Work Text:
Twenty hours without any messages.
Good, some down time from the MG-like fire of links and text messages.
Thirty hours without any messages.
Strange, but the kid probably was involved in some teenage melodrama: 'Mr. Stark-how-do-I-talk-to-a-girl', or ‘my-aunt-found-out-I’m-a-vigilante-and-now-is-going-to-kill-me’ stuff.
Thirty five.
Stark blinked through sleepy eyes to his Smartphone, rotting on the workbench by his side. Oil stained hands reached for it and the flashing screen confirmed: No new messages. Now this was just rude! He sighed, what was he doing? Getting worked up over a teenager, who wasn't even his responsibility?
'Just enjoy the break from the constant chit chat, Stark.'
The only thing Pepper craved, after the long negotiations with Wazubashi Inc. was a really hot bath and lots of quiet. What she found, entering her home, was an agitated Tony seemingly bent on running holes in the rug. 'Deep breath! It's probably nothing.' Perhaps just a leak in the bathroom, a gone rouge robot AI or Aliens attacking New York... she really should search for a new boyfriend. Max - the guy her mother always tried to set her up with - biggest problem involved if his necktie was striped or checked, and he was a doctor.
"Tony please tell me, the world isn't going to blow up in the next half an hour!?"
"Huh?" The genius had been so immersed in his breakthrough approach of destroying their home decor, that he hadn't heard her enter. "Hey, Honey. No funny business, I swear."
Normally the CEO of Stark industries would have been beyond suspicious at these words, but today... As the saying goes: Ignorance could be bliss... she just hoped it would last long enough for her bath.
She passed Tony, just four steps to the staircase leading to her oasis of solitude.
Three.
She could already feel the hot water running over her body, soothing clenched muscles.
Two.
Tony paced on. ‘Almost there now!’
One...
A sigh followed by: "Honey?" cut off every hope of escape.
Dejected the red head turned and planted her behind on the steps, all regard for formality flushed away by today's current. "So, what’s bothering you?" 'Please no aliens, no aliens...' "It's the kid: He hasn't contacted me in two days!" His arms flailed angrily, showing his typical attitude of: 'Can you believe it? People would murder for my phone number and he ignores it!'. The laughter bubbling out of his girlfriend morphed his disgruntled expression to one of exasperation. "I'm serious Peps! What is wrong with him? He usually bothers me none stop! If something happened to him I would know, due to the suit, so what is it?"
When he glared at her, amusement still dancing in blue eyes, she composed herself. "So let's think this through: One step, after the other. When did he send you the last message?"
"Forty nine hours ago!"
"And you were perfectly civil in your answers?"
"Yes!" When she resumed her stare and cocked her head he huffed: "I assure you I wasn't rude... this time." At last Tony threw his hands in the air. "What do I even care? It’s not like I'm his dad! Spiderboy just gotta take care of himself."
A very unlady like snort followed this declaration:
"Oh Tony, but you are!"
At Tony’s blank expression, a headache began to manifest itself: "Seriously? Tony, everyone knows that you see the boy as a son! Being discreet isn't exactly a virtue you possess." Brown eyes widened at the admission. "How... when...?"
"Dear, I lost count of all the YouTube videos the Avengers and I had to watch, featuring a certain mutated teenager, because someone was practically jumping up and down with excitement. 'Pepper, did you see that web blast? The kid is getting quite good at this!'"
Tony opened his mouth in order to give a cool, cheeky reply but that annoying, know it all of a woman beat him to it: "And don't try to tell me now, you’re just interested in him, due to the suit. We both know that's not the case."
Tony Stark inventor, heir to the Stark legacy and genius clapped his mouth shut, dumbfounded.
A suspiciously mirth had taken hold of Peppers eyes. 'That isn't a sight you see every day.' Though always the professional, she resumed the ongoing investigation of the divergent behavior of a perfectly normal, mutated, teenagers behavior. "What did he say, when you met at Monday?"
Tony blinked. "Monday?"
A voice gaining in volume, as well as pitch echoed through the Stark home.
"You can't tell ME YOU FORGOT!?"
Peter glared at the Coke can lying in the dirt, as if it had insulted him personally. He really had thought Mr. Stark would show. With a heavy kick the can flew into the grass, at the edge of Central Park. 'Serves you right, for believing he would care!' The park bench was cold, due to the chill of autumn clawing its way into the end of summer. Leaves started falling, spreading over the green ground in the lonely park.
His thoughts drifted back to Monday evening. How he had stood proudly next to his science project at the fair, anticipating Mr. Starks arrival.
He had been so giddy! This would have been the first time a par... an adult, would have come to see his project. Aunt May was always stuck with the late shifts, in order to get the bonus the two of them so desperately needed, so she never made it: Not without trying, mind you. Last time she bribed her coworker’s with a basket full of sweets, but hook, line and no fish to show.
Peter had looked at the watch, a little late but Mr. Stark probably wanted a grandiose entrance, which included running late.
Three hundred panicked stares on the old watch later, the only thing he had left of his mother, a certain acceptation and with it dejection settled in the pit of his stomach. He still could taste the bitter, heavy flavor on his tongue. In the end, he had stayed long after most of his classmates had packed up and left with their families. Ned had approached him carefully, his mother in tow. "Hey Pete, come on we're going to drive you home." For some reason it was hard to meet his friends eye. Who plastered gum to the wooden planes of a sport hall? "Thank you, but I still got something to do."
A soft touch on his shoulder, made him look up. He had never seen Ned be so careful with someone, but it only frustrated him that he had to be the recipient of the kindness. 'Get yourself together Parker! You're not a kid anymore!'
"Come on man, we wanted to stop by the ice pallor on the way back."
When blue finally met brown orbs a small smile formed on both faces, one more hesitant then the other and on the verge of breaking.
"With sprinkles?" "Dude, you can have all the sprinkles you want, just hands off my Cookie dough." Peter Parker turned his back to the dark and deserted room. 'No use in hanging around and waiting for nothing.'
Shouts drifting over the rustling of trees shook him out of his musings. What was he doing sulking? He had a job to do! He started jogging down the path, trying to find a place to change, but stopped mid stride, turned, grabbed and threw the can of coke in the next trash bin.
The New York streets were bustling with people on their lunch period and Ned soaked in the sweet smell of freedom only the canceling of chemistry classes on a Thursday afternoon could bring. However this celebration was cut short by a big black car rolling up silently beside him. Alas, his brain reminded him of every action movie kidnapping ever:
Wait, if Peter was the guy with the superpowers, that made him... he groaned the damsel in distress. No way!
The car was persistent, so probably not his overactive Imagination again.
When the dark tinted window rolled down slowly, he gulped. Flashes of his life rolled before his eyes. 'Huh, could have sworn there was more Comic reading than Computer gaming involved?'
"Earth to Marshmallow." He stared into the face of the Tony Stark, the sunglasses obscuring his features, did little to hide his identity. Ned felt numb, his brain stopped working, so it did the only thing his CPU still had the capacity to do. Eloquently repeat the scenario in a faltering voice: "Marshmallow?" 'Nicely done, now the man thought he was an idiot!' "Don't like your new nickname?"
"Well... it's kind of offensive... in more ways than one..." Stark opened the door and mentioned him to get in. "Well, if the press asks: I did choose it due to your soft spirit."
Weird, how an eighteen-year old could be so easily kidnapped just using status and intimidation. The little guy nervously shuffled into the interior, eyes wide. Tony Stark had to suppress a grin. ‘Bambi taking its first steps.’ "So, you've got to help me with something, regarding your friend Peter." A fire, Tony wasn't expecting in the seemingly awkward teen, ignited in the depths of brown eyes. "Don't you have any idea how important the science fair was to him!? He talked about it for months! How could you just dumb him like this? There is no way I'm going to- with the utmost respect, of course Mr. Stark- help you hurt-" Tony interrupted the blabbering Teen right there. "Do you know what I always loved to do with Marshmallows as a kid?" Confusion filled the round face. "Make s’mores?" The inventor leaned in and fixed the teen behind his shades: "Squash them."
Ah, Sweet silentium.
"What do you need me, to do?"
“And you’re sure they are showing Stargate today?” Peter eyed the movie advertisements in front of the theater skeptically. “Yeah, it’s kind of a secretive screening. So just be grateful that I got tickets!” Everything else seemed normal until they entered the screening hall. Peter’s head snapped left and right. “There is no one here!” But his friend had already thrown himself into a seat. “It is a really old movie. You’re probably the only one who wants to see it, dude.” That earned him a playful punch on the arm. “Stuff it! Stargate is great. You’ve got to appreciate the classics.” Soon darkness fell and the projector was the only thing illuminating the room.
Twenty minutes in Ned stared rummaging beside him. “Damn, I forgot popcorn. Be right back!” “But you’ll miss their travel through the Gate!” Peter’s astonishment for the total lack of appreciation for art was swallowed by the deserted room.
Right when the inhabitants of the new planet bowed to the foreign travelers from earth, a bag of popcorn floated into his vision obscuring the scene. Peter helped himself to the most important food group of the day. “Ned, I’m trying to see something here!” The popcorn floated from view and a rhythmic crunching started next to him.
Music started building, strings climbing to an unknown climax. The alien took of his pharaonic mask, revealing a boy about fourteen, eyes glowing in an inhuman manner. “Geez, kid you really have a soft spot for the old, dusty ones.” Peter startled and spilled his coke all over his newest Star Wars Shirt. Whipping his head around, his neck thanked him by emitting an unhealthy crack.
“Mr. Stark!? What are you doing here?” The billionaire, lounging feet outstretched in the seat next to him, popped a few more chips into his mouth and answered mouth still crunching: “Your nervous friend told me this was your favorite movie- although you’re in a dire need of updating your taste- and I kinda… didn’t have anything better to do, so…” The sentence was left hanging in the air. With every flash of the film Tony only caught glimpses of the teens face. The shock had given way to a pensive pose and afterwards the boy furrowed his brow and turned back to the screen with an “Aha…”. The face normally painted with excitement around him, now only held a determination that increased the weight in the man’s stomach. A few minutes ticked by and neither one of them spoke. The only thing diverting some of the tension, were the flashes and screams from the canvas.
A deep sigh cut through the air. “Look kid… I’m not good at… this” Tony gesticulated helplessly between them. “My dad was never… really around…and I know: That’s a shitty excuse...” He could kick himself! How the hell did he manage to give a brilliant speech while drunk out of his mind, but he couldn’t talk now!? Finally the boy slowly turned, his face had taken on a softer tone but eyes still darted everywhere but at Tony’s face. “That’s alright Mr. Stark, I mean you have so much stuff to do... and I shouldn’t bother you with such stupid …stuff.” His voice wasn’t able to hide the bitterness and Tony felt his heart clench painfully.
“Bullshit!” The wide-eyed, startled gaze Peter sent him at his outburst was almost comic. “It isn’t alright! I know firsthand how much something like this can hurt and here I am.” His hands flew into the air. “Fucking it up like my old man.” He started combing through his hair nervously, destroying the perfectly messy gel look he created this morning. “So, I’m sorry for missing your science fair. I’ll try to be better at… this. But you gotta promise me something Peter!”
The teen could only croak out: “What’s that?”
Suddenly a hand slung itself around the teens shoulders and dragged him to the man’s warm side.
“Please kick my ass if I mess up.”
The new silence settling around them was filled by something precious and fragile. Neither one of them dared to move for quite some time - until:
“Do we really have to watch this old ass movie?” Peter still nestled in Tony Starks side shushed him: “You bet we do!” Teeth glowing in the dark.