Hey, hope you enjoy the update I don't actually know anything about selling to companies, so I just drew from what I've seen on The Apprentice and Dragons Den. I have university exams for the next month so there may not be an update but if I have time I'll do one. I am trying to rewatch all the Marvel films before I see Endgame on the 25th though so realistically there's not a high chance of an update. Hope you enjoy though and thanks again for all the reviews coming in.
-EmptyFridges
Peter couldn't stop himself from sighing loudly as he messed up his tie for the third time. Maybe this was a bad idea, he couldn't do this, if he couldn't even get his tie right how was he supposed to sell Ultimate Iron Man? He had been taught before multiple times but he still couldn't do it, it was ridiculous! He slumped down and sat on the edge of his bed throwing his tie aside, this was too much, why did he think he could do this? Why had he thought he was good enough to do this?
Tony knocked once before entering his son's room, he had been expecting the boy half an hour ago for breakfast, what could he be doing? He knew he was awake and FRIDAY had told him the boy had showered. He sighed as he entered the room, Peter was sitting on the edge of his bed looking stressed. "Your tie again?"
"I can't do this dad, how am I meant to sell Ultimate Iron Man if I can't even tie a tie?" Peter whined as he curled further into himself.
"Hey none of that Underoos. You can do this, I know you can do this, your mom knows you can do this, it's just nerves it's perfectly normal to feel this way. Come here and I'll tie that tie for you, there's no need to get worked up over it Pete, I'm here, I'll always be here for you." The words flowed of his tongue easily the honesty in his words clear, Tony Stark of a few years ago would never have known he could be this compassionate, but he supposed Tony Stark of a few years ago didn't know what he was missing.
Peter stood up smiling softly at his dad's words as he wordlessly passed over the tie he had been struggling with. This was the first time he was wearing one of the suits his dad had bought for him before the wedding all those months ago, he couldn't deny that it made him feel confident, grown up wearing such a nice suit, he supposed that was the idea behind it. Also, he wanted to be taken seriously, he didn't want them to see him and think he was a child, he didn't want people to look at his creation and think someone else had designed it and sent him in with it.
He was due to give a presentation in front of a team of buyers for various toy companies and chains, the meeting had been set up incredibly fast but he supposed it had been done through SI so that was probably why. SI had never entered the toy market so this would be huge news and it was for those in the know but luckily his dad had ensured NDA's were signed so this new venture could not be spoken about in the press until after the presentation which did ease his stress levels slightly. He wouldn't coast by on SI's reputation though, his creation was good enough that it didn't need supported by the name Stark or SI, he supposed they were just a helpful boost, he believed in his product even without those supports it would have got to where it was today, it perhaps just would have taken slightly longer.
"Breakfast then kiddo?"
Peter nodded at his dad's words and walked into the kitchen smiling as he saw him mom and uncles waiting for him. He sat himself down in his usual seat and immediately relaxed as everyone began chatting, this was normal, normal was good.
Pepper smiled softly at her husband as she saw her son relax as he fell into conversation with his uncles. She knew why the boy was nervous and she supposed it would be ridiculous if he wasn't. Peter had never done anything like this before and even she still got nervous when introducing something she was really passionate about. But she knew her son would do an amazing job today, anyone who turned away Ultimate Iron Man was a fool and that wasn't her just saying that in her capacity as the creator's mom.
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An hour later Peter found himself sitting in the back of a car trying not to tug at his tie. His parents had offered to come with him but as much as he had maybe wanted them there this was something he had to do alone. He wanted these people to see Peter Parker Stark not just Iron Man's son, not that he was ashamed to be Iron Man's son of course but this was something he could and would do himself, he knew his Aunt and Uncle were looking down supporting him and he would do this for them, his birth parents, his adoptive parents and himself.
"You nervous kid?"
"A little Uncle Happy but I can do this."
"I know Peter, we all know you can do this. Blow them away." The man told him as he pulled up in front of the office building he was due to give his presentation in. "Are you sure you don't want me to come in kid?"
"I'm sure, people know who you are Uncle Happy I don't want any rumours of nepotism surrounding Ultimate Iron Man. I'll text you as soon as I am out." Peter told his uncle firmly as he grabbed the briefcase his dad had given him for his display boards and his bag with several of his robots in it. He had been planning on just using his backpack but his dad had said it wouldn't be the best impression and he was going to carry his display boards but that had also been deemed unacceptable so here he was.
Peter took a deep breath and squared his shoulders before he entered the building, he knew there would be lots of people selling their products today and he didn't want to appear nervous or anxious despite the fact those emotions were at the forefront of his mind. He made his way towards the reception desk on the other side of the lobby looking briefly as he did so, he had never been in an office building other than Stark Tower and he supposed that maybe ruined all others for him but it was nice enough.
"Next."
Peter walked up to the reception desk ignoring the eyes he could feel staring at him, he was clearly the youngest person in the vicinity but he was used to that, when he first started at SI he had received plenty of questioning gazes, not anymore, he had proved he belonged and he would do that here as well. "Hello, I'm Peter Parker with Stark Industries here for an eleven o'clock meeting."
The woman behind the desk raised an eyebrow at his words but dutifully checked the computer and there was indeed a Mr P. Parker in the schedule. "Do you have ID?"
Peter nodded relieved she hadn't outright laughed at him but looking at the man on her left he was relieved not to be speaking to him as he had been sniggering slightly when he first walked up. He took his wallet from his pocket and took out his SI badge, he didn't need a badge in the tower…well technically he did, he was supposed to wear one but no one ever asked for it after the first month or so so it simply sat in his wallet just in case. He swallowed nervously as she shone a light on it to check it was legit despite the fact he knew perfectly well it was fine as his dad had given it to him. "This appears to be fine, here is a visitor badge make sure to return it when you leave Mr Parker, floor twenty-seven you need to make your way to, there is a waiting area there." Peter nodded and smiled as he took the badge ignoring the shell-shocked looks of those around him.
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Peter studiously ignored the man whose gaze had been drilling holes in the side of his head for the past twenty minutes. His presentation was supposed to start in ten minutes and it couldn't come quick enough. "What is a child like you doing here?" The man asked rather rudely and Peter had to supress a sigh.
"I imagine the same as you, I am here to present my product." The teen said evenly, he would not let this man put him off.
"You? A child? You have no chance, these people are looking for innovation not building blocks, you may as well go home. You can't just turn up here you know? You need an appointment."
"It's a good think I'm not here with building blocks then isn't it? And not that it's any of your business but my presentation is at 11." Peter shot back before he took his phone from his pocket and blatantly ignored the man's further words. He was like Flash just bigger and he supposed much less likely to hit him, so he was easy to ignore. He didn't care what this man thought, he was here representing himself and SI, he would not let anyone put him off.
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"Mr Parker with Stark Industries." Peter stood up when the secretary called him totally ignoring the once again gobsmacked looks of those around him, picking up his things he simply nodded and followed her into the next room.
Peter took a breath to calm himself as he walked into the room. The secretary that led him in gestured into the middle of the room where there was a long table for him to use. He put his bags down and quickly set up his displays, ignoring the curious looks coming from everyone but shrugged them off, they would forget his age soon enough. He made sure to keep his back straight and face calm, he wanted to be seen as a professional after all, there were only about ten people in the room, he could do this. His display boards had different photos of Ultimate Iron Man from different angles as well as an image of the robotics inside, he hadn't been too sure what to put on the boards to be honest so he had just done what he had to do for school presentations, as few words as possible and plenty of photos. The ten people in the room were from major toy companies nationwide…no pressure. His eyes flicked over everyone making brief eye contact with each of them, they were all the people in charge of choosing new products they were going to sell in their stores. One was from Disney! Disney!...wait did that mean he could get free tickets to Disneyland if they took on his product? Ugh focus.
"Hello, I am Peter Parker here today on behalf of Stark Industries with my product Ultimate Iron Man," he started as he took three of the robots out and handed them to random people so they could get a closer look. Before he could say anything more a hand shot up and a man immediately cut in.
"your product? There's no way you made this kid? Why are you here? How old are you twelve?"
Peter kept calm, he had done practice runs of this for his parents and both had cut in with obnoxious questions like that so he knew what he was doing. His dad's words running through his head, "Don't let them intimidate you, they will want your product they need you just as much as you need them."
"Yes sir this is my product, I have the patent here," he said as he handed the man a copy of the patent with his name on it which the man hardly looked at before nodding reluctantly and handing it to the next person. He ignored the age question he hoped that would make him look more mature by not answering to the clear attempt to rile him up.
"This is Ultimate Iron Man," he continued as if he had not been interrupted, "I have the design patented and the right to use Iron Man's likeness." The legalities were important, that was something his mom had drilled into him, it was important to start with those. "I was looking for a gift for my dad's birthday and wanted to get him an Iron Man robot but I could not find what I was looking for anywhere, I was told there was nothing on the market that fit what I was looking for so I created it myself. I made an Iron Man which could be controlled both on land and in the air, there is nothing like this on the market." As he said this he pressed a button his phone and placed it on the table so it projected a video of the robot in action. He smiled softly as he watched Cooper use the figure, although the kid's face was obscured.
"When I gave the original robot to my dad he was thrilled and that was enough but then one of his colleagues' children used it and asked where to find one, this led me to see if others were interested. I made more and let children in the SI children's area try them out and they were enjoyed by both girls and boys of various ages who had little difficulty using them after a little practice."
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"They can be made with machines easily and this can be done by Stark Industries at a low cost, I plan to market these at $39.99 in your stores and look to develop more lines of these robots in the future." Peter finished with a grin after over ten minutes of solid talking. He let out a breath he didn't realise he had been holding, he thought it had gone down well, everyone seemed interested and after the initial interruption everyone let him speak. "Do you have any questions?"
"Can I try one?" Peter nodded at the woman's words and gave her a remote, quickly explaining the controls as he did so. He answered questions from most people in the room before a man who had stayed silent the entire time spoke up.
"You want to market these at $39.99, why? You could sell these for much more."
"I grew up in Queens sir and I would have loved one of these a child and $39.99 is not extortionate, my guardians may not have bought me one at the drop of a hat but for Christmas or my birthday it would be possible and the same goes for many families. I don't want Ultimate Iron Man to be a sign of wealth, Iron Man himself does not discriminate on who he saves based on wealth and I refuse to do the same. The profit on these is still fairly large, I am not greedy, it does not need to be higher." Peter smiled softly as he spoke, he was passionate about this, he wouldn't let his toy be a symbol of wealth, he wouldn't let it be the cause of bullying.
"That's commendable young man." The man who had asked the question told him before he picked the patent back up, "I couldn't help but notice you had not been entirely honest or perhaps Stark Industries was not when this meeting was created, why was this? The name on this patent is a Mr Peter Parker Stark." At the question every eye in the room was suddenly staring at the teen.
Peter swallowed nervously at this, he had expected this question he was surprised it wasn't the first one asked to be honest. "As I said before, this is my patent that is true. My full name is Peter Benjamin Parker Stark. I did not want my name to be the reason any of you chose to stock Ultimate Iron Man. I believe it was the reason the patent was accepted so quickly myself and my dad believe the name Stark popped up and it was fast tracked through the system but that is the only help my name has given me so far. I do not want nepotism to get me anywhere and I did not want my name to be the sole reason people were interested in Ultimate Iron Man."
"…so when you said you made this for your dad…" The man who had questioned whether it was truly his product at the beginning spoke up.
"I was telling the truth, I didn't know what to get him for his birthday. What do you get a man that can buy anything?" Peter asked earning light laughs, "I created this and he was thrilled, the two originals are in our home but I reiterate this is my product, my dad does own one but he had no input in the creation other than being my model for the packaging." He told them as he gestured to the photo on the box of the real Iron Man next to the Ultimate Iron Man. "I did not and do not want my name or connections to sway your opinion on this product," he told them truthfully. "Do you have any more questions?"
"Should this product be taken up would you be looking to develop it further? Perhaps other heroes or even an upgrade of the Iron Man model?"
"In terms of other models yes if this version proves popular I will look into creating more as the design itself is also patented, my Uncle owns a War Machine version and with his permission this could be sold alongside Iron Man. There would be a similar case for Falcon or any other Avenger that can fly should they be willing to let me use their likeness. Due to the versatility of the robot itself should I get the rights I would be interested in creating a Peter Pan or fairy characters but perhaps with simpler controls, these work well for older children and teenagers but the younger children who used them struggled. So, if some are made with characters like this they may not be as impressive as Ultimate Iron Man in their movements and abilities but they would open the door to a new audience who one day may buy the original robot." Peter answered promptly it had been something he had been thinking about for some time after all.
"And an upgrade on Iron Man?" the woman from Disney prompted.
Peter swallowed nervously at that, this could be a deal breaker for some he supposed. "I do not think there will be any upgrades on Iron Man unless there is a huge change in the real Iron Man. I have previously been asked about weapons as the real Iron Man suit does have weapons but it is a one off. Stark Industries no longer creates weapons in any form and I will not be breaking this tradition with Ultimate Iron Man."
No one said anything in response to his words so Peter simply cleared his throat nervously and thanked everyone for their time before collecting up his things and shaking everyone's hands once again on his way to the door.
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As soon as his son walked into the penthouse Tony stood up to greet him, "how did it go?"
"It went well…or at least I think it did, we just need to wait and see I suppose. The man representing Target noticed my name, I imagine it will end up in the press, especially if any of them end up stocking Ultimate Iron Man."
"Do you mind? We did warn you it was likely and your name was going to come out eventually, I'm surprised you haven't ended up in the press before now to be honest."
Peter just shrugged, "I dunno, maybe. I guess there's nothing we can do about it. But I can't be like followed can I? Like you and mom? Is there laws about that? Will I have to move school? I don't want to move school."
Tony raised a hand to stop his panicking son, "You could be followed by the press yes, but it isn't allowed, they can't stalk a minor and no you don't need to move school, I spoke to your principal months ago when I became your secondary contact and we spoke about measures being introduced should your name become known."
Peter let out a sigh of relief. "Thanks dad."
"Anytime underoos. I'm here for you, always."