Chapter Text
“Mama, are you-“
Maria sighed, which was enough for Tony to stop mid-sentence. He may do everything in his power to piss off Howard on a daily basis (because apparently he had a death wish), but today was special. His Mama has come to see him off for school, which means she got out of bed, and therefore is now out of the house.
Somehow knew this was a good omen, despite the fact that his worst nightmare is literally ten yards away.
“Bambino, you know I would let you go to college but you are too young. I want you to have a regular childhood, even if with... everything, it’s anything but.”
“Mama, I am fourte-“
“-And you were placed as a junior,” Maria cut in. “You should be enjoying life, not rushing through it. If your father would’ve had it his way, you would have been homeschooled all of your life and at MIT right now.”
Tony rolled his eyes. “The homeschooling doesn’t sound bad.”
“You need the social interaction,” She argued. “You haven’t been around people your own age since you were at that fundraising event a few years ago with Hope. Maybe she’ll be here and maybe that eccentric friend of hers.”
“I doubt it. Darcy probably wouldn’t step foot in,” Tony squinted at the name on the sign by the nearest building. “Shield Preparatory High School For The Specifically Gifted’. What is that even supposed to mean?”
The chauffeur cleared his throat. “Young master and mistress, you may want to wrap up the goodbyes. Students are heading inside and it is almost 8:45.”
Maria nodded. “Thank you, Earl,” Maria side hugged Tony. “Are you sure you don’t want me to walk you in, Antonio?”
Tony groaned. “Mama I am, once again, fourteen-“
“-and yet you still call me mama.”
“You know what? I’m leaving, I can’t take this tyranny.” Tony grabbed his back pack and opened the car door. “See you after school?”
The question was filled with hope and Tony hated himself for it. Hope was for children in a situation where they don’t know what to do but to think things will get better.
“Maybe.”
Maybe. That was better than ‘No’, but most probably meant he wouldn’t see her.
Tony nodded, quickly saying a mixture of goodbyes and love you’s as he closed the car door.
He glanced at a paper in his hand that he got in the mail a few weeks ago, about his schedule and locker.
‘Locker 368, combination is 11 24 23’
Tony kept his head down, scanning the lockers before finally finding 368 by the science room.
He opened his locker and deposited some of the books he wouldn’t need until later, fortunately only having five classes today.
Now, to find Physics.
***
Physics was boring. The teacher handed out the books and Tony flipped through the pages knowing he learned almost all of that when he was eight.
He kept his head down, not trying to draw attention to himself, which worked, for the most part.
Tony played with the idea of just ditching this place for the rest of the day, but the ‘maybe’ his mom gave him earlier was enough to see if she would pick him up... or if it would just be Earl, like usual.
He managed to find AP Calculus before the bell rang. It was taught by a woman named May Parker, who just gave them a work sheet to fill out about themselves. Mrs.Parker also spent the majority of class gushing over her toddler of a nephew.
Again, a very easy class.
Finding English was a little more difficult, since he had to go back to his locker to get a book he forgot, which just so happened to be on the opposite side of the school. Figures.
Tony knocked on Miss Hill’s door, and the woman in question opened it with a raised eyebrow.
“Mister Stark, I presume?”
“Yes ma’am.”
“And you are late because?” She drawled.
Tony gripped the strap of his backpack tighter and refrained from saying something detention worthy. “I forgot one of the books and-“
“-Don’t let it happen again, Mister Stark. There is an empty desk in the back by Mister Barton.”
Tony felt heat rise to his face as he awkwardly shuffled to the back to the seat next to some -incredibly gorgeous- blonde guy.
“As I was saying before we were interrupted by Mister Stark,” Hill started. “The breakdown for your overall grade will rely heavily on group projects. You will be assigned to groups based on your schedules and how you perform on the first task I will be giving.”
“You will do an essay on a book of your choice,” She continued. “and attempt to explain the theme that can be taken away from it, and how it applies to the real world. It can be any genre, and this may seem like a project for a lower class and not AP English, but this project is more of a throwaway for a grade. It is due by next Monday, which is five days from now. No word count, but I expect three paragraphs at the very least. MLA format. The chrome books are in their cart, you can grab one and sign into your school account when you are ready.”
She sat down at her desk and the students started making their way towards a black moveable cart type thing.
The blonde turned towards me.
“You’re Tony Stark, right?”
“What’s it to you?”
The guy raised his hands in a mock gesture of surrender. “Just making sure.” He stuck out a hand. “Clint Barton.”
Tony hesitantly shook it. “Tony Stark. Shouldn’t we... start working?”
“-Stark and Barton, do I need to separate you two?”
“Maybe,” Clint called back.
The students around them snickered and Tony felt himself slide down into his seat.
Hill just rolled her eyes and pointed towards the chrome book cart. “Chrome books, sirs.”
“Give her a few days,” Clint whispered. “She’s been dealing with me since the eighth
grade, I know how to maneuver around her. I’ll go get us computers.”
Clint walked over to the cart and came back with two beat-up small laptops.
“Your password should just be your birthdate in numbers, and your login is just the first letter of your first name then your last name, all lowercase.”
“What’s the point of passwords if anyone can get into it and it’s as simple as your birthday?”
Clint rolled his eyes. “Don’t ask me.”
Tony blinked. “Couldn’t you, theoretically, get into anyone’s account?”
“It happens all the time,” Clint smirked. “ I log onto my sister’s account and change her background.“
“Barton,” Hill barked. “Come join me up here.”
Clint sighed. “She starts off strict but eventually-“
“-Barton!-“
Clint hurriedly slung his backpack over his shoulder and grabbed his computer. “-See you if we have the same lunch period.”
***
Turns out they did. Tony surveyed a few people in the cafeteria before Clint claimed a seat beside him.
Tony glanced at his tray and saw hardly anything on it. When Tony asked Cling claimed the food today is terrible.
Which, in all honesty, was fair.
Clint gestured towards the centermost table, which was filled with some teenagers talking considerably loud.
“That’s the quote unquote popular table. They aren’t really popular, they just like to think it. The blonde guy with short hair is Steven Rogers. Nat says he’s not that bad, but I disagree. He can’t take a joke, always polite, always proper. Always trying to do the right thing.”
Tony nodded hesitantly, debating whether to ask who “Nat” was. “Type of person to not have a dark side?”
Clint nodded. “Exactly. Why?”
Tony shrugged. “I don’t trust a guy without a dark side. Anyways, who are the rest?”
“The people next to him are Sam Wilson and James Barnes. They all play the same sports or something. Margaret, long brown hair, and Pepper, the red head, aren’t that bad, but watch out for Sharon. She’s a total bitch.”
“The blonde one?”
“Yup.”
“Lemme guess, she’s a cheerleader?”
Clint grinned. “Duh. She fits the stereotypical high school bitch, and is proud of it.”
A loud shriek of laughter came from the table behind Clint, and if Tony wouldn’t be able to see them, he would’ve though someone was in pain.
He also didn’t miss the way Clint flinched in response to the noise.
Tony didn’t comment, guessing that they both had their own demons.