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It had been a long week.
As a student, there were two exams this week, one right after the other. Sometimes Peter swore that the teachers got together and made sure the students were suffering as much as possible.
As an employee, Jameson seemed to be in a worse mood than usual and at the coffee shop he had to work the closing shift and then the shift directly after opening. Which meant he had to deal with the opening shift’s mess and chaos.
And as Spider-Man he fought some kind of mutant rat? He still was not quite sure what he fought but it had shredded his suit. He knew that he should count himself lucky that none of the cuts were deep enough that his guts fell out, but he was still pissed that his suit was ruined.
So, it had been a long week for Peter Parker. But, it was Thursday. He would make it through, after class today he was going to go to the tower, fix and spend some time with Tony before he left for some event that Peter couldn’t remember. Then tonight he would fix his suit and patrol.
After school and practice on Friday, he would spend the night and most of Saturday with Ned. Maybe go ahead and do some homework while he was there while Ned was asleep. He didn’t have too much, he’d likely finish it in an hour. He’d come home for dinner with Aunt May and then spend all of Sunday with her.
It was simple. It was balanced. He had noticed himself pulling away from Ned and Aunt May when he first became Spider-Man, but he liked to think that he was getting better.
Peter was five steps out of the school when his phone buzzed.
‘Chinese or Pizza?’
“Who are you texting, Penis? Tony Stark?” Flash snickered.
‘Yes’
Without looking up from his phone, “Degree. Old Spice. Dove. Gillette. Suave.”
“What?”
“All of those brands sell deodorant and body wash. You should consider investing in them.” Peter continued walking and ignoring Flash’s spluttering.
He wouldn’t lay a hand on Flash. Not again. But, he would allow himself to mess with Flash, just a little bit.
Some minutes later Peter was regretting that he hadn’t fixed his suit last night. Yeah, he had felt like death and hadn’t slept in days, but that was no excuse.
As Peter approached the tower, he realized a major issue.
‘How tf am I supposed to get in there?’
‘The tower? Preferably using the doors.’
Peter huffed at the message, Tony was very good at missing the point. Sometimes he swore it was on purpose.
.
Peter tapped his foot, “I cannot believe you. It had in neon purple - “DON’T EAT” and you ate it anyway!”
Tony coughed, “First of all, it was neon pink-”
Peter threw his hands in the air, “THAT’S NOT THE POINT!”
‘Won’t that look suspicious, also, aren’t I supposed to have like a badge or something?’
‘Badges get stolen or lost. As long as you have an ID you’re good.’
‘You do have an ID, right?’
Peter rolled his eyes.
‘Of course. Also, I would think Stark Industries would be more complicated than that.’
‘FRIDAY is always watching. Security doesn’t get better than that.’
‘Do you want me to go down and get you?’
‘I feel like that would be worse. Are you sure it’ll be fine?’
‘I’m sure. They get paid to scan IDs and search bags. Not to care.’
Peter snorted and tucked his phone into his back pocket. Grabbing his wallet out of his bag.
“Hello, how can I help you?” The receptionist greeted him with a practiced smile.
“I have a meeting.”
The receptionist nodded and clicked on some stuff on her screen, through the reflection of her glasses he watched her exit out of solitaire. Peter pursed his lips together and took a deep breath to stop himself from laughing.
“Name and ID?”
Peter handed her his ID, “Peter Parker.”
She looked at his ID then back at him and typed something into the computer. As her eyes scanned the page, Peter caught a brief look of confusion before it smoothed back into a practiced smile. She returned his ID and nodded at him, “The elevator is over there.”
Peter flashed an equally practiced smile at her and tucked his ID back in his pocket. As he was walking to the elevator, out of the corner of his eye he saw the lady wave her hand to the security who looked as if they were about to call out to him.
Unable to help himself, he focused on what they were saying.
“It said he was on the no-search list.” The receptionist explained.
“But why?” One of the guards asked to which the other guard laughed.
“Who knows, who cares. If Stark says he doesn’t want him searched, then I’m not gonna search him.”
The receptionist nodded, “I do my job to the best of my ability and I don’t ask questions or waste time trying to understand things that I don’t need to.”
“Take it from us, kid. For your own sanity. Do your job. And give up on trying to understand Tony Stark.”
Peter smiled to himself and punched a button on the elevator. Tony was right. They get paid to do their job and not ask questions.
“So, I’m on the no-search list?” Peter asked as he walked over to Tony who was sorting through the food and labeling the boxes.
“Of course. What if you were carrying your suit? Or evidence?” Tony mumbled as he organized the food and gathered the bags.
“Please, Tony. I’m not stupid enough to carry my suit in my bag without a false bottom.” Peter plopped a dumpling in his mouth.
Tony whacked his hand with a spoon, “Wash your hands before you get germs all over my food.”
“I only touched one dumpling, Tony,” Peter complained as he went to wash his hands. “Also, I’ve watched you eat a sandwich while there was still motor oil and grease and who knows what else on your hands. I don’t wanna hear it.”
“All of those are better than whatever cooties are at your school.”
Tony was right. “Uh-huh.” But Peter wasn’t going to admit that. “So, what do you wanna do tonight?”
“I should pack for this weekend.”
“You haven’t packed yet?”
“No, I leave at 8 am tomorrow.”
“Okay, I can sense how this is going to go. You’re going to tell yourself that ‘you’ll pack later’ and that will eventually turn into ‘you’ll wake up early and start packing’. Or are you already at the wake up early and pack then stage?”
Tony sniffed and looked away, “It’s a good plan.”
Peter, who had shoved another dumpling in his mouth, choked. “Tony, that plan always ends up with something not getting packed.”
“It’ll be different this time.” Tony threw a marker at him as he began to make himself a plate.
“You are the definition of insanity.” Peter caught the marker and tossed it on the counter closest to him.
.
Tony groaned and leaned back on the couch. “I don’t want to pack”
Peter hummed and continued to scribble out the explanation for his answer. He understood why he had to show his work, but sometimes it was just so tedious. “Why not just pack and get it over with?”
“...because I don’t want to. Sometimes I feel like you don’t really listen to me.”
“And sometimes I feel like your problems have easy solutions but you would just rather complain.”
Peter glanced back and saw Tony glaring at him. “You’re not being very supportive, right now.”
Peter rolled his eyes at Tony’s, borderline, whining. “Look, just make a list. Write down each thing you need to pack.”
“Why? I already know what I need.”
“Will you just try it?”
Ten minutes later the two were staring at the list that Tony was forcing Peter to write. Tony leaned over Peter’s shoulder, “I didn’t know you knew cursive.”
“It saves time. And I was taught cursive.” Peter explained, truthfully, he didn't write in cursive often. But it helped when he was taking notes and during the few times he had been sent out as a reporter and photographer. Jameson could make compelling arguments when he really wanted to.
“Okay, so, now what?”
Peter got up and gestured for Tony to lead the way, “And now we start packing.”
After they had the first few items, all of which fell under one item on the list, Peter stopped Tony from grabbing another thing. “And now,” Peter set the pen on the nightstand, “Cross off the first thing.”
Tony raised a brow but picked up the pen and crossed it off.
“How’s it feel?” Peter asked.
Tony leaned back, fiddling with the pen and eyeing the list. “Better than I thought it would.”
Peter clapped lightly, “And now we move on to the next thing!”
Fifteen minutes later, Tony was crossing off the last thing and Peter was zipping up the suitcase. “See? The dreading is worse than the doing.”
Peter noticed a slight increase in Tony’s heart rate. Discreetly he eyed Tony. Should he ask? Should he ignore it?
.
In the end, Peter decided to ignore it. He didn’t know how to bring it up or how it would go down. He had hoped that it was nothing. Later he noticed Tony fidgeting; cracking his knuckles, bouncing his leg, and occasionally slightly opening his mouth like he wanted to say something only to close it with a small shake of his head.
It wasn’t until Peter was grabbing his bag and getting ready to leave that he found the resolve to do anything. With a silent deep breath, he steeled himself. This was going to be the most challenging thing yet.
Peter slung an arm around Tony’s shoulders in an almost, kind-of hug. “Try not to cause too much chaos.”
Tony tensed for a brief moment, and Peter felt something cold wash over him. It was all over, he was never touching anyone again. He knew he was ruined-
Then Tony relaxed and ruffled Peter’s hair, “I’m pretty sure that’s my line to you.”
Peter laughed as the worry slipped away. Everything was not ruined. Peter tightened his grip the slightest bit, “You know the rules. Call-”
“-and you’ll pick up. And you?”
Peter rolled his eyes, “If-”
“Not if, when.”
“When I get in trouble, I’ll call you.”
Tony walked him to the elevator, Peter realized he was still holding on, “I feel like every time I turn around you’re getting involved in more shit.”
Peter shrugged, “It’s not my fault a rat suddenly decided to revolt and try some shit.”
“That just sounds like a regular day in New York.” Tony joked as he stepped away from Peter.
Peter nodded, “I saw one rat run away with a twenty-dollar bill. No one believes me, but I know what I saw.”
“You know, Parker. I was thinking.”
Peter was on edge. Parker meant he was unsure. Parker meant he was distancing in case of rejection. But, he didn't show his uneasiness. Instead, he raised his brow. “A dangerous past-time.”
Tony didn’t even respond or react to the quip; another tell that he wasn’t as cool and collected as he was pretending to be.
“What if you came to one of these with me? Maybe after you graduate? Meet some people, make some connections, etc.” Tony suggested with a flap of the hand.
Peter hummed. He could tell Tony that he’s been to those kinds of functions before. They were overwhelming and stifling. Not his scene, at all.
But that was a puzzle piece that Peter wanted to keep to himself for just a little while longer.
Peter tilted his head and thought about it. If Tony wanted him there, he would go. It wouldn’t be the first time that Peter had gone with someone for support.
“I’m not saying no.”
“But, you’re not saying yes.”
“Correct. We’ll see, let me know what event you want to go to together and I’ll think about it.”
“Is that an ‘I’ll think about how to tell you no’ or is that a genuine you’ll think about it? Because you can tell me no-”
Peter smiled and placed a hand on Tony’s arm, “It’s genuine. I just don’t like agreeing to things without knowing exactly what I’m agreeing to.”
Tony nodded in understanding, “That’s fair.”
Peter gave one last pat on the shoulder before entering the elevator. He thought he did pretty well.
-
“What is the difference between Streptococcus and Staphylococcus?”
“Streptococcus forms in chains. Staphylococcus forms in clusters.” Peter answered.
A glance at a watch showed that the time for the meet was up. “Alright,” Mr. Harrington gathered the attention of the team, “before we leave I want to announce the location of the field trip.”
The team instantly perked up a little bit.
“Stark Industries!” Mr. Harrington seemed very proud of himself.
Peter nodded to himself, that was good. Stark Industries didn’t experiment on people, the labs seemed safe, and even if they weren’t, FRIDAY was always watching. It couldn’t be that bad.
Although, it would be weird. Peter hadn’t been to that building for a reason that wasn’t to visit Tony. Or to check up on Tony.
Some of the other team members (Abe, Sally, Cindy, and Charles) all wandered off to talk in their little group about it. And Ned, MJ, and Betty stayed to talk.
Peter would go wherever Ned went, so if Ned was talking to Betty then he would linger in the background.
~
“Do you just follow him everywhere?”
Peter looked at Michelle. “Ned?”
Michelle raised a brow. “Who else would I be talking about?”
Peter shrugged, “Who am I to make assumptions?”
Michelle blinked at him with an almost blank face before returning back to her sketchbook.
Peter leaned back in his chair. “Not everywhere. But, close enough, I suppose.”
“Why?” She tilted her head a little as if she couldn’t help it.
“You said it yourself - I’m a loser.” Peter kicked his leg over his other as he picked at his lunch.
Michelle gave a short laugh, “You don’t sound mad at that.”
“It’s the truth, isn’t it? Why would I be mad?” Peter asked as he scanned the room for Ned.
~
MJ had, seemingly, made it her personal mission to draw his face as much as possible. Which was fine, he supposed. It was very eye-opening. Did he really look that miserable all the time?
“Oh, yeah. Didn’t you have an internship?”
Peter looked up from his phone with a hum, “Internship?”
“I knew you were lying!” Flash crowed in the background.
Sometimes Peter wondered if Flash was okay. And if Flash was genuinely serious about each remark he made.
“The trip.” MJ clarified as she worked on yet another drawing sitting a table away from them.
“Oh, yeah.” Peter shrugged. “For a little bit. I applied for a grant and got to do exciting stuff. One time, for example, someone got two creams in their coffee. It was pretty wild.”
There were a few laughs before they resumed their conversation. And back into the background he faded.
Peter felt a dull buzz and looked around. He blinked and raised a brow when he saw MJ staring at him. Only to have a sketch of himself looking emotionless. With a squint of his eyes, he made out - “has a dead fish stare”.
He laughed and walked over to where she was. “Dead fish stare?”
MJ glanced up from her book, “How good are your eyes?”
“Better than a dead fish,” Peter remarked as he took a seat across from her. “You draw me a lot.”
“You've been looking miserable a lot."
"Is that your indirect way of asking what happened or just an observation?"
MJ blinked and returned to her sketch. As she often did.
"Alright!" Ned called as he returned to Peter, "Ready for Lego Death Star?"
Peter grinned, "You know that I am."
.
Throughout the weekend, it had been radio silence from Tony. Peter had sent messages and updates but was only met with silence. There was never any real emergency so he never called Tony, but he was sure that if he had called he would have been met with silence.
Peter would admit he was a little worried but, perhaps Tony was just busy. That was the theory that Peter elected to go with. Tony got busy and hadn’t had the time and/or energy to respond to his messages.
The complete silence and distance from the other made Peter realize just how much Tony had been involved in his life.
In other news, the field trip to Stark Industries was today. Peter sat towards the back of the bus. Ned took the seat across the aisle from him with Betty. Ned smiled apologetically at him when he noticed Peter’s half-hearted look of betrayal.
Peter had his head leaned back and eyes closed when he felt someone hit the top of the seat. Perhaps not hit, it was closer to a tap now that he was thinking about it.
“I’m going to sit here.” MJ hardly looked up from her sketchbook as she plopped into the seat.
Peter raised a brow but grabbed his bag and scooted over more in the seat to give her room. A glance at Ned showed him grinning like a madman with two thumbs up.
There weren’t very many words spoken between him and MJ in contrast to Ned and Betty who rambled about Stark Industries and what it would be like.
Peter was relieved that a majority of what Flash was saying was about him and his future application to Stark Industries. Of course, it was Flash so he had to end his ramble with: “And I’m going to prove that Parker was lying the whole time.”
“That’s a nice face.”
Peter looked away from the window to MJ, “You think my face is nice?”
MJ stuttered (Peter used the word lightly since she still sounded far more put together than most) “The expression. The expression is nice.”
Peter blinked and raised a brow.
“Not that your face isn’t nice. You do have a nice face.”
“I know, right? Like, at first glance he’s pretty boring but when you really take a look at him he’s not too bad.” Ned piped up from the seat across from them.
Peter leaned forward so that he could see Ned, “Thanks man, that was almost a compliment.”
Ned sighed and shook his head, hands coming up in a ‘what can you do’ gesture, “I’m here to tell you the truth, man. Not stroke your ego.”
“Yeah, well, at least I don’t cry when I watch Nemo.”
“That’s because you’re allergic to crying. And it’s very unhealthy. I, on the other hand, a man very in touch with his emotions-” Peter noticed Ned’s slight glance at Betty, “-think it’s okay to shed a tear or two every now and then.”
Peter rolled his eyes and tuned Ned and Betty out. Turning back to MJ, “See what I have to deal with? Always trying to look cool in front of his little girlfriend.” Speaking a bit louder, “Fake friend!”
Ned flipped him off as he continued to talk with Betty.
“Why don’t you get a girlfriend?” MJ asked as she began sketching Mr. Harrington - who was glancing back and forth between Flash and Peter as he tried to explain something to Flash.
Peter looked away from Mr. Harrington and Flash, with a shrug. “I just don’t really have time for one. I’d feel bad.”
Peter had just managed to find a balance between work, school, family, friends, and Spider-Man. He could not cut work, since he needed to make money. He couldn’t cut school, obviously, he needs a diploma to go to college. He would rather bite his own arm off than spend less time with Aunt May. He refused to spend less time with Ned, he still hadn’t forgiven himself for not being as good of a friend as he should have been. And he hated the mere thought of cutting out or cutting back on ‘Tony time’.
So, no time for a girlfriend. Or boyfriend.
“Plus, getting together with someone isn’t really one of my priorities right now.”
MJ hummed, “I bet Flash is going to ask at least three different people if you’ve ever worked there.”
Peter snorted, “Only three?”
“By the third time, I can only hope that Harrington will tell him to stop.”
.
“Good morning, Midtown. My name is Nancy, and I will be your tour guide.”
Peter only half-listened as she outlined what was going to happen during the tour. They would form a single file line and would hand the receptionist their school ID. The receptionist would check them into the system and then they would turn in anything that could record or photograph. And so on.
Pretty basic security measures. As per protocol, all of their school bags were left on the bus.
Flash had looked a little put out that he wouldn’t be able to live stream the tour, but, he seemed to get over it fairly quickly.
“This is going to be so awesome!” Ned whispered to him as Nancy led them into the building.
Peter narrowed his eyes, “Are you sure you want to be seen with this boring mug?”
Ned swatted his arm, “There’s no other boring mug I’d rather be seen with.”
“I’m swooning.” Peter chuckled and gave Ned a little nudge to keep him walking instead of standing in one place and gawking.
As he and Ned approached the front desk, he heard Flash talking with the receptionist.
“Is there a Peter Parker in the system?”
The receptionist, who he recognized as the same one as before, took a slow deep breath and smiled as she sighed. “I’m afraid that I cannot confirm or deny whether someone is in our system or not.”
“Why not?”
The receptionist just blinked and shook her head slightly, “Stark Industries takes security very seriously. Now, can I please have your name and ID?”
Flash huffed and after he gave the receptionist his ID, he turned to glare at Peter.
Peter met his glare with a confused look. The fuck did he do?
When it was his turn, he handed over his ID and gave his name. The receptionist showed no signs or recognition to him but did give a gesture to the security guards. One of them was the same guy as before, the new one, but the other was a different guy.
The other guy, who Peter hadn’t met, nodded at the receptionist and leaned down to whisper something into the newer guy's ear. The new guy pursed his lips and looked right at him.
This time, Peter could see the recognition clearly in the person’s eyes. He kind of looked like he had gathered another piece of a puzzle.
As Peter made his way over to the guards, they were making sure that each person’s belongings were properly stored. Peter noticed Harrington’s disbelieving look - oh, yeah. He’d asked everyone to keep their phones in their bags.
“Have you ever seen that guy before?” Flash pointed directly at Peter and the older guard, out of view of Flash, nudged the new guy’s foot.
“I see hundreds of faces every day, kid. And, even if I have, I would not tell you.”
“Why not?” Flash asked. Somehow expecting a different answer than the one the receptionist gave.
“It goes against protocol. Now, place your belongings in the box or I will have you removed.”
Flash quickly placed his belongings in the box and gave the new guard his ID so that he could log it into the system.
Peter hummed to himself. Each box was labeled with a number. He guessed that the number was logged into the system along with either the student’s name or ID number.
There was space between each person so that the area was not crowded. As Peter approached, he pulled out his own belongings. He was one of the last people, so he did not want to make the rest of the group wait.
The older guard pulled out a box and looked around discreetly. “Name?”
“Peter Parker.” This was different. Usually, the name was given at the end.
“Can I see your ID?”
Definitely different. Peter showed him his ID though. The guard nodded and after passing the ID to the other guard he leaned forward slightly.
Peter inwardly cringed and fought the urge to lean away from the man. Did the guy have to get in his personal space?
“Alright,” The guard started in a low tone, “Are you able to discreetly carry those items with you?”
Peter raised a brow but nodded slightly.
“Good. Put your items back and close the box.”
Peter did as he was told. He went to the next guard and received his ID. As he was walking away he couldn’t help but eavesdrop.
“Why are we letting him keep his stuff? Won’t we get in trouble?” The new guard asked.
“Look here. You see this symbol?”
A glance back revealed that the older guard was pointing at something on the screen.
“Okay?”
“This symbol means that under no circumstances are we to check his bag or take his belongings.”
“But, why not?”
The guard sighed, “I am telling you, kid, if you keep asking questions - you will not last long here.”
“I don’t think wondering about why someone has special privilege would make me lose my sanity.” The new guard was referring back to the previous conversation he had with the other guard.
This guard gave a soft bark of laughter. “Maybe not, but you will lose your job. And you better not talk about it with anybody else. Hell, you shouldn’t even be talking about it to me.”
“I don’t understand, why not?”
The guard cleared his throat and resumed a professional tone to signal the gossip was over, “Protocol.”
The new guard grumbled but let it drop.
Peter was jerked out of the moment by Ned grabbing his arm and pulling him along with the class.
.
Since they were a science school they were allowed to visit one of the lower labs. They didn’t do too much in these labs. Just checked over the finished technology and made sure everything worked. Their job was to make sure that no device with a bug or glitch or other issue made it to the market.
This lab consisted of mainly college-aged interns. Paid interns, that was something that the tour guide specified.
“Stark Industries does not do unpaid internships.”
After the guide finished her explanation and speech, she asked if there were any questions.
The first hand to fly up was Flash’s, of course.
“Does Stark Industries hire high schoolers?”
Nancy furrowed her brows for a moment before her face smoothed over, “I’m assuming you mean for internships?”
“Is it possible for a high schooler to be an intern at Stark Industries?”
Nancy looked up in thought as if she was considering something. Then, carefully, as if she was thinking about each word she said, “Typically, I would say no. However, I am not in charge of hiring people or looking over candidates. It is entirely possible that there have been a few high school interns in the past.”
“Do you know if Peter Parker ever interned here?”
Nancy shook her head, “I do not work with the interns nor do I have access to the list of employees.”
What Peter assumed to be the supervisor hurried his way over and whispered something to her.
“You can never confirm or deny whether someone has worked here. Nor can you imply either, so tread carefully.” The supervisor leaned away with a smile towards the group.
“My name is Dr. Johnston. I am the one in charge of the interns.” He turned his attention to Flash, “While I can say that it is entirely possible for a high schooler to be selected for an internship position - I cannot say who has or has not been selected.”
Without letting Flash get another word in. “It is the same for each and every worker in this building. Custodian, intern, tour guide, receptionist, guard, etc. There are very few, very specific scenarios in which someone can confirm whether an individual has ever worked here. This is not one of them. Do we understand?”
The group nodded, most of them sending dirty looks to Flash. After that, they went through a few more labs. Each lab tests a different product. One lab was testing phones and another lab was testing tablets and etc.
It was pretty cool. To watch people actually do work for Stark Industries. In the higher-up labs, the ones Peter had been to, Tony mainly allowed them to work on their own inventions and ideas.
When Peter had voiced that it was somewhat odd, Norman would certainly never allow that. At least not as freely as Tony did. Norman was very specific about what research he would allow. And Tony was not. Well, other than no weapons.
“What can I say? I’m a nice guy.” Tony had said. And Peter remembered biting his lip to prevent himself from saying - “You say that but you don’t think that.”
Soon enough the tour was over, they collected their belongings, stopped by the receptionist to sign out, and then got back on the bus.
And Peter felt a little suspicious. It was a good trip. Other than Flash glaring at him and around being a little annoying, it went well.
Too well.
Peter could sense that something was not right. He refused to believe that he could make it through a field trip with no errors.
After school had ended and he was on his way home, he called May. Everything was good with her and she laughed at him for being so paranoid.
“Why can’t you accept that you had a good field trip?” May asked still somewhat laughing at him.
Peter huffed, “I can sense that something is off. I know it. I can feel it in every cell of my being.”
May hummed indulgently, “Uh huh. Well, I’m going back to book club.”
He saw that Ned was fine. The school was fine. New York had been fine. So, that only left Tony.
In record time he had made his way to Stark Industries, this time as Spider-Man.
“FRIDAY?”
“Yes, Spider-Man?” The A.I. had taken to calling him Spider-Man whenever he was in costume after he explained the concept of secret identity to her.
“Has Tony returned from his trip?”
“Yes. Boss is in the Medbay now. He has been expecting your arrival.”
“Wha- how long has he been here?”
“He arrived a few hours before you had arrived. The first time.”
Peter huffed and quickly changed out of his suit and into spare clothes that he had in his bag. “Why is he in the Medbay?”
“There was an attack during the trip.”
Peter took a deep breath. “Is he okay?”
“Slightly concussed and a fracture-” FRIDAY explained.
Peter felt his stomach churn. He was enhanced and hated fractures. “Could you direct me to the Medbay?”
“Of course, Mr. Parker.”
~~~
The trip had not gone as planned.
It was not the first time someone had tried to kill him, but it was the first time someone had invisible dogs. There was a reason he did not like witches or magic.
At least he hadn’t gotten rabies. So, that was a win.
Tony grumbled as he shifted on the uncomfortable hospital bed. He had had his tablet confiscated in an attempt to make him sleep more. And while typing his message to Peter, complaining about his situation and begging for him to send help, Pepper confiscated his phone.
“Wow. Can’t even text my friend?”
“No. You need sleep. And texting Rhodes is not sleeping.”
“First of all-”
Pepper had not stuck around to listen to his complaints, instead, stalking off after patting him on the head.
Tony settled in as best he could. If his leg wasn’t broken and he was able to move his arm and was with it enough he would have left.
“FRIDAY, wake me up when it’s time for me to leave this hell hole.”
“So, you don’t want me to wake you whenever Mr. Parker arrives?”
Tony felt his chest get a little lighter, “That’ll be fine. Wake me when Peter arrives or whenever I get discharged. Whichever comes first.”
It couldn’t have been too long, maybe an hour later, Tony was on the edge of unconsciousness.
“Boss. Mr. Parker has entered the building.” FRIDAY announced.
Tony hummed and shifted slightly with a wince. “What time is it?”
“It is 9 in the morning on Monday.” FRIDAY supplied.
A small part of Tony’s brain registered that Peter should be in class. Was it some kind of holiday? Was he skipping?
The bigger part of Tony’s brain was wondering why Peter hadn’t come up yet. And that was all he had focused on.
Was this it? Had Peter finally decided that he was just tired of Tony? Had the few days of silence opened Peter’s eyes to how wonderful it was to not have him around?
It had only been a matter of time, Tony supposed as he drifted off once again.
.
A few hours later, Tony was replaying the situation in his head. And coming to the most obvious conclusion.
Peter had come to collect anything that he may have left behind, maybe he wrote a note explaining and detailing why he could no longer stand to be around Tony.
He had tried his best not to be overbearing. Had tried not to be too dramatic, even though he often failed miserably. He tried not to be too clingy. He knew he had an awful tendency to cling to the few people that he enjoyed being around and talking to.
It didn’t matter, though. Peter was likely never coming back. He ignored whatever FRIDAY had said to him, far too lost in his own thoughts.
He did hear the door open and glanced over.
“Oh, look who finally decided to stop ignoring me.” Figures. Peter was too good to only leave a note or to just leave without notice.
Tony sniffed and turned back away from Peter.
“What? I never ignored you.”
Now Tony was getting irritated. “Don’t lie to me. I get notified when you enter the building.”
Peter made a soft noise of understanding. “I was on a field trip, Tony. I could not come up here without getting in trouble.”
Oh. That…made a little bit of sense.
Tony was still on the fence about whether or not he believed that. Peter wasn’t a liar. But, Tony found it hard to believe that Peter hadn’t realized how clingy and annoying he was.
Tony only hummed in response. He was still looking away from Peter.
As if somehow sensing that Tony needed more reassurance - not that he would ever admit it. “I promise, Tony. You can look over the footage of me arriving with my classmates if you’d like.”
Tony grumbled, “No. I believe you.” He felt ridiculous and stupid.
The more rational part of his brain kicked in. Of course, he had been here on a field trip. He hadn’t come here to pick up anything he might’ve left. He hadn’t come here to tell him that he couldn’t do it. That Tony was too annoying to be friends with. Too clingy. Too much.
“Tony.” Peter’s voice coaxed him out of his thoughts as he walked to the side that Tony was facing. “What is going inside that head of yours?” Peter pulled the chair closer to the bed as he sat down.
Tony huffed and turned his head to face the other way. Feeling a gentle hand prod at his shoulder, without thinking he admitted, “I thought you were leaving.”
Peter blinked, “What do you mean?”
Tony pursed his lips together. He shrugged, discretely trying to shrug off the warm hand that was trying to comfort him into sharing his fears and insecurities. He had let the first part slip, but he would not let the rest slip out.
Peter removed his hand and Tony suppressed a shiver at the sudden rush of coldness that washed over him.
There was quiet for a moment before there was a loud screech of a chair. Instinctively, Tony jerked his head to the side to look at Peter, who was now standing and looking at him with determined eyes.
Tony blinked and felt a little confused when Peter’s breath caught minutely and his fist clenched tighter.
Peter stepped closer to the bed, “Where is he injured?”
“Boss’ left leg is fractured as well as some bruising around his torso and his head.” FRIDAY betrayed.
“What are you doing?” Tony swallowed and resisted the urge to cringe at the waver in his voice.
Peter began lightly nudging him. After the third prod, Tony began shifting to the side. Tony sniffed and grumbled. “What’s the point of this?”
“I’m gonna cuddle you. Speak now or forever hold your peace.” Peter glared at Tony as he toed off his shoes.
Tony swallowed and looked away, decidedly not objecting.
Tony supposed he made the right choice judging by Peter’s approving hum. There was a brief moment, a glance showed Peter looking him over. Trying to decide how this was going to work, maybe?
Peter nodded to himself and carefully climbed into the bed.
Tony felt Peter’s shoulder and arm brush his. “Kid, you really don’t have to do this.” There was no way that Peter wanted to do this. He was likely doing this out of pity.
“Are you saying that because you are uncomfortable or because you think this is making me uncomfortable? I’ll move or leave if you’re uncomfortable.”
Tony did not want Peter to move and he definitely did not want him to leave.
“Tony, is this okay?” Peter asked.
Tony grumbled unthinkingly, “Quit acting like we’re having sex.”
Peter let out a bark of laughter, “Hard pass.”
“I shouldn’t have said that. I’m sorry.” Tony apologized as he immediately remembered who it was he was talking to.
Peter shrugged, “Still waiting on that yes or no.”
Tony huffed, “Yes. It’s fine.”
Peter considered him for a moment before shifting closer, gently wrapping an arm around him. “Still good?”
Tony nodded, this was fine. He couldn’t remember the last time someone had held him like this. No ill or unwholesome intentions. Pepper would indulge in cuddles for a few minutes, but after that - she liked to have some space. Definitely not a cuddler.
Tony didn’t know how much time had passed before he was drifting off again. When he awoke again, the sky was slightly darker, and Peter was reading something on his phone. Tony wondered what it was, he looked a little scowly.
Peter still had an arm wrapped around Tony. Tony cleared his throat and got Peter’s attention. “Lose feeling in your arm, yet?”
Peter raised a brow the scowl slipping off his face as he looked at Tony. He ignored the warm feeling in his chest. Usually, he had the exact opposite effect on people.
Peter chuckled, “It’s funny that you think you weigh enough to cut off circulation.”
Tony blinked, “Of course, I’m heavy enough to cut off circulation. I’m well over one hundred-” He cut himself off with a small noise as Peter effortlessly lifted his arm, and Tony’s upper body too. He distantly noticed that Peter had adjusted his hold to support him better.
“Enhanced strength, Tony. You could lay on me, and I wouldn’t be fazed.”
Tony huffed and resisted the urge to lean into Peter’s absentminded petting. Looking back out of the window, “It’s getting late. Shouldn’t you be on your way home?”
“I’ve decided to spend the night. I’ll just have to leave early for school tomorrow.” Peter slid his phone into his pocket and threw his other arm over Tony.
Tony unconsciously shifted closer to Peter. If Tony didn’t know any better he’d say that Peter was running a fever.
A half-hour passed. “If you keep picking at my clothes they’ll come apart.”
Tony glanced up at Peter and poked him.
Peter swatted his hand, “Can I help you?!”
“I want a burger and coffee.”
Peter blinked at him, “And what do you want me to do about it?”
“Go get it. You can take my card. Get yourself some food, too.”
Peter grumbled but got up and slipped on his shoes. “I’ll be right back.”
Tony nodded and watched him go.
In the hour that Peter was gone, Tony had gotten more medicine, gone to the bathroom, and convinced Pepper to bring him his phone.
Tony was sitting up and reading through the various messages that had been sent to him. -responding to the very few that Pepper expected him to- when Peter came back.
“I’m back. I went to Burger King. And then I got coffee.” Peter held up the coffee, “Made it myself.”
Tony eagerly accepted his bag and coffee. “Burger King will do.”
The food was devoured in record time. Oh, how he loved not hospital food.
After Peter had thrown away the bags he returned to the bed. The two sat in mostly silence. Every now and then Peter snorted and showed him something on his phone.
Tony did what little work he could on his phone. It would be better if he had his tablet, but he could make do on his phone. At the very least he could use it to brainstorm theories and check some calculations. Maybe look over and tweak a few blueprints he had jotted down.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a notification on his phone.
‘You’re one of my favorite people. I’d never just leave you.’
Tony turned his gaze to Peter, who was staring at the words on his phone as if it would burst into flames if he so much as glanced away from it.
A few hours later, in the almost dark and quiet room. Tony glanced over at Peter, he looked asleep.
“It’s the same for me.” Tony mumbled. He wasn't able to admit it too loud nor was he confident enough to admit it to Peter when he was awake.
But, maybe someday, he would be brave enough.