Scott felt pretty happy in his position as an honorary Avenger. He hadn't really been called in for any missions yet; it was an unspoken agreement that he'd be more of an undercover member - at least until he needed to go giant in public, but there hadn't been a reason to do so as of yet.
Still, being a part of the group even at his level apparently meant that he was invited to group hangouts. Which. Yes? Please? God, Luis was so jealous when he told him - he was all, 'Man, can't you just like get me an invite too?' 'I'm like your go to dude, yeah?' 'C'mon it's the Avengers - you can't just leave me hangin' bro,' but, alas, Scott made his way into the tower alone. Not daunting at all.
It was pretty late in the day, the sun already having set a few hours ago, so the building was relatively quiet. He passed through security and wandered over to the elevators. Stark had told him they'd be meeting on one of the upper floors and simply left it at that, so Scott had assumed there would be someone waiting for him, but he found himself alone in front of the doors.
'Hello, Mr. Lang,' a voice sounded close by, making him flinch. He glanced to his sides and up. Nothing. 'Boss is waiting for you on the 86th floor - please enter,' they intoned, the elevator opening.
He cautiously stepped inside, spinning around in a slow circle. "Umm… thank you?" he said, voice pitching upwards as he scratched the back of his neck.
'You are welcome,' they replied - and he swore that there was a trace of humor in their tone - 'I am FRIDAY, Mr. Stark's personal AI,' they informed him. He hummed, playing it off despite the fact that his mind was maybe just a little blown. Just a tad. The elevator made a slight whirring noise as it began its ascent. His ears popped as it smoothly made its way up, a soft ding going off as the doors reopened to the designated floor not even a minute later. He stepped out, admiring the high ceilings and wide pathway before meandering down the hall to where he could hear a low murmur of voices, volume steadily rising as he approached.
When he reached the end, he was met with a sight that would be permanently seared into his memory. The Avengers - all of the Avengers - comfortably seated on an array of couches and chairs in a loose circle. Stark was lounging on a soft grey armchair, swirling around a drink in his hand. Hawkeye was on a chair to his right, leaning forwards and talking animatedly with Vision, who nodded his head on occasion and responded in a calm tone of voice. The Scarlet Witch sat by the latter's side, listening in but not speaking. On the large couch, the Falcon had his feet kicked up onto the table in front of him, arms lying against the back of the seat. Next to him was Thor, a wide smile on his face as he spoke in a loud, booming voice to someone Scott didn't know - a young, brown eyed, brown haired guy who smiled amicably back at the god. Captain America and the Winter Soldier were talking quietly to each other, fully turned away from him. Bruce Banner - the Hulk - was on his phone, taking sips of what looked to be coffee. Black Widow was staring right at Scott, face impassive but head tilted slightly in a wordless question.
He started, and his hand came up into an awkward wave. "Hey guys," he said, voice cracking. Conversation halted, everyone turning to him. Should I just run away now? he wondered, barely restraining himself from taking a step back. "Sorry I'm late for the party," he decided on instead, giving a lopsided grin.
Stark broke the silence, lifting his glass into the air in an attempt at a wave. "Welcome, insectoid," he drawled. Wow, very mature. Scott squinted at him.
The rest of the group snapped out of their reverie, and they sat up or stood as they began to introduce themselves, Scott making his way into the common area and taking a seat on the armchair next to the couch Captain America and the Winter Soldier were on.
The blonde turned to him. "Steve Rogers," he asserted, reaching out and giving Scott's hand a firm shake.
"James Barnes," the metal armed man next to him said, "Just call me Bucky." He didn't offer any other greeting, turning back to Rogers.
Scott gave a smiling grimace. "Ah, hey man, uhh sorry about, you know, Germany," he managed to get out. Barnes raised an eyebrow at him, bemused, but remained silent. Scott fidgeted in his seat.
"Anywhoooo," Hawkeye deferred as he leaned forwards, placing his elbows on his knees. "I'm Clint Barton, best spy on the team," he goaded, smirking. The obvious jab to Black Widow went ignored by all.
"Sam Wilson; congrats on being the newest member," the Falcon said, tipping his head forward in acknowledgement.
Banner opened his mouth, but Thor interrupted him, standing and bellowing, "And I am Thor, Son of Odin and God of Thunder." He raised his arm above his head, displaying his hammer. There was a brief pause.
Banner glanced at Thor before trying again. "I'm Bruce Banner, sometimes the Hulk," he contended, giving a slight smile.
The Widow gave Scott a sharp nod. "Natasha Romanov," was all she said.
"I am Vision," the red man stated simply, turning to his companion, who spoke next.
"And I am Wanda Maximoff," she said, pulling out her phone and turning her full attention towards it, tapping rapidly against the screen.
The brown haired teen stood, introducing himself as he made his way over. "I'm Peter - Peter Parker. I'm just an intern here," he greeted, smiling widely. He shook Scott's hand before going back to his spot next to Thor. Strong grip, Scott mused.
There wasn't much else after that; they'd apparently already decided on a movie to watch, so a couple of them turned their chairs or couches around to face the wide, flat screen T.V. before settling down, letting the opening of Frozen begin.
Besides some snide comments from Romanov and Clint, confused interjections from Thor - 'how has this magic worked so that the man of snow has remained unmelted? ' - and several bouts of laughter here and there, the movie proceeded relatively uninterrupted.
Three fourths of the way through, though, a break was called for. Clint wandered over into the kitchen area with Sam, and several of the others went down the hall to use the restrooms.
Steve came back first, followed by Bruce and then Sam and Clint; the archer held a large bowl of buttered popcorn while the latter was clutching at a variety of bags of chips.
It was when they had all made their way back, Wanda just then exiting the hall, that Thor seemed to consider as the perfect moment to make a completely unrelated interjection.
"Who knows the name of my mighty hammer?" he roared, raising his fists to his sides and leaping onto the marble table beside said weapon, boots thudding heavily on the surface. Someone coughed quietly.
Is this some kind of Avengers initiation thing? Scott wondered. Like Avengers 20 questions or something? He glanced around, and, seeing that the rest of the Avengers and Peter just watched the god with bemused expressions, he gave it a shot. "Uhhhhhh… Jonathan?"
Everyone stared at him. Thor's mouth hung open as if he'd been struck. Vision quirked a brow. Natasha turned her head to the side, looking away from him and ducking her head slightly; her shoulders subtly shook. Bruce had his lips pursed, but his eyes shone with amusement. Wanda moved her phone around, recording everyone's reactions with a grin and raised eyebrows. Bucky's lips curved into a faint smirk as he leaned back on the sofa. Steve was trying to stifle his laughs behind poorly placed coughs. Tony was heaving with full on, belly aching guffaws, eyes squeezed shut and tears leaking from the corners from the strength of his hilarity. Clint was about the same, clutching his stomach and curled up on his side on the couch while cackling gasps escaped his lips.
Peter laughed quietly from where he stood to the side, leaning in to inspect the hammer from its position by Thor's feet.
The rest of the group slowly quieted down, and Thor jumped back off the table and slumped into the large, L-shaped couch, pouting slightly. "It is Mjölnir," he stated petulantly, frowning at Scott.
"Me-ol'-neer?" Scott tried. A couple of people snickered, and Thor's sour expression deepened. Before the exchange could devolve any further, Peter cut in.
"Can I touch it?" he asked, eyes shining and expression reminiscent of an excited puppy.
Thor's frown melted into a grin, his eyes glinting mischievously. "Why of course, Peter of Parker! I do say you may even attempt to lift it!" Tony rolled his eyes, and a couple of others scoffed. Besides Peter, only Scott and Wanda remained clueless.
The teen's eyes lit up. "Thank you!" he exclaimed, jumping up from his crouched position in front of the weapon. He grasped its handle with one arm and seemed to hesitate for a moment, glancing at Thor again for affirmation. The god gestured for him to continue, smile growing. Peter smiled back obliviously and heaved upwards, the hammer lifting into the air with a whoosh, sending him stumbling a back a step since he'd overestimated the strength he'd needed to lift it.
Nobody said a word. Thor gaped for the second time in minutes. Peter's own smile quickly dropped into a worried expression, eyebrows pinching, as he noticed the strange mood that had befallen the majority of those present. He quickly set the hammer back down with a solid thunk, looking at each face with a growing, frantic energy before finally settling on Thor's. "Wait - was that supposed to be super hard to lift? Oh shoot. Oh my God." He too collapsed onto the couch, curling into a ball. "This is not how I wanted to come out," the brunette bemoaned, letting his face fall into his hands.
The older Avengers, who were just starting to come out of their shock, were thrown back into it, speechless once again. Wanda spoke up. "Come out?" she questioned, "How - what does this have to do with being homosexual?" At her genuine expression, Scott snorted.
Peter flushed cherry red, sitting back up and hands waving around frantically. "No - no ! I was talking about being Spider-Man!" he shrieked.
"What?" Tony wheezed out, eyes nearly the size of dinner plates.
Thor tilted his head, reaching forward to pick up his hammer and cradling it in both hands as if it was a conundrum to all he had known. "Young Peter, I do not know of what you speak, but Mjölnir only allows those who are worthy to wield it." The god glanced up, eyes piercing into the intern's own. "If you had not already been Son of Stark, I would offer to take you as my own," he stated honestly.
Tony choked, as did Peter.
Clint raised his hand in the air, though whether he was trying to interrupt or was simply imitating school children was difficult to decipher. "Wait wait wait. Too much. Just - what? Peter, I… you're Spider-Man? You can somehow lift Mij - Thor's hammer, and you're Tony's son? What the hell's going on here?" he exclaimed. Scott agreed with the sentiment.
"Not my son," Stark clarified, looking faint.
Peter, still flushed red, tugged at his hair. "I thought you guys figured it out when I lifted the hammer," he confessed, leaning his head back to face the ceiling as he let out a defeated sigh. "I thought, like, it was supposed to be super heavy or something because you guys were looking at me all weird."
Wanda snorted out a laugh, elbowing Vision's side and continuing to record.
Bruce spoke up, looking like he had an epiphany as he drooped down in his seat. "We've talked to you about it," he said, voice sounding like a breathless laugh. "About our theories on Spider-Man!" he exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at Peter, who rubbed the back of his neck and grinned sheepishly.
"Yeah," he admitted, smile staying firmly in place. "You guys were kinda a big help in me staying under the radar, I mean, in terms of avoiding you," he chuckled.
Vision made a contemplative noise, eyebrows dipping down slightly. "I thought that we were all aware of his identity?" he questioned, looking at the others as if seeking reassurance. Several of them stared back, agape. "I thought that was why he was admitted to our Avenger group hangouts" he continued, putting air quotes around the last word. Tony made an affronted noise.
"I just thought we liked Peter," Wanda said, shrugging.
Natasha raised an eyebrow at Tony. "I was told that he's been your intern for three years already; it seems that it was unreasonable of me to expect you to have performed the necessary background checks on him," she drawled.
Tony set his drink down on the table - it was a Capri Sun he'd poured into a glass, Scott had learned - and crossed his arms defensively. " You're the super spy; I expected better from you, Nat," he said petulantly.
"Hey!" Clint exclaimed, indignant.
"Can we just focus on the main issue here," Sam suggested, gesturing to Peter, "like how your personal intern - a seventeen year old - is Spider-Man?"
Scott's eyes widened. "I swatted a kid outta the air," he realized, turning to face Peter.
The teen waved his hand dismissively, smiling, "It's fine, I mean, Steve dropped a whole bridge on me!" There was a brief span of silence. Then pandemonium.
"You WHAT?!" Tony shouted, turning on Steve, voice raised to be heard over the others.
Bruce frowned disapprovingly, and Natasha watched with slightly raised brows.
Bucky seemed to have an internal debate for a moment before shrugging.
Steve raised his hands up in a placating gesture. "I didn't know he was a kid either, guys!" he exclaimed before turning to face Peter. "Sorry kid, I'm glad you're alright."
Peter groaned, leaning his head against the backrest and flinging his arms up exasperatedly. "I'm not a kid," he whined, totally not helping his own case.
Tony took another moment to glare at Steve before confronting Peter again. "I took you to Germany and didn't know it was you!" he accused.
Peter snorted. "That was kind of the point," he said.
Tony's lips pursed before his expression closed off slightly. "Why didn't you tell me, Pete?" he asked quietly.
Peter reluctantly sat up, but he didn't face the man, looking decidedly uncomfortable. He hesitated for a moment longer, still staring at his shoes. "I… I thought you'd be disappointed. That it was just me," he admitted.
Tony's expression softened. "Peter, I could never be disappointed in you. I'm proud that you're Spider-Man" he said, giving Peter a small, but no less genuine, smile.
Thor, in his usual manner, interrupted the moment. "How can Peter of Parker not be Son of Stark? It is quite obvious, is it not?" he questioned, gesturing at the two. Peter blushed and Tony rolled his eyes. After a moment, Thor acquiesced, "Though, I suppose we are all brothers in all but blood, now that Peter has revealed himself to be the Man Spider."
Tony rubbed at his face tiredly, clearly done with any and all input Thor could add to the conversation. He instead acknowledged Peter once more. "I was already building an Iron Suit for you," he confessed. Peter's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. "I was going tell you when you turned eighteen, but I guess I'm gonna have to change the model - and the time frame," he said, grinning wildly at the teen. Peter gave a breathy laugh, his eyes shining.
"I'd really like that, Mr. Stark," he said.
Scott whistled. "Wow, are things always this exciting around here?" he asked, "Cuz I'm not sure if my blood pressure can take it."
"Hey, that's my line," Tony replied indignantly, peering down his nose at Scott.
"Yep. That's enough drama for me," Natasha acceded, rising to her feet and making her way out the room.
Clint stood up after her, trailing behind and talking over his shoulder. "Me too - gotta go home and see the kiddies," he declared. Sam lifted himself up as well, nodding to the remaining Avengers before exiting.
Vision and Wanda were next, leaving with their arms linked, Vision calling out, "It was an interesting 'hangout;' have a good evening" before they too disappeared down the hall.
Steve and Bucky also left as a pair, with Steve giving a parting smile as the duo turned away. Faintly, Scott could make out Bucky asking Steve, "What about the movie?"
Bruce went after them, nursing a now cooled mug of coffee in his grasp. "Bye guys," he said, eyes sliding to Scott. "It was nice meeting you."
Thor jumped up, swinging his hammer idly at his side. "Come, newest Avenger Scott," he boomed, "let us leave the not father and son to discuss matters amongst themselves."
Scott nodded, pulling himself out of his own seat and falling into step with the titan of a man, giving one last glance over his shoulder at the duo before they were out of sight. He turned to Thor. "Hey, so if you're the God of Thunder, is there a God of Lighting?"
.
Only Peter and Tony remained seated. The older of the two spoke up. "So, how would you feel about joining the Avengers?"
He was met with a wide, excited grin, the young hero's eyes sparkling with a newfound light.