Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers, or anything Marvel
So, here is the next chapter! I think we are finally getting somewhere interesting now. So, when I first started writing this, I had NO clue when Peter's birthday was. Based on the timeline of my last story, it was around March or April, so… sorry about that. And can you believe how long this chapter ended up being? I did not expect it to be this long, wow! This chapter ended up being a lot sadder than I had originally planned. Oops. Also, if you have any ideas for major plot points, characters I should bring in, or just little things to put in my story, please let me know! Please review! I hope you enjoy!
It was August. If he was being completely honest, Peter was actually excited to go back to school. Don't get him wrong, he loved being around Tony and the other avengers, but he missed Ned, he missed the decathlon, and he missed feeling like a normal kid who wasn't adopted by one of the most famous men in the world. Holy shit, life was crazy. Anyway, because of this, when Tony told him that a week from today there was the book sale at school where you usually buy all of the textbooks and stuff for the upcoming school year, Peter was thrilled.
"Only five more days!" He bounced up and down, making Tony to chuckle.
"Seriously? It is a book sale. I can buy you better copies of all of these books from other places, it isn't even really necessary." Tony insisted.
"But Tony!" He drew out the y for an extended period of time. "It is about the experience! It is school!"
"You are probably the only kid in the entire world who is actually excited to go back to school." He shook his head and the ridiculous, but adorable, kid.
"yeah, well, I like it!" He insisted.
"Okay, spider-kid." He smiled. Tony paused, looking actually a little nervous, before approaching a new topic. "Remember what I gave you for your birthday?"
"Yeah?" Peter told him. Truth be told, he actually just now remembered the set of car keys he been given. A couple months ago for his birthday, Tony offered to help him repair a car (knowing Peter would appreciate it more than the billionaire just buying him a car), so he had something to drive to school. He had been so thrilled about it when he got it, but after May… It slipped his mind.
"Would you maybe want to start it soon? I know school is starting and you probably don't want to take the subway every day. If you want to wait, we can, or if you would rather not do it at all I can just get you a nice watch or something to make up for it…" he trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.
"No, that sounds great! I am actually really excited about it!" Peter replied, happily, making the billionaire more at ease.
"Great. Most of the parts are in the lab near the garage, so as soon as you are ready, we can start it." Peter beamed.
A couple days later, Tony showed him the car. To say the car was damaged was an understatement. It basically was a rusted down shell of Chevrolet Camaro, almost beyond recognition. They could fix it up, sure, but it would be a lot of work. In other words, it was beautiful.
"Oh my god." He breathed out, staring at the car.
"You like it?" Tony asked jokingly, smirking at the kid.
"It has got to be the most beautiful thing in the entire world." Peter gaped.
"Well, that must really be saying something, considering I exist." The genius gestured to himself, grinning.
Peter shot him a look. "You're ruining it."
"I don't think I am, but if you are really that ungrateful then I could always take it back..." He trailed off.
"No!" Peter shouted, practically jumping into the air. "Make as many egotistical jokes as you want."
"That's what I thought." The man said, heading over to the car.
They worked on it for a couple of hours, cracking jokes and trying to remove all of the rust. It was hard, but Peter was thoroughly enjoying himself. Tony seemed to be as well. Maybe that was why Peter decided to bring up the particularly difficult subject.
"Hey, Tony?" Peter asked, a little uneasily.
Tony, sensing the kid's mood, quieted his music and replied, "Yeah, kid?"
"Would it be okay if I went over to Ned's house after the book sale?" He asked, silently holding his breath.
"Sure. Are you sleeping over or is there I time when I should pick you up?" The genius told him, nonchalantly. Obviously, he knew how anxious Peter has been recently and how nervous he must be about asking to be away from Tony and the tower, so he decided to play it off lightly.
"I think I am sleeping over, but if not, I can just walk home." He shrugged going back to his work on the tail.
"What?" Tony asked incredulously, sliding out from his place under the car so he could see the kids face. "How far away does he live?"
"Um… about a five minute walk from school?" Peter told him, voice a little high because he knew that was pretty far from the tower and Tony would say no.
"Yeah, no. I'll come get you when you are done." Tony replied, shooting the kid a look.
"Seriously, Tony. It isn't a big deal, don't worry." The kid insisted, not wanting to bother him.
"Kid." He gave him a genuine, but pointed, look. "I own a car, I have a driver's license, and I am willing to come get you. There is no way you are walking thirty minutes back here."
"Okay. Thank you." Peter quietly accepted.
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." He rolled his eyes, with no ill intent, and slid back under the car, leaving Peter grinning and giddy.
Peter woke up at about six am on the day of the book sale. It started at eight, but you had to get there early if you didn't want everything to be sold out and all of the best copies gone. Plus, he was really excited. He had seen Ned once since last year and that was the day he came to the tower, and he hadn't seen MJ and some of the other decathlon kids since the end of last year. As excited as he was, there were a few things that made him pretty anxious. The first was seeing Flash. Tony promised he would just send him in with money as not to create a scene, but if Flash did anything, he was afraid a full suit of Iron Man armor would bust down the door. The second thing was what was happening after. Peter and Tony had a meeting with the principal to switch all of Peter's forms from May to Tony. Which also meant his teachers and some of the staff would see him with Tony instead of May, raising some questions, but also because it was just another thing that further distanced him from his aunt. He knew that was ridiculous, but he couldn't help it.
They pulled up to school and Peter immediately found Ned in the crowd. He was wearing his hat and standing right at the front looking around.
"Ned!" Peter called out, practically launching himself out of the car the second it stopped moving.
"Woah, woah, woah, woah, wait a sec, kiddo." Tony called out to him, making Peter sigh and turn around. "One: here is your money. I didn't know how much you needed, so here is $500." Peter's eyes widened as he accepted the money, knowing he wouldn't spend even half that. "Two: If that Speedy kid or whatever-"
"Flash?" Peter suggested.
He continued, not pausing. "- even looks at you, I want you to beat his ass."
"Tony, I am not going to do that." The kid rolled his eyes.
"Fine, but if he makes one comment, I am coming in there with the suit." Tony swore, looking nonchalant, which made Peter realize that he was probably just being dramatic and sarcastic. Key word – probably.
"Tony." Peter gave the man a pointed look.
This time, the genius just ignored him. "And the third thing: tell Ned I say hi."
Peter smiled, nodded, and finally headed towards his friend. "Ned, Ned, Ned, Ned." Peter called out, finally finding his friend. The second he reached him, they launched into their nerdy, complicated little handshake.
Tony saw this and couldn't help but smile at the two dorks. He was glad Peter had a friend like Ned. He wondered how different life would've been if he met Rhodey earlier. Or Happy? Pepper? Would his playboy years have been shorter or longer? Anyway, Ned was good for him and he was glad Peter could be around somebody he cared about other than Tony and co.
Peter and Ned headed into the building and straight for the chem textbooks. "Tony wanted me to tell you hi."
Ned's mouth fell open. "No way. Did he really? You aren't just telling me this to make me feel good? He actually said to tell me hi?"
"Yep." Peter smiled at his friend's attitude. "And he said 'Ned' too. Not just 'your friend.'"
"Oh my god, this is the greatest day of my life." Peter shook his head at his friend, and they got their books.
"sup losers." MJ greeted, falling into step with them on their way to the doors.
"Hey MJ, how was your summer?" Ned asked.
She shrugged, brushing it off. "Did you guys see the car in the parking lot? There must be a fancy new rich kid enrolling this year."
Peter felt his heartrate speed up, but he played it off coolly. "Oh yeah, that would really suck."
"Mmhm." She agreed, eyeing him skeptically. "See ya." She branched away and headed back towards their locker area.
Pretty soon, the school had mostly cleared out. Peter figured this would be the best time to text Tony.
Hey, the school is pretty much empty of other kids. Now is probably as good a time as any to head in. He texted him, not bothering to wait for a reply before sliding his phone into his pocket and heading for the main office.
Unfortunately, right as he met up with Tony, he saw MJ heading down the hall.
"You're Tony Stark." She said, more of a statement than a question or exclamation.
"Yes, I am." Tony replied, equally as stoic.
"While I admire many things about your company, such as the clean energy produced by the arc reactor and the female CEO, I still do not appreciate your capitalized nature built upon the exploitation of the poor and the direction towards the rich." She told him bluntly.
He nodded thoughtfully, "Now that you mention it, I agree with you fully. What do you propose I do about such things?"
She looked almost stunned for a second, before suggesting. "Fund a branch of charity's and make products and internships more available, for starters."
"Wonderful." He gave her a genuine smile. "Here is an email that will put you through directly to my head of funds. I am sure she would be more than happy to have help on such things, if I notify her first. I will shoot her an email tonight and you can probably contact her by the end of the week."
She nodded, looking almost excited (at least her version of it). She seemed to then finally notice Peter, slightly hiding behind Tony. "Oh hey, Peter. Internship thing?"
He panicked for a second, unsure of what to tell her, before Tony stepped in. "Actually, I planned to offer more internships to students here. I have a meeting with the principle soon and just happened to run into Peter."
She nodded before giving a slight wave and exiting the building. Peter sighed, "thanks, Tony."
"Of course, kid. Now, let's head inside." He steered Peter towards the door.
"So, let me get this straight." The principle asked, leaning forward. "You are here to transfer all of Peter's information away from May?"
"Yes, sir. Here is my identification and my legal guardianship form if necessary." Tony coolly replied, sliding the papers across the desk.
"Alright. If I may ask, what happened to Mrs. Parker?" He pressed, making Peter even more anxious.
"Car accident." Tony replied simply, before changing the subject. "In the same regard as the original emergency contact forms, I trust that this will stay between us and only be revealed if absolutely necessary?"
"Of course, Mr. Stark." They both stood up and shook hands, leading Peter to stand up as well. "Bye Peter, I'll see you next week." The exchanged a small, albeit forced, smile.
Tony and Peter headed back out to the car, feeling a light drizzle of rain upon them. "How are you feeling, kid?" Peter shrugged, causing Tony to press a bit more. "Are you okay with what happened between you and your friend; MJ was it?" He nodded. "How about everything with the forms?" He shrugged, which let Tony know that that was exactly what was bothering him. "Come here, Pete." He wrapped him into a brief, but genuine, hug and they continued to the car. "Listen, I know this is hard. It'll get easier. Also, just because she is no longer the school's contact, doesn't put you any farther away from her. Okay? I was already a contact for you, just now I am the primary one. It isn't taking May away, it is just a promotion for me. Does that make you feel any better?" He asked softly. They had reached the car already and now they were sitting in the seats, not yet pulled out.
"Yeah." Peter replied, just as softly, and wiped a stray tear from his face. "Thanks, Tony."
He gave the kid's shoulder a comforting rub and pulled out of the parking lot, telling him "Of course, Peter."
They reached Ned's in about two minutes. "Okay. Have fun, be polite, and don't sneak out to go Spider-Man-ing. Got it?"
"Yeah, yeah. I got it." Peter muttered, rolling his eyes, although he had a smile on his face.
"Good. Just text me whenever and I'll come pick you up." Tony smiled, and Peter hopped out of the car.
The night with Ned was great. It was so familiar and fun, and they caught up on everything they missed over the summer. Peter was so comfortable and had a great time. Although, at about one am, he had a nightmare. He was afraid this would happen, as he was separated from Tony, but he figured because he was with Ned it would be okay. Nope. Surprisingly though, it wasn't the car crash dream. It was the vulture dream again. He woke up in a cold sweat, waking up just before a scream could escape his lips. He felt the pressure of the building on his chest, the feeling of helplessness. Although, this time, to make things worse, he felt the absence of Tony. Tony hadn't come. He knew that Tony hadn't come in real life, but this was different. What really happened is that Tony didn't know. He doubted that Tony even knew now. But in his dream, it was that Tony wasn't coming. As in, intentional.
He knew it was too early to call Tony. The man would be asleep, or at least getting ready for bed. Definitely not up for trying to talk Peter out of a panic attack. But something about the haunting conversation replaying in his head made him press dial.
"Mr. Stark! Mr. Stark! Tony! Tony, please! I am down here! Please come get me!" Peter screamed, far beneath the surface of the rubble.
Adrian Toomes could only chuckled. "'Tony' isn't coming for you, Pete. Can't you see? You're stuck here all alone. Poor little Spider-baby."
Peter tried to slow his breathing, tried to focus on the phone ringing in his hands, tried to shove the Vulture's words out of his head. Seconds later, he could see the call connect. He put the phone up to his ear.
"Tony?" His voice was way smaller than he would've like to admit.
"Peter? Is everything okay?" Tony asked, seriously concerned.
"I just... I woke up… I can't… you just…" He struggled to find the right words.
"Did you have a nightmare?" Tony asked, recognizing how Peter was acting. Peter nodded, not understanding that Tony couldn't see him in his frantic state. "Rate it." After the first couple of times he got nightmares, they set up a system where Peter would give a number for how bad it was, so they knew how to handle it.
"8." Peter said, unable to breathe at this point. He stood up, which made him very dizzy, and headed to the bathroom, so he didn't wake up Ned.
"Oh, shit, Pete. I'll come over right now and get you. Then we can curl up on the couch, put on Star Wars, and eat ice-cream. Okay? I need you to breathe for me. In… out…in…out…" He could hear Tony getting in the car on the other end, and Peter tried to breathe with Tony's voice. The older man continued talking to give Peter something else to focus on, "or we don't have to watch a movie if you don't want. We can head back to the music room and I can play that song from Hamilton you like, and you can curl up in all the fuzzy blankets. That would be okay, too. We also can head down to the lab, and Brucie might be able to join us, I saw him about an hour ago. What do you think sounds good?"
"Maybe the music room?" Peter asked, feeling better. He always liked music and that helped calm him down.
"Okay. Music room it is. Why don't you get your stuff together, write Ned a note, and wait outside? It isn't raining right now and is a nice temperature." Peter stood up to follow his instructions. "I am less than five minutes away."
"Okay." He whispered.
"We can head down to the music room and I'll play whatever you want for as long as you want, and you'll feel better? Okay?" Tony paused, taking a deep breath. "I'm here, kid."
Peter walked down the steps and Tony wrapped him in a tight embrace, whispering in his ear. "It's okay, kid. I've got you. Everything is okay."
"I just… I had fun with Ned… and I can't do this every night, Tony… I can't." He whispered, practically breaking down.
"I know, kid. I know. It'll be okay. It'll get better. I promise." Tony whispered back, hugging the kid even tighter.
They stayed like that for a few more minutes, in the middle of the night, the rain starting to drizzle above them.
