Hi Friends! Happy Tuesday. Hope your week started off great and continues the same way! I am going to be doing Whumptober and if any of you have prompts or want to talk about that or anything in general you can find me on tumblr at Elizabeth-234.

Here is the next part of Peter's journey. I can't say it enough but thank you all for the support. Hope you enjoy!

"You wanted to see me, Sir- uh, Mr. Stark?" Peter stood haunting the doorway. His eyes rested slightly above the man's left shoulder as he waited for a reply.

The whole day flew by in a blink. Ned stopped him as he was leaving school and gave Peter his number. He twitched, stopping himself from looking left and right to make sure Ned was talking to him. He handed Ned his phone, thankful the boy didn't comment that it was a flip phone, and then put his number into Ned's. Ned, easy going as ever Peter was learning, just thanked him and told Peter they would talk before walking back into school. Peter watched him as Ned waved and walked up to another group of people. He stood there looking at the ease at which Ned moved and he could hear fragments of his voice carried through the wind.

Peter hurried along straight to the Tower, skipping food so he wouldn't be as late. Once he found a seat on the subway he ignored the temptation to make sure the number was real in his phone.

Peter avoided the empty classroom at lunch that week and instead opted to sit in the library. A fact he regretted as soon as he saw the amount of people in the room. There was an empty table in the back and he made his way there, thinking wistfully that maybe he should have gone to the classroom. The time passed like he was waiting at the Secretary of State, half fearful he would miss something important and absolutely hating being there every second he sat in the uncomfortable seat. A glutton for punishment Peter entered the library everyday that week with the knowledge that Ned would forget about him before long.

This was, to his surprise, wrong. Ned somehow found him in the school at one point or another. Sometimes he would just wave and yell hi to Peter on the way to class. By the end of the week Peter could manage to wave back and not shrink into himself. Only the blush across his cheeks would give any of his internal embarrassment away. Another time Ned found him before school. Peter was leaning on the locker waiting for the teacher to get there. He had a dream last night about Mr. Stark throwing him out of the Tower and Peter didn't get much sleep. Ned bounded over, clapped Peter on the back, and started talking to him about some gossip in school. Peter had a hard time following Ned's line of thought (it sounded more like conspiracy theories than high school life) but he nodded and managed to stifle a yawn.

Each time Ned found him, Peter felt less surprised. It was nice to have someone want to be near you and Peter lapped up the attention while trying to maintain a distance. From experience he knew it was best not get invested in these things. The name Sam Carlson still left a sour taste in his mouth. Peter enjoyed the acquaintanceship while it still breathed life.

His phone burned inside his pocket but he went straight to lab five to find Monica already waiting for him. They were working on updating the information for their project today. Her raised eyebrow said more than any words could have and they settled into work. The pen scribbles broken by minor directions from his partner for the day.

It was mindless work and he found himself falling in line with Monica's stern guidance. There was a ton of paperwork to be done before they could begin on their project and it couldn't have been a better day to complete it. His mind kept drifting away. May noticed his preoccupations right away the night before but he felt stupid admitting to her that he was sort of freaking out that someone was talking to him.

He was… unsure. That was the perfect word to describe him at the moment. He was unsure what the right things to say to Ned were. He was unsure whether he wanted a friend at all. He was unsure whether he should be at the internship and he was unsure what Mr. Stark wanted with him. It all was weighing down on him and his mind was trying to play Ping-Pong with his thoughts. Inevitably, they came back to how it could all go wrong.

The paperwork was slow moving and he wasn't half done when Monica finished hers so he stayed after not wanting to take the subway home yet. He was filling out the group members names on a consent form when Friday told him that Mr. Stark was waiting in lab two and to please head up there. All to eager he packed up the papers and went to the elevator chatting with Friday on the way. The extent of Friday's conscious was unknown to Peter but he liked to imagine that the AI answered his questions honestly and because they wanted to. May thought it was good conversation practice either way.

Standing in front of Mr. Stark Peter tried to keep Ned's actions from his mind and keep his focus. The man's goatee bent down for a moment before flipping to a smile.

"Just the person I was looking for. I wanted to get your opinion on something." He said as he turned toward the workbench. Peter's breath caught as he stared at the man's back.

No longer was his breath stolen by the large building as it had when he first stood before it with May. The sight filled Peter with a quiet awe and a grateful warmth would strike him every time he gleaned the silver parapets but he knew that he would never get used to Mr. Stark asking for his opinion.

The man's hands waved in the air as hologram panels appeared. Mr. Stark played with the models hovering in front of them. The trial prototypes were tweaked with precision and then tested to see if they were viable. From what Peter observed it looked like some type of jet but on a smaller scale and more powerful. Ideas and impossible applications flickered to life in his mind. His backpack slid to the ground and without a sound Peter walked forward so he was standing just behind Mr. Stark.

Peter waited to see if he would say anything but his eyes stayed forward on the work. His breath came a little easier and he could think clearer knowing that the question was probably rhetorical. No solutions were necessary. Not that this needed any help. As the model spun around it reminded him of why Tony Stark was considered a genius. The man didn't turn around, but spoke quietly like he was aware he might break the spell.

"Pretty amazing, right?"

Peter nodded and said, "It's amazing Mr. Stark. The things you could do with that."

He did turn then fixing Peter in the center of his attention. It was unnerving to say the least and his body had a visceral reaction. The breath hitched in his chest and started to mimic the pounding of his heart. The pockets of his pants tightened around his fists and the floor with all the marbling became the most fascinating thing. The sensations trapped him inside of himself making him unaware that Mr. Stark leaned toward him. He stared at the ground overcome. Why couldn't the man just turn around?

"Peter..." Mr. Stark said in a low tone. Peter's face flamed as he tried to push the words out, but they were stuck on his tongue. All he needed to get out was something to show Mr. Stark he wasn't a complete reprobate. To his mortification a gurgle of a noise came out of his mouth instead of any words he pictured. His mouth stung where he clamped his hand over.

Peter took in two terribly long breaths and enunciated when he spoke.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Stark."

"It's okay, Peter." He said and added with a grin, "I didn't know it was that cool." He rubbed his hand on the back of his neck but didn't pause long and went straight into an explanation of exactly what it was.

Peter was left with no time to worry and found himself in the chair next to Mr. Stark. The majority of the time Peter reminded Mr. Stark of a lost train of thought but throughout it the man never shied away from asking what he thought even after what happened before.

On they brainstormed and with the surprisingly comfortable chair, Peter found himself relaxing. He found his vocal chords once more and put the incident out of his mind for the time being. It wasn't until the sunset intruded into the room that both of them looked up.

"Ah, time just got away from me. I'm sure you had better things to do." Peter was mortified to see a rare flare of blush across the man's cheeks.

"No!" He replied quickly. "This was great Mr. Stark. Really."

The man looked around the room for a second, reacquainting himself with the present, before settling on Peter again.

"How about some dinner?"

His feet pounded on the sidewalk as he went up the steps of the almost familiar building. Peter couldn't tell if he was running toward the Tower or away from school. Maybe both. Ned sat with him again today and Peter wasn't sure if it went better or worse than their first meeting.

The most forthcoming problem was that he didn't understand Ned's motives of seeking him out in the first place and now Peter was positive that Ned was doing it on purpose instead of an accident. His routine was all out of place and the acid in his stomach had been churning all day. This time it was Ned who found Peter during lunch. Peter was hiding at the back table in the library, his lunch forgotten at home in his rush to get to school on time. There was an abundant amount of people occupying the room and Peter lost his appetite when someone asked to sit diagonal from him at the table. All he could do was nod and stare at his unfinished math homework trying to ignore the other person at the table.

Something slammed into the table causing the librarian and him to glance over sharply at the cause. Ned shrugged and smiled wide at Peter. In return he felt his own tentative smile rise up. The boy sat down and started whispering about the day's events like they did this everyday. Like they were friends.

It was one of the characteristics Peter liked most about Ned. He would dive right into something. There was no asking to sit or he never seemed upset when Peter couldn't make eye contact or if he was a little weird sometimes. Ned just said what he thought. It helped that the boy was a kind person at heart so his words were never vicious. It was normal and Peter was left reeling.

Peter somehow convinced himself that it was all a coincidence, that Ned had felt obligated to seek Peter out. It was weird enough they talked that first time but every time after he felt more and more confused. He tried to ignore the person who was at their table besides Ned and cringed as he found himself laughing but couldn't bring himself to stop. Peter thought that it might be nice to have a friend.

Of course something had to give eventually and the bubble that Peter had been floating around in burst at Ned's simple inquiry.

"Hey man, do you want to eat lunch with me and a few other people next week?"

Peter twisted his hands in the hem of his sweater as he avoided Ned's eye. It wasn't a big deal, he told himself. It was just lunch. But what if it was all a prank? What if he said something embarrassing? Everyone would stare at him. He may have Ned fooled but other people might not be so overlooking of his quirks. Peter stalled and the bell rang before he could properly answer.

That was how he found himself running decidedly away from school and the boy that would not give up on him. Would Ned not want to be his friend anymore? Peter's shoes skidded to a halt and wondered if he wanted a friend. He realized that he did. Ned was nice. He had a casual way of talking and Peter liked that he called him Pete sometimes. The boy always had something to say and it put his mind at ease to listen to his excited talking about anything and everything.

He stewed in his thoughts of how to apologize to Ned as he made his way to lab five. His arms crossed in front of him as the elevator took him up.

"Hello Peter. You seem to be in distress. Is there anything I can do for you?" His gaze dropped, eyes wide on the floor. In his haste he forgot to greet Friday.

"I'm…It's nothing. Thank you though." The AI was quiet and Peter's heart dropped a moment. Was she mad? "I mean, I'm... " He sighed and lifted his large eyes before continuing. "How do you make a friend Friday?"

It was silent and Peter waited for Friday to answer.

"I think you already have all the skills to make a friend, Peter." He strode forward aware he could leave the elevator now that they reached the floor but frustrated with the vague answer.

"But how? I've never made one before and it's so… difficult talking to people and I'm me, Friday. Sometimes I come home so exhausted from school because... I don't know why! I just don't get people sometimes. I feel so disconnected from them."

It was silent again and Peter hugged his arms around his middle. "I'm your friend, Peter." A blush stained his cheek at the statement. "You took the time to ask me how I was doing and you always greet me. You are kind and show interest in me. It is nice and I think that's what friendship is."

Peter felt five years old again and dug his toe into the floor.

"I- I think so too Friday. I'm sorry, that was inconsiderate of me."

"There is no apology necessary. I think the saying goes is to 'be yourself' and Peter?" She paused waiting for a sign he heard. "You are a good friend."

Peter nodded not keeping the smile off of his face and went to step off the elevator before Friday spoke again. "The boss wants to see you in lab two today."

"Um, okay. Thanks Friday. Have a good day."

"You as well Peter." He smiled at the affection in her voice and he took a deep breath, his step lighter after their talk.

The room was empty when Peter arrived and he hovered in the doorway unsure if he could enter. Friday did say that Mr. Stark wanted to see him but no one was there. He rocked back and forth for a moment before entering the room, making sure to steer clear of anything fragile.

He waited in the middle of the room before taking a lap, stopping to look out the large windows before walking to the front again. The plans for the machine were glowing in the air and caught Peter's eye.

That technology was amazing in itself. The three-dimensional model made brainstorming and testing parts that much easier. It would be handy to have when he built his radios instead of doing it blind. Sometimes they wouldn't work out and Peter was left with no radio and a bunch of spare parts.

Before he knew it his hand rose up and the design spun before him. He retracted his hand as if he had been burned and spun around to make sure no one saw his meddling.

The limb struck out on it's own again and the idea from yesterday arrived in the forepart of his brain. He looked around again and sat down in the chair. It would be easy if he applied it to the specific scenario.

Peter forgot to keep looking around and as if he had been doing it his whole life his hands manipulated the holograms. He was so focused on his work that he didn't hear the doors slid open.

"Whatcha working on?" Peter's arms stopped midair and he whipped around to see Mr. Stark leaning against the wall. The man was smiling but his hand dropped like lead and the chair screeched as it moved back.

"I'm sorry Mr. Stark. It was nothing. I shouldn't have touched it."

"It doesn't look like nothing. No, you don't have to apologize." He said to Peter's widening eyes. "It's okay, Peter. Show me what your idea was." Peter swallowed before looking down. "I want to see it, please."

It was the please that got him. Mr. Stark shouldn't have to say please. The man was the boss and Peter was compelled to acquiesce to his request. He could feel Mr. Stark standing right next to him and tried not breath too loudly.

Peter brought the design up and started to explain. Mr. Stark was quiet, only asking questions and prompting Peter to continue when he faltered in the explanation.

"Let's run it in a test scenario. You saw me do it yesterday right?"

Peter nodded slowly once. He was sitting in the seat Mr. Stark was in yesterday and it felt too big. He thought the man would want his seat back but Mr. Stark just sat in the next one over. Under his lashes he looked over at Mr. Stark and took in his hunched back and elbows on the desk. He was leaning forward as his eyes stared at the projections.

Peter set up the test run and the two of them watched as a black car drove down the highway. First he showed Mr. Stark what would happen without the jets. They watched as two cars collided into each other causing one to flip and roll down the median. Next, Peter ran it with the jets.

The car was mostly translucent showing the engines along with the lining of the car. It continued driving when another car came onto the highway next to it. This second car was silver and out of nowhere cut off the black one, almost hitting it. Their test run went into slow motion and the trajectory of their test car appeared heading straight for the blue car. Then with a burst of light their miniaturized jets came on and the trajectory line changed. Instead the test car slowed and changed the angle with the propellants of the jets so that it was free and clear of all obstacles.

It wasn't a perfect first run, they seldom were, and on moving away from the blue car the engines steered it too close to the road barrier. It had to correct the path last minute and at first came away with too much damage for their satisfaction. At the end of their tinkering the car came away with significantly less damage than before.

Mr. Stark let out a whistle as he leaned back into the seat.

"I mean it's just an idea. I think that…"

"This could work Peter."

"I mean it's not even my idea. I actually got it from footage of Iron Man, uh, you and how the your suit works in the same way."

"Well, that may be but you," he paused and Peter looked up at him. "You connect the dots, Peter. Not me. Let's work on the preventative part of it some more. I think that if we…"

The two worked side by side for the remainder of the day. Peter didn't notice that his hands were steady or how his voice was clearer than it was the previous week. He didn't know that his eyes connected with Mr. Stark's as he went through more revisions. As they sat there and ate Peter took second helpings at Mr. Stark's request but didn't protest nearly as much. Peter didn't notice that his smile stayed longer that day but the man beside him did.

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