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“You have got to be kidding me.”
Ned laughed at Peter’s exasperated tone, hiding his smile behind his hand when he turned to glare at him.
Mr. Harrington had just announced a field trip for their sophomore-year science class. Peter didn’t have a good track record with field trips, cough cough spider bite cough cough, so this was not good news.
“Mr. Parker, I haven’t even told you where we’re going,” Mr. Harrington sighed. The class laughed quietly before he continued. “We are going to… Stark Industries!”
As everyone around him cheered and clapped, Peter’s stomach filled with icy cold dread.
Stark Industries. Stark Tower.
The same place he had been living every Monday through Friday.
His second home, the place he went when May was working late during the week.
Fuck.
“The field trip will be next Friday, so make sure you sign this permission slip and NDA by Wednesday of this week,” Mr. Harrington said, passing out papers to every student. He paused for a second at Peter’s desk.
“See me after class, Parker.”
Peter nodded, the pit in his stomach sinking deeper.
The bell rang ten minutes later, leading everyone to pack up and leave for the day. Ned patted Peter on the shoulder.
“Do you need me to wait for you?” He asked.
“No, it’s fine. I’ll see you tomorrow, Ned,” Peter said, smiling, trying to keep his hands from shaking.
Ned nodded, walking out of the room with one more glance back.
Peter walked up to Mr. Harrington’s desk on shaky legs, gripping the strap of his bag tightly.
“Peter, I’ve had several people come and tell me you are faking an internship at Stark Industries,” Mr. Harrington accused, voice stern.
Peter gulped. “I do have an internship, sir. I’m not trying to draw any attention to myself, if that’s what you’re thinking. It was mentioned once, and people ran with it.”
“That’s not what I’ve been told, Mr. Parker.”
“There’s paperwork Ms. Potts had to give the office; ask the principal!” Peter was getting anxious, voice trembling. He was fine with kids like Flash not believing him, but adults who had access to his records?
“Yes, so I’ve seen… Forging signatures is a serious offense.”
Peter’s heart fell into his stomach. “I’m not lying! Why would I lie about this!”
“I won’t say anything yet, but I don’t want to hear any talk about this while we are on our field trip, understand?” Mr. Harrington leveled him with a stern glare.
Peter deflated, too tired to fight back anymore. He was getting a headache. “Yes, sir.”
“Good. You may go.”
Peter walked out of the classroom on numb legs, desperately trying to hold down the lump in his throat. Today was Monday, which meant Peter was spending the next few days at the tower. He somehow made it to Happy’s sleek black car without crying, but now that he was in a warm, comfy seat, he wasn’t sure he was going to make it.
Happy noticed immediately. “What’s going on with you, kid?”
“It’s nothing, Happy,” Peter mumbled, eyes stinging as he tried to hold back tears.
“That voice means there’s somethin’, but you don’t have to tell me. I’m telling Tony, though.”
“No, don’t tell Mr. Stark! Everything’s fine!”
“Too late, FRIDAY already told him.”
Peter slumped in his seat, letting the tears roll down his face. His breath hitched, finally letting his upset be known. He felt so stupid, crying over a stern talk with his teacher at age fifteen, but he was just so tired and angry. He hadn’t gotten a lot of sleep that night, and then he was almost late for school, and then he got called a liar! It was so unfair.
Happy threw a box of tissues and a blanket at him, which he accepted gratefully.
…
Peter must have fallen asleep at some point, because next he knew the car door he was leaning on was gone. He panicked as he fell, but he was swiftly caught by a strong, warm arm.
“You feelin’ alright, bear?” Steve asked, chuckling.
“‘M fine,” Peter mumbled, sitting up with Steve’s help. His eyes were red and puffy from crying.
“FRIDAY said you were upset. Tony’s waiting in the lab for you, told me to come get you.”
Peter frowned, but nodded. “Okay.” Peter grabbed his bag and got in the elevator with Steve.
Over the months that Peter had known Tony, he had become more than just an intern. The kid was exactly like him, if a little anxious and awkward. Peter had also gotten to know the other Avengers after the accords were fixed. The rogues had moved back in, much to Tony’s hesitation. There had been no actual fighting, thank god, just verbal arguments and angry messages. Peter hadn’t gotten any action, to his immense disappointment.
But now, with everyone bonded as if nothing had happened, Peter couldn’t be happier. He got to spar with almost everybody, do science stuff with Tony and Bruce, and have movie nights with the literal Avengers next to him!
He loved his weekdays at the tower, because he would have been sitting alone at his apartment if he wasn’t there. May worked later and later every day, but mostly had the weekends off. Peter made sure to plan nothing else on the days May was home.
The elevator doors opened silently, indicating they were at the lab. Steve squeezed his shoulder, smiling as he got off.
“Hope you feel better, kiddo. I’m making pasta tonight, and Bucky’s baking those cookies you like.”
Peter lit up a bit. “Really? Awesome! Bye, Mr. Steve!”
Peter chuckled when Steve tried to correct him on his name, but was interrupted by the doors closing. Peter had taken to calling everyone by their first names, but enjoyed adding the Mr. or Ms. just to annoy them.
And so what if in his head they were aunt and uncle? Nobody needed to know that little detail.
Peter walked into the lab feeling slightly better. Tony was at his usual station, hunched over his desk while working on an Iron Man gauntlet.
“Hey, Tony,” Peter called, watching the man flinch. He smiled; he was so easy to scare.
“Hey, underoos! Have any homework?” Tony asked, flipping up his welding helmet. He made FRIDAY turn down the music.
“Surprisingly no, but…”
“Out with it, kid. Happy told me you were upset after school.”
“So Mr. Harrington announced a field trip, right? Well, it’s… here.”
“Like, here at the tower? The tower you spend most of the week working and living at? That tower?”
“Yeah.”
Peter tried to ignore the loud guffaws and cackles coming from his mentor as he continued his story.
“And after Mr. Harrington passed out all the permission slips, he told me to stay after class. He said I was lying about my internship and accused me of forging your signature! He wouldn’t listen to a word I said, and I was already really tired and upset and-”
“Whoa, kiddo, you’re working yourself up again. Breathe.”
Peter hadn’t noticed how heavy and frantic his breathing had gotten. He took a few deep breaths to center himself before sitting in a chair Tony had rolled over for him.
“Your teacher thinks you’re lying about your internship, and forged my signature to do it? Is this guy dumb?” Tony scoffed.
“It’s just… really hard to believe, I guess.”
“Hard to believe? Pete, you made your own webshooters from scraps. You help me with equations even Bruce can’t solve. You’ve reprogrammed FRIDAY, for crying out loud!”
“Yeah, well, nobody at school knows that, do they? They think I’m just some try-hard in AP everything that can’t stay awake half the day!”
Silence followed Peter’s outburst, causing shame to creep up on him. He fidgeted with his fingers, eyes firmly focused on the floor.
“I-I’m sorry, Tony, I just…”
Tony pulled him into a hug before he could finish, pushing his face into his shoulder.
“You are not ‘just some try-hard ’. You are the smartest kid I know, and I’m sure everyone who knows you thinks the same. And if anyone ever tries to tell you otherwise, you stand up for yourself as if your life depends on it,” Tony whispered, petting a hand through Peter’s hair.
Tony thankfully didn’t mention the stray tears on Peter’s face when he pulled away.
“Now, how about you help me finish this?” Tony gestured to the gauntlet sitting in pieces on his workbench. Peter nodded, wiping his nose on his sleeve before taking his sweater off. He didn’t want to get it stained with grease.
…
The two geniuses worked in the lab until dinner. Pepper came down to the lab and dragged them out when Tony muted her calls.
“But Ms. Potts, we were almost done!” Peter whined.
“First, it’s Pepper. Second, you two need to eat. Especially you, Peter,” Pepper scolded, pushing both boys in the direction of their rooms. “Now, go get changed.”
Peter walked to his room at the end of the hall. It was big, the size of his apartment's kitchen and living room combined, and the walls were painted baby blue. His bed, a king at Tony’s insistence, was set with clean white sheets, a few blue pillows, and a blue comforter. Peter set his baby blanket by his pillow, the fraying quilt a stark contrast to the new bedding. His grandma had made it for him, and sometimes he liked to pretend it smelled like his mom and dad.
The floor was spotless, lightly stained wood covered by a small rug near his PC, which he had built himself. His desk was big and scattered with study materials.
On the wall opposite the door was a walk-in closet. Tony had filled it with clothes that actually fit him, saying his current wardrobe was a ‘crime’.
Peter entered the walk-in and grabbed pajama pants, a pair of warm socks, and a hoodie he might have stolen from Tony’s closet. It said MIT on it; how could he just leave it there?
After washing the grime off his hands and arms, Peter walked into the common room. The only people there were Steve, Bucky, Tony, and Pepper, the latter two on the couch while the former two were in the kitchen.
“Hey, squirt. Nice hoodie,” Tony chuckled, beckoning Peter over. Peter sat down next to him, grateful for the blanket he laid over his lap.
The T.V. was playing some type of documentary, and the calming narration was lulling Peter into a half-asleep state. He kept snapping awake, trying desperately not to fall asleep.
Tony slowly pulled Peter down so his head rested on his shoulder, wrapping an arm around him.
“You can nap for a bit, bambino. Dinner’ll be ready in half an hour. I’ll wake you up.”
For the second time that day, Peter fell asleep without meaning to.
…
“Peter’s got a field trip to the tower!”
Peter woke up to Clint shouting, making him groan into Tony’s chest. He must have moved while he was sleeping, because they were now both lying down fully on the couch.
Peter sat up quickly as Clint paraded around with his permission slip in hand, showing everyone in the room.
Peter’s stomach dropped. Everyone was in the room, which meant everyone saw him sleeping on the couch on top of Tony.
His face burned as he got up and chased Clint around the room to get his permission slip.
“Give it back!” Peter yelled, leaping over the kitchen island and onto Clint’s back. He managed to pry it from his hands before retreating back to the couch.
“That sounds like fun. We never did stuff like that when I was in school,” Steve said, sliding into a recliner he had claimed as his.
“That’s because your school was still all one room,” Tony joked, earning chuckles from everyone in the room.
“It wasn’t, but close,” Bucky chimed in, leaning over Steve’s recliner to plant a kiss on his cheek.
“Whatever, lover boy, let’s eat!” Tony announced, standing from the couch and cracking his back.
Peter’s stomach growled, and he was at the stove spooning pasta onto his plate within seconds.
“Well, I’m glad we don’t say grace before eating,” Tony murmured, making Peter laugh.
Dinner was filled with quiet conversation and soft laughter. Peter ate two plates of pasta before he engaged in any type of conversation.
“So, Pete, this field trip. When is it?” Natasha asked.
“It’s next Friday. The information packet said it would be a complete tour, so we’re going to the labs as well as legal and PR,” Peter explained, taking a sip of his water.
“You’re seeing the museum and stuff, right?” Clint asked around a mouthful of spaghetti.
“I think so. You guys aren’t going to do anything, right?” Peter asked, suspicious.
“Of course not, Pete!” Clint said, putting a hand over his heart in mock offense.
“Oh, we’re totally doing something,” Sam laughed, making eye contact with Bucky across the table.
“Should’ve thought of this before you put a pigeon in my room,” Bucky said, crossing his arms.
“Oh, c’mon, it was funny!” Peter exclaimed. The whole table laughed.
“Don’t worry, kiddo, it won’t be too bad,” Tony reassured.
“I hope not.”
…
The next day, Peter woke up on time, ate a good breakfast, and even made it to school a little early. His day was going surprisingly well.
“Mr. Parker, I don’t know why you think I'm a fool.”
His day was going well. Now, after handing in his permission slip, he was getting yelled at again.
“He wrote his number and everything! Just call him!” Peter pleaded.
He should have known having Tony sign his permission slip was a bad idea. He didn’t have a choice; he wouldn’t see May until after the deadline.
“I am not calling a number that you set up!” Mr. Harrington yelled, getting more and more agitated.
Peter huffed, pulling out his phone and clicking on Tony’s contact. For a few moments, Peter was worried he wouldn’t pick up and he’d get detention for having his phone out. Tony answered on the fourth ring.
“Hey, what’s up, kid?” Tony’s voice came through the phone.
“My teacher needs confirmation on my permission slip,” Peter said, never looking away from Mr. Harrington’s paling face.
“Ah, Mr. Harrison or whatever. Hello! This is Tony Stark, the one and only. I signed Peter’s permission slip.”
“Y-you aren’t on his… his guardian list-”
“Oh, but I am, right under his aunt. I’ve gotta go, Pete, I’m in a meeting. Bye!”
The phone beeped as Tony hung up, the sound ringing in the stunned silence. Mr. Harrington was stunned by the entire phone call, but Peter couldn’t believe Tony Stark was on his guardian list.
He would have to ask May about it.
“Can I go now?” Peter asked, aware of how Happy was blowing up his phone.
Mr. Harrington just nodded, his head in his hands. Peter sped-walked out of the school and to Happy’s car, the man glaring at him.
The entire ride back to the tower, he repeated Tony’s words in his head.
…
Friday night, Peter had dinner with May at eleven p.m. after patrol. He usually didn’t come home Friday nights, but May had gotten off early. The food was slightly cold, but Peter didn’t mind. He loved his ‘May-days’.
“So,” Peter began, “...Tony’s on my guardian list?”
May choked a little. “Yeah, he is. I made him one after you started going over there. Just in case you had to be picked up.”
Peter nodded, eating another bite of his dinner.
“You know he sees you as his son, right?”
“Yeah… Yeah, I do.”
“And you see him as your dad.”
Peter nodded again, a smile gracing his lips.
May hugged him hard that night.
…
The day of the field trip came too soon. The worst part about it was that just because Mr. Harrington believed him didn’t mean anybody else did.
“So, Penis Parker, are you ready for your secrets to be exposed?” Flash sneered, his cronies laughing behind him.
“Leave me alone, Flash,” Peter mumbled. He hadn’t gotten a good night's sleep because of his nerves, and it was early.
Flash continued to laugh and poke at him, but he just tuned him out. It wasn’t worth the trouble.
“Isn’t this so exciting?” Ned asked, smiling big.
Peter smiled weakly. “I’m a little nervous. I just hope none of them do anything… embarrassing.”
“Who, your super weird family made of super soldiers and spies?” MJ asked, appearing behind them and making them jump.
“Jeez, you gotta stop that!” Peter complained.
“Alright everyone, on the bus,” Mr. Harrington called.
Ned and Peter got a seat together near the back while MJ sat behind them drawing in her notebook.
Ned was asking rapid-fire questions. “Do you think we’ll see the Avengers? Will we see the lab you work in? Oh, what about-”
“Ned, I really don’t know. All I know is that everyone’s home except for Wanda and Vision, so there’s a chance.”
“That’s so awesome!”
Peter smiled, rolling his eyes.
The ride to the tower was long because of traffic, but not long enough for Peter to prepare himself. Soon enough, his class was walking into the lobby of Stark Tower and meeting a tour guide.
Peter recognized the tour guide, a woman named Ava. She worked in the lower levels of legal, and she was dating an intern who worked in the prosthetics lab.
“Hello everyone! My name is Ava, and I will be your tour guide today! I will be passing around badges for everyone, so please tell me your name when I get to you,” Ava announced, grabbing a box full of guest badges.
Ava went down the line, handing everyone their badges. When she got to Peter, she raised her brow.
“Yes, I have my badge,” Peter huffed, pulling out his badge from his pocket. Instead of the gray, his badge was red with gold edges.
“Just making sure. Don’t think I’ll forget the incident any time soon.”
The ‘incident’ was a day the previous month when he had forgotten to display his badge and got tackled by a new security guard. It was a whole mess, and Peter still shivered at the mortification it brought him.
“Ugh, don’t remind me.”
As Ava moved down the remainder of the line, Peter became aware of the many eyes staring at him. He chanced a glance at Flash and was very satisfied when he saw him fuming.
“Alright, now that everyone has their badges, we can step through the security gates.”
Ava scanned her badge on the reader before walking through the scanner.
“Ava Thatcher, security level five. Welcome back, Ava,” FRIDAY’s voice rang out through the scanner, startling a few students.
“That’s FRIDAY, the tower A.I.,” Ava explained. “She runs pretty much everything here. Say hi, FRIDAY.”
“Hello, Midtown High.”
An excited murmur went through the crowd. Personal A.I. was a topic discussed almost every day at Midtown. It was seen as a sign of great intelligence because it took so much programming and time.
The line went through the scanner quickly, each person’s name announced before FRIDAY read out a level one ranking. Peter gulped as he walked through the scanner.
“Peter Parker, security level ten. Welcome back, Peter. Would you like me to inform boss of your arrival?” FRIDAY’s voice took on a more human quality when she read his name.
“No thanks, Fri. He knows I’m here.”
“Very well. Have a good time, Peter.”
Peter blushed under the stares of his classmates as he arrived on the other side of the security scanner.
“How does Parker have that high of a level?” Flash blurted, voice accusing.
“He’s Mr. Stark’s personal intern; he needs access to a lot of things. Plus, he helps out in all levels of the intern labs,” Ava supplied, ignoring Peter’s gestures to shut up. Peter dropped his flailing arms, letting out a frustrated sigh.
“Ms. Ava,” a girl started, “Where are we heading first?”
“Ah, great question. We’re starting off at the Avengers museum! Now, follow me,” Ava smiled, walking off to the elevator.
Once on the appropriate floor, the class was allowed to roam around and look at all the exhibits. Ned immediately dragged Peter to see the Iron Man exhibit, gushing over one of the old suit models.
“Hey, loser,” MJ called, “They’ve got one of you.”
Peter turned, looking to the far corner of the room where a small glass display case stood. His old suit, the one he made himself, was sitting on a mannequin next to his first set of webshooters. He walked over in awe, staring at the small information plates surrounding the exhibit.
“No way,” Ned gasped.
“I didn’t know he kept these,” Peter breathed, staring at those stupid goggles he made in twenty minutes.
“He’s proud of you.”
Peter flinched at the disembodied voice, looking up at the ceiling. With lots of grace, Clint fell next to them with the silence perfected from years of spy work. Natasha landed next to him with the same quiet.
“What are you guys doing here?” Peter hissed through his teeth. His classmates hadn’t noticed yet, but Peter was sure they would.
“We’re just seeing our favorite non-blood nephew; is that so hard to believe?” Clint huffed, unaware of how Peter’s heart clenched.
“Well, Uncle Clint and Aunt Nat, you see me every day.”
“Yeah, but this is special!”
Peter rolled his eyes, trying but failing to stifle a laugh.
“Mr. Parker, what are you doing, bothering Mr. Barton and Ms. Romanoff?” Mr. Harrington chided, smiling nervously at Clint and Natasha.
“Oh, don’t worry. This kid could never bother us,” Clint said, pulling Peter into a side hug. Peter blushed, but didn’t pull away. Mr. Harrington just shook his head and left, probably for his own sanity.
“That the guy that called you a liar?” Natasha asked, watching the man leave. Her eyes were set on his back, not blinking until he was out of sight.
“Yeah, but we handled it,” Peter said, nodding.
“Okay. You tell us if there are any other issues.”
“Bye, Aunt Nat, Uncle Clint.”
“Bye, Малыш.”
“See you, kid.”
Peter watched as Clint disappeared into another vent and Natasha slipped through a side door. Once they were out of sight, Peter turned to Ned and MJ, who were staring at him like he had grown a second head.
“...What?” Peter asked, shrinking slightly.
“You just called the Hawkeye and Black Widow ‘uncle’ and ‘aunt’,” Ned pointed out.
Peter flushed. “Well, that’s kinda what they are.”
Before the conversation could continue, Ava called everyone over.
“We’ll be moving on to one of the intern labs. I expect all of you to be on your best behavior,” Ava informed them, leading them to the elevator after they all nodded.
The lab she took them to was a lower-level R&D lab. It also happened to be the one Peter knew the most interns in. Ava’s smirk told him she did it on purpose.
The second he walked in, someone was calling his name.
“Yo, Peter! Can you come help me, please?” a guy named Damien called, face buried in his Stark pad.
After a quick nod from Ava, Peter stepped up to Damien’s desk.
“What’cha need?” Peter asked.
“Can you check this over before we send it up? I don’t want any mistakes, and I haven’t slept in twenty-six hours,” Damien explained, leaning back in his chair and sipping his coffee.
Peter nodded, eyes scanning quickly over number after number.
“Ah, that’s supposed to be a ten, not an eleven. Other than that, it’s fine.”
“Thanks, Pete.”
“No problem. Go home after you send that up. I’m sure Cooper isn’t very happy you’ve been here for twenty-six hours straight.”
“Ugh, he’s called me three times in the last hour. I’m taking Monday off as well as the weekend.”
“Take him to dinner. Tell him I said hi.”
“Will do.”
Peter walked back over to the group, who were talking to the lab lead, and stood next to Ned.
“Here is where you would most likely start if you interned for Stark Industries,” the lab lead, Henry, explained. “It’s mainly for young adults still in college. Any questions?”
Flash put his hand up, and Henry called on him. “Can a high school student become an intern?” he asked, sneering at Peter.
“Not usually, no. But Mr. Parker is an exception made by Mr. Stark himself,” Henry said, smiling, his greying mustache twitching.
Flash was left fuming, and Peter had never felt such pride.
…
The next lab they visited, Peter immediately knew something was wrong. All the scientists in this lab were graduates, so they didn’t seek his help as often. They were kind and said hi to him as he passed like usual, so he knew they weren’t the cause of his bad feeling.
As they walked through a doorway, Peter’s spider-sense went crazy, and he caught a bucket of water before it could fall onto his head. His class gasped in shock and awe at his reflexes. Peter sighed, turning to the two giggling men in the corner.
“Really, guys? You know that one won’t work,” Peter deadpanned, putting the bucket down on the floor.
“It’s more fun to watch you freak out,” Sam chuckled, smacking his hand on the silently cackling Bucky’s back.
Peter quickly turned and caught a second, smaller bucket as it came toppling from the door frame. This time, the water splashed over his hair and shirt. Sam snorted as Peter slowly turned to face him.
“...I hate you guys.”
“Love you too, kid,” Bucky chuckled, ruffling his wet hair as they walked out of the lab.
…
After a few more lab tours and a walk through the PR department, the class made their way to the cafeteria for lunch. They were given credit on their badges to purchase food from any vendor and told they had fifteen minutes.
Peter, Ned, and MJ secured a table before they discussed their options.
“Pizza doesn’t sound bad,” Ned offered.
“I’m getting a salad,” MJ said, walking away.
“What are you getting, Peter?” Ned asked.
“I don’t know. Aw man, I wish I could go up and grab some of that gumbo Steve and Sam made last night. It was so good,” Peter moaned, his stomach grumbling at the thought of that amazing broth and seafood mix.
“Good thing I came down, then.”
Peter jumped, letting out a high but quiet yelp. He whipped around, making eye contact with Steve, who was in a hat and sunglasses.
“Dude, you look so suspicious,” Peter sighed.
“I thought you’d appreciate leftovers for lunch.” Steve ignored his comment and smiled, handing Peter a large tupperware of gumbo. It was warmed, and another container with cornbread was stacked on top of it.
“Oh, Steve, thank you,” Peter sobbed, falling into the man’s open arms. Steve chuckled, rubbing Peter’s back.
“Bucky wasn’t done with the banana bread, so you’ll have to wait until you get home from school for that.”
“Does it have nuts in it?”
“Nope.”
“Oh, thank god.”
Steve chuckled warmly, giving his shoulder one more affectionate pat before pulling away.
“Eat up. Oh, hi,” Steve greeted Ned when he noticed him. “You must be Ned. Peter speaks very highly of you.”
“Y-yeah…” Ned said dumbly, shaking Steve’s outstretched hand.
“Alright, I’m out, bear. I’ll see you tonight, okay?” Steve ruffled Peter’s hair.
“Ugh, stop that! Yeah, I’ll see you tonight, Uncle Steve.”
Peter froze. Shit, he’d let it slip out.
“That’s new. Is that what Clint was freaking out about?” Steve chuckled, his smile wide. “You know we don’t mind, Peter. We all love you.”
“Yeah, I-I know. I love you guys too.”
Steve gave him one more big smile before catching an elevator up to the penthouse.
“Dude, that was Captain America!” Ned whispered, grabbing Peter’s shoulder and shaking it.
“You gotta stop reacting like that when you see my family,” Peter laughed, setting his tupperware down. He went with Ned to get his pizza before joining MJ at the table and tucking in.
…
The next stop on their tour was Legal. MJ was having a blast, although she would never show it. They got to see conference rooms, talk to a few personnel, and even pass by the door of the CEO’s office.
“Pepper Potts is a total badass,” MJ whispered as they passed by her office.
“She is. She forced Tony and me out of the lab the other day,” Peter commented. MJ nodded like that confirmed her every thought.
“Peter! Can you come here for a second, honey?” Pepper’s voice came from the door they just passed. She sounded slightly panicked, and it put Peter on edge.
“What’s happening?” Peter asked, jogging over.
“Nothing terrible, don’t worry. Your father- Tony just wanted me to let you know he’s doing a Q&A with your class,” Pepper said, smiling nervously.
“Oh, god,” Peter mimicked her face.
“Yeah, I’m sorry, hun. I’ll see you tonight for dinner.” Pepper kissed his head before disappearing into her office.
After returning to the group, MJ stared at him for a long time.
“I can introduce you two,” Peter said, smiling.
MJ’s eyebrows rose. “Oh. Yeah. Yeah, that would be great.”
They were allowed to talk freely with a higher-ranking employee for a while. Peter stood at the back, not too interested in the Legal side of things. Flash grabbed him by the arm and dragged him into a corner where no one would see.
“Think you’re better than us, huh?” Flash growled. “Just because you paid all those people to pretend to know you? How’d you do it, huh? I know you don’t have that much money. Did you use that stupid mouth of yours? Didn’t know you’d stoop that low, Penis.”
Peter’s face flushed, but not in embarrassment. He was angry. Really angry.
“What the fuck did you just say to me?” Peter asked, taking a step towards Flash.
“You heard me, Penis Parker.”
Peter had to hold back from punching him. He couldn’t control his strength at the moment, and he didn’t want to kill Flash.
“You just implied that I fucked my way to where I am. Is it so unbelievable that I’m smarter than you? Smarter than anyone in this fucking class? That A.I. you heard? I’ve programmed and reprogrammed that thing several times because I was bored. I’ve worked on Iron Man suits; I’ve worked on Avenger weapons. I’ve even worked with your favorite superhero, and he doesn’t like bullies.”
Flash was very quiet after Peter stopped talking. His face was almost purple with rage, and he raised his hand and brought it down hard on Peter’s cheek.
Well, it would’ve been hard if Peter wasn’t part spider.
“Ah, you wound me,” Peter snarked, his head still in the same place it had been before the slap.
Flash looked stunned, his hand hurting more than Peter’s cheek.
“I’m going to tell you a secret, Flash. Let’s see if you can handle it with that big mouth of yours,” Peter whispered, getting in Flash’s face. “I live here, in the tower. I have my own room. I have a guaranteed spot in this company, because Tony Stark likes me. I am his son, and he is my father in all the ways that matter. So I don’t want to hear another murmur from you about me sleeping my way to the top of my own father’s company. Got it?”
Flash nodded slowly, his face ashen. Peter saw his eyes flick past him, and he turned around to see none other than Tony Stark leaning against the wall.
“Nice speech, kid. I’m proud. Really channeled your inner me,” Tony snorted, patting Peter on the shoulder. “Oh, and everything he said is true. Don’t you ever threaten my kid. Oh, and be glad I didn’t kick you out the second you made a snide comment. I hear everything. Remember that.”
Flash nodded before practically running back to the group. Peter slumped against Tony’s side, groaning.
“Did that sound too stuck up? I feel like it did,” Peter mumbled, picking at his nails.
“Nah, it was perfect. Proud of you, kiddo.” Tony kissed his forehead before letting him go. “I’ll see you at the Q&A.”
“Bye, Tony.”
“It’s Dad now.”
“Bye, Dad.”
…
The final stop of their tour was in a conference room with a podium at the front and rows of chairs. Everyone took their seats and talked quietly among themselves before all of the Avengers entered the room.
Everyone cheered, watching as all the Avengers took a seat at the front of the room. Tony stood at the podium with that PR smile.
“Hello, students of Midtown. I trust none of us need an introduction, so start asking questions!”
Everyone’s hand shot up, and the Q&A began.
Peter stopped paying attention after the third question, sinking into the plush office chair he was sitting in. He sat there silently for a long while, lulled by the calm voices of his family.
“Question for Mr. Stark. Since Peter works here, does he spend time with you guys?”
Peter was suddenly very awake.
He had expected Flash to ask that question, but it was a girl that he couldn’t remember the name of.
Tony smiled at her, but it looked more real than the one he usually used at Q&As. “He’s my personal intern, so he works in my lab on the Avengers’ weapons. He trains with Steve and Natasha; he plans pranks with and against Sam and Bucky. He’s a very smart kid, and I am very lucky to be mentoring him.”
Peter felt his chest warm, and he couldn’t help but smile. His classmates were staring at him in awe, and it didn’t make him feel nervous.
“Alright, that’s all the questions we have time for today,” Tony’s voice cut through the groans of his classmates. Everyone got up and headed for the door.
“Dude, that was so awesome!” Ned smiled, and Peter smiled back.
“MJ, did you have fun?” Peter asked.
“It wasn’t terrible,” MJ responded, which was high praise coming from her.
They all filed out of the conference room. Peter fidgeted with his sleeves as he walked up to Mr. Harrington.
“Uhm, I was wondering if I could just stay here? I come here on the weekdays anyway for work, so…” Peter asked.
“I’m sorry, Peter, but you have to come back to the school. I can’t just let you stay here; I’m responsible for you,” Mr. Harrington said.
“He’s staying with me,” Tony said firmly, placing a hand on Peter’s shoulder. He handed Mr. Harrington a signed note. “That enough for you?”
Mr. Harrington sighed and nodded, guiding the rest of his class to the elevator. Peter and Ned parted with a quick handshake, and Peter watched him leave.
Once everyone had left, the team was on him.
“We heard what that Flash kid said. Are you alright?” Steve asked, cupping Peter’s cheek as if to look him over.
“I’m fine, Uncle Steve,” Peter reassured, groaning as his face was turned from side to side.
“How come he gets to be uncle? You called me ‘Mr. Sam’ two days ago!” Sam shouted, earning a chuckle from everyone in the room.
“Jokes on all of you, I get to be dad,” Tony said proudly, patting a hand on Peter’s back.
“Like that’s a surprise to anyone,” Clint joked.
“C’mon, kiddo, let’s get in the lab to celebrate.”
“Yeah!”