"Run that by me again?"

Tony huffed out a breath through his nose, giving the kid a look. "There's nothing else to run by, Pete."

Peter shook his head slowly, something like denial spread across his features but fainter. Looking closer, his eyes seemed a bit glazed, almost.

"I've given you some tips on dealing with the press already, kid; you'll be fine."

Peter let out a sound between a snort and a scoff. "Tips? You call those 'tips' you gave me enough?" he shot back disbelievingly.

Tony raised an eyebrow, already recentering most of his focus back on the program in front of him, blindly groping around for a soldering iron since he refused to tear his eyes away to actually look for it. "Yes," he drawled, narrowing his eyes when it came out as more of a question.

Peter set down something with a clack, and Tony could feel the teen's eyes boring holes into him. "Ah, yes of course, my apologies," Peter replied, sounding far too genuine for it to be true. "Let's see," he continued, seeming to contemplate for a moment before making an aha sound. "Yes! Those real useful tips like 'never let them finish asking a question you don't want to answer' or 'ignore them and act like they aren't there at all' or 'wear reflective sunglasses so they can't see your eyes,'" Peter ticked off.

Tony paused slightly. "When you put it like that-"

"Like the exact way that it is?" Peter interrupted dryly. "Yes, I can see how that might cause some issues. Especially considering the fact that I'll be going on a host show where I am at least at some level obligated to answer their questions, I can't ignore them, and I can't wear sunglasses without looking like a complete asshole."

"Hey!" Tony protested, finally looking up to glare in obvious offense at Peter. "Are you calling me an asshole?"

"Just stating the facts," Peter replied blithely, but he couldn't withhold a blatant grin.

Tony shook his head disbelievingly, setting aside the welding tool and leaning back slightly in his seat so that he was staring down his nose at Peter even from across the tables between them. "Well," he sniffed. "If that's how you wanna play it, I guess I'll have to tell Pepper the prep she worked so hard on simply isn't needed since you obviously know better."

Peter's neck snapped up in immediate protest. "Hey hey hey! I said your tips are - not helpful," he quickly amended. "Ms. Potts is awesome."

Tony stared at him. "The gal," he muttered, but still loud enough for Peter to hear. Then he sighed. "You're not wrong about Pepper, though, so I'll hold off on that order," he admitted, rolling his eyes in exaggerated weariness.

"Thank you very much," Peter replied dryly, his eyes then drifting and taking on a glazed hue. "It's not like I'm going to be doing my first interview ever about being your personal intern on live TV in front of a whole bunch of people while a bajillion more watch through a screen because it's the freaking Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon," Peter ranted, words going faster and faster until they practically rolled off one another while his arms swung around wildly to emphasize his point.

Tony paused again, sparing Peter a glance. "Well, when you put it like that."