an: so, just to clarify, THIS IS NOT THE LAST CHAPTER. I'm having too much fun writing these, so I broke the rules. The next one will be the last one. (sadly).
5. / The Graduation
Peter's hands were clammy, and his heart was beating just a little bit too fast.
The auditorium was filling quickly, parents and siblings and extended family members pushing against the throngs of other people to find seats with the best view of their children.
Backstage, the Class of 2019 waited anxiously as teachers called out names and guided the teens into their correct orders.
"Flash Thompson, you're right behind Peter Parker here," their Spanish teacher said, continuing to usher everyone into place.
Peter fiddled with the blue and gold tassel on his cap, wishing that the graduation ceremony had been arranged in alphabetical order instead of according to height.
"Hey, Parker, they spelled your name wrong in the program," Flash said, waving a folded piece of paper in front of him, "they wrote Peter Parker instead of Penis Parker."
He kept his eyes trained forward, ignoring Flash as he scanned the crowd.
May sat in the first row, in one of two seats marked with a sign that read: Reserved for Family of Valedictorian.
The second seat was empty.
"Earth-to-Parker," Flash said, louder this time, "I'm talking to you."
Flash's gaze followed Peter's, landing on the vacant seat.
"Aw, daddy didn't show?" He cooed, lip pouted exaggeratedly.
"He's not my dad," Peter said, tearing his eyes away from his aunt, sitting all alone.
"No shit. Did you really think that listing him as a special guest would make us actually believe Tony Stark even knows your name? You're an even bigger loser than I thought."
He wanted to tell Flash off, but he couldn't stop thinking about the empty seat. Tony was supposed to be there. He said he'd be there.
"Don't cry Penis, you might ruin your mascara," he taunted, before unexpectedly lurching forward and nearly knocking Peter over in the process.
Peter looked back to see MJ, smirking, her foot having just collided with the back of Flash's knee.
"Michelle," one of the teacher's warned as Flash indignantly brushed off the back of his pants.
"This suit is Tom Ford," he squawked.
"These shoes are Payless," she replied, shrugging, "your point?"
"My point is that these pants cost over a thousand dollars and you just got dirt all over them."
"Yea, well, the bottom of my shoe is covered in pretentiousness now so let's call it even."
Peter gave MJ a silent nod that said thank you to which she responded, plenty loud for Flash to hear, "don't pay attention to him. His fragile masculinity is just feeling threatened by the fact that everyone is about to find out you're officially smarter than him."
A couple kids in the back snorted, but everyone snapped to attention and shut up as the band started playing Pomp and Circumstance.
His hands started sweating again the closer he got to the front of the line. As the boy in front of him walked across the stage, Peter finally caught a glimpse of Ned in the opposite wing and grinned as Ned waved furiously at him from behind the curtain.
On the teacher's cue, Peter walked out under the bright lights, meeting Ned at center stage for their signature handshake before continuing down the aisle together.
As they processed, the principal's voice boomed out from a podium beside the stage.
"Peter Parker is the son of the late Richard and Mary Parker and nephew of the late Benjamin Parker, and is represented tonight by his guardian May Parker and special guest Anthony Stark."
He kept his eyes trained on his shoes as he made his way to his seat, relieved when the principal continued to Ned's introduction.
His eyes flitted between Ned, whose chair was opposite him, and the first row where Tony's presence was still absent. Despite both May's and Ned's reassuring glances, Peter's heart sank as the last of his classmates finished their procession.
The first half of the ceremony passed in a blur. The principal offered a charismatic welcome to the family and friends in the audience, a few faculty members spoke on behalf of the class, and a distinguished alumnus gave a heartwarming speech, but Peter hardly heard anything.
He's a busy man, Peter tried to remind himself. He should've known better than to think Tony Stark—billionaire businessman and actual superhero—had the time to attend his stupid little graduation.
He felt stupid for actually listing Tony as a special guest and broadcasting to the entire crowd just how pathetic he was. Flash would probably frame that damn program and show it to his grandchildren. You're an even bigger loser than I thought.
To make matters worse, his speech was nearing, and his nerves had kicked into overdrive.
The audience clapped as the alumnus exited the stage, and the principal returned to the podium to distribute diplomas.
An agonizing hour passed as each name was called up to receive the leather-bound certificate and shake hands with the faculty.
As the last student exited the stage and returned to his seat, the principal returned to the podium to introduce the Valedictorian.
Just then, a slightly disheveled man with red-tinted glasses apologetically squeezed past May and, passing her a small bouquet of flowers, assumed the seat next to her. His gray suit—no doubt even more expensive than Flash's—was stained at the knees with what looked like a mixture of grease and dirt.
He was probably just working on some things in the shop and lost track of time, Peter thought, ignoring the twinge of hurt that came along with the idea. At least he made it.
"Our final speaker for this evening is a young man who embodies our school's philosophy: to take everything we know and flip it inside out, to turn facts into questions, and ideas into realities. Mr. Parker has not only achieved academic excellence, but through his internship with Stark Industries, he has proven himself to be one of the most innovative minds to walk through our school. Please give a warm welcome to Midtown's Valedictorian for the Class of 2019, Mr. Peter Parker."
His stomach was churning, and his legs wobbled as he stood up from his seat and walked to the front of the stage.
He wouldn't even be up here if May hadn't given him an ultimatum—keep his grades up, or no more patrolling. He'd still be sitting comfortable in his seat, perhaps cheering on Ned as he spoke, if Tony hadn't started taking him to conventions, showing off his achievements in the lab.
He'd give anything to be in his suit right now, hidden from the hundreds of people now, awaiting his words of wisdom.
Ned was grinning at him like the proud best friend he was, and even MJ couldn't hold back a smile.
In the front row, May snapped a picture before giving him a thumbs up.
Next to her, Tony removed his glasses and with a look of utter sincerity, lacking any of his distinctive sarcasm, mouthed, "Knock 'em dead."
And then it was just him and the microphone.
"Some of you may know this already, but over the past few years, I've had the incredible opportunity to intern for Stark Industries."
Through the side of his field of vision, Peter caught Flash rolling his eyes.
"And one of the perks of being there, besides the science of course," the audience gave a laugh, "is getting to work with one of my heroes."
"When I was little, I lived in my Iron Man costume. It used to drive my aunt and uncle insane, because I'd run around and wreak havoc on our little apartment with my imaginary hand-repulsors. They'll always be my first heroes, for taking me in, supporting me, and teaching me to never settle, to never be afraid to reach for more. They were just ordinary people who, even in a time of crisis, refused to back away from a challenge. And believe me when I say that I was a challenge."
As the audience laughed again, Peter caught May dabbing at the corner of her eye, despite her attempt to hide behind her camera.
"Not only did I get to live with two of my heroes, but three years ago I walked home from school to find Tony Stark himself sitting on my couch, choking down my aunt's horrendous cooking. I love you, May, but cooking has never been one of your superpowers."
Peter took a breath, anxiety catching him again, but May nodded encouragingly and he continued.
"I think most kids my age loved Iron Man so much because he drove fancy cars and had this super awesome suit and he could even fly. And yes, I'd be lying if I wasn't also fascinated with all of that—because I definitely was—but it was more than that. Mr. Stark wasn't born with some crazy magical powers. He wasn't born a superhero. He made himself one. When the only two choices he had were to give in to the bad guys or die, he created a third one. He used the only things he had at his disposal—ingenuity and some scraps of metal, and in that moment, his mind was his superpower."
"It took me a while to realize that my real hero wasn't Iron Man—but the man who created him. He showed me the same thing my aunt and uncle did, that ordinary people can become heroes. That when the world is telling you there's not an option—you have to make one. You have to be your own hero. He saw a world of possibilities in a pile of garbage and acted on it. To me, that's more inspiring than any other superhero I've had the chance to meet. He didn't need to be a god, or injected with super serum, or bitten by some radioactive spider. He proved that ordinary people like you and me can be so much more than that. I'm not saying I'm going to be the newest member of the Avengers," he said, as the auditorium smiled, "I don't think I'm really built for that. But I do believe, and I hope you all do too, that we all have it in ourselves to become heroes. You all," he said, turning to his classmates, "are some of the smartest people I have ever met, it's ridiculous. And if there's one thing I hope for all of us, it's that we never settle. When we come across a situation with no good options, I hope that we are brave enough to engineer a new one. We aren't locked into the world we think we know. There's always more out there. Let's promise to never be afraid to reach for more. Congratulations, Class of 2019."
The audience cheered as Peter's classmates got on their feet and tossed their caps in the air.
The teens processed off the stage, diplomas in hand, and disappeared into the auditorium to meet their families.
May nearly tackled him with a hug before pushing his shoulders back to look at his face.
"I'm so, so proud of you. You were great up there. I wish Rich and Mary and Ben could have been here to see it," she beamed, pulling him in for another hug.
Ned came over and hugged him too, while May snapped a million pictures.
"Dude, why couldn't you have given a speech like that while we were still in high school?!"
Peter snorted, "Shut up."
"Not bad, Parker," Michelle said, towering over Peter in her heels—shoes he never thought he'd catch her dead in.
He glowed bright red when May pushed them together for a picture, his arm placed delicately around her waist.
He nearly died when she kissed him, in the middle of the auditorium, with his aunt and her camera two feet away and his best friend cackling in the background.
"May," he groaned when the flash went off.
"Pete, on your wedding day, you're going to thank me for that," she winked, before hugging Michelle and congratulating her.
She took a few more pictures of all three of them together before Ned and MJ left to find their respective families and Peter was finally able to breathe again.
"Hey, May, did you see where Mr.-," he started, as his aunt nudged her head to the corner where Tony stood, doing his best to remain patient as teenagers and their parents swarmed him. Flash was at the front of the crowd.
Peter made his way over, but didn't want to fight his way through the throng of fans trying to get a picture with him.
Tony was thankful when he caught sight of the kid.
"Alright, that's all for the autographs today. You can get in touch with my manager if you want another meet-and-greet, he loves talking to people."
Peter laughed under his breath as Tony passed out Happy's personal cell number while he pushed through to see his kid.
"Hey," he said, not even hesitating before wrapping his arms around the boy's shoulders and holding him there.
"I'm sorry I was late," Tony apologized when he finally pulled away, "there was somebody on the side of the road with a blown transmission. I wanted to just drive by but I kept hearing some kid's voice in my head telling me I needed to help. So, congratulations, you've officially replaced Cap as my conscience."
"Thanks for coming," Peter whispered quietly, suddenly feeling embarrassed about explaining his man-crush on Mr. Stark to an entire auditorium.
"Oh, kid, I wouldn't have missed it for the world," he said, and Peter could've sworn that, behind his glasses, there was a hint of glassiness in his eyes.
"Here," Tony handed him a manila envelope, "I got you a little graduation gift."
Inside was a certificate that Peter was positive he wasn't reading correctly.
"Mr. Stark-,"
"It's a share of my company. Well, Pepper's company technically, but you know, my name's still on the door. You're a partial owner now, officially."
Peter was at a loss.
"M-most people just give out like gift cards or something... I-I can't accept this."
"Pete, you deserve this. It's not enough to live on, but if you ever want a job, you've got one there, too. Just say the word."
He just stood in stunned silence.
"Oh," Tony added, as if he'd just remembered something he'd forgotten, "I talked to M.I.T. today—good choice, by the way—and there's a new scholarship. The Benjamin Parker scholarship. It'll go to you, of course, these first few years, and after that it will be granted annually to kids like you."
"...kids like me?"
"Yes. Brilliant, passionate, scrappy, selfless. Kids who aren't afraid to look out for the little guy and push some boundaries."
Peter was silent again, trying to absorb the weight of everything Tony had just said.
"Mr. Stark, I don't know what to say. Thank you."
"No, Pete. Thank you."
"For what?"
"For seeing a hero in me when no one else did," Tony smiled sadly.
"Yea, well, you did the same for me," Peter replied, and this time he was the one who initiated the hug.
A camera flashed.
"May."
"Someday, Peter," she smiled, "someday."