Chapter Two

Awkward-nests ensues

Peter just stood there; he had no idea how to react to a question like that. Many would say that the obvious answer would be a yes or a no. but it wasn't that simple for Peter, what if it was a trick. Maybe Tony was making fun of him? In which case a serious answer would be mocked, but on the off chance that Tony was sincere a mocking answer would be bad.

The last thing that he could afford was to make himself look like an idiot. He loved this job, loved it insanely. The fact that it paid money, actual good money on a regular basis was amazing he needed this job. Therefore he was really not in a position to piss his boss off; well he wasn't actually his boss but his bosses bosses, bosses, boss. Or something like that which was way too many bosses for Peter to even consider messing this up.

In fact it was so many bosses above Peter's pay-grade that he wondered how Stark even knew he existed, let alone knew or liked him enough to ask him out. This was a headache that Peter did not need, he already had enough on his plate with college, and Aunt May's continual frailty and rent was due… and ok yeah he was babbling in his head. Cause that was much easier to deal with than the fact that Tony mother-fucking (presumably) Stark had just asked him out.

Not to say that he wasn't flattered, since well he was quite attractive and intelligent and there was the whole thing that he was god-damn Iron Man. But still that just made the whole thing so much more outlandish and ridiculous. People, normal people don't get crushes on Peter Parker and/or ask him out for dinner. Let alone genius, playboy billionaire philanthropists who also just happen to be Iron Man, that was just something that did not happen.

This meant it had to be a joke, or a hallucination except he thought that Mysterio was still in the vault, although that prison essentially had a revolving door so maybe he was out. But that made no sense if he was out then he wouldn't be playing pranks on Peter Parker, he was a nobody to Mysterio. Except maybe he knew his real identity, except that made no sense either cause then he would use his abilities to mess with his head so that everyone knew he was Spider-man.

So that theory was clearly bubcus, what if…

Oh crap. How long have I been standing here?

Peter had no idea how many minutes had passed, at least a couple cause Stark's face seemed frozen in his trademark smile. But not so many that he'd gone nah fuck this shit I'm leaving.

So that meant that the entire issue hadn't just disappeared into the ether as he had been quietly hoping. Which meant an answer was still expected, thank god Stark had asked him somewhere quiet away from other people so there wasn't an audience to his continued derp moments.

He smiled self-consciously and took a deep breath.

"Uh, can I think about it I haven't uh- haven't what? dated a rich genius superhero before, I've never dated a man before, never dated a man that I've secretly had a crush on for ages before (that last thought came way out of left field)-been on a date in ages and I'm quite busy so..um"

Genius Parker genius, an ambiguous and open ended answer that's perfect not sucky or jerk like in anyway, or you-know stupid at all cause now that means that at some point he'll have to meet up with you or you'll have to chase him down which will be awkward.

AN: the self-conscious smile that I image Peter having is the one that Andrew Garfield has at the end of the Amazing Spider-man. Because that is the most amazing (pun intended) awkward smile ever. BTW the Iron Man is the movies RDJr version and Spider-man is an amalgamation of comics, both sets of movies etc. I'm picking and mixing, but as it's mostly about the characters under the suits the canon (hopefully) won't be confusing.