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Peter thought he had planned for all the things that could go wrong with the field trip. He made sure all the Avengers had plans for the day, that Pepper would drag Tony with her for a business meeting, and he had all the workers that know him promise to act like they only know Peter as an intern when his decathlon team tours the building.
He had contingencies, planned for all the possible things that could go wrong like Sam flying in unannounced, Vision going through walls, and Natasha casually strutting down to the cafeteria for the sole reason of telling MJ embarrassing stories about Peter (Peter rues the day he told her about his crush).
He had planned around those scenarios and knows what he’s supposed to do to dodge them. The moment he found out about his team getting tickets for the Stark Industries tour, Peter knew he had to make sure none of his friends learn about his relationship with the Avengers lest the team gets the idea to plan to embarrass the hell out of Peter. He’s been on the receiving end of their teasing and he knows there’s an ongoing and unspoken agreement amongst them to compete on who gets to make Peter blush the most.
It’s not that Peter thinks his decathlon team knowing he’s on good terms with the Avengers would make them suspicious and piece together that he’s Spiderman. It’s just that Peter really doesn’t want to repeat the events at the SI gala he attended where the Avengers pretty much took turns complimenting him on his contributions to the R&D department until Peter looked like a tomato by the end of it. He’s pretty sure he shook hands with so many one percenters that day and got so many calling cards asking him to switch over to their company.
And that is why, today, he made sure none of the Avengers shenanigans would slip through.
But of course. Peter should’ve counted on his perpetual bad luck to ruin everything. Murphy’s law and all that or maybe it should be renamed to Peter’s law now with how often the universe laughs at him.
It started out fine. As fine as any field trip that involves 15 overly excited teenagers crammed in a bus would have. Flash was busy spouting uncreative insults at Peter, Peter effortlessly ignoring it, Ned by his side talking about yet another hyperfixation they both share, MJ taking up a whole bus seat on her own with her legs stretched on the seat, and Mr. Anderson unpromptedly subjecting them to yet another story of how his ex-wife dumped him. Peter’s pretty sure Mr. Anderson had broken up with his wife at least 10 times now with how many different stories he’s heard from the man.
Peter relaxes himself into his seat, excited to show his best friend all the cool stuff in SI and hatching out the plan to sneak out during lunch to the higher levels where the Avengers only floors are at.
“I want to see the plane hangar you always talk about, and the training room,” Ned whispers to Peter. They couldn’t be overheard about this after all, hence why they’re sitting at the very end of the bus.
“Those will definitely be our first stops. Then we can go to my room in the tower. I’ve got this miniature working Iron Man action figure there that Mr. Stark gave me for my birthday,” Peter whispers back.
“Oh yeah definitely.”
They share a conspiratorial look, giggling to themselves as the bus pulls over to the parking lot. They were quickly ushered to the building and subjected to the multiple security checks from the metal detectors to the pat down check.
"Hey Peter," a security guard greets. "How you doing today?"
Peter smiles at her. "I'm good Ms. Deahl, how about you?"
The woman sighs. "You know, same old. There was this cranky visitor earlier who didn't want to go through the body check."
"Happens a lot huh? Did it turn out okay?"
She shrugs. "Yeah it was fine. One of the interns fetched him. He's apparently like a business partner or something. Never seen him before though."
“Penis Parker, hurry up!” Flash says from behind him. Ms. Deahl narrows his eyes at the boy.
“Who’s that?” she asks, glaring at the kid. “Want me to beat him up for you?”
Peter laughs. “Nah, don’t mind him. He’s just annoying.” Peter grabs his bag from the conveyor belt and puts it on. He turns around to face his impatient classmate. “There Flash, happy?”
Flash makes a face at him ungratefully. Typical.
If Ms. Deahl had patted Flash down a little more forcefully than what’s necessary, well, she’s just being thorough.
They emerge onto the 1st floor lobby where the tour guides and a few other students from other schools are waiting. He recognizes all the guides immediately, having worked with them at least once before in the R&D department or just when Peter had poked his head around the different departments just to be nosy.
Mike, an engineer working in the aircraft design department waves them over, sending a surreptitious wink Peter’s way.
“Midway High? Right this way!” he says energetically. He shakes Mr. Anderson’s hands excitedly. “I’ve heard a lot of things about your school, and about you sir and how you never lose students on a field trip.”
“Uh, thanks?” Mr. Anderson looks at him weirdly.
Mike’s undeterred. “Alright, so my name is Mike, and here’s how this trip would go. These-” he gestures at the id badges in his hand. “Are yours and you’ll have to wear them at all times otherwise the monitors on each floor won’t recognize you and restrict you access. They’re all personalized so come up when I call your name, okay? First off, Betty Brant.”
One by one, each student gets their own badge except for Peter. He had never needed one since FRIDAY can recognize him by gait alone and thus there’s no need for the badges. Similarly, those with access to the top floors of the tower don’t require them. It’s weird after all to be wearing a badge to your own house.
“I think that’s everyone, so I’ll start the tour.”
Flash, as usual, had to point out the littlest details.
“Hey, Parker didn’t get one!” Flash says, he turns to Peter with a suspicious look. “Why didn’t you get one?”
Mike pauses mid stride to regard him. “Oh that’s because Peter has special-” Peter makes an X with his arms, trying to stop the man from saying too much. Mike catches on quickly. “I meant, it’s because Peter’s an uh…”
“Intern,” Peter mouths at him.
“An intern! That’s right. It’s because Peter’s an intern here so he doesn’t need a badge.” Mike smiles widely at Flash and gives a not at all subtle thumbs up to Peter.
Flash doesn’t look convinced, eyes straying back and forth between Peter and Mike. He narrows his eyes at Peter. “I don’t believe you Penis Parker,” he declares.
Ned answers for him. “Come on, Flash, Peter has told you so many times before that he works here. You just didn’t believe him.”
“Yeah, that’s cause he’s hiding something.” He steps menacingly closer to Peter, narrowing his eyes even more. Peter steps back, but before he can say anything else, MJ pokes Flash in the arm.
“Leave it alone dickwad, you’re making us lag behind the class,” she says. Sure enough, the whole class had walked past the entryway to the labs at this point. The four of them hurry to catch up.
They look around the “fun” area first which consists of the displays of the less complex robots and a replica of Dum-E called Dum-Er. Dum-Er’s job is to move around the blocks scattered on the floor by the bot himself in an infinite game of jenga. The team oohs and ahhs at the scene, even going as far as playing Jenga with the bot which of course, Dum-Er wins at least 90 percent of the time.
“Dude, I want one,” Ned whispers next to Peter. Peter pats his back sympathetically.
“I know, me too.”
The next stop is the Avengers museum. The biggest exhibit is the Iron Man exhibit, with it’s own mini theater playing Tony’s TED talks and a glass wall with Mark I to Mark XV displayed behind it. Next to it is the replica of the Vision suit and the holographic remnants of JARVIS. Peter never knew JARVIS but he knows Tony took a long time making the holographic displays. Theoretically, Tony can make a new JARVIS but he had always had a deep emotional bond with the first one so JARVIS only lives in holograms now and in Vision's voice.
“I’m gonna make an A.I. too one day,” Flash declares, marveling at the intricate model.
“Yeah? What are you gonna name it? Eugenia like your real name?” MJ teases. Flash frowns at her, then sticks his tongue out at her.
“No. I’m gonna name it Spidey for Spiderman,” he replies haughtily.
Peter chokes on his spit, earning a disgusted look from Flash.
“Parker, can’t you even breathe right?” he asks derisively.
“Just choking on your bullshit,” Peter whispers under his breath, causing Ned to laugh out loud.
“What was that?”
“Nothing!”
The last stop before lunch are the labs. The tours don’t really go into the bigger labs but there are tinier labs that interns work at which are used for public viewing or the occasional presentations of the newer tech for investors or prospective business partners. That seems to be the case now, because the tables are decked out with prosthetic arms and legs, arc reactor replicas, and miniature jets and planes.
“We actually have a very special business partner right now touring the building so you guys are in luck!” Mike announces just as they approach the tables. “These new projects are usually kept on higher floors but we brought them down this morning to show Mr. Wordwick what SI has been working on the past year.”
Mike points excitedly at one particularly sleek white jet. “Look at this one! This is the new model of the Alpha Peregrine jet that my team has been working on the past year,” He says proudly. “It’s the quietest jet that ever exists, well, at least once it’s revealed to the world. This bad boy wouldn’t even disturb a sleeping kitten if it landed next to it. Come take a closer look, but no touching!”
The whole class follows suit, taking turns inspecting the jet. Peter shares Mike's enthusiasm on this one because he too had been there during the first test flight of the plane. The plane might’ve nose dived towards the end but it really was soundproof because even the breaking glass couldn’t be heard. Mike was the pilot which was why he had a cast for most of the recent pictures on the bulletin board.
Just then, they hear glass breaking. Peter swivels his head towards the sound, seemingly coming from the other side of the white wall.
“Wait, stay here-” Mike says futilely but try stopping a gaggle of high schoolers from being nosy. It’ll never work.
Peter was the first on the scene, seeing the blood first from a scared looking employee. Peter knows him too, having worked on the new set of back braces with him. His name is Niko and he’s a recent college graduate. The next thing he hones on is a bald old man in an expensive suit with his arms crossed, huffing like the cut on Niko’s finger was an atrocity to his entire being.
“Is this what Stark Industries has come to? Pansies, the lot of you,” The old man says, pressing his cane on the prosthetic hand on the floor, effectively bending some of the wires out of place. “Clean this up, and prepare a better presentation than this garbage.”
Without meaning to, Peter steps forward to mitigate the situation but Mike beats him to it.
“I’m so sorry Mr. Wordwick, we’ll clean this up right away.” He shield’s Niko from the old man’s ire. “I got this, go take a break,” he tells him. Niko seems to hesitate but Mike nods at him and he goes. Peter watches him leave, anger starting to pool in his stomach at the rude behavior of the old man. The whole class hoovers silently around the scene, curious.
Mike turns back to face Mr. Wordwick with a smile. “What seems to be the problem, sir?” He asks politely.
The old man rolls his eyes mightily. “This whole building’s my problem! None of you are competent enough to finish a project I tasked you months ago!”
“Sir, with all due respect, we have told you months in advance that the lithium batteries wouldn’t be finished until the end of next week. But if you’d like, we have-”
“I don’t care!” The man interrupts. “I want those batteries delivered to my company by tomorrow or I’ll cancel all our orders from Stark Industries and tell everyone how completely useless Tony Stark’s company is.”
“Sir, please reconsider, let me just call my superiors and I’m sure we can fix this,” Mike says placatingly. Mr. Wordwick isn’t having it. He pushes Mike on the chest with his cane, making the other man step back.
“No, you listen here, you’re just some stupid little lackey and you’re going to do what I say. I don’t care if you all work over time to fix it, I am paying you to meet my demand and you should follow.” He pushes Mike on the chest again.
It was the last straw for Peter.
“Peter, what are you-” Ned starts to say but Peter isn’t listening anymore, the roaring of blood in his ears too loud.
He steps forward calmly, catching the cane in his hand before it hits Mike on the chest.
“Peter,” Mike warns. Peter turns to give him an appeasing smile before turning back towards the rude old man.
“Who are you?” The man demands, trying to pull his cane away from Peter’s grip. Peter doesn’t let up.
“Peter, don’t interfere with grown up stuff,” Mr. Anderson says nervously. “This is a business matter.”
Peter continues to stare at Mr. Wordwick. “I’m sorry Mr. Anderson but I kinda do have to interfere if SI employees are being maltreated.”
Mr. Wordwick guffaws. “Maltreated? I barely laid a hand on them!” he exclaims. “And what’s it to you, brat? This has nothing to do with you.”
“Oh but it does,” Peter says simply. He drops his hold on the cane. “I’m the acting head of the new R&D division while the director is out of town. As such, I have the right to tell you, respectfully, to fuck off.”
“Peter!” Mike chides in horror but the damage was done.
“What did you say?!” Mr. Wordwick looms closer towards Peter, scarily looking down on him. But Peter has fought aliens enough to not be intimidated by one balding geriatric. He meets the glare head on.
“Perhaps you’d like to sample one of our hearing aids, sir? I think it’ll do you well. That we do have in stock.” Peter pretends to think this through. “Too bad the hearing aids don't help with bad breath though, because you need that too.” Then, he adds for politeness sake,“Sir.”
The man raises his cane again to strike at Peter but this time, it was Mr. Anderson who catches it with his hands.
“Sir, he’s just a kid, please don’t do that,” the teacher says shakily, sending furtive looks towards Peter. “Peter, please shut up and go away.”
“No.” Peter replies succinctly, much to Mr. Anderson’s dismay.
Mr. Wordwick pushes Mr. Anderson, sending him toppling to his back. The entire team scrambles to help their teacher up.
“Peter maybe you really should shut up,” Flash says worriedly from his spot on the floor next to Mr. Anderson.
Mr. Wordwick sneers at all of them. “That’s it! I’m done with this business transaction! I’m pulling out all my stocks in Stark Industries, and this is because of you, boy!” He points one threatening finger towards Peter which he just stares at.
Peter rolls his eyes, pushing down forcefully on the finger aimed at his face. “Please. Like you have enough assets to give up the only profitable investment you have.”
“You-”
“What?” Peter challenges. “I’ve seen your financial reports. And I must say, for a company to be under the Stark Industries umbrella, yours was the worst one. All those OSHA violations, the scandals, and the tax fraud. I’m surprised Pepper hasn’t kicked you out yet, though maybe once she gets back from the meeting with the new investors, she will.”
“You bastard!” The man rushes at him, but Mike and Ned pulls him away, helped by a few handful of his classmates. It says so much about Mr. Wordwick’s dickishness that even Flash is trying to prevent him from pummeling Peter.
“FRIDAY, get security to escort Mr. Wordwick out, please.” Peter says calmly.
“Understood,” came the A.I.’s response
In a matter of minutes Ms. Deahl and three other security guards comes rushing to pull a screaming and stomping Mr. Wordwick away. Peter watches until the commotion is out of sight and rubs his forehead in disdain. He takes his time to turn around to face his bewildered looking classmates.
“So uh, where we’re we again?” He tries. None of his classmates were listening.
“Peter, are you really the head of the R&D department?” Betty asks next. A flurry of questions follows.
“How did you just order the A.I.? That was kind of awesome!”
“Did you just call Pepper Potts, Pepper?”
“Dude I thought you were just an intern!”
Even MJ is looking at him with interest which, normally, he’d like but not when she looks like she’d love to draw his flustered face in her sketchbook.
Peter tunes out everything except for Ned who pushes through everyone’s questions with enthusiasm alone.
“Dude, that was so scary but you were so cool!” he says, eyes glittering. Despite the tense situation just now Peter laughs, accepting his friend’s compliment.
“I was, wasn’t I?”
Ned nods in agreement. “Yeah dude was a dick anyway.”
“Language!”
Immediately, Peter snaps his head back to look at the man leaning against the doorway. And sure enough, Captain America is there.
There was an audible collective gasp from the group.
“Captain America!” Flash exclaims unnecessarily.
“Hi.” Steve waves at them, then looks back at Peter. “What did you do, Peter?”
Peter grimaces. “I’ll tell you but you can’t tell anyone else, okay?”
The man raises an eyebrow. Just then, Tony walks inside the lab too, followed by another loud and collective gasps.
“It’s kind of too late Pete. Pepper’s on her way too,” Captain Rogers explains apologetically.
Tony saunters over to Peter, slinging his arm around his shoulders.
“Kid, I am so mad at you right now!” Tony tells him. Peter grimaces.
“In my defense, Mr. Wordwick was an asshole,” Peter tells him, trying to smooth down the situation.
Tony looks at him weirdly. “What? No! Not about that! I’ve wanted to sock Mr. Wanker in the face for so long too! I just didn’t have the time. I meant I’m mad that you didn’t tell us your whole decathlon team is coming here. I could've prepared something!”
“That’s exactly why I didn’t tell you!”
“Why not?”
“Cause you’re gonna be weird about it!”
“Now that’s blasphemy,” Tony says in mock offense. “I would’ve just given your team the tour myself.” He looks far too innocent for such threatening words. Captain Rogers laughing in the corner doesn’t help assuage Peter’s fears. “Come on Underoos, it’ll be fun!” He claps Peter on the back. He addresses the team. “Who wants to go on a field trip with Iron Man? Raise your hands high!”
All hands go up, even Mike’s. Tony points at him accusingly. “Not you Mikey. You think I didn’t notice but you still owe me the chocolate plane you promised.”
“Mr. Stark come on, I’m working on it!” Mike complains.
“Nuh uh, chocolate first before special Iron Man tour. So shoo, slow poke!” Mike pouts in response. “Make sure it’s 50% dark chocolate or you’re banned from making real planes!” Tony calls back before Mike leaves the lab.
“Yes sir!” was Mike’s muffled response.
“Well, then.” Tony turns to Captain Rogers with a terrible, terrible smirk that doesn’t bode well for Peter’s future. “Call the team, Capsicle. We gotta welcome Peter’s team properly!”
Peter stares in horror at both superheroes. “Please don’t”
“They’re on their way,” Steve says nonchalantly. For the human embodiment of the American Virtue, the man can really be a little shit if he wanted to.
Tony just grins, wide and sunny.
“Chin up kid. I’ll make sure we all have fun.”
Peter resolves himself to an afternoon of teasing. This is why Peter doesn’t make plans.