Notes:
HOW ARE THOSE WHO HAVE SEEN FAR FROM HOME FEELING? NO SPOILERS HERE OR IN THE COMMENTS ❤ I FEEL LIKE THE WHOLE THING WAS A FEVER DREAM,,,,,
Back to our regularly scheduled update, I have a loooong chapter for you all today! I'm SUPER excited for this chapter because it was a lot of fun to write. I don't want to get too emotional before the end of the fic, but I have to say I've absolutely loved this experience and I adore every single one of you :)
Chapter 32: That One Training Montage in Every Movie
Peter doesn't sleep that night, but not for lack of trying. May makes him some chamomile tea to help relax him, but it doesn't work. He's too anxious about what he's planning to do and it keeps him up all night. He tries taking a shower, listening to music, talking to Karen, but nothing helps. He briefly debates waking up May, but she needs as much sleep as she can get for her shift tomorrow. Instead, he lies in bed and powers through the night. They decided that he would take the school day off, since he doesn't have any major exams, and recover from the past few days.
Maybe an all nighter isn't the best way to recover, he thinks absentmindedly around six in the morning. With nothing else to do and boredom consuming him, he decides to get up and make himself and May breakfast. He settles for making a big bowl of scrambled eggs and a plate of several pieces of bacon. May is surprised when she walks into the kitchen, but doesn't oppose Peter's kind gesture.
"Are you ready?" May asks, carefully gauging Peter's facial features. He looks tired, but she'll be sure he gets enough sleep tonight. Peter nods as he swallows his food.
"As ready as I can be for this kind of thing. I just feel like I owe it to him, y'know?" May smiles.
"I know." She does, because working in an ER where patients can't always be saved gives her the same feeling. She just wishes she could be there for each family that experiences a loss.
"Thanks, May. I think I'll swing there. Should I bring something? I mean, going empty handed feels so…" Peter trails off, not exactly sure how to explain.
"Shitty?" May supplies, earning a chuckle from Peter.
"Yeah, I guess so." There's a beat of silent before Peter speaks again "What if he hates me?" he whispers. May rubs her nephew's shoulder, providing more comfort to him than she realizes.
"Being there for him already shows how much you care. Have you talked to Tony?"
"Yeah, he said he'll meet me there. He sent me the address." Before bed, Peter and Tony talked over the phone about a favor. Of course, Tony was immediately on board despite Peter's obvious anxieties. Peter hates that he asked Tony for money, but it isn't for him so he doesn't feel quite as guilty.
"Are you sure you don't need me to come?" May double checks. She's worried about how going through this will affect Peter.
"I'm sure. I don't want you to miss anymore shifts. I've got it. I'll call you if I need anything, I promise." Peter gives her an encouraging smile to help get rid of some of her worries. She returns his smile without a second thought.
"You're doing a good thing," she assures. Peter does his best to believe it.
They finish their breakfast not too long after and May heads out of the apartment before Peter changes into his Spider-Man suit.
"Good morning, Peter." He could almost cry the second he hears Karen's voice greet him.
"Hey, Karen. It's great to have you back," he says honestly as he climbs out the window.
"Glad to be back," Karen replies, sweetly. Peter missed her so much. "What's on the agenda for today?"
"Oh, well it's a bit different today. But first, can you make sure no criminals are out doing…criminal things?" Peter requests. He jumps from the side of his apartment and starts swinging from building to building down the street.
"There isn't any criminal activity showing up on my scans. If I can ask, what is it that we're doing when you should be on your way to school?" Karen asks curiously.
"I'm off today," Peter answers truthfully. "Ned and MJ are gonna send me the homework I miss. What we're doing…isn't gonna be fun but we have to do it. Can you pull up the address that Mr. Stark sent to my phone?"
"Of course." Karen puts a marker on Peter's HUD and he starts following the directions to Lower East Side, Manhattan. "Does this happen to have anything to do with the events of Monday evening?" Peter knew the question was coming, but he doesn't know why it causes his anxiety to spike.
"Yeah, it is." He takes a deep breath and focuses on shooting his webs.
"I hope that Tony Stark is aware of what we're doing. Last time he found out you were doing things behind his back, he got very angry. I don't want either of you upset." Even as a User Interface, Peter realizes that Karen is more considerate than a good percentage of the human population.
"He's meeting me there, don't worry," Peter chuckles.
For the rest of the brief trip, Peter catches Karen up on everything that happened in the last twenty-four hours. As always, she's supportive of Peter and fully engaged in the conversation until he lands next to a dark gray Audi. If there were any possible doubt in Peter's mind that this wasn't Tony's car, the mustard yellow licence plates read "Stark 65." Peter knocks on the driver's window, which immediately lowers to reveal Tony's red lense sunglasses and impartial face.
"Real inconspicuous, Mr. Stark," Peter points out sarcastically. Tony simply shrugs his shoulders and gestures for Peter to move away from the door so he can step out.
"Hey, might as well travel in style. How ya feeling, kid?" he questions as he straightens out his suit. Peter nods, his mechanical lenses making noise as they adjust.
"Good, good." Tony stops what he's doing to raise an unconvinced eyebrow. "Okay, I'm feeling pretty terrible." Peter rubs his face, just wanting to rip his mask off. Sweat is starting to dampen the inside of his mask as he anxiously fiddles with his web-shooters.
"Pete-"
"No, I can do this. I just…have to pull it together." Peter sounds like he's trying to convince himself more than he is Tony. Although he can see how nervous the kid is, Tony knows this is what Peter wants to do. Needs to do.
"Alright, let's get this show on the road." Tony shuts his car door and beeps it locked. "Ready?"
"Yeah, let's do it." They walk up to the six story, pale yellow, brick apartment building with "153" labelled above the door. Peter awkwardly walks inside, Tony meandering behind him, and walks up to the intercom system.
"Apartment number 1C," Tony supplies before Peter can ask. Peter presses the call button with a shaky finger. He swallows, anxiously anticipating the answer. A rough, masculine voice greets him,
"Hello?" Peter almost can't respond, his throat constricting out of pure nervousness.
"Um, hello, sir," he greets lamely.
"Who is this?" the man asks tiredly. Peter's heart clenches.
"I'm, I'm Spider-Man and I was wondering if-"
"C'mon, man," the man interrupts. Maybe Peter should've opened with something more believable. "I can't do this today. Go prank someone else. I got kids to take care of." Peter can tell the man is about to leave him hanging.
"Wait wait wait! Sir, please! I swear I'm telling you the truth," His voice goes up an octave as he vainly tries to explain himself.
"Look," the man's voice is tighter, "I'm not in the mood to argue. I-"
"Mr. Bennett, this is Tony Stark and my associate and I would like to have a brief word with you," Tony jumps in, his impatience getting the better of him. All that comes from the other end is, presumably, stunned silence. "I assure you, it'll be worth your while." The silence continues until the man, Mr. Bennett, clears his throat.
"Sure, of course. You can come on up," he confirms before the call is cut. Peter looks up at Tony, quickly putting the pieces together.
"You…"
"Know his name?" Tony provides. "Yeah, I did some research. The kid's name is Elijah, by the way." Peter nods before heading up the stairs. His heart hammers with each step he takes, dreading the moment when he'll have to face this family. But he knows this is the right thing to do. "You can do it," Tony encourages once they're stopped in front of the door. Peter nods and hesitantly knocks. A tall, wellbuilt man with dark skin opens the door. He seems somewhat shocked that both Spider-Man and Tony Stark are actually at his apartment. Peter freezes for a split second. How in the world am I supposed to talk to a man who just lost his wife?
"Can I help you?" Mr. Bennett prompts politely, his voice audibly raw and eyes bloodshot.
"I, I wanted to…" Peter takes a steadying breath. "I'm so sorry about your wife, sir. I'm sorry that I couldn't save her." Might as well just open up right out of the gate. "You probably know I was there and, and I saw everything and I wanted you to know…" He feels his eyes burn beneath the mask. Pull yourself together, Peter. This isn't about you. "Your wife-"
"Anna," Mr. Bennett interrupts, sharply. Peter stops, the words caught in his mouth. "Her name was Anna," he repeats softer. Peter immediately nods and amends his words.
"Anna did the bravest thing I've ever seen anyone do." Peter desperately wants to give excuses. He wants to explain how he was drugged and couldn't move, how he tried so hard to reach Elijah, how he couldn't see straight to aim, how his muscles wouldn't work to save Anna. But that wouldn't help Mr. Bennett, so Peter continues. "And she did it without hesitation. Like any amazing mom would. She, she was a good person and I take full responsibility." Peter chokes out his words, but somehow manages to keep his voice steady. Mr. Bennett is silently crying, tears running down his cheeks but his jaw set firmly.
"I don't need you to tell me how great she was. I saw the great person she was every damn day of my life," he counters through gritted teeth. The man stands in the doorway with his lip slightly trembling. Then, he says something unexpected. "But I don't blame you." Peter's mechanical lenses widen with his own.
"What?" he asks, barely audible.
"I saw the clips of you saving all those hostages," Mr. Bennett explains. "Saw how much you did. My boy tells me everything you do, and even though you're the easiest to blame, I can't do that knowing you saved all those people." His voice quivers as if he's on the verge of a breakdown. Peter wouldn't be surprised if the man did. "I sat for hours last night, holding my crying kids and wondering why the hell a superhero could save everyone on that building except for my wife," Mr. Bennett's voice cracks. "But I had to remind myself that you're just as human as the rest of us." Of course, Peter is full on crying at this point, but he's grateful that Mr. Bennett can't see. "It should've been me. We were all supposed to go together, but I had to work overtime and told 'em to go without me." Mr. Bennett chokes back a sob and tries to hold himself together.
"You can't blame yourself if you won't let me blame myself," Peter reasons. Mr. Bennett presses his lips together and nods. "Sir, with your permission, Mr. Stark and I would like to pay for all the funeral expenses," Peter offers. Better now than never. Tony reaches into his blazer and pulls out a crisp, white envelope and hands it to the man. Mr. Bennett's eyes widen with disbelief and carefully takes the envelope with a shaking hand as he covers his mouth with the other.
"Dad? What's going on?" a smaller voice calls from further inside the apartment. Little, bare feet thud until Elijah comes into view, then he quickly hides behind his father. Still, the boy stares at Peter and Tony with wide, curious eyes. Peter's heart beats faster at seeing the boy.
"Hey, Little Man." Mr. Bennett rubs his son's back to comfort him. Elijah's eyes are just as red as his father's. "I was just talking to-"
"Spider-Man!" Elijah exclaims. Peter expected a lot of things from the boy; tears, yelling, blaming. But he didn't expect the look of wonder and surprise that was on the kid's face. Peter pulls himself together and kneels down to Elijah's level.
"Hi, buddy. I'm…I'm so sorry," Peter makes sure his voice is strong and unwavering. Elijah, however, tilts his head to the side.
"How come?" It's another thing Peter wasn't expecting. He thought it was pretty self-explanatory what he was apologizing for.
"Your mom," he clarifies gently, but he quickly wishes he hadn't when fresh tears well up in Elijah's eyes. Before Peter can backtrack, Elijah sniffs and speaks.
"It's okay," he mumbles. "I miss her voice and her hugs and her kisses and it's not fair." Peter swears his heart is ripped from his chest. His breathing stalls as he tries to think how to comfort the boy. Then it clicks.
"I lost my mom too." The simple admission shocks Elijah out of his crying.
"You did?"
"Yeah. I was a little younger than you are. I know how much it sucks and how it hurts. Your dad's gonna be here for you, though. And you're gonna be here for him. Being together makes you guys stronger." All Peter can do is hope that his words are helping.
"Like a team? Like the Avengers?" Elijah asks in a small voice. Peter nods slightly, smiling under his mask.
"Like the Avengers," Peter confirms. "Stronger together." He hears Tony shift uneasily from one foot to the other, but continues his focus on Elijah. "And it's okay to be sad." Peter doesn't want the kid to think he has to be strong when he should be grieving. He's all too familiar with that.
"I know you tried your best," Elijah hiccups, rubbing his damp eyes. "You're Spider-Man, so you always try to save everyone. Just like you saved Isaac." Peter is at a loss for words.
"Isaac?" he asks, confused. At that moment, a young man walks up to the small group, not much older than Peter. Peter's jaw drops and his mechanical lenses widen in surprise. This was the last thing he expected.
"That'd be me," the teen, Isaac, says as he leans against the doorway.
"You're, you're that guy!" Peter almost yells. "The one who didn't look both ways before you crossed the street!" He remembers it so vividly. It was the day he snuck out of the Tower to patrol and ended up stopping a car chase, which ended with Peter body-slamming a car to save the teenager. Isaac deflates a bit.
"Come on, man," he whines slightly.
"You're lucky you're not still grounded," Mr. Bennett chimes in. Peter is still whirling from the reveal. "You took on the full force of a car to save my kid. I saw what it looked like afterwards. Just the thought of it hitting Isaac…" The man trails off, obviously overwhelmed by the tragedy that his family is already going through. Elijah suddenly surges forward and wraps his arms tightly around Peter's neck. Peter blinks in astonishment before returning the hug.
"I didn't get to say thank you," Elijah explains. "Thanks for saving my big brother." Peter holds the boy tighter, trying to provide as much comfort as he can with a single hug. A voice in the back of Peter's head tells him that he doesn't deserve this. That he doesn't deserve the praise of a little boy who just lost his mom. He ignores the voice for now.
"Mr. Stark, I appreciate you wanting to help, but this is too much money," Mr. Bennett speaks up. Tony raises a challenging eyebrow.
"You do realize who you're talking to, right?" He clarifies, adjusting his sunglasses.
"Yeah, but-"
"Then you know that I have plenty to spare." He turns his attention to fixing a crinkle in his blazer. Peter notes that Tony still isn't the greatest at confronting emotional situations. Mr. Bennett takes a deep breath.
"Thank you." He holds out his hand to Tony, who firmly shakes it without hesitation.
"My condolences," Tony returns. Elijah lets go of Peter, giving him a small smile, and shuffles back to his dad's side. As Peter stands, he sees that Isaac has gotten closer.
"Thanks, again. I appreciate it." Isaac simply nods, but Peter can tell he means it. He can also tell that Isaac is trying to keep all his feelings at bay. Peter hopes that he lets himself grieve.
"Well, we'll stop intruding and give you all space," Tony insists before he clears his throat. He has reached his emotional limit for the year. Mr. Bennett nods his thanks again, then shuts the door as Peter and Tony walk back towards the stairs. Peter is finally able to take his first full, relieved breath. "Nice work, Mr. Parker. You did a good thing," Tony mildly praises with his eyes straight ahead as they walk down to the first floor.
"I tried. I just hope it helped," Peter replies honestly. That's all he wants.
"Trust me, kid. It did." Peter smiles at Tony's confirmation, feeling somewhat more assured. The pain and guilt won't ever stop, similar to Uncle Ben, but it feels like a start.
They decide to head back to the Tower for extra training time. Peter was already planning on training by himself, so he's happy to take Tony up on his offer. Tony drives back while Peter prefers his usual swinging.
"Hey, Karen? You there?" Peter asks when he's almost to the Tower.
"Always," Karen assures.
"Can you text Ned and MJ for me, please? Let them know Mr. Stark and I are gonna be at the Tower training if they wanna come over after school."
"Of course." A minute later, Karen speaks again. "Contact name 'Guy in the Chair' has responded with 'capital S, capital N, capital H, capital J, capital X, capital D, capital J, capital-'"
"It's okay!" Peter interrupts when he can't take it anymore. "Keyboard mash, got it," he mutters. Karen continues,
"Contact name 'MJ' has responded with 'That's a yes from both of us.' Do you wish to respond?"
"Nope, that's good. Thanks, Karen." Peter lands on the penthouse balcony, the glass doors open, and takes off his mask as he walks inside. He greets F.R.I.D.A.Y. before flopping on the couch to wait for Tony. A few minutes later, Tony walks out of the elevator with his phone in hand.
"I already told your lackies that I don't give a flying shit about your agenda. I don't have the slightest idea as to where Cap and his traveling circus is, so get off my back!" Tony throws jacket onto the back of the couch. Peter stares up at him, his eyebrow raised in a silent question. Tony simply shakes head, not unkindly, and listens to the voice on the other end. Then, he scoffs. "Oh yeah. Sure. I'll get back to you in five to seven business days," he says sarcastically before ending the call. Peter watches him as Tony rubs his forehead.
"So…I'm assuming that was the infamous Secretary Ross?" Peter guesses, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible. Tony looks up at him with impassive eyes.
"Oh, I'm about ready to tear him a new one," he admits, even though he'd rather be cussing up a storm. "That idiot wouldn't be able to see a hole in a ladder." Peter can't hold back his laugh at Tony's creative jab. Even though Tony's fuming, Peter's laugh causes him to smile slightly.
"That was great, Mr. Stark. I'm gonna have to use that on Flash." Peter chuckles again, a wide smile on his face. Ned would definitely get a kick out of that comeback. Tony scoffs.
"That's plagiarism. Watch out, I'm not afraid to sue you." His tone softens considerably, which is still somewhat foreign to Peter. "But nothing for you to worry about, kiddo. Let's head down to the lab for some training." Tony loosens his ties and throws it onto the couch alongside his jacket. Peter immediately bounces to his feet and grabs his mask before practically skipping to the elevator. Being as observant as ever, Tony doesn't fail to notice the pep in Peter's step at the mention of training.
Once Tony sets everything up in the workshop and Peter is ready, a newly repaired Buddy rolls past Dum-E to stand beside his creator.
"Uh, are you sure we should still be doing this type of training? Last time I checked, Buddy is kinda…spontaneously combustible," Peter recalls warily. Tony waves off his concerns and taps on Buddy's metallic outer layer.
"Not a problem. I rewired his circuits with a aero-"
"Aerospace-grade electrical insulation! No freaking way!" Peter exclaims and puts his hands on either side of Buddy as if it'll help him see the robot better. "Did you use Teflon-Polyimide?! No no no, it has good cut-through resistance but it's got sucky flexibility. I bet you could use something like SSQ 21652! That'd be awesome! How'd you get the custom silicone-insulated construction for that?! That stuff is insanely flexible! Then again, that's used on the International Space Station, so that'd be a bit overboard. Maybe just Teflon since it's more flexible?! You'd just have to give up some of the cut-through resistance and…" Peter looks up at Tony, who surprisingly hasn't interrupted him yet, but also looks like it's taking every ounce of his self-control to not say anything. "I'm geeking out…" Peter realizes.
"I am confusion," F.R.I.D.A.Y. chimes in with her admission, also managing to sneak in a Vine reference.
"It's Teflon. Good deductive reasoning. Sherlock would be proud." Tony clears his throat and chooses to ignore F.R.I.D.A.Y.'s reference. "Don't worry, Buddy won't be going boom again," he reassures.
"Oh, sweet." Peter nods, thoroughly embarrassed from his earlier ramblings. "So, I get to face my old nemesis? Buddy 2.0?! The rematch of the century!" Peter challenges with his hands confidently placed on his hips. "But, uh…why are we having a rematch? I figured out how to trust my Spidey Sense to beat the holograms last time." Tony shakes his finger in disagreement.
"That's where you're wrong, Little Einstein. You only figured it out while you were blindfolded. Figuratively. You get the gist." He waves the whole thing off and starts up the holograms, many identical versions of Buddy flickering to life. "Do you want me to get that trademarked? 'Spidey SenseTM?' 'Cause I can make that happen," he offers with a straight face.
"That's…really not necessary, Mr. Stark. But thank you?" Peter declines with uncertainty.
"Killjoy. But fine, guess we should be productive," Tony mutters. Peter silently concedes and puts on his mask again.
They only spend around an hour working with the holograms, since Peter seems to have gotten the hang of it. He doesn't react to any of the holograms, not even so much as a flinch, and relies solely on his Spidey Sense to anticipate Buddy's attacks. After a few different iterations of the hologram training, Tony admits that Peter has mastered it and they move on to updating Peter's web fluid formula. This was Peter's idea, since Mysterio had a knack for using chemical abrasive to wear down his webbing. With a couple hours of trial and error, they finally manage to get the right chemical ratio to make the webbing more resistant to acid based abrasives. Tony then suggests they take a break for lunch.
When they finish eating, Tony leads the way to a new area of the Tower that Peter has yet to go in. Down past the Medbay and Party Deck floors, Peter is introduced to the Training Gym. It's not anything besides a wide, open space with mats and various equipment for training, but it's the kind of thing Peter wouldn't have ever had access to without Tony. Plus, it's way cooler looking than the school's gym.
"Woah! This is awesome, Mr. Stark!" Peter exclaims, slowly spinning in a circle as he looks at the room.
"This is the dollar store, how good can it be?" F.R.I.D.A.Y. chimes in, as nonchalant as ever.
"Insult me or my Tower again and I'm kicking you both out," Tony warns in a cool tone. Peter giggles like the immature doofus he is.
"Mr. Stark…it's the good kush," Peter completes the Vine reference between laughs. Tony doesn't even attempt to understand and simply rolls his eyes.
"Don't do drugs. And don't get too comfy. This training room has a lot of hardcore workout machinery and there's no way in hell you ever get to be down here without adult supervision. The last thing I need is to a find a decapitated teen from trying to use a bench press," Tony grumbles as he trails behind.
He noticed during training and from some Baby Monitor footage, which isn't weird because it's his suit, that Peter's hand-to-hand combat could use some work.
"You have good spider reflexes-"
"Spidey Sense," Peter corrects.
"But if a guy dressed up for Halloween eleven months in advance can keep up with you," Tony continues, ignoring Peter's comment, "we need to get you better at fighting. That means punching and blocking and whatnot. No webs. No gadgets. That's cheating." Peter huffs, but doesn't disagree.
"Fine. Then how am I doing this?" he asks expectantly. Honestly…Tony hadn't thought that part out yet. He was prepared in the workshop with the holograms, but that's because technology is his element. No matter where he is, as long as there's a way to build something he's fine. Combat training…doesn't really have anything to do with robotics or artificial intelligence.
"Well, I'll hook up the…punching bag. Yeah." He tries to sound as sure of himself as always. Peter, on the other hand, notices the man's uncertainty. Then again, Peter was never great on self-defense or combat. He supposes that he has no choice but to follow Tony's lead. Besides, Tony is a genius, right? After Tony briefly struggles with lifting the bag, Peter steps in and easily hoists it up. Tony stares at him. "What did I tell you about showing me up?" he questions indignantly, though obviously joking.
"Sorry, old man. It happens to the best of us." Tony is stunned into silence as Peter snickers from behind the punching bag.
"Excuse me?" Tony scoffs.
"I believe that's what the hip kids these days call a 'sick burn,' Boss," F.R.I.D.A.Y. smoothly informs with a hint of humor in her voice.
"This is it. This is how I die." Tony throws his hands up. "I lived through three months in a cave and flying a nuke through an alien portal, just to die from a sarcastic teenager and my rogue U.I.."
"Poetic justice, if you ask me," Peter says smugly.
"Not that this bonding moment isn't cute," an annoyed voice cuts in from the elevator, "but it isn't cute and you're both wasting time by being unproductive." Peter turns his head towards the elevator to see MJ and Ned walking towards him. Well, Ned seems to be more astonished by the spacious room they're than anything else. Tony narrows his eyes at MJ.
"Are you insulting my teaching abilities?" he questions with a raised eyebrow. MJ crosses her arms.
"Your ability to teach superhero related activities? No. Your ability to teach hand-to-hand combat? Yes," she answers honestly. Tony opens his mouth, then closes it.
"It's scary how much you remind me of Pepper. Just more…" he trails off.
"Brutally honest while completely disregarding the feelings of others?" Peter instantly offers with a nervous smile, shrugging his shoulders.
"Basically," Tony confirms with a nod.
"Dude, this is where you train?!" Ned asks in awe, finally catching up with the rest of the group.
"Actually, we usually do that kinda stuff in the workshop. We finished up with Buddy and the holograms this morning," Peter supplies with as much nonchalance as possible. Training with Mr. Stark still makes Peter giddy. However, all hope at nonchalance is shattered when Ned and Peter make sudden eye contact. Their eyes widen in realization.
"Band name," they say in unison.
"That would be insanely good!" Peter continues excitedly.
"Buddy and the Holograms World Tour!" Ned practically shrieks and takes a step closer to Peter as the two best friends nerd-out.
"Focus, losers," MJ interrupts, putting a hand on each of their faces and pushing them apart. She inspects the hung punching bag, then turns her scrutinizing gaze on both Peter and Tony. "I'm assuming neither of you knew that those are for boxing, not for combat training," she concludes in a monotone voice. Tony, of course, gets defensive.
"I'm a genius, of course I know what it's for," he counters with confidence. There's a moment of silence where everyone stares at Tony. He crosses his arms protectively across his chest. "Alright, I… might have gotten my equipment mixed up. But," he raises a single finger, "in my defense I don't need to practice punching when my fist is covered in titanium-gold alloy," he states matter-of-factly. Peter slowly looks up at him, his face openly portraying how unconvinced he is.
"I'm not gonna argue with Iron Man," Ned quickly announces, which causes Peter to whip around to face him.
"Dude!" Peter borderline scolds.
"You're my new intern. Welcome to Stark Industries," Tony greets with a smile as if Ned is a completely different person. On cue, Ned's eyes widen with awe.
"Yes, sir! Of course, sir!" He salutes Tony, almost making the man lose his composure and bust out laughing. "You salute your boss, right?" Ned whispers. Tony clears his throat before saying, as seriously as possible,
"Absolutely. You nailed it." Ned smiles from ear to ear.
"You're out of the band. Buddy and the Holograms are going on tour without you," Peter mutters, kicking at the floor. Tony rolls his eyes at the teenager's pouting and lightly punches his shoulder.
"You guys going to keep wasting time or…?" MJ asks impatiently. Ned shuffles and Peter quickly snaps out of it to give MJ his full attention.
"Yeah! I mean, no! I'm, we're, ready," Peter stammers and nods multiple times. MJ raises an intrigued eyebrow, which only makes Peter's anxiety worse.
"Could you fight before you got the spider bite?" MJ inquires.
"Well, no, but-"
"Then you don't know how to actually fight," she immediately interrupts. "Some superhuman strength and agility doesn't mean you automatically know self defense." Without giving Peter another chance to argue, MJ picks up a pair of padded, target gloves off a pile of mats and puts them on her hands. When she turns back towards Peter, she orders, "Hit me."
"I'm sorry, what?" Peter blinks.
"By the way, those are called boxing pads," Tony points out, his ego obviously bruised. MJ shifts her eyes to him.
"I'm aware. They're also used as training targets for learning self-defense in karate. Thanks for your input." She then turns her attention back to Peter and raises her padded hands. "Now, hit me," she challenges again.
"Look, MJ, I don't know if this is a good-" Peter is cut short by a padded target being thrust into his cheek and his legs being swiped out from under him. "Idea…" he finishes.
"Never underestimate your opponent. Focus. Eyes up." She extends her padded hand, which Peter gratefully accepts, and hoists him up. With his pride knocked down a few pegs, Peter puts his mask back on and takes the training a lot more seriously.
MJ is a surprisingly good teacher throughout Peter's training session. She teaches him how to properly redirect his opponent's attacks, using their weight and power against them. This should come significantly in handy when facing Mysterio again. She also explains to Peter how he rarely uses his strength to stop incoming attacks, so she demonstrates how to effectively block while taking as little damage as possible.
Peter brings up how Mysterio is able to redirect even some of his more powerful punches, which is something that has been holding Peter back.
"He's using your strength and speed against you. If you don't calculate every move you make, he'll get the upper hand. Got it?" MJ illustrates after a few hours of straight training. Peter nods, taking a deep breath. Both she and Peter are soaked from head to toe in sweat, but they're both too stubborn and headstrong to take Tony's suggestion of a break.
Tony and Ned have been watching the whole time from the sidelines, making sure neither of the two pass out during training. They both know Peter and MJ WOULD push themselves to that point just to improve. MJ continues,
"Always use your webs, if you can, to amplify the power behind your attacks. If you can't, your first option should always be using your opponent's strength against them. Makes your job a whole lot easier. He's been playing both you and Stark since day one."
"Now wait just a minute," Tony speaks up for the first time in a while.
"Time for you to get him back," MJ continues as if Tony hadn't said a word. "As for actual attacks, always go for the weak spots to distract your opponent long enough to nail a better hit. Strike through what you want to hit, it'll give your punch more force behind it. And, fairly important in your case, don't overreact. Keep your mind calm. Panic and fear just causes irrational behavior and inaccurate reactions. Don't let this clown get inside your head again," she orders as she wipes her damp forehead.
"Yeah, I think I got it," Peter agrees while trying to catch his breath. "Thanks for all the help today, MJ. It means a lot." He smiles genuinely. MJ shrugs her shoulders nonchalantly.
"Can't let you get killed so easily by that freak." Her tone doesn't convey much, but the slight smile that follows her words says it all.
"Alright, kids," a voice catches all of their attention. "As the CEO of Stark Industries, I can't have teenagers passing out from malnourishment and dehydration." Peter smiles when he sees the ever pristine Pepper Potts walk in with a smile.
"Hey, Pepper!" Peter excitedly greets as he pulls off his damp mask.
"You need a shower," Pepper all but suggests, yet still grins at him nonetheless.
"What I really need is a nap," Peter admits, but he'd never have one. The last thing he wants is to waste time by sleeping. He stretches out his arms above his head.
"Well, if it's any incentive to take a break, I ordered food and snacks to be delivered to the penthouse," Pepper informs casually. She knows she has won when both Peter and MJ freeze.
"Food?" Peter clarifies. Pepper nods.
"Vegan options?" MJ questions skeptically. Pepper nods again.
"Pepper, you're a literal angel," Ned compliments, breathless.
"I know. If only Tony would admit that more often." Pepper raises an eyebrow at Tony, who only raises his hands in defense. They all start walking to the elevator, following Pepper, and Peter walks between MJ and Tony.
"Thanks again," Peter expresses his gratitude again.
"I've got your back, Parker," MJ assures, her eyes straight ahead. Tony bumps his shoulder into Peter and laughs to cover up his nerves.
"I'm still a better mentor though, right Pete? Kiddo? Bud?" Instead of answering, Peter shoots him finger guns coupled with a smirk. Tony…isn't sure how to interpret that.
"Don't worry, Mr. Stark. You'll always be eighth in my book!" Tony scoffs, completely taken aback.
"Eighth?!" Tony questions, not quite sure if he heard the kid correctly.
"Yep! May, Ned, MJ, Pepper, Colonel Rhodes, Mr. Delmar, Murph, then you." Peter clarifies, knowing that it'll get under Tony's skin. If nothing else, it'll take his ego down a few notches.
"I'm below the cat?!" Tony demands indignantly. Peter flashes him an innocent smile, but doesn't respond. And, well, Tony should've seen that one coming.
Notes:
MJ is our secret weapon! Three chapters left to go! Thank you for reading :)
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