"Oh man."
A mountain of brown boxes towered before the two heros' eyes. After May's death, Peter had put most of their apartment's stuff into storage. All her stuff and furniture (save for his bed, desk, a bookshelf and dresser) were in there with a few other miscellaneous items that wouldn't fit in his apartment. It was probably a waste of money to rent out a storage locker, but he wasn't ready to part with her stuff. It was silly, he knew it, but this stuff was the last bit of her that he had left. So he'd stored it all away.
"Please tell me you have at least some idea where they are in this mess." Tony murmured.
"Uh… no…"
A long dragged out sigh escaped the man. "Alright then, let's get searching."
"Alrighty," Peter strided forwards. He picked up his first box. "Oh god." He almost dropped it.
"You alright there?"
Already feeling himself starting to sweat, Peter nodded and heaved the box over, dropping it on the ground. Breathing heavily, he leaned over, hands on knees to prop himself up. He wheezed and reached into his pocket for his inhaler.
Tony, meanwhile, was sifting through the boxes, keeping track of Peter out of the corner of his eye. A few minutes passed and he'd dug through a couple boxes. They were all decorations - ones Tony could faintly recall seeing in the Parker's residence all those years ago. He could still remember the first time he'd met the kid; he'd been so surprised and awkward. Not much had changed there, but he definitely seemed more grown-up as of late. Tony would catch him zoning out all the time with a haunted look in his eyes. It made Tony wonder if things would've turned out differently if he'd never tracked Peter down, never knocked on May Parker's door, and never pulled the kid into this life. But now that he was in it… was it better for Tony to stay involved, or distance himself? He didn't know. He'd decided to start distancing himself last year, but he'd been scared to go too far. He wanted to stay close enough to keep an eye on Peter, but not so close that he actively influenced his life.
Had that been the right call? Maybe if he'd been closer, he could've caught the onset of this stupid disease when it'd first started showing itself in Peter. Whatever. There was no point dwelling on it. The best thing Tony could do now was focus on saving the kid.
"Uh oh." The quiet muttering made Tony turn. Noticing the man looking at him, Peter quickly hid his hand behind his back. Tony squinted in suspicion and watched as a single drop of red dripped out of Peter's nose. The kid quickly wiped it away and Tony saw he already had a smear of red on his hand.
Tony sighed, gut twisting. "You've got a nosebleed again."
"Uh…" With shoulders sagging and head hanging low, Peter slumped against the wall. Slowly, he sank lower and lower until he was sitting on the ground. "Maybe."
"Friday," Stark muttered, too quiet for the kid to hear.
"Peter's blood pressure has dropped drastically. He needs to rest, Boss. I would also recommend he eat something with protein. May help give him more energy."
With a sigh, Stark plopped himself down beside the exhausted kid.
Before he could get out a word, Peter let out a long sigh - or was it a groan? Tony wasn't sure. "Remember when I could literally lift an elephant without breaking a sweat?"
"You could what now?"
"-And now I can't even lift a box that's gotta be less than, like, thirdy pounds. Ugh I'm so pathetic." He threw his hands into the air before, slumping forwards, face falling into his palms.
Tony nudged the kid's side with his elbow. "Hey, we'll get you fixed up in no time." Peter gave a doubtful scoff. "Ok first of all, I'm insulted. Did you forget who you're talking to? I'm a literal genius and one of the smartest men in the whole world."
"I know, I know. I just…" He sighed, chin resting in his hands. "I hate feeling so… weak I guess."
"It's not so bad, you know. I think you've just forgotten what it's like to be human. You see," Tony pressed some buttons on his watch, "when you're powerless, you have an excuse to sit back and let others do the hard work."
Right on cue, the sound of thrusters approaching cut through the air, shortly followed by two pairs of metal boots landing upon the concrete. Silver lined with streaks of red walked towards the locker, eyes glowing with white light. Each robot effortlessly picked up a box and scanned it.
"Huh, that is a lot easier," Peter marveled, earning a smirk from Tony.
A minute later, another robot arrived on scene, a box of pizza in hand.
"Oh awesome!"
"Extra pepperoni, of course." Tony retrieved the pizza and set it on the ground.
"Ok, yeah, I like this much better." Chocolate eyes gleamed with delight at the sight of the food. Steamed rolled off the bright red pepperoni slices as the mozzarella glowed. The crust was perfectly toasted, crunching ever so slightly when lifted.
Pizza!
. . .
After about twenty minutes, and with the pizza all gone, one of Stark's robots approached Peter.
"Oh neat, you found them!" Peter's fingers clasped the thin metal frame. They were cold to the touch. "Man, it's been ages since I've seen these old things. I almost threw them out when I got my powers, but somehow, I think I knew I'd need them again one day." Peter eyed his reflection in his phone.
Two big bronze circles surrounded his eyes. The right side tilted downwards due to its arm being loose. Poking the bridge connecting the two eye pisces, Peter's fingers felt the white tape that he'd used to repair them a number of years ago.
"Those are them?" Stark's voice dripped with dispondance.
"Yeah," Peter removed them, inspecting them closely, "they're not too beautiful, I know, but they work." He shrugged and put them back on.
"You are in dire need of an upgrade."
Peter shrugged again. "They work."
"Do they though?"
"Yes." Tony gave him a look. "What?" He continued to stare at Peter. "We're not all billionaires, you know, who can, just, buy new stuff all the time."
Tony rolled his eyes, but didn't say anything. Peter was going to take that as a win.
"Alright." Tony stood, offering Peter a hand. "I should get back or else Mr. Copperfield is gonna throw a fit."
Peter blinked. "Copperfield?"
"God you make me feel old," Tony murmured. "Stephen."
"Oh." Peter nodded and accepted Tony's hand.
As soon as they got in the car, Peter passed out, head back and mouth agape, drooling all over himself. The drive was quiet, car filled with nothing but the sound of Peter's breathing and an occasional half-snore. Half an hour later, Tony pulled into the Tower's parking garage. He nudged the kid to wake him up. Peter grumbled incoherently and swatted a lazy hand at Tony, telling him to 'ssh'.
"Come on, kiddo, you gotta get up."
Peter rolled his head, eyes closed. "I don't wanna…"
Tony went around and opened the passenger door, undoing the kid's seatbelt.
"Nnnggg."
"I hear ya, kid. You can go back to sleep when we get you upstairs. Deal?"
"Nnnnnnnggg."
"Deal?"
Finally, Peter cracked open an eye and clumsily hauled himself up. Tony wrapped an arm around his shoulder, leading him to the elevator. Peter leaned heavily on Tony the whole time. Tony considered dragging him all the way to his room, but decided the couch in the commons room was fine enough. Grabbing a fuzzy Star-Wars blanket, Tony draped over the kid and tucked a pillow under his head.
Tony took a second to watch the kid, seeing his chest rise and fall in a steady motion. His hair was a mess, as always, and strands hung across his forehead and eyes. Tony brushed them out of the way.
"Have a good sleep, kid," he murmured.
With that, he turned. He'd wasted enough time today. He needed to get back to wor-
"Hey, Mr. Stark?"
The tone of Peter's voice made Tony's gut twist, unsure of what was coming, but already knowing it wasn't gonna be something he wanted to answer. "Yeah?"
A moment passed. "Tell me the truth, is Happy avoiding me?"
Tony bit the inside of his cheek, thinking through his answer carefully. "What makes you say that?"
The kid didn't say anything for a couple heartbeats. "I haven't seen him lately and he hasn' answered any of my calls or 'nything."
"I told you, he's busy."
"Yeah. Ok."
He fucking knew. He knew that Happy had left because of him. After the death of May Parker, Happy had seemed off to Tony. After the second month, Tony had inquired what was up. The man hadn't said much, but Tony had been made aware that he and May had had a thing together.
When Tony had mentioned Peter's illness, the man had gotten quiet and left without a word. The next day, he sent in a vacation request form starting immediately for a month.
It was at that point that Tony had confronted him straight-up about what the fuck was going on with him. He'd teared up and said he'd made a mistake getting so close to the Parkers. Apparently he couldn't spend time with Peter without thinking of May's death, and now that Peter was sick, he couldn't stand to watch him die.
Tony had gone quiet for a bit. He told the man that the best thing he could do was stick around and keep Peter company. Happy shook his head, saying he couldn't do that. Tony had said that was selfish.
Happy had responded in kind about Tony's behaviour over the past year.
Tony ended the conversation and sent the man away after that. In the state he was in, he would've been a drain on things anyway.
"He was due for a vacation, that's all."
Peter cracked an eye open to side-eye him. "Thanks for driving me, Mr. Stark. And for the pizza. I appreciate it."
Tony smiled a little. "Sure thing, kid. Get some sleep, I'll see you later."
. . .
A rustling made him crack his eyes open to spot a familiar platinum-haired character. Normally he'd be pretty excited to see her climbing into his space, but he wasn't feeling so hot at the moment, what with dying and everything.
"If you're here for sex, I'm gonna have to disappoint you." Peter's eyelids fell closed once more. "You shouldn't come near me. Turns out I'm a mutant and, with my Parker luck, I'm dying because of it."
He heard Felicia's footsteps stall then they disappeared. It was for the best. She wouldn't've been interested in him in this state anyway. He could barely even muster the energy to stand much less perform. Suddenly a weight landed on his pelvis and he opened his eyes to spot her face hovering over his, her hands pressed into his open palms, pinning them to the couch above his head.
"Felicia. You're gonna contract the disease and spread it to other people."
"Well, if I've already got it, then I suppose I'll just have to isolate with you."
He smiled lazily. "I'm not hot anymore. Or very pretty."
"Oh Lover, yes you are." She removed his glasses and set them aside. "Well, now you are."
Peter rolled his eyes. "I look like death."
"You look like a tired puppy." She started trailing kisses along his jaw. "Adorable."
As she made her way down to his neck, he felt his heart start to quicken. He hummed in satisfaction. Felicia moved her pelvis, brushing against him and making his member twitch. He sucked in a small breath. He felt her mouth pull into a wicked smile.
A noise from the elevator caught both of their attention. Craning his neck back, Peter spotted Tony's upside-down figure barreling into the room, a gauntlet powered up on his hand. His eyes frantically scoured the room until they came to a stop on Peter and Felicia. Peter saw a number of emotions flicker across his face before landing on confusion. He tentatively lowered his gauntlet.
"I was alerted there was an intruder."
Felicia watched him, bemused. "Guess I should have disabled that. I didn't realize we'd be so rudely interrupted."
Tony's frown deepened.
Patting Felicia's thigh to tell her to let him up, Peter sat up, turning to face Tony. "Uh, this is, uh, b- She's… uh…"
"His lover."
"Uh, y-yeah. That."
Tony's eyebrows shot up. "You have- you're-" His hand dropped the rest of the way. "Huh."
"Uh anyway. Felicia, Tony. Tony, Felicia."
"You- and her- and you-?"
Peter frowned a little. "What?"
"Nothing. Just…I wasn't expecting you to…"
"What?"
"Nevermind. It's nothing."
"Doesn't sound like nothing."
Tony returned his focus to Felicia, tilting his head and squinting. "How the hell did you get in here?"
Her lips pulled back into a sharp grin. Crossing her legs, she swept a hand through her long ponytail. "I have my techniques. You have some nice art here, it would be a shame if any of it went missing..."
Tony's face fell. "Wait. I know you, you're that- PETER! She's the Blackcat."
Peter and Felicia shared a look. "I know."
"Kid, you don't underst- wait what?"
Peter smiled cheaply. "I know. That's how I met her."
"You- she-"
Felicia draped herself over his shoulder, running a nail down his chest and tucking her chin into the crook of his neck. "Spider here was irresistible."
Tony's face was unreadable, clearly he was trying to figure out what to think. He inhaled. "And you told her your identity..."
"Hey," Peter chastised, "it's not like she's a bad person or anything."
"She's a criminal."
Peter felt Felicia smile.
"Look, Mr. Stark, this is kind of a personal thing here. I didn't mean for you to walk-in on us, but it's really none of your business."
"Well tough, kid. You are my business."
Peter exasperated, too tired to argue. "Mr. Stark. Come on. Just let this go, please."
He bristled. "I thought you were dating what's-her-face that Happy told me about."
"Oh boo. What a mood-killer." Felicia pouted.
Peter pinched the bridge of his nose. "MJ and I broke up months ago. You know if you're gonna butt into my dating life, you should probably do your research first."
"Peter."
"Tony."
"And now you use my first name. Of course."
"...What?"
"Nothing. Nevermind. Whatever. Just- Blackcat- or Felicia or whatever you call yourself - can you give us a minute? I need to talk to Peter. Alone."
Felicia hummed. "Don't hog him for too long." She nipped at Peter's ear and he looked over at her. She had a devilish gleam in her eye. "Be back soon, Lover."
Peter watched as she made her way across the room. She winked before pouncing out the door and over the railing in a graceful swan-dive.
The moment was ruined by Tony walking up to the couch, arms crossed as he looked down at Peter.
"So you're sleeping with criminals now, are you?" Peter grumbled and fell back, sinking into the couch. "Honestly, I thought you were a virgin."
Peter opened his eyes to fix the man with a look of offence. Tony raised his hands. "Hey, I'm not saying that's a bad thing, there's nothing wrong with being a virgin."
"I'm not."
"Well I know that now." A pause. "I guess I just thought that 'cause you're not very…"
"Very what?"
"You know."
"...What?"
"You seem awkward about sex is all."
"I am not! I just- I value my privacy thank you very much."
"Uh huh, yeah, ok."
"Just because I'm not a slut like you-" Peter clamped his jaw shut. Whoopsies.
Tony's eyes widened and Peter readied himself for a lecture. Instead, the man snorted. "Ha! Good one, I deserved that. I guess you're right. You're awkward, but at least you're letting yourself have some fun." Another pause. "You've had 'the talk' right?"
"Oh my god." Peter hid his face, which was now fully burning, behind his hands. "I'm 18 and a half, Mr. Stark. If I hadn't, it'd be a little late now, wouldn't it?"
"Ok, ok, I just wanna make sure you're being safe is all."
"I am."
"Ok, good."
A blanket of silence fell over them. Peter could feel Tony itching to say something else, probably about Felicia. He opened his mouth, but Peter cut him off before he could get out a word.
"So, how's the lab work coming?"
Tony's face tightened. "Don't worry about it."
"Great."
"I just said to not worry about it."
"Which is exactly what people say when you should worry."
"How many times do I have to tell you: it's gonna be fine."
Peter bit the inside of his cheek. He knew damn well it wasn't gonna 'be fine'. But whatever. He rubbed his hands down his face. "Can I help out tomorrow?"
Tony tilted his head. "You feeling up for it?" Peter shrugged. "Sure thing, kid. You can head down anytime."
"Kay."
"Ok." A pause. "So, this whole Blackcat thing-"
"Don't worry about it."
Tony paused then closed his mouth with an unimpressed look. Peter gave him a knowing smirk. The man rolled his eyes. "Smartass."
"You have no idea."
Tony rolled his eyes. "I was gonna give you these later, but since I'm here, here." He extended what looked like a glasses case to Peter.
Peter blinked. He sat up and took it, turning it over in his hand. "Thanks." He actually did need one, so yay.
Tony stared at him for a moment before rolling his eyes. "Open it, kid."
"Oh." He did. It had a pair of glasses with black plastic frames in it. Peter tilted his head. "Glasses?"
"You mentioned you weren't a big fan of the ones you have, so I made you some new ones."
Peter blinked. They were the exact style he'd been wanting too. "How did you know…?"
"I took a guess on the style of frames you like. Figured this'd be what you prefer since it's 'trendy' or whatever the fu- uh, heck."
Peter tried them on. They had the right prescription and everything. Peeking around Tony, he eyed his reflection in the tv. "I like them, thanks, Mr. Stark."
He shrugged. "They were easy to build while I had the spare time in the lab."
"Wait, you built these? Say what now?"
"Yep. The lenses will adjust to whatever prescription your eyes are, so you can still wear them if you want once we get you your powers back." Peter stared, dumbfounded. "I can change the frames or add some features to them if you want, kinda like EDITH-"
"No, no, thank you, Mr. Stark, they're perfect. I like them. I- thank you."
Tony shifted and scratched the back of his neck. "It's no big deal, really, kid. Figured you deserved to have some glasses that weren't broken at least."
The man kept surprising Peter. Peter really couldn't tell if he liked him or not. On one hand, he'd never made an effort to get to know Peter at all, but on the other hand, he'd do these nice things from time to time. But, like, personal nice things - the type of things that showed he paid attention. To say the least, Peter was confused and didn't know what to think at all.
He adjusted the glasses. They really were perfect: stylish, super cool, and comfortable. "I really appreciate it." He paused, biting the inside of his cheek. "How come you gave me those glasses?"
Tony blinked. "I just told you?"
"No, no- uh I understand how that was confusing. I probably shoulda been more specific, my bad. I meant EDITH. And why was she called that? 'Even Dead I'm the Hero,' but you weren't dead, so…?"
Tony sighed, expression twisting a little into something Peter could swear was a derivative of guilt. "Yeah, my bad kid. When I added you into my will, I did it myself instead of with a lawyer - or Pepper's supervision for that matter - and I was, uh, drinking when I did. I messed up the wording to say they were to be released to you upon my 'incapacitation' instead of death. Coma equals incapacitated. So, yeah, my bad."
"Ooooooooooooohhhhhhh. Ok that makes more sense. It scared me when she said 'dead.' I was like 'oh my god, did he just die?!' and she was all like 'no,' and I was like 'oh.' And then I almost took out our buss with a drone. Uh… sorry about all that whole mess by the way…"
Tony inhaled, face unchanged for several moments before he waved a hand in front of his face in dismissal. "It's fine, kid. My bad."
"Ok…"
"Where are those glasses by the way?"
The words punched Peter in the gut so hard, everything went momentarily black and he wondered if he'd actually died of cardiac arrest. "I dIDn'T GIvE ThEM BacK tO YoU?!"
Tony's face fell, eyes narrowing. "No."
Peter's hand flew to the side of his head and twirled around in a Stress Circle™ eyes scouring the room in some futile hope that the glasses would magically be sitting on the coffee table or something. His voice was a loud, rash whisper when he spoke. "Oh my god where are they?!"
"You LoSt THeM?!"
"UUUUHHHHHH-"
"OH MY GOD, KID!"
"I'M SORRY! I THOUGHT I GAVE THEM BACK TO YOU!"
"You didn't!"
"AH!"
"Oh my god."
"I'm so sorry- I- I didn't lose them- I wouldn't lose them- I- I must've just put them down somewhere and forgot where."
"That's called 'losing them'!"
"I'll find them, I swear!"
Tony just shook his head. "Eh, don't worry about it."
"I-" Peter froze, eyes cutting to the man who stood there with- with a besmued smile? "Wha…?"
"No big deal. No one can use them besides you and I anyway. They have a self-destruction feature if anyone tries to hack into them or take them apart."
"But they're… they've gotta be, like, so expressive…"
"A couple mill, that's all."
"A COUPLE MILLION?! Oh my god. Billionaires." He shook his head. "I still don't really get why you left me a bunch of drones, though…"
The man shrugged. "Wanted to leave you something."
"Oh… uh… th- thank you?" He paused again. "Why gun wielding drones, though?"
"What would you rather I leave you?"
"Idunno. Not gun-wielding drones? Uh, not- not to seem ungrateful or anything. I appreciate the sentiment. It's just…. kinda weird. Is all."
Tony stared at him for several heartbeats, gears clearly turning in his head. He squinted a little and nodded slowly. "Ok, maybe you're right. I'll leave you something better, like, money. How much do you want?"
"I- I don't want your money, Mr. Stark."
"I'm sorry, did you just say you don't want me to leave you any money?"
"Yes. Or n-no? Your wording is confusing. I don't want your money."
"Not even a couple mil?"
"N-no…"
"A couple hundred thousand?"
"No…"
"A couple th-"
"Nothing, Mr. Stark. I don't need anything from you." Peter internally cringed at how sharp his words had come out. He hoped it had slipped past Tony. It hadn't.
Tony didn't respond for several moments, face unreadable. Then he clapped his hands together and cast his eyes towards the elevator. "Ok, well, I better head back down to the lab. Uh… don't… whatever. Just, don't, y'know."
"Uh…?"
"Just, be safe, is all. With her."
"I already told you: I am."
"Ok."
"Ok."
"See you later, kid."
"Bye, Mr. Stark."
Peter watched the man leave through the elevator. The moment the doors closed, he let his weight fall back onto the couch.
That wasn't awkward at all, no, no.
Ugh.
He ran his hands down his face (and almost smacked his new glasses doing so). He could feel the heat radiating from his face.
"Is it safe to come back?" Felicia appeared in the balcony doorway again, a bag of take-out in hand and a mischievous smile on her face.
Peter smiled at the sight of her, he hadn't been sure if she was gonna come back. But here she was. Her hips swayed with deliberation as she came over. Dropping the bag onto the coffee table, she swung a leg over and sat down on him.
"Ooooo," She purred and hooked her arms around his neck. "Someone's looking good~"
"Thought you didn't like glasses on me?"
"I didn't like those glasses," her eyes flicked to his old frames with distaste. "But these ones… you look like a sexy nerd." She kissed him.
They stayed that way for a while, tongues dancing, battling for dominance. Felicia won. She always won. She ended their make-out session and Peter wanted to whine.
She chuckled and traced his lips with her thumb. "You need to eat. Get some meat back on your bones."
Peter rolled his eyes, but didn't argue. "What did you get?"
She protruded a number of dishes, setting them up on the coffee table. "Chinese. I was craving Chow Mein."
"Mmm, it smells good. Dim Sum?"
"Blue Willow." She handed him a paper plate and fork.
Felicia put on a Stars Wars movie for them and they dug in. Peter was feeling pretty happy right now. Despite feeling like crap, Felicia was treating him well. She peppered him with compliments, bought him good food, and even put on a movie he knew that she hated, but he loved. His face cracked into a big smile and he wrapped an arm around her. She looked at him, a knowing twinkle in her eyes. She leaned close, settling comfortably against his chest.
Peter kissed the top of her head. "Thank you," he murmured.
She hummed in satisfaction. "You're worth it."
. . .
Warm sun tickled Peter's face and he cracked open an eye. It was late morning and the sky was clear with nothing but a couple wisps of cloud in the air. Turning his head to the other side, he saw the empty space in his bed. A warm smile tugged at his lips. It was nice to see Felicia wasn't treating him too differently; she wasn't afraid to sneak out without saying goodbye.
Yawning, he sat up and grabbed his glasses off of his bedside table. He looked around his room, his clothes were scattered across the floor. He lazily collected them, dumping them into the hamper on his way to the shower.
Last night had been fun. Part of him had been nervous: he wasn't ripped anymore and he didn't have the energy to, uh, contribute too much. Which meant Felicia had to do almost all the work. At least he had still been able to move his tongue and fingers, so it wasn't like he hadn't given something back. Still, he had to admit, the night was mostly Felicia doing stuff for him. He appreciated that. When he'd tried to tell her he'd repay her next time, she'd eaten his words with a kiss then whispered in his ear to relax and let her work. He'd said a few more words in the time following, but they weren't of the same theme…
Finishing up in the shower, Peter dried his hair and eyed his reflection. He was surprised that Felicia had wanted to sleep with that. He wasn't looking so hot. Regardless, she had. Sometimes he wondered if she like-liked him. Sometimes he wondered if he like-liked her. Yeah they had a mutual agreement and liked each other to a certain degree, but clearly that attraction ran deeper than the surface if she was still bothering with him in this state. And she wasn't the type to say or do things to save people's feelings. If she did something, it was intentional and what she wanted.
A small smile tugged at his lips and he headed out the door. He was hungry for some unknown reason. Really hungry.
"Hello empty penthouse with no one but me in it." Peter called, walking into the main living area. "What shall I-" his words came to a stop when he noticed the big 'ol bouquet sitting in the centre of the table.
Peter walked up to it. A card was poking out the top.
To my Lover,
For whom I would travel to hell and under.
May you gaze upon these flowers,
And know that you are my summer,
My jewel, my heart, my wonder,
For you are my Lover.
The bouquet was an assortment of flowers, although the most common was lilies, his favourite. Peter's mouth pulled back into a big 'ol smile and he brought them close, burying his nose into them. He loved flowers. He loved the smell, he loved how they brightened up a room. He just loved them.
It was crazy how closely Felicia paid attention. Once, when they'd been out walking a month ago, they'd passed a flower shop and Peter had noticed a bouquet of lilies. He'd only stopped for a second to look at them, but she must've noticed. And remembered.
Her favourite was roses. Unfortunately that meant Peter could never hope to send her even one much less a bouquet. She liked them because they were the most elegant and expensive. Felicia only liked the best. It made Peter question why she kept coming back to him. He was a literal disaster of a huma- uh, mutant. He was confused and weird and awkward and poor and, now, dying.
So why was she spending her time on him? When she could have pretty much anyone she wanted, why him?
"She dropped that off for you this morning." Peter jumped at the sound of Tony's voice and whipped around. Tony was sitting in one of the chairs, sipping a coffee. "Yeah, you're not alone in the penthouse this morning. Do you always talk to yourself like that?"
"Oh god, Mr. Stark. Uh… hi." Peter put the card back.
Tony set his mug down and looked at him deliberately. "Have fun last night?"
"I-" his voice failed him. "Did FRIDAY…?"
"No. But seeing your little friend stroll into the commons wearing nothing but a long sweatshirt of yours did."
"Oh." Peter's face was heating up real fast. "Uh…"
"Uh," Tony mocked.
Peter's brows pulled down. "You don't have to be so judgy, you know."
"I'm not."
"Then why am I feeling judged?"
"I'm just- I'm concerned."
"Why? I already told you that I'm being safe."
"I know!" Tony threw his hands up then let them fall with a frustrated sigh. "I don't know. Whatever." He got up and brushed past Peter into the kitchen. "There's pancakes in the fridge. I made them a couple hours ago."
"Uh, thanks." Peter paused. "Why're you here?"
Tony didn't answer him for a minute. Instead, he pulled out the plate of pancakes and set them on the island. He also got a bunch of other stuff out including berries, syrup, a plate and cutlery. Leaning against the counter, he crossed his arms.
"We need some more of your blood."
"Oh."
"Eat up first. I'm sure you're hungry."
Peter bit the inside of his cheek, feeling cheap and worried. He nodded. "'Kay."
Tony let out a heavy sigh. He half-heartedly ruffled Peter's hair then made to leave. "See you in a few, kid."
