Auction
The auction house wasn’t what Peter had expected at all. Upon arrival, he’d been given his own personal assistant- a beta woman who had practically glowed upon meeting him. She’d guided him through to a dressing room where an alpha was sat at a table waiting to confirm his details, then she quickly left to make drinks.
The man was chatty and sweet. He’d helped him draw up the contracts with clauses; mostly to Peter’s benefit.
Peter looked down at the list and nodded slowly.
- The alpha [name] who wins the auction will be required to pay off Mr. Parker’s Aunt’s mortgage [details given in doc.2]
- The alpha [name] who wins the auction will be required to pay Mr. Parker’s Aunt’s medical bills during the three-year term that he is their ward.
- The money made at the auction will be split. 50% will go to the auction house. 25% will go to Peter Parker. The remaining 25% will go to a charity of Mr. Parker and his new alpha [name’s] choosing.
- Mr. Parker may not enter a sexual relationship with anyone other than his new alpha [name]
- Mr. Parker understands that if the contract is nullified due to infidelity, he will have to repay any financial gifts, property, bills, insurance, etc.
- All omega protection laws are to be adhered to. This contract can be nullified upon any report of abuse with no financial consequence to Mr. Parker.
It all sounded about right. It sounded fair. If the alpha was horrible to him then he could just walk away. Four and five sounded sketchy but Peter was hardly going to fall for another alpha. He’d never taken a fancy to one in his life.
“Are you sure you want to do this, sweetheart?” The man asked, snapping the boy’s attention back to him. The auction house made a crazy profit every time omegas brought themselves in, but they had to be sure they weren’t being coerced in any kind of way. For legal reasons.
“No one is pressuring you to do this, are they? Your Aunt seems like she would be desperate enou-"
“-My Aunt doesn’t even know I’m here.” Peter defended, picking up the pen to sign.
He’d read the small print. He knew the deal. To be an alpha’s ‘ward’ meant that he could fit into a whole plethora of different roles- but one role was more likely than the others.
The man could see Peter’s cheeks heating up and he reached to pluck the pen out of his hands before he could make contact with the paper.
“And you know what will be expected of you?” He grimaced, the wrinkles in his cheeks deepening. So many sweet omegas came in here with the naïve view that they would just be party centerpieces. That they’d be a sugar baby without having to give any sugar. It just wasn’t realistic. Alphas bought them because they wanted sex.
“Can you remember The Playboy Mansion?” The man pressed. “It will probably be like that. You’ll have a good time. You’ll have money… but you’ll also have to… give a little.”
Peter nodded. He knew that he’d most likely be intimate with this mystery alpha. He wasn’t ignoring that fact and he was certain that he could handle it. Maybe.
A part of him wished that he’d asked Wade to sleep with him last night- Just so he would know how it would feel. Sure, he’d kissed MJ. He’d made out with Gwen; yet he’d never actually slept with someone. The man in front of him probably had reason to think him inexperienced.
“I know what I’ll have to do. It’s… scary, but as long as he- or she treats me well I’m sure I’ll be fine.”
The contractor seemed relieved by his words and he gave the female assistant a smile as she returned with the drinks.
“Peter already knows he’s going to have to put out.” He reassured her. This was clearly a discussion they’d had long before he’d arrived. The woman let out a long breath of held tension and placed the tray down on the table.
“I’m sure it’ll be easy. Whoever wins you will adore you.” She promised and leaned in to give him a peck on the cheek. For luck.
Peter blushed and the man passed him the pen.
“After this, we’ll get you dressed. Omega robes are always expected at these events and we have just the perfect red set to match your complexion.”
-
Lights dazzled Peter’s eyes as he was led across the stage by the contractor. He took a seat on a stool in the center and squinted, trying to see the audience. He'd been expecting hundreds of alphas- but he could only make out about fifteen.
All of them sat at circular tables, grouped together with what he could assume were their own people. Friends, assistants, colleagues. The number of beta scents in the room was soothing and maybe that was why they’d been asked to come along.
At the closest table was a large man that he recognized and he suddenly felt like fleeing. The white suit stood out like a beacon in comparison to the rest of the well-dressed men.
Fisk.
Fisk was normally Matt's problem and Peter desperately wanted it to stay that way. He didn't want to party with the kingpin, nor did he want to sleep with him. He just didn't find the alpha attractive. Even his personality was stale. From what Peter had seen the man was either awkward or full of anger and he already knew that he couldn’t handle that for three years.
He swallowed and let his eyes trail over to the other groups, weighing up his options.
The next man he locked eyes with was Tony Stark. He was easily the most recognizable person here. But... wasn't he a known omega?
Peter fidgeted in his seat and looked confused when the man who led him on stage passed him a microphone. He grasped it tightly in his hands, not entirely sure what he was supposed to say. He felt a bit of relief when the contractor sat in the chair next to him and he realized that he was assuming a presenter-like role now.
A mic screeched as it was switched on and Peter froze.
“Welcome ladies and gentlemen- I hope you’ve had a pleasant evening so far and that the food has been good.” The crowd gave a small round of applause and the man grinned at them, knowing that they were still eagerly awaiting the main course.
He reached out for Peter’s arm and delicately pulled on the sleeve of his robe, to smooth a crease out of it. Peter felt swamped in the attire. The bottom ghosted the floor and he felt like a bride on their wedding day.
“This is Peter. Isn’t he pretty?” The man practically cooed and Peter felt his cheeks burn from the embarrassment. This was humiliating in a weird way. “Say hello to everyone, Peter. Tell them something about yourself.”
Crap. He had never dreamed that this would happen. He hadn’t rehearsed, although last night before leaving Wade, the merc had given him a bit of advice. He tried to recall it.
‘If you’re really going to do this, baby boy… then you need to smile a lot. Bite your lip. Act sweet and shy. Push your scent out. Ruffle your hair. Bat your pretty little eyelashes. Blush. And lastly- tell them that it’s your eighteenth birthday because these assholes will eat that shit up.’
Wade had reminded him that they would all be rich creeps, so he may as well play into their fantasies. Peter took a deep breath and nibbled his lip, then looked out at the crowd.
He could do this, but at the same time, he didn’t want to overdo it either.
“So… my name’s Peter… but my friends call me Pete.” He tried and his free hand came up to thread a finger through a longer strand of hair. “It’s my birthday today. I like biophysics and biochemistry.” He paused, glancing at the presenter who was grimacing painfully at him again. So it seemed talking about science was a no-go. Maybe alphas just didn’t find that appealing.
“I like photography too. Oh- and gymnastics.” Wade had once said something about how nicely he could move his body, so he’d focus on that instead.”
The presented laughed into his mic, trying to play his fumble off. “That’s quite a range of clever interests.” He praised, keeping it playful. “So how old are you Petey?” He asked with a grin, knowing damn well what his details were since he’d had to verify his ID with him.
But this was the only thing of interest that he could draw from the omega’s long-winded speech. The only thing that would cause a stir.
“Um… I’m eighteen… today.”
There was a loud rumble of voices that moved throughout the crowd. One alpha growled and called bullshit to an usher in the corner of the room and demanded to see the paperwork.
The presenter leaned forward and brought the mic closer to his mouth. His bleached smile shined in the spotlight and Peter locked eyes with him. He wanted to break the contact but this felt like it was turning into some kind of silent battle.
“Can I ask you a personal question, Petey?”
The boy nodded, feeling like this was a trap somehow.
“Are you a virgin? Or maybe you’re a little more experienced and our winning alpha might benefit from that? What’s your dating history like?”
“I…“ Peter bit his lip and tried to calm his racing heart. There were a lot more pheromones in the air now. The alphas were eager and none of them were trying to hide it. He felt lightheaded and pushed his own scent out to try to counter them. “I’ve kissed a couple of my beta friends but other than that I don’t really… I don’t really know what I’m doing.” He admitted.
“That’s incredible.” The presenter gushed, more to the crowd than him. He reached out to run his fingers through Peter’s hair, trying to generate a purr from him. “An omega that’s legal today and practically untouched. What an exciting night someone is going to have.”
Peter felt his cheeks redden once again. Was the man suggesting that he’d have to sleep with someone tonight? He hadn’t even considered that to be a possibility. Wasn’t he going to have some time to settle in?
“Okay. Can we start with the bidding now? How does fifty grand as a starting point feel?”
Peter felt his breath get caught in his throat. Fifty grand. That was an immense amount, although he’d done his research online. He was expecting the figure to skyrocket much higher. Still, nothing could prepare him for this. “That sounds perfect.” He gave a lopsided smile and awkwardly shifted on the stool.
“Okay- fifty grand. Do we have fifty grand?” Every alpha in the room put their boards up.
“One hundred thousand?”
“One-fifty?”
“Two hundred?”
“Two fifty?”
Peter paled as he stared out at the crowd. Half of them were still battling for him, with no sign of giving up. The numbers continued to rise in a dizzying blur until only three men were left. Stark, Fisk and… he squinted, wishing the stage light wasn’t blinding him in the exact spot he was trying to see.
Whoever he was, the man had to be wealthy beyond anything he could imagine.
“A million?”
Peter felt like he was going to faint. Wade had been right to bring up his age. He wrapped the robe tighter around himself and felt a flood of relief when Fisk stopped raising his board. Maybe the kingpin had been pushing it up deliberately to mess with the other billionaires in the room, or maybe he realized that he had no way to truly compete with them.
When the auctioneer reached $1.75 million, Peter was sure that Tony Stark was going to raise his board again but instead, the man shot up from his seat as alcohol spilled across the table and onto his lap. A woman with a smug smile sat opposite the billionaire and he cursed at her, jabbing his finger in her direction and calling for security.
The auction continued, despite the distraction, and the presenter called a win on the last bid.
Tony tried to regain his composure and thrust his board up, but it was too late. He growled, replicating the noise that every alpha in the room would understand as a threat.
“And the omega goes to Mr. Norman Osborn. Congratulations sir. Please make your way through to our dressing rooms after the evening ends to meet your boy.”
He felt a jolt of electricity shoot through him as he recognized the name.
Norman Osborn.
The CEO of Oscorp.
He'd interned there in the last year as part of his school's science program. He'd worked under Dr. Curtis Connors. Maybe this was fate.
As Peter stood to leave the stage he heard one of the other guests make a nasty jibe at Tony. He didn't dare look out at the audience to see every alpha leering at him. Nor did he search to meet his new alpha's eyes.
-
When Peter got backstage he slipped the robe off and reached for his own clothes that he’d slung over a rail. There was no way he was leaving the building looking like a dress-up doll. He changed quickly and then took the lemonade that his assistant had brought him.
He wished that it was a soda instead.
His body needed some caffeine. After being in a room with so many alpha hormones he was feeling tired and docile. With heavy eyes, he moved to lounge on the couch. He could nap for a little while, couldn't he?
“I’ll leave you for an hour, sweetheart.” The woman ruffled his hair. “They’ve got dessert to have and after-drinks so you’ve got a while to rest.”
He hummed his thanks and shut his eyes. Then everything went black.
-
He felt strong hands on him, shaking him awake. Musky cologne filled his nose. He cracked his eyes open a fraction and bolted up into a sitting position as a strange figure bent over him.
The man wasn’t the contractor, or the assistant, or even his new alpha. It was Tony Stark.
“Peter! What the hell do you think you’re doing!?” He hissed through gritted teeth. The man searched his eyes for an explanation. "You could have come to me."
The boy racked his brain, trying to remember if he'd ever had a chance encounter with the billionaire outside of being masked. He hadn't through school. Nope. He definitely hadn't in this universe. So that could mean one thing, and one thing only.
Tony knew he was Spider-Man.