Chapter Text
“Tony,” Peter said, just shy of whining. “They’re all gonna see us pull up and there will be cameras and everyone will be talking and-”
“Peter,” Tony said, getting behind the wheel of his Audi. “I am not letting you go to school by yourself when there is almost definitely going to be paparazzi already swarming the place. With me there, they’ll ambush me and you can get into the school mostly unnoticed.” He paused. “Probably.”
Peter slumped down in the passenger’s seat and folded his arms. “Can’t I just change schools?”
“They’ll find you wherever you go, Pete. Trust me on that one,” Tony started the car and pulled out of the garage. “Besides, wouldn’t you miss your friends?”
“Ned, yeah,” Peter admitted. “MJ, probably. I could do without the rest of them, though. Especially Flash,” he added as an afterthought.
“Flash,” Tony mused. “That’s the asshole kid, right?”
Peter shrugged. “He’s mostly harmless. More like an annoying fly than anything else.”
Tony paused as they hit a red light. “Okay, I’ll tell you what,” he said, turning to face him. “Call me if it’s too much to handle and I’ll come get you.”
“Tony…” Peter said, unsure.
“I’m serious,” Tony said sternly as the light turned green and he took off probably faster than was strictly necessary. “Kids suck. I cut class way more than I should have and I don’t want you to do the same. Just call me, I’ll call May, and we’ll leave these fuckers in the dust. Just, you know, not as often as I did.”
Peter smiled and then sighed. “Okay, fine,” he said softly.
It’d taken Tony and May three days to finally convince Peter to go back to school. After Tony made the accidental drunken announcement that Peter was to become the sole owner of Stark Industries, Peter had originally said it was fine. But after the first twenty-four hours of calls, texts, tweets, and any other form of direct messaging, Peter decided he wanted to become a recluse. This of course sparked at least two hundred recluse spider jokes until Tony decided to get serious and force the kid to get his bag and get in the car.
They’d heard from Ned that the paparazzi had been at the school every day so far, so they knew they’d be there when they showed up that morning. It didn’t exactly prepare Peter for the sheer amount of flashing lights and noise that met them when they rounded the corner, though.
Peter flinched as the cameras flashed and Tony wordlessly handed him a pair of sunglasses that were probably worth more than Peter’s entire wardrobe.
“What are these for?” Peter asked.
Tony looked over at him. “You think I wear these all the time just to be fashionable? I’d like to not lose my eyesight every time I leave the house.” He parked the car and smiled. “Don’t worry. You don’t have to say anything.”
Peter took a deep breath and looked out the window at the swarm awaiting him. God, how he wished he could be in the hospital fighting alien poison instead.
“Now or never, champ,” Tony said.
“Is never actually an option?” Peter asked, looking at him with pleading eyes.
And damn the kid for being a puppy in a kid’s body. But Tony held his resolve and clapped Peter on the back. “It won’t be that bad,” he said, opening his door and letting the noise flood into the car. “At least they don’t have pictures of you streaking in the dead of winter.”
Peter was definitely going to have to look those pictures up later. But for now, it was all about getting through the day without incident.
With another deep breath, Peter shoved the sunglasses on his face and stepped out of the car.
In the movies, celebrities stepped out of their car in slow motion while adoring fans screamed and took pictures and everyone was smiling.
This was not even remotely the same thing.
The wall of sound hit Peter like a brick and he felt his senses, which were already dialed up to eleven, reach levels he didn’t even know were possible. The sunglasses did little to help with the flashes and he felt like he was being surrounded. Stepping back in alarm, he gripped his bag until his knuckles were white, and just as he was thinking of outing himself as Spider-Man in front of everyone so he could swing away and find some peace, he felt Tony’s gentle hand on his shoulder.
The feeling of calm was almost instantaneous. He could do this. With Tony by his side, Peter could do anything.
“Mr. Stark!” One of the reporters yelled as they walked closer to the school. “Is it true Peter is your illegitimate son?”
Tony took a second to look Peter over and then looked back at the reporter. “We do kinda look the same, don’t we Pete?”
Peter just looked at him, not sure if he should answer the question. But Tony had told him he didn’t have to say anything, and he was going to hold him to that, if only because he had a feeling he’d throw up in front of everyone if he opened his mouth.
The questions continued, most of them harmless, as the reporters tried to get something for their articles before Peter was safe in the school. It seemed like they were going to make it through without a disaster happening. Which, of course, was why something had to happen at the last second.
“Mr. Stark!” One of the reporters pushed his way to the front. “Is it true you’re being blackmailed?”
Tony gave him a look before continuing on. “No,” was all he said.
“Well, it’s just that we have sources saying that Peter here is trying to weasel you out of your money.”
Tony stopped in his tracks and Peter stopped with him, looking from the reporter to Tony with wide eyes.
“Does this kid look like he could blackmail anyone?” Tony asked, his tone dangerous.
“Tony,” Peter said softly, his spidey sense going haywire.
“You tell me,” the reporter continued. “I did some digging. What makes you think an orphan with no money living with a single guardian wouldn’t jump at the chance to lie about his parentage so he could get one of the wealthiest men in America to give him whatever he wants?”
Even Peter was taken aback by the harsh words and could only stare at the guy speechless.
Tony chuckled humorlessly before gripping the front of the reporter’s shirt and pulling him close. “If I were you,” he said, his voice low and dangerous. “I’d stop talking before I said something I’d regret.”
The reporter wasn’t intimidated. “It wouldn’t surprise me to find out a no-good kid living on the streets of New York would have someone like you wrapped around his finger. How much money have you given him alrea-”
He was never able to finish as Tony landed a very well-aimed punch to the center of the guy’s face, sending him sprawling to the ground. Cameras started flashing faster than before and several people stared in shock, including pretty much all of Peter’s classmates and teachers.
Tony was breathing heavily, glaring at the guy and not even looking shocked when he turned and everyone saw blood from a broken nose all down his front.
“Now,” Tony said loudly to all the reporters, but never taking his eyes off his target. “Peter has to go to class. When that bell rings at the end of the day, I will be here to pick him up. If I see a single one of you here at that time, a broken nose will be the least of your worries.” He turned on his heel and gripped Peter’s arm, steering him into the school without another word.
They’d barely made it through the doors when Peter stopped in his tracks, unfairly using his super strength to make Tony turn to look at him.
“Are you okay?” Peter asked, not caring that there were students and teachers staring at them.
“Am I okay?” Tony stared at him. “What about you? The things he said, they didn’t bother you?”
“What, that I’m a poor orphan living with my single aunt?” Peter asked. “Tony, those things are just facts. I mean, I don’t live on the streets and he didn’t exactly have to be so harsh about it, but I’ve had worse things hurled at me during lunch on a typical Tuesday.”
Tony gave him a look like he was about to go find Flash and kill him.
“Tony,” Peter said softly. “It’s fine.”
“It’s not fine,” Tony said immediately. “They don’t have the right to treat you like that.”
Peter sighed. “Isn’t this part of the deal?” He asked. “Honestly, Tony, if the worst they have on me is that my parents are dead, then I think I’ll be okay.”
Tony looked down as the phone in his pocket began to buzz. He fished it out and heaved a sigh. “Pepper,” he said.
“I’m guessing the story is already out?” Peter said.
“They work fast these days,” Tony muttered. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
Peter nodded. “Go ahead and take care of it. I have to go to class soon anyway.”
Tony reached up and squeezed Peter’s shoulder before answering his phone on his way out, the sounds of people shouting and cameras shuttering filling the hallway before the door shut.
Peter watched him go and instantly felt a strange emptiness. He’d been away from Tony before, literally in different countries, but it felt different this time. Not just because they knew they were soulmates now, but because Peter was going to have to face the day alone and he hadn’t exactly thought about how hard that was going to be.
“Peter?”
Peter looked to the side and saw Ned. “Hey,” he said with a small smile. “I guess you saw?”
Ned nodded as he led the way to their first class, completely oblivious to the whispers following them down the hall. “You okay?”
Peter took a breath. He’d reassured Tony he was fine, but he wasn’t completely convinced himself. Too many feelings were swirling around inside him, he wasn’t sure if ‘okay’ was one of them. “Let’s just get to class,” he said quietly, doing his best to ignore the stares and whispers.
But as the day dragged on, Peter realized that he was far from okay. The hushed conversations that would stop abruptly as he passed by were starting to grate on him, especially since his super hearing picked up on them on the other side of the hall long before they saw him coming. Every class he’d had that morning consisted of sideways glances and sometimes glares.
The explanation for the glares didn’t become apparent until about lunchtime when Flash finally decided to confront him.
“Penis Parker, ladies and gentlemen!” Flash said as Peter stepped into the cafeteria. “The most successful con man in the entire sophomore class!”
Peter might have snapped back, but he felt like he’d had a rain cloud over his head the whole day and couldn’t even think of something to say.
Luckily, Ned had his back. “He’s not a con man, Flash,” he said angrily. “What kind of kid can con a man like Tony Stark?”
“You tell me,” Flash said, stepping over to them. “Was the reporter right, Penis?” He asked, a deep-seated hatred in his eyes that suggested this was a long time coming. “Did you knock on Iron Man’s door with a sob story and a fake DNA test and get him to give you a car and a new pair of designer sunglasses and pretend to care about you in public?”
Peter had never cried at school, but he felt the burning behind his eyes as the venom in Flash’s voice cut deep.
“That’s enough, Flash,” Ned said, glaring at him.
“Why don’t you tell us all the truth, Parker?” Flash said, a smirk on his face as he saw the build up of tears in Peter’s eyes. “No one cares about you, so you had to lie to be in the spotlight.”
Peter swallowed as he tried to keep it together, staring at Flash and wondering why he hated him so much. Without a word, Peter turned on his heel and fled.
“Aw, come on, Penis!” Flash yelled after him. “You don’t have to make it so obvious!”
“You’re an asshole, Flash,” Ned spat before running after Peter.
Peter ran, trying to find anywhere without people. But they were everywhere. Kids eating their lunch in the hallways, kids watching him from classrooms, he had nowhere to go.
“Peter!” Ned yelled, finally finding him stopped in a mostly deserted hallway. “Peter, hey,” he said, stopping in front of him and holding a hand out like he was a spooked horse. “Calm down.”
It was then that Peter realized he was hyperventilating, tears streaming down his face. He put his head in his hands and backed up toward a wall of lockers, sliding down them until his knees were right up against his chest.
Ned knelt down in front of him and put a hand on his shoulder. “Peter?” He said, trying to get his best friend to look at him. “What can I do?”
Peter took a few seconds to breathe before finally looking up at Ned, upset that he let anyone see him like this. “I… I need…” he couldn’t work around the tightness in his chest and he closed his eyes.
“Do you want me to call someone?” Ned asked. “Tony?”
At the mention of Tony, Peter snapped his head up and shook it. Tony didn’t need to know about this. He was already dealing with enough today, Peter didn’t need to add to that.
“Then what?” Ned asked softly, concern all over his face.
Peter looked down at the cuffs on his wrists and just the thought of hiding behind his mask started to loosen the tightness in his chest. He looked back up at Ned. “I need you to cover for me,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper.
Ned tilted his head to the side.
“I… I can’t be here,” Peter said, wiping his tears off his cheeks. “I need to get out and… and do something.”
Ned looked down at Peter’s wrist cuffs and then back up. “Are you sure?”
Peter paused. “It’s the only way they won’t see Peter Parker when they look at me,” he said softly.
At that, Ned nodded.
It wasn’t the worst plan Peter had ever had, and all he really wanted to do was get away from whispers and stares.
“I’ll tell them your aunt came and got you,” Ned said.
Peter sniffed and pulled himself to his feet, noticing that the mostly deserted hallway was now completely empty. “Thanks, Ned,” he said, giving him a small smile.
Ned returned the smile. “You should go before a teacher comes looking for us.”
Peter nodded and looked around. Crawling out of a window was out, the paparazzi could see him, but maybe if he found a way to the roof?
Jumping up, Peter stuck himself to the ceiling, removing one of the panels and crawling into the darkness. He reached into his backpack and took out the web slingers before lowering the bag down to Ned.
“Can you put that in my locker?” He asked.
“Sure,” Ned replied, looking up at him with a mixture of worry and awe.
Peter took a breath and pressed his thumb to one of the cuffs, feeling himself able to breathe better as the mask covered his face. “See you later?”
“See you later,” Ned confirmed.
Peter replaced the panel and looked around in the dark, the mask adjusting so he could see where he was going. A small part of him wondered what would happen if he just stayed in the ceiling for the rest of his life, but it was clear how bad of an idea that would be as he could still hear the conversations. No, he needed to get out of the school as fast as possible.
“Hello, Peter,” Karen said. “I have not received any distress calls and the time indicates you should still be in school.”
“Karen,” Peter said, realizing he’d completely forgotten about her. “Right. We’re just… taking a break from school today.”
“Mr. Stark made it clear you should not be patrolling during school hours,” Karen said.
“I’m not patrolling, Karen,” Peter said. “I’m… hiding.”
“Hiding?” Karen asked. “Is there an imminent threat? Your heart rate is elevated, should I call Mr. Stark?”
“No!” Peter said quickly. “Trust me. Everything is okay. Tony even said I could take a break today if I wanted.”
Karen paused as if she was thinking about it. “Whatever you say, Peter.”
With that, Peter began to make his way up. It wasn’t hard to find his way once he reached one of the vents. So long as he kept moving up and avoided the possibility of falling into a classroom, he’d be fine.
In no time at all, Peter had found his way to the very top of the school, crawling through an air duct and stepping out onto the roof. It felt like an invisible weight had been lifted off his chest and he almost cried at how much better it felt to be Spider-Man. Letting the suit adjust to the new light, he looked around to make sure no one had seen him crawl out of the school.
Taking a deep breath, Peter shot a web and hurled himself off the roof, leaving the school, and everyone in it, behind.