p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"I'm not that kind of Dancer./p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; border-top: none; border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: none; border-right: none; padding: 0cm 0cm 0.07cm 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"Tony Stark hangs up the phone. Annoyed. Peter Parker is not answering his calls./p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""Look, it's on the way, I'm just going to go get him. No big deal."/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""Sure Boss." replies Happy, as they both get into the town car./p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"Half an hour later, closing in on the phone's location, Peter Parker finally calls Tony back./p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""What have you been doing?" Tony says into the phone immediately upon answering./p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""I've... been busy. Is everything ok Mr Stark?"/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="color: #000000;"span style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif, EmojiFont, Apple Color Emoji, Segoe UI Emoji, NotoColorEmoji, Segoe UI Symbol, Android Emoji, EmojiSymbols;"span style="font-size: medium;""There's a meeting. Save the world secret friends club type meeting."/span/span/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="color: #000000;"span style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif, EmojiFont, Apple Color Emoji, Segoe UI Emoji, NotoColorEmoji, Segoe UI Symbol, Android Emoji, EmojiSymbols;"span style="font-size: medium;""Is it urgent? I'm at dance practice." Peter sounds nervous./span/span/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="color: #000000;"span style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif, EmojiFont, Apple Color Emoji, Segoe UI Emoji, NotoColorEmoji, Segoe UI Symbol, Android Emoji, EmojiSymbols;"span style="font-size: medium;"Tony gapes in disbelief a moment, the kid doesn't want to join an Avengers (or whatever they were calling themselves now) meeting? "Yes it's urgent. People have flown in last minute, things are afoot, schedules are tight. Chop chop spider boy."/span/span/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="color: #000000;"span style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif, EmojiFont, Apple Color Emoji, Segoe UI Emoji, NotoColorEmoji, Segoe UI Symbol, Android Emoji, EmojiSymbols;"span style="font-size: medium;""Ok, Mr Stark. Just let me change and I'll go straight to where the meeting is."/span/span/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="color: #000000;"span style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif, EmojiFont, Apple Color Emoji, Segoe UI Emoji, NotoColorEmoji, Segoe UI Symbol, Android Emoji, EmojiSymbols;"span style="font-size: medium;""Too late. The car's already pulling up outside the building where your phone is Peter. Don't keep me waiting kid."/span/span/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="color: #000000;"span style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif, EmojiFont, Apple Color Emoji, Segoe UI Emoji, NotoColorEmoji, Segoe UI Symbol, Android Emoji, EmojiSymbols;"span style="font-size: medium;"Tony hears the ghost of a squeak as the phone hangs up./span/span/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="color: #000000;"span style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif, EmojiFont, Apple Color Emoji, Segoe UI Emoji, NotoColorEmoji, Segoe UI Symbol, Android Emoji, EmojiSymbols;"span style="font-size: medium;"A minute later, a harried looking Peter runs out of the building, shoes in hand, and practically dives into the car, slamming the door behind him. /span/span/span/p
p class="western"br /br /p
p class="western""Please don't say anything Mr Stark." He says, as the car pulls out into traffic./p
p class="western"br /br /p
p class="western"Tony takes a good look at the kid as he buckles himself in. Peter Parker is in a hoodie. Underneath it appears to be a blue satin cheong sam and tights. There's evidence of hastily removed lipstick. And hspan style="color: #000000;"span style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif, EmojiFont, Apple Color Emoji, Segoe UI Emoji, NotoColorEmoji, Segoe UI Symbol, Android Emoji, EmojiSymbols;"span style="font-size: medium;"e still has a lot of mascara and eye-shadow on./span/span/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""This is for dance practice?" Tony asks./p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""Today was dress rehearsal." Peter mumbles. He reaches into his bag, and scrubs at his face with make-up remover wipes, with indifferent success at first./p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""For what? Are you a stripper now? Or are you undercover as a call girl?" Tony isn't sure why, but something about Peter's attire bothers him. It's not that it doesn't suit him. If anything it suits him too much. He looks very pretty. There is even heart shaped glitter on his cheek bones, until he scrubs it off hastily./p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""I asked you not to say anything. You heard me ask didn't you Happy?" Peter implores./p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""Kid asked." Happy calls back. Tony stares at him./p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""You're not in the least surprised. You knew about this?"/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"Peter sits with his face flaming as Tony looks accusingly at Happy and himself./p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""Yeah, kid's eighteen now. He can do what he wants. I wish I had the kid's moves." Happy says staunchly./p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""And what moves are those?"/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""What do I know what dances young people do these days Boss? He looks amazing doing it though. Your mascara game is improving by the way."/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""Thanks Happy." Peter says, gaining back a modicum of confidence./p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"Tony feels on the back foot still. This is just too... unexpected. But he realises that he's being an ass about it./p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""Ok, I think I'm ready to move on to super adventure things now. Finish getting changed."/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""Yes Mr Stark." Peter says, with relief. As Tony explains details, Peter gets into a more usual t-shirt and jeans./p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"When they're getting out of the car. Tony holds Peter back for a second./p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""About the dancing." Tony says./p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"Peter looks like he's about to run and hide./p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""Do it because you love doing it. Don't do it to impress someone, or hide it because you think it won't impress others."/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"Peter's shoulders straighten./p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""I'll remember that, Mr Stark."/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""Good kid. Try metallic red on your next performance outfit. It'll show up against the stage better."/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""Sure thing." Peter smiles. "You won't tell anyone will you?" He nods towards the doors, and waiting superheros../p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""Only Pepper, and she's a vault. Hype your own show tickets kid."/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""Thanks Mr Stark."/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; border-top: none; border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: none; border-right: none; padding: 0cm 0cm 0.07cm 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"When he gets home, Tony kisses Pepper briefly in greeting./p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""How did the meeting go?" She asks./p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""Surprisingly not bad."/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""In other news, turns out Peter is some sort of drag queen?"/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""A what?"/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""Dances wearing sexy female type get-up."/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""A satin dress with splits all the way up, and those stockings with a fancy pattern on them."/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""They grow up so fast these days."/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""I didn't like seeing Peter dressed like that."/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""Like what? A dress? C'mon I didn't think you were prejudiced"/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""It's not that. He was ... Sexy."/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""Well he's an adult now, he can be sexy if he wants. You still really think of him as a kid, don't you?"/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""No.. I mean yes, but it wasn't that." Tony mulled over how to explain it./p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""I realised that most girls I've seen dressed like that were doing it to attract my attention, because I didn't pay attention to girls for any reason other than sex for a long, long time."/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""Your womanising past coming back to poke you in the conscience huh?" Pepper said, smiling./p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""I don't want him to just be a piece of ass to some girl, or guy. He's a good kid."/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"Pepper nods. "I don't think you need to worry about that. His personality is irrepressible. I'm sure it'll be that which attracts people to him, or not."/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""Yeah, but he doesn't have to dress like that." Tony feels worried still somehow./p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""I'm pretty sure he wants to dress like that. He can attract people just for his body if he wants. Everyone wants to do that once in a while." She smirks, throwing him a wink./p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""I'll have you know I'm into you for your brains equally as much as your body. Which is so much. I mean.." He gestures vaguely at her many stellar features./p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"Tony comes to a conclusion./p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""Know what? Whatever he's doing is better than how I attracted girls. Most girls I've slept with were in it for the money and fame."/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""Well, I'm in this for your brains." Pepper says, a twinkle in her eyes./p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""And my body, right? I don't work out just for the super hero stuff you know." He strikes a pose./p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""And your body." She replies. "So let Peter do his thing. Just don't worry about it. He can look after himself. He's a smart kid."/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""I did not expect him to be into cross dressing."/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""He might not be. This might just be an experimental off-shoot from other interests. Or, he might feel so comfortable hanging with these theatre types because they accept all sexualities. I have a lot of empathy for Peter, I went through an awkward bi-curious stage in college."/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""How did I not know this?" Tony asks, intrigued./p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""Because my sexuality and sexual history isn't your entertainment."/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""Of course not." Tony says without hesitation, kissing her. "I mean, I understand why you've never brought it up with me, all things considered."/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""But I do have a question. Was your curiosity satisfied?"/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""Yes." She says./p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"He cocks an eyebrow expectantly./p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""I prefer men, but not exclusively."/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""Duly noted."/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"They sit in silence a while./p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""No lewd remarks?" She asks./p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""Do you want me to?"/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""No, I'm perfectly happy without."/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""Are you sure? I've thought of some good ones. They deserve an audience really."/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""Do they, really?"/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"There was more kissing than conversation after that point./p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"…/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"Peter Parker invited Steve Rogers to see the performance, as a cultural education./p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"Steve said he's seen a similar show during the war. But that Peter had put on a very good performance, and he'd enjoy seeing more in future./p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"Peter blushed, and was pleased as punch, because he'd been hanging around Steve, and some of the old lingo had rubbed off on him./p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;".../p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"Good bad indifferent? I'm aware there wasn't any real romance action in this one. Just can't ignore how well Tom Holland dances. Oh wow./p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; widows: 2; orphans: 2;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; widows: 2; orphans: 2;" /p