Chapter Twelve: Trouble in Not-So-Paradise

"Alright, Mr. Parker, I think we're done here," Dr. Cho informs Peter as she types away at her computer. Thankfully she hasn't bombarded him with too many questions, only the necessities. She doesn't seem to be particularly emotional either, instead relying on calculation and rationale. However, she seems like a nice and an all-around friendly person.

"Thank you, Dr. Cho. I appreciate you coming out on such short notice," Peter thanks sheepishly. He hates being a bother. Dr. Cho looks up from her typing and offers him a small smile.

"Not a problem. Now, let's go over what we talked about one more time. How are you going to prevent the sleep paralysis and apnea?" She figured out that Peter couldn't move or breathe last night because of sleep paralysis, which is apparently fairly common.

"I go to bed at the same time every night and get enough sleep." How in the world am I supposed to go to sleep at the same time when I'm out patrolling? It's not like I can control what time bad guys decide to leave Queens alone, Peter argues in his head. He's just glad Tony didn't tell Dr. Cho about him being Spider-Man.

"Good. Besides that, you're in good shape for someone your age. I'd like to see you put on some weight, though." If only Dr. Cho knew how much Peter had to eat in a day with his metabolism.

"I'll do my best," he assures anyways.

"You're one of my most cooperative patients Stark has ever given me. It was a nice change of pace." Dr. Cho smiles and Peter feels a strange sense of pride at her praise.

"Happy to help! Thanks again."

"You're welcome. Have a good night." With that, she closes her computer and they both leave the room. She walks down the hall, probably off to see another patient, and Peter walks back into the elevator. That went better than expected. Now he knows what caused the episode from last night and how to prevent it. He chuckles to himself, is this what progress feels like? But the further up he goes in the elevator, the faster his new hopes fade. His enhanced hearing allows him to hear voices through the walls, and they aren't happy.

"…not okay, Tony! How could you drag a fifteen year old kid out of the country?! You can't just do that because of who you are!" It's Pepper's voice without a doubt.

"I know it was a stupid move, okay? I was desperate and wasn't exactly firing on all cylinders! He's not that young, he can think for himself! He was almost fifteen!"

"He's too young regardless! Fourteen is way too young, he couldn't even legally drive at that age! I don't want excuses! And I don't want to have to hold a shaking child in my arms who shouldn't even be old enough to have PTSD in the first place! You saw him!" The yelling gets louder as Peter approaches the penthouse floor.

"I did my damndest to protect that kid! Why the hell do you think I made him that suit?! He was swinging around in pajamas before I met him!"

"So instead of giving him a suit to keep him safe, you used the suit to bribe him to join your team? And then took away the only that could protect him?! When will you finally realize that your actions have consequences just like the rest of us?! He could've gotten killed!"

"You don't think I realize that?!" Tony's voice gets more angry the more they argue.

"No! I don't think you do! The suit can't protect him if you take it away, Tony!"

"You don't know the whole story, alright?!"

"Obviously not! Communication is always too much for you! But no, I get no heads up that this poor kid is shattered . Can't you see that?!"

"Of course I can!" Tony sounds…pained. "I see it every damn time I look at him! I can't even look at him without feeling guilty that this kid is going through hell and that it's because of me ! And the kid's so fucking selfless that I almost have to force him to talk about how he feels! He thinks he can get through it alone! I only get so much time with him, Pepper! I'm doing my best to fix the shit I screwed up!" The elevator doors slowly open, but Peter doesn't dare to move a muscle. Luckily he doesn't see them, so they must be in their room. Do I make a run for my room? Before he can weigh out his options, Tony opens his bedroom door and slams it shut behind him. The man is breathing heavily and drags his hands through his slightly damp hair. Peter walks out of the elevator, acting like he didn't hear their fight. Tony stiffens at Peter's entrance and instantly pulls himself together. It's scary how fast he can go from looking like a mess to looking moderately put-together.

"Hi, Mr. Stark. What's, um, what's up?" Way to be awkward, Peter internally berates himself.

"Hey, kid. Dinner's in the fridge." Tony doesn't look up at Peter. After a beat of silence, he walks towards Peter with his hands in his black sweatpants' pockets. For a second Peter thinks Tony is coming over to talk to him, but the man walks past him. I should've known better.

"Where, where are you going?" Peter stutters nervously.

"Workshop." Tony is trying to be patient, Peter can tell.

"Do you maybe need some help? Y'know, if you want or need an extra pair of hands…" Please don't make me be alone.

"No thanks." Without looking at Peter once, the elevator doors shut in front of Tony and he disappears. That went…worse than expected. For a brief second, Peter feels like knocking on Pepper's door and even apologizing. It's my fault they got into a fight. He stops himself anyways, not wanting to bother her while she's obviously upset. I just…I don't know what to do. Whenever things start to feel okay again, I somehow mess it up. It's starting to feel like a curse. He chuckles humorlessly to himself as he slowly walks to his room. The Parker Curse.

He glances once at the kitchen area, but he has lost his appetite. May has plenty of food at the apartment now that she knows he's Spider-Man and he's leaving tomorrow, so he continues to the guestroom. He quietly shuts the door behind him and flop onto the bed. With a much needed deep breath, he checks his phone. There's a good handful of texts from Ned and a single text from May. All May's text says is "Call me when you can x." Peter presses his lips together and ruffles up his stiff hair before calling her.

"Hey there," May answers.

"Hi May."

"What'd you two mischief-makers get into today?" she asks with a playful tone. Peter does his best to match her energy.

"I think you've mistaken us for someone else. We never do anything wrong." He sounds as innocent as possible, a small smile making its way onto his face.

"Oh sure. Do you think I was born yesterday, young man?" May teases. Peter laughs quietly to not bother Pepper.

"We went to Mr. Delmar's today for lunch."

"Wow, that doesn't really seem like Stark's…taste. How did Mr. Delmar react?"

"Actually, Mr. Stark was kinda undercover. We didn't want any paparazzi issues," he answers honestly.

"How does it feel to be running around with a celebrity ." May's sarcasm is extremely obvious.

"It comes with its perks," Peter jokes.

"Like what?" Like overhearing an argument between your idols.

"Well, he bought me a suit today." He shrugs, even though May can't see it. "Against my will, by the way," he quickly adds. He hears May sigh.

"How much was it?" May hates it when Tony spends money on them.

"He, uh, wanted to get me a two thousand dollar suit, but I told him he couldn't do that. So I chose the cheapest one I could find, which was five hundred."

"What's with that man and spoiling you?"

"I dunno, it's not like he doesn't have the money to throw around." Or he feels guilty. Peter immediately gets rid of the thought. Tony Stark feeling guilty? About him ? He has more important things to worry about.

"I guess so. I still don't understand it. I just don't want us to be a charity case, Peter." May sounds exhausted. Peter wonders how many extra shifts she has been taking.

"We aren't!" he assures her. "This weekend was just a one time thing. He's never done this before." A loud beep sounds in the background on May's end of the call. Peter's heart rate immediately picks up. "Are you ok-"

"Oh! The rice is done!" May chirps excitedly. "I have to go, sweetheart." Peter rubs his face and takes a deep breath. I'm so on edge lately.

"Please don't burn down the apartment," he pleads with a hand still on his face.

"How would I do that with a crockpot?"

"You'd find a way." May gasps over dramatically.

"Remind me to ground you when you get home."

"Sorry, May! Can't hear you! Bye, love you!"

"Love you too, monster!" May laughs before ending the call. Then, Peter debates texting Ned. Not because he doesn't want to talk to his best friend, but because he doesn't want to accidentally dump all of today's issues on Ned. Even though Peter and May only talked for a few minutes, he already feels too drained to be social anymore. He settles on sending Ned a quick text.

Guy in the Chair

Peter: hi Ned! it was a long day with mr. stark and i'll give you all the details at school tomorrow but im gonna try to get some extra sleep. just didnt want you to think i was ignoring you. see you tomorrow!

After he texts Ned, he drops his phone on the nightstand and puts his hands behind his head. It's been a while since he has been able to just…relax. Usually he tries to avoid overthinking, but everything happened so fast that he didn't really get to process anything. It's just that no matter where he is, he always feels like a burden. May has to worry about getting them enough food and making sure he has everything he needs for school as well as Spider-Man now. She's sacrificing her own time and sleep to pick up extra shifts because of me. Now when May finally gets some time to herself, I'm making a mess in Mr. Stark's life. If I hadn't had that stupid panic attack the other night, then Ms. Potts wouldn't know what happened with Germany. She wouldn't blame him when it was my choice to go. I agreed! I should've done something while they were fighting and explained that it wasn't Mr. Stark's fault. Spider-Man would've done the right thing.

He rolls onto his side, facing away from the door. Do I really make Mr. Stark so upset that he can't even look at me? He grips the bed sheets in between his fingers. Out of all the people I could've disappointed, why did it have to be him? The door suddenly creaks. He immediately freezes and tries to look like he's asleep. He does his best to breathe at an even pace regardless of his heart hammering against his chest. Slow footsteps approach his bed. Please let it be Ms. Potts. Please let it be Ms. Potts. Please le-

"I know you're awake, kid." Crap. Busted. Peter sighs, not having the reserve to keep faking it, and sits up.

"Hey, Mr. Stark." Peter's eyes are fixated on the sheets. Surprisingly, Tony sits down on the bed.

"So, how much of our yelling did you hear?" he asks nonchalantly. Peter shrugs his shoulders. Do I lie to make him feel better? Or do I tell him the truth to avoid secrets? Either way, it's a wrong choice.

"I dunno. A lot of it, but nothing specific. Just yelling." Sure, Peter. You think he's going to believe that when you have enhanced hearing? There's a brief pause, but Peter doesn't dare to look up at Tony. "Are you guys gonna be okay?" His voice is hopeful and slightly strained. He doesn't want them to break up because of him.

"Yeah, we will. Probably." That's reassuring. It feels like Tony is about to say something else, but stops himself. "Hey, I was thinking about a change in your interning schedule, if you should choose to accept it." His tone is a bit lighter.

"Since when do I have an interning schedule?"

"Since now." Peter finally looks up at him, drawing his eyebrows together.

"But my 'internship,'" he uses air quotes "is doing Spider-Man stuff like patrolling." Actually, his patrols are the entire internship.

"Well this happens to be Spider-Man related." Peter's eyes instantly widen. Something new involving Spider-Man? "Don't pass out on me. All I was going to suggest is that we try some training," Tony offers.

"What kind of training?" Peter questions with excitement suddenly evident.

"Holograms. That way, you'll be able to train your reflexes and sixth sense or whatever the hell it is that you have." Tony waves it off.

"I like to call it my Spidey Sense." Peter smiles proudly.

"Sure. That's cute, kid. Anyways, in order for the training to be beneficial, I think it'd be constructive for you to come train here after school." Peter's jaw almost drops.

"Like, everyday?" he clarifies.

"Everyday. Preferably. We might have to tweak the schedule here 'n there but yeah, that's the idea. Sound good?" Peter nods vigorously before Tony even finishes. "Good. Glad we worked that out. Happy's gonna drive you to school tomorrow morning and will be picking you up from now on. Don't worry, he'll drive you home too so Aunt May doesn't murder me." Tony winces slightly, probably at the memory of May giving him what-for about Germany and Homecoming.

"Sounds perfect! Thank you so much, Mr. Stark. You won't regret it! I promise!" Peter really hopes that he can keep that promise.

"I don't doubt you for a second, kid. Well, g'night. Sweet dreams, and all that," Tony says dismissively. He stands up and makes his way out of the room in strides, closing the door behind him.