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Peter seemed a bit nervous, pale even. He was not used to this sort of attention, and yet, Tony could not help but laugh at his son. He reached over from his own makeup chair and clapped Peter on the shoulder. "You good, kiddo?"
"I've never been on TV before." Peter confessed.
"Which is why we chose the Helen show!" Tony reminded him. "Helen is a hoot! She never gets too personal, she's fun, and good at making people feel at home on camera." He grinned at his son. "She is my favorite person to come interview with. She pretty much lets you tell what you want know, then there is some ridiculous shenanigan, and dancing. You'll love it."
"Her show has always looked so fun. Alright." Peter nodded, but he sounded less than enthused. He kept his eyes on the floor. Tony waved his hand and the makeup crew cleared the room. He grabbed Peter's chair and spun him around.
"Spill it." He commanded.
"I'm just- The kids a school. I just don't want this to make things weirder." He sighed.
"Someone giving you problems?" Tony said, his brow furrowed, tone firm. He could not well mask his underlying anger at the idea.
"Just this guy- Flash." Peter shrugged. "He was a bully before. It's not new. Please, dad, can we talk about this at home?" He pleaded.
"Five minutes, boys!" A lady with a head seat called in the door. Tony looked the young teen over, then nodded.
"Sure, but we are talking about it." Tony confirmed. Peter smiled.
"So, Helen is really as fun as she seems on TV?" Peter ask.
Peter made a note to make Helen his go to for television interviews. They weren't even quite halfway through their time slot on the show and his cheeks already hurt from laughing. He sat on a couch beside his father, across from Helen, who spent more time making him laugh than doing any real hard journalistic questioning. "So-" Helen said, sipping her water, then clearing her throat. "Peter, you know I have to ask- Your dad has told me you were a huge Iron Man fan..."
"Yes, he does seem to find that hilarious..." Peter said, half embarrassed. He however laughed it off when Tony laughed too. "But what kid isn't a Iron Man fan? I mean, real life super heroes. It sort of puts Batman and Superman out of focus, you know?"
"Oh absolutely!" Helen agreed. "How has that changed since you found out that your childhood hero is your old man?" She ask. Her smile was large and genuine, and sparkled in her eyes. She waited patiently for Peter to think.
"Well, It's a little weird at first. Like When we met, I don't think dad was completely sure how to tell me I was his kid. Like he found me, but I was already like 'OhMyGod ItsTonyStark' when I met him that first time..." Peter said, laughing and fanning himself in a mock panic attack. "But then he's like, oh, buy they way... And the world sort of shifted. Like the perspective on this larger than life guy suddenly is so human."
"Oh totally." Helen nodded, waiting for Peter to continue.
"And suddenly, he's not so bullet proof. And its like- Oh God. He CAN get hurt. It was really hard for me, especially when he first went on a call after I moved in. I had a really hard time with it. But Natasha helped me through that."
"Natasha?" Helen ask-
"Black Widow." Tony clarified. "She and Peter are pretty close these days. It does my heart good." He covered his heart with his hand. "She is probably the deadliest person on the planet. So as a parent to know she's looking out for my kid, it definitely helps me sleep at night. I mean, Iron Man can go busting into pretty much anything- But Nat- she's a world class spy. She could have someone killed before they knew they weren't alone." Tony laughed. But Peter picked up on exactly what his father was up to.
"Yeah, I get the feeling I'm probably one of the safest kid in the world." Peter laughed.
Peter dreaded the conversation he knew was coming on the airplane ride back home from the studio in California. Happy had snacks and his homework all sat out when they boarded, and was sitting waiting on the Starks, who both seemed overly quiet when they boarded the aircraft. "What is up with you two?" The larger man ask, raising from his own seat as Tony flopped onto the couch and Peter took a seat where he could work.
"Peter," Tony paused, cutting his eyes across the aisle, "Has a bully."
"It's nothing." Peter confirmed.
"It has him bothered to the point he was afraid that this interview would make school weirder." Tony grunted. Happy looked them both over. He almost wanted to laugh. They both looked so annoyed with the other- and it made them look so much alike.
"I can handle Flash, dad." Peter said. "I just have to have to think about it carefully. Because I had to deal with him a certain way before I was bitten, and now that I have these powers, I can't just walk up and deck him. I have to stay me. So there is a lot of it I have to let go." Peter said. Happy gave a 'humph' at this thought.
"I dunno, Tones. That is solid logic." He nodded to the young man. "Responsible."
"The little prick is messing with my kid, Hap." Tony growled. "Tell Happy what this Flash calls you."
"He doesn't do it anymore. It doesn't work." Peter said.
"He called him 'Penis Parker." Tony spouted. "Little fuck."
"That isn't even clever..." Happy said, scratching at his curls.
"Thank you!" Peter said, gesturing with his hands.
"So does he have a new one?" Happy questioned. Tony growled again, Peter rolled his eyes, and Happy wondered if he should regret asking.
"Hap, do you watch 'Game of Thrones?' ever?" Peter ask. Happy nodded.
"I've seen the first couple seasons. Why?" He ask, almost confused.
"Peter Snow, Bastard of House Stark." He held out a hand as if they were first meeting. Happy burst into a fit of laughter which Peter quickly joined into. Tony, however, was not as amused.
"It is not funny. This kid knocks into Peter, pushes him around, calls him names. He used to make fun of Peter for being poor, among other things, which, May and you weren't poor. Just not on his level. Now you have way more money than he could dream of, and he's still being an asshole. He calls him a faggot, occasionally. He is a prick."
"I'm starting to think you don't know anything about high schools today, dad." Peter ventured.
"He didn't go to high school like you, bud. Remember?" Happy reminded him. Tony huffed, arms crossed, where he lay. Both of the others laughed.
"I am not letting this go, Pete. You are dealing with this bully thing." Tony said firmly.
'If everyone is ready, Mr. Hogan, we are clear for takeoff...' The pilot called over the intercom. Happy leaned forward and pushed the button allowing him to speak back to the cockpit.
"Ready when you are." He confirmed, still chucking at his long time friend.
Late Saturday evening, Peter squatted on the ledge of the roof across from the house he grew up in, donned in the new Spidersuit his father made for him. The light breeze of dusk brought the smells of the neighborhood to him, and he took a long, slow breath in through his nose, savoring each scent. He truly missed it here some days. The people, the community. He even missed May, as angry as he still felt some days.
Pepper had agreed to cover for him, and it took nearly no time at all to make it from their home to his old stomping grounds in Queens. He hadn't had a patrol here in quite some time, not that he ever had too much to do here. It was a fairly peaceful place. His eyes snapped from down the street to right below when a car pulled up and parked near the door- But not one Peter had ever seen before. A man got out, bouquet of roses in hand. He adjusted his clothing and then moved for the door.
"Karen..." Peter started.
"Running facial recognition software now." The AI replied.
"Thanks, you're the best." Peter replied. He watched, allowing the information flying past his eyes in the suit's interface to flash by while he waited.
"I have a match, Peter." Karen said after about three minutes. "Would you like a detailed report or just the general summery?"
"Is there a known criminal record?" Peter said, edging forward.
"No, but several known associates have them." She replied. Peter cursed under his breath. "His name is Johnathan Ohnn. Doctorate in physics, but no academic honors to mention- he does however have a small yet notable falling out with your father's friend, Bruce Banner over the ethics of radiation experiments on both humans and animals." She informed him.
"Fantastic." Peter said sarcastically.
"Stealth mode?" Karen suggested.
"Do it." Peter said, as the suit transformed itself and the cameras built in helped him blend into the walls as he flipped across the gap in the street with the aid of his web and he crawled down the side of the building where the kitchen windows were, where he could see into the parlor. The kitchen windows, as normal, were propped open slightly, and allowed Peter to hear inside.
'They're beautiful, thank you so much.' He heard May say.
'Like yourself.' The man, Ohnn, replied. May gave a small giggle.
"Deploy a couple spider droids into corners in the house." Peter commanded, and three small robotic spiders emerged from the back of his suit and crawled down to the cracked window, where they scurried off into the house to hide. "Karen, keep audio rolling twenty four-seven on those. And lets get one in his car, too." He said. Karen confirmed and deployed another small droid off toward the parked vehicle.
"Anything I should be keeping an ear on, Peter?" Karen ask, awaiting command.
"Any sign of pain, struggle, illegal activity..." Peter listed off. "General bad guy- Wait. Karen do you see that?" He said, focusing in on the collar of the man sitting on the couch beside his aunt, having a cup of tea. Just behind the man's collar was a sickly white patch of skin, with what looked like dalmatian markings on it, creeping up his neck. Ohnn scratched at whatever it was, and it receded back below his collar.
"Affirmative, Peter. Recording video for later enhancement." She confirmed.
"Any matching records for that?" Peter said, a little disgusted.
"None." Karen reported.
"Well then. Let's let those simmer for a couple days, and you let me know if it gets juicy..." Peter said.
"Peter, you have a message from Pepper Potts. Shall I read it to you?" Karen ask.
"Sure."
'Pete- Your dad will be home in about an hour, and he apparently has something for you... Get home.' She read. Peter snorted, but thanked her for the report and scaled his way back up the building, before deploying a web and swinging off toward the edge of town where he could catch a cab home.
New chapter, complete with a little Spidey-Suit action. If any of you know your lesser characters then you'll know who is sniffing around May- I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
Be sure to review- Especially if you know who we just met!
Thank you all!