Hi friends! I hope you are doing well. Thank you for sticking with the story. Updates should be more regular from now on :) For those of you who are reading my other story I am working on a chapter of Someone to Care now and it should be up soon. Thanks again! This one is more a transition chapter but I hope you enjoy.
The alarm on his phone blared loud, interrupting a sleepless dream. Peter groaned as the bones in his neck popped under his stretch. Today was the day. The papers were signed, his schedule was cleared, and he was ready. As ready as he ever was going to be.
Once he dragged himself out of bed, Peter stared into the mirror attempting to comb his hair into place. The tool ran through one curl, taming it into place, when another would appear somewhere else. It was infuriating. He sighed giving up and threw the comb back into the drawer. There was a worn out hole in his sleeve right where his thumb rested. He kept pulling it down and unconsciously sticking his finger through the opening as he ran through the checklist in his head again. Not trusting his earlier preparations he hefted his backpack down on the bed and went through the folders again.
There would be enough time to make his way there and be a little early. He stuffed the folder back in his bag and left his room. The dishes covered in remnants were stacked in the sink and Peter glanced at his watch. There was enough time.
Quickly he soaped and dried the dishes. Once they were away he turned off the lights and left the apartment skipping down the stairs. He raised his hand in salute to the man lounging on his front porch, beer in hand. The subway was running on time today but Peter stopped to listen to his favorite saxophone street player. The coins that were in the bottom of one of his backpack pockets clinked together as they fell into the empty case in front of the player. Peter briefly glanced up and she nodded while continuing to play on the platform.
Looking at his watch again he realized he would be exactly on time if everything went smoothly. He elongated his pace and started power walking up the stairs. His breath came out in short puffs when he spotted a lady carrying one to many bags on her way out of a store.
His feet skidded to a halt as he spied her look both ways, head bending around the bags, before venturing out into the busy sidewalk. The woman wobbled between the people as they bumped her packages without a second glance.
He glanced at his watch again. Then back at the lady.
She was heading in the right direction after all. He bounced on the heels of his feet before plunging into motion. Navigating through the people he caught up with her just as one of the brown bags piled on top was about to teeter off. It fell forward and he reached to catch it. He didn't know if a touch on her shoulder would be welcome and he asked loudly so that she could hear if she needed further help. Her white hair peeped out from the bottom of her hat as she turned her head around the bags to look at him. A smile graced her lips and he could feel the tips of his ears heat.
"Yes, please. If it's not too much trouble." The bags weighed down his arms but he sealed a breath in and nodded.
"No trouble at all, Miss."
"Miss? I haven't been called that since I was a bit younger. Aren't you a polite thing?"
Peter could feel his cheeks ripen and they continued on to her apartment. Sweat gathered under his arms as small tremors traveled down to his fingers from the weight. A sigh of relief escaped him when the bags were finally in a cart located in the front lobby. She thanked Peter and pinched his cheek. He rubbed his hand across the sore spot and tried to ignore the clenching in his stomach at her contact. The woman's smile didn't fade as he mumbled that he needed to go. She just turned the little cart around.
The position of the arms on his watch alarmed him and once she was safely in the elevator he ran from the building. Down the street, dodging people as he went, he shuddered when he stepped into a puddle. He was breathing hard when he made it to the front desk. A ring of condensation formed under his fists resting on the desk and he could feel the water slushing in the soles of his shoes. The man working at the front desk glanced up and his eyes widened at the state of Peter.
"I'm sorry," he said in between wheezes. "I'm... "
"Peter Parker. Here's your badge. Just go straight up to lab five." He tempered the continued tremor in his hands and took the badge. Covertly wiping away the condensation with his sleeve he mumbled a thanks and walked up.
The outline of his face was visible in the elevator. He wiped his hand across his forehead and wiped the moisture on his pants. Peter's foot tapped against the wall and he checked to make sure his breath didn't smell. His head popped up to make sure there were no cameras watching his preening. When the gleam of the small screen caught his eye the blush erupted across his face and neck.
"Friday?" He asked hesitantly.
"Hello, Peter. How are you today?" Her voice was pleasant and immediately calmed him.
"I'm, uh, okay. How are you?"
"Today is a pleasant day. I'm happy to hear you are well. You seem to be overheated."
"Yeah, I've been running and late this morning."
"Here, let me help." A blast of cool air hit him and his bangs dried in a matter of seconds. He sighed as the tips of his hair curled around some invisible rod.
"Thanks, Friday! That's great."
"That's what I'm here for, Peter. Here you are. Lab five is down the hall to the right."
"Thanks again. I, I hope you have a nice day."
"And you as well." Peter smiled up into the air, unsure of where to look before scrabbling through the closing doors. The weight on his shoulders hadn't lessened but he felt, for a moment, that he was more able to carry it. He glanced at his watch and cringed. Twenty minutes late for his first day. Would they fire him?
He stopped in front of the doors and let his eyes loose focus. He could do this. Mr. Stark said they chose him. He had to do this. His eyes lifted and the doors slid open on their own.
The breath caught in his throat when he spied a dozen eyes glancing back at him. His palms and forehead cold from Friday's help now were drenched. Peter mumbled an apology and slipped into the first open seat he saw. Flash was seated in the front and the butterflies in his stomach swarmed. He was happy Flash had made it but the nerves the boy evoked were still there.
The woman in front started talking again, not calling attention to his interruption.
"As I was saying you were all chosen for a reason and now represent the Stark brand. Therefore …." She went on to talk about the rules for the interns and expectations. Peter zoned out and concentrated on minimizing the sweat he was rapidly accumulating.
"Now, since there are eight of you, for the majority of the project you will be spilt into two groups of four. That way you can get to know each other more but it will be more coherent group work."
The butterflies lessened when he found out he was in a different group then Flash. Instead he was with an older boy named Frank, Monica, and the last was young like him. Her name was Julia. She gave him a smile before looking down when they met eyes. Frank took charge and had them all introduce themselves to the group.
Frank was a senior in high school and couldn't wait to go to college. He seemed levelheaded and encouraged the others to talk. Monica went next. She was practical and already had more than one internship. There was a steel glint to her eye that made Peter nervous but overall was professional. Peter liked Julia the best. She was younger than him and almost as nervous. Julia stammered a little with her introduction but managed to smile at the end.
Frank was sure they would work well together and didn't seem put off by Peter's quiet demeanor. Peter found out that the head intern's name was Lee and everyone seemed to like her. They would be working on a project together and have smaller weekly check-ins with the group leader. Frank elected himself and he would be in charge of the monthly updates to Lee. They plotted out a schedule so some days they would be working together and others they would be able to work on their separate piece they were responsible for.
Pages of Peter's notebook were filled with notes by the time they were done. He had just got his teammates numbers when Lee called him over. He flinched down; sure she was going to reprimand him for coming late. Her voice was soft and he looked up under his eyelashes.
"You've been asked to stay after today. There were some papers of yours that needed fixing. After your done with your group head on up to lab two."
He walked away on unsteady legs and cursed himself for not paying enough attention. Mentally he went through the list of papers and couldn't think of one he missed. He had checked and rechecked to make sure he had everything.
"What was that all about?" Monica asked as she looked up from her notebook, the words were meticulous in their neatness.
"Oh, uh, just more paperwork, I guess." She snorted in sympathy and went back to note taking.
"Alright. This looks good. Glad you dudes are ready to work. I've got to get to work but I look forward to working with each other." Frank nodded at them before leaving with Monica.
Julia sat there staring down at her notebook reading when Peter noticed it was blank.
"Hey, uh, Julia right?" She looked up startled and nodded before looking down again.
"I really like your pen." He cringed at the bad segue but was surprised when her expression brightened.
"Thanks! This is actually the prototype of what I did on my audition. It memorizes what you write and plugs it into an app I programmed. The newer model is way cooler but I'm afraid I might break it if I use it all the time… Sorry you didn't ask for that whole explanation."
"No, that sounds cool. I wish I had something like that in class. It would be easier to keep track of everything." She looked up to him and blushed.
"If you want I could make you one?"
"You, you don't have to at all."
"I have a bunch at home so it's no problem." They came to the elevators and he stopped.
"Thanks, Julia. It was good meeting you. I have more paperwork to fill out so I'm heading up."
Her smile remained in place and Peter hoped that he got to know her better. He felt a kind of kindred with her and recognized many of his own traits in her. They waved goodbye and Peter made his way up. Friday directed him to lab two. The doors were shut but as Peter reached to knock they opened on their own. He really had to get used to that.
Peter stopped for a moment when he saw Mr. Stark facing away from him, scrolling through a screen in midair.
"Uh, Mr. Stark?"
"Come on back, kid." Peter made his way past the different tables piled with materials, forcing himself forward so he wouldn't be caught staring. The man didn't turn around but patted a seat next to him.
"How was the first day?" Peter fidgeted to get comfortable but gave up because it was causing too much noise. Uncomfortably, he crossed his legs so he would stay balanced.
"Oh, it was great Mr. Stark. Thank you again."
"Give me something more than just the word great." Peter was silent, not sure what to say, how he would describe the day. The man swirled to look at Peter.
"Let's start with who's in your group?" The man asked, his eyebrows rose in curiosity. Peter ran his fingers along the edge of the table while he answered.
"There's Frank, who seems nice. He's been a good leader so far. Monica is intimating but again seems nice and Julia is really sweet. She's even younger than me!" He looked up to find Mr. Stark smiling at him. The man's eyes softened.
"That's probably the longest sentence you've ever said to me, kid. Thank you." That made Peter's heart clench for some reason but he couldn't bring himself to say anything in response. "Anyway, I have a proposition for you. I know you will be busy with the stuff downstairs but I didn't know if you wanted to come help me out sometimes on another side project?"
"Yes!" He spoke without thinking. He didn't have to think about it, was more than willing to help out Mr. Stark.
"Hold on, you don't even know what it is for."
"It's okay, I want to help."
"Have it your way but you should ask your aunt's permission before you commit. I'll expect a definite answer next time you come." Peter nodded already knowing May would be fine with it.
"You are free to stay for a bit or can go if you have somewhere to be."
"I'll stay if you're sure I'm not in the way."
"I'm just tinkering." Mr. Stark swung back around to look at the images hovering. They were parts of some design Peter never had seen before and he hesitantly asked the man. He answered politely. Mr. Stark seemed content to answer but Peter didn't want to mess with his thinking process and just sat quickly next to him.
Mr. Stark got absorbed in his work and Peter quietly pulled out his Austen. He was working on Sense and Sensibility now. He was sucked into his own world and it wasn't until someone's back popped that he was brought back. Mr. Stark rubbed his eyes and looked around. They widened when they saw Peter sitting, still there.
"Peter? Have you been there for the whole time?"
Peter hunched his back into himself. "I'm sorry Mr. Stark! I just thought…"
"No don't apologize. It's my fault it's so late. Let's get you some food and I'll have someone take you home."
Peter jumped up. "Its okay! I can get home myself."
"Listen, I insist. I can tell you've got a protective one in May I am sure she wouldn't want me to send a starving child back to her." Peters face burned in embarrassment. Mr. Stark clapped him on the shoulder and led them up a set of stairs Peter hadn't seen before. There were surprisingly little options and Mr. Stark pulled out a frozen pizza from the freezer. It was heating and they sat in silence.
Peter looked around in awe what looked like some type of apartment. All of the counters were immaculate and the furniture was beautiful but it was missing something. He glanced back at Mr. Stark whose back was turned toward the stove before looking around again. There were no pictures on the walls. In his apartment May made sure that all their family photos were hanging on the walls. It was one of the things he hated after Ben left because every time he walked in their naïve smiling faces loomed in front of him.
Here, though, the room was sparse. There was art hanging on the wall, large books on a coffee table but nothing that spoke of the person who lived here. It looked more like a museum or spread in an architecture magazine than a home.
Peter played with the hole in his shirt trying to gather the nerve to speak to the man. For once Mr. Stark seemed to feel Peter's own awkward nature and it was rubbing off on him. They ate in silence and not for the first time Peter wished that he could interact like a normal human. Mr. Stark made sure he had thirds of pizza, which left Peter with a warm feeling.
When they finished Mr. Stark offered to drive him home or have someone drive him but Peter resisted fully this time. He thanked Mr. Stark who stared at him hard when he refused to let someone drive him home again.
"Thank you for the pizza and everything. Have a good night, Mr. Stark." Peter could feel the man's eyes trained on him as he got into the elevator. As the doors were closing he looked up to meet those eyes and gave a small wave. It might have been the distance between them but he thought he saw Mr. Stark's eyes soften for a moment.
Peter breathed a sigh when the doors shut and the elevator moved. He thanked Friday for all her help that day and she wished him a good night.
The air was cool and the city sounds cocooned him in familiar comfort. Peter cringed at his dismal conversation skills and wondered why Mr. Stark invited him to stay. Why the man was even paying attention to him at all?
Thanks to everyone who has read, favorited, commented, etc. It means the WORLD to me! I'm on tumblr at Elizabeth-234, come and say hi!
Let me know what you think, please!