Chapter Text
Peter’s feet hit the cold floor, and he shivers, arms crossing over his chest to preserve warmth. The house is freezing. It is always freezing, but it forces him to wear hoodies and sweatpants that do well to hide the bruises. Peter shuffles forward, making his way to his bedroom door. He peeks out of it and sees no one, so he quickly slips down the hall. The unforgiving wooden floors make him regret not putting on socks. Peter jogs down the stairs and into the kitchen, where he knows his breakfast shake will be waiting for him. Sure enough, it’s sat on the counter in a glass with a pink straw.
Peter sits down at the bar and begins sipping the multivitamin-packed smoothie. He watches their maid Louisa cook eggs and bacon. His enhanced hearing picks up on the footsteps while they’re still up the stairs, and he can tell that it’s his father by the gait. Richard passes a hand through Peter’s hair when he approaches him, but it feels possessive, not loving.
“Morning, son.”
“Good morning, dad.”
Richard sits down beside him and pulls out his phone, already responding and composing emails. Peter half-heartedly peeks at the words on the screen, but he’s too tired to absorb them. So, instead, he just sits there and drinks his smoothie.
“Good morning, sir,” Louisa says, coming over with a full plate. “Here is your breakfast.”
Richard glances at her, raising a hand in thanks. Louisa nods and goes about cleaning the pans and spatulas that she used while cooking. Not for the first time, Peter wishes that he could try eggs and bacon. It smells so good. But he knows that he isn’t allowed because it isn’t a part of the diet his father meticulously planned for him. Peter drank his shakes for breakfast and ate chicken, brown rice, and broccoli for lunch and dinner.
Richard checks the time and says, “You’ve been sitting there for fifteen minutes. Go get ready for school.”
“Yes, sir.”
Peter stands up and treks upstairs, throwing on a pair of jeans, an undershirt, and an open flannel once he’s inside his bedroom. He brushes his teeth and sprays a little bit of cologne after applying deodorant. Peter packs his backpack, grabs his lunch bag, and then he’s out the door. Alfonso is waiting outside of their home, ready to drive him to school. Peter slips into the backseat.
“Morning, Alfonso.”
“Morning, kid. Sleep well?”
“Yeah,” Peter shrugs. “You?”
“Like a rock.”
Their conversation ends there, as Alfonso pulls away from the curb and merges into traffic. Peter sits with his chin in his hand, staring out the window and watching the buildings pass by. Alfonso turns the radio on and some morning talk show floods through the speakers. Peter rubs his eyes, unimpressed by the cheerfulness in the host’s voice at the early hour. He can already feel a headache starting to form, but he doesn’t bother to tell the man to turn off the radio. Talking would only take up more energy.
By the time they make it to Midtown, Peter’s school, there’s already a scattering of kids outside. Peter thanks Alfonso for the ride and slips out of the car. He heads inside to his locker and jumps at the sound of his name being called.
“Ned, you scared me!”
“Sorry, man,” Ned apologizes. “Hey, you wanna come over after school to build my new-”
Ned cuts off abruptly at the look on Peter’s face, knowing that Richard would never let Peter go to another kid’s house.
“I wish I could, dude. That sounds fun.”
“Your dad is so lame. He never lets you do anything.”
“He let me go on that field trip to Oscorp,” Peter defends.
“Yeah,” Ned scoffs. “Everyone goes on field trips. That’s not saying much.”
They are interrupted by MJ slouching over. “What are you losers talking about?”
“Peter’s dad. Hey, MJ, you wanna come build my new Legos with me after school?”
MJ looks like she’s debating thumping Ned on the forehead. “We have decathlon practice after school, dumbass.”
“Ohhh. Right.”
MJ rolls her eyes. Peter laughs, shifting his backpack strap on his shoulder. He glances at his phone and sees that they have five minutes until class starts. Peter flips the screen around to show his friends. Ned and MJ nod. Peter and Ned say goodbye to MJ and make their way to chemistry class. The room’s lights are already overstimulating Peter, and he groans, burying his face in his hands.
“What’s wrong?”
“Headache.”
“Aw, I’m sorry, dude. I don’t have any medicine on me, but maybe if you ask one of the girls-”
“My dad doesn’t like me taking medicine, remember?”
“Well, your dad’s not here.”
Peter just shakes his head, pulling out his notebook. “It’s fine.”
“Okay, whatever you say.”
Chemistry is easy for Peter. It always has been. Besides, he needs to be good at it in order to make his web fluid. See, Peter Parker has a secret, one he’s managed to slip under even his father’s radar. Peter is the friendly, neighborhood Spider-Man. Ever since his class went on that Oscorp field trip four months ago, Peter has been different. He changed. Now, he has super senses, reflexes, and abilities. Peter figured there was no better way to use them than for good.
He knew he couldn’t tell his father. His dad was a scientist himself. He would no doubt be intrigued by the change and want to run tests. Peter loved his father, but he didn’t trust him with his secret. Peter has come close to telling Ned, but Ned couldn’t keep a secret to save his life. So, it was Peter’s burden to carry alone. It was difficult some days, especially when he got injured, but it was worth it.
Peter is dragged from his thoughts when the intercom gurgles to life.
“Mrs. Vaughn? Can we have Peter Parker to the principal's office please?”
“Okay!” The teacher calls.
Eyes turn on Peter as he starts packing up his things.
“What did you do?” Ned whispers.
“I don’t know!” Peter responds, a little frantically.
He gets out of his seat, shoulders his bag, and starts the walk to the principal’s office. The halls are mostly empty, besides a few students going to the bathroom or running errands. Peter’s heart beats fast in his chest as he runs thought after thought of what this could be about through his mind. Far too quickly, he makes it to the front office. The secretary lets him in and sends him to Mr. Morita’s office. Peter raises a fist and knocks on the door.
“Come in!”
Peter turns the knob, slipping through the wooden door. “You wanted to see me, sir?”
“Yes! Come in. Sit down. Don’t worry; you’re not in trouble.”
Peter relaxes marginally at this. He knew he didn’t do anything wrong, but anxiety got the best of him. He folds his hands in his lap.
“What did you need?”
“Right! You’ve been chosen for an internship with Stark Industries! Isn’t that exciting?”
Peter’s mouth falls open. “What?”
“We submitted some of our top students’ work to a program at Stark Industries, and they chose you to intern with them! Now, here’s a packet that you need to read through and sign. You’ll give it to the secretary at Stark Industries.”
“I- I need to talk to my dad.”
“Of course, of course! You have three days to make a decision, or the opportunity will go to someone else. Congratulations, Peter. I’m so proud of you.”
“Thank you. Um, is that all?”
“Yep! If you have any questions, come back and ask me. Okay? Now, you go and get to class.”
Peter nods, accepting the thick stack of papers handed to him. His head is spinning. Peter didn’t even know that Stark Industries did internships with high schoolers. Not that it wouldn’t be a dream come true. Seriously, Stark Industries. As in Tony Stark. As in the Avengers.
Peter enters his English class, which he has with MJ, and the lights are off, doing well to soothe his headache. The fairy lights along the back wall are on, creating a cozy atmosphere. Peter sits in his seat. MJ is already there, across the classroom and doodling something in her notebook.
Peter’s foot taps an unsteady beat. He just wants to go home and talk about the internship with his dad. He only has three days to convince him to say yes. Peter reads through the packet, growing more excited by the minute. The internship is with Tony Stark himself! He audibly gasps when he reads that sentence, causing the girl sitting next to him to give him a weird look.
The internship would be on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, lasting for as long as Mr. Stark needed him for. The starting date was in three weeks. This is the best thing that’s ever happened to Peter.
-
“Don’t you get tired of eating that?” Ned asks, gesturing to Peter’s lunch.
Peter shrugs. “I don’t know. I guess.”
“You dad is kinda insane, restricting your diet like that,” MJ comments.
Peter shrugs again. “He just wants what’s best for me.”
Would Peter like to try other foods? Of course. Will he ever? He doubts it.
“Here.” Ned offers Peter his sandwich. “Try that.”
Peter stares. “I’m not allowed to eat bread.”
“You’re not allowed to eat anything! Just try it.”
Peter swallows, hands shaking. Just the thought of disobeying his father is enough to make his cheek smarten like he’s already been hit.
“No, man, I’m good. That’s yours.”
Ned sighs but drops it. MJ watches Peter with a raised eyebrow, and he tries to ignore her, poking at his brown rice. They sit in silence for a little bit, Peter not wanting to tell them about the internship until he’s sure it’s his, until Ned starts jabbering about his new Star Wars Lego set that he’s been trying to get them to build with him. MJ listens, chewing on her apple, but she doesn’t speak. Peter, more excited by Star Wars than she is, joins in the conversation enthusiastically. By the time the bell rings, Peter is in a much better mood.
-
Peter leaves the building after decathlon practice, hopping into the car.
“Good day, kid?” Alfonso asks.
“Yeah,” Peter answers distractedly. “Do you know if my dad is busy?”
Alfonso meets Peter’s eyes briefly in the rearview mirror. “I don’t know. Why?”
“Just… need to talk to him.”
“Well, you’ll be home in twenty minutes.”
Peter doesn’t answer, just settles back in his seat. He grips his backpack absentmindedly with his left hand, internship papers burning a hole through the bag. When they finally pull up to the house, Peter practically sprints through the front door. He composes himself long enough to put his backpack down and fetch the packet. Peter goes upstairs to the third level of the house, where Richard conducts his work, and stands outside his office door. He takes a deep breath, calming his hair, and watching his father’s workers in the lab. Eventually, he works up the courage to knock.
“Come in.”
Peter takes another steadying breath and twists the door handle. When he enters the room, it’s to the sight of his father at his desk, laptop open in front of him. Richard glances at Peter, and then goes back to his screen.
“What do you want, son?”
“I wanted to talk to you about something that happened at school.”
Richard looks at him now. “Should I be expecting a phone call?”
“N-no! It’s nothing bad. I just- I got accepted for an internship at Stark Industries.”
“Did you?” Richard asks rhetorically, and Peter knows he has entered dangerous territory. “You didn’t tell me you were applying.”
“I, um, I didn’t apply. The school submitted their top students’ work, and I was chosen. It’s- I have the packet with all the information right here.”
Peter hands the packet to his father. Richard watches Peter with cold eyes for a moment longer before shifting his attention to the papers in his hands. He scans the words, flipping a couple of pages, and then says, “No.”
“What? Dad, please!”
“I said no. Why you would want to intern at Stark Industries is beyond me.”
“You never let me do anything-”
Richard is up and around the desk before Peter can blink. His hand connects with the side of Peter’s face, Peter’s head whipping to the side. He brings a hand up to cup his cheek, tears springing into his eyes from the force of the hit.
“Don’t you ever disrespect me again.” Richard grips Peter’s chin.
“Daddy, please.”
Richard studies him, stares into his teary brown eyes and at the red handprint on his face, and says, “Fine. But you back talk to me again, and you’ll see how mad I can get.”
“Thank you! Thank you so much!”
Richard squeezes his chin. “You’re welcome, son.”
Peter leaves the packet on his father’s desk for the man to sign and makes his escape. He runs into a man in a lab coat just down the hall. The man takes in his red and tear stained face and sighs.
“So, he’s mad. Great.”
Peter tries to ignore the guilt he feels at that, scurrying down the hallway. He makes it to his room and plops onto his bed. He’s interning with Tony Stark!