Chapter 2: Shock
Sunday - March 6, 2016
Queens, NY - Jackson Ave - en route to Parker Residence
07:46 p.m.
Colors blurred into one another as the car sped down the road. Peter barely had any time to register one building before it was instantly replaced with another. Normally, watching shapes and forms bleed into one another calmed the teen down, the rhythmic movements of the cars matched with the steady stream outside the window settling his nerves. However, the opposite was true today. Though it wasn't the ride itself that was the cause, it was the destination.
For the first time in three days, Peter could honestly say he was extremely nervous . . . which wouldn't be too odd if not for the fact that he was coming back from Berlin, where he'd gone to fight the frikkin Avengers! Granted it was only half but the point still stands.
Peter still hadn't found a way to fully process it. When Mr. Stark had plucked him out of his house that Friday afternoon, he knew whatever they were doing wasn't going to be normal, especially considering the fact that the man was strangely focused on his alter-ego.
He had not, however, expected the man to drag him along on a mission to stop the Avengers.
Like, he could have at least dropped a hint or something.
Nevertheless, Peter had been incredibly excited. Not nervous. Excited. After all, it wasn't Peter who would be meeting off against Captain America and the rogue Avengers. It would be Spider-Man. The super strong, courageous, smart-mouthed hero that leaped into danger head-first and wasn't afraid of anything. That was who Mr. Stark had needed. Not Peter.
Nobody needed Peter.
The experience had been.. . . . strange, to say the least. In all honesty, Peter had actually been hoping for Mr. Stark to convince them not to fight at all. Granted, fighting the Avengers would be(and was) awesome, something in Peter didn't really like the idea of having to fight people he'd considered his heroes for the longest time.
The tensions throughout had been so palpable it was hard not to be affected. He'd grown up watching newscasts and reports on how the Avengers saved the day time and time again, stopping the bad guys and thwarting evil plots.
But now Peter was just supposed to accept that his heroes were the bad guys now? He was just supposed to accept the fact that the team he'd grown to adore was now nothing but splintered fragments?
So yeah...fighting wasn't really what he'd been hoping for.
Still, he had kind of expected it to go to shit in the end. Things always did if you gave them enough time. So, after a quick mental hyping, Peter had swallowed his doubt and hesitation and tried to do what Mr. Stark needed him to do.
In the end, he felt like he did okay. He was especially proud of the fact that he was able to keep up with Captain America, at least for a little while. He could tell the man held back, and if he was being honest, he could honestly say he did the same. After all, he hadn't really wanted to hurt the man. He'd never wanted to hurt anyone before, especially not one of his heroes.
During the fight, Peter did have to admit that he had been a little intimidated by their opponents at the start. These were trained soldiers and assassins while he was just a lanky kid in spandex . . . alright, high-tech spandex. But that was the beauty of Spider-Man. He could simply use his nerves to his advantage, rambling on about the most random things, distracting his opponents long enough to get the upper hand.
Spide-Man never had to worry about watching his mouth or ticking people off. In fact, if his opponent wasn't fully annoyed and flustered by the time their fight ended, it was considered a failure. Still, even after the fight when everyone had scattered, Peter had still been trying to reign in his excitement.
That is until he saw Mr. Stark after his return from Siberia.
At least...that's where he thought they'd gone. Mr. Stark had never really explained it to him afterward. Still, though he didn't see what happened specifically, he got a pretty good sense when he met up with the man before returning to New York.
His arm was in a cast, his face was cut and stitched up in some places, and his eyes were sporting two matching sets of bags underneath. But the thing that Peter recognized right away was the look in the man's eyes. That look of despair, of depression and suffering.
Peter was all too familiar with that look.
However, the man had been quick to brush off Peter's concerned questions and plaster on a fake smile, assuring everyone around him that he was fine, that they had nothing to worry about.
Yep...Peter was familiar with that too.
Realizing the man probably did not wish to talk about what had occurred, Peter quickly let it drop, not wanting to overstep his bounds. The rest of their trip, from the plane to the car, had been filled with silence. After all, Peter had way too many things swirling around his mind to even consider speaking, not that it was something he was comfortable with anyway.
Now that their mission was over, what was Mr. Stark going to do with him? Sure, he'd promised not to tell his father, but to actually take his word for it meant that Peter would have to trust the man, and that was a definite no-no. Who knew what would happen in the future? What if Mr. Stark ever got angry or annoyed with him? What if he decided to use his secret as leverage? As blackmail?
Peter briefly wondered how his father would react if he found out about his being Spider-Man.
The thought made a chill run up his spine, shivers racking his entire frame.
The kid was so preoccupied with his own thoughts that he completely forgot he wasn't the only one in the car, at least not until Tony placed a hand on his shoulder . . . . well, tried to anyway.
Peter let out a choked gasp as he jerked to the side, wild eyes flinging towards the danger, only to stare back at Stark. "Jesus, kid!" The man grunted. "What the hell is up with you? You're acting like you're planning to murder the President or something." He muttered, giving the boy a strange look.
Peter sucked in a shaky breath before trying to place a smile on his face, though he was sure it resembled more of a grimace. "S-s-sorry...I-I'm j-just...just a l-little tired..." He trailed off, eyes sinking to the car floor.
Tony stared at the kid, eyes narrowed as he pressed his tongue to the inside of his cheek. "You know, I can't get a good read on you kid." He stated out of the blue, Peter jerking slightly out of surprise at the spontaneous statement. "W-what do you...what do you mean?" He asked hesitantly.
"I mean..." He started, pulling the sunglasses off of his face, "...you're . . . . weird." He mused. Peter blinked up at him in confusion before the man continued. "Now don't get me wrong, being weird's not necessarily a bad thing. I mean, I've made billions by being what some might call 'sporadic and irresponsible' while I simply like to call it 'imaginative creativity at the expense of others'" He stated casually.
Peter couldn't help the small chuckle that fell from his mouth at that.
"And yet..." Tony continued. "you're just . . . . well, I mean...you're . . . . weird, kid! I don't know how else to phrase this."
"I don't t-think I understand, Mr. Stark. Is it a...bad weird or..."
Tony turned his head to stare at the kid. If he was being honest, weird wasn't enough to describe how strange the kid was. Upon first meeting him, it seemed like the kid was mere inches away from a panic attack every time he opened his mouth. He was reclusive, quiet, nervous. He never seemed to want to voice what he was thinking. He just ducked his head, lowered his gaze and shut his mouth, almost as if he'd been trained to act as such.
It was almost mechanical.
And yet, Spider-Man was a complete 180.
Tony had been able to listen in through the coms while the fight had been commencing in Berlin and damn! That kid never shuts up! It's like he was in a constant state of verbal-barfing. Every single thought that popped into his brain had to pop right out of his mouth. It was like the kid had no filter. He just said whatever came to mind with no fear of anger or annoyance. In fact, it was almost as if the kid was hoping to elicit such responses.
And now that the fight was over, now that the mask was off, Peter Parker had returned and that spunky, energetic little part of him had been shut off, replaced by those mechanical emotions and responses.
It was... well it was...
Actually, Tony didn't know how he felt about it.
After a moment, he realized the kid was still staring at him, waiting for his answer. Another second passed before Tony turned to face forward once more.
"I don't know yet."
Peter gazed at the man worriedly, wondering whether or not he'd done something wrong. But after a moment, he just decided to drop it and go back to staring out the window. He already had enough things to stress over. He did not need to add any more to the list.
Tony glanced over at Peter and from the corner of his eye could make out the teen staring out the window solemnly, resting his cheek on the side of his fist. Alright, so...maybe not the best conversation. Tony mused to himself. But what could he expect? It wasn't like he was good with kids or anything! There was a reason Tony made sure to keep as much distance between him and impressionable young minds as possible without a thoroughly vetted written script in front of him.
Children were a foreign concept to him. After all, you can't just reprogram a malfunctioning kid.
He stole one last glance at the kid before placing his glasses back onto his face. He'll be fine. He muttered to himself. After all, he had bigger problems than worrying about whether or not he hurt some kid's feelings.
The drive lasted longer than Tony had anticipated, or desired. After a few sharp exchanges between the man and Happy on which route is better while Peter sat back in the awkwardness, they finally arrived at the kid's place.
The three-story townhouse was on the corner of the busy street, dark wooden paneling combining with strong concrete shapes, creating a modern feel and sharp design. Large windows adorned most of the walls while the top story consisted of almost nothing but the glass panels. Down at the bottom, the floor of the second story extended outwards, two columns rising up from the floor to meet it. Underneath the outcrop it created sat a row of many cars.
Tony turned as he heard Peter groan softly at the sight.
"Company?" The man asked with a small smirk. If he'd picked up anything from the kid these past few days, it was that he probably wasn't too comfortable with other people.
"Live-in company." Peter replied quietly, to which Tony narrowed his eyes. "Live-in?" He repeated.
Peter nodded his head. "Some of my father's . . . . friends stay with us. They live on the first and second floors." The kid explained. "My friend and I usually just call them the Cons." He muttered.
"And that's because . . . . .?"
"Cause more than half of them have served over five years in prison." Peter groaned in a strained tone of voice, something Tony was quick to pick up on. "Uh-huh..." He replied, glancing back out the window only to notice a group of people sitting on the steps leading up to the front door of the house. "And uh...am I to assume that's them?" He called over to Peter, who craned his neck to gaze out the window as well.
Tony counted four adults, three men, and a woman. And he didn't like the looks of any of them.
Two men sat on the top step. One was large and bulky with short brown hair and a green striped shirt. Even though he was sitting, it was obvious the man was well over six feet tall. His hands were large and calloused, his face hard and menacing. The man next to him wasn't as tall or as muscular, but the malicious smile plastered on his face was enough to warrant caution. His eyes were small and beady and his face was pale and sickly, bony fingers tapping against his knee rhythmically.
Leaning up against the door was a woman with jet-black hair that matched her jacket and stretched down to mid-back, contrasting her pale complexion. Sharp blue eyes stood out, as well as the cruel smirk that adorned her lips as she chatted to the others. Her eyes fluttered between each of the men, sharp nails curling around her crossed arms.
Finally, standing by the bottom was one final man dressed in a loosely buttoned black shirt that revealed toned, dark-colored muscles underneath, a multitude of rings adorning his fingers. His face was littered with numerous scars and his eyes shifted dangerously between each of the others.
Safe to say, they all gave Tony uneasy vibes. Apparently, Peter too, for the kid let out an audible groan as he slid down in his seat.
"So they seem . . . interesting..." Tony joked, only for Peter to shut his eyes tightly and run a shaky hand through his mop of curls. Tony glanced down at the obviously-panicking teen, stealing one last look at the group, appropriately nicknamed Cons before leaning forward to address his driver. "Hey, Happy. Think you can give me and the kid a second?"
The man twisted around in the seat and gave Tony an incredulous look. "You want me to leave the car?"
"Very much so, please. Oh, and you can go ahead and get Peter's case out of the trunk."
Peter instantly froze at that, Happy letting out a grumble as he opened up his door and stepped outside, slamming it shut with a little more force than needed. The kid didn't seem to notice, however, as his eyes stayed locked onto Tony. "I-I get...I get to keep t-the suit?" He whispered out.
"Well yeah. It's not like it fits me. Besides, the red and gold suit is enough already. I don't know how the public would react if I suddenly traded it in for red and blue spandex." He muttered.
"I don...I-I...but you...and I-"
"What's so hard to believe about this, if I may ask?" Tony said, cutting the kid off from his stutter-fest, knowing they might have been there for a while if he'd let it play out.
Peter furrowed his brow. "Well...I mean...I understand why you g-gave it to me...before. You n-needed some help and...and now that it's f-finished...I just a-assumed that-"
Tony shook his head, holding his hand up. "Look, kid. I gave you the suit to help you. Did it come in handy in Berlin? Sure. But that's not the only reason why I gave it to you." He tried to explain. "I wasn't lying when I said I would help. Ergo, the suit."
Peter continued to stare up at him with wide eyes, the sight quickly making the billionaire uncomfortable as he shook his hands in front of himself. "Look, kid, don't make this any more awkward than it already is. Just take the suit, alright?" He muttered.
This seemed to snap Peter out of his daze as he nodded his head. "Umm...r-right. O-of...of course, M-Mr. Stark...T-thank...thank you." he finally stuttered out, cursing to himself as he felt his tongue trip over the words. Why couldn't he ever just talk normally? You're such a frikkin idiot!
Tony glanced over at the kid before nodding his head in satisfaction. Just then, Happy knocked on the window, both turning their heads to look at him as he heaved the case up. "Where's this going again?!" He called through the glass.
"Uhh...I'll go ahead a-and take that. Y-you don't need t-to worry about it." Peter called, Happy nodding as he unceremoniously dropped the case back onto the floor before moving back over to the trunk.
Tony rolled his eyes at the man's antics before his eyes were slowly drawn back over to the Cons still currently chatting amongst themselves on the steps. The uneasy feeling in his gut had yet to go away. In fact, it seemed to have amplified in the few minutes he'd been talking to the kid.
He opened his mouth to speak once again, only to shut it violently, reprimanding himself instantly. There was no way he was thinking of getting involved! No way! This kid was not his problem. He had no reason to burden himself with such a task. Who was he to judge these people? For all he knew, they were the nicest, kindest people on the entire planet. . . . . . ehh . . . .alright, that might have been a bit of a stretch, but Peter could handle them. He'd obviously been doing it for fourteen years and he was fine!
Tony stole a glance over at the kid, who was currently holding his head in his hands as he rested his elbows on his knees.
Mostly...
Still, as he glared out the window at the Cons, the feeling in his stomach refused to go away. There was something. . . . .wrong about all of this. He just couldn't put his finger on it.
No, he couldn't do it. He couldn't deal with something like this...not right now. Not after...after everything. He just couldn't do it. This kid was not his problem, and never would be. It didn't matter that those people seemed dangerous. It didn't matter that the kid was obviously afraid. It didn't matter that the boy was actually extremely nice and kind-hearted when he actually dared to speak up. It didn't matter that in the few words they'd shared, it'd become obvious that he was a good kid...
. . . .
. . . .
. . . .
Well...it couldn't hurt to just check, right?
"Umm...Peter?"
The kid lifted up his head and glanced over at the man, eyes wide and nervous. Tony stared at the boy for a moment, wondering whether or not he should actually go through with this before he finally let out a sigh. "Is everything . . ." He paused for a moment before taking a deep breath. "Is everything okay?"
He honestly didn't know what to expect. He didn't even know what he wanted to expect, what he wanted the kid to say. It was obvious whatever relationship this kid had with his ... "family" was unorthodox, but that didn't necessarily mean it was...bad, did it? Maybe the kid was just the nervous type. Who really knew?
Whatever he'd been expecting Peter to say definitely isn't what he got.
The teen let out a breathy laugh as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Okay? Y-yeah...yeah, everything's fine. Actually, things are better than fine." He gave a small smile.
"T-this was...I mean it was so...cause like when...and then the stuff with the..." The kid glanced over at Tony and gave a nervous smile. "This w-was really cool, Mr. Stark. A-and I know you...you didn't have to bring m-me along...you d-didn't have to give me a n-new suit...so...so I just...I guess I'm trying to..." He trailed off, a grimace forming on his face before it was replaced with an exasperated look. "I'm not really the best at this in case you can't tell."
Tony couldn't help but chuckle at that. "Really? I hadn't noticed." He mused, Peter cracking a smile as he rubbed his neck, cheeks flushing red. The kid let out a small sigh before turning back to Tony. "But really, Mr. Stark. Just... thank you...f-for...for all of this."
The billionaire stared at the kid for a moment longer before giving a small nod of his head. "Don't mention it." He said in a much softer tone of voice than he'd expected, never registering the fact that the kid had just deflected his original question.
Peter gave a nod of his own before reaching for the car handle, pushing the door open before stepping out. He grabbed hold of the case currently sitting at his feet before glancing back into the open car, giving a small hesitant wave.
For a second, Tony almost returned it.
Almost.
Closing the door behind him, Peter lifted up the case and took a small, shaky breath. Exhaling slowly, he lifted his gaze across the street, where the Cons were still laughing away at whatever inane thing they were discussing. Peter learned to never listen.
Tony watched with a careful eye as Peter made his way across the street, the sound of a shutting door making the man jump slightly. "You ready to go?" Happy asked, glancing over his shoulder. Tony instantly felt his stomach churn slightly as he watched one of the Cons finally take notice of the approaching Peter. "Hold up for a second, Hap." He said softly, rolling down the window to better hear what was being discussed. "Just...hold up."
"Well! Look who's back." The woman chirped as her eyes locked onto the small figure slowly approaching. "It's our little Petey-Bird." She chimed in mock delight, the others letting out soft snorts.
Peter felt his skin crawling as he lowered his gaze to the ground. "H-hey...gu-guys..." He said softly.
"So, you're back from your little Stark boot-camp." The man in the striped shirt snorted. "How'd it go? Was your brain actually able to absorb any inkling of knowledge or did you just sit there like an idiot for three days straight?"
"I'm bettin' more on the second one." The dark-skinned man muttered, the others letting out humored scoffs.
Peter felt the corners of his eyes crinkling as his nervousness grew and his exasperation increased. He just wanted to crawl into his bed and sleep for however long he could until his father dragged him out of bed for morning practices. God, he hated those. But he so did not have the energy to deal with these guys right now.
"Umm...it..i-it was fine. Listen...I-I'm a l-little tired so...so I t-think-"
"Well did you make any friends?" The woman sneered. "As in, were you able to untangle your tongue for longer than five fucking seconds to actually string together a few measly words?"
Peter shuffled his feet nervously. "I...m-met a...a few i-in-interesting people, sure." He murmured.
"Did you miss us, kiddo?" The leaner man asked in an unnerving tone of voice, eyes narrowing as a grin split his face. He reached out and placed his hands on Peter's shoulders, dragging him closer as he rested his head just above the kid's shoulder. "We sure missed you!" He chirped, blatantly ignoring the pained look on Peter's face as he dug his fingers into his skin. "Come on, you had to have missed us a little bit. You did, didn't you? Yeah, this is the face of someone who really missed having us around."
Peter wrenched himself out of the man's grip. "Um...I-I uh..."
The dark-skinned man stalked closer. "How 'bout Stark? Did ya' hang out with your new buddy? Are you guys pen-pals now? You gonna write each other?" He smirked.
"W-well...there were a...a lot of o-other interns there...s-so he was k-kinda bus-"
"Bull!" The lean man chirped in the same chipper voice, though his eyes revealed his suspicions. "Obviously he took quite an interest in you, Petey. After all, your Dad told us he specifically came over to meet with you." He said, his sweet tone contrasting the malicious anger sparking behind his eyes, creating a twisted feeling in Peter's stomach. "You must have done something awfully important to grab the attention of that little weasel." He continued.
The man in the striped shirt nodded. "Yeah, never thought him the type to indulge in charity." He sneered, punching Peter in the arm. "But I mean, that's obviously the case here, isn't it?"
"Yeah..." The woman scoffed. "There's definitely something else behind this." She muttered, waving her hand in the air dismissively. "He probably just saw an opportunity to grub up some more money."
The dark-skinned man narrowed his eyes. "What the hell does a guy like Stark need with money, though? Lord knows the asshole's got enough to buy a country." He rolled his eyes.
The woman shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know then! Maybe he wanted to keep tabs on Labs. I mean, apart from Oscorp, it's the leading producer in tech manufacturing, meaning it's on his radar of competitors." She waved her hand. "He probably just wanted to keep tabs on Richard through the brat." She explained.
As they argued with each other, Peter silently tried to sneak his way up the steps and through the door, only for the lean man to latch onto his hoodie and drag him backward. "How 'bout you clear this up, Petey..." He said softly, stepping closer. "Just what reason does an important asshat like Tony Stark have for crawling out of his money-pile to meet some spastic little kid like you" He smiled menacingly.
"And more importantly..." The dark-skinned man muttered, wrapping his fingers around Peter's bony arm. "Why the hell didn't we hear about it from you, huh? You trying to hide something?"
"Jesus Christ..." Happy muttered, arm resting on the back of the car seat as he watched the exchange. He glanced back at Tony, who was also watching with a disgruntled frown plastered on his face. To anyone, it would merely seem like he was slightly peeved. But Happy knew the man much to well to think that. He was down-right pissed. "What the hell's up with these assholes?" He asked.
Tony continued to glare out the window. He said nothing.
Peter ducked his head and merely shrugged his shoulders, ripping his arm out of the man's grip, their words making his fingers curl tightly around the metal handle. "I-I ... I guess...I mean...I do-don't really-"
He cleared his throat.
"Maybe w-we can talk a-about this in...in the morn-" He started as he reached towards the door, only for the leaner man to grab onto the back of his hoodie, dragging him back down the steps once again.
A small, shocked yelp escaped the teen as he stumbled against his feet before quickly righting himself. "Come on! What's the rush? We're only curious about how your little trip went." The man sneered, face leaning closer towards the kid's. Peter flinched and turned his head away, sidestepping away from the man, only for his back to run into the chest of another.
"It...it was f-fine, alright." He finally choked out. "There w-was... I mean it was...and there w-was...a... a lot of-"
"What's in the case?"
. . .
. . .
. . .
"W-what?"
The dark-skinned man stepped closer, eyes narrowed as he locked gazes with the kid. "The case." He repeated, gesturing down towards the object Peter was now trying to hide slightly. "What's in it?"
Tony watched on, eyes narrowed, hand poised on the car handle, waiting for the kid to begin floundering as he tried to sputter out a lie. Though he could only blink in shock as Peter merely shrugged his shoulders. "Nothing really interesting. Just a couple of spare parts and blueprints we received to work on later." He answered softly yet convincingly.
The billionaire felt his eyes narrow as he continued to stare at the scene before him. So you can lie. Tony mused to himself. Then why don't you do it more often? He wondered, recalling just how terrible the kid had been when lying to him. How the hell could he pull a flip like that? What was with this kid?
The lean man narrowed his eyes, folding his arms across his chest. "So...now what? Was this shit like a one-time thing or something, or are we supposed to expect Stark to keep showing up on our doorstep every other month?" He muttered, glaring down at the kid who was currently using the base of his palm to rub his wrist up and down.
"Actually..." Peter mumbled. "I-I don't...I don't really know. T-the details weren't t-too...specific exactly...s-so I...I don't really k-know when the next...um...next meeting is." He finally muttered out.
The woman rolled her eyes, clearly all forms of fake enthusiasm having run its course through her system. "Ugg...God, you're useless." She mumbled. "You can't give us anything? They seriously didn't tell you shit?"
Peter bit the inside of his cheek. Their annoyance was clearly written on their faces, meaning their moods would soon take a dive along with it. Though he knew he should have expected it. They'd never been big fans of Stark and they especially weren't fans of sudden and unexpected events that weren't planned or accounted for. So, put those two together and you're looking at a shitstorm ready to blow through.
He had to at least give them something.
"W-well...I-I think...I-I mean...I guess t-they-they're...they're trying t-to...ummm-"
"Jesus!" The lean man moaned. "Can you ever go five FUCKING seconds without stuttering like some retard?! Just speak normally, you moron! Go on, spit it out. You're acting like a dying car battery or something." He snarled.
Okay...actually, now Peter kind of missed his mock happiness.
The kid ducked his head, eyes scrunched tightly. God, could they please not do this out here? Usually, they waited until they were safe behind closed doors to actually explode. Guess their mood was already pretty bad. "Umm..." Peter tried to whisper. "...d-do you...do you think maybe w-we can do t-this ins-"
"Just spare parts, huh?"
The kid lifted his eyes up to meet the dark-skinned man's gaze as he leveled a hard look at the kid. "W-what?" He murmured, unprepared for the random question.
The man glanced down at the case. "Just space parts?" He repeated. "That's it?"
Peter glanced down at the case for a second before giving a vigorous nod of his head. "Kid says it's just fuckin' science shit, man." The striped-shirt guy muttered. "What about it?" He asked, the others glancing over as well, wondering what was so interesting about it.
The man, however, didn't seem inclined to let it drop so suddenly. "I'm just curious." He muttered as he stepped closer. Peter, in return, took two steps back, grip tightening around the handle. "Yeah, l-like I said. They're just parts and blueprints f-for a new project that we n-need to start working on." He explained.
The man gazed at the case for a moment longer before giving a curt nod of his head. "Uh-huh..." He murmured before he took another step forward. "Mind if we take a quick look?" He asked.
Peter felt his blood run cold as the others slowly began to rise up to their feet. If they saw what was in this case...if they reported back to his father...Nope! No way! Time to do what he did best...
Deflect.
"Yeah...y-yeah, sure. I'll just need to r-reorganize the parts and schematics first. So...hey, actually, have you s-seen my Dad anywhere c-cause I a-actually have to t-talk to him about...about something. So, yeah...if you can j-just hold up for a sec..." He started, quickly bouncing up the stairs as he reached for the door handle, only to stumble backward as he felt a beefy hand curl around his wrist, painfully twisting the limb unnaturally.
Peter whirled around to try and relieve some of the pressure as the dark-skinned man glared down at him, maneuvering himself in front of the kid so that any passerby couldn't see what was happening. "I didn't say you could leave." He growled darkly, Peter's eyes filling with fear.
Tony stared at the scene for a second longer before making his move.
He'd seen enough.
He might not have been able to see just what exactly the large man was doing, but the grimace etched onto Peter's face and the look in his eyes was enough to have him out of the car. "Stay here." He muttered to Happy before slamming his door shut, the driver sputtering in shock at his actions.
The billionaire quickly straightened out his suit and realigned his sunglasses (why he had them on even though it was dark out baffled everyone) as he crossed the street and moved closer to the front of the townhouse.
One of the Cons must have noticed him, for them quickly tapped the dark-skinned man on the shoulder before turning towards him. The man glared down at Peter for a moment longer before whirling around. "Hey, Peter," Tony called. "Just forgot. I wanted to talk to your dad about something real fast before we left." He explained, staring at Peter's shocked face.
The kid seemed frozen, baffled as to why the man was still there. "I...umm...I-I..." He stuttered. Apparently, his mouth was as frozen as his brain. However, that was not the case with the other adults. "Well, well..." The woman chimed, a new smile adorning her face. "Tony Stark. Just what do we owe this little visit?" She asked, though her eyes gave away the annoyance her voice hide perfectly.
The man either didn't pick up on the look or simply chose to ignore it, Peter decided on the latter as the man spoke up. "Like I said, sweetheart. I just need to have a quick little chat with the kiddo's papa." He stated casually, reaching forward to wrap an arm around the kid's shoulder, effectively pulling him away from the others. Peter tensed at the touch but decided against fighting it. He continued to stare up at Tony in shock. "If that isn't too much trouble." The man finished.
The Cons exchanged glances before the dark-skinned man let out an irritated sigh. "Fine." He muttered darkly, motioning with his head for the others to step away from the door. Peter blinked the shock out of his eyes as he cast a nervous glance at Tony before stepping forward, walking up the stairs and wrapping a shaking hand around the door handle.
Taking a shaky breath, Peter pressed his thumb against the top of the handle, a click reverberating through the air as the locks slid apart before he pulled one of the twin doors open. Considering it was dark outside, the lights were already on as Peter walked inside.
Stepping through the short, narrow hallway, the walls opened up to reveal a large room sectioned off into two main parts. Down a long stretch straight ahead stood an elevator, spiraling stairs sitting next to the machine, leading up to the next floor. On the right of the stairs stood the main living area, complete with couches, a large TV, a pool table and a bar. On the other side sat a small dining table and kitchenette that looked like it'd never been used leading down another long hallway, no doubt housing a couple bedrooms.
Peter wrung his hands as he glanced over his shoulder at the Cons, who currently looked like they wanted to maul a couple of puppies. "Umm...w-wh-where's...uh...wh-" He stuttered out, only to be harshly cut off.
"Second floor. Dining room." The dark-skinned man snarled as he glared down at the teen.
Peter winced slightly before giving a small nod of his head. Tony narrowed his eyes at the scene but said nothing as Peter began to make his way across the first floor and over to the stairs. Slightly relieved by the fact that they all wouldn't have to cram inside the slow-moving machine, Tony followed the shuffling kid up the stairs before they reached the second floor, stepping away from the stairs while they continued up towards the third floor.
This floor was similar to the first, except the dining room and kitchen were much bigger, meaning this floor was probably used mostly for eating and cooking. Though as Tony looked around at the Cons, he severely doubted any of them were big bakers.
Stepping away from the stairs, the floor instantly opened up to a large dinette, long table situated to the left while a small couch and coffee table sat farther to the right. Deeper into the floor, a large kitchen could be seen as well as two large doors on either side, most likely leading off to two more bedrooms.
Upon arriving on the floor, they were greeted to the sight of Richard Parker sitting at the head of the dining table, numerous papers were strewn about the smooth surface while a pair of glasses sat perched on the tip of his nose. An irritated frown set firmly on his face made Peter wince, but the teen continued on into the room nonetheless, the others following behind.
The sound of their footsteps made Richard glare up from his papers, only for his eyebrows to raise in slight surprise at the sight that greeted him. Biting back a growl of annoyance, Richard pushed his chair back and stood up, removing the glasses from his face before gently setting them down on the table. "Peter..." He greeted coolly, the teen quickly lowering his gaze to the floor. "Sir..." He whispered back before the woman stepped forward. "Mr. Stark said he wanted to talk with you about something." She explained, her voice tight and strained.
Richard glanced at her then at Stark before a small smile set on his face. "I see you met my associates." He called.
Tony turned a stare over at the Cons, who were currently watching the exchange with unreadable expressions. "Sort of...we haven't really had the chance to speak."
Parker gave a small nod. "Well, allow me to introduce you to them." He said as he moved over to the others. "This is Flint Marko, head of security over at Parkstem Labs." He explained, placing a hand on the man with the striped shirt before moving over to the leaner figure standing next to him. "This here is Dr. Curt Conners, one of my top scientists and close friends." The man - Conners - fixed Tony with an unsettling grin.
"Over here, we have Ms. Sandra Deel." He gestured towards the woman, who flashed Tony a dazzling smile that didn't match the look in her eyes at all. "She's head of shipping and manufacturing." He explained before moving over towards the final man. "And this here is Mr. Maxwell Dillon, our financial adviser." He named.
Tony stepped forward and shook each and every one of their hands.
He'd definitely have to wash them later. Really, really well.
"Please to meet all of you." He flashed them a grin, one that didn't match the unsettling feeling he was beginning to feel in the pit of his stomach. Just what was it about these people that made him feel so uneasy?
"Max," Richard called. "You think you can take Peter and the others downstairs while I talk to Mr. Stark?"
"Uh-huh." The man called, wrapping a hand around Peter's shoulder, the teen wincing at the touch. "Besides, we still got a whole lot of catching up to do, don't we, Petey?" He called, the others smirking at the teen's pained face.
Oh yeah. That's what.
Tony watched out of the corner of his eye as Peter was all but dragged back down the stairs with the others behind him. Realizing he had more pressing matter he needed to deal with, Tony wrapped his hand around one of the chairs and pulled it out, taking a seat at the table, Richard sitting as well.
"So...what did you want to talk about?"
The billionaire usually would have instantly jumped into conversation, all of his wants and demands sitting neatly in a corner of his mind as he'd spin an intricate web of conversation and charm, weaving them through the dialogue effortlessly and seamlessly until everything he'd planned and accounted for were already at his fingertips.
This time, however, something was different.
He had no plan whatsoever. In fact, the man was having a difficult time remembering why he'd even gotten out of the car in the first place.
Sure the look on Peter's face and the questionable actions of the Cons had been enough to warrant concern, but just what did Tony hope to achieve by being here? What was he even worried about, exactly? Sure things might have seemed a little... strange, but who was to say that wasn't normal around here.
God knew he'd had his fair share of interacting with his father's "associates", and he'd be lying if he said he'd enjoyed those moments. In fact, they felt like torture to him every time he even thought about it. Having to dress in a stuffy suit and tie while his father made conversation to a bunch of brown-nosed, slimy little corporate scums who'd bend any rules and break any backs just to get a little bit of headway? It was awful!
Any conversations he'd held with them felt like they were trying to probe his brain for any valuable information they could use, like they were hoping he'd slip up and reveal something he wasn't supposed to. Or worse, they'd try to force their thoughts into his brain, thinking he was the ticket to getting to his father. It was like they were trying to shove their ideas down his throat and turn him into their personal little dancing monkey. But heaven knew his father already used him for that.
Sorry boys, he was taken.
But still, he'd never been comfortable around any of them.
Maybe that's just what was going on here. Sure, Peter had seemed a little bit more distressed than he'd ever been, but who was too say the kid wasn't just overreacting? Even from their short time together, Tony could tell the kid wasn't the most socially adjusted. Heck, the kid seemed to wear an imaginary muzzle at times!
Maybe he was overreacting. Maybe he was jumping to conclusions way too fast. Maybe he just needed to let things go and stick to the plan: meet the kid, help the kid, forget the kid. After all, he had so much more to worry about at the moment that even thinking of adding another thing to his already overflowing plate of problems seemed unimaginable.
He just didn't have the time to be worrying about some kid right now, especially if he wasn't certain the kid was worth worrying over.
Tony paused for a moment and stared around at the room. God, what am I doing? He thought to himself. If he could, he probably would have chuckled, and he's sure many others would have too if they could have seen him. He was Tony Stark. Tony frikkin Stark! Resident city genius, owner of a multi-billion dollar company and head of the most well-known team of superhumans around.
Well . . . . ex-team.
Of all the things that could be used to describe him, caring was not one of them, especially when in connection to children. Lord knows he tried to stay as far away from them as possible. Most of them were bratty, spastic little shits who thought too much of themselves and too little of the world around them, other than the fact that they were at the center of it. So to say that Tony Stark had somehow ended up inside the home of a nervous kid simply because of the fact that the dad's friends rubbed him the wrong way?
Yep, he definitely sounded insane.
There was no way he was going through with this. Heck, he didn't even know what "this" was! He literally had run in blind. Nevertheless, he was not about to get mixed up in some stupid shit that didn't concern him. It just wasn't worth his time. That kid just wasn't worth it.
". . ."
"I want Peter to come intern for me at Stark Industries."
. . . .
. . . .
. . . .
"What?"
WHAT?!
Richard furrowed his brow at the man's statement, blinking his eyes quickly in shock before clearing his throat. "Umm...could you repeat that?"
Yeah, could you repeat that?! Tony screamed at himself. Just what the fuck did he think he was doing?!
"I want to offer Peter a full internship at Stark Industries. No strings attached. No payments necessary. No sign-ups required." He explained, the words flowing out of his mouth before his brain could even catch up to them, could even stop them. "After school, from 3 pm to 7 pm. I'd have one of my drivers pick him up and drop him off so transportation wouldn't be a problem."
What was he saying? What was he doing? Was he seriously offering the kid an internship, something he never did? He didn't even take interns! If he wanted a drooling idiot following at his heels asking him ridiculous questions and offering stupid suggestions he'd just hang out more in the common areas of the Stark Expos! Or, heck, he could even just walk through the front doors of Oscorp. Lord knew there were plenty of idiots for him to choose from there!
And yet, the words continued to spill from his mouth, listing the details and explanations of the program he was literally making up there on the spot. He just couldn't get himself to SHUT UP!
For a moment, the man wondered whether or not he was having a stroke or something until the sound of heavy footsteps made them both pause and look up. Suddenly, Peter came bounding up the stairs, face red and chest heaving, white-knuckle grip around the silver case. The kid stole a quick glance up at them before sprinting up the stairs once again towards the third floor, the distant sound of a door being slammed reaching Tony's ears. Richard rolled his eyes and glanced back over at Stark, but Tony lingered on it for much longer. For it was the look on Peter's face that he'd caught in that moment that made him tense.
The kid's face had been streaming with tears.
Tony turned away and stared down at the table, eyebrows furrowed in thought as he weakly fought to continue the argument that this wasn't worth his time. That this kid didn't really need his help. That he wasn't actually . . . concerned.
. . . . .
. . . . .
. . . . .
He finally let out a small sigh before turning back up to face Richard. "I think this could be really good for him." He stated, finally allowing the words to roll from his tongue without any protest from his brain.
Richard stared Tony down for a moment, eyes hardening as he lowered his gaze, scanning the papers still scattered around the table. Reaching down, he gathered the paper together before neatly shuffling them into a pile. Tony watched the man work, neither saying anything, though the billionaire's heart was now beginning to pound slightly in his chest.
Finally, after a moment, Richard stared back up at Tony, cold eyes burrowing into the man's gaze. "Tell me, Stark..." He said, eerily calm. "Just what about my son has you so intrigued, huh?" He asked, placing his elbows on the table, folding his hands in front of his face. "Why him?" He murmured darkly.
Tony narrowed his eyes slightly at the shift in tone. Richard was now staring at the man with a suspicious glint in his eyes. The only explanation Tony could surmise for it was that the man suspected he was simply trying to unlock secrets about Parkstem Labs through Peter. After all, the Cons had been right before in saying that Parkstem was a major competitor for him alongside Oscorp.
However, he couldn't care less about uncovering their secrets.
Tony leaned closer, matching Richard's hard stare. "I was keeping an eye on Peter throughout the convention. From the record I was able to pull on him as well as his application into the Foundation, he was an intriguing case." He explained. "As I observed him, I noticed he seemed to be much farther along in terms of intelligence compared to the other students at the meet." He waved his hand through the air. "With this internship, he'd be allowed to shadow some of the scientists and professionals at the company as well as learn about the robotics and invention processes involved." He explained.
Richard listened with narrowed eyes as Tony continued. "However, at the convention, I also noticed that Peter seemed to be very . . . anxious and nervous." He said, choosing his words carefully, fingers twitching slightly as he waited for Richard's explanation of such actions.
However, the man merely rolled his eyes. "Yes, he's always been a bit..." He waved his hand dismissively. "...weak-minded." He muttered. "Believe me, I've tried to toughen him up. The others have, too."
Oh don't worry, I believe you. Tony muttered to himself as Richard continued. "But, he's just incredibly frail." The man grumbled. "Sometimes I fear he'll never grow out of it..." The man paused for a moment before continuing. "The world's been changing drastically these past few years, Mr. Stark. People can't just skirt by anymore on the bare minimum." He growled. "Nowadays, only the tough, only the strong survive out there these days . . . in our line of business." He added on after a moment of hesitation.
"With how he acts, Peter doesn't stand much of a chance." He finally finished.
Tony nodded before leaning closer. "That's what I believe I can fix with this internship." He explained, Richard leveling him a hard stare. "Putting him in an environment I know he can excel in might just give him the confidence he's been lacking." Tony explained. "Trust me, Mr. Parker, I really think Peter could benefit from this internship." He finished.
Richard gave a small nod of his head before lowering his gaze back down to the papers below, his brows furrowed in thought. Tony watched on, anticipation and a flutter of nervousness stirring in his gut. After all, this little plan of his couldn't really work if the kid's father didn't actually agree with it. In fact, Tony was beginning to worry that this little attempt at helping the kid might just cause more trouble for him. And Lord knows he didn't need that on his conscious.
But finally, after a moment, Richard's hard gaze seemed to soften slightly as he gave a small nod of his head. Lifting his gaze, he met Tony's eyes. "Stark, if you think this little. . . . program of yours can help my son, then so be it." He uttered softly, an almost unsettling smile setting on his face.
Tony felt his stomach churn once again as he began to feel the same vibes he'd gotten from the Cons, but quickly pushed it down as the two men rose up from their seats and shook hands. Richard cast a small, annoyed glare upstairs. "I should probably go and tell Peter." He muttered.
Before his brain could catch up to his body, he was jumping in front of the man, holding his hands up with a shrug of his shoulders. "Don't worry, I'll go and tell him." He said, the words falling out before he could stop them.
You are just on a roll, aren't you? He grumbled to himself as Richard nodded his head, motioning towards the stairs. Tony bit back a sigh as he seriously began to consider getting a CAT scan when he got back to the Tower, trudging up the stairs past the top penthouse and up to the two bedrooms on the final floor.
The man paused at Peter's door, biting the inside of cheek in hesitation as he wondered whether he should just send Richard up instead. But after remembering the look on Peter's face as well as the annoyance In Richard's, Tony let out a small sigh and gently tapped his knuckle against the door.
After a few moments passed of silence in which Tony began to feel his old-self bubbling back up to the surface as his patience wore thin, the man called the kid's name. "Peter? You in there, kid?" He asked.
Silence.
Furrowing his brow, the man glanced down at the door handle before giving a roll of his eyes. "I am so not cut out for this." He muttered as he turned the handle and pushed the door open slowly. The hinges gave a soft creak as the door slowly swung open, the darkness of the room hitting Tony hard as his eyes fought to adjust to the lack of lighting.
The room was as he remembered it. To the right of the door stood the kid's bed, as pristine and neatly made as before. Across from it sat a small couch with a glass coffee table and a large TV, as well as a number of game consoles, many of which looked to be untouched. Lined along the walls stood many different bookshelves, each filled to the brim with an assortment of textbooks and worn-out leather bound novels. A large desk with a sleek laptop and a number of torn-up gadgets and machines sat against the back wall as well. And finally, on the wall opposite the door stood the grand glass doors that led out to the small balcony.
As his eyes adjusted, Tony made out a small shape on the floor of the balcony, seemingly unmoving as they sat. The man's eyes furrowed slightly as he shut the door behind him and slowly began to quietly make his way over. Stopping just before opening the doors, he stared at the small figure through the glass.
Peter sat curled up at the far right corner of the small square space, back pressed up against one of the transparent balcony walls. His loose brown curls blew gently against his face, brushing up against his forehead, occasionally hiding his eyes. Yet, through the parts they created, Tony could tell they were red-rimmed and wet, his cheeks shiny as well. The kid's arms were wrapped around his knees, which he'd tucked close to his chest, his chin resting on top as he stared lazily down at the view below him.
All in all, the kid looked miserable.
Tony let out a small breath and grasped the metal handle of the door, sliding it open. Peter jolted violently at the noise, head whipping around to face it. His eyes instantly filled with fear as his hands raised instinctively, only to pause as he caught sight of who exactly was at his door.
"M-Mr. Stark?" He whispered softly, voice hiding none of his disbelief.
"Hey, kid." Tony called casually as he stepped out onto the floor. The wind gently brushed past his face as he made his way over. Peter watched him with wide eyes for a moment before he seemed to realize his predicament, roughly rubbing at his face with the back of his hand, a soft red tint growing around his cheeks.
Tony watched the kid from the corner of his eye, but decided against commenting on his actions. The kid was embarrassed enough as it was. Pretending not to have seen it, Tony rested his elbows on the balcony railing and gently leaned forward, gazing down at the view.
The townhouse rested on a large hill, elevating the view substantially till Tony could basically stare out above some of the surrounding buildings. From a distance, the bright lights of Town Square could be seen glowing brightly in the night sky, illuminating the waters of the East River in bright washes of red, yellow and green. The moon hung in the sky above the buildings, shining brightly as it seemed to compete with the lights of the city. As usual, the sky held no stars. With all the bright lights and shining flashes, the chances of ever even noticing the faint pinpricks of white in the sky were slim to none.
"You ever seen stars before?" Tony asked, noting how Peter had risen up from his spot on the floor and was now gazing out at the city next to him. The boy glanced up at him before lowering his gaze back down, shaking his head softly. "N-no...heh...never even been out of the city before." He murmured. "At least, not before." He added, the memory of his first plane ride still fresh in his mind.
"Umm...M-Mr. Stark? N-not that I-I'm...complaining or...or anything, but...b-but...umm...I-I don't ...I m-mean...w-wh-"
"Why am I here, exactly?" Tony asked, realizing the kid couldn't seem to choke out the last few words. Peter glanced up for a second before giving a nod of his head. Tony gazed back out at the view as he shrugged his shoulders. "Oh, you know, just chatting with your Dad about a few things here and there. Nothing too interesting." He mused, Peter fiddling with his fingers as he gave a small nod. "Oh! And I also got you an actual internship at Stark Industries if that's any interest."
Peter's eyes grew twice as wide as he whipped around. "Y-you what?!" He nearly shouted before clearing his throat, lowering his head in embarrassment at his outburst. "B-but...but I thought y-you said we...we were just g-gonna use that a-as a cover." He stuttered out, clearly confused at the man's switch.
Tony shrugged once more. "Yeah, well, I changed my mind kid." He leaned forward, giving the kid a light punch in the arm. "Guess you rubbed me the right way." He joked, Peter flinching slightly at the punch before giving a small smile, rubbing his arm nervously. "R-really?" He breathed before giving a small chuckle. "That's a first." He snorted softly.
The kid stared out at the view for a moment longer before his smile slipped slightly, a nervous grimace taking its place. "H-how did...m-my father take it?" He asked, biting the bottom of his lip.
Tony glanced over at him before waving his hand in the air dismissively. "Ah...he was a little hesitant at first, but I was able to convince him to go along with it." He explained, Peter blinking up at him in surprise. "Huh..." He murmured softly.
"What?"
"N-no, nothing. I-it's...it's just that...well, it's not the easiest th-thing in the world to convince my...my dad, you know?" He said, gazing at the billionaire. Tony pressed his tongue to the inside of his cheek as he glanced over at Peter before turning away. "Yep...I kind of got that vibe from him." He muttered.
Before he could delve any farther into his suspicions of the boy's father, he whipped around and clapped his hands together, Peter jumping at the noise. "But, enough of that." He exclaimed as he wrapped an arm around the kid and pulled him closer. As expected, Peter instantly tensed at the touch. "Now, this internship will be every day after school from three to seven. Now, judging from how long an average drive from the tower to here will take, as well as whatever chores and homework you most likely'll have to finish up, that should leave you with about a two-hour window for patrolling and - you getting all this kid?"
Peter blinked up at him before giving a vigorous nod.
"Good. Now we'll probably meet on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, but if I decide I like having you around, I might just decide to let you hang a little more." The man paused to twirl his hand in the air. "I'll just make something up about you having 'big projects to finish' or some bullshit like that." He muttered as Peter continued to stare up at him.
"You'll probably have some stuff you'll have to help with and I already know Pepper's gonna have some work lined up for you, but you'll probably have time to finish up your homework sprinkled in there as well. Plus, if you get on my good side, " He explained, pointing a finger towards the kid. "I might even help you out with improvements to your suit."
Peter could only stand there frozen with the occasional blink as Tony rambled on about the details of this supposed "new internship". Even though he could hear the words the man was uttering, he still couldn't actually believe it. He especially couldn't believe the fact that his father had actually allowed it! Never in a million years would he have suspected his father would let him to anything related to Tony Stark or Stark Industries. He was still reeling from the fact that he allowed Peter to go to Berlin, granted he merely believed it to be a convention of sorts, but still!
His father hated anything to do with Tony or Stark Industries.
That he knew as absolute fact. So for Tony to be standing there telling him his father had actually approved of his interning there? He almost wondered whether or not he was dreaming or something.
And yet, it wasn't just the fact that his father approved that was hard for Peter to believe. No, what he couldn't understand was why he was being offered this at all!
"Mr. Stark..." Peter called softly, silencing the man from his little speech. The kid lowered his gaze once again, wringing his fingers together like they were a wet rag. Tony watched as the kid's face seemed to get flushed, his cheeks growing slightly pink as the color drained from the rest of his face. His large brown eyes flittered around from one spot to another as the kid seemed to struggle to open his mouth.
Finally, after a moment, he did. "F-first of all...I just w-want to say...t-thank you." He said softly. "I k-know you didn't h-have to come and find me. I...I know y-you didn't have to help m-me and give me t-that...that new suit...but you did. You did and I...I am so grateful...f-for all of it." He explained.
"And...and I don't want you to t-think that I...that I'm not appreciative of w-what...what you're offering m-me..." He started, his voice straining slightly as he tightened his grip around his fingers. "But I . . ." He paused, the words seeming to catch in the back of his throat as he tried to force them out. "I...I-I...I just...j-just...I-" His hands began to shake as his squeezed his eyes shut.
Tony quickly realized the boy's plight and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Relax, kid." He murmured gently, hoping having the boy realize he wasn't annoyed would help him relax.
Peter took a calming breath and opened his eyes once more. "I...I j-just don't understand w-why you're...why you're offering me this." He finally stuttered out. Tony furrowed his brow as the boy continued. "I mean...-don't get me w-wrong, I'm flattered y-you thought of m-me...but...but I'm s-sure there are more...more q-qualified people to...to offer this to." He rubbed the back of his neck and lowered his head. "I-I'm nothing...nothing special. I'm j-just a kid who happens to h-have some freaky powers. I...I don't really d-deserve all of...all of this."
The kid let out a small laugh, though Tony could tell there was no joy behind it. "And if you...if you talked to m-my dad like you said y-you did...t-then...then you already know what he...what he thinks of me." Peter lowered his head, shutting his eyes tightly. "And if t-that's true, then I really don't k-know why you're even talking to me." He whispered out, his voice quivered.
Tony stared at the boy in front of him, arms wrapped around himself defensively as his chin was tucked close to his chest, eyes shut tightly as his hands shook. And for a moment...for a brief fleeting second...he had the urge to open his arms and pull the kid in. For a small nanosecond, Tony Stark actually wanted to hug the kid.
Yet just as it overcame him, the feeling vanished. But the sympathy didn't.
The billionaire stepped closer and placed a hand on the teen's shoulder. Peter tensed for a second but decided against fighting it he lifted his head to meet Tony's gaze. The kid briefly noted the feeling of moisture on his cheeks.
Tony stared into the kid's teary eyes, large brown pools staring back at him. Pushing aside his hesitation at speaking to a kid who was obviously emotionally unstable, the man let out a sigh and gazed back at the boy. "You think you can listen to me for a sec, kid?" He asked, Peter staring up at him for a minute before giving a small nod.
The man opened his mouth, only for no words to come out. He sucked in a breath, closing his mouth again as he cast his eyes away, furrowing his brows as he fought over how to handle this. Letting out a small huff of air, the man turned to Peter. "You know...my father was never really good at the whole 'supporting your kids' thing. He never really knew how to...handle me." He explained, wondering whether or not this was actually helping.
He was leaning towards the not.
"I never really felt like I could talk to him, you know? I just thought that whatever I did wasn't good enough for him. That every word that came out of my mouth was another reminder to him that I wasn't what he wanted. Granted I didn't really help my case by going to a ton of college parties, getting wasted a shitload of times and partying with whatever girl crossed my path but-"
He glanced down at Peter, the boy continuously blinking up at him with those wide eyes of him.
Yep, definitely not helping.
The man sighed, running a hand over his face. "I am so not cut out for this." He muttered to himself before he turned around, leaning his back up against the railing of the balcony, wrapping his arm around Peter's shoulder as he pulled the kid closer.
"Listen, kid. It's true that this is...unorthodox for me to be offering this. And it's also true that there are plenty of other people I could offer this to." He started, watching as the kid lowered his gaze back down to the ground. "But, I chose you for a reason, Pete." He explained, the nickname popping out before he could even think about it. "I think you got a lot of potential kid. Heck, it's obvious just by the way you were able to make those web shooters just by scraps you found in the frikkin dumpster." He exclaimed, a small smile forming on his face.
"And hey, I get it that you're a bit unsure of this. Heck, I'm a little unsure myself..." He paused and wrapped both of his hands around Peter's shoulders, turning the kid to face him. "But I need you to understand this, kid. You do deserve all of this. I don't know about you, but I haven't come across any other kids swinging around the city with basically no protection whatsoever helping people just to help them, just because they can." He explained, Peter glancing away as a slight red tint began to fade onto his face.
"You're a good kid, Peter." Tony said softly. "That's why I'm offering this internship to you. Cause I want to get to know that good kid. Because I want you to know that just because your father thinks all these things about you...it doesn't mean the rest of the world thinks it too. And it definitely doesn't mean I think it either."
Peter slowly lifted up his gaze, blinking up at the man once more as Tony pulled away. "So what do you say, kid?" He asked, a smug smile forming on his face. "You wanna join me over on the dark side, or would you rather stay here and work at boring, old Parkstem Labs?" He moaned overdramatically.
Peter let out a small laugh. "They're not that bad, you know." He murmured softly, a smile forming on his face.
Tony turned a serious look towards him. "Alright, if you're gonna be working for me, you're no longer able to give any sorts of praise, adoration or compliments to that place, got it? Nothing except seething remarks or hate letters, alright?" He said, Peter letting out a full-blown laugh at that, the man chuckling next to him as they walked back through the glass doors and into the teen's dark room. He liked the kid's laugh. It sounded...right.
Walking back out towards the common rooms, Tony noticed Peter's demeanor instantly shift back to quiet and reserved as they made their way down the stairs and back down to the first floor, where the others were congregating. "Well, it's a done deal." Tony called, the others glancing up at the pair as they made their way down the stairs.
Richard gave a small nod of his head as the pair reached them, the Cons letting out small huffs behind him. "Very well. And you said transportation would not be an issue?"
Tony nodded. "Yeah, I'll have a driver pick him up and drop him off." He explained as the large group began to make their way over to the door. "Then I see no problems. As long as this doesn't interfere with his schoolwork." Richard murmured, stealing a glance down at Peter, who was now standing at his side, his fingers twitching nervously.
"I doubt that'll be much of an issue." Tony smirked as he began to make his way outside. "Well, it was a...pleasure meeting all of you." The man called as he gazed at the Cons, who seemed to be trying not to roll their eyes. Keyword: trying.
However, before Tony could begin his descent down the stairs, he felt a small hand grab at his sleeve. Turning back, he watched as Peter quickly stepped outside as well, rushing up to meet the man. "Oh, and Mr. Stark..." He called as he stared up at the man, large brown eyes once again staring up at the man, but this time, there was something different about them. They didn't seem as desperate, as...searching. Instead, they seemed almost...bright. "Before you leave, I just wanted to say thank you," Peter said softly. "For everything."
Tony stared back at the large brown moons, seemingly lost in them for a moment as they stared at him in awe before he blinked back into reality, a smile forming on his face. "No problem, kid. See you tomorrow." He said as he began to make his way down the stairs, the smile lingering on his face for one single reason.
The kid hadn't stuttered a single time throughout that sentence.
. . .
It was a start.
Tony reached the car and silently stepped inside. "Well, you took your sweet time, didn't you?" Happy muttered as he cast a small glare behind him. "You know I'm only doing this as a favor, right? I'm not your driver anymore, alright? I have a very serious job now-"
Tony knew Happy was talking, but as usual, he wasn't really listening. Instead, his eyes were trained on the kid currently standing on the front step of his house, gazing at the car with wide eyes before a large hand was placed on his shoulder, jerking him back to attention. Peter glanced up nervously at his father and the awaiting Cons, casting one last glance at the car before ducking back into the house, the door slamming shut behind him.
Tony furrowed his brow before leaning back in his seat, a tired sigh tearing its way through his lips. Only now did he realize how exhausted he actually was. Though he shouldn't have been surprised. It hadn't exactly been an easy weekend for him.
After a moment, he realized the car was moving. Happy must have realized the man wasn't listening and had decided to just drive back to the Tower. Tony let out a small moan and rested his head back. "You good?" Happy called from the front, his earlier agitation dissipating as he took in how bedraggled his friend looked.
"Yep. Yep, I am...stellar." Tony muttered softly as he shut his eyes. The man desperately wished that was true. He wished he really was alright and that it had just been another long weekend. He wished everything was fine and that he could look forward to coming back home and relaxing. He wished...
He wished for a lot of things that just weren't going to come true anytime soon.
Tony winced as he shifted in his seat, his shoulder letting out a small shout of protest at the movement. He furrowed his brow slightly He'd been so busy lately that he'd forgotten all about the injury. Well, at least the kid's already coming in handy. He muttered, realizing the boy had acted as a perfect distraction to-
No, Nope! He was not going there. Tony knew if he even began to think about St- about... what happened, he would lose it. And he so did not need to have a breakdown in the car. Just breath... Tony muttered to himself as he shut his eyes once more, concentrating instead on taking deep breaths and slowly letting them out. He repeated the mantra in his head throughout the car ride, shutting out every and all outside noises.
He never saw the way Happy glanced at him through the rearview window, concern evident in his usually cold eyes.
Sunday - March 6, 2016
Stark Tower - Lower Level Sub-Garage
09:54 p.m.
"Tony?"
The man's eyes snapped open as his name was called. He let out a small groan as he sat up, rubbing his sore neck as he glanced over at Happy, the man staring at him from the front seat. After a moment, Tony realized they were in the Tower's garage. How long had they been there?
"You sure you're alright?" The man asked.
Tony slipped a smile onto his face. "Careful, Happy. Keep acting like that, and I might actually suspect that you're worried about little ol' me." He said, batting his eyelashes at the man. Happy rolled his eyes and turned back around in his seat. "Yeah, I know. I must be insane." He muttered, but he couldn't help the nervous frown that fell onto his face as Tony exited the car. Though he knew it was pointless to ask the man again if he was alright. he would just do what he always did: deflect.
Tony was silent as he entered the Tower elevator, automatically telling FRIDAY to take him to the labs. He didn't even know he'd said anything until he felt the elevator moving underneath his feet.
The man let out a tired groan as he rubbed his face, his head pounding painfully.
"Sir, might I suggest you instead go and get some rest instead of working in the labs tonight?" The automated voice called from above. Well at least, one thing was still the same.
"I'm fine, FRIDAY," Tony called as the elevator doors opened. "And no, I don't want to hear your list of reasons as to why I am not fine." He said quickly after a second thought, the voice falling silent as he entered the lab.
The once comforting sight of the messy lab now made Tony's stomach churn uneasily as he stepped inside. A multitude of different projects sat on the tables, the robots in the corner chiming to life as he entered. He watched as Dum-E accidentally scattered a few papers across the floor, but he honestly didn't have the energy to scold the machine.
Tony walked through the seemingly endless corridor of tables, eyes glancing over the many different machines and parts strewn about the smooth surfaces. To be honest, he didn't know what he was really looking for, if anything at all. He didn't even know what he was doing down here. But he knew it was better than being up in the penthouse. He didn't know if he could take how quiet it was now.
As he walked, his eyes caught sight of something that made his legs stop.
Sitting on one of the large tables sat his Iron Man suit. The one he'd taken to Siberia. It was almost worse than he remembered it. The numerous gashes and slash marks coating the armor had almost stripped away all the paint. Loose circuits and bare wires could be seen and a large gash had been made in the very center of the suit. Memories of how such injuries had been sustained flashed across Tony's eyes, making the man wince and sharply turn his head.
Oh, how he wished he hadn't.
As he moved his head away, he caught sight of something that made him want to hurl. There, sitting propped up on the floor next to the table sat Cap's shield. Like his suit, much of the paint had been stripped away and there were numerous slash marks marring the surface.
Tony couldn't help but stare at the shield, eyes boring into the signature pattern, the colors blurring together slightly. He could hear his heart beating frantically against his chest, but he just couldn't feel it. His chest heaved as he sucked in a few shaky breaths. Glancing down, he noticed his hands were shaking violently, as was the rest of his body.
As he continued to stare at the shield, he felt his feet moving until his back eventually hit the wall. Suddenly, he was back in Siberia. His suit was blaring loudly in his ears, different alarms and sirens going off as he felt a hand digging into his chest, curling around the reactor. He could feel fists pounding against the metal surrounding him, sharp jabs from the shield hitting his side, his chest, his face. The sound of his blasters charging up, the taste of copper in his mouth, the feeling of sweat rolling down his temple.
He felt himself slide down the wall, his bottom hitting the floor hard as his breathing became frantic and uneven. His hand rose up to his chest, rubbing the spot where his reactor had once been.
Tony stared at the shield for a moment longer before he tore his gaze away, head pounding so loudly he felt it would soon splinter.
The man let out another shaky breath, feeling it hitch in the back of his throat. His brain throbbed as he rested his head on the back of the wall, shutting his eyes tightly as he fought against what he knew was coming.
His throat was dry.
They were gone. It was plain and simple. He just couldn't ignore it anymore. They were gone. All of them. He'd tried to hard to keep them all together, to do the right thing and...it'd all fallen apart.
His eyes itched.
He should have seen it coming. Things had been going too well for it not to fall to shit. He just should have seen it coming. But he hadn't. He hadn't...and now he was alone. All of them, people he'd finally begun to consider as friends, as...as family, they were all gone. They'd all left. They'd all left him.
His nose burned.
He'd tried. This time he'd really tried. He had done all that he could, but in the end, he was only human. He could only do so much. Why couldn't anyone understand that? Why couldn't anyone ever understand that?
Suddenly, he felt tears sliding down his cheeks, splattering down against his pants, against the cold floor. But he didn't care. Not after all of it. He just couldn't care about it. He had no strength left to do so. So he just sat there, leaning against the back wall, legs splayed out before him, arms curled around himself as Tony Stark, world genius, multi-billionaire, famous hero...
...sobbed. He simply sat there and sobbed over everything, over the second family he'd lost. And if he were being honest, he seriously doubted he would ever recover from this one.
Wow...only two chapters in and we're already brewing a lovely concoction of angst and sorrow...I LOVE IT! Hehehehe...
Anyway, kudos to all of you who understood the significance of the Cons' names. BTW, important note, any and all character personalities associated with the real Spider-Man characters I based their names off of are to be discarded. I didn't actually use their names to add their characters into the story, I just thought it would be a cool element to have these characters be INSPIRED and BASED off of those canon Spider-Man characters, alright.
All you gotta know is that the only thing I took from those canon characters are their names (and maybe their physical descriptions). Their storylines and backstory are not relevant.
That might be a little confusing to some, so if you have any questions, don't hesitate to PM me!
IMPORTANT NOTE: ANY AND ALL PEOPLE WHO ASK ME TO SHIP PETER AND TONY TOGETHER WILL INSTANTLY BE IGNORED! Sorry, it's just not my thing. ANOTHER KEY NOTE: any and all pairings I do will be incredibly minor. I am not into the heavily sexual shit and stuff like that. My rendition of a couple if basically just a little cuddling and hugging and the occasional kiss if I'm feeling scandalous XD
Leave your thoughts down in the comments, please. I've never really done a pairing like that before, so I am honestly excited and kind of want to try it out so...
Anywhooo...thanks to these people for favoriting and/or following: Legitimate Pipsqueak (WOOO! I LOVE THIS GUY!), YuzukiKuchiki, hrey573456, repliedgrunt14, theorbess540, Blik46, Celeste621, Dreamer-Of-The-Omniverse, FlamingPhoenix112, Moonstone1000, ptbaym10, 5862-sembonzakura, Onlyinitforthestories2, TinyShadowCat, lil'fernie, milla11, Ammy of Asgard, BeingMuggie, Blaney, The One Who Holds On, lion-xx, GeekyChameleon, Andipandi5, Emnic1, Nindragon, seldabwsmsk, IntrovertMess, Erika266, Phoenixhp5, layla-kyoyama, NlueHeart007, Toni42, YouBetterCryKed
Reviews:
claudeclouds: That's my goal: to write a story nobody has written yet. Really hope you enjoy it. Thanks for commenting bro! Sunshine for you!
Phoenixhp5: Gracias, mi amigo! To be honest, that's one of the things I'm most excited for too. One of my favorite things about writing is creating new and exciting relationships between characters. SO, I hope you enjoy what I do with Tony and Peter.
Legitimate Pipsqueak: What the FUCK are you doing here?! Why are you so frikkin awesome? You always seem to be around all of my fics. AND you were the first person to follow and favorite?! Jesus Christ, I LEGIT LOVE YOU, man! (woman? Whatever, IDK, you be you). I am actually stoked you're here. It always feels great to have a longtime fan around. Extra sunshine for you, my friend. I hope I make this fic interesting for you! :D
BlueHeart007: Loving you! Thanks for reading! Sunshine for you!
Toni42: I know right. BTW: would just like to remind everyone that this is NOT symbolism for my relationship with my padre. For the most part that dork's pretty chill...most of the time. Anyway, hope you enjoy reading more. Sunshine for you!
Nindragon: Aww! Thank you so much. You're an awesome reader...well at least, you have good taste in reading material XD
Emnic1: Gracias! Super excited to continue.
Andipandi5: No, you're amazing!