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Hydra keeps tabs. That's how Tony knows they're aware of Spider-man. They keep tabs on everyone, meticulously. It's the reason why he was hired, because of his explicit eye for detail.
Well, that and he was really good with tech.
But that wasn't the topic at hand, it was that they knew of Spider-man, and wanted him. Tony agreed. No normal ‘Super-hero’ was able to stop the inner workings of his technology without destroying it. He marks it as something he has in common with Spider-man, that they're both tech geniuses.
It takes off from there. Tony sends out more and more elaborate weapons after Spider-man, and it brings him a sense of pure, unadulterated joy that they are taken apart in a completely unharmed way. It makes his job a lot easier, honestly.
Then it gets more interesting. Pepper bugs him to find an intern, something that would be good PR. He complies, browsing the September Foundation and finding a young gifted mind. He decides on Peter Parker, a kid who goes to Midtown, with excellent marks and other things. Tony would be lying if he said he fully looked through the kids profile and saw anything more than his name.
And so it was born. Tony Stark, inviting a teenager into his company, making him sign NDA after NDA to not leak company secrets (“As if I'd let him get that far.”) and to bring him coffee.
The first few weeks were fine, more than! Tony greatly enjoyed not having to get up and grab his coffee, and the kid was mostly quiet, save for a few science related questions. He truly didn't mind, though, because they weren't childish questions, and they were few and far between! What could be better?
.
..
…
“What could be better?” ended up with Tony starting to notice the little things with the kid. Pepper had brought it up to check on him a little more. It was the way that he had bruises up his arms and face, he favored one side over the other, he would limp… etcetera etcetera.
He was already in unfamiliar territory, taking on an intern, especially one underage. When exactly did he start caring for this kid? Enough to worry about outside of office hours?
So that's where life had him sitting on the chess board. (“Or checkers!”) In the lab, watching the kid closely as he sported a new bruise over the expanse of his neck and eye.
“Hey, kid, are you doing.. alright? Over there?” Tony found himself questioning. Peter’s fidgeting stopped, and his hands trembled. “I didn't really want to bring it up, I'm like, crazy out of my depth when it comes to babysitting, but I'm like 87% sure kids aren't supposed to have bruises like that. Pepper noticed too, by the way, we had a very insightful conversation about childcare –”
“I'm fine, Dr. Stark. Nothing you need to concern yourself with.” Tony cursed his tendency to ramble. Peter wore a, frankly pitiful, mask of nonchalance. “Some mugger caught me on my way home from school. My aunt is a nurse, so she medically cleared me.. yeah.” He sounded wildly unsure of what he was saying.
Tony raised an eyebrow at his words. “That's the story we're going with? Well, I don't fancy you getting beat up for a penny and pocket lint, so I'm gonna have Happy pick you up and drop you home and to the tower so we can prevent any more of those mishaps.” Peter looked red in the face, like he was ready to protest. “I don't really need my coffee runner and email reader dropping like a tased fly.”
Peter sighed, and Tony felt such a depth in it that was definitely harvested from long standing trauma. “I don't need that, sir, it was just this once. I don't want to trouble Mr. Hogan with anything.”
Tony was going to contest that, he wasn't troubling anyone because it was Happy’s job – But then he really took in Peter's face, and saw how uncomfortable he looked.
So, the rest of the time was spent with an uncomfortable silence. Save for Tony's regular curses and mumblings to himself.
.
..
…
Tony found himself randomly checking in on Peter. Truthfully, the kid got better at hiding his injuries. He didn't know why or how he became so invested in this kid that wasn't even his, but he felt obligated to him.
His eye for detail kept him alert for whenever the kid bumbled in. He watched every wince, limp, and discomforted face.
It really affected his work. Like, actually, on a downright criminal level. He'd barely been out to stretch his legs for Hydra, gaining intelligence.
Peter startled Tony out of his thoughts one day, returning to the present. His face was stormy with emotions. In Tony's professional opinion, he looked torn between screaming and sobbing.
“Kid, ‘you good? You kinda look super pissed. Kinda feels like when a golden retriever doesn't immediately greet you or something –” Tony could've gone on if he didn't happen to catch the way Peter's face crumpled.
“One of my close friends, he and his dad uhm.. passed. They were caught in the crossfire of a fight between the avengers and that one villain.. I just can't.” His eyes were watering. “It's so cruel. The school wants to set up a memorial for him, and his mom is just.. god. She's so upset. May and I have been trying to help her but..”
Tears were flowing freely. Oh, oh god. Tony felt his heart break a little. He didn't think that the kid was friends with anyone who was there.
“I'm sorry, kid. Why didn't you call out? Could've said there was a death, I would've let you go –”
“You told me at the start that I don't really have the privilege to call out, considering I'd have to get an actual job to call out of. It's fine, I need a distraction anyways.”
Had Tony really been that much of an asshole? Well, the kid was already here, and so he might as well provide a distraction.
“C'mere, bud, let’s go.” He hefted himself up, walking with a purpose towards the elevator while beckoning Peter to follow. He did, only a few steps behind. Usually it would feed his ego, but now it just made him feel horrible.
When they made it to the elevator, it slid open and he dragged Peter under his arm. They stood close together, and it was then the dots started connecting. His mouth moved before he had a chance to stop.
“Have you ever been caught between those fights..?” Peter jumped, startled by the question. He cleared his throat, shuffling his feet.
His non-answer was one hell of an answer. Of course the kid had to be caught in his battles. He wanted to desperately bubble wrap him, every single pop would alert him to help – Oh god.
Oh god, oh no. No, no, no. Take it back. He cares for this kid. Like, a lot. Like, a little too much that he wants to make a watch that matches his, Pepper's, and Rhodey's. He wants to protect him. This is absolutely detrimental to his allegiance towards Hydra, not to mention his mission to bring in Spider-man.
Tony was so left field he was ending up right. Why did Pepper ever let him get an intern? Why was he an overly emotional idiot? Why did he become so attached to this kid?
The most important question was no longer “Who's Spider-man?”, but it had pivoted to this clearly hurt teen. Just how in the hell was he going to protect Peter?