, turning his back on the two others in the room.

"Hi, this is Queens General Hospital. I need to speak to  Peter and Iris Parker," a man says, voice flat but sympathetic.

"This is Peter. What's-What's going on?" His voice is already trembling. He knows exactly what the man is going to say.

"May Parker got into a car accident and is currently in the ER in unstable conditions. You're both listed as closest relatives."

"What?" Peter gapes, movement freezing.

"It's late. Please don't make me repeat myself. Just come to the hospital with your sister as soon as you can," The man drawls tiredly.

"Fine," Peter says, hands shaking as he pulls the cellphone away from his ear, turning to see the two others who are watching him carefully. 

"Is everything okay?" Iris asks. She already knows something's wrong. And she can guess what. 

"We need to go," Peter says, locking eyes with his twin. "Now."

"What's going on?" Tony questions, dropping his tools. "If you need a ride-"

"No. We need to leave," the teenage boy says forcefully, pushing his emotions down inside him.

Iris doesn't need to be told twice, running her fingers through her messy curls and grabbing Peter's hand as he leads her out of the room, shouting a quick goodbye over her shoulder to Tony who's face is still stuck in confusion and worry. 

"This better not be Spider-Man or school-related or I'll kill you," Iris mutters halfheartedly. The elevator takes them down to the main floor and Peter immediately starts tugging her towards the exit. 

"It's May," Peter admits, the cold wind biting at their unprepared bare arms as they finally get outside. "She's in the hospital. Car Crash."

"Why isn't Tony driving us then?" Iris questions, furrowing her brows as she tugs her hand from Peter's. 

The boy ignores her words, breaths leaving him unevenly. "You have cash on you, right? I'm calling an uber."

"Peter, we need the cash for rent-"

Iris words fall on deaf ears as Peter's already calling an uber. She rolls her eyes, she's always hated it when Peter acts like he's an older sibling, but pulls out her wallet nonetheless. She has enough to get them to the hospital and back, but she's still not sure if she wants to use it. If May's in the hospital, why should she care? It's not like May showed whenever Peter needed help. But if this is what Peter wants, Iris will go. 

Before either of them have time to talk it out, their uber is pulling up and they're getting into the backseat. 

"To the Queens General Hospital. Fast as you can," Iris demands, pushing a twenty into the man's hand. 

His face falls a little in sympathy but doesn't question anything as he speeds off. 

Tony: what the hell is going on? Do I get an explanation?

Ryss: I'll call you later. Not now. 

Tony: Just stay safe. Protect your brother. He'll protect you. Call me the moment you need me.

Ryss: always do. always will. 

As soon as they reach the hospital, Iris gives their driver a ten dollar bill, thanking him for getting them there so quickly. 

"We're here for May Parker," Iris demands as soon as she reaches the front desk, Peter hovering over her shoulder. 

"She's still in the ER. I'll let someone know you're here and they'll let you know when anything changes," a woman informs them, offering a smile. 

"Can you tell me what happened?" Iris asks, a rough edge to her voice. She squares her shoulders and purses her lips to look a little more intimidating than she already does. 

"Parker?" A nurse says, walking up to the two teenagers. "I can brief you."

Peter nods, almost desperately, and Iris elbows him in the ribs to get him to calm down. 

"Get on with it. What happened?" Iris growls. There's an anger in her chest that she can't quite explain. She's not even sure who she's angry at. Peter for dragging her here and making them fall even farther behind on their rent. May for getting into an accident in the first place. Whoever caused the accident. Herself for only caring about their rent while her aunt is in the ER.

"We have reason to believe that Miss Parker was intoxicated while driving. According to the other man in the accident, Miss Parker ran a red light and there was a collision."

"Is the other man okay?" Iris asks at the same time Peter says, "Is May going to be okay?"

"The other man in the accident had a mild concussion and a sprained wrist. He's fine, already home with his family. Luckily, he doesn't want to press charges for anything," the man explains, drawing in a long breath. "For your aunt, I'm afraid it's not looking too good. We've got multiple doctors and nurses with her right now, but with the injuries she sustained, we need to start thinking about what'll happen if she doesn't make it."

"Don't fucking start with that bullshit," Iris snarls, grabbing Peter's wrist protectively. "If you call the cops, I'll break your fucking neck."

"Ryss!" Peter exclaims, grabbing his sister's arm and pulling her back a few steps. "What do you mean? What's going to happen if she doesn't make it?"

"CPS will need to be called because if I'm not mistaken, Miss Parker is your last living relative. If she doesn't make it, you two will need to put somewhere until we can figure it out," the man explains calmly, not at all taken aback by Iris's anger. He probably sees it a lot being the bearer of bad news. 

"You're not putting us in a fucking orphanage!" Iris snaps, glaring at the nurse. "You're not calling CPS on us!"

When their parents had died, they had spent about a week in an orphanage between houses while May and Ben were trying to get custody. It was hard for the sole reason that neither of them had great paying salaries. Ben was a police officer and May was a nurse, but neither was making enough to really afford to pay for two kids. 

It hadn't been fun in the orphanage. They were young, but the amount of neglect and fear and confusion for a four-year-old to be taken from their home, told their parents had died and to be thrown into a strange environment hadn't been easy. It's where a lot of their dependency came from. There's no way Iris was letting them be taken back there. 

"I don't have a choice. I'm going to have to ask you to calm down or take a breather. You're starting to draw attention," the man says condescendingly. 

Iris is stubborn, but she knows her limits and where the lines are. So she takes a deep breath and nods, shaking Peter's hand off her arm. 

"Fine. I'm calm. Go do your job and let us know if anything changes," Iris says, forcing her voice into something sugary and high, but the fire still burns through her veins.

As soon as the nurse is gone, Peter's whirling on Iris in anger. 

"I know you fought with May a lot, but she's going to die!" Peter hisses. "You can't even pretend to care?"

"We've got more pressing matters here, Peter! We're going to be sent away and inevitably separated!"

"May's dying! How is that more pressing?" Peter exclaims, throwing his hands up in anger. They're still being stared at by people who walk past them so Iris drags her brother down the hallway into an empty room so they can argue more privately. 

"It's more pressing because we're not being sent to a fucking orphanage again, Peter. We can't. So we need to figure this out before we go fucking crying over another dead parent," Iris says, voice raising towards a shout. She really doesn't think she can handle a screaming match with her twin right now, but apparently, that's what's going to happen. 

"You can't just repress everything, Ryss! That's not how this works! At least I deal with things!" Peter shouts, tears burning his eyes. 

"I'm not repressing! I just couldn't care less! May dying isn't going to change anything except for where we live. And right now, it looks like we're going to an orphanage which seems a lot more important than dealing with emotions," Iris huffs, rolling her eyes at her brother before focusing her gaze on a painting of a vase of roses on the wall behind Peter. 

"I know May wasn't a good parent to us," Peter says, voice dropping to just above a whisper, eyes burning holes into Iris's head. "I know she wasn't good to us after Ben. I know that. I know you hated her for all but abandoning us. But, Ryss, you can't pretend this isn't affecting you. Or going to affect you. She was still a parent despite everything. She was still our aunt."

Iris rolls her eyes again, blinking back the tears that suddenly threaten to spill. "We don't even know if she's going to die. She hasn't died yet. I don't need to deal with this until it happens."

"It will happen, Ryssie. We both know that. Even if May survives, we'll still be taken in by CPS. She's going to be fined for drunk driving and the medical bills, and she's going to be so far in debt that we'll be taken away. This is a sucky situation and it's okay to feel bad over it," Peter says, voice higher than normal as he rubs his eyes and runs his fingers through his curls. 

"Whatever," Iris mutters, squaring her shoulders again. She throws on a brave face and does what she always does, repress, repress, repress. No feelings here, come again later. 

Peter frowns, seeing through the facade like always, but he doesn't question this time. Neither of them are strong enough to be the shoulder to cry on right now and neither is willing to force the other into that position. 

"What do we do?" Peter asks, doe eyes wide and innocent, looking to Iris for help. 

"We go out there and we wait," Iris says certainly. It's not the first time she's been in a hospital waiting for news. Sometimes Peter gets hurt bad enough that Iris takes him to the tower and has to wait outside for news. It's been bad enough for professional help, but never bad enough that she's worried for his life. It was still hell having to wait outside though. That's how Tony and her bonded more than ever, drinking coffee side-by-side, waiting and waiting and waiting, refusing to sleep or eat more than the little snacks taken down to them. 

Peter nods back, grabbing her hand for support and the two of them walk into the waiting room to take their seat and begin the wait. 

*

It takes three hours, fifty-four minutes, thirty-seven seconds before they're given the news, Iris counted. Peter napped on and off for a little while, but Iris stayed up, keeping watch and sipping gross coffee to pass the time. 

The nurse from earlier walks into the room, a clipboard in hand along with a very sad smile. Iris knows what that means as they both stand to meet him. 

"She died," Iris says, beating the nurse to it. There's no emotion behind her voice, just a stated fact. 

"We tried everything we could to save her, but with the injuries she sustained, we couldn't fix it," the nurse says, obviously wary of Iris having a freakout. 

Iris shrugs, pushing her emotions away as best as she can. "Figured as much. Now what?"

"I know you didn't want me to, but I need to call CPS and ask them to come pick you up. I've looked through everything there is on your family and it looks like there's no one else to take you in," he explains quietly.

The anger hits her too hard to stop herself from blurting, "We're not going. You can't make us."

"They can make you. Being violent is just going to make this worse for you."

"Ryss, please. Calm down. We'll figure something out. Just calm down," Peter murmurs, keeping a tight hold on her hand. 

The teenage girl decides it's probably best to follow the warnings and clamps her mouth shut, dropping her gaze to the floor. 

"If you'd like, your aunt is in room 31B. You can say your goodbyes while I make the call," the man says, voice almost gentle. 

"Come on, Ryssie," Peter murmurs, leading her down the hallway. 

May looks, well, dead. She's ghostly pale with deep bruising covering the left side of her face. Her body is limp, eyes shut. She's already been unhooked from all the machinery and the blankets are tucked up around her chin. 

Peter falls into the chair, tears falling down his face as he stares down at the body. He chokes on a sob and curls his body over the edge of the bed, letting his head fall into his crossed arms. 

Iris can't help but turn away, unable to see her brother in such emotional despair. She doesn't want to cry about this, but seeing Peter cry, without fail, always makes her cry too. So she turns her back and crosses her arms, biting her bottom lip hard. She has to be the shoulder to cry on. That's how it's always worked. She's always been the tough one and Peter's always been the kind-hearted one. He's always been the one to cry and she's always been the one to comfort him. She can't cry now.

"Ryss?" Peter calls out, lifting his head from his arms. He turns towards his sister, bloodshot eyes brimming with anguish. "Ryssie, we can't- I can't lose you too."

"You won't, Peter," Iris murmurs, kneeling in front of Peter's chair to give him something else to look at. She forces a soft smile, blinking away tears. "You won't. I'm not going to let anything happen to us."

"You're allowed to cry," Peter whispers, tipping his head to the side with a little sniffle. "You can drop the act. It's just me here."

Iris shakes her head, running her fingers through her short hair and tugging on the ends of it. 

"Please don't repress this, Iris. Please don't pretend you're okay. I know you better than anyone. I know when you're not okay," the boy begs, bottom lip trembling. 

Iris opens her mouth to respond, but the door opens, a few people walking into the room. 

"Time to go. We've got a car waiting outside for you two," a woman states, no sympathy or pity to her voice. 

Iris moves to fight with them over this, but Peter gets there first. 

"Don't do this. Please. Just... Just give us some time," Peter says, grabbing Iris's elbow warningly. "Please. We just lost our aunt. Let us say goodbye."

"We need to go. Now. I have other things to do," the woman says impassively, readjusting her blazer and pencil skirt. "You had time to say goodbye already."

Iris can't help the quiet whimper that escapes her throat, reaching her limit of pushing down emotions. 

"Let's go," a man says gruffly, taking a step forward. 

"If you fucking touch them, I'll rip your limbs off your body," a new voice snarls, pushing past the people. It's Tony. 

"Mister Stark?" Peter questions, glassy eyes wide as he watches Tony stop between the two groups. 

"I'm taking them in," Tony announces, glaring at the woman. "Send all the papers to my legal team and I'll have them signed by morning. Now get out."

The woman looks angry at the interruptions but doesn't bother arguing, heading out of the room, followed by her men. 

Tony quickly turns back to the twins, facade dropping. "I'm sorry I didn't get here sooner, it only hit the news recently. I got here as quick as I could. How are you holding up?"

The moment Iris looks up at Tony, her dam breaks. The tears come flooding, pained noises escaping her tight throat as her knees give out. Before she can fall, Tony's arms are wrapping around her body, pulling her into his chest. A moment later, Peter is being drawn into the hug, squished against her side. 

"I've got you. You're not going anywhere. I've got you. Everything's going to be okay," he murmurs soothingly, pressing chaste kisses into their brown curls. "Everything's going to be okay."

____

this took me so long to write I'm sorry originally it was only going to be like half of this but then it continued.. whoops 

thanks for the request! this was fun to write I haven't written my own character in a while so sorry if it didn't hit all the right marks 

Lyss