Thursday morning found Peter still reeling as he stood lock kneed at the departure gate in LaGuardia. His four traveling companions chatted idly around him, waiting for their group number to be called. They were part of a handpicked team selected to work on a covert arc reactor project at Fermilab in Batavia, Illinois. Peter vaguely remembered Tony shouting something about reading his arc reactor research as his bodyguard had hauled him away at Fuse, but any speculation he and Ned had had about Tony's comment had been driven away by Tony's…present.

Peter blushed even now just thinking about that phone call. When he'd gotten the memo that he'd be on the arc reactor project, he'd been secretly hoping to meet Tony at the airport, but the CEO's conspicuous absence from their group rattled Peter unpleasantly. Had he pushed the boundaries too far? He groaned at the words Tony had pulled from him. Maybe Tony had changed his mind about Peter or had grown tired of him. Or maybe someone had finally convinced him that phone sex with an employee was exactly what had gotten them in trouble with HR in the first place.

His group moved forward to the gate, and Peter followed them instinctively, barely registering holding out his boarding pass. He was delighted to see he had the window seat as he stashed his laptop in the overhead bin. The flight from LaGuardia to Chicago O'Hare was barely two and half hours, and he planned to catch a few winks while he could. He had a feeling once he was able to stand in the presence of a particle accelerator, he'd be too excited to sleep.

Plopping down beside him sat one of the few other employees in his department that was in his age bracket. Shuri was bubbly and brilliant, and Peter was looking forward to getting to know her better. In her six years at SI, she had filed scores of patents, heralded dozens of inventions, and had even discovered an alloy that was stronger and lighter than steel, which she dubbed Vibranium.

"I read your notes on the arc reactor. Clever. I can see why Mr. Stark put together this team to research it further. What I can't understand is how you plan to keep such a heavy element stable for a long enough period of time for the arc reactor to be a viable piece of technology. Enough clean energy to power all of New York City is all well and good unless that burst of power only lasts a couple of seconds."

So much for a nap. Peter would have been annoyed about missing out on some much needed rest if such excitement hadn't been behind Shuri's words and visage. It would be refreshing to spend a few days working with people who could not only keep up with him but could also challenge his ideas.

"I figured the first step would be to see if this new element could even be synthesized. It would be a moot point to create a way to stabilize it if it doesn't even exist in the first place."

Shuri grinned at him slyly and opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by an older man in a gray suit and purple shirt with an easy smile. He slipped into the third seat and held out his hand to Shuri and Peter. "Bruce Banner," he introduced himself. Peter's jaw dropped, and Shuri's eyes twinkled with delight. Suddenly, Peter was seized by doubt. For this project to have attracted such extraordinary minds as Dr. Banner's… It was one thing to dabble in thought experiments in an isolated lab; it was another to have world renowned scientists such as Dr. Banner flown out to Fermilab to test…what? An element that probably wouldn't exist for more than a few microseconds, if at all? His heart stuttered, and he had to remember to breathe.

Shuri was much more at ease, excitedly asking Dr. Banner about his latest research on gamma rays, specifically the launch of the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope and its findings thus far. Dr. Banner answered her questions politely before deflecting and asking about her work with vibranium and its technical applications. As their flight continued, Peter found himself more at ease, asking questions of the others and thankful that neither brought up Peter's work. All too soon, the plane was touching down in Chicago O'Hare.

After collecting their luggage, they were greeted by Happy, who thankfully ignored Peter, though he was sure there was much the bodyguard wanted to say to him. Happy drove the team of five to their hotel in Batavia, roughly thirty minutes west of the airport. As they drove, they introduced themselves. In addition to himself, Shuri, and Dr. Banner, they were joined by quantum physicist Hope Pym and neurosurgeon Stephen Strange who had branched into metaphysics following a horrific car accident that impaired his hands. And of course, joining them shortly, would be—

Peter's breath caught in his throat when Tony stole into the hotel lobby. The sharp lines of his pristine, tailored suit drew all eyes to him, but his DITA sunglasses blocked exactly where Tony's line of sight lay. Self-consciously, Peter felt out of place in his traveling clothes: ragged blue jeans and a dorky shirt with a physics joke. His eyes roamed their group, and he realized he was the only one dressed so casually. Even Happy wore a suit. Fuck.

Tony clasped his hands together and, barreling over Dr. Strange's questions, turned to the group and said, "I know you just landed, but I know I'd like to get started. The conference room is"—he pointed down the hall—"right over there. The concierge will bring your luggage up to your rooms. Now if you'll all—" Tony strode off before finishing his sentence.

Shrugging, Dr. Banner followed Tony, Shuri hot on his heels. Dr. Hope Pym sighed and mumbled something about having wanted to freshen up before getting started. Dr. Strange looked ready to strangle someone, and Peter gave him a wide berth as they brought up the rear.

The conference room was fully stocked with coffee and snacks. Plates and cups were loaded up before the genius minds took their seats around the table. Eyes navigated naturally toward Tony at the head of the table, but as he was staring intently at Peter, attention slowly shifted his way. Halfway through a powdered donut, Peter froze, infinitely aware of the sticky mess coating his fingers and mouth. He slowly lowered the donut to his plate and used a napkin to swipe away most of the powdered sugar, refusing to look down to see how much had landed on his shirt.

What the fuck did the others expect of him?

Clearing his throat, he took a tentative sip of the coffee. Expecting the typically horrible fare generally served at hotels, he was surprised by the rich, bold flavor. Most assuredly better quality beans than he even bought for himself at home. One more glance around the table showed that, yup, everyone was still staring at him. What the fuck was he supposed to say?

He waved awkwardly. "Hello."

Dr. Hope Pym, thankfully, saved him from any further trauma. "Mr. Stark, I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say how excited we are to get the chance to work on this project with you. If we are able to synthesize element 119—"

"Element 120," Peter interrupted. He flushed brightly. How could he have interrupted Dr. Hope Pym of all people? He hastily began apologizing, but she was smiling.

"Why skip 119?" Dr. Strange asked.

Peter slid further into his chair. How was he supposed to explain his ideas to the most brilliant minds in the world? He had been simply dabbling in theoretical atomic theory—and he had been almost fired recently. He had zero qualifications—

But his mouth was working faster than his social anxiety. "119 is a prime number and may not stay as stable as a nice, composite number like 120. I theorize we can synthesize Unbinilium if we combine Radium and Germanium. But there still is, of course, the vast possibility that it will collapse on itself before anything sticks."

Shuri was nodding her head but Dr. Hope Pym was frowning again. "Then why use elements 88 and 32 to make 120? Why not Thorium and Zinc?"

"Because that combination has already been tried by Dr. Gottlieb and Dr. Caspari at CERN about two years ago."

Questions continued to fly around the table, and Peter slowly felt more comfortable with his role. They slowly formed a plan for the collider use, which they'd be able to have access to the following day, and the more they bounced ideas off one another, the more excited they became.

Throughout the discussion, Tony remained conspicuously silent, his expression hidden behind his sunglasses and coffee cup. Whenever he did pitch in the occasional idea, Peter felt a shiver of delight roll down his back, recalling easily other words Tony had whispered in his ear. He wanted nothing more than for Tony to tell everyone else to get out before throwing Peter on the table and sliding into him. Or maybe Tony would simply open his legs and pat his lap, and Peter could fall before him, engulfing his dick with his mouth, sucking him as far down as possible. Those sunglasses continued to obscure the direction of Tony's gaze, and Peter knew he'd throw them off given half the chance in order to meet Tony's deep brown eyes. He'd have Tony swallowed down to the root, focusing on forcing that thick meat into the back of his throat without choking, and he'd peer up at Tony, iridescent tears playing against his dark lashes, and the look Tony would return…

The others were standing up and stretching, and Peter had to shake himself embarrassingly loose from his daydream. Tony was still sitting at the head of the table, but now he was undoubtedly turned in Peter's direction. Peter's breath caught in his throat, and he felt pulled into Tony's orbit, spinning in tighter and tighter circles, an asteroid willing to throw itself into the sun. It wasn't until Shuri threw a casual arm around his shoulders that he was able to break free.

Shuri addressed the group. "I don't know about anyone else, but I'm starving. How about ordering a pizza?"

Bruce grinned. "I could eat."

"Dinner sounds lovely," said Hope, "but I'd really like to see my room first. It's been a very long day, and I'd like a chance to freshen up."

The group had moved into the lobby, and Happy addressed them, handing out key cards as he spoke. "Your luggage has already been brought to your rooms. Dr. Pym and Ms. Shuri, you're together in room 308. Dr. Banner and Mr. Parker, you're in room 316. Mr. Stark and Dr. Strange, you're in room 401."

Peter's heart dropped. Part of him had been hoping he'd get roomed with Tony. Or at least that Tony would have his own separate room. Peter imagined sneaking out of his room late at night, slipping through Tony's door, and getting bent over the bed. Or maybe Tony would want to take it nice and slow—

Happy's glare had the hair on the back of his neck tingling with sensed danger before he even saw the lasers boring into his skull. But there was no way Happy could have known what thoughts were going through Peter's head…right?

Shuri ordered the pizza and suggested they have dinner at the pool. Warmth flushed through Peter as he imagined Tony joining them wearing swim trunks. He'd felt that firm torso when he'd pressed against him at Bottom Feeders and so could only imagine how fantastic he'd look in a bathing suit. Would he get in the pool? When he emerged from the pool, would the water stick his trunks to his body, the outline of his cock—

"Are you alright?"

Peter startled back to awareness. He had been following Bruce to their shared room, but in his daydream, he had walked nearly four doors past their room. Shaking his head to clear it, he headed back toward Bruce. "Yeah, sorry. I'm just distracted thinking about—"

"The particle accelerator?"

Peter laughed. "Actually, I was thinking about pizza."

Once in the room, Peter took the opportunity to change into his bathing suit, thankful he had packed it on a whim. By the time Bruce and Peter met with Shuri at the pool, the pizza had already been delivered. Tony, Happy, Hope, and Stephen were ordering room service, and Peter's heart sank at the missed opportunity of being able to spend time with Tony. His daydream shrank and shriveled like a flower left without water. Dejectedly, he ate his pizza in semi silence, providing minimal conversation to Shuri and Bruce.

He must have dozed, exhausted from the plane ride and the meeting, for he woke up on a chaise lounge to the sound of water splashing. Cracking an eye open, he saw Shuri treading water in the middle of the pool. Bruce was nowhere to be seen. Stretching and yawning, Peter stood and made his way to the side of the pool.

"Have a nice nap?" Shuri teased. She gestured to her face and said, "You've got, ah…sleep marks."

Peter rubbed at his cheeks as if that would make the marks disappear before grinning sheepishly and joining her in the pool. "How long was I out?"

"Not long. Maybe an hour. Bruce already headed back to your room." She looked at him for a very long time, and Peter could see her weighing her next words very carefully. "Tony Stark hasn't been through here."

Peter froze. How much did Shuri know about their—relationship? Could he even call it that? Was she planning to go to Happy or HR with—?

With what? Peter forced himself to take deep breaths and calm down. He and Tony hadn't done anything improper on this trip. In fact, Tony hadn't even spoken to him and barely even looked at him. Unless Shuri could read minds, Peter had nothing to worry about.

When Peter remained silent, Shuri smiled gently. "It's alright. I won't tell anyone if you don't want them to know. It's just that you wear your emotions so plainly on your face, it was easy to see how you feel about him. But I won't bring it up again if it makes you uncomfortable." She swam to the edge of the pool and pulled herself out. "I'm going to head to my room. I'll see you tomorrow morning, Peter."

Peter watched her leave before exhaling heavily, tension releasing from his shoulders. He really had to be more careful. Even if he and Tony hadn't come together physically, the shadow of suspicion could be enough to bring them before HR again…and Peter really didn't want to risk losing his job.

And that was it, wasn't it? If he didn't want to lose his job, he should get his head on straight and drop all romantic thoughts of Tony from his mind. From this point on, he promised himself, he would steer clear of Tony. One visit to HR should have scared him enough in the first place, but he had been too busy thinking with his cock to—

His phone chimed, and he pulled himself from the pool to check his texts.

where are you?

All promises of removing Tony from his life were immediately revoked, his heart racing as he read and reread the text.

i'm at the pool

Peter glanced nervously over his shoulder like Gladys would appear behind him.

are you alone?

yes

No other texts came through, and Peter began to wonder if Tony was just trying to keep track of his employees.

Then Tony appeared before him.

He had changed into casual dark jeans and a plain black T-shirt. Gone were the sunglasses, nothing to block the intensity of Tony's gaze. The closer he strode toward Peter, the weaker he grew in the knees, bowing beneath those brown eyes.

Tony stepped into his space and made to wrap his arms around him but hesitated. "Can I…?"

Peter nodded, stepping forward into Tony's embrace, sighing as warm, firm arms encircled him. He was suddenly aware that he was dressed only in his swim trunks, his damp, bare chest scratching against Tony's shirt.

Tony pressed a kiss to the top of Peter's head before resting his cheek in his hair. "Today was difficult, being so close to you and not being able to touch."

"Mmm," Peter agreed. "I was worried…" He paused, blushing, wondering if Tony would scorn Peter divulging his true feelings.

"Worried…?" Tony encouraged him to continue the thought.

Taking a deep breath, Peter revealed, "You didn't look at me or speak to me. I began to think it was all a mistake, that I was the only one who wanted…this."

Lips covered his own, and Tony pulled him even further into his embrace. Their kiss stretched on, Tony doing his best to convey his apologies without the use of words. Tony's hand reached into Peter's thick hair, still wet from the pool, and entwined his fingers among the strands.

When Tony broke the kiss, Peter was out of breath. His brain struggled to comprehend Tony's words as he said, "I'm sorry I couldn't get you alone sooner. Happy has strict orders from Pepper to keep close tabs on me. But even if I'm your boss and HR has said we can't start a relationship, I want…" Tony trailed off and pulled Peter back into another kiss, his hands gripping Peter's shoulders tightly. Pulling back once more, he chuckled. "You smell like chlorine."

Peter glanced down between them. His swim trunks had soaked Tony's jeans. "I've gotten you wet."

A mischievous smirk pulled at Tony's lips. "There's a shower connecting the pool and the sauna. Join me?"