Chapter Text
Peter shoved his hands into the pockets of his hoodie, the music blasting through the headphones on his head. The people around him swarmed past, paying no attention to him, their heads full of their own problems. These moments brought a sense of calm to Peter. When you're Spider-Man, you're noticed. Unless, of course, he’s trying to hide. But right now, it was nice for a change to be in the middle of the crowd, out in the open, with no one giving him more than a glance.
The playlist started to repeat just as he walked into the Tower. He swiped his badge at the terminal and made his way through the crowd of both business people in sharp suits and geeks in casual clothes. It was something that Peter appreciated about the Stark Tower - the diversity of the people, all of them working together towards a common goal, not caring about their differences.
“Hey, Parker,” a voice called from behind him. Even with the headphones on, Peter heard the words clearly—perks of his super-hearing. A hand tapped him on his shoulder. “You there, dude?”
Peter pulled the headphones off, acting as if he had just realized someone was talking to him. “Hi, Leo.”
“Are you actually on time for once, or am I hallucinating?”
Leo Johnson, another intern working for SI, joined him in the elevator. They were both on an internship for kids aged 14-18. It didn't pay much, but it was a good experience. They would probably all get the job at SI after college if they wanted it. At least that's what Jess, their supervisor, had told them.
“Today’s a big day,” Peter said, his stomach knotting at the thought. Leo pressed the button for the 14th floor.
“Ah, so you can be on time when you want?” He asked with raised eyebrows, teasing him. Peter smiled sheepishly in response.
They were assigned new projects every month and worked twice a week, for three hours each on Tuesdays and Fridays. It was Peter’s second month, his second project, but his first real opportunity to prove himself. He joined the program two weeks after the first project was announced, so he had less time to prepare.
“Um... I’m kind of confused about today. My mind is all over the place,” he said.
“Nah, don’t worry about it, Jess is too nice to be mean or anything. You’ll just show what you made, maybe answer a few questions, and she’ll shower you with compliments,” Leo waved away his worries.
Peter nodded, but he couldn't shake off the tension. He hadn’t prepared enough for the project. Between his patrols, school, and May disappearing again, his project hadn’t turned out as well as he had hoped.
The previous project had been to come up with ideas for improving the new StarkPhone. Of course, nobody expected anything actually really good from a bunch of kids. It was more of an exercise. This time, however, they were asked to build a robot - basically any machine that served a purpose.
“I mean… this is Stark Industries. I can’t just show everyone crap on wheels and call it a day,” Peter said, fumbling with his backpack’s strap. They got off the elevator on their floor. It belonged to something like a development center. It was buzzing with activity, with clubs, after-school programmes, a small library and even a kindergarten for the children of the employees. The place was cheerful and welcoming, with colorful photos of children and staff on the walls, and lush greenery at every available spot.
“Dude…” Leo looked at him. “We’ve been working in the same room for like two months now. I saw what you were building. If your robot is bad, all of us are gonna show trash.”
Peter blinked in surprise. He hadn't realized that Leo paid so much attention to his work.
They entered one of the rooms. It looked more serious than the rest of the floor but still had that cozy and cheerful look. It was spacious, with six desks, three on each side. There was a 3D printer, circuit boards, soldering irons, and robotics kits. One wall had a large window with an amazing view of New York, every other surface was filled with posters and diagrams related to engineering principles and concepts and a big whiteboard with a table underneath. There was also a mini-fridge with snacks and a couch, which they sometimes used for naps. When they had something to present, they would move the tables to the middle and use the space in front of the whiteboard as a makeshift stage. Peter sometimes liked this place more than his home.
“Hey guys, you won’t believe who I met in the lobby at two fifty!” Leo announced, swinging his hand over Peter's shoulder. The room erupted in overdramatic gasps, and Peter rolled his eyes.
“Yeah-yeah, I’m finally on time, I get it,” he said.
“No way!” Jane squeaked. “What’s next? Sky turns green?”
“This is weird,” Andy said slowly. “Are you really Peter? Guys, I think we might have a foreign spy.”
"Oh my God, I should warn the Avengers!" Leo exclaimed, punching Peter playfully in the shoulder.
Peter dropped his bag by the wall and slumped into his chair, a small smile forming on his lips. “If I knew you’d react like this, I’d wait outside until I was late,” he said.
“Sorry,” Andy chuckled. “We didn’t mean to ruin your new-found time management skills.”
There were four interns present at the moment — Peter, Jane, Andy, and Leo. Soon, Katherine, who went by K, walked in with her usual bright smile, and grumpy Nick, the exact opposite of K.
“Looking bright and breezy, Nikky,” Leo said, spinning around in his chair.
“Fuck off,” Nick grumbled in response.
At 3:20 PM, Jess poked her head through the door.
“All right, you guys?” she asked.
They were all deep into their work by that point, so only K replied. “Yes, Jess, thank you!”
“Great. We’re starting the presentation at four, make sure you’re ready! Because I have a surprise for you today!” She beamed at them.
“What surprise?” Jane asked, a nervous frown forming on her face.
“It wouldn’t be a surprise if I told you!” Jess laughed and disappeared.
“Jesus,” Jane muttered. “We’re not five.”
“Oh God, this is getting to me already,” Andy said, clutching his heart. “I don’t like surprises.”
“Maybe it’s a prize for the best robot?” K speculated.
Nick huffed and shook his head.
Peter put his headphones back on. He was putting the final details in his program into his laptop and freaking out at every error that popped up during compilation. The robot not working at all in the presentation would be a nightmare come true.
A few minutes later, Peter was jolted from his concentration by Nick, who was sitting at the table to his left.
"Whose phone is ringing?" Nick snapped.
“I think it’s Peter’s,” Jane said. Peter hurriedly took off his headphones, slung them over his shoulders and took his phone out of his pocket.
“Shit, sorry, I didn't hear it.”
He already knew who was calling him. It was the usual routine after May had gone on a drinking and getting high spree. She would wake up disoriented, not knowing the time or date, and freak out when she didn't find Peter at home. It didn't matter if it was a weekday morning and he was obviously at school.
He was right. There were six missed calls and eighteen panicked texts from May. The phone started buzzing once again with another call from his aunt. He quickly turned the volume down, not wanting the others to overhear her.
“Hey, May,” he replied quietly, careful not to disturb other interns, even though most of them had headphones on.
“Oh my God, Peter, where the fuck are you?! Can you even imagine how worried I am, waking up and finding the apartment empty?! Can’t you at least leave me some message at least, so I would know that you’re not dead because another fucking alien decided to attack Manhattan?! Or lying dead in some alley?!”
“I left the note, May, it’s on the-”
“And then you can’t answer your phone for a fucking hour! I thought you kids were always glued to their goddamn phones! Are you avoiding me, Peter? Did I do something wrong again? Don’t you care about your aunt?”
“Of course, I do-”
“After everything that’s happened, you just leave me here, alone in the empty apartment, making me worry my head off! Do you even understand how I feel?”
“Yes, May, I-”
“Then where the fuck are you in the middle of the night?! Are you in a club again?”
“It’s five o’clock in the evening, May. I’m at my internship. And I’ve never been in a club before,” he said trying to keep his cool, his fingers gripping the pen tightly.
“What the fuck are you even talking about? What internship?”
“At Stark Industries. I told you about it, remember?”
There was a long silence on the other end of the line.
“Right,” she exhaled. “I forgot. Of course. I’m sorry, honey, you know how I can get,” her voice wavered.
“It’s okay, I understand. I'll keep my phone close from now on.”
“Yes, thank you. I… I don’t want to worry like that again. I’m going to make dinner tonight. Do you want anything?”
“Anything is fine.”
“Of course. See you soon. Love you, Peter.”
“Love you too, May.”
She hung up, and he dropped his phone on the table and rubbed his hand over his face. He knew she wasn't going to make dinner and she was going to freak out again sometime, even if he answered her every call. The time when he believed her promises was long gone.
Peter caught a strange look from Nick, but it quickly faded as the boy looked away. He wasn't wearing headphones and probably heard everything Peter said. At least, he hoped, he hadn't heard May. He didn't want anyone worrying about him for no reason.
When four o'clock rolled around, he was still working on his code. With each passing second, his anxiety grew and his fingers flew faster and faster across the keyboard. He prayed fervently that when he pressed the start button this time, there wouldn't be any more errors than before.
“Everyone ready?” Jess asked, coming in and clapping her hands together.
There were a few sounds of excited agreement and a few anxious ones.
"Pete, are you ready?" she asked, coming closer and putting a hand on his shoulder. "All set?"
“Yeah, yeah,” he said, taking off his headphones. “Sorry.”
“No worries. So, the surprise I have for you today is quite exciting…” she paused. “We have a guest, and you won’t believe who it is.”
All eyes focused on Jess.
“It’s Tony Stark!” she said.
“Oh my God!”
“What?!”
“No way!”
Peter’s stomach sank. There was no way. He was about to embarrass himself in front of the smartest man in the world.
He glanced at the lines of code. The robot was not going to work. Hell, it would probably to explode and light Tony Stark’s hair on fire or something.
The man himself walked into the room, looking exactly like he did on TV. Buried in his phone, sunglasses on, he looked like he had fifty other meetings to attend in the next hour.
Oh God, Peter was in the same room as Tony Stark, breathing the same air. Although what he was doing with his lungs barely counted as ‘breathing’. Jess stayed by the door, looking like she had just brought Christmas dinner to starving orphans.
“Okay,” Mr Stark said, pulling one of the spare chairs to the center, and closing Candy Crush on his phone. “Who’s first?”
There was an awkward pause, everyone glancing at each other, not having the confidence to go first. Peter kind of didn’t want to go at all. He wasn’t in the mood for the humiliation of a century.
K cleared her throat and stood up, walking over to the whiteboard and placing her robot on the table.
“Good evening, Mr Stark. Big fan. My, er, my name is Katherine Draper. I’m fifteen years old, a sophomore at The Bronx High School of Science.” Her voice was careful, though a little shaky. She moved her robot forward — a small round box with a hand-drawn cat face, a metal tail, and ears. There were three buttons on its side. “I call it Purinum. It can detect crumbs and stuff on the table, and clean them up.” She pressed the button and a robot began to make a low hum. It spun around slowly. She took out a small bag and scattered some crumbs on the table. The robot stopped spinning, drove to that place until it covered it with its body, and when it moved again, the spot was completely clean. “There,” K looked nervously at Mr Stark. “That’s- that’s my robot.”
They all remained still, holding their breath. The project wasn’t bad, but it definitely wasn’t something Tony Stark was used to, especially not like the stuff he made himself. Would he be honest? Cruel? Fair?
“Okay, great,” he nodded. “Now you.” He pointed at Andy, who was sitting next to K. Andy immediately stood up with a bright-eyed look, looking like he was going to burst with excitement.
“Yes, sir, I’d be happy to, sir!” he shouted, on the verge of saluting.
He showed a robot that could play tic-tac-toe with you, then Jane’s danced to a few songs, and finally, it was Peter’s turn.
He wiped his hands on his jeans. His robot didn’t look that good — some were loose, the left arm was scratched and one wheel sometimes didn’t turn properly. Not to mention that the programming was probably all wrong. He hadn't even bothered to plan the presentation. He really wished he had spent more time on it.
Clearing his throat, Peter stood up. He hadn't thought of a name for his robot, but now that both K and Andy had one, he felt a touch of panic. Should he think of a name on the spot? Jane hadn't named hers either, and Mr Stark hadn't said anything about it. In fact, he had said very little, offering only general remarks like 'Good job', 'Looks great' and 'Keep up the good work'. He didn't even seem to mind when Andy's robot took almost a minute to make its next move.
“So- um- This is my robot,” Peter stammered. “It’s- it’s kind of like a guard. It can guard you.” He cleared his throat again and pulled out his phone. “It’s controlled by an app I made. It doesn't have many functions though, just the basics.”
Peter glanced up from his phone as the app loaded to check Mr. Stark’s reaction. He looked about ten percent more interested. Peter didn’t know if that was good or bad.
“So, yeah, you just put it in your room or your house, and it kind of patrols the area. If the space is small, it won’t do much, just spin around. To define an area you just… Um…” Peter placed the robot on the floor and pressed the button on the app. The robot started to move. “So you just stand at the exit of the room or follow the robot around and prevent it from going to unwanted places. If the door is closed, it will ignore it, so you should take that into account".
The robot made a slow circle around the room, then another one, then stopped at its starting point. Peter fidgeted nervously, watching everyone’s reaction.
“Um, then you set a level- I mean, like, there are three levels of functions. If it detects an intruder, it can send an alert to your phone, or it can tell the intruder to leave and then send an alert, or it can do all of the above plus attack if the person doesn't leave."
“How does it detect an intruder?” Tony asked. Peter blinked, feeling his heart skip a beat. Iron Man had just talked to him!
“Um, uh- Basically, like, anything that moves. It can also do this in the dark, I mean, not total darkness, but like twilight. It also reacts to sound. If the sounds and the movements are repeated, it decides that they are being made by a person. That's a bad way to do it, I know, I, er, don't know how else to do it".
Change the subject, Peter, change the subject!
“Anyway, when it sees an intruder, it does this,” he pressed another button. The robot slowly raised its hand with a loud buzzing sound, and after five long, excruciating seconds, it shot out a string of webs at the wall.
Not wanting to disappoint anyone with his first project at SI, Peter had incorporated his webbing into it. Not the current version he used as Spider-Man, but an older iteration that was less strong and reliable. It still worked, and he hoped that this would earn his slow robot, with all its impracticality and flaws, a few extra points.
“This is a way to, uh, secure it and keep people from… intruding… and doing something… bad,” he said, his voice wavering. “Sorry, I mean… you get the idea, right?”
“Yup,” Tony Stark said. “Interesting stuff. Did you do it yourself? The webs?”
Oh shit, he was actually asking him questions.
"Uh, yeah. I was inspired by the .... Spider guy. Spider-Man. It's a cool way of stopping people without doing any... damage. I accidentally got some of it, tried to recreate it, and... I think I did it? I'm not sure, unless I talk to the guy - or girl, of course, it could be a girl, or something in between, that too," he stumbled over his words, and K stifled a giggle into her palm, "who made the original ones. I don't think it's as strong as Spider-Man's, though. I used glycine and alanine mostly, also polycarbons and microfilaments of rubidium.”
“And it dissolves like Spider-Man’s does?”
“Um, yeah. I’m not sure about the exact timeframe, like forty minutes probably, but I didn't manage to make it last two hours, like the original.”
“So you copied the web in two hours?” Tony Stark looked at him intently.
Peter’s brain short-circuited. Was it a test? Did he fail? Tony Stark couldn’t possibly think he was Spider-Man, could he?
“I just… tested it. And then tried to copy. After it disintegrated. I uh- actually studied it for some time now. Longer than I did this project.”
“Okay,” Tony Stark nodded. “Good. Great job. Don’t forget to clean the web from the wall.”
“Actually, Mr. Stark,” said Peter, clutching his phone. His voice was shaking. “I just wanted to say, it’s a big honor to talk to you and show-”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Tony Stark waved him off. “Just sit down. You, go next.”
“Uh, yes, sir,” Leo said, quickly getting to his feet. Peter returned to his seat, relieved to be sitting down because it felt like his knees were going to give out any second.
When Tony Stark left, even the air felt lighter. They all slumped in their seats, feeling completely exhausted.
“Oh my God,” Leo said, burying his face in his hands. “That was so embarrassing. I made a fool of myself in front of Iron Man. I want to die. Kill me, please.”
“Relax,” said K, the only one unfazed by the meeting. “He’s already forgotten about you.”
“Is that supposed to help us?” Nick grumbled from where he had fallen on the carpeted floor.
"Actually, it is," Leo said, lifting his head. “Thanks, K.”
“Of course,” she smiled. “I’m always happy to bring you guys back down to earth.”
Jane appeared in the doorway.
“Okay, guys!” she announced with an enthusiastic clap. “You did great! You should be very proud! I’ll see you next week when we announce the next project!”
Andy waited until she was gone to say, “She should have been a kindergarten teacher.”
“Come on, she’s nice,” Jane defended.
“She can be too much,” Peter chimed in quietly. “But I like her.”
They grumbled in agreement, and then K perked up.
“We should all go out together! Get something to eat! Celebrate!”
“Celebrate our embarrassment?” Nick asked grumpily, receiving a playful kick from K.
“Come on, Nick! We all did great! I want to have some fun now!”
“Now as in right now?” Jane asked without much enthusiasm.
“Yup!” K declared, rising from the table with determination. “And everyone’s coming!”
“I’m in,” Leo agreed immediately, and Andy nodded.
“I don’t want to…” Nick said.
“I have stuff…” Peter added.
“I’m tired…” Jane continued.
“Nu-uh!” K interrupted. “Everyone’s coming! I won’t take no for an answer!”
Peter felt a twinge of annoyance, but he kept his eyes down to hide it as he began to gather his belongings.
It took a few minutes to convince Jane and Nick, and then all eyes turned to Peter.
“You’re coming, right?” K asked, her tone determined.
“I’m really busy,” he said reluctantly.
"Peter, you're coming," K repeated, as if it were a settled matter. He frowned.
“Uh-oh,” Leo said, making big eyes. “He’s getting angry.”
That made Peter force himself to relax. After a few seconds of internal struggle, he nodded reluctantly. “Fine.”
"Yay!" K exclaimed, grabbing his hand and leading him out, barely giving him time to grab his bag. "I know the perfect place."
Peter liked these people. Really. But he wasn’t a people person. Every time he spent time with someone other than Ned or MJ, he just kept thinking about everything else he’d rather be doing. He still had a bunch of homework to do, a patrol to go to and he hadn't even had a chance to watch the new Star Wars movie yet. But instead, there he was, quietly trailing the group, listening to their conversations.
He eyed the people around him uncomfortably. They were attracting too much attention with their loud conversations and laughter. He didn’t like that. Peter Parker shouldn’t have been seen or heard. A nagging feeling in his gut kept him looking over his shoulder.
“You okay?” Nick asked, slowing down to walk alongside him.
“Yeah. Sorry.”
“Aw,” K said, turning to face them. “Nick looks grumpy but he is such a cuddly bear!”
"Shut up," Nick retorted, his expression becoming closed off.
“Sorry, sorry,” she laughed. “I just think you’re adorable, you know? Okay, the cafe's just around the corner.”
Shit. Peter didn’t have any money with him.
“Hey guys,” he spoke up. “Sorry, I really should go.”
“What?” Leo yelped. “It’s only been fifteen minutes!”
“Sorry, my family is pretty strict.”
“Come on…”
Peter smiled apologetically and slowed down. “Sorry,” he repeated. “See you next week.”
He turned around and jogged back the way they had come.
“Am I the only one who feels like he secretly hates us?” He heard Jane ask, once Peter was out of earshot of a normal person.
Peter took the subway straight home. His suit was still damaged, and he could have gone to Ned's to study, but… It was stupid, but he really didn’t want to leave May alone if she actually made dinner for the first time in months.
He felt even more stupid when he stepped into his empty, dimly lit apartment. A note reminding them to pay the rent was taped to the front door. May was gone, and most of the food had vanished with her. Peter tossed his bag onto the couch, his stomach growling, and rummaged through the drawers and fridge. He threw out the expired milk and settled for a mostly brown banana, telling himself it was better than nothing.
Peter spent the rest of the evening doing homework and fixing his suit. At ten o'clock May still hadn't returned, so he went out on patrol. She probably wouldn’t be back for a while. He left a note on the fridge saying he was with Ned, right next to his previous note saying he was at the internship.
Once he was in the air, everything he had on his mind — school, project, May — disappeared. It was as if there was no ground, no New York City, no past or future—only the rushing wind in his ears and the feeling of flying.
He leapt through the sky at a speed of 100 miles per hour, buildings whizzing by in seconds, but seeing everything as clearly as ever. A business guy eating a hot dog, a kid on a bike, a woman taking pictures of him. Peter took a moment to slow down, did a graceful turn, waved to the woman and posed for her photo before shooting back up into the sky.
He flew towards an huge glass building, landing on its side and effortlessly running upright along the wall as if it were solid ground. He leapt up and soared over the roof, taking in the breathtaking view of the New York City skyline. With exhilaration coursing through him, he descended, hurtling face first through the air and deploying his web just a few feet above the ground.
"Wow!" he heard a surprised cry from a random passerby, their voice fading away as he flew further away from them.
This is what freedom felt like.