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“Hello, Mr. Stark!” Peter called out absentmindedly as he exited the elevator, trying to stuff nis umbrella into the front pocket of his backpack. “FRIDAY said you were on this floor instead of your own or the lab, so I’m here. Anyways, I’m coming to say hello before--”
He abruptly stopped talking, having glanced up after he finished fighting his backpack. Natasha was causally pouring herself a glass of iced tea. “Oh! Um, hi! Hello, Ms. Black Widow, ma’am. Or do you prefer Ms. Romanoff?”
Nat stared down Peter as she took a sip of tea. “Natasha is fine.”
“Of course, Ms. Natasha.”
“So, you’re the Spider Kid?”
“Spiderman,” Peter hastily corrected before backtracking. “I’m not him though. I’ve never even met the guy. That’s just the superhero’s name that I’m assuming you were talking about. I’m just an intern here at SI. Mr. Stark’s personal intern, to be exact.” Peter knew he was digging himself a deeper grave the longer he spoke, but he could not seem to shut up. Thankfully, Tony saved him.
“There you are, Peter! I wasn’t expecting you until later,” Tony called as he walked into the room. “I see you’ve already met Nat.”
“Yes, but I didn’t really get to introduce myself…”
“Nat, Peter. Peter, Nat.” Tony gestured as he said each of their names. “Nat is also known as Black Widow, a superspy and one of the original Avengers. Peter is my personal intern.”
“He’s also Spiderman,” Nat commented drily.
Tony sighed. “Underoos, the only way you can have a secret identity is if you keep it a secret.”
Peter groaned. “I did, Mr. Stark. I denied being Spiderman when she asked. You were the one that just confirmed it.”
Casually, as if she were reading a weather report, Natasha stuck up for Peter. “If it makes you feel any better, Tony, I knew he was Spiderman as soon as he started talking. I recognized his voice from Germany and those videos on the news. Plus, I’m a spy. I could tell he was lying.”
Tony dragged his hand across his face. “Okay. I wasn’t planning on introducing you today, but I guess it’s too late for that.” Pointing to Peter, he continued, “Grab yourself a plate, utensils, and something to drink then follow me. You’re going to meet some of the Avengers.”
“Really!?” Peter asked excitedly.
“There’s no point in trying to hide you anymore. Nat already knows, which means it’s only a matter of time before the others do too.”
“Awesome! This is the best day of my life; I can’t wait to tell Ned!” Peter walked around the island towards the cabinets before pausing. “I don’t know where anything’s kept.”
“Okay. New plan. Nat, please let everyone know that we have a guest joining us. I’ll get you a plate and utensils, and you can pick out something to drink from the fridge. And leave your backpack out here.”
Not a minute later, Peter followed Tony down the hall from the kitchen into a dining room. Despite the occupants being warned about the unexpected guest, conversations still ceased once they stepped into the room. “Everyone, this is Peter; Peter, this is some of the Avengers.” Tony set the place setting down at the closest open spot at the table, which happened to be between Pepper and Nat.
Once Tony returned to his own seat, Peter sat down at his spot. Everyone was still quiet. “Hello Ms. Potts, Ms. Natasha.”
“Hello, Peter. It’s nice to see you again,” Pepper began. “We weren’t expecting you until later.”
“Yeah, Mr. Stark mentioned that. Sorry for interrupting your dinner.”
“No reason to feel bad. We are happy to have you. Here,” she handed him a pot full of spaghetti, “take some and eat.”
“Thanks, Ms. Potts.” He plopped a few spoonfuls onto his plate. “Again, I’m so sorry for intruding. May told me to take a break from studying, so I figured I’d just swing on by a bit earlier since I had to be here later anyways. If I’d had known that you guys were busy, I would have waited until nine instead of coming over, even though it’s around 7:30 now. I mean, she probably meant for me to go hang out with Ned and MJ or go to the park or the library, not arrive here a few hours early…”
Pepper placed a hand over his to stop his rambling. “Don’t worry about it, Peter.” Addressing the rest of the table, she continued. “Everyone, this is Peter. He goes to Midtown Tech in Queens, and he interns directly--”
Tony cut in. “Don’t worry about it, Pep. Nat already figured it out.” Turning to Peter, he asked, “Do you want to tell the other Avengers, or should I?”
“You can, Mr. Stark.” He blushed, suddenly embarrassed and worried about what they thought of him.
“This is Peter Parker. He is my personal intern, but he is also Spiderman. And before you start yelling at me, Spangles, I am aware I took a 15-year-old to Germany to fight a battle that didn’t involve him at all. If any of you would like to discuss this matter more, we can chat privately after dinner, capische.” Tony looked around the table and took the silence as acceptance. “Moving on, you can ask Peter questions, but keep in mind that he does not have to answer them unless he wants to.”
Steve broke the silence first. “I am so sorry. If I’d known how young you were, I would’ve never--”
“There’s no need to apologize, Mr. Captain America, sir. I agreed to go. If anything, I should apologize to you for taking your shield. Also, sorry for interrupting you.”
“First, please call me Steve, son. Second, don’t apologize for taking it; by swinging it around with your webs like you did, you took down a bunch of bad guys.”
“Okay, Mr. Steve.” Peter took a bite of his spaghetti. “This is highkey the best pasta I’ve ever had.”
“Thanks. It’s an old family recipe. I’m glad you think it’s swell.”
“See, Mr. Stark, I told you that Captain America understands today’s slang! I win the bet.”
“I highly doubt that Capicle over here knows what ‘highkey’ means. I’m sure it was context--” Tony aruptively cut off when he noticed Pepper was giving him a subtle we have guests glare. “Sure, whatever you say, Underoos.”
Bruce capitalized on the break in conversation to introduce himself. “Hello, Peter. My name is Dr. Bruce Banner, also known as--”
“The most amazing physicist of our time!” Peter was vibrating in his seat. “Dr. Banner, sir, your work with gamma rays is absolutely riveting! I’ve read every single academic paper of yours that I could get my hands on! You are a pioneer and your discoveries will shape the field of physics for at least the next few decades, if not the next hundred years! You’re amazing!”
Bruce seemed genuinely humbled. “Thank you so much for those kind words, Peter. Most people that recognize me just want to talk about the Other Guy. I’ll have to show you my lab sometime.”
“Really, Dr. Banner?” Bruce nodded. “It would be an honor. Thank you so much!”
“And I thought he was starstruck when he met me,” Tony joked.
“How did Peter meet you, Tones?” Rhodey’s tone was light, but Tony could tell that anger simmered below the surface.
The teen responded before Tony had a chance to formulate a version of the truth that would not piss Rhodey off more. “Mr. Stark was sitting on the couch eating some of Aunt May’s banana bread when I came back home from school one afternoon. He told me I received a scholarship I didn’t apply for and asked to speak privately. Once we were in my room, he told me that he knew I was Spidey and asked if I wanted to go to Germany with him. I said I couldn’t because of homework, but he eventually convinced me to go. So I went out of the country for the first time and fought some bad guys with some of the people at the table.”
“Please tell me that May knows that you are Spiderman and and this is a fake internship.” There was a noticeable edge to Rhodey’s voice.
“May didn’t find out about Spiderman until after the Homecoming incident. And that was an accident. And I do actually have an internship with Mr. Stark. I have a certificate and everything.”
“What happened on Homecoming?” Natasha asked.
“Well, technically it began before Homecoming. Short version is that my Homecoming date’s dad was an alien tech arms dealer. He dropped us off at the dance and threatened to kill me if I went after him, as he was planning on stealing a bunch of tech off of Mr. Stark’s plane. I tried to warn Happy but he wouldn’t listen, so I went after him and he almost killed me a few times. Obviously it didn’t work since I’m here. Anyways, I stopped him and saved the tech.
“A few days after that, Mr. Stark invited me to officially become an Avenger, but I turned him down because I knew it was a test.” Peter was completely oblivious to Tony’s don’t you dare tell him otherwise look he was shooting everyone else at the table. “I went back to Queens, and Mr. Stark gave me back the suit he made, allowing me to keep it. I was excited to put it back on, and that’s how May found out that I am Spiderman.
“Once May knew, the whole story came out. She insisted on another meeting with Mr. Stark, and they hashed a bunch of things out. What exactly, I don’t know, as May purposefully held the meeting while I was at school. One of the things that did come out of it, however, is that I have an actual internship with Mr. Stark, so that’s pretty cool.” Almost as an afterthought, Peter added, “I don’t think that May likes you very much, Mr. Steve, sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it, Peter, I’m aware that some people don’t like Captain America.”
“I meant you, as a person, but I guess that does include your persona. Sorry. That was rude. What I'm trying to say is that she knows that ‘Steve from Brooklyn’ gave me a pretty nasty black eye. I told her that it was an accident, because it was, but I don’t think she believed me. I just realized that she probably connected the dots during her discussion with Mr. Stark and concluded that ‘Steve from Brooklyn’ is in fact ‘Captain America.’ Does that make sense? Sorry if it doesn’t. And sorry if that sounds rude. And sorry for rambling.”
Steve did not know how to respond to all the information Peter just gave him. Luckily for him, Tony swooped in. “Okay, Spider Kid, I think that’s enough talking for now. How about you finish dinner before it gets cold and then head up to your room and study for a while before hitting the hay. What exams do you have left?”
“Tomorrow’s the last day, and I have World History and Chemistry exams. Since Ned and I already presented our Robotics final, we don’t have to go in for that exam. Because that’s the first exam slot, I don’t have to be at school until 9:30, meaning I can either sleep in a little or get a bit of extra studying in before leaving.”
“That’s great. I’ll let Happy know that he isn’t needed until 8:30 tomorrow instead of 7:00.”
“Thanks, Mr. Stark.”
The dinner conversation reverted back to whatever it was before he arrived. Peter did not follow it though, instead focusing on eating his pasta as quickly as possible without making a mess. When he finished, he picked up his plate and utensils before addressing the table. “Thank you so much for letting me crash your dinner. Once again, I apologize. It was very nice to meet you, Ms. Natasha, Mr. Steve, Dr. Banner, and Colonel Rhodes, sir. And it was great seeing you again, Ms. Potts and Mr. Stark. Thank you so much. Um, what should I do with my place setting?”
“You can place everything in the sink.”
“Okay. Thanks again, Ms. Potts. Bye, everyone.” With a wave, Peter went back towards the communal kitchen. As he placed everything in the sink and grabbed his bookbag, he could hear Tony reassure everyone that he would answer any relevant questions regarding him that they were too polite to ask when he was still in the room. Rhodey was the first to start asking questions, but based on his tone, Peter figured that Tony was in more trouble than he was.
Going up two floors, Peter trekked towards his room. Opening up the door, part of him was tempted to text Ned and tell him everything about dinner, but he knew he would not get anything done. Instead, he sat down at his desk and pulled out his chemistry study guide. He flipped to the section he was the worst at and began the problem sets.
*****
Two hours later, Peter needed a break. He had studied Chemistry for over an hour before switching over history, and he was bored out of his skull. Why was feudalism so important? It hasn’t been around for hundreds of years.
Sighing, he decided that a snack would be good. He stood up and stretched before making his way over to the kitchen. Stepping into the living room, he noticed Rhodey sitting on the couch. “Hello, Colonel Rhodes, sir.”
“Hi, Peter. Please, call me Rhodey. That’s what everyone else calls me.”
“Okay, Mr. Rhodey. What are you doing?”
“Tones asked me if I wanted to watch the latest Mission Impossible movie. He knows they’re my favorite and is trying to get me to not be mad at him.”
Peter started fidgeting, and decided to sit down on another couch instead of standing awkwardly in the room. “Are you still mad at him? And are you mad at me?”
“No, we’re good. And I wasn’t angry at you. I was mostly frustrated that he dragged you into the entire Accords mess. He shouldn’t’ve done that. Despite what you may think, you are a kid, and you shouldn’t be fighting our battles.”
“Mr. Rhodey, I know I’m still a kid. But I was Spiderman before Mr. Stark gave me my suit. The suit makes me a lot safer. I have an AI and I can call and text people. It has a parachute and a heater. It’s 1000 times better than my old suit. Mr. Stark called it a onesie. It consisted of a hoodie and sweatpants.” He hesitated before continuing. “I became Spiderman to fight bad guys. Something happened when I first got my powers, and I didn’t stop it even though I could’ve. I’ve regretted it ever since, and promised myself that I’ll try my best to prevent stuff like that happening again.”
“It sounds like he’s done everything he can to keep you as safe as possible.”
“Yep. That’s the only reason why May likes him. Well, that and she thinks Mr. Stark likes her cooking.”
“And you won’t tell her otherwise. Your aunt can be very intimidating when she wants to.”
Peter whirled around on the couch, watching as Tony made his way over to them. He did not even hear the elevator open.
“Underoos, Platypus, are you to gossiping about me? That’s not very nice. Besides, aren’t you supposed to be studying, Pete?”
“I’m taking a break, Mr. Stark. If I have to solve another ‘how much oxygen is in the final solution’ problem or go over feudalism society again, I might gorge my eyeballs out.” He pondered for a second. “Do you think my healing abilities would regrow my eyes if that happened?”
“One, no need to be so dramatic. Two, you will not be testing that hypothesis out. Ever.” Tony shot an exasperated look at Rhodey before addressing him. “I need to talk to Pepper really quick about some SI thing, and then we’ll watch the movie.” Without getting a confirmation from his longest friend, he turned around and headed down the hall towards his office.
As soon as he was out of sight, Peter asked the one question that was on his mind ever since he saw a few of the former rogue Avengers earlier. “How was the Accords resolved? Mr. Stark won’t tell me anything, and he’s banned FRIDAY from answering any of my questions, claiming that it’s confidential.”
Rhodey signed before responding. “I’ll give you the bare minimum. You have a right to know, since you’re Spiderman. Basically, out of the blue, Tony had a change of heart about the Accords. Knowing what I know now, I think it’s because of you.”
“Really?”
“Yep. He decided to read over the Accords again and found a clause requiring that all heros, no matter their age, had to sign within a month of being known or risk jail time. And you couldn’t just sign with your superhero persona. The government wanted your actual name too. And a bunch of other info.
“Tones stopped reading after that and had Pepper look over the entire thing before sending it off to the lawyers. He then called Ross and suddenly the Accords were dismantled. Now, the UN is trying to create some new guidelines that still allow for anonymity and are generally not as strict.”
Peter knew that Rhodey was keeping some things from him, but before he could press for more answers, he heard Tony coming back.
“You ready to watch Mission Impossible after I make some popcorn? Kid, grab some snacks and get back to studying.”
“Of course, Mr. Stark.” He hopped up from the couch and went into the kitchen. He grabbed a few water bottles, a bag of pretzels, a box of M&Ms, and to appear healthy, an apple. “Bye Mr, Stark, Mr. Rhodey.” He waved behind him as went back to his room.
*****
It was now 1:30, and Peter could feel himself crashing. He was only on the late colonization era of Europe, and still needed to get through the Opium, World, and Cold Wars before he could go to sleep.
He thought about texting Ned, but remembered he said he was going to bed around 11pm so he could study in the morning. And MJ was out because she would tell him to go to stop studying and relax instead of cramming. But he had to keep studying. If he wanted an A- in the class then he needed to get an A on the exam.
He needed to stay awake if he had any chance of getting to present-day world history. Coffee was out. He knew that the machines in the kitchens locked after 10:30pm and stayed that way until 5am to encourage Tony to sleep at night. Even if the machines were magically unlocked, Peter still didn’t know how to use the fancy machine. He would have to ask FRIDAY how to use it, and she would probably tattle on him to Tony.
Then he remembered seeing some energy drinks in the back of the communal fridge when he grabbed a drink for dinner. Quietly, Peter crept through the hall and down two flights of stairs to the communal floor. He figured that it would be quieter than the elevator, and FRIDAY would be less likely to call him out.
There was a soft glow to the communal floor, a night lighting of sorts, as none of the overhead lights were on. After double-checking that no one was around, he strolled over to the kitchen. Opening up the fridge, he immediately found what he was looking for. There was an arrangement of Rockstar, Monster, and Red Bull energy drinks on the top shelf. Peter grabbed two of each then closed the fridge. Before it could close completely, however, he noticed some 5-Hour Energies on the middle shelf of the door. He took a few of those too and went back to his room.
Arriving back with his loot, Peter set the drinks down on the only clear area of his desk. Since his metabolism was so high, he figured that he would need a lot of caffeine to stay awake. He started with the Red Bull, which he thought tasted disgusting. Next, he downed two 5-Hour Energies, hoping that it would be enough to keep him awake for at least an hour.
It was barely enough to keep him awake for 15 minutes. That was the amount of time he gave for the drinks to work before he drank more. This time, he downed a Monster and two more 5-Hours in his quest to stay awake.
Then, he remembered that Tony’s lab was kept at least five degrees colder than the rest of the Tower. That could keep him awake. Gathering his World History materials and drinks into his backpack, he once again took the stairs down to the lab. When he arrived, he saw that the lights were on, and worried that Tony was in there. If he was, Peter knew he would personally escort him back to his room and stay until he fell asleep. Luckily for him, only DUM-E and U were in the lab, and both were powered off on their charging stations.
Sitting at his usual table, Peter took out all of his books and organized on the work space. He could already tell that the colder temperature was helping him stay awake. Then again, his alertness could also be attributed to the copious amount of caffeine running through his system. Just to be sure he would not fall asleep, he opened a Rockstar so he could take a sip whenever he started to feel drowsy.
Time disappeared and Peter became so lost in his studying that the soft whoosh of the lab door opening had him nearly jumping towards the ceiling.
“Sorry, Peter!” Bruce called out. “I didn’t mean to startle you and interrupt your studying. I saw that the lights were on and figured Tony was in here.”
“It’s no problem, Dr. Banner. And I don’t know where Mr. Stark is. It’s only me and the robots in here.”
“I wanted to ask him a question, but it can wait until tomorrow. What are you working on?” Bruce walked towards Peter’s work station, noticing how jittery he was. He was jiggling his left foot on the stool rung and his right hand moved like it was playing an unknown tune on a piano.
“Technically it already is the next day, although I don’t know what time it is. And I’m studying for my World History final. I’m going over the creation of the UN and the beginning of the Cold War.” Peter reached over and took a sip of Monster.
Bruce also noticed the energy drink. “Peter, it’s almost 3am. You shouldn’t be drinking these. You need to get up for school in a few hours and you’ll be dead for your last two finals.” He took the drink away from the pouting teen and dumped it down the sink in the corner of the lab. Returning to Peter, he noticed the crumpled up Rockstar on the ground. Picking it up, he asked, “How many of these energy drinks have you had?”
“I don’t know. I drank some up in my room, but that wasn’t working so I came down here.”
Bruce did not like Peter’s answer, but did not let it show on his face. He knew that the teen should not be left alone, so he made a decision. “Hey, do you want to see my lab? You’re more than welcome to study in there.”
“Usually, I would take you up on that offer in a heartbeat, but I’m going to stay here. I’ll get distracted by everything in your lab and won’t get anything done.” Peter winced as if the response had pained him.
Bruce was shocked that his offer was not taken, but respected his choice. He decided to try another tactic. “Would you mind if I work here with you? I promise I’ll be quiet and won’t distract you. I’ve found that working with others is a good way to prevent myself from falling asleep.”
“That’s fine, Dr. Banner. That’s what my friends and I have been doing the past two weeks to gear up for finals. We’d rotate between each other’s houses and study until 11 or 12. Then, I would study for another two or three hours.”
“Wow, you must be pretty tired.”
“Yeah, I haven’t gotten much sleep. Maybe three or four hours a night? I don’t know. But I can crash after my last final.”
Bruce needed to figure out how to get Peter to sleep as soon as possible. “I’m going to go grab a few papers and then I’ll be back to give you company.” He waved to the teen as he left, but it went unacknowledged. As soon as he was back at his lab and sure that the Spiderling could not hear him, he asked FRIDAY where Tony was. If he was sleeping, He did not want to wake him unless he absolutely had to.
*****
Tony was about to go to bed when FRIDAY alerted him that Bruce was looking for him. Strolling into the latter’s lab, he asked, “What’s up, Brucie-Bear?”
“Peter is studying in your lab and has drank an indeterminate amount of energy drinks in an effort to stay awake. He hasn’t slept more than three or four hours a night for at least two weeks. Do you know how he reacts to caffeine?”
“Tony was genuinely surprised by that information. “No, I don’t. I’ve never seen him drink coffee and the only sodas I’ve seen him drink is root beer and 7-Up, neither of which is known for their caffeine. There isn’t a coffee machine at his apartment either. Apparently, his aunt only drinks coffee at work so she can sleep when she arrives home. There is plenty of tea to choose from, but I’ve never seen him drink any.”
“Do you know how spiders act when they have caffeine?”
“Yes, I’ve seen the webs they create. Do you think Peter may have an adverse effect to the caffeine?”
“I don’t know for sure, but it’s looking likely.”
“Is there any way we can make him get rid of the caffeine sooner?”
“Give him water to drink and wait it out is probably our best option.”
“Great, let’s do that. I’ll also have FRIDAY raise the temperature in the lab, fade the lights so they emit warm-toned light, and use the lavender scent diffuser to try and get him to fall asleep.” At Bruce’s raised eyebrow, he elaborated. “Pepper put those precautions in to make sure I maintain a semi-normal sleep schedule. I can implement the protocol, but I can’t turn it off even though I’ve tried.”
“That sounds like a good plan. I’ll go get Peter some water and stay with him.”
“No, I’m going to Pete too.” To the AI, he said, “FRIDAY please active the Sleeping Lab protocol.”
Bruce knew better than to argue. “Fine, but don’t come in with me. It’ll be 3am, pretend you have some protocol that alerted you and come in. Now, I should really get back to Peter.”
He grabbed random stack of papers from a lab station before heading out the door. Tony called out behind him, “It’s been 15 minutes, I’m sure Peter’s fine.”
Everything was not fine. When Bruce returned to the lab, he could not find the teen. “FRIDAY, where’s Peter.”
Before the AI could respond, the teen in question hopped out from behind a white board and bounded over to Bruce. “I’m right here, Dr. Banner. I was going to continue to study the Cold War, but I just could not sit still. IDK why. Then, I remembered that I wanted to rework by web fluid so that the same size canister equals double the amount of webs it can currently hold. I’m pretty sure I figured out the formula, but I won’t know for sure until I test it. I was going to start making it, but I figured it would be better to wait for you and ask if it is okay. While I was waiting for you, I took a peak at the papers you had sitting out, and I noticed that one of your equations is wrong. I wrote it out on the whiteboard over there and that’s why you couldn’t see me when you walked in. Sorry about that.” Finally, Peter paused to take a breath.
Meanwhile, the physicist was trying to process what exactly he said. By the end of his rambling, Bruce was sure he only caught one in three words. In his current state, the teen reminded him of an overeager puppy. “Wow, that’s very productive.” Before he forgot, he handed the bottle of water ihe had over to Peter. “I got this for you since I dumped out your other drink.”
“Oh, thanks Dr. Banner! I am a bit thirsty.” He gulped down some water before setting it down on the nearest lab table. “I’m going to continue working on that equation.”
He turned to go back to the dry erase board when Bruce stopped him. “What about your world history?”
“I’m feeling too hyped up to deal with that right now.”
The doctor waved him off. “Continue with the math problem. I’ll look at your progress once I organize these papers.” He gestured to the files in his hands. Peter was back at the board before he finished speaking.
Bruce intended to wait a few minutes before checking in on the teen, but Peter came back before he could look himself. “I think I solved it!” Peter hopped around like he was standing on hot coals. Before Bruce could move to check it over, the lab doors opened once again.
“Mr. Stark! What are you doing here?”
“Hello, Underoos. I was working on some SI business when FRIDAY alerted me that you were up and down here. I came down to see what’s going on.”
“I came down here to study. I kept feeling sleepy in my room so I thought that the lab would be better. Then, Dr. Banner came down because he was looking for you and said that he would keep me company after he grabbed some things from his lab. While he was gone I came up with an improved web formula and I think I solved one of Dr. Banner’s math problems. Isn’t that cool!” Peter still spoke a mile a minute.
“That’s very cool.” When Peter grabbed his water bottle, Tony shot Bruce an I see what you mean look. “Since you took a little break, why don’t you go back to studying.”
“You’re not going to send me to bed?” He asked incredulously.
“Nope,” his mentor responded, popping the last syllable.
“That just butters my eggroll! You are so awesome! Do I tell you that enough, Mr. Stark? Because it’s totally true. You’re amazing! Thanks for letting me stay up! But, I don’t think I can study yet. I still feel really hyper and like I’m vibrating. Am I vibrating?”
Tony chuckled. “You’re not vibrating, kid. How about some busy work for your hands.” He gestured for Peter to follow him. Stopping near his work station, he rummaged in a cardboard box before pulling out the hand and forearm of an Iron Man suit. Setting it on the work table, he placed a hand on the teen’s shoulder. “How about you try and fix this. The repulsor isn’t working. You’ll know it works when it lights up, so there is no need to test it. All the tools you’ll need are in that gray toolbox over there.” He pointed at a box the next lab table over. “Sound good?”
“Yes, Mr. Stark!”
“Great.” He clapped Peter on the shoulder. “I’m going to see what Brucie wants. Just holler if you need me.” Tony left the work table and headed over to the whiteboard.
Bruce stared at the board in shock. “He solved it.”
“What?”
“He solved the problem I wanted to talk to you about. I’ve been having trouble with it for a while now and he solved it in less than half an hour.”
Tony did not know what to say, so he went to the other side of the board, which had Peter’s new web formula written on it. The math for this also looked correct, but he would have to double-check it before he allowed him to make it. Turning away from the board, he watched Peter tinker with the Iron Man Arm he gave him. If they were lucky, Peter would fall asleep from either caffeine withdrawal or from the tedious task he was assigned.
A few minutes later, Bruce called him over to the other side of the white board. “Tony, I just redid the math. He solved it correctly. I can’t believe it. He’s a genius.
“I guess that means he’ll fly through physics next year.”
“I’m sure he will. And I have other good news.”
“Okay. What’s it about?”
“You know, our current experiment,” Bruce responded casually while gesturing to where Peter sat on the other side of the board. He was still very aware of his super hearing.
“Oh, yes. Does the news have to do with the short-term effects by chance?”
“Yep. So, in other tests, the reaction peaked at 15 to 45 minutes. The last time I did it, it was closer to 45. Based on the amount of time that has elapsed since I last put in the reactant, it should be winding down.”
“That’s very good news.”
“I believe that enough of the reactant will have broken down that we will see visible signs of it being used and removed from the equation within the next 10 minutes. At least, that is what the computer simulations tell me.”
“That’s great. How will we know for sure?”
“We’ll just check.”
“Speaking of checking on things, have you heard Peter lately?” Both peer around the board, finding an empty lab table with a glowing hand resting on it.
“Where did he go?” Bruce had a slight panic in his voice.
“Don’t worry, FRIDAY would’ve told us if he left, so he’s in the room.” Tony calmly went to his work station, picking up the arm and examining it. Holding it up so Bruce could see he exclaimed, “Look, he fixed it!” He waved the arm at Bruce.
Instead of a response from his friend, there was a hiss from the ceiling. Gazing up, he could see Peter hanging upside down in a corner of the ceiling. “Hey, Kiddo, can you tell me what you’re doing up there?”
“I’m trying to sleep and the waving is distracting.”
“If you’re tired, why don’t you go up to your room, where you can sleep in a bed? Instead of a shadowy corner was implied.
Peter hissed again. “I’m called Spiderman not Manspider. Spiders make their homes and sleep in ceiling corners. Since I’m part-spider, I can also sleep here.”
Bruce tried to appease him, “Yes you can sleep there, but you don’t have to. Plus, what if you fall down? You could get seriously injured and you don’t want to miss your finals.”
“I won’t fall down,” Peter defiantly stated. “I know I can hang onto some drywall for a few hours without falling.”
Tony tried again, “Come on down. I know you get cold at night. You have blankets in your room, unlike in your corner.”
“Heat rises, Mr. Stark. It’s warmer up here than it is where you two are on the ground.”
The three of them argued in circles for a few more minutes until Tony had another idea. “I’ll be right back!” he assured them as he interrupted Peter. The pair watched him go across the room to a closet and pull out a broom.
While returning, Bruce sighed, already admitting defeat. “Please tell me you are not about to do what I think you’re going to do.”
“You’ve heard of the phrase ‘don’t poke the bear,’ right? Well they never say anything about poking spiderlings. Besides, this how most people take care of them.”
“Tony, you are not hitting Peter with a broom.” The teen hissed in agreement.
“Of course I’m not going to hit him with it! Instead I’m going to annoy him with it. You know, wave it in his face like this.” He paused, demonstrating just how annoying he could be for the sleep-deprived student, who hissed in disapproval. “I may gently poke him a few times too, if the waving doesn’t work.”
Bruce shook his head. It was getting ridiculous. It was just past 3:30 in the morning and Peter had his first exam in less than six hours, which means he needed to be up in less than four and a half hours. After watching Tony fail spectacularly against the increasingly agitated teen for a few minutes, he called it off. “Tony, stop. This isn’t going to work. You and I both know it. It’s time for our last trick.”
“Fine.” The broom was placed back in the closet.
The last trick turned out to be bargaining.
“If you come down, I’ll give you a tour of my lab.”
“No.”
“What if I added in one lab day a month with me?”
“No. Just let me sleep.”
“How about I buy you whatever LEGO kit your friend Fred and you want to do next?”
“N-O.”
“What if I bought you every LEGO Star Wars kit you two haven’t completed yet?”
“Nope.”
The back and forth continued on until Tony finally came up with a bargain good enough for an overtired, cranky teen superhero. “How about we watch all of the Star Wars movies? I promise that I won’t make any comments.”
“That sounds nice… but not enough to get me to leave.”
“Okay. What about watching all of the Star Wars movies as part of Avenger movie night. It can be a marathon weekend. It can take place when everyone’s here for a leadership/training weekend in two weeks. I’ll even make sure that no one makes any comments.”
“Deal. I’m too tired to argue.” With that declaration, Peter gracelessly dropped to the floor, yet he managed to land on his feet.
Tony felt a wave of relief wash over him. He wrapped an arm around his mentee’s shoulders. “C'mon kid, let’s get you to bed. You’re swaying like you’re on a ship.”
By the time they reached Peter’s room, the teen was dead on his feet. Thankfully, he was already wearing pajamas, so Tony didn’t have to convince him to put on something more comfortable. He pulled away the covers and the spiderling dove into his bed before nestling into the blankets.
Tony smiled and walked over to the teen’s desk, which was littered with notebooks, textbooks, and a detritus of candy wrappers and empty energy drink cans. Making as little noise as possible, Tony threw the food stuff into the trash can before leaving the room. At the door, he paused before whispering, “Good luck; I know you’ll do great.” He knew waking up in the morning would not be fun for the high schooler.
*****
Tony was correct. Peter looked like a zombie when Happy dropped him off after exams. He dragged his feet all the way over to the kitchen island where Tony was cutting up fruit for a smoothie.
“How was the last day of school?” He set down the knife.
“Long.” He slumped on his stool, resting his head in his hoodie sleeves.
“It’s funny you say that, seeing as it was one of the shortest school days all year. How did your exams go?”
“I passed.”
“I’m surprised you’re not more talkative. I thought you’d be telling me all of Jed’s and your summer plans.”
A muffled “...tired.” was Peter’s only response.
“Take a nap. You deserve it.” Happy already texted him inform him that Peter fell asleep on the ride over.
“I can’t... it’ll mess up my sleep schedule.”
“Trust me, I don’t think it can get any worse.”
“No thanks.”
“It’s your brain.” Tony placed the last of the fruit in the blender. “You’ll want to cover your ears.” He turned it on once Peter blocked his ears. Turning it off, he filled up two glasses, sliding one across the marble to Peter.
He looked at it with apprehension. “...Thanks?”
“It’s a smoothie; it’s not going to kill you.”
“I know that, Mr. Stark. I’m just not that hungry. My brain’s moving so slow,” he complained.
“Drink it. You’ll feel better. Less dehydrated. Plus it’ll stimulate your brain since you don’t want to sleep.”
They drank their smoothies in peaceful silence. When they were done, Tony rinsed out their glasses and the blender before placing them in the dishwasher. “Okay,” he clapped his hands together. “Do you want to watch some tv with me?”
Peter stood up and stretched. “Sure. You can pick.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. You mentioned something about watching all of the Star Wars movies as a team, so it’s your turn to pick.” He dragged his feet towards the nearest couch.
Tony grabbed a water bottle before pausing. “Do you remember anything else after you started studying?”
“No. Not really. I spoke with Rhodey on the couch and with Dr. Banner in your lab. Why?”
“No reason. I’m surprised you remembered. You were pretty tired.” Tony plopped down on the couch next to Peter. “Anyways, since it’s my turn to pick, we’re going to watch this nature documentary that won a bunch of awards. Pepper said it was very good and not-so-subtly hinted that I should watch it.”
FRIDAY started the movie. Tony grabbed the blanket off the back of the couch and wrapped it around Peter before gently pulling him closer. When Peter didn’t object, he started carding his fingers through the teen’s hair. Within 10 minutes of the movie starting, he was sleeping soundly against Tony’s side.
Tony watched as colorful schools of fish dart around the coral reef, feeling at home as much as the fish on the screen did. “Sleep tight, Bambi.”