Chapter 25: Practice Makes Permanent
When Tony mentions working down in the lab, Peter knows that it means training and he's quick to grab his suit. He brings it in a spare backpack he left behind, so that Rhodey can't see it, and goes to where Tony's waiting in the elevator. It's not that Peter is trying to keep Rhodey out of the loop, he just doesn't want to go around revealing his secret identity. Again. He dumps the packet of gummy bears into his mouth as they ride down to the workshop. Tony continues to keep his arms crossed and rolls his eyes at Peter.
"Yeah, hope you enjoy my gummy bears," he mutters.
"Not my fault you don't know when to stop betting," Peter says with his mouth full before swallowing. "You're lucky you don't go to Vegas or you wouldn't be a billionaire anymore." Tony scoffs.
"I liked it better when you were too shy to sass me." All Peter does is give him an innocent smile. The elevator doors open and Tony is the first to walk inside.
"Hi, Boss. Welcome to Chili's," F.R.I.D.A.Y.'s voice greets as soon as they're in the workshop. Peter only barely manages to hold back his laughter. Tony, on the other hand, holds his head in his hands in exasperation.
"I distinctly remember telling you to fix her." He gives Peter a pointed look.
"She isn't broken," Peter counters. "If anything, it's like she got an upgrade!" He slips his mask on his head and blinks his mechanical eyes to adjust to the light of his interface. Almost as soon as he puts it on, he feels it being pulled back over his head. "Mr. Stark!" he argues and tries to grab it back.
"Ah ah ah," Tony holds the mask up, "no training until we catch up on Bubble Brain. I'm not oblivious, I saw the news. So we're gonna- I said no mask," he reiterates. Peter huffs and raises a challenging eyebrow. Does he really think he can hold anything out of my reach? Peter shoots a web and pulls the mask to his hand. There's a beat of silence. "That's cheating," Tony scolds and points an accusing finger at him.
"That's what sore losers say. What part do you wanna talk about?" Peter sits on the corner of a workbench and swings his legs back forth.
"How the fight with Mysterio at Grand Central went. Why can't you sit in a chair like a normal…Spider-Person?" Tony impatiently questions with a judgemental look.
"I mean, if you really want me to act like a normal spider I can just…" Peter uses the table as a platform to jump up and stick to the ceiling instead.
"Really?" Tony raises both his eyebrows expectantly. Peter crouches on the ceiling and flashes him a smile. "Fine! Stay up there! I don't care, as long as you talk." Tony crosses his arms and faces away from Peter with a disinterested sniff.
"Okay, so-"
"Get your ass down here before you fall," Tony immediately interrupts, turning to face Peter again.
"Language," F.R.I.D.A.Y. cuts in before Peter can respond.
"F.R.I.D.A.Y., you're on thin fucking ice. Kid, get down," Tony orders again.
"But you just said I could st-"
"I know what I just said. I'm the one who said it. Now I'm saying to get down before you crack your head open."
"I'm not gonna crack my head open! I'm Spider-Man, remember?" Peter gestures to himself, his hair flopping down towards the floor with his movement. "Spider-Man doesn't just fall!" Tony looks unfazed and shakes his head.
"You're not in your suit. No sitting on the ceiling. New rule. Just made it up. 'Cause grownups like me get to make the rules." Peter huffs, knowing he won't win this argument, and gracefully drops back to the floor.
"There, happy?"
"Ecstatic," Tony deadpans. "Now," he gestures vaguely to the air, "speak." Peter thinks this is what people mean when they say Tony's people skills aren't exactly up to par.
"I'd say it actually went pretty good," Peter answers honestly. "He fooled the police with an illusion, so it was hard to get them to cooperate. Like, at all. But when I fought Mysterio, I used our training! For the most part! He had a whole bunch of these illusions of himself, like he did when we were on the roof, but I had to fight them all! Obviously I didn't actually fight them 'cause I could tell which were illusions. They caught me off guard a couple times, though. I still think the training really helped! But, uh, then he said he knows what my weakness is." He pauses to see if Tony is still listening to his quick paced words. Surprisingly, Tony is staring intently.
"Raid?" he supplies when Peter doesn't continue.
"No," Peter denies confidently with a chuckle. There's no way bug spray can affect me. Then his eyes widen. "But I haven't tested it-"
"Peter."
"Right, sorry. He thinks that since I won't let anyone get hurt, it's my biggest weakness or something. As if all superheroes don't try to save everyone. But he…he tried to hurt a little girl. I was able to make it to her before the concrete fell on her, but what if I wasn't fast enough? Or, or if I let the thought of everything collapsing freak me out? I didn't realize she was deaf and she just looked so scared, Mr. Stark." Peter tightly presses his lips together and looks down. What if I freak out when it matters the most?
"Is she the reason you want to learn sign language?" Tony inquires with a raised eyebrow. Peter is instantly surprised that Tony listened to what he had said.
"Maybe," Peter mumbles. He hears Tony sigh. The man takes a few steps forward before he awkwardly places his hand on Peter's shoulder.
"Look, kid, doing what we do is never easy. All we can ever do is our best and sometimes our best still doesn't save everyone. But that isn't your fault. It's never your fault. You're not the one who puts these people in danger. Bad people are always gonna be out there, but that's why you're here to look out for the little guy. So cool it on the self-doubt, capisce?" Peter reluctantly looks up at Tony, but nods nonetheless. Tony looks away and pats Peter twice on the shoulder. "Good. Now," he walks up the holographic interface with the controls for Peter's training, "we have some catching up to do." Buddie rolls out of his hiding place and the familiar onslaught of robot holograms fade into existence.
"I missed Buddie, but I didn't miss his friends," Peter laughs nervously. A blade extend from Buddie's arm. "Or his knife."
Peter is quick to change into his suit and pulls the mask over his head while he walks back into the main workshop. He shakes out his arms and legs. So much for a warm up.
"Ready?" Tony asks.
"Ready!" Peter lowers into a fighting stance to prepare for the rush of holographic robots. They spend the next couple of hours training, Peter trying to trust his Spidey Sense and Tony dropping constructive criticisms at the most opportune times. Peter can't help but flinch or react whenever a bot charges seemingly out of nowhere. After hours of his brain reacting without his Spidey Sense, his senses start ping when there isn't even a fake bot there.
"You're letting yourself get paranoid." Peter jumps at Tony's sudden comment, momentarily stealing his attention long enough for Buddie to take a swipe at his abdomen. With a surprised yelp, Peter jumps away from Buddie as fast as his legs let him.
"I'm not paranoid!" Peter counters, losing Buddie in the crowd of robots again. Maybe I'm a bit on edge. Suddenly something bounces off the back of his head, catching him off guard. "Hey!" He grabs the back of his head and sees a wad of paper on the ground. "Did you seriously just throw that at me?!"
"See, you should've easily caught that. You were overthinking and now your spider senses are out of whack. Stop second guessing yourself," Tony orders, ignoring Peter's question. Peter is about to respond when his feet are taken out from under him by Buddie. "And focus." Peter groans and jumps back to his feet before turning to face Tony.
"Mr. Stark, I can't focus on my Spidey Sense if you're trying to have a conversation with me." Tony scoffs and crosses his arms.
"You say that like your schtick isn't talking your enemies to death with bad one-liners." Peter gasps overdramatically, placing a hand over his heart as his mechanical lenses blink.
"I have great banter! I mean, I always make myself laugh and that's all that matters."
"Sure, kid," he says noncommittally with an eye roll.
"If you can't laugh at yourself, what can you laugh at?"
"Other people." Tony raises a challenging eyebrow as if daring Peter to prove him wrong. When Peter doesn't argue, Tony shuts down the simulation and all the holograms disappear. Buddie stops in his tracks and slumps as he deactivates. "Maybe we should take a break. We'll get some food in you then get back to it."
"He need some milk," F.R.I.D.A.Y. interjects again. Tony slowly closes his eyes and takes a deep breath.
"One more reference and I mute you for the rest of the weekend," he threatens.
"I don't need milk, even though that's a great Vine, and I don't need a break. Superheroes don't take breaks! And neither will Mysterio! I've gotta be ready for the next time he attacks. That means nailing this so he can't trick me anymore." Peter pulls his mask off and rubs his face. His slightly curly hair is damp and sticks to his forehead from the sweat.
"You can't force these things either, Underoos. These kinda things take a few goes, it doesn't happen overnight. You need a healthy balance and whatnot," Tony counters dismissively. Peter sighs, but then perks up when an idea makes its way into his head.
"Have you seen that really old movie A New Hope?" Tony stares at Peter with narrowed eyes and his lips slightly parted. He stares in disbelief for a few moments before asking,
"Do you hear the words that come out of your mouth?"
"Seriously, Mr. Stark, think about it!" Peter takes a step closer to Tony with a wide smile on his face and his mask in his hands. "Y'know that thing where Luke Skywalker is training for how to use the Force and that Obi Wan dude puts that helmet over his face so he can't see?!" he rambles excitedly.
"So…you want me to blindfold you?" Tony questions skeptically. Peter points at him in affirmation.
"Exactly! That way my eyes can't trick my Spidey Sense! Then we can try it without the blindfold!" Tony is skeptical, but humors Peter nonetheless.
"Fine, we can try it. But if you end up webbing yourself to the ceiling, don't be mad when I take pictures instead of helping you." He turns the holograms back on and gestures for Peter to slip his mask on again. Confused, Peter does as Tony says and watches as his interface come online. "Karen, lights out." Tony claps twice and suddenly Peter's lenses close of their own accord, leaving only his vision completely obscured.
"Woah! This is both awesome and disconcerting at the same time." It feels weird to be able to blink but not see anything or hear his lenses adjust.
"Yep. Just like The Clapper. Back to business, Underoos."
"Y'know, we could've turned out the lights so you would be in the dark with me," Peter teases.
"Can't critique you if I can't see you. Focus," Tony reiterates. Peter takes a steadying breath and focuses on his senses. Obviously, without his sight, it's easier to ignore the fake robots, but it means he has to focus more intently on his other senses. This especially includes his hearing. He tries to block out the background noises and listens for even the smallest indication of Buddie.
After a moment, Peter hears a low hum coming towards him and his Spidey Sense begins to buzz. He shoots a web to where he knows the far wall is and pulls himself out of Buddie's path. He lands in a wide, stable stance, ready for any other oncoming attacks. It doesn't take long for his Spidey Sense to ping again, but he's quick to react. He flips over the rapidly approaching Buddie on instinct and uses his Rapid Fire Webs to stick Buddie to the floor. That should keep Buddie from getting away. Peter pulls the mask off to admire his work.
"Ha! See, Mr. Stark! My Spidey Sense is working!" He proudly puts his hands on his hips. Buddie juts in place, trying to break free, until he starts to smoke. "Um, is he, is he supposed to do that?" Buddie suddenly combusts into a small fire.
"Shit," Tony mutters and is about to move when Dum-E rushes over to them with a fire extinguisher.
"Oh, that's nifty," Peter notes optimistically.
"Dum-E, don't you dare or I swear to-" Dum-E interrupts Tony and starts spraying not just Buddie, but all three of them in a steady stream of sodium bicarbonate foam. Peter slowly brings a hand up to wipe the foam from his face and flings it off to the side. I should've kept my mask on. Tony carefully removes his sunglasses, revealing the only bare skin left on his face without foam on it. Peter hopes that he isn't going to be the one to clean it all up. Tony's eyes make their way to Peter's.
"Don't tell Pepper," Tony says slowly. Peter nods in agreement.
"Don't tell me what?" Pepper's patient voice sounds from the elevator.
"Nothing!" both Tony and Peter say in unison, but they can't exactly hide the fact that they're covered from head to toe in foam.
"Looks like you boys have been having fun." Pepper smirks and crosses her arms, taking in the scene.
"Well, um, y'see, we were just training like Luke Skywalker and…might've made a robot burst into flames?" Peter explains lamely.
"Next time let me do the explaining, kid." Tony gives Peter a pointed look.
"Luke Skywalker, huh?" Pepper inquires, maintaining her smirk. Peter wonders what kind of things Tony has pulled in the past for her to seem so unfazed by this. "Get cleaned up. Rhodey ordered dinner and I have tea going." She's a tea person?
"It doesn't matter how many times you make that dirty leaf water, you aren't converting me," Tony argues stubbornly.
"I don't like it either, but it's better than that dirty bean water. You need to cut down on the caffeine and tea is good for you, whether you like it or not," Pepper says with a tone of finality. So that's why she drinks tea, to make Mr. Stark drink it too.
"Fine, snack time." Tony nonchalantly wipes the lenses of his glasses and puts them back on.
"Um, Ms.-, uh, Pepper?" Peter speaks up hesitantly. Pepper turns her patient gaze on him. "Can I have a shower?" Peter tries to keep the foam from sliding off his fingers and plopping onto the floor.
"Of course. You have one in your room. Hopefully, Tony will follow in your footsteps." Pepper gives Tony a pointed look, but he's already walking to the elevator.
"I don't follow in anyone's footsteps," Tony says smugly. Pepper and Peter look to each other and Peter tilts his head.
"He's always been like this, don't worry." She winks, causing Peter to smile in return. Peter presses the spider emblem on his suit and it loosens.
"Colonel Rhodes doesn't exactly know about my leading a double life thing, so…can we put this in the washer and I change into my normal teenager clothes?" Pepper nods and Peter rushes off to remove his suit in privacy, but his head and shoulders are still covered in foam.
When he gets back, they both get into the elevator and as they're going up, Tony announces,
"I'm tapping out. Pep, keep an eye on Little Einstein while I'm gone. Help him to the bathroom without staining the carpet." The doors open and Tony carefully makes his way to his bedroom.
"Do I even want to know?" Rhodey asks while looking over the back of the couch.
"Dum-E was trigger-happy with the fire extinguisher," Pepper supplies. Peter gives Rhodey a tight-lipped smile and a thumbs up. Rhodey laughs as he takes in Peter's appearance.
"It looks like Frosty the Snowman threw up on you." He turns back to the TV and Pepper carefully guides Peter out into the open space.
"I feel like Frosty the Snowman threw up on me," Peter agrees.
"Told Tony to go easy on you in the workshop," Rhodey says with a chuckle.
"He doesn't need to go easy on me! I'm-" Peter quickly clears his throat. He almost said he's Spider-Man. Oops. This is why I shouldn't be allowed to keep secrets. "I'm sixteen. Fully capable of taking care of myself. I'm almost an adult," he defends meekly.
"If you have to use the word 'almost,' then you're still too young," Rhodey easily counters, keeping his attention on the TV. When Peter and Pepper make it to his room, her trailing closely behind him, Peter turns to her instead of going in.
"Um, Pepper?" She seems slightly taken off guard, but her surprise quickly turns into concern.
"Yeah?"
"Do you…do you think Mr. Stark just sees me as a kid instead of, like, an equal?" She looks at Peter for a few painstakingly long moments.
"I think," she starts, "that Tony is so protective of you because he doesn't want anything happening to you. Trust me, Rhodey and I both get our fair share of the same treatment."
"But he's constantly telling me what not to do and saying how he's the grownup and I'm the kid. It's not like I'm incapable of handling things. I already proved that," Peter mumbles shyly. Pepper sighs fondly and smiles in a way that distantly reminds Peter of May.
"He does it because he cares and wants to keep you grounded so you know you aren't invincible. You're younger, so I think it scares him a bit more. I'm sure you know how much he sucks at conveying emotion." She gives him a knowing look and Peter nods with a slight smile.
"Are you sure that's all it is?" Peter asks hesitantly, just to make sure.
"Oh believe me, Peter, when he talks about you, he looks like he hung all the stars in the sky just for you." Pepper's genuine, heartwarming smile is enough to convince him. "Go get washed up so you can be out here to keep him in line," she teases. Peter confidently returns her smile.
"Thanks, Pepper."
"Anytime, kid." Peter leaves to take a quick shower, happily washing off all of the sodium bicarbonate foam, and puts on some comfortable sweats. He knows that he now has a full closet full of brand new clothes, but it just feels weird using what Tony paid for. He walks back out into the living area to see Tony, string cheese in hand, and Rhodey sitting on the couch.
"Hey, kid. There's food in the fridge," Tony calls out before taking a bite out of his string cheese. Peter cringes. Tony took a bite out of his string cheese. Do you see the problem?
"Mr. Stark, I hate to break it to you, but that's not how you eat string cheese. I'm pretty sure that's illegal," Peter informs matter-of-factly. Tony looks up at him, then down to his string cheese before taking another bite. The audacity.
"I've been telling him the same thing for years." Rhodey waves Peter off.
"Two bros, chilling on the sofa, five feet apart 'cause they're not gay," F.R.I.D.A.Y. once again comes in with a perfectly timed reference and Peter can't help laughing. Tony and Rhodey both shoot up from the couch, walking in opposite directions. Rhodey stands in front of the TV and Tony goes to sit at the bar.
"What do these sayings even mean? How is this entertaining to you? They aren't funny in the slightest," Tony huffs and takes another bite of his cheese.
"What do you mean? It's hilarious! It's literally the best thing ever!" Peter immediately defends.
"Well I'm so glad you're getting a kick out of it," Tony responds sarcastically. "I might be loopy on too much string cheese but," he takes another bite, "that's not the point. As soon as I get down to the lab, I'm reprogramming her since you obviously won't fix her."
"What the expletive, Richard?" F.R.I.D.A.Y. cuts in, sounding convincingly offended.
"At least you did something useful and censored yourself," Tony mutters.
"What did you say?" F.R.I.D.A.Y. inquires calmly. "What the expletive is up, Kyle? No, what'd you say? What the expletive, Boss? Step the expletive up!" The quote only makes Peter double over laughing and he wishes he could record it. Tony finishes off his string cheese while shaking his head in disapproval.
"At this rate, you two are gonna give me a damn stroke." He throws his wrapper into the garbage and Peter knows exactly what's coming.
"This expletive empty, yeet!" F.R.I.D.A.Y. quotes. Perfection. True perfection. Tony rubs his temples as Peter plops down in the barstool next to him with a smile.
"Hey, Mr. Stark?"
"God help me, what do you want?" Tony groans, continuing to rub his forehead.
"Can my best friend come over tomorrow? I've been promising him that I'd introduce you two eventually." Peter asks innocently. Tony glances up at Peter, his eyes narrowed and obviously annoyed.
"Ted? Sure, if he keeps you out of my hair for a few hours then he can come." Peter's smile widens. "But no flash photography. And if you sell pictures to your friends, I'll sue you," Tony adds.
"Thank you so much, Mr. Stark! He's gonna love it! You're the best!" He scoffs at Peter's enthusiasm, but Peter manages to see a hint of a smile hidden by his arms.
"I aim to please," Tony concurs. Peter knows Ned is going to absolutely flip out when he hears about this. Now that Tony actually said that he can come over, Ned can't back out! Peter wonders if MJ would want to come over too? He should probably text them as a heads up. That'd be the smart, responsible thing to do. But first, food!