Chapter Text
“Wake up Junior!” Friday’s voice wasn’t as loud as she’d use waking up anyone else, as her code had been edited to accommodate Peter’s heightened senses.
“Mhm.” He groaned, his head still deep in the pillow.
“You might want to get up, Natasha is coming up as we speak.”
That woke Peter up. Even though he treated Nat as something of an aunt, she was still terrifying.
“Tell her there’s no need, and that I’ll be at breakfast in ten.”
He rushed into his bathroom, taking a quick shower and getting dressed. He took an elevator down several floors to the common floor. The sight he was met with was one not many people would ever see, but one Peter was very familiar with. Behind the kitchen isle, a super-soldier in a flowery apron. Helping him, currently levitating a couple bowls into the sink, was a Sokovian witch. Her twin brother was sitting at the long dining table, chatting with two super-spies, another super-soldier with a metal arm and a Norse god.
“Morning.”
“Good morning, Peter. We’ve just finished the waffles. Want some?” Steve asked, holding up several plates with tall waffle towers on them.
“Yeah, thanks.” He took five waffles from one of the stacks and sat down next to Nat.
“You’re welcome. For once, you’ll actually be on time.”
“I was going to wake up just fine.” It was true, though Nat probably was right about being on time.
“Sure, паучок (spiderling). FRIDAY told us all about you staying in bed until she threatened you with me.”
“FRI!”
“Sorry Underoos.”
The present Avengers ate and a pleasant conversation filled the room. Peter was the first to leave, as he had school to go to. He joined Happy, who, like usual, did not like to be taken from his duties as head of security to drive around a constantly late teen, in the garage. The drive to school was silent, as Happy wasn’t in the mood to listen to Peter’s rambling and had closed the divider.
The first person he met at school was, of course, his best friend and man in the chair Ned. “Dude, did you hear? The AcaDec field trip is supposed to be announced at today’s meeting.”
“Great. I wonder what’ll go wrong at this one.”
A casual observer might find this quite a bit pessimistic, but Peter’s comment wasn’t exactly unfounded. His history with field trips was less than ideal. On their trip to Oscorp, he’d been bitten by a radioactive spider. On their trip to Washington, his team had been trapped in a falling elevator. And their last trip to MoMA, when he had to jump out of the bus and rescue his dad. Needless to say, he was sure Parker luckTM would strike again.
But no use worrying about that now, he reasoned, instead focusing on his classes. Not that he really needed to, the course work was dreadfully easy for him. Tony had offered several times to get him into MIT, but May and Peter had been adamant he get as normal a teenager experience as he could, being a superhero and one of the heirs to the biggest tech company worldwide. Not that any of that was common knowledge.
Finally, the long anticipated AcaDec meeting was upon them. The meeting itself was inconsequential. What wasn’t, however, was what happened after MJ took her seat. Some people started packing their bags, thinking this was the end. But instead, Mr. Harrington, the teacher who led the team, stood up from the papers he’d been grading.
“Not so fast. I have one last announcement for you all. As you know, the school administration was very pleased with your performance in the last Academic Decathlon and as such have granted us permission to go on a field trip. But they weren’t the only ones to notice our win. I am very pleased to announce that we’ve been invited for an overnight tour at Stark Industries.”
The class burst into cheers. It seemed everyone, even the teacher himself, was ecstatic at the prospect. Everyone, except MJ and Peter. MJ didn’t start celebrating because, well, she was MJ, but a smug smirk occupied her features nonetheless. Peter, on the other hand, looked like Christmas had been canceled.
“Now, the trip is next Friday, and I will need you to hand these forms in by Wednesday. In addition to a standard permission slip, Stark Industries gave us a Non-Disclosure Agreement to sign. Please come up to my desk and take one each, along with the informational sheet.”
They all lined up, Peter staying back with his friends. Ned was practically bubbling with excitement, anxiously waiting in line to get his permission slip. When it was finally his turn, Peter picked up the three papers and turned to follow his friends out.
“Mr. Parker, a word.”
Peter mentioned to his friends, who were now the only other people in the room, to go on without him. “Yes sir?”
“Peter,” he said, and the boy noticed the use of his first name, realizing what was sure to come. “I know the last few years have been difficult for you, what with your parents’ and uncle’s death, but that’s no reason to lie.”
“If you’re talking about my internship, I assure you that’s not a lie. I have the necessary paperwork at home, I can show it to you tomorrow if you like.”
“There will be no need for that Mr. Parker. I am well aware that Stark Industries has a rule against hiring interns not in college, and I would rather you not spend your time faking paperwork when we both know you don’t have an internship.”
“But Mr. Harrington I-“
“That’s enough, Mr. Parker. I would advise you to come clean to your peers before the field trip. But either way, I don’t want you spreading any more lies at Stark Industries.”
“Yes sir.” Peter figured it was no use arguing, so he just hurried out of the room with the papers.
“What did he want?” Ned asked as soon as the classroom door closed.
“He doesn’t believe I have an internship and he told me to not to ‘spread any more lies’ at SI.”
“That bastard! Did you tell him Pepper gave you the paperwork?” Peter was somewhat surprised and very happy that MJ dropped her signature uninterested demeanor on his behalf.
“I did, but he told me to not bother him with ‘fake paperwork’.”
“You should take this up with the school. Technically, this is illegal, and you could sue.”
“I don’t want to sue him. And anyways, it doesn’t matter what he thinks.”
“Plus, everyone will find out the truth next Friday. Oh my god, I can’t believe we’re going to Stark Industries!”
“Ned, you’ve literally been there so many times.”
“Yeah, but still. Do you think we’ll meet any Avengers?”
“Again, Ned, you’ve had dinner with all of them.” MJ sighed, clearly resigned to being friends with a forever fanboy.
“I hope we won’t, but I have a distinct feeling they’re gonna show up to embarrass me.”
“Yeah. I’m gonna have loads of material for my sketchbook.”
They started getting their things from the lockers and Peter thought he might actually get lucky in at least one way today. But alas, towards them came the familiar figure of Flash, his bully. He pushed him against the locker, pinning him. Of course, Peter being Spider man, he could easily get out of this situation, but there was a reason his identity was secret, and he wanted to keep it that way.
“So, Penis, are you ready to admit you made the internship up?”
“I’m telling the truth, Flash.” Peter said calmly, utilizing just about every technique Nat had taught him.
“Right. Stark Industries doesn’t hire high schoolers. And even if they did, what makes you think they’d have any interest in you, Penis.”
Before Peter could respond, MJ came to his rescue. “You know, for someone who claims to be straight, you mention male genitalia quite a lot.”
Flash glared at her but let go of Peter rather quickly. With one last insult, he stomped off somewhere, leaving the three friends laughing. Ned complimented MJ on the smart retort, to which she said she was ‘merely stating a fact’. Peter thanked her and the three parted ways on the school parking lot.
Peter immediately made his way to the black car with tinted windows, recognizing the car Happy drove him to and from school in every day. He got into the back seat and except for a short ‘Hi Happy’, he stayed quiet. Happy seemed to have noticed this, and after a couple minutes of complete silence, he spoke up.
“So how was school?”
“Good.” Peter replied, not even looking up at the driver.
“Ok, what’s up kid? Normally you’d be rambling nonstop about your day, but you haven’t said anything except hello.”
Peter surveyed the man, wondering if he should share what was bothering him. If he did, he was pretty sure Happy would tell his parents. On the other hand, they probably already knew about a group of teenagers coming into his tower, especially since Mr. Harrington said they’d been invited. And he really did want to tell someone. What the hell, why not?
“My AcaDec team has a field trim to Stark Industries and nobody except Ned and MJ believes I have an internship. Also I’m sure Dad and the others will embarrass me.”
Happy frowned. “They don’t believe your internship?”
“Yeah, well, SI doesn’t usually hire high schoolers. Fla- I mean they looked up the rules and are now convinced I’m just doing it for attention.”
“Did you tell them you’re Tony-“
“Dad’s personal intern? No. They wouldn’t believe me if I did and I didn’t want to bring any more attention to myself.”
“Peter,” Happy said seriously, “are you getting bullied?”
“I- N-no. I mean a little. But I’m handling it. And it’s better this way. It’s better if I get bullied, so Flash doesn’t pick on anyone else.”
“That’s not how this works. Nobody should get bullied.”
“I know…” Peter trailed off, desperate for a change of subject.
Luckily, Happy decided to drop it, though Peter was sure this wasn’t the last he was hearing of this. He excitedly told Happy about the Chemistry quiz he’d aced earlier, and although the teen genius (Tony’s words, not his) doing well in school was hardly news, Happy suggested they get ice cream to celebrate. It wasn’t hard to spot the man's real motive, but Peter appreciated it nonetheless. One huge banana split and lemon sorbet later, they were on their way to the Tower.
“Welcome back Mini Boss. Shall I alert Boss and Potato boy that you’ve arrived?”
“Sure FRI, thanks.” Peter told the AI, waiving to the nearest camera and stepping into the elevator. “Take me to my lab, please.”
“Of course. Boss told me that he is in a boring meeting with boring old people, but as soon as that’s done, he’ll come to your lab. Potato boy is currently in his lab, but he says he’ll come over as soon as he puts out the fire.”
Peter smiled but said nothing, riding up in silence. When he finally reached the right floor, he hurried out and into his lab. It wasn’t quite as big as Tony’s, not that the billionaire hadn’t offered. It was simply because Peter spent a lot of time in other labs, whether it was his dad’s, Bruce’s, his boyfriend’s or the various labs in the SI portion of the building.
But smaller didn’t mean any less equipped. From holo displays, fabricators (a fancy term for 3D printers), a whole room dedicated to tool storage, another one full off his most often used parts, the lab had everything. His latest Spider man suit, still a prototype, hung on the wall next to his other unfinished projects. Natasha’s new widow bites and a new type of arrow for Clint were among them, as well as a new web fluid formula and a couple non-Avenger related ones.
He picked up the arrow. It was meant to work similarly to Peter Quill’s gravity mines, one of which the guardian had given him for inspiration on his last visit. Having tech to copy made it quite a bit easier, but he was still having issues with fitting it inside the arrowhead while not sacrificing any power. He’d taken the mine apart, trying to determine if any of its components were unnecessary. Unsurprisingly, everything was there for a reason and the mine wouldn’t work without it.
He mindlessly looked around the materials he had in the room. His eyes fell on a sample of nanofiber composite he’d worked on with his dad recently. They’d taken inspiration from the Iron Man suits and developed a strong material that could be woven into incredibly thin strands. With this idea in his head, he started redesigning the components to be smaller. He put all this together in a holographic simulation and behold, it fit. He didn’t even need to alter the power source. Just as he finished giving Friday the instructions on what to fabricate, the door to his lab opened.
“Watcha doin darlin’”
“Hey Harley. I just started fabricating a new arrow for Clint. What did you set on fire this time?” Peter knew it was hypocritical to be using that tone, especially since most fires they caused together, but when had that ever stopped him?
“I was working on a new fuel for engines and it kinda blew up in my face.”
“Want any help?”
“I’m able to figure it out by myself.” Harley pouted, but Peter paid him no mind and started walk around his work bench.
“I’m sure you are, but it’ll be more fun this way. Come on.” He gave his boyfriend a little peck on the lips before leaving his lab.
“Hey! That was mean.” He hurried after the younger boy.
They didn’t, in fact, end up working on the fuel. When Tony walked in on them not half an hour later, they were on the lab couch, Harley straddling Peter, lips locked together. The older man had turned right around, yelling something about locks and to come to his lab when they were decent. The two boys got up with matching smirks, and after a quick check of their reflections in some glass covered shelves, they walked into Tony’s lab.
“How many times have I told you two? No funny business in the lab!”
“You’re not really in a position to judge. We talked to Rhodey and he told us some interesting stories about what you used to get up to in your youth.”
“Damn. I should really talk to Honey-bear about what he’s allowed to tell you guys. Can’t have you knowing all of my secrets.”
“Wasn’t really a secret.” Peter pointed out, speaking for the first time.
“Harls, I don’t like this. You’ve corrupted him. I miss the days when you first came here. You used to be so polite.”
“Oh do you now, Mr. Stark sir? I’ll be sure to correct my mistake, Mr. Stark.”
Harley let out a snort. “Oh, no kid. Please don’t go back to calling me that.”
Peter just gave shot him a grin. “Shall we continue with that engine fuel, babe. I’m sure Mr. Stark has a lot to do.” And before the man could argue, they strode back into Harley’s lab.
They had actually worked on the fuel this time, with only a few short intermissions. They’d just prepared a new solution for testing when Friday gave them a message.
“Boss say’s dinner is ready, but he’s apparently too scared to come tell you himself. He is waiting in his lab.”
“Course he is. Thanks Fri.”
They took the elevator up together, Peter still calling his dad Mr. Stark. When the doors on the Avengers floor, Peter was surprised to see quite a few people sitting around the truly gigantic table. Pepper, Morgan, Nat, Clint, Bruce, Rhodey, Wanda, Pietro, Sam, Steve and Bucky were a regular appearance, but Pete was surprised that not only was doctor Strange chatting pleasantly with Wanda, but there were now two literal gods in the room.
“Loki! I only saw Thor this morning, so I thought you’d stayed in Asgard.” He ran over and hugged him.
Although it had been quite shocking at first, pretty much everybody had grown accustomed to Loki and Peter hugging. Not that Peter didn’t hug the others, he was definitely a hug person, but they’d expected the god of mischief especially to have a problem with it. They’d been very mistaken, however, because it’d been clear very early on that Loki had formed a special bond with the kid.
“Hello Spiderling. I had some business with Strange in the Sanctum, but I’ll be staying here until next Sunday.”
“Ok, that’s cool.”
The three newcomers were the last to appear, so once they took their seats, dinner began. Everyone was talking over the delicious lasagna Steve and his husband had made. News from Asgard were shared, days were recounted, and everyone was having a great time. Peter had nearly forgotten about the permission slip in his backpack. That is, of course, before Natasha spoke up, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.
“So, tell us more about the field trip you’re going on next Friday, [spiderling].”
“How the hell did you find out about that?”
“MJ texted me.”
Of course she did. Peter should have known introducing the two would be a bad idea. Along with Pepper, those three were unstoppable, and could probably conquer the world by lunch if they woke up feeling like it.
“Fine. For those of you who haven’t heard yet, My AcaDec team is going on an overnight trip here. One we were invited to,” he glares at Tony, “by the wonderfully generous Mr. Stark.”
“What’s with your own kid calling you Mr. Stark?” Clint asked, unable to suppress a laugh.
“He said something dumb in the lab. And I suppose the field trip has something to do with it, although I am personally very happy about that opportunity.”
“It actually wasn’t me, kid. Though I agree with Potato kid. This is going to be fun.” His lips twisted into an evil smirk. “Did I mention Shuri and T’Challa are coming over? We got a trade agreement to finalize.”
Peter just let out a noise that resembled a pterodactyl dying and dropped his head into his hands. Everybody laughed but changed the topic. He was by no means fooled by this, as he knew they would all take the time to crash his trip for the sole purpose of embarrassing him.