-Internship-
The bus squealed to a stop in front of the tower, its doors flapping open with a hiss. The students rushed to get out of their seats, chattering excitedly at the sight of Stark Tower in all its midmorning glory.
MJ nudged his shoulder. "C'mon Peter, les gooooo," she drawled out, gesturing for him to move. He scrambled upright and into the bus aisle, but Flash shoved him back into MJ's side. "Hey!" she called indignantly, pushing Peter off her.
Flash sneered, stalking to the front of the bus.
Peter moved out into the aisle again, swinging his backpack over his shoulder. "Sorry MJ," he apologized. She rolled her eyes, stepping out behind him and pulling on her own pack. The bus driver turned in his seat to look at them with raised eyebrows, and Peter rushed down the steps past him, flushing. MJ followed behind at a leisurely pace.
Ned was waiting for them outside, frantically scrolling through his phone. He glanced up when they finally stepped through the doors. "Peter," he sighed with relief, placing his hand on the other boy's shoulder. "I read the procedure for tours here - they say they give you a guest badge…" he trailed off, eyeing Flash warily. The teen was standing off to the side, but close enough to possibly overhear. Ned lowered his voice, leaning in. "You got one for your… internship?"
"Subtle," MJ deadpanned. Peter snorted but shrugged his shoulders and shook his head.
"I-"
Flash cut in, knocking into Ned. "You still goin' on about that intern shit?" He scoffed. "Can't wait to see you get kicked to the curb like the fake you are," he taunted, jabbing a finger into Peter's chest.
"Get a room," MJ intoned. Flash snapped his head to her, glaring.
"I'm not a queer like these two," he snarled, flicking his hand between the other two.
MJ's eyebrows raised apathetically. "You have the emotional capacity of a fucking square" - Flash spluttered - "You're not getting into any form of a romantic relationship." She put a finger to her chin, contemplating. "Or any relationship, period," she decided, nodding her head.
Flash's face reddened and he whirled to look at Ned. "Well look at this fucking circle-"
"Class!" Ms. Warren called, effectively ceasing Flash's incoming rant. His nostrils flared, but he backed off, moving towards his lackeys. "We'll be entering the building in just a moment, so please line up, single file!"
As they moved, Ned turned to look at them, eyes wide and confused. "What did I do?" he asked, voice edged with a desperate tinge as he gestured at Flash's receding form.
MJ pat his arm sympathetically but said nothing. He turned to Peter, who raised his hands in surrender. "I dunno man! Your guess is as good as mine," he defended, lips quirking up into a helpless little smile. Ned crossed his arms, forming a pout.
The front of the line started to move forward, approaching the daunting shadow of the tower. The doors slid open automatically, letting in the stream of thirty or so students. Peter's phone let out a crisp ding, the sound reminiscent of a hammer hitting metal. It was a specialized one for messages from Mr. Stark. He slipped his phone out of his pocket and swiped, turning it on. There was a single, ominous message: 'I know you're here~'
Peter did not like that. He very much so did not like that. Ned leaned over his shoulder, reading the text. He let out a disbelieving huff. "You didn't tell him?" he asked incredulously. Peter shook his head, pocketing the phone.
"Dude," he hissed. "You know how eccentric Mr. Stark is." Ned pursed his lips, considering. He nodded. "So why do you think I didn't tell him that I was coming to his home with my entire class?"
"Ah." Ned voiced.
"Yes, 'ah.'" Peter repeated, voice pitching up and hand raising to tug at his hair.
MJ turned around to face them. "So what?" she asked nonchalantly.
Peter stared at her. "Because-"
"You think he'll try to embarrass you?" she questioned.
He paused. Squinted his eyes. "Probably-"
MJ let out an exaggerated sigh, flinging her hands up. "So a multi-billion dollar superhero is gonna come down here to personally joke around with you in front of the whole class." Peter blushed. "You poor, poor soul."
"You know that's not what I mean," Peter whined.
"So make it be that," she suggested, shrugging. He titled his head questioningly. "You take the lead," she explained. "Don't just do that awkward thing where you stand around like you don't belong in your own skin-"
"Hey!-"
"-and actually do something if and when he comes down here. You get me?"
Peter hesitated for a moment. Thought about it.
"Hey Penis, yer blockin' the line," Flash called out from somewhere behind them.
A slow smile crept up on Peter's face, and a small one came to match on MJ's own.
Ned was practically vibrating. "Oh man this is gonna be so cool," he warbled excitedly.
"Next," a bored voice announced. MJ turned around, grabbing the guest pass that was handed to her. She took off her backpack and placed it into the security bin with her phone. It rolled forward, disappearing into the contraption to be x-rayed. She then scanned her pass on the little black box and stepped into the body scanner, arms extended out and legs spread apart. After a moment, it beeped, and she walked through.
Peter was next, and he swallowed heavily as he took the visitor pass, placing his items in the tray and stepping forward. A couple of his classmates snickered. He never had the chance to swipe his card, though. A female, Irish voice sounded out. "Peter, welcome back."
Motion stopped. Most sound stopped. The security guards stared at him, agape, and he was willing to bet that his classmates behind him were in similar states. He hurried through the scanner, not even bothering to stop and let it do its job. No blaring alarms went off. He went to grab his bag from the x-ray, but it hadn't come out yet. He turned questioningly to the guard. She jolted, stuttering for a moment. "Uh- the uh- scan. It. Didn't work."
He couldn't tell if she was trying to ask him something or just stating a fact, but he answered anyway. "Yeah - that's alright." Another officer snorted, coming up next to her.
"Not really, kid." Peter flushed. Not really the best choice of words on his part, he could admit.
FRIDAY covered for him. "Mr. Parker's belongings are above clearance," she intoned. Both guards' heads snapped up, faces holding matching expressions of shock and awe. Peter's belongings finally rolled through the scanner, and he snatched them up, backing away from the guards with a nervous chuckle. They looked at him with what seemed to be a new light, and his classmates were staring at the scene before them incredulously. He turned and speed walked over to where Ned and MJ were waiting for him several meters away.
"Thanks FRIDAY," he squeaked.
"You are welcome, Peter," she replied, sounding amused. MJ's eyebrows raised slightly. Ned wasn't as subtle.
"Oh my God Peter. You just talked to, like, the most advanced AI. She said, 'You're welcome."
"I know Ned," Peter muttered, blushing. "The whole class knows."
Flash chose that moment to intrude. "What the hell did you just do, Penis," he hissed, glaring at the other teen.
"Nothing-"
Flash raised his hand up sharply, stopping him. "Did you hack it?" he asked.
Ned made an affronted noise. "This is The Stark Tower," he emphasized, waving a hand around them. "He can't hack this."
Peter subtly elbowed his side, a knowing glint in his eye as he met Ned's. Ned flushed but didn't say anything more.
Ms. Warren saved the day again, clapping her hands to call for their attention. "Class, this is Ms. Hertz," she said, gesturing to the young woman next to her. "She'll be our guide for the day."
Ms. Hertz nodded, smiling amicably. "Hello, as Ms. Warren has said, I'll be your guide! We'll be talking to other professionals as we go through the building, but feel free to ask me any questions you may have. Additionally, I do advise that you stay with your group unless otherwise instructed. There are some areas here that are off limits to the general public." The students nodded agreeably. She smiled again. "Alright then. First up, we'll be using the elevator to go to floor ten. That's where the intern labs are. The stuff they work on is still quite advanced, so don't let the title fool you. And think about it - most of our interns here are college level, so they could be you in just a few short years!" She turned around, motioning for them to follow as she made her way over to a large scale elevator.
She clicked the button to go up and the doors slid open almost immediately, revealing an expansive room that somehow was still a functioning lift. They all filtered in. Peter felt a creeping sense of anxiety crawl up his spine as the elevator began its ascent. Is Tony gonna be right there? he wondered nervously. Soon - far too soon - they alighted on their floor and the doors opened to reveal none other than-
Clint?
His classmates' excited mutterings stopped as they turned to stare at him, and he realized he'd said the name out loud.
"Peter!" Hawkeye called, spreading his arms wide as he stepped forward. "How ya been?" he asked cheerfully.
Peter moved up hesitantly, giving an awkward half wave to the man. "I'm good," he replied. "Uh. What are you… doing here?"
Clint tapped his fist against Peter's shoulder. "Whadya mean? Here to see my favorite intern buddy, of course." He winked unsubtly.
Peter heard a very Flash-like squeak somewhere behind him. He ignored it. "Uhuh," he replied dubiously.
Ms. Warren coughed, stepping forward. "I'm um. Sorry to interrupt Mr… Hawkeye, but I must admit that the situation isn't quite clear to me," she said unsurely, glancing between him and Peter. Clint tilted his head, looking confused. She tried her best to clarify. "This is my student - Peter Parker," she said carefully. Clint nodded his head slowly, raising his eyebrows and waiting for her to continue. She coughed again. "May I ask how you know him?" Peter felt a flush creep up along the back of his neck. Clint narrowed his eyes at her.
Flash took the opportunity to speak up. "Yeah! Hawkeye, man, this guy isn't an intern here! He's a faker!"
Clint's brows lowered, lips thinning. "I'm gonna sta-"
The elevator dinged behind where the group of students had crowded together. They parted to the sides as it opened up, a lone figure standing front and center in it. 'Iron Man,' someone whispered faintly.
The man himself completely bypassed the group, gaze immediately landing on Peter. His eyes lit up. "Perfect. I need you in the labs for a quick sec - need another set of hands on the suit," he said, brushing past the students and looking down at his phone. He tapped away at it for a few moments but glanced up when he seemed to realize there'd been no reply. "Peter?"
Ms. Warren answered instead. "U-uhm. Mr. Stark!" she stuttered out, hand raised to her chest, likely to calm her rapidly palpitating heart. "Y-you-" she pointed at him, then at Peter. Stark raised a brow.
Clint decided to clarify. "She doesn't get how we know him," he said, voice cold.
Stark's expression darkened. "He" - he wrapped an arm around Peter's shoulders - "is my personal intern. Peter Parker." Ms. Warren's face paled. "I was told the staff was aware of this," Stark continued. Peter took a couple of calming breaths, features smoothing out. Ms. Warren gulped.
"Y-yes, but-"
"But what," Stark growled.
Peter raised his hand. "It's alright!" he declared loudly, dispersing the tense air. "I just didn't wanna make a big deal out of the whole internship thing," he explained, giving a soft smile. Tony looked ready to argue, but Peter turned his head slightly and winked at him. Subtly. Stark's mouth snapped shut. "I mean, I did have to say something cuz sometimes I miss class because of it, but" - he shrugged helplessly - "that's about it."
Ms. Warren's eyes shone with relief at no longer being under the pressure of having two angry hero's gazes on her, but her tension rose again when Clint turned to face her. "So, what? Your teacher just let you out of class while not believing the reason you were leaving?" he asked disbelievingly.
Peter shrugged. "It was more through the principal anyways." He looked to Stark. "Is the issue with the arc reactor?" he asked. The man made a so-so motion. Peter hummed contemplatively. "Ah, so more about the plated wirings interconnecting the energy source to the surrounding chest pieces and the extending framework?" Stark nodded.
"That and the repulsors in the boots - they've been acting up in the latest model - the problems are definitely tied together." Peter tilted his head, then nodded decisively. He turned to his teacher and classmates.
"I'm gonna go with Mr. Stark," he said. "I mean, I've already seen this stuff a couple dozen times," he joked. He was about to turn away, but he spotted his friends in the midst of the other students. "Oh!" he ran over to them, grabbing their hands and pulling them forward. MJ strode forward effortlessly while Ned stumbled along, a dumbstruck expression on his face. Peter let their hands go and turned to Mr. Stark and Clint. "These are my friends: Ned and MJ."
"Hey," Clint said, jutting his chin out in greeting.
Stark held out his hand, first to MJ. She stared at it impassively for a moment, then switched her gaze to meet Stark's own. There was a second of silence between the two. Then she stuck out her own hand and clasped it around his in a firm grip, giving it a single shake. She stepped back. Ned jumped forwards and grabbed Stark's hand with both of his own, shaking it frantically. "Oh my God Mr. Iron Man Stark Sir you're, like, the hero-"
"Hey!" Clint called indignantly.
"-Thank you thank you thank you this is so cool-" Peter set a hand on his shoulder, gently pulling him back. Ned's hands slid off Stark's, but he continued talking, voice dropping to a low murmur. "So cool, so cool, Iron Man, so cool-"
Peter repressed a laugh, smiling as he stepped away. "Bye guys!" he called, beginning to walk down the hall. Clint and Stark stood on either of his sides. The rest of the student body listened in on their fading conversation, watching as Peter's head tilted up to look at Stark. "They're not gonna see the Avengers' common area, right?" Stark shrugged. Peter bumped his shoulder against his.
"No, Peter," Stark dragged out, peering down his nose at the teen. "They're not gonna see your room." Peter flushed at being caught, but didn't reply. They turned the corner, leaving behind the speechless class.
.
Tony turned to Peter, a grin splayed across his cheeks. "What was that, Peter, huh?"
Peter covered his face with his hands, shoulders hiking up to his ears, which were tinged red. "I dunno," he mumbled.
"Peter Parker, coolest kid on the block," Clint sang, skipping for a couple of steps.
"MJ-"
"MJ?" Tony repeated. "Your little girlfriend?"
Peter squawked. "She's not my girlfriend!" he cried out, tugging at his hair.
"Sureee she isn't," Tony muttered, exaggeratedly rolling his eyes. Clint snickered. "She reminds me of Pepper," Tony said, contemplative. "Ya know, in the whole scary CEO kinda way," he described. Peter blushed harder, but he silently agreed. Tony's pace slowed. "Ya know. You should probably just get filed in as an intern already," he mused.
Peter snapped his head to the side. "What?!"
Tony shrugged. "You kinda already are, kid." Peter stumbled over his words, but Tony continued without him. "FRIDAY?"
"On it, Boss," she replied.
Clint slung an arm around Peter, tousling his hair. "Told you you're my favorite intern buddy," he teased.