Hi all! Thank you so much for your well-wishes. The hospital let me go, so I hope it's only uphill from now. (I know it won't be, but one can hope)

The newest Avenger

The last thing Peter Parker had expected to see today was Happy Hogan standing in his school's bathroom. Normally, he would have been quite happy to see the (frankly very rude) man, but on top of everything else, he wasn't sure if he wanted to deal with Happy.

"Hi, Happy… How are you doing?", he asked

"I… I really owe you one. I don't know what I would do without this job. Before I met Tony, I…"

Happy's surprising declaration was rather unceremoniously cut short by someone flushing the toilet. The kid awkwardly walking out and carefully washing his hands was a couple of years below Peter, so he didn't actually know him. Peter wasn't sure if this made the situation more or less awkward.

"How long have you been here?", he asked Happy, not daring to make a comment about his job being in security.

"Long enough to make it weird. Boss wants to see you."

Peter couldn't stop himself from envisioning Tony Stark hiding out in a high school toilette.

"Is he here, too?", he whispered.

"In the toilette? No. Come on."

Peter followed Happy outside, where a car was waiting. When Happy opened the door for him, Peter nervously slid inside and almost screamed in shock. Tony Stark was already sitting inside, looking at him behind tinted glasses.

"Mr Parker, it's a joy to see you alive and well."

"Mr Stark! I… What… I… I mean… What are you doing here?"

"Here? In my car? Driven by my employee?"

"Yes. No. Ehm. Hi!"

"Hi. And to answer your question: I just realized that for some reason my brother and I always have important conversations in a car. This conversation is important. So I brought a car. Happy! Drive us around. A drive in, maybe. I feel like a cheeseburger. Do you feel like a cheeseburger?"

"Ehm. Yes?"

"Cheeseburger it is."

They sat in silence for a bit, until Peter couldn't take it anymore.

"You and your brother always talk in cars?"

"Not always, no. But surprisingly often."

"Your brother isn't exactly human, is he?"

"Oh. He is very human. He is just… enhanced.'

"Cool. You guys talking again?", Peter knew it was the wrong thing to ask the moment he said it. Stark's slightly wistful expression closed down immediately.

"My brother", he explained through gritted teeth, "feels like he always had to safe everyone. As soon, as he realizes that Barnes is no victim, he and I will be fine again."

Peter nodded dutifully, but he remembered the determined look on the younger Stark Brother. The conviction, that he was right… There was no way in hell, it would all fall back into place like that. And Peter didn't think Mr Stark actually believed that.

He shivered at the memory of the cloaked CEO standing straight, arm pointing right at him. There had been a blinding light. A heavy weight hitting his chest… And then nothing. He had awoken hours later in a jet that had to be send for them all, since the other team had so rudely taken their ride.

Harry Stark had managed to knock him out with one word. Enhanced. That was one word for it.

"Anyway. I am not here because of my pig headed brother. I am here because of you."

Peter braced himself for the scolding of a lifetime. That never came.

"I am here to apologize. I told you to stay out of it. I told you to stay home. And then I didn't tell you what was going on. I am sorry, Peter. I should have known better. I have seen it happen before. It almost got you killed. Just like it almost got my brother killed too many times to count."

Peter blinked at him in shock.

"I… I… Thank you."

"It won't happen again. Here.", Mr Stark handed him a piece of carton. Pizza? It smelled of tuna and had a number scribbled on it, "That's my number. My private, private number. Not too many people have it. You use it. If you get in trouble. Or just… you use it. "

"I will.", Peter looked at the paper. Gobsmacked. Call him. Just like that?

The screen separating them from Happy went down.

"We are here, Boss."

"Mh. That looks like a queue. Wanna go in?"

"In? Where people… Can see us?"

"Is there something wrong with me taking my favourite intern out for burgers? I don't think so."

Happy parked the car and opened the door for the both of them. Insisting to open the doors to the restaurant, too.

When he started to carefully look around, Tony gave him an annoyed look.

"Are you afraid someone knew beforehand I would come here and lie in hiding?"

"You can never be too careful. Someone could try something.", Happy defended himself.

Mr Stark didn't respond, instead joining the queue and looking at his options.

"What do you want, kid?"

Peter noticed that people were starting to stare, whispering rather obviously, but that didn't seem to bother Mr Stark.

When the first person started to approach them, Happy stepped in between them, shaking his head menacingly.

No fans today, his stare was saying.

Bo

th Peter and Mr Stark ordered and retreated to the farthest corner, Happy standing a little apart and glaring at everyone.

"I haven't been inside one of these for ages. Used to take my nieces and nephews sometimes. Our secret. When no parents were around."

"You must have been careful then. One of the girls in my class did a presentation in social studies on how the super rich deal with their fame. There were like… three pictures of your brother's kids.", Peter blurted out. There weren't any more on the internet, either. Peter had started looking into Harry Stark like crazy, when he had met the man in person. He strongly suspected his "enhancement" had something to do with why he was so good at hiding.

"Funnily enough, people don't expect me to walk into a restaurant with a bunch of rowdy kids.", Mr Stark shrugged, chewing on one of his multiple burgers.

"Mr Stark…", Peter started carefully, "About that internship thing…"

"You mean the cover you kept using for your… activities?"

"Yes. About that… I know I've kept asking about a spot with the Avengers..."

"Yes, and it is yours. I already set everything in motion. We'll have to move you to the compound, of course. We'll have to tell your aunt then. Your rooms are being prepared as we speak. I have a new and improved suit for you. And we'll hold a press conference to introduce you to the world. Well, the part that hasn't seen your videos on Youtube, that is. So, senators and stuff."

"I can't."

At his words, Peter saw Mr Stark's face fall.

"What? You have been nagging me for…"

"I know!", Peter interrupted him, "But I can't. With everything that just happened. Everything I just saw. I could have died. I almost did. Several times. And Liz and her Dad and...Aunt May. I can't. Not now. I… I think you are right. What you said before. About me staying home for now. At least."

"All right, if that is, what you want…"

"It is."

Mr Stark stayed silent for a moment, staring off into the distance. Peter turned around slightly and followed his eyeline to find a man sitting at the other end of the restaurant, chatting happily with two young kids.

"That is settled then, if you are sure.", Mr Stark finally broke his silence, turning his attention back to Peter, "Happy! I feel like a milkshake. Do you feel like a milkshake? Happy, go get us all milkshakes. Bring yourself one."