Hey look it's me back again with another fic I may never finish. But in all seriousness I have been thinking about my girl Tess a lot lately especially with all the spiderman love going on. This starts before Civil War and works as both an origin story for Tess and Peter. I will also be deviating from canon at points because it's my fic and I get to do what I want.
Enjoy!
A TRIP TO OSCORP
"This building would be the worst place to be when an earthquake hits."
Tess turned her attention to the taller girl beside her, MJ staring up at the hanging glass structures and open skylight of Oscorp Tower. Her friend was squinting at the architecture with her patented look of disdain for all things extravagant and unnecessary, which Tess had learned a long time ago stemmed from MJ's eccentric mother. "The architecture makes it impossible to evacuate."
Tess, however, was currently examining the worksheet Mr. Harrington had handed out to them after their initial tour of the first floor of the facility. "I'll bring it up to Harry the next time I see him," She spoke nonchalantly, jotting down the answers she already knew to make her life easier. At the sound of the Osborn heir's name, MJ snapped to attention, brows curled into an unreadable expression. "I never understood what you saw in him. He always seemed too shallow for you."
Tess rolled her eyes and let out a scoff. She loved Michelle, she really did, but goddamn it was hard to be her friend when she was so blunt all the time. "Blame it on my taste in men, I guess," Her lips quirked up in a smirk, Michelle mirroring the expression as the darker-skinned girl turned her attention to the worksheet in her hands.
"You said it, not me."
A gentle push of her shoulder sent Michelle chuckling, and even Tess couldn't keep the small smile off her face as they continued to wander the open areas of Oscorp Industries, one of the only field trips Midtown was allowed. They alternated between Stark Industries and Oscorp Industries every year, and despite Tess's pleading and prayers, she'd been saddled with the company her ex-boyfriend would soon be in charge of.
She much would have preferred Stark Industries if only to convince her dad to let her see the labs that would've been off limits.
Plus, Oscorp's scientific focus did nothing to further her own interests at all. They were all about biochemical engineering and cross-species studies. Which was fascinating and definitely catered to the Midtown Student Body, but Tess was much more interested in artificial intelligence and neurological engineering. Part of the reason why she was pushing for an internship with Stark Industries so hard was because of Tony Stark's work with artificial intelligence. Sure, it may had led to a sentient robot dropping an entire city like something out of a sci-fi movie, but it was still a feat to be admired.
Tess had been glued to the news ever since, only a few weeks passing since what the news was calling "The Battle of Sokovia."
She and her dad had discussed it for hours after he'd found out that Ultron had been a project Stark had been working on for years, debating everything except the moral consequences of the project.
How had it achieved sentience?
Was the code flawed? Or had it simply learned and adapted?
Could the same code be applied to human pathways as well?
That last question had been the subject of Tess's research since she started at Midtown. Trying to discover neural pathways or possible ways to interface code with a human brain. So far, she'd been unsuccessful. Although considering she was only fifteen, she supposed she shouldn't feel too bad.
Her dad hadn't figured out his magnum opus until after he'd left his job as a visual effects artist for Legacy Studios. And that was well after she was born.
No, she had plenty of time left to figure out her project. For now she should probably finish up her worksheet so Mr. Harrington doesn't yell at her for getting distracted…again.
She was nearing the final third of the worksheet when she rounded a corner, smacking directly into a person taller than her, although that honestly could've been anyone with how tiny she was.
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry–"
"Are you alright–?"
A pair of big brown eyes stared directly at her, apologetic and grimacing as he helped stabilize her. Her own apology died on her lips when she realized who it was.
Peter Parker.
Second in their class–behind her, of course–and the only other person who had applied for the Stark Internship the same time she had. Tess had no other reason to dislike him, except for the fact that he constantly managed to get himself and their class in unnecessary trouble. She pulled her arms free of his grip, adjusting her red henley and crossing her arms, worksheet dangling carelessly from her fingertips. "I'm fine," She spoke curtly, chest panging slightly as Parker's expression changed into something resembling a wounded puppy.
"Oh okay, just wanted to make sure."
Peter shoved his hands in his pockets, bouncing nervously on the balls of his feet, one hand running through his fluffy head of hair periodically. Tess squinted. The worksheet was tucked lazily in his front pocket, folded into thirds like he'd finished it a long time ago.
He probably had.
Her blood boiled at the thought. Here Peter was playing scientist while she was still trying to finish the damn thing. She didn't consider herself competitive by any means, but something about Peter Parker irked her to no end.
The boy paid less attention than she did in classes but somehow always managed to ace the tests and quizzes without so much as a study session.
It was aggravating.
"What were you doing?" The words left her mouth before she could stop them, and somehow Peter's eyes grew even wider.
His lips tightened, "Uh…nothing, I was just—I was finishing up the project, that's all." His voice cracked on the last word and Tess arched an eyebrow.
"There's nothing on the worksheet about cross-species analysis," She pointed to the door behind him, and Peter's face turned redder than a tomato. Check and Mate.
Peter's mouth flapped open and shut, trying to come up with a valid excuse for his whereabouts when a more imposing figure showed up behind him.
"Mr. Parker," A lithe man with reddish blonde hair and a lab coat spoke with a soft voice, "Is there something else I can help you with?"
The man was around her dad's age, perhaps slightly older, but that didn't make him any less intimidating. Because Tess was pretty sure that Midtown students weren't supposed to be in this wing of the tower, let alone creating personal connections with the employees. But then again, Peter Parker had a bad habit of getting himself into places where he wasn't supposed to be.
"Hi, Dr. Connors," Peter spoke with the same embarrassed tone he always did, voice dropping off into a mumble near the end of his sentences. "Sorry, I was uh, I was looking for the bathroom and I got lost."
The doctor chuckled and pointed him in the right direction, "Don't worry son, it's easy to get lost around here." His green eyes landed directly on Tess, whose gaze widened slightly when she caught sight of where his other arm should be. "Hello there, I don't believe we've had the pleasure. Doctor Curtis Connors."
She grasped his good hand in hers and shook. Far be it from her to snub a scientist from a company she might work for one day, especially one with only one arm, "Tess Beck. I'm uh, a classmate of Peter's."
"How marvelous," Dr. Connors spoke with a small smile, "Beck, that name sounds quite familiar."
Tess's cheeks grew red. She loved her dad but it was always embarrassing having to talk about her family to anyone who she didn't know that well. And unfortunately thanks to her dad's rising fame, it was becoming more and more prevalent. "You probably know my dad, Quentin Beck. He's uh…he works with Stark Industries."
Recognition flashed across the older man's face, "Ah yes! I've met him a few times at conferences, incredibly talented and incredibly resilient." Dr. Connors twisted his lip up into a smile, "If you are anything like him, then Midtown is lucky to have you."
The compliment sent her stomach flopping, but she couldn't help the small smile that stretched across her lips.
Dr. Connors turned back to Peter, "I'm afraid I must be going now, but please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions. Your parents were great friends of mine, I would be happy to help you in any way I can."
Something indecipherable passed over Peter's face and he shook the Doctor's good hand, "Thank you Dr. Connors, I appreciate it."
The man nodded at both of them and swiped his keycard, disappearing down the hallway.
Peter shrugged at Tess's tilted head, huffing as she spun on her heels and continued on her way to finish up the worksheet.
Add charming every adult in the world to the list of annoying things Peter Parker is able to do without effort.
The last stop on the sheet were the cadaver labs that Oscorp kept in the far corner of the first floor, incidentally, right by the Starbucks. Tess wasn't quite sure how to feel about that. After realizing that she and Peter had been the only ones to finish the worksheet and they still had about thirty minutes left, she pulled out her wallet and decided to treat herself to a late day iced coffee.
"Funny seeing you here," an accented voice sent her stomach twisting and suddenly she was thankful that no one else was around to witness this. "I thought you said you wanted nothing to do with me ever again."
Tess whipped around with a saccharine smile on her face, blue eyes that matched hers boring into her. "Harry, how are you?"
The Osborn heir wasn't much taller than Peter, dark hair cropped close to his skull. Yet somehow he still hadn't changed in the year they'd been broken up. He still wore those damnably comfortable flannels over a v-neck tee, jeans cuffed to show off the many pairs of converse he owned. His lips perked up into a smirk when he caught sight of the piece of paper in her hand. "So you got saddled with Oscorp this year then?"
"Unfortunately," Tess muttered, wishing she could've been anywhere else. She would be lying if she said she didn't get butterflies in her stomach whenever Harry was around, but at this point she was unsure whether they were anxious butterflies or crush butterflies. Probably the former considering she only dated Harry for a few months. "MJ says your dad needs better safety measures by the way."
Harry's mirthless chuckle sent her chest panging, "Same old MJ then. And your dad?"
Tess crossed her arms, softening slightly, "He's doing okay, thanks for asking."
Harry nodded, digging his toe deeper into the fine marble beneath him, "I know we left things in a weird place but…" He handed Tess her coffee, a soft look on his face as he did so, "If you need anything, you can always call me."
She looked up at him, chest constricting as her usually hard exterior melted away into an expression very few people had the pleasure of seeing. "I know, and I'm sorry about…everything I just–"
"It's okay Tess," Harry shook her apologies away, "Believe me, I'm over it."
Her mouth twitched upward into a small smile as she tapped her fingers against the plastic cup, the drink already sweating and creating wet spots on her palms. "Thank you, Harry."
He smiled and shoved his hands in his pockets as he left, "Anytime Tess."
Her thick heeled combat boots smacked against the floor as she made her way back to the foyer, collapsing into a large chair to wait for her teacher and remaining classmates to return. Taking a sip of her caramel drink, she scrolled through her phone, retaining zero information as she mindlessly double tapped instagram posts and the snapchat stories that flitted across her screen.
Bored with her social media, she began to google the scientist she'd met earlier.
Several results came up, including an article about his work on cross species genetics. She clicked on a few of the main articles, her own curiosity getting the better of her.
Apparently he'd been in town to present his doctoral studies at Columbia University when he'd been caught up in the attack on New York. He'd been pinned down by a car thrown aside by a rampaging Hulk and lost his arm in the surgery following the attack.
Not long after, Norman Osborn showed up with an offer he couldn't refuse.
CNN and NBC had done an entire segment on him. Tess vaguely remembered seeing something about a Doctor caught in the explosion but in all honesty, there was little Tess remembered about the Battle of New York.
She plugged her earbuds in and listened to a few of the video interviews before clicking onto several others with Norman Osborn about the rising crime rates and the tragedy in Sokovia. She scoffed.
Tess wasn't the biggest fan of the Avengers by any means, but she did think they did more good than harm. She just wished there were a few more to deal with the creepy men and drug dealers that waited outside her dad's apartment every night.
A neighborhood avenger maybe.
Just so she wouldn't have to worry about keeping her keys between her knuckles when getting off the train.
It wasn't long before another presence joined her, sitting in the chair directly across from her own. Peter Parker placed his beat up sneakers on the coffee table in the middle of the waiting area, headphones in as he bobbed along to whatever music he was listening to. Tess didn't know why she couldn't look away, but thank goodness she didn't because otherwise she would've missed the yelp coming from Peter's mouth, or the almost imperceptible flinch as he smacked something on the back of his hand.
Her gaze narrowed once again.
Peter Parker was up to something, and she would find out exactly what it was.