Work Text:
It was three days after the dimensional portal had been closed at last that Pepper Potts officially toured Wong around the Timeless Archives. Wong had taken the time to finally get out of the Elemental costume (which, while powerful, was actually highly insulating), recover from his wounds and the use of so much magic, and to talk briefly with the faculty about what the school needed out of the library.
Only once he was physically and mentally sound and understood what his task was to be did Wong visit Pepper Potts in her office to request the tour. She seemed happy to oblige him and leave off trying to arrange rooms in the dorms for the new recruits.
Ms. Potts was a talented administrator and a hero in her own right; Wong respected her on both counts. She admired him for his abilities as well as his composure, discipline, and respect for record-keeping. They’d already had tea twice since Wong had arrived on campus, taking turns sharing their favorite brews.
Wong couldn’t remember the last time he’d met someone so pleasant and gracious. Needless to say, he wasn’t happy when their pleasant tour of the Archives and even more pleasant conversation were interrupted by someone crashing a cart into the wall not five feet away.
“Oh, uh- I’m sorry!”
Wong gazed dispassionately at the young man who was stumbling toward them, carrying a huge stack of books in one hand and awkwardly pushing the car with the other. One book fell off the top of the pile, falling open on the floor. Several of its pages crinkled against the ground.
“Put those down!” Wong said thunderously.
Pepper startled back as the young man practically lunged to obey the order. The stack of books made it to a somewhat-clear space on the cart, which was also haphazardly covered in books. The tower wobbled dangerously, but remained upright.
His face now visible, the young man stared at Wong and Pepper nervously. He was short, with brown hair that emerged from under his ballcap, and he looked nervous. As he should.
“Who are you, and why are you messing around in my library!”
“Wong, this is Scott Lang, Ant-Man,” Pepper said quickly. “He’s a student, and this is his work-study job.”
“Being in prison doesn’t pay very well, and, you know, a man’s gotta eat,” Scott Lang, Ant-Man mumbled.
“You were in prison?” Wong repeated.
Scott Lang, Ant-Man paled.
Pepper sighed. “Scott is… somewhat trustworthy. And he’s been keeping the Archives afloat mostly by himself for a while now.”
Wong grimaced. The place hadn’t looked that well-kept as they walked through it, though of course he had been too polite to mention it. “What do you do around here, then? Are you trained in Library Science? Have you mastered the art of preservation? Can you decode ancient texts?”
Scott shuffled awkwardly, scuffing his sneakers on the floor. The floor which had visible dust on it. “I mostly just put the books back on the shelves. I’m pretty good at alphabetizing. And I clean it up when people get into fights in the reading room.”
Wong took a deep, calming, cleansing, centering breath. Then he took another.
“I promise I work real hard, Mr. Wong, sir?”
Wong opened his eyes. The boy did look rather pathetic. And at his side, Pepper Potts was wearing an expectant expression.
“It’s Doctor Wong, not Mr. Wong, not sir,” Wong corrected, appreciating the earnest nod from his new pupil. “But you can call me… Wong. We have a lot of work ahead of us.”