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Hold My Capri Sun

In the morning, Peter wakes up to some unexpected text messages. The first he scrolls to is one from an unknown number, but once he starts reading, it's pretty self-evident who it's from. It's an apology from Flash, which isn't what he expected to result from the situation.

Unknown

Unknown: Hey PArker. Its Flash. Never thought i would say this but I needed to say that you were right. Ive been having problems that I took out on you and thats a shitty thing to do. So uh I dont know what else to say besides ive been a dick. Im sorry. Have a good one, happy holidays.

He sits there in bed for a few minutes rereading the message, then smiles. Turns out sometimes it's better to talk things over, which worked out in this instance. Still, he doubts it would do the same wonders for Gargan. He sends an appreciative reply and then checks the other text, which oddly enough is in a separate section in his messages. It's a more protected section where his IP address and location can't be traced, which means it has to be from Mr. Bennett.

Elijah's Dad

Mr. Bennett: Morning, Spider-Man. Hope everything's going good with that psycho we've been seein on TV. You stayin safe out there? Elijah wanted me to ask you if you could come to his birthday party tomorrow, and it'd really make his day if you were available. I explained to him that you were really busy these days but promised I'd ask. It'd be on the downlow 'cause I ain't about to be flauntin Spider-Man's at my house when that crazy dude on the loose. Let me know if you can, take care.

It absolutely warms his heart, and who would he be to turn down Elijah's birthday wish? Especially with what happened a few months ago…it's the least he can do. So he sends a confirmatory text back before replying to MJ and Ned's good morning texts and stretching out his back. Then, much more unsurprisingly, May opens the door to greet him.

"Good morning, sunshine," she sweetly says, lingering in the doorway. With tired, squinty eyes, Peter smiles in return. "Ready to spend the day with our family away from home?" Her tone is playful, but it's the first time she's said something to that effect. Calling everyone at the Tower their extended family. Maybe he's not the only one who's been yearning to be surrounded by a large family.

"Mhm, it's gonna be awesome," he happily mumbles in a sleepy voice. She gives him a heartwarming smile as she leaves him so he can get dressed. He doesn't want to wear anything too fancy or over the top, but he doesn't want to wear plain clothes either. The only thing he has remotely fancy, without being his homecoming suit or Tony's expensive suit, is one of Ben's old blazers. He decides to wear the brown, suede blazer, jeans, and a t-shirt. In roughly half an hour, the two are heading out the door with an armful of presents each. Peter eventually figured out what to make for Tony and definitely didn't end up staying way too late to do so.

When they reach the Tower, they use the elevator and Peter anxiously drums his fingers against the gifts as they rise. The doors open and he's instantly engulfed in warmth as well as the ambient smell of cinnamon.

"It's Wednesday, my dudes," F.R.I.D.A.Y. politely greets, making Peter beam happily.

"I'm so glad it's a Wednesday." The odds were certainly in his favor and he couldn't have asked for anything better. May shakes her head in amusement as he takes in the moment.

"Hey, you two," Pepper amicably greets with a voice warmer than the room. "Glad you could come, you'll make the place even more eventful." Peter looks around the wall of presents between them and smiles.

"Hi, Pepper!" he exclaims.

"We couldn't pass this up," May chuckles and goes to hug her before remembering the bags in her arms.

"Well, it's good to see you both. Feel free to set those down under the tree, Tony and Happy are still getting things ready." Pepper kindly steps to the side as she informs them, allowing them a path to the tree. Peter lets his aunt go first, then sets his backpack down by the sofa after the gifts are safely placed. Pepper and May catch up, despite seeing each other last week.

"Morning, Boy Wonder." He turns to see Rhodey casually approaching with a hand in his pocket and a holding drink. Rhodey sits on the couch and leisurely rests an arm on the back of it. The man is dressed casually, which is a rare sight these days.

"Are you copying Mr. Stark's nicknaming system?" Peter questions with skeptically narrowed eyes. There's only so many "Boy Wonder"s and "Underoos" he can handle at one time.

"You know I'll come up with better nicknames," Rhodey promises smugly and takes a sip of his drink. Peter eyes him cautiously, yet goodnaturedly.

"Are you sure?" He thinks it over, and ends up shrugging his shoulders. "I guess it could be worse…I could be called Honeybear." His teasing elicits a grumble from Rhodey.

"Underoos!" Tony hollers like he's some kind of wrestling announcer. Speak of the devil, Peter thinks while sitting next to Rhodey and watching Tony enter the living room with filled arms. Happy, who glances at May, isn't far behind him with a stack of presents in his hands as well. After he organizes them around the tree, he goes over to talk to her and Pepper. Tony, on the other hand, situates himself between Rhodey and Peter. "So this is the one day I'm allowed to say 'Jiminy Christmas' and have it not be cringey, right?" the man good heartedly teases, nudging Peter's side. Peter immediately starts shaking his head.

"Nope, definitely not. Trust me, anything you say to be cool is gonna come out cringey," he shoots back with a clever grin. Detecting the obvious sass, Tony goes to give the kid a taste of his own medicine when F.R.I.D.A.Y. decides to intervene.

"Happy Crimus." The nonsensical words coming from her stoic voice make it all the better and Peter covers his mouth to keep from laughing. Rhodey snorts, realizing that some things never change. At this point, Tony just lets them get it out of their system since he knows what he's in for. Regardless, the way Peter's shoulders shake with silent laughter makes him chuckle too.

"It's Chrismun!" Peter returns in an exuberant exclamation.

"Merry Crisis."

"Merry Chrysler!" In the process of reciting the Vine, Peter and F.R.I.D.A.Y. have managed to steal everyone's attention.

"See," Pepper says to May, "more eventful." The two share an amused, knowing look before clinking their newly acquired cups.

"Are you done?" Tony inquires, feigning exasperation. "You're throwing off my meticulously planned itinerary." He holds his chin up as if he's the most impeccable being on the planet. This time, Peter openly laughs at him while Rhodey, Pepper, and Happy don't hesitate to simultaneously call him out.

"You've never planned anything in your life."

"You're the least organized person I know."

"You'd lose your head if it wasn't attached."

"Hey, hey, hey," Tony interrupts with a brief pout, "let me have my moment. Besides, I actually do have a plan, so I'll be accepting all of your written apologies." Peter rolls his eyes with a smile, but eagerly sits up straight nonetheless.

"So what's on your so-called itinerary?" All Tony offers him is a knowing smirk as he gets to his feet.

"Where's the fun in spoiling it? But first thing up is presents." He rubs his hands together, ready to get to work, and Peter's leg bounces with barely-contained energy. I can't wait until everyone gets their stuff! Pepper's gonna love it and Colonel Rhode's reaction will be great and Tony's gonna flip and- But he's caught off guard when a present is set down in front of him by Pepper. She gives him a warm smile before going back to the tree to hand more out. He supposes it only makes logical sense for him to get gifts too. In his defense, he was more focused on everyone seeing what he got them and forgot that he'd be getting things too.

As Pepper and Tony work together in handing out gifts, some get opened to make room for more. Happy appears particularly…well, happy with his gifts from May and Peter, receiving a cookbook and a cooking supplies kit. May must know something Peter doesn't, but he's glad Happy likes it nevertheless. Next thing Peter knows, there's a group of presents encircling his spot on the couch.

"This is…" he starts, but isn't sure how to voice his surprise.

"A lot?" Rhodey provides knowingly. "Welcome to the family." Peter clears his throat in an attempt to be casual and rests his head on his cheek to hide his flushed face. Who knew family could be so much more than just blood? Tony takes his seat in between them again and puts his arms around both of their shoulders.

"Look at you two bonding," he jokingly chides them before looking at the presents in front of them. He lets out a low whistle then says, "You did make it onto the nice list. Shocker." Peter laughs in surprise, but doesn't back down just because it's Tony.

"The real shocker is you making it off the naughty list," he retorts without regret. Without allowing Tony time to fire back a quip, he picks up a flat, wrapped rectangle and inspects it.

"Ah," May interjects, sitting on the other side of him, "Read the card first, young man. It's the polite thing to do." Peter huffs and presses his lips together.

"I know, I will," he assures as he pulls the card out from underneath the ribbon. Happy sits next to May while Pepper sits beside Rhodey, one leg crossed over the other. Everyone opens a present as Peter reads the card.

Happy fourth day of Hanukkah kid,

I know I don't say it enough, so I decided to write it down so you wouldn't forget. I'm proud of you. Everything you do is so selfless and you don't expect anything from anyone. It's admirable and I have to say, you're already a better hero than I ever was. Watching you grow as a person and a hero has been one of the greatest privileges. Thanks for letting me be a part of it, bud. You never cease to amaze me and not a single person is more worthy of this than you are.

-TS

By this point, Peter's throat already aches from forcing back the tears and he doesn't dare look up at Tony, who he knows is staring at him, for fear of completely losing control of his emotions. Instead, he delicately sets the card in his lap and proceeds to open the present. As soon as he rips through the paper, he can't hold back the tears anymore. They gather at his chin and drip onto his jeans, making the fabric darken. Tony puts a strong, comforting hand on his shoulder and the kid covers with his own.

"Those better be happy tears," Tony lightheartedly razzes, lowering his head a bit to catch a glimpse of Peter's watery smile. Not trusting his voice, Peter nods as he stares down at his framed Stark Internship certificate. The gold, twinkling lights of the tree reflect in his tears and the glass barrier between him and the simple piece of paper. It's so simple, yet so meaningful. "In appreciation for your successful work with the Stark Industries Internship Program" and then "Peter Parker" in big, bold letters.

"Thank you, Mr. Stark," he's able to choe out. When Tony opens his mouth to reply, Peter sets down the frame and tightly wraps his arms around Tony's chest. His breaths shudder for a second as he tries to reign in his overwhelming emotions and hides his face in his mentor's t-shirt. Tony's arms hover over Peter's shaking form, but then they wrap around the kid, interlocking his fingers, and rests his cheek on top of the curls. "Thank you so much," Peter repeats, putting as much sincerity into his voice as possible.

"You deserve it," Tony affirms with his whole being. After a deep breath and May rubbing his back, Peter sits up straight again. He wipes his damp cheeks and picks up a bag to hold it out to Tony.

"Your turn," he decides in such a way that Tony can't decline. With Tony focusing on removing tissue paper, Pepper leans forward to look at Peter.

"I absolutely love it, thank you, Peter," she says gratefully. In her arms is the relaxation basket he put together full of cookies, hot cocoa, candles, a blanket, and a notebook, hoping it would give her more of a chance to do just that: relax.

"You're welcome! The notebook is for when you're too frustrated with Tony to talk, but want to get the feelings out." Peter's innocent tone doesn't protect him from the aghast look that Tony pins him with.

"We just had a moment and you say that?" he questions, feigning betrayed. Peter can't help the mischievous laughs that escape him, but Rhodey is much more boisterous with his.

"Man, kid's got you down to a science," Rhodey commends without a hint of guilt.

"He's quick, that's for sure," Happy tags on with an amused expression of his own. While Tony switches his halfhearted glare between the two traitors, Peter doesn't try to hide his grin.

"I've gotta keep you on your toes," the teen points out. Meanwhile, Tony holds up his newly opened gift for everyone to see and simply takes it in. He can't help the chuckle of amusement that escapes him.

"Leave it to you to get a pun shirt," he commends, his slight smile turning into a full on grin. The shirt has a graph on it with the x-axis labelled "Duck" and the y-axis labelled "Rabbit" and an image in the middle that, depending on your point of view, looks like one or the other. It's very much reflective of Peter's style, which makes Tony look at it in absolute adoration.

"Happy said you'd disown me," Peter recalls with the shrug of his shoulders, "but it's so worth it." He loves the way Tony appears to enjoy the science joke, orienting the shirt on its side to see the rabbit and then tilting it upright to see the duck. It makes him feel like he made a good choice and he can't help but give off waves of happiness.

"Lucky for you I look good in everything," Tony proudly quips with his signature smirk. Pepper scoffs and shakes her head in disbelief.

"As someone who's seen you in lederhosen, I disagree," she counters. Rhodey presses his lips together to prevent himself from laughing at all the much worse images of Tony in college. Being Tony's roommate, he's seen the absolute worst there is. Not to mention his "fashion" phase.

"Excuse you," Tony defends, "I looked fantastic in those lederhosen. You're just jealous I could pull them off." Obviously his statement is false, Peter reasons, since Pepper could pull absolutely any outfit off.

"Yeah," May cuts in sarcastically, "that's what it is." Her patronizing tone directed at Tony makes Happy laugh under his breath. Before Tony can complain, Rhodey raises his hand slightly.

"I'm not one for interrupting Tones getting his ass handed to him, but I need to thank the Little Man for my new Indiana Jones memorabilia." Rhodey waves the grail journal slightly and nods at Peter in thanks. It's a replica of the journal from the movie and it actually looks pretty wicked. Peter brightens up even more, if that were possible, so much so that he all but lights up the room.

"You're welcome," he politely returns. "I didn't know if you even liked Indiana Jones so I have another thing for you." Rhodey's eyebrows pull together as he glances around for another bag or box addressed to him. However, Peter continues. "If you want, I'll call Mr. Stark 'Mr. Stank' for the rest of the day." Tony's eyelids immediately become heavy with listless annoyance as he accepts his inevitable fate. Despite his outward appearance, he never misses an opportunity to banter.

"Oh you know it," Rhodey accepts with a devilish grin.

"Here we go again," Pepper says to May and Happy from across the couch. Tony nods a few times as he maintains eye contact with Rhodey, his lips pursed and his arms crossed.

"Uh huh, laugh it up, Honeybear." Then he turns to Peter with a fake pout. "What about my Christmas wish, huh? Shouldn't mine override his?" Peter wouldn't dare have the audacity to pick favorites…but humors his mentor anyways.

"Why?"

"Because I'm Tony Stark." Tony says it with such confidence that it might've actually convinced a few people of being a Fundamental Law. But he's not fooling anyone in this group. Still, Peter laughs as he shakes his head.

"No, you're Mr. Stank." Okay, this might be way too much fun, he notes mentally. He restrains his unruly giggles when Tony's face takes on that of overdramatized shock.

"I can't believe you called me that before calling me by my first name," Tony points out the sad truth and flicks an invisible tear from his eye. Peter doesn't give in, he only maintains the smile that's making his cheeks ache at this point.

"Sorry, I don't make the rules," he counteracts with a half shrug.

"You're damn right," Tony suddenly agrees, putting Peter on the defensive. When Tony agrees out of nowhere, he's realized, it's never a good sign. "I make the rules, right, Fri?" Tony confidently looks up to the ceiling for support, but it's hardly what he gets.

"I'm afraid I can't confirm that, Boss Stank," F.R.I.D.A.Y. cooly responds. Rhodey and Peter burst out laughing and fistbump in front of Tony's line of sight. While the whole ordeal continues, May starts folding tissue paper out of habit to save and Happy assists her.

"And why not?" Tony questions.

"Ms. Potts technically makes the rules," his U.I. reasons, instantly getting a nod of approval from Peter. He knows just how much Pepper does. She practically keeps the whole building and company running. Pepper sits back comfortably, basking in her victory, and lets her slipper-covered foot dangle elegantly.

"Touché," Tony concedes when he realizes he can't argue with the truth. Peter, however, can't take the suspense anymore and bounces excitedly on the cushion in his seated position.

"C'mon, Mr. Stank! You've got one more!" he urges with evident gaiety. With an entertained yet suspicious glance, Tony turns his attention to the decently sized box in front of his feet. When he goes to pick it up, Peter watches him like a hawk to make sure his hands are stable. "Careful, it's fragile," Peter warns him anxiously, worried that his sleepless night would go to waste.

"I am. Relax, kid," Tony reassures in a kind, patient tone. He gently pulls off the paper and is surprised to see a standard cardboard box. The flaps are folded in such a way that the box holds itself shut, much like someone would do for boxes when they plan to move. With an intrigued eyebrow, he unfolds the flaps and, for the first time in a while, Tony is rendered speechless. The last time he remembers being speechless was because of Peter too. Interpreting the look on his face as confusion, Peter is quick to start explaining.

"I hope you like it! It's, it's a mini-lab thing I made out of Legos and I used that condensed micro-milling kit you gave me so that I could make channels for microfluidic experiments," he nervously rambles. Tony looks up from the delicate masterpiece to stare at the incredible teenager sitting next to him. Peter has his eyes lowered as he frantically explains his thought process. "So that way you can push milliliters of the fluid you want through! I made little seal in between the gaps that were only microns wide and I thought for sure I'd mess up, right? But it worked out! And Legos make it easier to rearrange stuff and make different mixtures and make it extra precise." He feels May's hand rest comfortingly on his shoulder, causing him to take a moment to catch his breath and swallow thickly, then slowly looks up with a guarded expression. But all he's met with is Tony's soft eyes and proud smile, veneration evident in his very posture.

"You made this?" he clarifies, nodding down to the structure in his palms. Peter immediately nods, not tearing his eyes away, just hoping beyond hope that Tony likes it. That the Legos don't seem too childish. That it isn't a pointless contraption. Tony chuckles breathlessly, almost disbelieving in how smart and resourceful Peter is. "You never cease to amaze me," he reveals wholeheartedly. "I love it. Thanks, kiddo." Peter lets out a stress-filled, shaky breath and rubs the back of his neck timidly. Before he can attempt to argue in vain, Tony affectionately ruffles up his already disheveled hair. Peter can't help but laugh, batting the hand away.

"You're welcome, I'm happy you like it." I actually did it! I can't believe he likes it! Holy shit! he internally cheers. It's a wonder how he gets around with all the self-inflicted, high expectations.

"You might even have mine beat, but you can still have it, I suppose." With that, Tony holds up the last present; it's a fairly stereotypical-looking present with a neat red bow on top. To be honest, Peter wasn't expecting the first gift, so his eyes blow wide as he sees the second. He rapidly looks between the gift and Tony, his hesitance apparent.

"Two? Are you sure you already got me one and I-"

"And you got me two. So we're even," Tony slyly reasons without missing a beat. Peter reaches out slowly, as if expecting the present to burst into flames, when Rhodey encourages him.

"Trust me, he won't take no for an answer," he provides. "Go for it." With a grateful smile, Peter accepts the dense box and begins unwrapping it. The letters "T7I" are what send him into million-miles-an-hour technobabble.

"Oh my god! Are you serious?!" He doesn't care about the way his voice squeaks with excitement, all he focuses on is getting a good look at the box. "This is the Sony Alpha 7R IV! This is, this is insane! It's a professional camera! It has 5-axis stabilization and, and 567-point focal-plane phase-detection AF and 425-point contrast-detection AF! Thank you so much! Wow, this is wicked!" May watches her boy with misty eyes, loving how happy and perfect he is. She mouths a silent "Thank you" to Tony who gives her a discreet thumbs up. Peter can't wait to get his hands on it, already opening the package to read through the instructions as fast as spiderly possible.

"Not a problem," Tony ensures as he basks in Peter's unyielding joy. "Anytime." Peter, on the other hand, can hardly accept input from the outside world. He's too ecstatic about his new, professional-grade camera to focus on anything else. He ends up tossing the instructions to the side, since they're simply holding him back, and makes sure there's a memory card inside before powering it up. There's no way he's having a big family get-together without taking a family photo. And then promptly framing it as soon as possible.

"Everyone move in! I wanna get a picture of you guys!" he says without pausing for so much as a breath. There's no way he's going to miss out on this. It might just be one of the best days of his life. However, Tony doesn't make a movement.

"You might want to wait a minute, kid." Peter lowers the camera slightly and tilts his head.

"Why?" Apparently, he isn't the only one confused. Everyone else on the couch, save for Pepper, looks at him with mixtures of discretion.

"Because I've got another surprise." What? Peter wonders. But he said he only had two… "Fri, let 'em know they can come in." Tony's words only confuse Peter more, but then the stairwell door opens. It's good for his brand new camera that spider powers include sticky fingers, because his hands relax out of pure shock.

The rogue Avengers walk into the room in casual attire, not making a fuss or saying anything really, just simply making their presence known. Steve has his hands in his pockets and a friendly smile gracing his lips. His posture is relaxed much like Natasha's, who has her arms comfortably crossed against her chest. Sam looks more guarded than the other two yet laid back at the same time. The same way Peter was caught off guard by Steve's new beard, he's surprised by Black Widow's distinctive red hair gone blonde.

"Holy shit, you're, you guys are here!" he stutters out, mouth agape. He looks down at Tony, his mentor sitting with his hands clasped in front of a smile, then back up to the other Avengers.

"Nice get-together you've got going on here," Natasha commends as she leans on the back of the couch. She offers a slight smile of her own, which goes against Peter's assumption of her being serious and no-nonsense. He likes this side much more, but her being badass at the airport was wicked too. Steve nods toward him before saying,

"Glad we could see each other again on better terms." He seems genuine, which lines up with the whole Captain America thing, and walks around the couch to extend his hand. Peter eagerly accepts it, still shell-shocked.

"Me too! I mean, it's such an honor to meet you Captain Sir! Again!" he greets in a barely-cohesive string of words.

"Call me Steve, son," Steve kindly insists, glancing down to the way Peter is still vehemently shaking his hand. He raises his eyebrows slightly. "Strong grip." Peter instinctively pulls his hand back and laughs anxiously.

"Thank you, sir. I'm Peter, but, uh, you probably already knew that…" He looks around, his eyes landing on the other two guests. "Hi! Wow, it's so great to meet you guys. Seriously! Mr. Wilson, I really admire what you do, helping people with their trauma and, and Ms. Black Widow ma'am you're, like, the coolest person ever and my friend MJ really looks up to you." Bouncing on his toes, he rapidly shifts his eyes from person to person with a wide grin. Sam chuckles, wondering if the kid is for real, while Natasha smirks.

"More Avengers walk in the room and suddenly there's no compliments left for me, huh? I haven't seen your fanboy side in a while," Tony cuts in with a smirk of his own. Peter almost reacts to the way that he refers to them as Avengers. He thought for sure Tony had mentally disowned them as such. It turns out Steve must have noticed the same thing, because a brief expression of surprise crosses his face.

"You won't die if the conversation isn't revolving around you," Natasha reminds him, then turns her attention back to Peter. "Natasha, not 'ma'am,'" she corrects with amusement.

"And I'm Sam. I'm not old enough to be a 'Mister,' yet," Sam weighs in as well.

"Yet," Natasha emphasizes, earning her an annoyed glance from the man. Sam's annoyance only fuels her mild antics. Peter notices the banter and hopes that it'll lift any possible tension. This is way better than the sixteenth. It's cool to see them be…normal. And not trying to beat me up on a tarmac. Rhodey appears to latch onto it as well.

"Hear that Mr. Stark," he speaks up, "looks like you're the only old man here." He settles into the couch cushions further, pleased with his humorous jab at Tony's ego. But Peter knows better than to think for a second that Tony is going to take that teasing without some sassy reciprocation.

"Last I checked, you're still Colonel Rhodes," Tony smugly jogs his best friend's memory. Pepper, on the other hand, speaks on her own behalf.

"I got upgraded to Pepper," she happily brags, something she doesn't usually do but makes an exception this once.

"Show off," Tony mutters. This is the most relaxed Peter has seen Tony around the subject of the rogue Avengers, let alone being in their presence. He can tell his mentor is still minutely uncomfortable, but it isn't too noticeable.

"It's not my fault she's so persuasive," he adds on, hearing a chuckle from Steve to his left. I made Captain America laugh! I can't wait to tell Ned and MJ about this.

"Nuh uh, no. No input from the peanut gallery." Tony vaguely gestures to him as he speaks. "We talked about this." His lighthearted tone is a dead giveaway to the soft spot he has for the kid. Peter doesn't particularly notice it, but the rogue Avengers aren't used to this seemingly new side of Tony.

"Are they always like this?" Natasha asks May with an entertained gleam in her eyes. May looks up at her and doesn't need to ponder her answer.

"Worse," she ensures with mock exasperation. Happy nods in agreement, thinking to all the times he's been in the middle of one of their bantering battles. As the three converse, Sam gets pulled into the debate with the others.

"I think it fits you, Mr. Stark," he jumps in on Rhodey's jovial badgering. Pleased with himself, he joins the rest of them on the couch and rests his ankle on his knee.

"Actually," Peter decides to add in his two cents again, "he's Mr. Stank today." He flashes Tony a guiltless smile and relishes in the way Tony has that familiar, mischievous gleam in his eye.

"I won't hesitate to pull every single embarrassing nickname out of my magic bag of tricks, Boy Wonder," Tony promises with a playful atmosphere around him. But best friends are always there to knock you back down to size when you need it.

"Nope sorry, man. I already used that one," Rhodey feigns regret, taking a slow sip of his drink.

"Gosh, I thought you were more original than that," Peter quips with Tony levels of confidence. His mentor gasps dramatically and places a hand over his heart.

"Are you using my own technique against me?" He sniffs as if emotional. "I don't know whether to feel betrayed or proud." Peter can't keep up the impartial sass any longer and devolves into laughter covered by his sweatshirt sleeve.

"Maybe this kid ain't half bad," Sam comments with a deep chuckle.

"Tell us about yourself," Steve gives Peter the floor. He wants to get to know him, and also why Tony is so invested that he would call them into action. Peter instantly freezes at being put on the spot, then rubs his hands up and down his arms.

"Uh, I'm from Queens and I go to Midtown School of Science and Technology?" he offers, unsure of his own fact. I'm not that interesting, what am I supposed to say? Take away Spider-Man and I'm just a high school nerd. To avoid fidgeting and looking nervous, he clasps his hands behind his back, but still ends up rocking back and forth on his heels. Steve nods in acknowledgement, slightly impressed.

"Brooklyn," he discloses as well. The exchange takes Peter back a year ago to the conversation they had in Germany.

"And interns for Tony," Rhodey adds to help him out, sending him a discrete nod. It restores some of Peter's self-confidence and his smile broadens a bit.

"Impressive," Natasha divulges. To add to Peter's appreciation, Tony nods in agreement and sets down his glass.

"Yep, he's a smart kid. Wouldn't have considered a high school kid if it weren't for him," he says with utmost honesty. Peter tries to keep his face from heating up, not used to all the praise and commendation, but then Happy comments further on the topic.

"He's probably the only high schooler I could handle," he admits, his lack of patience indisputable.

"I think he's the best kid in the world, but I'm biased," May chimes in with a proud smile. Noticing that the entirety of the room's attention is suddenly on him, Peter attempts to hide behind his sleeves when his cheeks inevitably burn. He wasn't expecting the conversation to go in this direction. Tony snaps his fingers out of the blue as though remembering something.

"Peter! Tell them one of your brain teaser things," he recalls eagerly. Peter almost chokes in surprise, mind going into hyperdrive.

"Um, well, I'm not so great at thinking of stuff on the spot. It's more of an in-the-moment kind of thing, y'know?" It takes finesse, and usually a lot of overthinking, that can't just be created on demand.

"I'm sure that mini-genius brain of yours I've heard so much about could think of something," Sam challenges, already falling into a banter rhythm with the group. Peter huffs, his awkward tendencies momentarily pushed aside to make room for passion.

"I'm not mini! Why does everyone think I'm short? I'm the average height," he defends himself with a mild pout.

"Keep tellin' yourself that, Shortstack," Tony gets some of his revenge accompanied by his trademarked smirk. "Now blow our minds." He gestures to the air, waiting for the kid to give him another existential crisis. Peter's eyes land on each of them before something pops into his mind.

"Taco cat backwards is taco cat?" Silence envelops the room. Natasha looks especially uncertain before confusion takes over her face and then realization. Steve, on the other hand, is simply confused.

"What's a taco cat?" he cautiously asks. Peter's eyes widen as he envisions the potential of teaching the Captain America the ways of the internet.

"Mr. Stank! Can I teach Steve memes?!" he practically begs with sheer enthusiasm. The possibilities are endless, and that's memes alone. Imagine Captain America quoting Vines. That will be his highest achievement.

"No way in hell," Tony denies without having to debate it. Peter deflates, but then inches closer to Steve.

"Don't worry, I'll still teach you," he assures with a not-so-subtle thumbs up. Steve chuckles and nods, even though he isn't entirely sure what a "meme" is or what he's agreeing to.

"On that note," Tony changes the subject, "I say we head down to the pool table. You still owe me a game and you can't use finals as an excuse anymore." Peter smiles sheepishly and shrugs his shoulders.

"What can I say? I wanted to preserve your ego for as long as possible," he reasons, earning him an array of laughs and an evil grin from Tony.

"Challenge accepted, Half Pint," Tony wisecracks. Peter groans as he sulks over to the refrigerator.

"May," he whines, "Tony's picking on me again." He opens the fridge and searches for a drink, looking between a Capri Sun and a soda can. "And can I have a soda?"

"Tough luck for both, sweetheart. You know how you get on caffeine," she calls back, then returns to her conversation. Peter sticks out his bottom lip, but listens to her nonetheless and takes out the Capri Sun. When he returns, Tony, Steve, and Sam are waiting by the elevator to head down a level to the gaming rooms. The others stay behind to relax and eat some lunch, but he makes sure to bring his camera. He takes a few pictures of them lounging on the couch before all but skipping over to the elevator. They reach the particular game room, an array of pool tables, foosball tables, ice hockey tables, etc. encompassing the space. Peter takes a picture of the aesthetically pleasing room, then turns and walks backwards to take pictures of the heroes behind him.

"Don't worry, I won't post anything," he feels the need to reassure. "I just take them for memories and stuff."

"I'm holding you to that," Sam says, but has no maliciousness to his voice. They stop at the nearest pool table and Tony and Peter each get a cue.

"So, you like taking pictures?" Steve asks casually, still exploring the room with his eyes. It's been awhile since he's been in here and Peter can tell it's bringing up memories by the way his gaze stalls at certain points.

"Yeah! I don't wanna forget anything and it's a cool way to remember. Plus, I do freelance work for the Daily Bugle." And to think his new hobby originated from undercover superhero work. He certainly wouldn't change that decision. Sam raises both his eyebrows in surprise and lets out a low whistle.

"A high schooler with two jobs, huh?" Peter shrugs his shoulders and smiles kindly.

"Well, a freelance gig and an internship," he corrects matter-of-factly.

"I think it's nice to have something like that," Steve compliments. "It can help take your mind off things and gives you a creative outlet. That's important." He leans against the table, a hand holding his other wrist. "Mine is drawing. It helps me relax." Peter smiles at the idea of Steve sitting and sketching like he's seen MJ do many times before.

"Yeah, it helps me destress and kinda keeps things in perspective," he agrees.

"Cap has a soft side," Sam muses in a flippant, carefree tone, then glances back to Peter. "What kind of work do you do for Stark as an intern?" he curiously inquires, wondering just how smart the high schooler is. Peter's thoughts immediately try to come up with something without simultaneously giving his secret identity away. I work on my suit, but I can't say that. I work on Tony's suit? But they might think that's irresponsible. What do normal interns do? Work on computers? Tony saves him from the interrogation by starting off with some good-natured smack talk.

"Avoiding me already? Afraid I'll embarrass you in front of Spangles and Tweety?" Who said he couldn't add in a bit of payback while he's at it? Steve shakes his head amusedly. He hasn't heard that nickname in ages, but knows that he's putting up a front for Peter's sake.

"You better watch it, Tin Man. My money's on the kid." Sam gets a cue of his own and tosses it to his opposite hand. "I'm playing Pipsqueak when he wins." Peter shoots him a disgruntled look to make him feel guilty for mocking his height again, but it doesn't work in his favor. His reaction only seems to satisfy the smug man.

"I'm gonna beat Mr. Stank again and then I'm coming after you," Peter promises, pointing his cue at Sam. Tony scoffs in fake indignance as he waxes the tip of his cue.

"Okay hot shot, I'll give you a headstart. You break" He gestures both hands to the table, giving Peter free range of it. Peter isn't about to back down, so he holds out his juice pouch.

"Hold my Capri Sun," he jokingly commands. Sam rolls his eyes and, when he realizes his friend won't take it, Steve accepts it. Peter can't help but chuckle before placing the cue ball on the table. This is gonna be fun. He aims slightly off center of the triangle, concentrating to get a feel for his shooting position, then hits the cue ball with moderate force. The triangle breaks with a loud crash as the billiard balls clack together and they're all forced in separate directions. Most bounce off the sides of the table but two of them, a stripe and a solid, fall into the pockets "Looks like I get to choose!" he excitedly announces. "I think I'm gonna go with solids." With that, he walks around the table to get a better vantage point of the cue ball.

"Don't get too cocky," Tony warns jocosely, his competitiveness showing through. "Just wait 'til it's my turn." Once again, Peter takes aim and, this time, gently hits the ball into a solid that was on the edge of a pocket. The two roll and the solid is finessed into the hole. He looks up to see the three of them staring intently at him, but he pins his prideful expression on Tony.

"Bold of you to assume you'll get the chance to play," he banters instead. Tony narrows his eyes before deciding to take a shot in the dark.

"I object!"

"This isn't court!" Peter counters with a laugh. He decides that he might as well continue and hits the cue ball at an angle so that it bounces off the opposite side of the table. Tony almost looks hopeful until it bounces off and knocks a solid into the pocket.

"How is this fair? You got my hopes up on purpose. I have heart issues, you know," he accuses lightheartedly. It's apparent that he's just trying to find any excuse possible while getting under Peter's skin with his usual tactics.

"What I think's actually happening is a twelve year old is wiping the floor with you," Sam counteracts Tony's ever-inflating ego. In the process, it hits Peter's as well.

"Just because you guys are over six feet tall doesn't mean I'm short," he grumbles as he repositions himself. He hits the cue ball so it barely skims the edge of a stripe, which then goes in a direction he never would've been able to go with his ball. It speeds towards a solid and sinks it without a problem.

"I don't think you'll have to wait long for that match," Steve says to Sam, but says it loud enough for all of them to hear.

"Uh uh, impartial judges only," Tony orders while pointing at the two of them. Peter laughs and shakes his head at the shenanigans that he tends to be at the center of. Regardless of their bantering, he proceeds to analyze the table for his next move. He sinks ball after ball until only the eight ball is left and he takes a deep breath.

"Last one," he thinks out loud, trying to mentally prepare himself for the virtually impossible angle that he has to shoot at. He takes aim but Tony suddenly drops his cue and walks up to him, lowering his head down to the kid's eye level with a smirk.

"Don't mess up, kid," Tony tries to psych him out. Peter gives him one of those "Really?" looks that MJ uses on him all the time.

"Hey, impartial judges say that's against the rules," Sam rebukes from behind them, too much enjoyment in his voice. However, Tony slowly shushes him.

"He requires focus," he feigns concern. "Isn't that right? Just don't slip, there are stripes at the far corners. Wouldn't want to sink one of those, that could cost you." Peter knows exactly what he's doing, but uses his hyperfocusing brain to his advantage to ignore it. You got this, Peter. No mercy. Just think of the bragging rights. If you win, you'll win a Nobel Prize, Albert Einstein will congratulate you, Marie Curie will bake you cookies. Finally, he takes a deep breath and shoots.

Frankly, it's not what any of them were expecting… He holds up the cue and examines it. The cue ball has been shish kebabed. The cue has gone straight through it and it's now pierced forever. I think there's a bit of smoke coming off of it… Steve and Sam's eyes are comically wide and Tony rubs a hand down his face, halfway between laughing and groaning. Peter looks down to the cue ball dust on the table and chuckles awkwardly to relieve tension.

"Oops…" is all he can say. He pulls the ball off the end of the cue and gently places it on the table. It crumbles apart. That's when Tony loses it, his chest spasming with an uncontrollable laughter that none of them have heard from him in recent memory. Peter delicately sets the cue down beside the remains of its former ball, then rakes a hand through his hair with an apologetic smile. "My bad."

"That was…some impressive force behind that shot, Queens," Steve feels the need to address. There's no accusation or skepticism behind his voice, more so acceptance as if he just got all the confirmation he needed. In a way, he did. Peter has seen that same form or realization a minimum of two times already.

"Okay, I know what you're thinking," he starts off, "and it's…wrong? Okay, that didn't sound very convincing but-" He cuts himself off with a defeated groan and Tony clasps an encouraging hand on his shoulder. Tony would be more worried if the kid had inadvertently given away his secret identity to a bunch of strangers, but this is Steve and Sam. Peter rolls his head over to look at him, then asks, "Awe c'mon, why me? Am I cursed to give away my secret identity one by one? I didn't even notice last time!"

"I would just like to point out the instantaneous karma that just happened," Tony teases, yet lazily slings his arm around Peter's shoulders. A lot of unexpected events have transpired that Peter wasn't prepared for, but he supposes it could be worse. Steve looks to be taking it with stride, but Sam is a different story. He waits as Sam absorbs the alluded to information.

"You're the one who shot me with webs at the airport?" Sam voices his disbelief in a clarifying manner. Peter brightens up at this and nods zealously.

"Yep! This short twelve year old beat you," he fires back with a victorious grin. Steve looks down to hide his unanticipated smile, though it doesn't help much.

"Alright, you've wreaked enough havoc," Tony interjects, a hint of his pride for the kid shining through. "Let's head up and get some food in you." He steers Peter back to the elevator, Steve and Sam not far behind, and they make their way back up to join the others for lunch.

Hope youre ready for some shenanigans next chapter! The title will be: LL Pool J cause Tony's dad jokes are rubbing off on me

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