Hope everyone is having a great week!


The last thing he had to work on was an AI to go in her suit. There was many times when Jarvis had saved the day when Tony had been incapacitated or unable to make decisions. Friday was a godsend as well and had, on multiple occasions, told Tony that she was one of the smartest beings in the world. He wanted that for the kid, someone to help her along the way if he wasn't there and sometimes it was just nice to have someone to talk with.

It was with a frantic pace that Tony set about designing a new AI. At first he was going to just download Friday into the kid's suit but then he thought better of it. Friday was, at her core, loyal to him and Tony wanted Peyton to have something like that, someone to look out just for her. He didn't want the kid to think he was spying on her either. She had a way with words and he could imagine all sorts of trouble she could get into. Once he heard her age Tony had been dead set on not letting her go to Germany. It was just too risky. But then she had rested those big, determined eyes on him and had spoken with such vigor, he felt like he had no choice but to let her come. Of course, they worked it out so she wouldn't have to fight, but still.

When he was all done Tony scanned through the various functions in the suit he added and realized that there were way to many, especially for a curious mind who was supposed to be sitting on the sidelines. So he locked them away under the 'Training Wheels Protocol.' He bet she would be more than a little annoyed if she ever found out about the name. But it would be upsetting if the kid became overwhelmed and then couldn't defend herself if the time came.

He thought back to when he had watched her fight the first time she came over to the tower. She didn't really have any techniques to be honest. The only thing that Tony could clearly see influences of were some moves from a popular self-defense strategy. But besides those, there was no pattern other than a tendency to fight defensively. This wasn't really a issue now, as she had told Tony that most of what she did on patrols didn't warrant such aggression but he was worried because Tony knew as she got older and more advanced, she would want to take on larger problems. With that all done, Tony left the naming of her AI to the kid. Give them something to bond over.

He knew that when he first became Iron Man it felt as if the world lay at his feet. There was nothing he couldn't do, nobody he couldn't save, and that thinking caused some issues along the way. It caused the crushing guilt that held him down when he thought about all the people he couldn't save. Tony didn't want that to happen to Peyton. Didn't want her to become racked with pain so similar to his.

Tony Stark looked up from his screen to glance at the girl sitting across from him. Today he needed some peace before the chaos of the weekend ensued. The tower, as of late, had been feeling large, cavernous and it made the feeling more bearable to have someone there. Even though they didn't have any work left he hadn't wanted her to not come today. It was nice just sitting there and each working on something. He was on his Stark Tablet writing emails after finishing with the AI and Peyton was working on some type of homework. From the look of annoyance on her face and books scattered on the table it was some sort of paper. Her curly bangs hung in her eyes and every minute or so she would blow them out of her way. Her nose, slightly shiny, scrunched in concentration.

He hadn't been sure what exactly they should do. It didn't seem quite appropriate to go out and do something fun. Tony thought that he would be too distracted anyway. Casually he asked if she just wanted to chill in his lab and to his surprise she agreed. A girl after his own heart, she had even volunteered to do homework still looking a little flustered from her encounter in the elevator. Tony hoped Pepper hadn't pried too much. She had that direct look that could make anyone gladly confess his or her deepest secrets. He watched, amused, as she first went over and fist bumped Dum-E, giving him an extra scratch behind the claw. The robot hummed happily and swayed to the tune afterward. Then she pulled out what should have been an illegal amount of books from her backpack and got to work.

It had been, Tony checked his watch, about three hours and it was getting close to the time they normally got food. The kid didn't look like she would be stopping anytime soon. He quietly got up from his desk, stretched his back, and headed into a little alcove off to the side of the lab.

What to make that the kid would like? They had tried a surprisingly diverse amount of food that week ranging from Indian, to sushi, to good old American, and, one of Tony's favorites, Italian; more specifically pizza. Tony was shocked and dismayed to find out that the kid didn't eat meat. Something about a favorite cow and a petting farm she went to as a kid. He looked around the shelves above the sink and found nothing but some old protein bars Pepper had bought him a while ago. Carry out it was.

"Hey kid, want Thai food tonight?" He peered out from around the corner. Not a muscle twitched upon her face. "Kid, you want Thai?" He spoke louder.

Her eyes furrowed deeper and her raised shoulders dropped slightly. "Um yeah, sure." And a statue sat in her chair again. He had Friday call an order to a little Thai place a couple of blocks down and sat back down, waiting for the food.

He balanced the various brown paper bags in his arms as he carried them up to grab the kid. He had noticed her shivering earlier and didn't think it would be very comfortable to eat in the lab. The elevators opened and she was right where he left her.

"Okay, that was more work than I have done in a long time. Pepper's going to think I'm sick or something. Let's go eat kid." Her eyes slowly focused on his face and slowly made their way to the food he was carrying.

"When? Did you leave?" The kid's expression was so adorably perplexed he had to laugh.

"Just to pick up the food from the lobby. We got Thai. You did say yes but I don't know if you actually heard me."

"Uh, I didn't. But, that's not to say. I mean, Thai food is great. You didn't have to Mr. Stark. I will pay you back." She had been worried about the money all week, insisting on paying even though it was pointless. Tony could out stubborn a mule.

"Peyton, it's my treat. As you probably can tell I'm not wanting for money and I like to share it." She was going to have to learn this when she came over next time. Next time Tony? Was she going to be coming over here after? Was that what he wanted?

Sure, he enjoyed her company and this week, while stressful, had been fun. He had been worried about letting her make decisions on her suit. He knew if he were that age he would have asked for as many impractical accessories as he could. But the kid had come prepared with notes on that first day. Everything that she had suggested, never demanded, had a detailed reason and even examples of why she thought it was a good idea. He had, of course, added things he knew he wished he had in the past too.

And now their time was coming to a close. This weekend they would be off to Germany and then, well he didn't know. Better to not worry about all those … feelings now. He had to focus but it was so dang hard when she looked so trustingly at him with those big brown eyes. The kid was saying something to him, probably thanking him a billion times for the food but he couldn't hear anything over the static rushing in his head.

They made it to his floor in silence and he had a moment of reprieve. She was so awed by everything that she had forgotten her shyness and was gushing about everything her eyes landed on. For that he was glad. Tony set the bags on the counter and took out a box of white rice, marking the top with a permanent marker. His favorite, pad thai, came next then two orders of spring rolls and various other dishes. After marking all of the boxes the static had receded a bit and he looked up to see the kid's silhouette against the glass.

Sometime while they had been down in the lab it had started sprinkling and the windows were now peppered with droplets. They dulled the light to create small specks of shadow around the apartment, marring her face with their impression. She really did look tiny compared to the ceiling to floors windows. Small compared to the world.

"Food's ready."

They ate in comfortable silence on the new couch, Brooklyn Nine-Nine playing in the background. Pepper would be annoyed, as he was the one who insisted on getting another one and she didn't want anyone eating or drinking on it. He thought she was just mad because she picked the last couch out. He looked to his left and found the kid curled up, fast asleep on the couch, reminding him of the way a kitten sleeps. Her knees tucked up to her chest, head turned toward him resting on her arms.

Not wanting to wake her up and certainly not wanting her to take the subway home he carefully moved from his spot. Making a note to clean up later. He stretched out and then, with gentleness he didn't know he possessed, put his arms under her knees and behind her shoulders to pick her up. In the dark, rainy lighting they moved through the empty floor, silence following them. This close up her dark circles were more apparent. He wondered if she was getting enough sleep or if she had still been going out as Spidergirl after their meetings this week. He'd never thought to ask.

Her seatbelt buckled and still she didn't move. Luckily, she had given him her address when she signed up for the internship cover. Peyton had told him very little about her home life. He still didn't feel like he had the right to pry information out of her so he took what he could get. He knew that she lived with an Aunt but wasn't sure what happened to her parents or how long she had been living there. This could look bad to her Aunt. An older man she had never met carrying home her catatonic niece. Yeah, that could be very bad.

Tony swallowed and looked at the apartment complex. The paint looked a couple years old, nothing chipping but a discoloration marred the tan paint, and the gutters needed cleaning out before the winter. The cement floors were tidy and as he walked along the railings looked like they had recently been replaced. He gathered the kid up in his arms before making his way up the stairs. She was heavier than she looked and by the time they made it to her floor he was sweating. Sleeping beauty was still resting her head on his shoulder in a deep slumber.

He knocked and waited for an answer. A woman in wrinkled scrubs stood in front of him. Her hair smooth but frizzy from the day was escaping a loose bun at the top of her head. She stared at him before looking down to the kid. "Oh, thank god. Please come in."

She showed him to the kid's room and he laid her on the bed, taking an unnecessary moment to pull the covers over her shoulders. He only had a brief chance to look around before the woman was ushering him out into the living room. Noticing only clothes thrown about and what looked to be a stack of outdated technology sitting on what he thought was a desk.

"Thank you so much for bringing her back. I was getting worried when I didn't hear from her, Mr. Stark." So she did know who he was. That was both a relief and worry. He knew what his track record looked like.

"Just Tony, please. Yes, she had been working very diligently and fell asleep. I didn't want to wake her so I thought it would be easier to bring her here."

"Well I'm beyond grateful to you. I'm so tired I forgot my manners. I'm May Parker, but call me May. Can I offer you anything to drink? Want to sit down?" He declined the former offer but accepted the latter. They sat down on a well-loved couch. Something you could tell was good for naps.

"I'm sure Peyton has told you about the internship she was offered? She has been working all week to prepare for the convention that is this weekend. She has been a big help."

"Yes, she told me all about that. I will be working doubles so it's a relief to me that she won't be alone all weekend. But I just wanted to say thank you, Mr. stark."

"No thanks are necessary, your niece was accepted on her merits." A smile took over her face but her hands twisted the bottom of her shirt.

"Well, I wouldn't expect anything less from my little P. She always was a dedicated person. Whatever she set her mind to soon enough would accomplish." Tony smiled and agreed that sounded just about right.

"But I wanted to say thank you for something else. I'm not sure how much Peyton has told you about our situation and I don't want to break her trust but I feel as if you should know. I lost my husband, Peyton's uncle, about seven months ago. It hit us all hard but she was especially struck. Her parents died when she was young, and Ben and myself took her in. They had a special sort of bond, she would always confide in him. Always looked up to him. Ever since she has been withdrawn and unresponsive to me. I've been working longer hours at the hospital and as a result haven't been able to spend as much time with her as before. She hasn't talked to me in so long that when she came home one day to announce this internship I felt some hope. This whole week she has been walking on air. Telling me how excited she is to be working for you. Thank you, Tony, for giving my little girl a chance and more so thank you for giving your time. It means the world to know there's someone who cares for her."

May had tears gathering in the corner of her eyes by the time she was done speaking. Tony produced a handkerchief and handed it to her, watching as she patted them dry and politely blow her nose. He wasn't sure how to respond so he just nodded and again repeated what he said about Peyton's work ethic. May had a knowing gleam in her eye and even hugged him on the way out.

He sat in his car for a while after that. "Someone who cares." What was that supposed to mean? Sure, he didn't want her to fall ill or anything but he had barely known the kid for long. Certainly not long enough to form any type of bond. The rain beat down against the glass pane as Tony's focus on each smaller raindrop blurred and morphed into one large sheet on his windshield.

Why did he spend so much time on the suit then? Not only that, but he invited her to work on it with him, taking her into his personal lab and everything. When he had a chance to cancel their meeting today he hadn't, instead just chilling with the girl. Hell, she felt comfortable enough to fall asleep on his couch. He still had Friday keep track of all the press about her and had double-checked that there was tofu instead of chicken in her pad pak.

Tony wasn't sure if that was what caring was. He was long out of the habit of it, but all he did know was that he wanted her safe. He wanted the kid to be safe and sound, tucked away in his lab. He wanted to see that one freckle on the bridge of her nose to furrow in concentration and to watch as her hair grew wilder when she became animated about something. He also wanted her to thrive; to become not Spiderman but Spidergirl and show the world who she really was.

He pulled into the garage and turned off his car. First he had to deal with Cap and that situation, and then he could get a handle of himself. Yes, practical first.

And as if that was a sign to the universe, Friday informed him of movement from the Rogue Avengers.

"Well Fri, It's time to kick some starred and spangled ass."


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