Chapter Text
"This is stupid," Peter grumbled, shifting his bag on his shoulder. "Why do we have to be picked up from school?"
"Too many students have skipped in the last few years, so they insist on signing kids in and then signing you guys off-site," Ned shrugged.
"You can't complain against a system that was created because of you," MJ stated. Peter huffed but didn't object anymore, knowing he would lose the argument with MJ.
His class were waiting outside, along with the rest of his year group, as their homeroom teachers called out the roll call. Peter answered for his name and sputtered in offence when Ms Warren did a double take to see he was actually there.
"This is a waste of fuel and time," Peter grumbled again as students were picked up, mostly by their parents although a few went with guardians or family friends. Peter tried not to roll his eyes when Flash was collected as the other boy jeered out the window at him.
Slowly their year was whittled down. Ned, MJ, Peter and a handful of other students were still waiting when Ned's mum pulled up. She apologised for being later than planned citing traffic being awful for 8am on a Friday.
"Have fun! Don't forget to tell me everything tonight," Ned said, Ned and Peter doing their friendship handshake before he got in the car and waved as they drove away. Peter swore he saw MJ's lips curve into a tiny smile at their complicated handshake but didn't call her out on it.
Three students had taken to sitting on the front steps of the school, Peter recognised them as fellow scholarship kids but from one of the local foster homes. He quickly looked away, he wasn't going to be with them this year. If Mr Stark remembered to pick him up or sent Happy to pick him up.
"Relax," MJ said. "He will be here You aren't the only one waiting."
"I'm not nervous." Peter tried, turning to her. MJ raised an eyebrow at him and pointed to his hands. Peter quickly shoved them into his pockets, stopping the worried tapping he'd subconsciously been doing. "That doesn't mean anything. Aren't you spending the day with your Mum?"
"No, she's in court today. A family friend offered to take me on for the day." MJ said.
"That's good, what do they do?" Peter asked.
"Lawyer, but for a small independent firm. Office based but we might visit some clients."
"The great MJ talking about me? Must be my lucky day," A blonde man beamed from beside them. He held a worn leather briefcase, his hair and coat a little dishevelled. "No car today, traffic is worse than Hell's Kitchen, subway and walking for us. Apologies for being late, Matty insisted on coffee first."
"He's right. Coffee before any social niceties," MJ replied smoothly.
"Franklin Nelson, though most people call me Foggy," the man, Foggy, held out a hand for Peter to shake.
"Peter Parker," Peter shook his hand, carefully trying to keep his grip firm but not too strong and making sure he didn't stick to him.
"The crisis guy? Good to finally meet you." Foggy smiled, Peter shot a look at MJ who just shrugged.
"Ok, that looks like everyone now." Ms Warren called out. Peter's eyes widened.
"What? No!" Peter cried out, pulling out his phone. No messages from Mr Stark or Happy.
"Sorry Peter, we pushed it as late as we could. Time to head inside." Ms Warren said firmly. "You'll get to catch up on any assignments today, it's ok to be here." She said a bit more gently. "We understand it's been hard since Ben passed with May working overtime."
Peter just stared at his teacher. Did she not believe he was spending the day at Stark Industries with Mr Stark? He had signed the permission slip and Peter had been extra careful to not damage it and hand it in on time.
"Let me call Mr Stark, please?" Peter begged. Ms Warren hesitated but then nodded.
"Be quick about it," she said, she sounded like she doubted him. Peter's mouth set into a determined line.
Peter pulled up contacts and called Tony, knowing the man would let it ring a few times before answering. He clicked it onto speaker and held the phone out, staring at the screen and silently begging Tony to actually pick up and not have FRIDAY answer instead. He let out a sigh of relief when the man answered.
"Hey Underroos, what's up?" Tony's voice filtered out of the speakers.
"Where are you?" Peter asked immediately.
"I'm in the lab, why?" There was a pause as Peter's expression fell. Faintly in the background, Peter heard FRIDAY's voice.
"You are supposed to be collecting Bambino from Midtown for Bring Your Kid To Work Day. I sent Mr Hogan but he is stuck in traffic which I informed you about 20 minutes ago."
"Shit!" Tony yelled, there were the sounds of crashing and thudding on the other end of the phone. "Is it really that late?"
"What time do you think it is, Mr Stark?" Peter asked, hesitant of the answer. He fiddled with the hem of his jumper. "You were supposed to be with Happy to pick me up."
"I thought I had another hour, got sucked into a project proposal from lab 5c. It's a biodegradable bandage for torso wounds. I think they based it on the webs -"
"Mr Stark!" Peter called out, cutting his mentor off. "Tell me later, not right now."
"Mr Hogan is currently 10 minutes out from your location." FRIDAY's voice called out louder over the phone. There was some muffled shouting from Tony on the other end of the line mostly directed at DUM-E if Peter had to guess. "Hey! No! ahahaha ... away, back off."
Peter finally looked up to Ms Warren who just glared at Peter, Peter tried to give his best puppy dog eyes.
"Sorry Mr Parker, but the rules are the rules and they are there for your safety. I can not release you to a random driver. It has to be to a registered parent or guardian of the school." Ms Warren said. "It is also past the collection slot and therefore you must remain on school grounds."
"I will scrap you for parts!" Tony's yell towards DUM-E was muffled as if he were across the lab from the phone. "Sorry, Pete. What did that idiot say? You are not staying at the school when I actually planned out a day for us. Pepper thought I was ill for showing her the plan I had made." Tony's voice was now much clearer.
"Ms Warren says I have to stay at school now. Happy isn't a registered guardian and he's late because of the traffic." Peter relayed, looking back at his phone.
"Pass me over!" Tony demanded. "Actually, no. Speaker right? Hold the phone flat."
Peter didn't argue as he made sure to level his phone out and held it a little further away from him so it was in the centre of the four of them. MJ and Foggy stayed and listened to the entire interaction. A short holo-projection sprung up from the phone screen. A mini-Tony appeared and spun until he spotted Ms Warren, with a bit of guidance from Peter. Ms Warren paled and Foggy took in a breath of shock.
"Is that actually-?" Foggy asked MJ quietly, she just nodded.
"Now, you listen." Tony snapped, pointing a finger at Ms Warren. "My kid is going to spend the day with me as planned. My Head of Security is going to pick him up as he does multiple times a week. You can either let him wait for Happy or I can take time out of my very busy schedule and fly over in the suit. Which would you rather I do?" Tony raised an eyebrow in challenge. Ms Warren squared her shoulders and glared at the small holo-projection.
"I'm afraid we can not allow that. The safeguarding policy is very clear and states only a registered parent or guardian can collect Mr Parker from school during school hours, which includes field trips and excursions. I can only let Mr Parker go with the person who signed his permission slip. We are already 15 minutes past the collection window so I must keep Mr Parker here."
"Let me get this straight. You are going to ruin my kid's day over traffic and because you don't believe I signed his permission slip?" Tony stated.
"Mr Stark has already followed your safeguarding policy and you are going to ruin a kid's day over traffic? I would need to see the policy fully to be absolutely confident but from where I stand right now, there is no breach of policy." Foggy spoke up, clearing his throat. "Mr Stark, Franklin Nelson from Nelson, Murdock and Page. How fast can you get here? I believe the best course of action is for you to be here when the car arrives."
"Fri?" Tony called out, turning in the projection. There was a quiet reply that was barely heard '2 minutes Boss'. "Less than a minute," Tony answered with a smirk.
"You aren't allowed to go that fast in residential areas! You'll smash the windows!" Peter called out. "When FRIDAY gives you a time, that is not a time to beat and you know it!"
"Relax, Roo. I'll go up and drop down with a landing burn. Do you want to spend the day at school?" Tony turned to Peter with a raised eyebrow. Peter looked away. "Didn't think so. I'll see you in a minute." The hologram shut down as Peter's phone went dark. He sighed as he slid his phone back into his pocket.
"Miss Pepper is going to kill him," Peter muttered.
"You got in with Iron Man? Congrats kid." Foggy said. "You must be very talented to catch Stark's eye."
Peter smiled sheepishly. "Not really Mr Nelson, I just got lucky." MJ rolled her eyes at Peter and elbowed him.
"You deserve that internship. You'll be running the company in no time." MJ said. Peter blushed and tried to pass it off with an eye-roll. Peter pointedly ignored the glares from Ms Warren, just as he went to reply to MJ he heard the sound of repulsors. He looked up to see a red object barrelling out of the sky.
As Tony got closer to the ground he flipped the suit around and fired the repulsors stronger to slow his fall, hovering above the ground for a moment before dropping onto the concrete with a metallic thud. The suit unfolded around Tony allowing the man to step out with a grin.
"Drama queen," Peter muttered rolling his eyes.
"Drama Emprorer, remember." Tony grinned at Peter coming to stand beside him and slinging an arm around his shoulders before turning his attention to Ms Warren. "As you can see, I am now here."
"Obviously," Peter muttered. Tony pulled back to look down at Peter.
"Do you want to spend the day with me?" Tony asked. "Or do you want to wallow in pity here? I can leave you here, it's not like I had a lab tour planned or a meeting with the department heads I was going to bring you to." Tony smirked as Peter shot him a half-assed glare. "Mama spider needs to teach you to glare better." Peter elbowed him in the ribs causing Tony to laugh. He looked over to Ms Warren and raised an eyebrow in challenge.
"I didn't think it was actually you..." Ms Warren stammered out, all confidence she had before completely gone as the billionaire stood before her. "We knew Peter was talking about an internship with you but most of us didn't think it was real!"
"Pep is going to be pissed," Tony looked down at Peter raising an eyebrow in question, the kid shrunk back and Tony glared at the teacher.
"You willfully ignored legal documentation of an internship that adds credits towards Universities because of personal opinions?" Foggy asked, incredulously. "You put a student's future in jeopardy over personal objections. Did you call Stark Industries to ask first or just ignored the paperwork?"
"Faculty didn't believe it to be real so rather than ruin a good student's reputation we elected to ignore it." Ms Warren defended. She looked nervously at Tony who had lost the smirk and was glaring at her.
"You ignored legal documentation based on speculation that my kid wasn't smart enough to work with me or my company? We regularly cover PhD material as well as classes at MIT along with the work for his current classes. If anyone was going to get my attention and mentorship, it's Peter Parker." Tony seethed. He would not stand for slander against his kid. The sound of a car engine interrupted any further comments as Happy pulled up to the group. "Looks like Happy's here, we will be going now and expect to receive a call from Pepper later. She personally filed that paperwork and is going to be pissed you discarded it. MJ good to see you again, Nelson." Tony said goodbye and ushered Peter into the back of the car.
"Fri, be a dear and take the suit back. Nice and gentle." Tony called over his shoulder to his suit. The suit closed up and the eyes glowed blue as FRIDAY took control, gave a little salute, and set off back to the tower, going markedly slower back than Tony had been flying on the way out. "You've been coding gestures into my suits again?" Tony asked Peter as he closed the door.
"Only a few, with Ned's help," Peter said quietly. Happy looked back at Peter in the rear-view mirror before looking at Tony.
"Boss?" Happy asked, surprised to see Tony in the car instead of just Peter.
"The school were being assholes. I've already spoken to them and Pep is going to have fun with them later. Back to the tower, we have a department meeting to get to, quickest route home." Tony said, pulling out his phone and messaging Pepper with a rundown of what happened. Happy nodded and pulled out of the school, turning the music on quietly.
The traffic was now much lighter than it had been, most people already at work or reaching the end of their journeys. Peter assumed they would go through the garage but Tony instructed Happy to go for the main doors when they arrived.
"Leave your bag kid, Happy can take it up. Quicker to go through the lobby and then up to 71 for the meeting." Tony nodded to Peter's bag and slid out of the car, Peter thanked Happy and followed quickly.
"Do I not need a notebook or tablet or something?" Peter asked, keeping his attention on his mentor rather than the busy lobby and everyone staring. Tony paid the people no mind as he passed the reception desk and made for the security desk.
"Morning Mr Stark!" A familiar voice called from the Security desk. "Morning Kid!"
Peter smiled as he spotted the familiar guard. "Morning Colin." Peter waved.
"Hey Colin, make sure everyone knows the kid is with me today and for future reference, he has full access. I don't want any more reports of a security breach because of Underroos." Tony said, stopping by the desk briefly.
"Of course, Mr Stark. Mr Hogan gave out a briefing last week. I had a word with Wilks and Boseman myself, they're on check-ins today." Colin pointed to the two younger guards scanning bags and checking people at the metal detectors. Everyone had stopped to stare at Tony Stark, questioning gazes falling on Peter at his side.
"Welcome back Boss and Mini-Boss, everyone is gathered in Meeting Room 3 for you," FRIDAY announced to the lobby as they walked past the security desk. Peter masked the smile at the shock of the two security guards who had challenged him the previous week.
"Thank you Fri, send a tablet to the meeting room for Bambino," Tony called out as they joined a handful of people in the elevator, FRIDAY whisked the elevator to all the floors requested before finally dropping Peter and Tony out on Floor 71.
"What's the meeting for?" Peter asked nervously as he followed Tony down the hall. "Are they not going to try to kick me out or refuse to talk about anything because a kid is present?" He asked nervously. Tony stopped abruptly in the hall, Peter narrowly dodged walking into his mentor.
"Why wouldn't you be allowed to be there? You have higher clearance than all of them." Tony shrugged as if it wasn't a big deal. "You're with me, I say you can be there. You review a lot of their work anyway."
"Mr Stark-?" Peter started to ask but immediately stopped talking as Tony waltzed into the meeting room and he was met with stares from everyone in the room.
"Why is there a high schooler here Stark? This is an important meeting, not a kindergarten!" An older man called out from the head of the table.
"This is my intern, Peter, he will be shadowing me today," Tony stated, flopping down into a chair and motioning for Peter to sit down. "Come on Underroos, sit down. We are late to the meeting so get on with it." The last part was directed at the older man.
"But sir -" Another man spoke up, cut off by the pointed glare and a gentle knock at the door.
"The tablet you requested Dr Stark," A young man, college age, spoke gently resting the tablet in front of Tony on the table. Tony nodded to the man and then slid it over to Peter.
"Go nuts kid. I don't have all day Perkins. How's the prostheses development coming along?" Tony directed the meeting along as Peter opened up the tablet and looked over the designs being talked about, scribbling notes in the margins.
"We are having trouble with making the prostheses fit comfortably as well as being able to make them easily adjustable for child growth," Perkins explained, pointing out areas of the design on the projector screen.
"You're only using a hard shell, the carbon fibre isn't able to easily remodel. What if we used a silicone sleeve with a nanite shell? The nanites could reform and interlock around the silicone sleeve which is easy to remodel," Peter called out, not looking up from the tablet. "We can send out kits of silicone with instructions and a program on the app store for adjusting the nanites."
"That would not solve the expense issue, how do you plan to solve that?" Perkins challenged.
"Well we already have the prostheses covered under the Maria Stark Foundation, so we add it as part of the foundation. The long-term costs would be cheaper, even if the initial costs would be more expensive. Appointments every 2 years for upgrading and replacing the nanites with clauses for damage." Peter shrugged, now looking up to the room and shrinking back from the stares.
"We don't have advanced enough nanite technology for public use." Perkins tried to correct.
"Yes, we do. It's in the final durability testing. Right Mr Stark?" Peter looked over at his mentor who was just smiling at him, a proud look on his face.
"We do, you think it'd work with prosthetics?" Tony asked.
"I don't see why not. We are already looking into using them in medical procedures. Or we could do something similar to Uncle Rhodey's braces? Have them tap into the nervous system and electrical currents of the body?" Peter asked.
"That is not how prosthetics are designed," Perkins stated, trying to claw back some attention and discredit Peter. "We have to stay within the expected products for the trust of the consumer."
"I thought Stark Industries was a leading research and development company across most industries for a reason because we think outside the box. Are you suggesting that we ignore a potential solution because it's different?" Peter asked Perkins, challenging him. "I'm not saying it'll definitely work but it's worth a shot to try."
"My team are working with nanites, maybe we could assist?" A middle-aged woman spoke up. "It could work, we would need to sit down and brainstorm first. May we get access to the designs for Colonel Rhodes braces that are utilizing bio-electricity? The nanites are being powered by the body's electrical impulses, correct?"
"You can have access to the older designs, not the most current. Pete and I are trialling a new method with the current iterations." Tony spoke up. "If you really need to I guess you can borrow Peter, he'd be reviewing the project proposals and updates anyway."
"He's a child!" Perkins shouted. "He shouldn't be anywhere near our classified designs!"
"Dr Perkins, I help Mr Stark with anything and everything he needs. We often have revisions and proposal sessions, I would be happy to help. I actually have a few ideas that I'd like to send over to your team." Peter gave a small smile. He was not going to be ignored because he was a kid. He was nearly 16, practically an adult!
"Dr Stark!?" Perkins shouted. Tony slapped his hand on the table making everyone jump.
"Peter is one of the smartest people I know, his age only limits his experience, not his ideas. Looking for an external solution could be the way to solve the problem. Whether it is the solution or helps find the actual solution, I don't care. Is there anything that anyone needs for their department that we can help with?" Tony ended Perkins's argument, directing the meeting back on track. The room was silent for a few moments before the various department heads gave a recap of how their assigned projects were progressing and updated on equipment requirements.
"Before we finish, I would like some help reviewing the disposable bandages project that was sent down to me last week? We are having a little trouble with making sure we get the degrading ratio correct with the adhesiveness." A younger woman spoke up, she had been relatively quiet the entire meeting.
"The webbing bandages?" Tony asked. Peter looked up from the tablet sharply to stare at his mentor.
"Yes, it was a project sent down directly from your lab. It has us stumped as we aren't sure what we are looking for." She pointed to the board where the project specs were on display. Peter dropped the tablet on the table with a thud and glared at Tony who only smirked.
"It was a good idea, I don't know why you tried to throw it out," Tony smirked at his protégé, who just glared at his mentor.
"I threw it out because the formulas and tests were inconsistent and I couldn't get the two traits to work cohesively!" Peter exclaimed, glaring at Tony who just grinned.
"This is your work?" The woman asked, hesitantly.
"Um, yes. Sorry, it's not complete. It wasn't supposed to be worked out." Peter apologised nervously.
"Would you be able to come down to my team and talk us through it? It has potential and maybe we can solve it together. Lab 5D." She asked.
"You have Lizzie working with you or is she still in Lab 5C, Dr..." Peter asked.
"Dr Anders and yes, she moves between our two labs. You know the interns?" Dr Anders asked and Peter grinned.
"I know a few, they've created a betting pool about me. Also, I think I'm still Intern Director so technically they're all mine?" Peter threw the last one over to Tony who had zoned out from the meeting and was looking at his phone. "Mr Stark! You should be paying attention!" Peter snatched the phone out of Tony's hand much to the man's annoyance.
"Yes you are still Intern Director Mini-Me, and if you don't want me distracted then stop sending me memes I don't understand." Tony pointed out. "I suppose you can nab my intern Dr Anders, but he is still MY intern."
"Of course, Dr Stark. Drop by as soon as you can Peter." Dr Anders smiled, and Peter smiled back. Dr Perkins scoffed from across the table.
"Boss, Peter has been requested in Lab 7a. A project for Capsicle has hit a roadblock." FRIDAY announced into the room.
"Which one?" Tony asked.
"The frisbee as Peter called it."
"Right, come on kiddo, you are needed!" Tony called out, getting up quickly. "Meeting is over." He quickly left the room, arguably with a bounce in his step.
"I will contact you, Dr Anders and Dr Perkins, I better follow quickly. It was nice to meet you!" Peter called out as he swiped the tablet off the table and hurried after Tony who was waiting by the elevator. The pair made it quickly up to Lab 7a, and a thin thread of smoke curled out from under the lab door. Peter barged through the door, his spidey sense barely a twinge as he surveyed the scene in front of him.
Alex was coughing by their desk, the smoke thicker over the metal surface as it spooled out from a blackened beaker. Luis was tugging on a disk stuck in the wall and Olivia was trying to shield herself from something popping around the room from a chemical cupboard. Peter just stared at the scene dumbfounded as Tony started laughing behind him.
"What is going on!?" Peter exclaimed.
"Oh hey, Boss!" Luis called from the back of the room, he stopped trying to tug the disc out of the wall. "Hi Dr Stark, big boss-man!"
"FRIDAY said you called?" Peter called out, gently placing the tablet down on a holo table as he made his way across the room. "Why the chaos?"
"Oh just a few chemical reactions gone wrong and this refused to obey normal physics. FRIDAY said you were in the building today and we could use some pointers, Boss." Luis said, gesturing to the lab space.
"Dr Luxton not in today?" Peter asked.
"Nah, he's over with Manufacturing for the day. Why was this not obeying normal physics? I can't get it out the wall." Luis asked, pointing to the shield. "I built it to your specs and I gave it a gentle throw and it bounced around before lodging in the wall as if it was gaining kinetic energy as it bounced."
Peter stepped up to the disc and gave it a gentle tug, not putting any strength behind it. It moved slightly and the surface shimmered purple for a moment. Peter furrowed his brows.
"You used the exact materials specified?" Peter asked.
"What did you design Bambino?" Tony asked, having composed himself after seeing the chaos and then the shocked expression from Peter. "New shield for Cap? What did you use?"
"It was an idea from Shuri, using the kinetic tech she threaded through the Black Panther suits. The more hits the shield makes, the more kinetic it builds up and the harder it hits. Thought it would be good in close quarters or for blast protection." Peter explained, stepping back from the shield to stare at it. He considered it for a moment before gently wiggling it to loosen the shield out from the wall and then realising it was too tight, punched the concrete out to make the hole bigger before finally managing to dislodge it. Peter ignored the stares from Luis at the damage
"You've been having midnight playdates with the Princess again?" Tony waggled his eyebrows at Peter as he teased him. "Why would you want to give that to Cap, his current shield doesn't obey physics. He doesn't need another one."
"It seemed like a good idea at the time, I must have added it to the proposals pack I sent down with some of the other designs we came up with." Peter shrugged as he gently placed the thing down on the workbench. "I will take it back up to the lab and message Shuri. Fri, can you send a message over to Shuri with the security footage from the lab attached?"
"Of course Peter," FRIDAY's calm voice confirmed.
"Aren't you supposed to be at school?" Alex called out from behind the smoke. Coughing a few times and waving the smoke away. "Didn't expect you to be here?"
"Shadowing Mr Stark today," Peter said.
"Kid's properly Mini-Me today." Tony grinned, leaning back against a holo table.
"Don't you avoid every meeting and just design things in your private lab?" Olivia spoke up.
"Pretty much." Peter grinned.
"Hey, I do more than that!" Tony defended.
"You drink more coffee than Pepper allows and find ways to annoy the Avengers," Peter added, grinning.
"I review projects, we were literally just in a meeting for the department heads!" Tony argued.
"Only cause I'm here," Peter argued, sticking his tongue out at his mentor. "You only review projects and proposals when I'm in the lab with you as then it's a game. FRIDAY puts up a scoreboard and everything!"
"Fair point. I argue that Pepper does everything so I don't have to." Tony conceded.
"More like she won't let you do anything else." Peter snickered. Tony cuffed the back of Peter's head gently and rolled his eyes.
"Why do I tolerate you again?" Tony asked.
"Because he's your secret son and you adore him," Olivia called over at the pair. Peter cackled as Tony just stared at his employee. "What? It's literally the top guess on the betting pool." She shrugged, causing Peter to laugh harder.
"Mini-Me, grab the shield and let's go. We have projects to review. Come on, kid." Tony spun on his heel and waltzed out of the room. "You lot are lucky I don't fire you!" He called over his shoulder. Peter just grinned at the interns and followed Tony. The pair returned to Tony's lab and worked through their own projects and proposals. Peter sent off a handful of design ideas to Dr Perkins and arranged to meet Dr Anders the following week with several of his webbing formulas. He sent her the ones that had the components they were looking for, the adhesive webs with those that dissolved the quickest.
The pair fell into their usual routine, only stopping for a lunch break when FRIDAY beeped at them. Peter was glad to break from project proposals and tinkering with Avengers equipment but solely for the reason that he was starving. Tony grumbled as he scoured the kitchen looking for something to eat and finding nothing.
"How is it that I have empty cupboards?" Tony muttered.
"Well, there are 2 super soldiers and Legolas living in the tower, plus only 3 of you really know how to cook and you all order takeout most of the time anyway," Peter called over to him. "Oh don't forget Thor drops by on occasion!"
"You eat more than the supersoldiers!" Tony threw back.
"I'm a growing young man!" Peter exclaimed.
"I would like to remind you that there is a fully stocked and operational cafeteria downstairs." FRIDAY interrupted the argument brewing between the mentor and mentee.
"Oh yeah, I forgot I made it fully subsidised." Tony chuckled as he slung an arm around Peter's shoulders and strolled over to the waiting elevator.
FRIDAY took the pair down to floor 88 before transferring out of the private life and into the public one where FRIDAY continued to take them down to the cafeteria on floor 54. The entire floor was open plan, buffet-style tables of vendors circled around the room stocking every type of cuisine the staff could think of. In the centre of the space were long tables with chairs and groups of smaller tables dotted in between. Most of the spaces were filled with employees stopping for lunch, some people grabbing packed lunches from the giant fridges but most making use of the supplied food.
Peter stumbled to a stop as he took in the space, the chatter from all the people, all the contradictory smells of the food and clinking of cutlery on plates and scraping of chairs as people moved about the space. Tony wordlessly handed Peter a pair of custom earplugs from his pocket and headed for the burger bar. Peter shoved the earplugs in and sagged in relief as most of the noise gutted out, making it easier to deal with the assault on his nose. He scurried after Tony through the space, oblivious to the stares and stage whispers of employees as they spotted him and Tony.
"Hey, Roo!" Tony called out. "What do you want?"
"I don't know, there's so much." Peter stared at the options as Tony stood with a plate of a cheeseburger and fries.
"Get what you want kid, everything is paid for. Is it too many options with the senses?" Tony asked, picking up a fry and eating it. Peter nodded hesitantly, he didn't want to cause a problem. "You like burritos and tacos, so why not get some of those? I know it's not Taco Tuesday but the food will be familiar, or you can have cheeseburgers like me?"
Peter was losing focus in the space and how overwhelming it was, he turned to Tony and watched his mouth as he spoke, trying to focus on the words and block out the assault on his senses. He started to pick at the hem of his sleeves, aware he couldn't fidget with his webs in a space of so many people. Especially as he was now very aware of all the eyes on them, his spidey sense growing into a droning hum. Tony's eyebrows furrowed in concern before gently grabbing Peter's elbow and guiding him over to the Mexican stand and ordering an everything burrito and a double order of tacos for the kid.
"Food is ordered, it'll be just a few minutes and we can go back upstairs to eat or there's a smaller cafeteria down on floor 16. I'm pretty sure I ordered beanbags for the space and blankets." Tony tapped Peter's elbow, a steady rhythm to ground his kid. When the food was ready he motioned for the woman at the till to pile it all on a tray, sliding his plate on it too and collecting his kid and food before going back through the crowded space. More employees now filled the room, several having raced down to the cafeteria after messages from their colleagues. Most had run the stairs when FRIDAY had slowed the lift to try and reduce people flocking. "Up or down kid?"
"Beanbags sound comfy. I've never actually sat in one so I don't know what their like and I don't want to worry Miss Pepper by swapping elevators." Peter said softly, Tony only just catching the words. Peter's breathing was a little ragged and the droning from his spidey sense was slowly decreasing as they reached the elevator.
"Beanbags it is. I bet you will love them." Tony decided, gently tugging Peter onto the elevator and glaring at anyone who tried to join them before the doors closed, FRIDAY took them down already aware of the conversation and therefore the destination that was decided. The AI had already taken the liberty of adjusting the lighting of the cafe on floor 16 as well as issuing a polite request to the handful of employees on the floor to either find somewhere else or at the minimum reduce their volume.
Tony guided Peter to a quiet corner at the back and out of the direct line of the hallway and elevator, momentarily handing Peter the tray of food to hold whilst he dragged a pair of beanbags over and a heavy chunky wool knitted blanket for Peter. He took the tray back and nudged Peter to the pooled green beanbag.
"This is the amazing beanbag, super comfy but lacking in back support. Sit and then you can eat." Tony instructed, Peter sank into the beanbag and then sank further as it started to collapse under the teenager's weight before it stabilised. Tony threw the blanket over Peter's lab and deposited the tray down, crabbing his cheeseburger before sinking into his own beanbag. A small smile tugged at Peter's lips.
"Beanbags are pretty comfy Mr Stark, I don't see the back support issue, must be a sign of you getting old to match the grey hair," Peter smirked, shifting further down into his beanbag.
"Cheeky, I have these grey hairs because of you. Now eat, you might want to take the earplugs out now though. Chewing sounds are gross with them in." Tony rolled his eyes and set about eating his cheeseburger. After a moment Peter copied his mentor and devoured his food. They ate peacefully, just enjoying the quieter atmosphere even if Peter could still hear more than normal.
"I don't like the cafeteria, far too busy. All the sounds echoed." Peter spoke up.
"Then we need to add soundproofing panels on the walls and maybe cushioned chairs instead of the wooden ones. Maybe just cushions for the chairs instead of buying completely new chairs, we can wash the cushions then." Tony nodded as he babbled out ideas. "You want beanbags for the common room?" Tony raised an eyebrow.
Peter had curled up in a ball in the beanbag, the tray of food on the floor and the blanket tucked up to his chin with one arm free to pass food so he could eat in more comfort. His ears tinged red as he glanced over to his mentor who was grinning at him. "What? It's comfy and helps with the stimulation. Definitely soundproofing and cushions for the canteen floor. I want a giant beanbag or one of those wicker nest reading chairs that I can snuggle into. All chairs should be beanbags."
"Noted. Was it just the noise and how busy it was?" Tony asked.
"So many contradicting smells too. Though, the people were fine, at least until everyone was staring at me. Staring at you I get but why me?" Peter grumbled, finishing off the last taco.
"Well, you were standing with me, so who could blame them? Probably all jealous I value your opinion more than theirs. I wouldn't worry about it, Pete." Tony flared his hand out to rest on his chest as he smirked before patting Peter's knee. "C'mon, Mini-Me, we have more lab time before you have to write up the report for your school about today."
Tony very slowly pulled himself out of the beanbag, grunting as his back jarred slightly. He ignored the barely withheld snorts from Peter as he finally straightened and stretched out. A quiet pop was heard from lower in his back as he arched his back in the stretch. Tony tapped Peter with his foot and rolled his eyes as Peter seemed to flow out of the beanbag like water before the kid was beaming in front of him. "Show off. Tray and plate over there, they'll get cleaned away later."
Peter put the tray up on a table, neatly stacking the plates together, before trying to swipe the blanket on the way back to the elevator.
"Leave it. You already have one upstairs." Tony called over his shoulder. "If you lost it to Legolas then Fri will order another one." Peter sighed dramatically but followed. Peter decided to fill the time by asking Tony questions about soundproofing boards on the way up the tower. Initially asking if Tony was just going to buy boards and then moved into whether they could design and build their own. Peter added how it'd be funny to have them Avenger-themed as well as trying to hypothesise which materials would work best and be easy to clean. As the pair went to switch over to the private elevator, a shout interrupted them.
"Stark! I will not be ignored any more!" A portly early-sixties man yelled down the corridor from Caroline's desk by Pepper's office. The army green suit and metal medals stood out against the white and cream tones of the floor. Peter froze on the spot and Tony sighed heavily.
"Secretary General, Dr Stark is occupied at the moment. You do not have an appointment scheduled." Caroline stated firmly, staring down the general.
"Stark has been making excuses for months and I can see him. Clearly not very busy if he's spending time with high schoolers." The general spat at Caroline before marching towards Tony. Tony straightened his shoulders and stood taller, his media-winning smile plastered on his face.
"I can assure you I am very busy. Caroline says no appointment, then no meeting. I don't do deals with the military anymore. I haven't since '08." Tony said smoothly, not backing down an inch from the fuming man in front of him.
"I don't care Stark! You have abandoned your duty to this country, I will not be ignored and brushed aside." The man spat again, squaring his shoulders and leaning into Tony's space. Peter watched, not moving from his mentor's side, a cold fury starting to boil in his gut.
"Caroline, which meeting room is free?" Peter called out, drawing the attention of everyone who had forgotten the teenager was there. "I'm sure the Secretary-General would prefer a private space to discuss such delicate matters. We wouldn't want just anybody to hear government secrets." Caroline shot a glance at Tony who just gave a small shrug. He wasn't sure what Peter was up to but he trusted his kid.
"Um, meeting room 3 is available for the next half an hour," Caroline said, pointing to the room in question. Peter nodded and marched over before turning back to his mentor and the general. "I'm sure you would like to continue this matter in private?"
"Who the hell is this kid?!" The general fumed, turning to get in Tony's face again.
"He's my intern," Tony stated simply walking into the meeting room. Very quietly he whispered to Peter, just loud enough for the kid to hear. "What are you doing kid?"
"Trust me," Peter whispered back, giving Tony and pleading look.
"The kid stays with me, he keeps me on track and makes sure I don't forget anything. I haven't got all day." Tony stated from the doorway before entering the meeting room and sitting facing the door. He pushed an air of triviality, like this was just a waste of time and he was as relaxed as could be. In reality, he was nervous but also a bit curious. He had no idea what Peter was playing at, what the kid had planned but that also fed the curiosity.
The Secretary-General huffed, before stomping into the meeting room after the billionaire. He shot a glare at Peter as he passed before roughly sitting in a chair on the opposite side of the table to Tony, Peter sliding into a chair beside his mentor.
"Secretary General - ?" Peter asked, he thought it might be the same man as the previous week that he and James had hidden from but he wasn't entirely sure. Either way, a name would be beneficial. Especially for filing a complaint against the man after Peter had got him and the military of SI's back.
"Secretary General McGuvin, on behalf of the United States Military." The man, McGuvin, puffed out his chest.
"General McGuvin, Stark Industries no longer designs or produces weapons. That hasn't been the case since 2008 when Mr Stark shut down the division, cut all contracts and turned the company around. We strive for renewable technologies and innovations to help the planet and people, not destroy them." Peter stated firmly.
"Stark's reckless decision has cost the lives of countless soldiers and allowed our country's defences to be weakened. We need the advanced weaponry to protect America and her interests." McGuvin argued.
"No," Peter stated. Refusing to elaborate.
"I beg your pardon!" McGuving squawked. "No? What do you mean, no?!"
"No. It is a full sentence."
"That is not an answer!"
"Then I feel very sorry for your wife and any partners you've had. Your lack of understanding a very simple word is extremely concerning considering your position." Peter said, shaking his head slowly, dropping his gaze down to the table.
"You have no authority to speak to me!" McGuvin shouted.
"Actually, as my intern, the kid here is uniquely qualified to fully understand my interests and the interests of my company. What he says is representative of the position of the company." Tony drawled from his chair, trying to exude as much boredom at McGuvin as possible.
"How dare you, Stark!" McGuvin yelled, his face going red with his anger. "You let a child make decisions for the future of your company!?"
"Yes. Multiple times a week. We have actually made several on the direction of our renewable energy and medical interests as of this morning. Mini-Me here has the final say on all those decisions." Tony drawled.
"You are a selfish asshole who would rather our country be torn to shreds than lift a single hand to save lives!" McGuvin yelled, somehow louder than he had been before. Tony's media-smile and boredom facade dropped and he straightened in his seat, opening his mouth to speak but Peter cut him off.
"Selfish? Mr Stark was willing to sacrifice his life for this planet, flying a nuke into space with no guarantee of returning or survival. He has repeatedly put his life before others and shutting down the weapons manufacturing in favour of investing in renewable energy, medical technologies and other areas has saved more lives than the weapons being made and sold that killed good soldiers and led to Mr Stark being held captive for months. Mr Stark has been through and given up more than you have in your career." Peter argued, his voice going cold and calm in his fury.
"Mr Stark constantly goes above and beyond to ensure his technology and the technology of his company and employees does as much good as possible and I am proud to be part of that team. Stark Industries will not be accepting any contracts from the military and you are no longer welcome in the building or at at Stark Industries sites. If you step foot on our property again without express permission again, you will be arrested for trespassing and harassment. A complaint will be filed with your superiors about the shocking behaviour displayed by a representative of the U.S. Military." Peter continued, standing up in his seat and opening the door to the meeting room. "Now get out!"
"I- How- You-" McGuvin stammered, his face a deep red as he opened and closed his mouth trying to form a response. Peter just motioned to the door where security was just exiting the elevator and was coming into view.
"Mr Boseman and Mr Wilks will be escorting you out of the building," Peter said. The guards looked to Tony for confirmation who just nodded. The man was unable to keep his surprise and pride off his face at Peter's actions. The guards escorted the fuming Secretary General off the floor and into the elevator, Peter deflated after the doors closed.
"Wow, Roo, remind me not to piss you off." Tony whistled with a chuckle. "Impressive. I doubt we will be hearing from him again after you handed his ass to him." Tony patted Peter on the shoulder, grinning at his kid, he couldn't keep the pride from shining in his eyes. Peter's ears started to turn red at the attention. "What? You're going to get all shy on me now after that?" Tony asked, laughing in surprise. Peter just ducked his head.
"He wasn't going to go away. He's been harassing Miss Potts and then he insulted you and the company and I couldn't sit by and not do anything. I was just going to say no and leave it at that, I didn't mean to push it that far." Peter hastily explained. "I'm sorry for getting you in trouble with the military."
"No need to apologise, kid, I don't think he's going to come back after that. He got dressed down by a 15yr old. He's not going to forget that and we'll get Pepper to send off that complaint with the evidence Fri has from all the meetings, including this one. Besides, when am I not in trouble with government or military?" Tony grinned at Peter, and the kid eventually grinned back. "Peps going to want to steal you all the time for meetings now. I just lost my intern!"
"I'm nearly 16! I'm still your intern Mr Stark, I don't think Miss Pepper can handle both of us being a nuisance in meetings," Peter grinned. Tony laughed, ruffling Peter's hair before guiding him out to the elevator FRIDAY had opened.
"Maybe don't put that meeting in your school report kiddo, that would not be fun to explain. We can just tinker in the lab now anyway, I think we both deserve it after that." Tony nudged Peter as FRIDAY took them back to the lab.
"Sounds like a plan, Mr Stark!" Peter grinned. He couldn't wait to tell Ned and even MJ about how his day had gone. MJ would be proud of him standing up to McGuvin and Ned would gush over the lab details. He ran through his school report in his mind, working out what he could and couldn't add to it with all the confidentiality agreements and clearance level requirements. He rolled his eyes as he realised the school probably wouldn't believe him anyway but he wasn't going to lie.
FRIDAY had already set the lab up with their personal projects on display, the AI working out what was most likely to be worked on and starting the work on creating various parts for different projects the pair had started as well as having research up on soundproofing tiles from their conversation earlier in the day.
The pair went to work, tinkering and working as they usually did, falling into the comforting pattern. Elsewhere in the Tower, Pepper laughed in her office with Caroline as FRIDAY showed them the meeting footage. The interns in Lab 7a abandoned the testing and designs they were working on as they were sucked into the 'Betting Pool' discord server that had been created. New videos and pictures of Peter and Tony being spotted around the tower are added and discussed, mostly confirming that Peter had to be Tony's secret son. That idea only solidified more when a couple of people added what they had heard about the meeting with McGuvin, a small group had a meeting on the same floor and overheard the shouting. FRIDAY lurked in the server, tracking everything and updating Tony's folder on the betting pool.
Of all the ways the day could have gone, Peter thought that he had been spared from Parker Luck this time. He'd had a great day with his mentor and Tony was now even more solidified with his confidence in his protege, smirking to himself at how chaotic the discord server must be. The smirk softened into a smile as he watched Peter light up as they tinkered in the lab. Tony hid his smile as he ordered the biggest custom beanbag he could find to surprise Peter. Bring Your Kid to Work Day had been a good idea after all.