"And then she kissed me."
"Wow! Congratulations man!"
Rhodey smiled warmly at Peter's newfound romantic success. In the midst of all the memories of Uncle Ben, a light beacon of hope shone through the dark. Peter needed that light in Rhodey's opinion. As bright and cheery as Peter was, he needed something to look forward to outside of his work. Besides, he was a teenager! He needed some companionship—the special kind that cuddles and kisses.
"Yeah, it was pretty amazing," Peter said, stressing the word amazing.
Ever since he met Captain America (which he kept a fast secret) and Mary Jane kissed him, he felt more confident and strong. It's funny that he didn't get confidence from being Spiderman. He did, but not in this way. While being Spiderman, there was a looming weight of responsibility. Knowing that Mary Jane was by his side shifted the burden enormously.
Peter told Rhodey about this, who nodded happily. Apparently the young kid didn't understand that having loved ones could endanger their lives, but he let Peter have his moment.
Tony walked into the lunge room, a jacket slung over his shoulder.
"How'd the meeting go?" Rhodey asked.
"Eh, it's all the boring stuff for Stark Industries. I told Pepps—er—Miss. Pott's that she should just let my minions do that sort of thing."
"Guess what?" Peter chirped "Mary Jane and I are dating now! And-"
"God help us," Tony muttered, rubbing his jaw slowly.
"Tony," Rhodey snapped, glaring at the billionaire profusely.
"I have to go to London tomorrow to do a bunch of U.N. related stuff."
"Why don't you take Peter with you?" Rhodey asked, tapping his knee absentmindedly.
"Eh, he wouldn't have fun. I have to go see a show on the West End and then give a ton of speeches and all that bull—"
"I've never been to London," Peter said wistfully.
Rhodey pointed at Peter and raised his eyebrows. Tony stared helplessly at Rhodey. He'd been trying to avoid the zany teenager over the last few days, especially since his whole run-in with Mary Jane. The kid hadn't stopped talking about it, and insisted on telling the story over and over again like they'd never heard it before. Natasha and Rhodey were happy to listen, and Vision, who never had experienced impatience, enjoyed the retellings also. Tony didn't want to deal with Peter, and his newfound love. However, Rhodey's words hung delicately in his mind.
Tony, you know that you've been cruel.
He sighed helplessly.
"Pack a bag, Parker. We're going to London."
Peter bit his lip and nodded. He could tell he was nervous, but Peter stood up tall and smiled.
"Thank you, Tony," he said slowly, and then turned and left the room.
"Hey . . . hey! What the hell was that about?" Rhodey called.
"What was what about?" Tony snapped back "I got to pack."
Two Days Later . . .
"If you screw this up, I swear to god, I will murder you!"
"Uh—well, you'd go to jail for that."
Tony groaned, and fiddled with his bowtie. He stared in the mirror, inspecting the wat he looked, and grumbled, undoing his bowtie for the sixth time. Peter stood a few feet back, dressed up in a Burberry suit that fit tightly around him. To be honest, he felt a bit uncomfortable. This fabric wasn't worn in like that of his favorite pair of jeans, and it didn't glide over his skin like that of his Spiderman uniform. He shuffled about nervously, watching Tony retie his bowtie.
Appearing to finally be satisfied with the way he looked, Tony turned to Peter and started fiddling with his bowtie.
"Tony, that's too tight!"
"Mmmm, think I care? We are meeting some of the most overly-glorified people in the world—"
"Like you?"
Tony glared at Peter, making him shake in his leather shoes.
"Peter, I know you probably aren't all familiar with the government over here, being American and all. See, here in England they have the government, and they have the royals."
"Aren't the royals part of the government?"
Tony shrugged.
"They're more like figure heads that give speeches and encourage the people. They wear fancy clothes and crowns, waving at people as they roll around in carriages."
"They still use carriages?"
"God, no! Look, when we're at the gala, don't be weird or loud or well . . . Petery. Just smile and nod and nod some more, okay?"
"Yeah."
Tony finished piddling with Peter's bowtie, and then straightened out his suit. A tiny, gentle smile spread across his face as he looked at the young, vivacious Peter dolled up in his Burberry suit.
Wow, he looks great! And he's going to meet the Queen of England and all her kids and family and all that jazz . . . what the hell? Stop it! You're not sending your son off to prom!
"Okay, Parker. Let's go."
Two Hours Later . . .
"Hello, I'm David and this is my wife Victoria."
The tall, extremely buff man gestured to the tall, elegant and delicately skinny woman next to him. She extended her hand graciously, which Peter accepted happily. They were a beautiful couple with their perfect clothing and radiant, gorgeous faces. Both perfectly dressed in stylish, matching outfits, they looked perfect for each other.
"Uh, hi! I'm Peter Parker. I'm here with Mr. Stark. What do you do?"
A strange looked crossed David and Victoria's faces, and they glanced at each other curiously. Peter glanced at David, then Victoria, then back to David, completely confused.
"I don't know if we told you, but we're David and Victoria Beckham," Victoria said slowly, linking arms with her husband.
Uh, should I know these people?
Suddenly, Tony was standing at his side. He immediately started talking to each other, while Peter stood their awkwardly, resisting the urge to google the couple. After several minutes of talking, David whisked Victoria away to talk to Sir Elton John and his husband.
"What the hell, Peter?"
"What?"
"You better thank your stars that I was here to save you from that—that—"
"Uh, is this about them expecting me to know who they are?"
Tony groaned, rubbing his forehead tiredly.
"No, Peter. He's only one of the greatest soccer players to walk on the face of the earth and she is one of the biggest fashion designers out there right now."
Peter balked.
"Uh, I hate fashion and I don't watch sports so—"
"Just don't talk, Peter. Don't talk."
A man in a black suit appeared by their sides and whispered something to Tony. Tony's mouth dropped open a little bit as the man spoke, and when he was done, he nodded eagerly.
"Come on, Peter. We're going to talk to the Queen, her son, her grandson, and one of the grandson's wife. Don't talk unless they talk to you and for god's sake, please don't freak out and stick to the wall!"
They were rushed over to a private room that was empty. There were a few plush chairs and couches scattered around. The guard gestured for them to sit down, and spoke a few words with Tony. He then left.
"Uh, Tony—"
The door the swung open and a few guards came storming in. Behind them were two men, looking to be around thirty. One was going bald, but still had some brown hair. The other had an enormous head of bright red hair. They were both tall and muscular. Next to the man with the brown hair stood an elegant and graceful woman. Peter inhaled deeply, shocked at how beautiful she was. Her chocolate brown hair was pinned up on her head, and her pale, slender neck made her look like a beautiful swan floating on the water. She had the most beautiful smile gracing her lips, and her warm brown eyes were welcoming and kind. Peter gulped, hoping he wasn't betraying Mary Jane by ogling at the woman.
Behind her was a somewhat unpleasant looking old man wearing a navy blue suit. Next to him, stood and even older lady. Her white hair was done up on her head in graceful curls, and instead of appearing tired, she seemed lively and happy. A smile shone on her face, making both Peter and Tony smile. Tony shot to his feet, and Peter followed his example. The elder woman walked over to Tony, and extended her hand.
"Your Majesty," Tony murmured as he took her hand.
"I wanted to personally thank you for all that you have done to uphold the Accords, Mr. Stark. I also must thank you for all the work the Avengers are putting into working alongside the nations of the world."
"It is our greatest please, Your Majesty."
Queen Elizabeth II (Tony had drilled her name into Peter's head) then turned toward Peter. Peter gulped, hoping she didn't talk to him, or even worse, ask him a question.
"Hello, your greatness," Peter spat out, inwardly kicking himself.
Queen Elizabeth's smile grew wider at the teenager's enthusiasm.
"Thank you so much for coming, my dear Peter."
OH MY GOD. SHE KNOWS MY NAME!
"Uh—um—thank you so much for having me visit—attene—participate in your gala—attentively."
You are an idiot.
"Peter, you are working on a grant with Mr. Stark?"
"Yes ma'am! Uh, I mean . . . your worshipness—I mean highness!"
The Queen then took a step closer, and took Peter's hand in hers. It was warm and comforting, kind of like his Aunt Mays. Peter bit down on his tongue, tasting the blood coming out of the tiny puncture. He didn't want to blurt out that she reminded him of his Aunt May.
"I also want to thank you for swinging through the sky as Spiderman." She whispered.
Peter's eyes widened as she leaned back.
"Uh, your majesty—"
"Do not worry, Peter. Your secret is safe with me."
She winked, and laughed merrily. She then turned back to Tony, who was talking with the older man. Peter stood there awkwardly, shaking hands with her grandsons (Prince William and Prince Harry) and her son (Charles, Prince of Wales) and Prince William's wife, Catherine (Duchess of Cambridge.) Still, he couldn't take the smile off his face from when the Queen told him about how she knew he was Spiderman. Prince Harry talked to him a long time about what he did for the grant, which indicated that he didn't know about his secret identity. Peter desperately made up a bunch of stuff, and even mentioned knowing Spiderman to hammer in the fact that he isn't Spiderman.
Part of him wished Catherine knew about him being Spiderman because honestly, how cool would that be?
Prince William talked to him about Polo, expecting him to know what that was. Peter wished that he had implanted an ear piece in his ear, so Friday could tell him what all these things were.
Several Minutes Later . . .
Finally, Tony stopped talking with Queen Elizabeth about the Accords. She nodded graciously, and smiled when Tony leaned down to kiss her hand. Peter almost snorted, but held his breath. The all said goodbye, and then suddenly the Queen spoke up.
"I'd like a word with Mr. Parker, if you don't mind."
Tony opened his mouth to protest, and then clamped it shut. He and the rest of the royal family left, leaving him alone with her Majesty, the Queen.
"Please sit down, Peter."
Peter obeyed nervously, and much to his surprise, the Queen plopped down next to him.
"What you do is extremely brave and I wanted to let you know that the fact that you have given up so much to partake in the care of this world touches my heart. How old are you?"
"Sixteen, ma'am."
"What a young age to be a warrior," she paused "But that is a good thing. I am afraid that the youth of this day and age tend to be very—what is the right word—uncaring? Most of the time, they don't give to figs about what happens around them as long as they are safe and comfortable, but you, my dear Peter, you are willing to stand tall and brave. You are willing to fight the never ending battle for humanity. Oh, when I was your age, I knew I was to be Queen. I was actually quite like you. We were thrust into this world of heroism and fighting for our people's right to live. That is an admirable thing, Peter."
She stopped, and took his hand in hers once again.
"I can only imagine that you are scared. Oh, swinging through the sky on a train of web must be terrifying at some points! However, in the end, it will set you free. Fighting for humanity is the most freeing, liberating thing a person can do for another. It is the most freeing, liberating thing one can do for themselves. Promise me, Peter. Promise me that you will not stop."
"I—I won't. I promise."
"Good boy!"
She stood up, and brushed off her dress with her hands.
'We must hurry, Peter. Sir Elton John is going to start singing soon, and oh, how I like his music."
She offered Peter her arm, which he took gladly. As he led her back out into the main room, all eyes turned to him. In the crowd, he could see Tony's face. He grimaced, thinking that Tony would probably be displeased. Instead, a broad smile shone on his face. Peter grinned.
He led Queen Elizabeth over to her seat, and was thanked by Catherine. She shook his hand once more, and told him he looked quite handsome in his suit. Peter blushed.
He headed back over to Tony, the same looney smile still on his face, and sat down. Sir Elton John appeared on a stage that had been constructed on one side of the room. A thunderous wave of applause echoed throughout the room, and as soon as he sat down at the piano, everyone was silent.
"I'm proud of you," Tony whispered, making David and Victoria, who were sitting behind them, hush.
Peter felt like he could actually fly, for then man he had sought to impress, finally appreciated what he had just done.
Author's Note:
I am so sorry I have been neglecting this story. I have been so busy this weekend with finals. I also went to NYC to see Wicked for my birthday, and it was FABULOUS!
I hope you all enjoy this chapter and I promise to update soon!
Much Love,
gotmoreissuesthanvogue