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"They're really staying with you?" Penny asked, and she could practically feel Mr. Stark's feigned annoyance from over the phone. She could hear him walking around in some kind of busy room filled with lots of people, and it surprised her even more that he'd called.
"Yeah, kid. That was kind of the whole point of going through these trials and being out of the country all the time."
It had been a year since Mr. Stark had whisked her away to Germany to fight the Captain America, who had been pardoned by the UN barely two days ago. Now being a lot closer to Mr. Stark since Homecoming--filled with lab days, training, small missions, and plenty of movies--she'd known that her mentor had been working on bringing the Rogue Avengers back to New York. Of course the whole world had known. The trial had been very public, but it was different watching it on TV to seeing her mentor after every trial.
He'd always been a special kind of stressed anytime she'd seen him once he'd been back from a trial or some kind of government argument that she didn't understand. He'd worked himself to the bone the last four months, so much so that he'd missed a lot of their lab days. But now the Avengers were back together, and she hoped that things would go back to normal.
But the chances were slim, since the Avengers would be his main priority now. A part of her felt protective--these people had hurt her mentor after all! They'd left him and refused to listen and had beaten the crap out of him. She'd seen what had happened in Siberia on a video that she 100% hadn't been supposed to see. And now these people were coming back like it was no big deal. And Mr. Stark was welcoming them like they hadn't hurt him!
Another part of her felt jealous, and a little worried. For herself, which in turn made her feel guilt for being selfish, but...what if Mr. Stark didn't want to talk to her anymore? He'd started paying attention to Spider-Woman because the Avengers were breaking up, he'd needed help, and then he'd only paid attention to her after Homecoming. What if he didn't need her anymore? What if he didn't want her around?
She'd be lying if she said she hadn't stayed up all night before worrying about it. Hence why she was especially tired now, and it took her a moment to realize Mr. Stark was still talking.
"--whadda ya say, kid?" he finished, and she blinked.
"Huh?"
He snorted, "How late are you staying up? You better not be patrolling past your curfew, young lady."
She scrunched up her nose at the playful 'young lady,' and she was sure he could see her face through the force of her sheer willpower, "I'm not! I go to bed at 1:30, Mr. Stark."
He clucked his tongue, "Well, you certainly haven't been sleeping enough to pay attention. Did you hear anything I said?"
"I stopped paying attention after...something about being out of the country."
"This is betrayal, Underoos. And I knew you had a thick skull, but this is low, even for you."
"Okay, well, I have homework, so is there a point to this conversation that I have one hundred percent been paying attention to?"
She could feel his eyes roll, "Uhuh. But as I was saying, you've been cordially invited to one bonified Stark Gala next Friday evening."
"A gala?"
"Ah, she can hear! Yes, a gala Spider-Kid. It's a little welcome back soiree for Cap and his gang of merry pals, 'figured it'd be better to meet on neutral ground with a few rich people as buffers. It's good to raise charities too. But also because everyone going is boring as hell, I thought you'd like to tag along so I'd have someone okay to talk to."
She hesitated, "Uh, I don't know, Mr. Stark. I mean, I have a project coming up, and I don't even having anything to wear and will they know that I'm Spider-Woman and--"
"I'll help you with your project, I'll give you a dress or a suit when you come to my apartment, and they don't know you're Spider-Woman. You can just be my intern."
"...Is the gala at your apartment?"
He snorted, "No, it's at an actual place where parties are held that I bought out for the night. It's very nice, even has an outdoor patio."
"And you're sure they won't know?" she asked, unable to stop the fear from bleeding into her voice, and Mr. Stark's own voice took on a heavier tone, matching hers.
"I can't assure you that, kid. They're idiots, but they know what they're doing, but I can tell you they wouldn't out you, and that even if they did, I'd take care of it. Okay?"
"Okay, Mr. Stark. I trust you."
He was silent for a fleeting moment, "Great. See you soon, kid."
Saturday came a little too quickly for Penny's liking, which was a weird sentence. She loved Saturdays! It was when she got to spend the entire day patrolling and swinging around town, and she did do that, though she had to stop around four and swing to Mr. Stark's Manhattan apartment instead of patrolling into the night. Spider-Woman got there quickly, a little nervous as she stuck to the side of the building, knocking gently on the window. From inside, Mr. Stark looked up at her knock, smiling when he caught sight of her, and she waved.
The window slid open for her, allowing for her to slip inside. She took off her mask once the window had closed behind her, and Mr. Stark immediately ran a hand through her sweaty hair. She'd tied it up for her suit, but the braids and knots had come loose, allowing for his hand to untangle the rest of her her hair and fall down into her short bob.
Mr. Stark scrunched up his nose, "You're sweaty."
"And you're annoying," she snarked back.
"Yeah, yeah. Go take a shower, Underoos. You can't show up to the gala smelling like the last dumpster you fell in."
She stuck a tongue out at him, but he just pointed her in the direction of the guest room she stayed in if she ever slept over. She took a quick shower, always glad to take in the smell of the soaps left in the bathroom for her (they smelled like vanilla and heaven). When she stepped out there were two outfits waiting for her. One was a bright red dress, slightly off the shoulder with a short slit down the side, falling down to her ankles. The other was a slightly darker red suit with thin black stripes and flare legs, a dark blue bowtie that was a little too obvious but still made her smile.
She chose the suit.
After she'd pulled it on, she treaded out of the room. And then she was herded into another by some makeup artist that had come by to do Ms. Potts' makeup earlier. Her hair too. Another what felt like two years passed before Mr. Stark said they were already to go. Fancy suits. Makeup. Hair. Jewelry. And then they were finally out. Mr. Stark was exhausting with his parties. Worse than a freshman going to Homecoming.
Finally they were in the car, Happy driving them to the building that Mr. Stark had bought out for the fancy party. When they arrived at the building, she was a bit nervous to see some gathering press, and she gave Mr. Stark an uneasy look.
"You can go around the back if you'd like, Pen. But you're in the system as my personal intern, and I mean, I know that kid at school's still giving you trouble," Mr. Stark explained.
"No one's bothering me, Mr. Stark," she argued.
"Sure," he placated, "You coming in here or do you want Happy to take you around?"
"I'll just, go with you."
"Alright, kiddo."
The cameras had been bright, but Mr. Stark had made sure she got inside relatively quickly. He stayed out for another ten minutes or so taking pictures and answering press questions. He'd showed her to the elevator, told her to get off at the top floor, and said he'd catch up in a few minutes. Her heart had clenched as he'd left.
Blinking off a headache from the crowd, Penny took in the room in front of her when the elevator opened. It was elegant, with golden curtains and soft yellow lights blinking overhead. There was a band playing soft jazz in the background, and there were only a couple of people milling around so far. Unsure of what to do, she headed to the bar and ordered a Shirley Temple, waiting for whenever Mr. Stark would join her.
While she waited, she people watched.
Penny didn't recognize any of the people chatting idly around the room, until her eyes landed on a tall man with dark blond hair and a groomed but messy looking beard. It took her a moment to place him, what with the beard and all, but when he turned and made eye contact with her, she recognized him. Captain America.
Immediately she looked away, sipping on her drink and ignoring the man who had beat her mentor senseless barely a year ago, who was now only thirty feet away from her like it was nothing. Penny was relieved when Mr. Stark appeared a few minutes later, approaching her where she was on her third Shirley Temple.
"How many of those have you had?" he asked when he saw her.
"Three," she responded cheekily, taking another sip through her straw. Mr. Stark shook his head.
"I'm pretty sure the responsible thing would be to tell you not to have anymore, but I don't know how else to get you through the night."
"Coffee?"
"That is the biggest no of all no's, kid. Not after last time."
"I only broke the arm of your suit."
"Uhuh," Mr. Stark tutted, but his face was playful, "Only have two mores of those."
"Rude," she muttered, taking another sip. Mr. Stark opened his mouth to say something else when another voice interrupted, strong yet soft.
"Hi, Tony."
Mr. Stark turned and she looked up to see Steve Rogers. The man's eyes flitted to her a little uncertainly, but he didn't look at her for very long, instead focusing on her mentor. The billionaire tensed, but nothing else portrayed his discomfort as he plastered on the same smile that she'd seen him flash to the press.
"Rogers. Glad you could make it to your own 'Welcome Back Party,' though I am sorry that I couldn't make it a red, white and blue theme. Pepper was insistent for the gold instead, and I can't deny I favor it."
Mr. Rogers smiled a little bit, "I think you should've stuck with Natasha's colors."
"Just black is a bit of a downer. Anyway," he gestured to her, "This is my intern, Penny Parker. Who has had way too much sugar in the three minutes I left her alone."
Penny waved timidly, "Um, nice to meet you, Mr. Rogers."
Mr. Rogers smiled, holding out a hand that she took, being careful to keep her grip gentle. She must have not been gentle enough, because his eyes narrowed, "Nice to meet you too. And you can call me Steve."
Mr. Stark scoffed, "Good luck. It's been a year and she still calls me Mr. Stark."
"That's your name, Mr. Stark," she chirped, and both Mr. Stark and Mr. Rogers laughed, and the night continued on.
Penny flip-flopped between following Mr. Stark around like a lost puppy and standing in the corner drinking something (sometimes a water, other times a sugary drink if she saw that Mr. Stark had gone to the bathroom). At the moment, she was following him around. She mostly stuck around when he wasn't talking to one of the Rogues, and he'd been talking to a scientist that was doing some revolutionary stuff with chemical growth out in California when Mr. Rogers and Mr. Wilson had decided to join them. Hurray.
Cue some awkward conversation and Penny wishing she could leave, but she could tell there was a panic looked about him, so she forced herself to stay around. She wasn't going to abandon her mentor. And maybe she'd get some more sugar if she was nice.
About forever into the conversation, a waiter passed by with a plate of red rimmed drinks. She raised her eyebrows at Mr. Stark, and with a roll of his eyes, he gestured for her to grab a drink while she grabbed her own. Red rimmed drinks were non-alcoholic, basically just sugar and soda (which was also just sugar), so she began chugging down her cup instantly.
The back of her neck prickled and she put the now almost empty glass down, lipping her lips at the strangely sweet taste. Which, it was supposed to be sweet, but it was different. Maybe she was just tired, she did feel woozy all of the sudden. And as though summoned by the thought, her vision began to swim, barely able to make out the faces of Mr. Rogers and Mr. Wilson looking at her in concern, their full drinks still in their hands.
"Kid?" Mr. Rogers asked.
Her throat dry and her head spinning, Penny grabbed onto Mr. Stark's hand, tugging gently. Her mentor turned to look at her, his eyes widening as he looked at her.
"Mr. Stark," she mumbled, her legs beginning to shake, "I don't--I don't feel so good."
That was the last thing she said before she tumbled to the ground. Mr. Stark caught her at the last second, mumbling out words that she struggled to understand. His mouth was moving too fast to even try to read his lips, and all she could her around her were panicked yells and someone screaming at the sight of her now completely limp, half on the ground, half in Mr. Stark's arms.
"--kay, honey. It's gonna be okay," she finally managed to make out, the sound all drumming back instantly like in those movies that was going through the sound inside a deaf person's head and then switching back to sound. Mr. Stark's voice was soothing, a hand carding through her hair as Mr. Wilson kneeled in front of her.
"It looks like she's been poisoned," Mr. Wilson concluded, "We need to take her to the hospital, really quickly. Whatever this is, it's fast."
"Got it," Mr. Stark confirmed, his voice wispy, "That waiter--"
"I've got them!" Ms. Romanoff called, and Penny assumed the woman had dashed away, though she couldn't tell for sure. Everything was so fuzzy, and darkness was clouding her vision. She was sure that that was a bad thing, but falling asleep didn't sound so bad.
Her eyes were slipping closed as she was scooped up off the ground, her head lolling before it was pushed back in place against Mr. Stark's chest. No. Not Mr. Stark. She blinked her hazy eyes open to look up and find Captain America. Where was Mr. Stark?
"I'm right here, kid. Right here," she heard Mr. Stark say, as though she'd summoned him. She tilted to her left to see the man rushing to keep up with her and Mr. Rogers. He smiled at her encouragingly, "Yeah. I know. We're getting you help. The suit's on the way. just stay with me, honey. Please."
And then the world faded away.
The world blinked awake.
It was bright. Well, not really. There were lights in the room that made her flinch with her sensitive eyes, but after she adjusted, she realized that the room was actually dim. It must still be pretty late.
Speaking of the room, it was the Medbay in the compound. She'd been here often enough to recognize it. At this point the covers on the bed she was in were Spider-Woman themed (somehow), and there was lots of equipment specially made for her. As well as very comfy chairs for Mr. Stark and May to sit in, both of who were seated there right now.
May was asleep, her glasses skewed and her hair frizzy, but Mr. Stark was awake, watching her intently as she sat up. He deflated as she did, a sigh escaping his lips before he leaned over, wrapping her in a hug.
"Hi, Mr. Stark," she mumbled into his shirt, "What happened."
"What do you remember?" he asked softly.
"Um, we were at the gala...? And I drank something that tasted funny, and--that's it."
"Well, that's about as long as you stayed awake for. What you missed was me flying you to compound so you could have emergency care by my team of doctors. Side affect; I think the others know by now that you were the coolest kid in Germany."
Her face fell, "Oh."
"It's alright, kid. I'm sorry this went so poorly," Mr. Stark apologized.
"It's okay. I trust you."
And she really did.