Hey all! I know for the it's been a scary time recently around the world right now, so hopefully this chapter can help you take your mind off things :) We've got a nice Irondad Spiderson lab day ahead of us!
No TW!
Have fun and stay safe ❤️️ 💛💚💙💜
Chapter Eleven: Lazy Lab Day
When Peter wakes up, the first thing he notices is how stiff his muscles are. He tries not to contract his abs too much while rolling onto his side, but he can't help groaning at the mild pain. Lactic acid sucks, he thinks through his sleep-riddled brain. He hasn't been this sore after a fight since Homecoming. Scorpion sure beat him to a pulp, but he can't tell if it was worse than a plane crash. And, y'know, the trauma was a lot worse with Toomes.
He stops his train of thought before it can escalate and tiredly reaches for his phone. The sunlight streams in through the blinds and warms his cheeks. However, his soreness isn't the worst of it. His skin is bright red and tight from being sunburnt beyond belief. To think it's all because he spent a few hours at the boardwalk. With a slight pout, he sends May a good morning text, then opens the infamous group chat to complain.
Our Dysfunctional Family
Peter: i wish i could just molt
Peter: then i wouldnt be in pain
Ned: youre in pain?
Peter: why cant i just shed my skin and be tan
Peter: why couldnt i get THAT spider power
MJ: Good morning to you too.
Ned: this is why we cant have nice things
MJ: At least you don't spit digestive enzymes on your food before you eat it.
Peter: oh yeah that makes me feel sooo much better
Ned: dude next time get bit by a better spider
Peter: yeah ned
Peter: my bad
Peter: next time i'll PURPOSELY get bite by a DIFFERENT radioactive spider
MJ: A tan one.
Peter: yes MJ
Peter: a tan one
Ned: thats what i like to hear
Ned: WAIT NO
Ned: NO NO NO YO THT I GET TO GET BIT BY THE NEXT SUPERPOWER SIDER IF IT DOESNT HURT
MJ: ...Is he okay?
Peter: yeah hes fine
Peter: oH I ALMOST FORGOT
MJ: Oh god they're both in caps.
Peter: WHO WANTS TO GO HUNTING FOR A SCORPION IN THE SEWEEEEERS
Ned: M E ITS GONNA BE AWESOME KSDFJKFHJS
MJ: When?
Peter: TOMORROW I THINK
Peter: CAUSE IM HANGING OUT WITH MR STARK TODAY
Ned: HOLY CRAP DUDE THATS INSANE
MJ: I can't, sorry guys.
Ned: oh no how come? :(
Peter: its not team spidey without yoooou
MJ: I want to but I promised my dad I'd spend the day with him tomorrow.
Peter: no worries MJ sounds good :) we'll update you afterwards if we find anything!
Ned: yeah! we can give you the superhero rundown!
MJ: Thanks, I appreciate it. It means a lot and all that sentimental stuff.
Ned: its totally cool
MJ: On that sappy note, I'm going to go eat some brekfast.
Peter: is...is that what i think it is?
Peter: MJ? made?
Ned: A TYPO?
MJ: I despise both of you and recant every nice thing I've ever said.
MJ: Ever.
MJ: I'm leaving to go eat Froot Loops. They've never hurt me.
Peter: have fun eating your pride cheerios!
Ned: team spidey supports lgbt+ confirmed
MJ: Duh. Bye nerds.
Ned: byyyyye
Peter: i should probably go too, i dint wanna make Mr. Stark wait on me
Ned: have fun man and let me know how it goes!
Peter: of course, talk to you later ned
Despite wanting to lie in bed for the next hour, or the entire day, he forces his painful muscles to push himself up. He stretches his face out and hates the way his burned skin pulls. Ironically, the burn over his abdomen is completely healed. Maybe my weakness is sunburns. Raid bug spray and sunburns: my true downfalls. Wait, does Raid work against scorpions? Maybe all I need is a giant bottle of bug spray… He ignores his wandering, hypothetical thoughts and gets the rest of the way out of bed.
After completing his morning routine, he walks into the penthouse to see Tony already up and about. Tony has a steaming cup of coffee in his hand, a pleasant contrast to the frigid air and frost coated windows.
"Morning, Mr. Stark," Peter greets with a slight smile. He sits at the counter across from his mentor.
"Mornin', kid. Ready for an eventfu- what on earth happened to you?" When Tony finally looks up from his phone, he sees Peter's bright red face and has to suppress laughter. The kid groans and rests his warm forehead on the cool counter.
"It feels worse than it looks," he mumbles grumpily. Tony snorts in amusement before setting down his cup.
"We'll slap some aloe vera on you and you'll feel good as new." He pats Peter's shoulder then stands, eliciting a grumble from the teen. "So, ready for something to eat? Bacon and eggs sound good?" Peter makes a disgusted face with his nose crinkled and lips pursed.
"No thanks. Ever since MJ told me eggs are just chicken periods, I haven't been able to eat them," he sticks out his tongue in distaste at the memory. Tony stops dead in his tracks. In an instant, his eyes widen in realization as Peter's words sink in.
"Looks like I'm never eating eggs again," he admits defeat with raised eyebrows. "We'll find something else." He walks to the fridge, repressing a full body shiver, and starts searching for other options.
"Don't worry, it's not as bad as the time I learned that the carbon dioxide you breathe out comes from your digestive system. May told me that one," Peter attempts to comfort. Little does he know that Tony is even more astonished than before. How are they supposed to get through an entire day when Peter keeps stopping them dead in their tracks? "'Cause when you breathe in oxygen, it goes through cell respiration where carbon dioxide is a byproduct. So by the end of the Krebs Cycle, you've made six molecules of CO2 which you breathe out." When he's finished, Tony is practically having an existential crisis. Sure, he knows his engineering, chemistry, physics, and robotics inside and out, but physiology isn't his forte.
"How about this: you stop throwing existential crises at me and in exchange I'll get you food. Deal?" he offers playfully. By the tone, Peter can tell it's more or less rhetorical. Still, he smiles broadly and nods in affirmation. Tony gets to work making a non-egg breakfast for the two of them while Peter kicks his legs back and forth. The longer Peter waits, the more he realizes he hasn't seen Pepper since he arrived yesterday. It actually feels kind of empty without Pepper or F.R.I.D.A.Y. around.
"Hey, Mr. Stark?" There's a hum of acknowledgement in response. "Where's Pepper?" he asks curiously. Tony briefly glances up from his task.
"She's dealing with lawyers and other mundane stuff like that at D.C.," he answers casually. And Thaddeus Ross, goes unsaid. Peter nods, catching Tony's drift, and allows the subject to drop.
"When are you gonna turn F.R.I.D.A.Y. back on?" He misses the way he can banter with F.R.I.D.A.Y. or just chat when they feel like it.
"Oh, that's right. Knew I was forgetting something," Tony recalls before loudly saying, "Hey, Fri! Wakey wakey! Up 'n attem!" He claps twice, which seems to do the trick.
"Good morning, Boss," she greets with her usual composure. "I see Peter was able to arrive, despite my constant suggestions to contact him prior to his arrival." Peter laughs at the subtle jab at Tony.
"I'm guessing that's her way of saying 'I told you so'?" he asks with a grin. Tony gives him a halfhearted glare with half-lidded eyes, which doesn't translate as well when there's only good-natured intent.
"Don't worry, I've had my fair share of those from Pepper, Rhodey, and Fri," he promises. "Can't say I missed the nagging." He tosses a banana to Peter before taking a bite out of an apple. "'You need to eat, Tony.' 'You can't live off coffee, Tony.' 'Don't prank call the president of the United States to make yourself feel better, Tony.'" As he recounts the complaints, he continues to eat his apple, leaving Peter's brain fighting to catch up.
"Wait, you tried to prank call the president?" Peter interjects, bemused. "Actually, that sounds exactly like something you would do. Just, please don't give Ned any ideas." If Ned hears that Tony tried to do that, he would convince them to try it again in a heartbeat.
"Why? Afraid I'll have a mini-me competition?" Tony challenges with a sly smirk. Peter's cheeks involuntarily heat up at the implication.
"I'm, I'm not a mini-you! And the only thing I'm worried about is you and Ned getting arrested," he defends, his voice going higher. Despite his slight pout, he takes a bite out of his fruit. Tony chuckles at the tone change, loving it when he gets a rise out of the kid.
"How about pancakes and bacon instead?" Peter, however, continues with his mouth full.
"F.R.I.D.A.Y., I'm feeling attacked!" he complains, only making Tony laugh more.
"Would you like me to contact the HR Department?" F.R.I.D.A.Y. helpfully offers.
"Oh yeah," Tony comments before Peter can answer. "Please do. I'm sure they'd love to hear your case." His sarcasm is more than evident, but since when does Peter ever back down from a battle of sass?
"Nah, that's okay. But how much money do you have, Fri?" Peter inquires innocently, sending Tony a conniving glance.
"Money?" Tony repeats slowly. "You do realize she's a-"
"Sixty-nine cents," F.R.I.D.A.Y. responds over him. Tony's shoulders drop as he shoots Peter a look that practically says "are you serious?" Still, Peter simply smiles.
"You know what that means!" he continues, his voice chipper for the first time that morning. He can tell what Tony is thinking, but is he in for a plot twist. F.R.I.D.A.Y. answers with a tone simulating a quaky voice.
"I don't have enough money for chicken nuggets." Peter laughs at how well she imitates the Vine. Tony closes his eyes and rubs his forehead, but Peter knows that he could remove F.R.I.D.A.Y.'s knowledge of Vines without even trying if he really wanted to.
"Yeah, no more of that. Come on, finish up so we can head down to the workshop already," Tony halfheartedly urges, but doesn't exactly intend on reinforcing his authority. Nonetheless, Peter smiles triumphantly and allows Tony to get him more breakfast than just a banana.
The moment they're done, Peter would skip to the elevator if he weren't so sore, and Tony casually trails behind with his hands in his pockets. He loves watching the kid be excited, so he simply hangs back to observe. Peter bounces lightly on his toes from the surge of energy as the elevator descends. He hasn't worked in the lab for ages and he just can't wait to upgrade his suit and talk about some of his ideas with Tony. Still, as soon as the doors open, he can't help but just stare. There are minor changes here and there, but besides that it looks the same from the last time he was here. Two whole months and he's finally back.
"Hey," Tony interrupts Peter's reminiscing and looks down at him. "You okay?" he asks gently. Peter comes out of his momentary daze and looks up to meet his mentor's eyes.
"Hm?" It's then that he realizes he's been standing in silence a bit too long. His eyes widen. "Oh! Yeah! Yeah, just, I missed the workshop," he answers honestly, giving Tony a slight smile. Tony doesn't hesitate to return it, steeling himself in order to not get overly emotional.
"It missed you." Before Peter has time to comprehend the hidden meaning behind the words, Tony clears his throat and instantly gets to work. "You know where everything is. Let's get to it. You said you had some upgrade ideas?" he prompts as he walks to his workbench. Peter gets settled at his own bench and nods.
"Mhm! I wanna try some things out to see if they work against Scorpion. I have a few ideas that might work, so I wanna test them out." As he relays his thoughts, he pulls out his usual tools off the racks and out of the drawers. They both get into a comfortable motion, a mix of muscle memory and relaxation. "I dunno if I can get them all done today, but it's a start. Can't waste any time," he rambles. His bench usually starts off neat and tidy with everything in its place, then over time becomes organized chaos.
"Good plan, kiddo," Tony acknowledges approvingly. The first thing he always does is set up his holographic blueprints and the welder. "Tell me more about that fight yesterday. Figure out any weaknesses? Strategies? Epiphanies?" Peter chuckles at his nonchalance, yet answers.
"I think so? I feel like I'm at a standstill, I guess. But I found out he's probably hiding in the sewers! Which was kinda obvious when he jumped down a manhole to escape, but, y'know. Villains." He pulls out a notepad and starts sketching out ideas. First thing's first: he definitely wants to make some new alternative webs specifically to use against Scorpion.
"Sewers, huh? Watch out, you might have to fight his hygiene. Then you'll really be in for it," Tony quips, his nose wrinkling at the thought.
"Not everyone has a fifty-seven story building to hide in, Mr. Stark," Peter reminds in a sing-song voice. His counter argument only causes Tony to snort.
"That's not my fault. Maybe he would if he weren't out being a rampaging loonatic." His amused tone sobers far too quickly. "Speaking of which, for the love of all that is holy, be careful out there. I don't want to see you show up with a hole in your stomach again. Your aunt will mount my head on a wall," he worriedly conveys as he expands an image in front of him with a mere swipe of his hands. His tone is as casual as he can make it, but it's merely a façade to hide the panic. Surprisingly, the thought of Peter out there fighting a villain by himself is anxiety-inducing. Nothing would make him happier than to do the fighting instead, to take all the hits and do all the heavy lifting. But he knows he can't. Spider-Man is his own superhero. Still, that doesn't mean he won't be watching the suit's live feed…just in case.
"Someone's gotta do it," Peter reasons with a shrug, not taking his eyes off his notes. "And I don't see anyone else volunteering to search New York's pristine sewer system." Tony chuckles at Peter's sarcasm.
"We have two very different definitions of 'pristine.'" He shakes his head but his smile doesn't drop. "Hey, can you get me the XRF?" As he asks, he eyes the multitude of materials across his bench. Peter freezes. XRF? What's that? Is that something I should know?! Crap crap crap.
"Uh, yeah! But, um, could you remind me what that, uh, stands for?" He laughs nervously, setting down his pen. Tony glances up to him with an eyebrow raised, then looks back to his task at hand.
"X-Ray Fluorescence Spectrometer," he clarifies, which only throws Peter for a bigger loop. Sure, he knows what an x-ray and fluorescence is, but he has absolutely zero clue as to what a spectrometer looks like. If he lets Tony know that though, it'd be embarrassing.
"Oh! Right, I'll just…go get that." He gulps at the thought of having to find it in the mess of the workshop. Tony raises an eyebrow, then sets down the tool in his hands.
"You do know what that is, right?" he clarifies slowly. Peter doesn't want him to…
"Sure I do!" No I don't.
"Mhm," Tony acknowledges in a hum. "It should be somewhere past the press break and lathe," he adds, then looks between the raw material scattering his workbench. "I knew I should've labeled these like Pep said." Peter nods to himself and walks to the other end of the workshop while Tony puts on some rock 'n roll. The music isn't too loud, Tony being mindful of Peter's ears, but the sound is drowned out the farther Peter strays from the center of the room.
The lathe and press break are towards the far corner of the massive space, but he doesn't see anything else reminiscent of an x-ray. He takes a few moments to search the racks and shelves, but all he finds are the usual tools. His eyes wander to the storage room. He's never looked in there before, but then again he's never had to. Okay, okay, I'll just look in a place I've never looked before for something I've never heard of. Yeah. That makes logical sense.
He slowly opens the door and wanders into the dim room. The air is stale, almost as if the door hasn't been opened in years, and every surface seems to be lined with a thin layer of dust. Shelves upon shelves of boxes and boxes. He's momentarily distracted by the sight, but quickly goes back to searching. Maybe I should've just brought my phone with me so I could've looked up what it looks like. X-rays are big, is that why he asked me to get it? But I don't see-
"What are you doing in here?" He turns to face Tony, who's standing in the doorway. Tony's eyes are scanning the room, almost frantically.
"Oh, hey Mr. Stark. I was just looking for the-" Peter is interrupted by Tony rushing past him. It catches him off guard, especially to see Tony so…distressed in the blink of an eye. "…XRF…" Tony starts sifting through boxes and miscellaneous items around in a panicked frenzy. "Is, is everything okay?" Peter asks anxiously, but Tony doesn't stop. He swipes things away to get at others in the back until he seems to find what he's looking for. When he sets eyes on it, he takes a slow, calming breath. Thank god…that was too damn close.
"Everything's peachy," he finally responds and gives Peter a reassuring smile. "It's a dangerous area over here, alright? No sticky, Spidey hands allowed. Don't want you accidentally bumping into something and blowing the whole Tower sky high." Peter slowly nods, but doesn't comment on the strange behavior.
"Yes, sir." He has about a thousand questions racing through his head. Still, it's Tony's workshop so he doesn't want to intrude by asking any of them. "But, uh, where's the XRF?" he asks sheepishly. Tony chuckles and playfully pushes his shoulder, causing Peter to laugh.
"If you didn't know, you could've just asked. C'mere, I'll show you where it is." He leads the way out of the abandoned storage room and waits for Peter to come out before shutting the door behind them and making sure it's locked this time. Gotta set up a security system for that one, he mentally notes. His heart rate starts to slow. I can't let that happen again. He almost… He ignores the intrusive thoughts like he has many times before. It's not like he has much of a choice. "Right here, kiddo." There's a handheld scanner on a nearby table that he picks up and tosses to Peter. Of course, Peter catches it without blinking.
"Really? This was what you wanted?" He inspects the object which looks more like a barcode scanner. "It looks like a ray gun or a Star Trek phaser," he comments. Tony shakes his head and doesn't hold back his amused smile, the tension being released from his shoulders.
"Woah, a Star Trek reference instead of Star Wars? I thought that was the one constant in our universe," he quips with a smirk.
"Hey! I'm multicultural!" Peter defends, followed by a huff. As they banter, they get settled back at their stations. "All that work for a price checker," he mutters to himself.
"Actually, it's a chemical composition checker, but whatever floats your boat, Underoos," Tony corrects nonchalantly. "So, get back to it. Anything else I should know about our friend?" After their ordeal, the conversation is back on topic to being something more productive.
"I think we're getting somewhere. We're gonna check the sewers and the upgrades will definitely help. I think it'll just come down to outsmarting him. Yeah, he's fast and strong and insane, but he doesn't have a plan. He attacks without thinking. I just have to find a way to get past those first…three issues." Peter sighs at all the hypotheticals. If he can have a better game plan for next time, he might actually stand a chance. Tony nods in understanding and, despite his focus, is panicking on the inside. He wants to scope out New York sewers and possibly fight in close quarters where he can't web-swing? And Mac is a close range fighter. Pete would be at a complete disadvantage. But he did say it was only a reconnaissance… Dammit how do you help a kid without smothering them? It's not like I can tell him not to go, he'd go anyways. You support them right? And tell them not to get killed? Christ, this mentoring shit is confusing.
"Well, with your brains I know you can outsmart him. Just keep me on the emergency line and call me if anything happens, okay? Karen knows when you're in over your head so for Christ's sake listen to her. The upgrades should be a piece of cake, use 'em if you get in a bind. But I say you got this in the bag," he settles on. So much for not smothering. Peter lightly chuckles.
"Yeah, I wish it were that easy. It sounds great now, but it's a lot harder when you're in the middle of the fight and there's a giant biomechanical tail flying at your face," he points out.
"You... make a point." Tony reluctantly agrees.
"But yeah, I'll be careful. Promise. And Ned's gonna have my back," Peter is quick to reason with him. Tony purses his lips, but doesn't relent.
"You still have a leg up on him. You have your JJ source, right? How's that photography gig going?" Regardless of his efforts to encourage the kid, Peter simply shrugs his shoulders.
"He's kinda not our biggest fan right now. I swear, he's out to get Spider-Man. Like he has some kind of grudge or, I dunno." Peter takes a deep breath and sets down his notes. It's hard to focus when you're getting inside your own head. The anxiety doesn't exactly help either. "He published this whole article online about how Spider-Man's stealing people's jobs by fighting bad guys. You should've seen the looks the police gave me. If looks could kill." His frustration is evident in his voice. At this point, he wishes he could scream out the irritation.
"Hey, if anyone can be an endearing little shit, it's you. You'll win him over eventually," Tony reminds with a sly grin. Peter shakes his head in disbelief and fails to hide his own smile.
"Says the one who hasn't met him. He's worse than the Grinch. And louder." He wishes he was joking, but that about sums up Jameson's personality.
"Give me the word and I'll go all Iron Man on his ass," Tony offers, his words muffled as he holds a screwdriver between his teeth.
"Is it…weird that we talk about our alter egos in the third person?" Peter wonders aloud. His minor existential crisis is only answered with a shrug of Tony's shoulder.
"Got any upsides? This is getting depressing and negativity is illegal in my workshop." For once, Peter doesn't disagree with one of Tony's conditions. He's sick of letting things bog him down. It seems like he needed workshop time more than he thought.
"Besides that, the photography stuff is actually going pretty good. I get paid for the photos I take which means I get to help May and solve things as Spidey! There's, like, no downside." By the time he finishes, he notices that Tony is staring at him and just…smiling. "What?" he asks genuinely, his head tilting slightly. The endearing movement makes Tony's smile widen. The kind of smile that makes his eyes squint and his laugh lines show, most noticeably around his eyes.
"Hm? Oh, nothing. Just don't see your nerdy face light up like that unless it's about chemistry or your crime-fighting. You really like photography, huh?" he inquires, even though he already knows the answer. He knows that spark and he absolutely adores seeing it in the kid. It's been a while since he's seen it, but he's happy it's still there. Peter considers the question, then settles on an,
"I dunno." He takes a moment to find the right words, but comes up short. "I just think I could be really good at this. Like, yeah, I'm good at school and being Spider-Man, but this is fun . There aren't grades or lives at stake, it's just me and the camera. And I can take pictures of the things I care about and make me happy. It's…it's nice." His answer is honest, much more honest than he thought it would be. He didn't even know he thought about it that way until right now. Nevertheless, Tony catches the double meaning; Peter wants to take the pictures in case things change. He's afraid of losing them, and Tony can't blame the kid. Not after everything he's gone through. He doubts Peter wants to dwell on it, so he keeps the conversation flowing.
"How about after we do some tinkering, we head out for lunch. My treat," Tony declares more than asks, leaving no room for Peter to disagree. Who is Peter to turn down Tony Stark? Even if it is a blatant attempt to cheer him up. Then again, maybe he needs the distraction. He didn't realize how stressed he got over Scorpion.
"Yeah, that'd be awesome. Thanks," he says with appreciation. "Just promise me we won't go suit shopping again." He winces at the memory.
"Don't try to blame that on me. It was a fair trade and you got a bunch of nerdy crap out of it. You get zero sympathy. Nice try, kid." Tony swivels around to face him and crosses his arms. Knowing he's right, Peter beams triumphantly and shifts his focus back to his work. He has a lot of upgrades to work on if he wants to get an edge on Scorpion. That and he needs to formulate a new plan with Team Spidey. They can't go running in blind anymore. He just hopes his hard work will be enough to win.
Got a lot of different funky stuff goin on huh👀 Guess We'll see what happens! We have some guest appearances next time around...
Thank you for reading! ❤️️ 💛💚💙💜
If you'd like to keep up to date on upcoming fics and get sneak peeks, feel free to follow one of my accounts!
Instagram: kevy_fanfics
Tumblr: kevyfanfics
Twitter: Kevy_Fanfics