Title: My Favorite Weakness (is You)
Summary: Peter's evening without Tony. Maybe he everything goes great; or maybe he goes exploring.
Author's Notes: Sooo it's been a while. Feel free to go back & skim a few chapters to refresh your memory!
Chapter 16: No Use for Lost Skills
Chapter 16: No Use for Lost Skills
- Evening of Peter's 2nd Day in the Other Universe -
"You okay, kid?"
Clint's question was met with silence from the teenager who was leaning forward in his recliner, face shaped in deep thought, eyes furrowed in concentration, head resting in hand.
"Do I need to call Tony?" Clint was afraid that Peter's lip would start bleeding from where he was biting it so hard.
Peter's head popped up at the mention of Tony, and his eyes came back into focus. He shook his head no, but didn't say anything. Clint began to worry something wasn't right, and he muted the music playing over the credits.
"What's on your mind, Peter?" He asked, taking advantage of Peter's returned mental attention; "is something wrong?"
Peter looked at him, and Clint saw his eyes still looked glazed over.
"Your Star Wars is wrong. Since when was Luke's uncle a Jedi?"
Clint let out a breath of relief and leaned back on the sofa.
He encouraged Peter to go on, now that it was something so trivial; "Master Owen?"
Peter looked at him, dumbfounded; "Yeah," he whispered, shaking his head; Clint laughed.
Peter scowled, "What- What- Why are you laughing? I'm serious!"
Clint put on a mock serious face. "Right," he answered; "as long as nothing's actually wrong."
"I'm sorry, but something is actually wrong! Uncle Owen isn't a Jedi, for starters!" He exclaimed.
"Oh, so there's more?"
Peter lifted his eyebrows. "More?" he shook his head. "Have you heard of the butterfly effect?"
Clint leaned forward in interest. "Something about how if you change one thing, then other things are different?"
Peter nodded solemnly. "That's what I'm afraid of. And that was only Episode IV."
Clint laughed again. "Well, if you're so worried, why don't we get some food and then go on to the next episode?"
Peter jumped up, "Sounds good. Is it okay if I stop by my room to get a jacket or something?"
Clint stood up, a little slower out of his deep recliner; "You cold?" He paused a moment as if registering the temperature of the air, and then shrugged. "Sure, but if you want, there are some soft fuzzy blankets in the closet down the hall, we could use those if you'd like."
Peter smiled; "That sounds great."
"Sweet," Clint opened the door to the hallway and flipped on the light switch; "if you go down here and to the left, there's the closet. We're technically not supposed to eat in here, but-" he shrugged, "we do anyways. Would you have any objection to some warmed dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets?"
"You have those here?"
"By 'here' do you mean in this dimension or in Avengers Tower? Because yes to both, but you can thank Sam and Natasha for them being in stock after he got them as a joke for Steve's birthday party."
Peter laughed quietly and shifted his stance, taking a second to figure out the best way to ask what he wanted to know. "Have you heard from Mr. Stark or anyone about the mission?"
Clint checked his watch, lighting up the screen. "Nat sent an update about half an hour ago saying she thought they were almost done, and then," he pulled out his phone, "she just texted that she thinks they're about to wrap up, actually."
Peter nodded.
"My guess is that they'll be back before we've finished the next movie."
Peter felt better knowing that, and he nodded and smiled.
"The next movie in the series is my favorite," Clint said, "Episode V: The Empire Dances Back." He grinned.
Peter froze, and stared at Clint until he squinted his eyes and glared at him. "You're joking," he said, and stepped forward to take the door and move past Clint.
"Am I?" Clint teased.
Peter rolled his eyes. "You'd better be. So I'll meet you back here?"
"Yep." Clint walked to the other side of the room. "Nat said you're still learning your way around, so don't get lost." He smiled.
Peter laughed. "No promises."
"Just follow the scent of the toasty fresh dino-nugs," Clint called, "And grab me a blanket!" he yelled after him as the door closed behind Peter.
Peter turned and walked down the hallway, wondering if the closet would be on the left or if there would be a left turn first.
He tried the first door he got to, and it was locked.
So was the second one.
He stood facing the locked door, and looked to his right. The hallway wasn't that long, and he was more interested in finding out where it led, anyways.
Besides, he had time before Clint made it back to the kitchen.
He reached the end of the short hallway and made a left turn, triggering the motion-sensor lights. He smiled when he saw interesting-looking glass doors at the end of this hallway.
He passed what he was sure was the closet, and walked right up to the glass, so that his face was almost pressed up against it. He could see the fog circle grow and shrink every time he breathed.
He furrowed his brow, however, when he saw what the room held.
It was empty. He pursed his lips in disappointment, thinking he'd found something cool. It was probably better that he didn't, given his history of clumsy mistakes and the added fact that Mr. Stark probably had hidden cameras everywhere.
He was about to turn around, when the door suddenly burst to life, surprising him into taking a step back. With a schwoop, it slid open, connecting the white, seamless hallway floors with the square tile one within.
He paused.
The room was empty, but it seemed... wrong. Peter was sure he recognized it from somewhere.
It just seemed so… empty.
And quiet.
He took a step in.
"Welcome back, Peter."
He jumped at the sound of FRIDAY's voice booming through the invisible speakers.
"Hey, FRIDAY," he said with a shaky laugh.
He stopped, turning to go, when FRIDAY spoke again:
"Would you like me to pull up where you left off?"
Peter paused, and turned back.
Of course, FRIDAY couldn't know he wasn't Peter… well, not the right Peter, anyway.
He hesitated, before nodding.
"Sure," he said in a small, curious voice.
He looked up, expectantly.
Whatever he was expecting to happen, this wasn't it.
The floor in front of him warped, causing him to jump back once again.
The floor disconnected from itself as rectangular shapes made themselves apparent. These panels turned and pivoted, revealing desks and tables that had apparently been hanging upside-down under the floor.
As quickly as it had started, everything froze in place.
He recognized the new scene in front of him:
Mr. Stark's lab.
"Cool," he whispered under his breath.
He waited a moment, taking in the sight in front of him, before physically following his gaze.
He stepped forward, making his way down one of the desks; there was a variety of projects, some looking more finished than others. Some were clearly Iron Man material, others for his Spider-man suit.
He didn't recognize any of them.
There was a computer across the room displaying several interchanging pictures and logos as its screensaver, and one caught Peter's eye- it looked like some sort of party, but he recognized his face.
By the time he got to the computer, the picture was gone, replaced by another News article displaying, "Avengers Save the Day – Again!"
He pushed the left arrow, hoping it would go back, but the screensaver quit, pulling up the blue login page instead.
He stared at the keyboard, the blinking cursor anxiously anticipating a password.
But Peter didn't know what it was.
He tried putting in his phone's password for the hell of it, but that flashed red before disappearing, incorrect.
He typed, stark123, but got the same result.
He gave up, turning back to where he had stopped exploring last time.
FRIDAY's voice scared him, again; "Peter, would you like the password hint?"
"What?" he exclaimed, more out of surprise.
"If you are having trouble with the password," FRIDAY responded, "I can offer you Boss's hint, if you would like."
Peter bit his lip.
If he wasn't supposed to see the computer's contents, then FRIDAY telling him the password wouldn't be the same as him guessing it.
But then again, it was just a hint.
He turned back to the computer.
"Sure, FRIDAY, that'd be great."
A pause, then her voice came through. "What is Breakfast Man's rightful name?"
"What?"
What kind of a hint was that?
"Boss said that 'if Spiderbaby forgets the computer password, then he'll have to admit Breakfast Man's rightful name.'"
"Spider-baby?" Peter was more confused than ever.
"I'm sorry Peter, that is incorrect," FRIDAY apologized, "unless you are referring to the hint's vocabulary, as to which I can assure you, that was Boss's choice of words, not mine."
Peter rolled his eyes, "I believe you." He wasn't sure he liked the nickname, but at least FRIDAY agreed with him.
Now, as to Breakfast Man? That was the midnight pancake thing, right?
He tried to recall the conversation.
"Don't tell me you've never met Breakfast Man," Mr. Stark had said; "You have no idea what you've been missing."
Then what had he said… something about Peter naming it? "Breakfast Man, who you named, by the way;" Right. Then, "my vote was on Gerald."
Gerald.
That was it.
He typed it in, and it worked.
"Thanks, FRI," he called out, as the screen flashed to life.
Not just that, but all the screens around him flickered on as well, and some were even holographic.
Projects that he'd seen just 2D blueprints of now floated above their respective desks, rotating on display. Virtual tools, folders, even a few designs of his suit, and menu options hovered in the air around them. He could now see how the setup made a sort of choppy figure-8 shape, one area was designated to Iron Man, one to him, and the middle area where the projects, colors, suits, and materials overlapped; there were chairs in the middle of each segment.
Oh, how he wished he could be here as it was meant to be; as it actually had been.
Which reminded him of the photos he was seeking after.
He turned back to the computer, blinking quickly as he clicked open the photos tab. Dozens of folders met him, and he scrolled through, looking for one that looked interesting and was unlocked.
He stopped at one titled "My idiots," reading the cover photo. "Get a family, they said; "Then under a picture of a newspaper header that only said AVENGERS, it went on: "it will be fun, they said."
Peter opened the folder.
A family album met him. A family… that wasn't, or couldn't... be real.
The pictures didn't register at first, as he saw a picture of Mr. Steve, Mr. Stark, Thor (!), and Dr. Banner pointing at the camera like a boy band.
Or the next one with Hawkeye looking distraught at a card game on the table, with Bucky smiling from behind.
The next one was Steve pointing excitedly to a mural of himself on a police station's wall.
He actually laughed out loud at a selfie of Mr. Stark, when he saw the picture's purpose was the sleeping Avengers behind him. Peter saw Dr. Banner and Dr. Strange passed out on couches behind Mr. Stark, Mr. Barton was curled up on a loveseat, and he saw Mr. Wilson and… himself… sleeping on the floor, backs propped up against the couches, x-box controllers still in their hands.
This was the first time he'd gotten the chance to actually see a picture of himself.
They were right, their whispers; he looked stronger. Healthier, probably. There weren't bags under his eyes here, and he wondered what trick he figured out in terms of getting enough sleep.
He paused, before making himself go on.
He scrolled through pictures of individual, several, or all of the team members throughout stages and events of the year.
There was a New Year's party.
A field trip to an art museum.
A visit to a children's hospital.
Some night involving ice cream in hotel rooms.
Birthday parties and celebrations, including his own.
Fundraisers.
Sleepovers.
Haircuts.
Crime fighting.
Boredom.
Movie nights.
Homework.
Pranks.
Peter finished a short video taken by Steve in the living room where apparently Mr. Stark and Peter – uh, him – had fallen asleep on the couch while watching Star Wars when Peter had been sick (apparently he could get sick?).
He jumped as something cold touched his forearm, and realized there were tears running down his face.
He wiped his face and quickly closed out of the program. He sat back in the chair, pulling his feet up and hugging his knees.
He couldn't get himself to move, so he just sat there.
He didn't know how much time had passed when he heard voices in the hallway.
He wiped his face again, sitting up but knowing his eyes would be puffy no matter what.
He heard Mr. Barton say something, and was surprised to recognize Mr. Stark's voice answer.
He quickly turned in his chair and was surprised to see Mr. Stark walking into the lab alone.
"Having fun?" The man said, before seeing the look on Peter's face; Peter saw the man's shoulders drop and was relieved to see it immediately followed by an expression of compassion.
"Maybe not," Mr. Stark answered himself.
He rolled over a chair and sat next to Peter.
Peter buried his face in his arms, engulfing himself in darkness.
Seconds passed, or minutes.
Finally, Mr. Stark broke the silence.
"I heard we got Star Wars wrong."
So he wasn't in trouble?
Peter flipped his face so that he could now see Mr. Stark.
He nodded.
Mr. Stark nodded back.
His eyes scanned the room, but found their way back to Peter's. They weren't angry. Peter was surprised to see sadness in his expression, just shadowed in the movements in his eyes.
He sensed weariness and exhaustion, too, and all of a sudden he realized how un-put together Mr. Stark's appearance was. Right – he had just been fighting!
Peter's head popped up; "did you win?"
Mr. Stark furrowed his brow before smiling when he realized what he was asking about; "of course."
Peter nodded, resting his head again.
"I was able to get back early. Looks like you've been busy exploring."
Peter looked down.
"Have any questions?"
Peter bit his lip, focusing on keeping his emotions down, from swelling up again.
He glanced to the computer but shook his head.
Mr. Stark pursed his lips, but changed the subject.
"Soo, Clint got quite the comfy setup built up in the other room, though he went to meet the others. Whatchya say we make our way there? We won't be bothered, and we can talk whenever you're ready. Or not."
Peter sniffed, nodded, and stood up with Mr. Stark.
"FRI, can you close shop tonight?"
"Yes, boss," she replied.
Peter followed Mr. Stark to the door, where he paused to stand next to Peter.
"C'mon, bud," Mr. Stark encouraged him, and put his arm around him.
Peter hugged himself, trying not to cry, but overwhelmed by the meaningful but not-so-familiar embrace.
There was just so much going on in his mind, he'd have to catch up and process later.
"I think I caught a glimpse of some chicken nuggets. You don't happen to be hungry, do you?"
"If I ever don't accept dino nugs, then you better suspect an imposter," Peter responded.
He could practically feel Mr. Stark smile, and realized how much each other's energy relied on the other.
He felt an immediate pang of guilt, realizing that whatever independence Mr. Stark had built up, Peter was here taking it away again.
"The meal of champions," Mr. Stark agreed, and Peter smiled back.
His thoughts flashed back to the pictures he had seen, how the Avengers had adopted him into their family, how Mr. Stark was like how his uncle had been… Or maybe more like a dad.
Peter realized that whatever life he had missed, Mr. Stark had lost.
The dusty lab spoke a lot about what had happened during and since this universe had lost him.
So regardless of the reasons why Mr. Stark knew just how to lift Peter's mood, he would accept it for now.
Besides, he was really hungry for some chicken nuggets.
Author's Notes: Thoughts?!
Thank you all for reading, especially to you who came back after my writing break! Life's been crazy, and time's been booked. My Life Updates: I graduated, became a registered nurse, got Covid, got better, got a job at the hospital, started grad school, and still can't smell - 4 months post-covid. I literally have a list of smells I will seek out once I can smell again; do you have anything I should add to the list?
I hope your lives are going great, staying interesting (in a good way), and you all are safe. Please leave feedback on the story, as that really encourages me to keep going, and I absolutely *love* to hear what you have to say!