Chapter Text
Tony and Bruce were enjoying a game of chess one evening when FRIDAY announced Spider-Man was swinging towards the Tower and in need of medical assistance. Tony tried to get more details, but FRIDAY reported that Karen had been damaged and was unable to provide more information.
Bruce had not yet met Spider-Man. He only knew that the hero was young and Tony was mentoring him. He could see the obvious worry on Tony’s face.
“He’s able to come in on his own, so it can’t be too bad,” Bruce remarked, trying reassure his friend.
“Yeah, but it’s serious enough that he’s coming in voluntarily,” Tony pointed out.
“I’ll get the medbay ready,” Bruce told him and headed towards the medical unit.
“Thanks.” Tony replied as he went onto the balcony.
He could see Spider-Man approaching from about two blocks away. His swings were slow and had an uneven rhythm, sure signs of injury. Arriving at the Tower, he landed without any of his usual acrobatics. Tony rushed to the boy and looked at him closely. There was a bloody gash in the suit along the left side. Peter had webbed up the wound, but blood was oozing out from under the webbing.
Tony grimaced. “It must have hurt like hell to swing with that. You should have called for a ride.”
Peter’s took a moment to catch his breath, which was ragged from the exertion. “I didn’t need a ride. I didn’t want to bother you and figured could swing here faster anyway.”
“I’ve told you before it’s not a bother. You shouldn’t be swinging around with an injury like this. Next time ask for help.” Tony was getting tired of giving this lecture.
The man pulled off Peter’s mask and ran his fingers over the kid’s scalp, checking for head injuries. Finding none, other than a bruised cheek, Tony gave a small sigh of relief.
“What happened, Spider-Kid?” Tony tried to keep his voice calm as he put an arm around the boy’s shoulders and started leading him to the medical unit.
“Got into a fight with a couple muggers. One guy pulled a knife.” Peter explained.
“I see that.” Tony answered dryly.
Peter enthusiastically gave him a brief description of the fight as they as made their way to the medbay.
“Bruce, this is Peter…” Tony started the introductions once Peter had removed his damaged suit and settled onto the exam table.
“Oh my god!” Peter gushed excitedly, “You’re Bruce Banner! I’ve read all your papers. Your work on gamma radiation is amazing, particularly it’s transformative influence on living tissue.”
Bruce was a little taken aback by the recognition and praise. “Thank you. You’re very well read for someone so young. How old are you, Peter?”
“Fifteen.” Peter replied.
“Only fifteen?” He looked at Tony accusingly. Tony just shrugged. Bruce turned back to the boy. “Let’s see where you’re hurt.”
The wound on his side needed stitches. But despite the alarming amount of blood, Bruce declared it wasn’t too bad and had him patched up quickly. He had a few other scrapes and bruises, but everything was expected to clear up in a few days, given Peter’s enhanced healing.
“How did you get your powers?” Bruce asked Peter, while Tony stood a few feet away, examining the damage to the Spider-Man suit and trying not to hover.
“I was bitten by a genetically engineered spider,” Peter replied simply.
“Really? That’s fascinating,” Bruce said with genuine interest. “I once had a colleague who theorised that…” Bruce broke off suddenly and looked at the teen more closely.
“Oh my god…” Bruce’s astonished voice held the slightest hint of horror. “You’re Peter Parker.”
Tony looked up sharply. Peter and Bruce were staring at each other in mutual shock.
“Of course you are,” Bruce continued. “Fifteen years old now and you look so much like your dad.”
“You knew my father?” Peter asked in surprise.
“I knew both your parents. I knew you, too. The last time I saw you, you must have been…five years old, I think.”
Peter looked at the floor. “If you mean the funeral, I was six.” He said flatly.
Bruce shook his head. “I wasn’t at the funeral. When your parents died, I was living off the grid, dealing with...the transformative influence of gamma radiation.” That got a small smile from the boy. “I only heard about everything that happened with your parents a few years ago. I’d like to offer my condolences, as late as they are. I was really sorry to hear about all of it, Peter.”
The boy nodded solemnly. He didn’t know what to say.
Tony tapped at his phone and waited until the silence seemed strained. “He’s ok? Everything checks out?” Tony asked Bruce, bringing them back to the situation at hand.
“Yeah. He needs calories to support the advanced healing and I’d like him to stay a while so I can keep on eye on the wound, but he should be ok.”
“Done and done.” Tony told them. He looked at Peter fondly. “I ordered dinner from our favorite Italian place and texted your aunt that you’re staying here tonight. Go get changed and meet us in the kitchen.”
“OK.” Peter replied and got up slowly, wincing a little. Tony handed him a robe and he slipped it on. He started to head out of the medbay and then turned back to Bruce.
“Dr. Banner?” Peter didn’t quite meet the man’s eyes. “I don’t remember much from back then. But I do know something about my parents’ reputation. I hope you won’t hold it against me.”
Bruce gazed at the boy for a moment and then said gently, “of course not, Peter.”
Peter nodded and then headed off to his room. As soon as the boy left, Bruce rounded on Tony. Before Bruce could say anything, Tony held up a hand in a STOP gesture, then tapped something on his phone. FRIDAY confirmed that the room had been soundproofed.
“Enhanced hearing,” Tony explained. “He can’t hear us now, so what do you want to say?”
“Tony, are you crazy?” Bruce’s voice was incredulous. “Not only do you recruit a teenager, which is completely irresponsible - but you dig up the Parker kid? What the hell were you thinking?”
“Wait just a minute.” Tony interrupted. “First of all, I recruited him for his abilities as Spider-Man. Yeah, he’s young, but he’s got amazing skills. He was doing the Spider-Man thing before I got involved with him. All I did was give him better equipment and I try to keep him safe. And he’s not just Spider-Man. He’s the brightest, youngest intern Stark Industries has ever had.”
Tony took a deep breath before continuing. “I didn’t know anything about his parents until just now. I knew their names and that they died in a plane crash when the Kid was young, but that’s it. He never talks about them. I didn’t think they were important. So tell me, now - what’s the big deal about Richard and Mary Parker? And what did the Kid mean by their reputation?”
Bruce took a moment to collect his thoughts. “Back when everything happened with Ultron, you said that you and I were mad scientists. Do you remember that?”
“Yeah, what about it?” Tony said cautiously.
“Rick and Mary were definitely mad scientists. They may have been worse than us.” Bruce said.
“A lot of times mad scientists just aren’t appreciated,” Tony sounded a little defensive. “What did they do?”
“They were both biologists. Specifically, Rick was a geneticist and Mary specialized in cellular biology. Together, they wanted to change the course of human evolution. Rick had these wild ideas about traits that could be cultivated by fusing human and animal genes. Mary had theories about how to manipulate human cell development to accept the animal DNA. Their work was fascinating and made for a lot of interesting debates. But some of their ideas were downright scary.”
“But it was all theoretical, right?” Tony asked, with some trepidation.
Bruce shrugged. “I thought so at the time. But when I heard about their deaths I also heard that they had been censured by the government.”
“For what?” This conversation was taking an alarming turn.
“There were rumors that they had been conducting human experiments without proper approval. Including experiments on minors.”
Tony was stunned. “Peter? Did they experiment on him?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t want to believe the rumors. But now their own son has powers from a genetically altered spider?” Bruce paced a bit, trying to reign in his emotions. “That sounds exactly like what they were working towards. So what do you think?”
Tony thought a minute. “But the Kid was bitten by that spider when he was fourteen. His parents died when he was six. It wasn’t them.”
Bruce considered that. “Someone’s been continuing their work?” he suggested.
Tony was deeply disturbed by the thought. The idea that Peter had gotten his powers by a fluke accident was one thing. But if this had been done to him deliberately, that was another situation entirely.
FRIDAY interrupted their conversation to announce that dinner had arrived. The two scientists made their way to the kitchen. Peter was already there, dressed in soft sweats and piling his plate with pasta and vegetables. Bruce and Tony joined him in dishing out their dinners. Soon, all three were settled at the dining table.
“How did you know my parents, Dr. Banner?” Peter asked between mouthfuls.
“You may be too young to remember, but your parents liked to throw dinner parties and have scientists from diverse fields attend. It made for great discussion and debates about all kinds of scientific theories and discoveries. The food was always amazing too. Your mom was a great hostess.” Bruce remembered. “Sometimes they liked to show you off. They called you their latest project.” What had seemed like a cute comment at the time now had an ominous implication.
Peter had a small frown and a far away look, like he was chasing a fleeting memory.
“You were friends with them?” Tony asked, thinking back to their earlier conversation. There was a bit of accusation in his voice.
“Colleagues. There’s a difference.” Bruce corrected him.
Peter looked at both adults questioningly, sensing some tension between them.
“How did you get invited to these parties?” Tony asked, flippantly, trying to lighten his own mood. “And why wasn’t I ever invited?”
Bruce smirked at Tony’s bruised ego. “My friend Betty was a geneticist. She had collaborated with Rick on a project. I was originally invited through her.”
“It’s always about who you know.” Tony quipped, not really wanting to think about Betty Ross because then he would start thinking about her father. He had enough on his mind right now.
After a few minutes, Bruce asked, “So, Peter, do you still wreck havoc on household appliances?”
Peter was startled by the question. “What do you mean?”
“Well, the last time I saw you, you had taken apart your parents’ brand new Roomba.”
“Oh, yeah… I think I was trying to figure out how the mapping system worked,” he remembered the incident a little vaguely.
Bruce commented, “your dad seemed pretty upset with you. I guess you did that kind of thing a lot.” Peter blushed and nodded. Both adults chuckled.
“Uh...yeah. I was always in trouble for taking something apart. But I usually got things put back together and most of the time they worked even better than before. But my parents were never happy about it.”
Bruce and Tony seemed amused by that. Tony could only imagine how adorable little Peter must have been.
Bruce remarked, “You know, your dad said he had a plan to cure you of that habit. But I never found out what it was.”
Peter swallowed a bite of his pasta and said, “he snapped my radius bone.” The boy tapped his right forearm for emphasis. He remembered that part clearly.
The two adults set their forks down and stared at him, dumbfounded, all traces of amusement gone. Peter continued eating like he didn’t realize he had just said something out of the ordinary.
“Dammit Rick,” Bruce muttered under his breath, and tried to contain his surge of emotion.
Tony kept his voice calm, “Pete, do you mean your father broke your arm because you took some appliances apart?” Peter nodded.
“He did it on purpose?” Tony clarified. Peter nodded again.
“What happened after that?” Bruce asked quietly.
“I had a cast for a about a month.” Peter replied, “no quick healing back then.”
“I mean, what happened after it healed?”
“Oh. Well, I didn’t take their stuff apart anymore,” Peter said quickly. “But I did start going through the neighbors’ garbage looking for old appliances and electronics that I could use instead. So that was cool.”
Tony sighed. “That’s when you started dumpster diving? At five years old?”
“Yeah.” Peter took another bite, like it was no big deal.
Tony pushed his plate away, having lost his appetite. His whole body felt tense. Human experimentation. Child abuse. The five-year old Kid digging through the trash. He had learned too much disturbing information about the Parkers for one evening.
Feeling a desperate need to change the mood at the table, Tony brought out ice cream and prompted Peter to tell Bruce about his project for the upcoming science fair. Peter had synthesized a new polymer with unique properties. The teen launched into an enthusiastic and animated description of how he developed his formula and experimented with materials. Bruce was impressed and asked several questions about the project. Tony added comments here and there - some complimentary and some sarcastic - and felt the tension inside him slowly melt away.
Bruce was beginning to understand Tony’s attachment to the Kid. He was obviously brilliant and creative, with a quick wit that could match Tony’s own. Bruce wasn’t really surprised at that. After all, he remembered the bright little boy from years ago. And any child of Rick and Mary would have to be a sassy genius. Bruce saw that the teen had a liveliness and energy to him that drew others in, even though his natural shyness showed through at times. He was charming and awkward at the same time.
It was apparent Peter admired Tony greatly and he valued his mentor’s comments, even when they didn’t agree. And when talking to Peter or about him, Tony displayed a patience and pride that Bruce had not witnessed from him before. It was almost parental. Bruce suddenly understood that Tony’s investment in this kid went beyond Spider-Man and was really about Peter himself.
Then like a switch had been thrown, Peter suddenly got quiet and sluggish. His eyes became heavy and he rested his elbows on the table, with his hands supporting his head.
Tony smiled fondly and gave Peter’s shoulder a small shake. “Time to turn in, Spiderling.” He said in a low voice.
“Yeah...sorry...it just hit me all of a sudden.” Peter said with a yawn.
“It always does when you’re healing,” Tony reminded him. “Off to bed. I’ll check on you in a bit and Bruce will look at you in the morning.”
Peter got up from the table. “Thank you for dinner, Mr. Stark. You don’t need to check on me. Goodnight Dr. Banner. It was nice meeting you - or seeing you again.” He headed down the hallway as Bruce wished him goodnight.
“He’s a good kid,” Bruce said quietly after Peter left.
Tony nodded. “Yeah. With a rough past. Rougher than I thought.”
The evening had raised so many questions about his young intern. Tony was determined to find the answers.