Chapter 3
Stile’s first week in New York passed by extremely fast and thankfully without any incident. He and Nick had forged a pretty good friendship; Stiles had taught him how to dodge the bullies, while Nick had taught him the lay of the land.
Phil had been busy with work, but he always made time to spend with Stiles. They had supper every night, and this weekend they had gone out to play indoor paintball with May and Sky. Stiles hadn’t laughed so hard in a long time.
May and his Uncle had been generals, ordering Stiles and Sky around for the best tactical advantages, while he and Sky rolled their eyes at them for how serious they took the game. He could see the gleam in his uncle’s eyes showing how much fun he was having, Stiles guessed it was because he most likely missed being out on the field.
They decimated the teams they pitted against. Stiles got in as many hits as Sky did.
He could never hope to pull some of the stunts May had done. Someone had managed to sneak up on Stiles and was just about to shoot him when May had vaulted over one of the visual barriers, shooting the guy point blank in the chest while still midair and upside down.
When they were done with the match, May had given him one of her rare smiles and ruffled his hair mumbling a “Good job, kid.” That had left him beaming for the rest of the evening.
Every evening he spoke to his dad. At first it was a little stilted and awkward, but with time things smoothed out. He missed his dad and he loved him no matter what. Stiles missed him more than anything and he was hit with homesickness here and there, especially when he was lying in bed late and night unable to sleep. Both his uncle and Nick helped in keeping him distracted through the day, so it wasn’t nearly as bad as it could have been.
This was why it felt like he had only blinked and it was already Monday.
Stiles was sitting at his table in the cafeteria with Nick, picking at his fries and chicken nuggets, fidgeting nervously.
Nick finally huffed. “Stiles, what the heck is wrong with you? You’ve been fidgeting nonstop all day.”
Stiles put his fork down with a deep sigh. “You would be too if you were in my shoes. I start my internship today.”
Nick raised an eyebrow. “So? The rest of your class is as well.”
Stiles Scoffed. “Yeah, sure. None of them are doing it at Stark Tower.”
Nick snorted. “Kyle is. The asshole hasn’t shut up about it, the smug bastard.”
He couldn’t help but grin back at him at that. “Yeah, but he’s not shadowing their CEO. I’m apparently going to be answering to Pepper directly, as well as getting to shadow in each department to get a feel of the entire company and what it’s like to be a CEO of such a big enterprise.”
Nicks jaw dropped and he stared at him wordlessly for a moment before finally answering. “You are going to be doing your internship with not only one of the most successful women in the world but also Iron Man’s girlfriend!”
Stiles scowled. “Don’t remind me. I’m trying not to have a panic attack right now.”
Nick looked slightly guilty until something popped into his head and he started laughing and could not stop. It took him five minutes to finally speak. “Dude, wait till Kyle finds out about this. He was peacocking all over the place about getting his internship at Stark Tower and now the new kid shows him up by shadowing the CEO.”
Stiles snorted, amused. “Well, let’s not get any attention brought onto us. Showing him up is how you got into trouble last time, buddy.”
Nick batted his eyes at Stiles teasingly, blowing him a kiss. “Yeah, but it brought you to me, my knight in shining armor.”
Stiles shook his head, lips quirking without his consent at Nick’s antics. “yeah, yeah, yuck it up. I’m the one who got put on the radar of the worst bully in the school on my first day. Now come on, let’s get you to class before they finish eating and become a threat. Uncle Phil is picking me up to bring me to my internship and he should get here in about ten minutes, so I have time.”
Nick chuckled. “Covert operation ‘get to class without getting our asses kicked’ is a go.”
They stayed in public areas as much as they could, weaving through areas they knew were riskier and managed to get Nick to class safely.
Once Nick was safely in class, Stiles must have left his guard down because while he was making his way to the Administration, he was grabbed from behind and slammed against a locker.
Once he was flipped forward, he was facing Kyle and his gang sneering at him. “You and your little bitch have been pretty good at avoiding us this week, but your luck seems to have run out, new kid.”
Stiles sighed at the stereotypical bully monologue. “Seriously, can you quit with the stupid name calling? It doesn’t make you look as tough as you think it does.”
He didn’t see it coming until Kyle planted his fist into Stiles’ stomach, causing him to fall to the ground, gasping for breath and unable to block the kick that caught his chest.”
Kyle leaned forward, breath hot and rancid. “You’re lucky I need to leave to get to internship at Stark Industries. I’d stay away from the fag if you don’t want a worse beating. Consider this your warning.”
Stiles watched them walk away before slowly picking himself up from the ground, assessing the damage. His stomach and chest were aching, but thankfully nothing was broken. He had gotten worse from Gerard before.
Stiles wasn’t sure if that thought made him feel better or worse. Thankfully he hadn’t hit his face, which would have been impossible to explain to his Uncle.
Stiles hurried over to the entrance facing the administration to meet up with his Uncle, trying his best to hide his slightly uneven gait. The last thing he needed was to cause a fuss or have both his father and his uncle be disappointed on him.
Phil took one look at him and gave a concerned look. “What’s wrong?”
Stiles shook off his concern with a wave before passing him to get into the car. “It’s nothing, it’s just a stomach ache. I’ll be fine.”
Phil thankfully let it go, only giving him one or two side glances on their way to Stark Tower. The pain ebbed and faded to more of a twinge by the time they made it.
They quickly made their way through the lobby to the main receptionist, which had Rose written on her nametag. Phil gave her a charming Smile. “Phil Coulson and Stiles Stilinski to see Pepper Potts. I believe she is expecting us.”
She smiled politely back, checking things over on her computer before picking up the phone and dialing. “Mr. Coulson and Mr. Stilinski to see Ms Potts. Yes, I understand. I will let them know, thank you.”
Rose hung up, grabbed some paper work in a clipboard and smiled at them. “Mr. Hogan will be down in just a moment to register Mr. Stilinski into the system and issue him a badge. While we are waiting, if you would so kindly fill out this form for your visitors badge, Mr. Coulson.”
Stiles stood patiently by his uncle’s side while he filled out the form, obviously used to the procedure by now, until he caught something in the corner of his eye.
He couldn’t help but stiffen at the sight of Kyle stepping into the building, followed by a taller version of him that could only be his father.
Kyle scowled at the sight of him but kept his mouth shut, all too aware of the public surrounding them.
Stiles was thankfully distracted from Kyle and his dad getting him registered, by another man showing up loudly exclaiming. “Coulson, it’s nice to see you again.”
Phil moved forward to shake his hand with a grin spreading across his face. “Happy, it’s always nice to see you. It’s been way too long. Stiles, this is Happy Hogan, head of Stark Towers security, formerly Tony Stark’s personal body guard. Happy, this is my nephew Stiles.”
Happy shook stiles hand, smile firmly in place. “Nice to meet you, Stiles. Now let’s get your information processed here so you can get a badge, so you can just head straight upstairs from now on when you get here.”
Stiles grabbed the clipboard that happy passed him and paused at the first question. “Umm, Happy? Is your first name showed on your badge?”
Happy nodded. “It’s procedure.”
Stiles looked at his Uncle with panic before meeting Happy’s gaze once more. “Is it possible to put a nickname? I don’t go by my given name. No one can pronounce it and hardly anyone actually knows my real name.”
Happy shook his head. “Procedures are there for a reason, besides how hard can it be to pronounce?”
Stiles sighed deeply and wrote his name on the sheet before passing it over to Happy for him to read.
Happy stared at it for a moment, mouth opening and closing like a goldfish before he finally sighed. “Maybe we can make an exception in this case. At least your name will be in the system and it’s not like you will have any issues with the elevators. Tony plugged Jarvis into the top floors and all of the elevators, so the badge has no effect on him accessing the top floors.”
He passed Stiles the clipboard once more and Stiles happily filled out the rest of the paperwork. Once he and Kyle were done with the paperwork, Happy brought both Stiles and Kyle over to get their photos taken and passed them both their new badges.
Happy looked them both over seriously. “Badges are to be worn and visible at all times you are inside the building. Do I make myself clear?”
Both boys nodded and then Happy motioned towards the elevator. “Now, Stiles, you can follow your uncle up; he is pretty familiar with our layout. Pepper is eagerly awaiting the both of you. I hope you have fun shadowing our CEO, and if Tony shows up, which he most likely will, don’t let him scare you off. He’s harmless, just a little intense.”
Phil snorted. “He’s a bad influence, it’s what he is. I already warned him to not let Tony influence him.”
Happy and Phil shared a significant look filled with mirth before Phil led Stiles towards the elevator, but not before he saw Kyle’s eyes bug in disbelief.
The smug/victorious feeling lasted until they were in the elevator and Phil pressed the top floor button and then they heard a British voice speak through the intercom. “Welcome back, Mr. Coulson. It’s always a pleasure. Ms. Potts is awaiting you in her office. It is also a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Stilinski. My name is Jarvis.”
Stiles couldn’t stop himself from blurting out. “You can call me Stiles, Mr. Stilinski is my dad.”
There was a Pause before the voice answered. “Very well, Stiles. Your access is granted, have a good day.”
Phil’s lips quirked. “I think Jarvis likes you. I’ve never actually heard him call anyone by their given names before.”
Stiles gaped at his Uncle. “That was Tony Stark’s AI! I know Happy mentioned it but I didn’t quite believe him.”
Phil smirked lightly. “If there is one thing he would not lie about, it’d be about any of Tony’s antics.”
Stiles jumped as the elevator beeped and they arrived on the right floor and he exited, following his Uncle.
They walked down the hallway before being waved into a huge office with wall-to-wall windows giving an amazing view of the city.
A breathtakingly beautiful strawberry blonde, and Stiles knew that color well, rose from her chair to quickly greet his uncle with a hug. “Phil, it’s so good to see you again.”
Phil gave her one of his most genuine smiles, the ones he kept for family and very close friends. “Pepper, it’s good to see you as well. Thank you for taking in Stiles, especially so last minute.”
Pepper shook her head. “After everything we’ve been through, Phil, it’s the least I could do. Besides, I was excited to meet the elusive Stiles.”
Stiles couldn’t help but beam at her. “It’s nice to meet you, Miss Potts.”
She waved him off. “Please, Pepper is fine. We are going to get to see a lot of each other in the next little while. Speaking of which, Phil, although I love your visits, we are going to have to cut this one short as I have a few meetings and paperwork to fill out. Also, I’m assuming we are going to have to get Stiles a suit for while he’s shadowing here. My little CEO in training is going to need a better wardrobe for following me around at meetings.”
Phil reached for his wallet but Pepper waved him off. “I’ve actually needed an excuse to get out of the office for a bit for some air before the meetings start. It’s doing me a favor. Come on, Stiles, let’s get to know each other on the way.”
She gave him a Rubbermaid container with cookies inside. “Figured you might want a snack and your Uncle tends to like my cookies.”
Stiles eyed the cookies like only a growing teenager could and opened the lid, munching on the cookies as they walked out of the office, much to Peppers amusement. By the time they made it to the boutique, stiles had completely polished off the container.
He eyed the sign that said Massimo Duttis. He had never heard of this store in his life and was surprised when he walked in. A lot of the clothes were high end casual.
Pepper ignored all of that, heading straight for the suit section, with one of the workers quickly dropping everything to help her, obviously knowing who she was.
He was surprised by how fast Stiles was outfitted in a sleek black Italian slim fit suit with matching belt and shoes while Pepper picked a deep blue flower patterned silk tie for him.
He barely recognized the man that looked back at him. He looked good, the suit a perfect cut for his long lanky build, and his shoulders were looking much wider in this kind of suit.
The feel of Peppers’ hand on his shoulder pulled him out of his thoughts. She looked at him with a soft smile. “Surprised by how good you look? You shouldn’t, you’re cute. You’ll be a real heartbreaker with the right wardrobe.”
Stiles couldn’t help but laugh while she grinned back and gave the clerk her credit card and soon they were quickly on their way back to Stark Tower.
Stiles was surprised by how much fun he had sitting next to Pepper at all her meetings. She was smart, sharp and had a wicked sense of humor when she chose to show it.
He learned a lot by listening, and Pepper took the time to stop and explain things every so often when she had the time, helping him keep track of what was going on.
He had already agreed to stay after his allotted two hours per day since there was so much to learn and was not regretting it in the least.
Once Pepper’s meetings were done, he followed her back up to her office, discussing what had happened at the last meeting.
Distracted, they never realized that someone was waiting in the office until he cleared his throat, causing both of them to turn their gaze on the impeccably dressed man who was holding an empty Tupperware container in his hands and brow raised in question.
Pepper snorted. “Come on Tony, I told you after that stunt you pulled that you didn’t deserve cookies. Besides, those were for Stiles.”
Tony Stark’s brow somehow managed to rise even higher. “What the hell is a Stiles?”
Stiles gaped lightly before finally answering. “Uh, I am.”
He gave him a once over before looking at Pepper. “Why is there a kid following you around and why is he eating my cookies.”
Pepper shook her head, huffing. “First off, they were not your cookies. I made those specifically for Stiles. Second, this is Stiles Stilinski, Phil’s Nephew. He is shadowing me for a class.”
Tony gave Stiles a shrewd look. “Jarvis.”
The British voice echoes lightly. “Yes sir?”
Pepper stiffened as if already aware of what was going to happen. “Get me a file on Stiles Stilinski, schoolwork, arrest reports, everything.”
Pepper exploded. “Come on, Tony, this is Phil’s nephew. You are not running a check on him.”
Tony lifted his hands out placatingly. “I don’t know who this kid is. He’s going to be shadowing you; I need to know who he is. Besides, how do you know he really is Phil’s nephew?”
Exasperated, Pepper cried out. “Because Phil brought him up to my office himself! Tony, stop this right now!”
Tony moved closer to Pepper, brows furrowed in slight worry, obviously this was some kind of argument they had often. “Even if he is Phil’s nephew, I don’t know anything about him, other than he ate my cookies.”
Pepper raised her hands up in the air in exasperation. “They were not your cookies! I baked them specifically for Stiles. I swear to god Tony-”
Stiles couldn’t help but cut her off. “I really don’t mind. He won’t find much, except for a restraining order for a prank gone wrong.”
Tony brought up his screen and fiddles with it for a moment before lifting a brow at Stiles. “You stole the local police departments transport vehicle and kidnapped the DA’s kid.”
Stiles shrugged lightly, only half lying. “He was a huge bully and we were trying to teach him a lesson.”
Tony nodded, looking slightly impressed. “Well, you got guts, kid.”
He scrolled through the rest of the information. “Top scores too. You’re a smart kid despite your ADHD. Really weird search histories; most kids your age mainly search for porn, and what the hell is a Kanima?!”
Stiles blood ran cold. “How the hell are you accessing my search history if I deleted that?”
Tony gave him his best ‘bitch, please’ look.
Stiles sighed and fell back on Allison’s favorite lie. “I’m part of an online community that fights mythical creatures, so I was doing research.”
Tony shook his head. “You’re an odd one, kid, just don’t eat my cookies again and remember I'll be keeping an eye on you.”
It took everything Stiles had not to laugh at the exasperated look on Pepper’s face as she muttered “not your cookies, Tony.”