Characters: Peter Parker | Spider-man, Hope Van Dyne | The Wasp, Tony Stark | Iron Man, Flash Thompson, Michelle Jones, Ned Leeds, President Matthew Ellis
Tags: Oblivious Peter Parker, Tired Peter Parker, Irondad
Because the Academic Decathlon team won nationals this year, they were awarded with field trips. Yes, field trips. Plural.
As a plus, Midtown, being a well-established STEM school, had pulled some strings and gotten them into some of the most exclusive places in America.
Essentially, they were going to tour places that a lot of people in his batch were interested in pursuing careers for.
Because they had already visited Stark Industries, their destinations this time were a bit more diverse in location.
They were going to the White House, and Pym Technologies.
After Hope had taken back Cross now, Pym Technologies, she had revamped nearly everything. Making advancement after advancement in the field of nanotechnology, and molecular and atomic studies, Pym Technologies had quickly risen to the top of the pack. Then, they partnered with Stark Industries in a number of different research and products, propelling them to the top of the hierarchy, proclaimed, once again, as one of the giants of the STEM field.
A few months later, Hope had signed on as one of the heroes for the New Avengers Initiative's first batch. Being a ways from San Francisco, a branch of PymTech had been established in New York where she normally stayed when not on call.
So, the plan was that after the academic decathlon awarding ceremony in DC, they'd have a quick tour of the White House and travel back to New York to see PymTech.
Currently, Peter Parker was looking around the White House. He had long tuned out the chatter of his classmates, preferring to hang at the back of the group instead.
Peter never really had the opportunity to come here so he wanted to take advantage of the tour and check them on his own and without the distraction his classmates usually brought.
Glancing at the chatter of Flash's group on the other side, Peter couldn't help but silently thank his parental trio. Ever since the field trip to Stark Industries, Flash hasn't even tried to so much as touch him lately.
While he was looking around, he couldn't help but feel stares on his back. Discretely glancing in their direction, Peter found it was just the president's security detail. Shrugging, Peter figured that they were just doing their job and brushed it off.
"That's the devil of Stark Industries."
Looking at the dorky teenager roaming around the room, Josh couldn't help but be skeptical. The kid looked like he couldn't hurt a fly. Turning to Alex, he replied, "Sorry, who now?"
Giving Josh a weird look, Alex didn't know how Josh didn't know about him. It was right on the top of the to-know list that every recruit got on the first day.
Literally on the top. It said, 'offend anyone but do not offend Peter Parker, the devil of Stark Industries.'
Sighing, Alex figured maybe he forgot about it. "Peter Parker? The rumored heir of SI?" Seeing his friend's confused expression, he tried again, "He's the guy the manual warns you about on the very first page?"
Eyeing the kid carefully, Josh was unconvinced. "I'm sure the rumors are overexaggerated. The kid looks like a single push could topple him."
Alex didn't know what to do.
How did he not know about Peter Parker?!
He had been here for what would be more than two months no- oh.
Questioning the man beside him, Alex asked. "How long have you been working here again?"
"It'll be three months next week. Why?"
Oh.
Josh was a new recruit.
He didn't know about the incident.
The name Peter Parker, in the past few months, had risen to be something akin to an urban legend. Word is, one of the more tyrannical generals employed in the military was someone that even the President hadn't been able to fire because of the guy's connections. However, he demanded a meeting with SI for iron man suits and didn't back down when he was told no.
The next week, he had one (1) meeting with a Peter Parker and then promptly resigned. Last Alex heard of him, he had settled down on a farm and is currently living peacefully.
The last words he said at his sendoff were the words printed in bold, italic, underlined, and then highlighted to emphasize their importance on the recruit's manual. "Offend anyone but do not offend Peter Parker, the devil of Stark Industries." No one in the military dared offend Stark Industries ever since.
Then, as if hammering the last nail on the coffin, President Matthew Ellis called a meeting a few days later. "If Peter Parker arrives in the White House or even anywhere in your vicinity, treat him with respect. He is a distinguished individual with connections all around the globe. Do not, I repeat, do not offend him."
Shaking his head at the recruit, Alex settled on simply saying, "Rule number one, offend anyone but do not offend Peter Parker, the devil of Stark Industries. It's right at the top. Now, get back to work. We don't want him to come and nitpick."
Peter had no idea why the guards of the White House were all quivering whenever he looked at them.
How could they be scared of a teenager?
Seriously, the guys were all cowards. Honestly, how would they protect the president if they got scared of little, ol' Peter Parker?
Unbeknownst to the boy, the name Peter Parker rings in the ears of the military. Ever since he had a 'talk' with General Rolland who had promptly resigned, not that Peter knew that he had become every military man's aspiration and worst fear.
Somehow, the story had been told and retold so many times that the story got more and more outrageous. As such, Peter Parker unknowingly had a sizeable following in most science and military institutions.
No one really wanted to meet him and have Peter Parker himself tell them they weren't doing a good job.
On an unrelated note, President Ellis noted that the White House security has never been as efficient as they were today.
The New York branch of PymTech was huge.
Peter was sure that Hope probably bought out a lot of properties to build it but Peter had to admit, this place just fit the vibes Hope and Scott always gave off when they were at missions.
Excitedly bouncing on the balls of his feet, Peter waited for the tour guide to arrive.
Walking up to the buzzing group of teenagers was a woman who was, presumably, their tour guide and holding their passes. Greeting them a good morning, she started her introduction.
"Good morning, Midtown. My name is Candace, she/her pronouns please, and I'll be showing you around our facility on this fine morning. Now, a brief reminder, every single one of you has signed NDAs which means that everything you see around here must be kept to the grave." Motioning for them to follow her to security, she continued as she walked. "In a moment, I'll be calling out your names and give you your security passes. Please bear in mind that your security passes must be visible on your person at all times and do not lose them. They are very important and we do not give out reprints."
Arriving at the security checking counter, Candace introduced their head security guard. "This here is Randy, he is PymTech's head security officer and will be checking your bags and belongings today. Now, if I call out your name, please come forward and claim your pass."
With Candace calling out the names of his various teammates, Peter took the time to look around the building. Near the entrance, three huge frames sat side by side. Thinking on it, that must be Hope and her parents. Zoning back into the conversation, Peter found that his name was next on the list.
However, despite this knowledge, his name took a while to be called out. Instead of calling out his name, Candace stared at her clipboard for a minute, then two, and then three. Finally, she came to her senses and pointed something out to Randy beside her.
Probably reading something that caught his attention, Randy moved to the computer by the security checking counter. Typing something out, Randy took a minute to read what he was looking at and then slowly looked at Candace and nodded.
Hesitantly, Candace called out his name. "Peter Parker?"
Walking towards the woman, Peter took note of her curious expression. Sounding out a confirmation, Peter reached for the pass in her hand, disregarding the woman's obvious hesitation. Shrugging, Peter made his way to the back of the group with Ned, they must have had a mix-up.
Making sure to pay attention to everything, Peter followed the group towards the security checkpoint. Facing the group, Candace said, "When SI partnered with PymTech after the official formation of the New Avengers, Tony Stark sold our company an AI called Athena. Now, I'm sure that you all visited SI a while back. A big difference between SI and our company is our security. For starters," waving them along, Candace continued as she was being checked by the scanners and guards, "PymTech doesn't check the clearance of an individual upon entrance; as long as you carry an ID or pass, like the ones you have on right now, Athena won't call you out."
Finished with her check, she stepped on the other side of the room, closer to the elevator. "Instead, we check clearances only in things like labs and whatnot. Unlike Stark Industries, PymTech focuses exclusively on STEM-related products, mostly in the medical and biotech fields. As such, most of our employees are scientists with a sizeable chunk of staff around. The scientists employed here are the only people who can access the buildings on the far side of the property - the science hub. We'll get there in a bit."
Once all of the kids were finished with security, Candace made her way to the elevators. Making sure each person was accounted for and fit properly in the surprisingly spacious elevator, she continued with the tour.
"Now, because the lobby is one level below ground, we will first have to go up and we'll walk east. Here," handing maps of the property to Betty, "please pass this around. If you look at the bottom left of the first page, please, thank you. That right there is where the magic happens and where you all are going to hang out at for the day. I am not actually going to give you a tour of PymTech as a whole, rather I am here to show you around the science hub and after that, you'll be left in the care of our very amazing scientists who are going to tell y'all about their work here."
With a ding, the elevator opened to reveal an open-air building. "Welcome to the ground floor. Now, if you look to the right, you'd see," Peter turned to where she was pointing, "the right side of PymTech."
Snorting at the literal joke, Peter held back a chuckle. Turning red, Candace hurried to correct herself. "At the right side of the property, you'd find workers that specialize more in marketing, accounting, etc. this is the portion that does not require clearance, just an ID would do. The left side is dedicated solely to labs, and other science-related things."
Walking towards the third building on the left, Candace swiped her pass on the door. "Candace Church. Clearance level: A. Welcome."
Turning back to the excitable children, Candace chuckled. No matter how long she's been doing her job as a PymTech employee and part-time tour guide, the STEM kids were always the most amusing, always excited to go and do science. Not that she can fault them, she was, after all, exactly the same way.
"In PymTech, we have multiple clearance levels. C for visitors, B for interns, A for employed scientists, and S for revered guests. Swipe your passes, we're running on track for your first tack of the day. We're going to be meeting famed researcher and medical practitioner, Dr. Amelie Mendela."
Blanking at the name, Peter turned to Ned who looked so excited he might burst into smaller Ned-shaped excitable beings. "Dude, who is Amelie Mendela?"
Giving him a weird look, Ned whispered in response, "Dr. Amelie Mendela? You don't know her? She's one of the best medical doctors in the country and specializes in trauma medicine. She's called the savior with how many miracle surgeries she pulled off."
"Huh." Turning towards the door, Peter didn't notice, distracted by his conversation with Ned, but the queue got shorter such that he was now three people away from the door.
"Betty Brant. Clearance level: C. Welcome."
"Michelle Jones. Clearance level: C. Welcome."
"Ned Leeds. Clearance level: C. Welcome."
Getting excited, Peter swiped his card, making sure it was facing in the right direction. Waiting for the AI to welcome him into the building, he was surprised by the next words the AI said, "Peter Parker. Clearance level: S. Welcome to PymTech, Mr. Parker."
Struck dumb, Peter looked at the ceiling, to the tour guide, to the ceiling, the frozen woman beside the tour guide who Peter assumed to be Amelie Mendela, the ceiling before finally, dropping his jaw. Did the AI just say he had S-level clearance?
He's never been in PymTech before.
What the fuck?
Shaking herself from her shock, Amelie jolted. The AI just said, Peter Parker. Did Athena actually just say that Peter Parker was here?!
Turning to the frozen teen, she hurriedly approached. "I'm sorry, did she say your name was Peter Parker?"
Momentarily unfreezing, Peter turned to the woman approaching him, "Yes?"
"Peter Parker?"
Nodding awkwardly, Peter replied, "That's me."
"As in Peter Benjamin Parker? P.B. Parker?"
"…yes?"
"Did you write the research on the water filtration system that revolutionized the water filtration and purification in multiple third-world countries and the recent mediweb?"
Tilting his head slightly in confusion, Peter replied, confused. "I don't know about revolutionized but, I did do research on a water filtration and purification system with a few colleagues of mine, William Graves, Harry Gray, and Gill Bert. Is that what you were referring to?"
"Yes. I'm sorry, I know we aren't familiar with each other but, your research on webs that function as medical gauze, and anesthesia is groundbreaking in my field of work in trauma! I've recently been inquiring on possib-"
Stopping the woman who looked like she was about to go on a rant, Peter looked to the ceiling apprehensively. "I'm sorry to disturb you Dr. Mendela, I just… did the AI just say that I have S level clearance? S as in super amazing clearance that I clearly should not have?!"
Hearing the door open, Peter turned around, meeting the eyes of his colleague and fellow superhero, Hope van Dyne, otherwise known as the Wasp. Answering the question, Hope said, "Hey, Pete. Heard you were in the area."
Words lost but obviously questioning his clearance level, Peter gestured to the ceiling.
In response, Hope smirked. "Well, considering you are the point person and intern director of Stark Industries, PymTech's partner in the business industry, as well as an established researcher and weapons designer in the New Avengers Initiative, I'd say an S-level clearance is the least you deserve."
What.
Dumbfounded, Peter looked around to see the astounded look of Peter's classmates. By now, they had already known that Peter was the heir of Stark Industries. However, they thought he was the heir in name only, kind of like a rich baby who was given a lollipop. It was his by right but did nothing to earn it. To hear that their classmate was not just Tony Stark's personal assistant but also the intern above all interns AND makes tech for literal superheroes made them feel a whole new level of awe for their classmate.
Not only was Peter Parker a kind and funny guy, had abs worthy of a virgin sacrifice, and was a smart guy but he was also an established researcher?!
Damn it. Peter needs to stop hogging all the glory points.
Suddenly, they felt the need to go and throw themselves into a volcano. Peter Parker was on a whole new level of existence and they, as peasants, didn't deserve to breathe the same air as him.
Meanwhile, Peter was having an existential crisis. "Since when did I become an established researcher?!"
Giving him a weird look, Amelie rejoined the conversation. "Your initials, P.B. Parker, has been recognized by multiple peer-reviewed journals. Your research is being taught in multiple colleges. Your products are being hailed as revolutionary. You're literally a household name for researchers in the engineering and medical field. What do you mean how did you become an established researcher?!"
Chuckling at the flabbergasted look on Peter's face, Hope ruffled his hair. "Pete, unlike you, the rest of the world doesn't, in fact, think like a genius hopped up on steroids. The rest of us have to go through multiple life experiences to get ideas like yours. You know, college, meditating on a cliff while learning kung fu via dumplings and realizing that you are, in fact, the dragon warrior, a coma, rebirth, I don't know, pick your poison."
"Hope, wha-"
"Also, Tony sent me this video."
With a flick of her finger, a hologram appeared.
It was Peter, eyes bloodshot and red, anxiously pacing around the room with a bottle of chocolate milk in hand.
"I sent in my research for peer review, Mr. Stark, I am freaking out. What if I don't get it? What if I'm wrong?!" gasping, he turned to his mentor who was obviously amused at the panic of his protégé, "what if all my science head-canons are bullshit?!"
Sighing, Tony pinched his forehead, "Peter, for the last time, a hypothesis is not called a headcanon. I know you're a genius, get it into your genius brain already."
Abruptly spinning, almost as if he was drunk and spilling a little of his milk in the process, Peter pointed to the man. "They're head-canons. Didn't you say I'm a genius? Well, my genius brain said it so that's that."
Chuckling at his sleep-deprived child, Tony replied, "I'm not saying you're wrong, I'm just saying… I'm not feeling the faith here kid."
Gasping at the scandalous idea, Peter dramatically pointed, swaying a little, "How. Dare. You. I am practically the Jesus of compartmentalizing. Compartmentalization is the foundation of sanity, you know. This is the real thing, Mr. Stark. Believe me, it's all part of my 2 step world domination plan."
Raising an amused eyebrow, Tony asked curiously. "And what is your 2 step world domination plan?"
"Kickass, take names."
Looking at his kid, Tony sighed, he really needed to get Peter to bed. "Why don't we start with sleeping, hm? I'll help you take over the world tomorrow."
Staring at Tony with a piercing look, Peter muttered. "You'll help me with my world domination plan?" snorting, he said, "What are you gonna do, give me access to every business and government in the world?"
Humoring the kid, he patted his head placatingly, "Nah, just the best in the business."
Nodding, Peter opened his mouth, only to be interrupted by his phone ringing. Pepper must be calling. Tony reached for the phone on the table, only to be beaten by Peter, who had promptly taken it and answered the phone with a serious expression, slurring slightly. "Tony Stark circumcision clinic! You flop 'em, we chop 'em. This is Peter. How may I help you?"
Staring wide-eyed at the kid, Tony hurriedly wrestled the phone, which, surprisingly, took a bit of effort even though the kid was practically toppling over. Bringing it to his ear, Tony said, "Hey, Pep. Pete's a little tired and sleeps drunk. I'm going to force him to bed. To be clear, I own a lot of things but I do not own a circumcision clinic. I repeat I do not own a circumcision clinic."
Hearing Pepper's laughter on the other side, Tony relaxed slightly. Getting up, he ushered Peter to the door but not before calling out to FRIDAY. "Fri, did you get all that on camera?"
"Yes, boss."
"Send it to Hope, President Ellis, and Tang Jiakai. Jiakai did say he's been wanting to see Peter for a while. They'd know what to do."
"Are you sure, sir?"
Popping the p, Tony said, "Yep, the kid did say he had a world domination plan." Giving a mischievous grin, Tony added, "and maybe because Pepper would never let me live this down."
Staring at the video playing wide-eyed, Peter turned to the chuckling heroine and his frozen classmates. Opening his mouth, he said with certainty and a very sweaty back, "That's not me."
You know, like a liar.
Author's Note: this is the seventh installment of my series Peter Parker & Stark Industries which I primarily posted on AO3. if you want to read the rest or my other works, there's a master list in my bio. i'll be posting the rest of my fics in the following days or so. thanks for stopping by~