Science
Despite the small Italian restaurant being quiet, Harry had ushered them into a private booth to avoid judgemental eyes. Peter had soaked in a bubble bath, yet the older alpha’s scent still clung to him, like a powerful aura.
Harry was aware that it smelt different from his own, as were the waiters and other diners who had given them side glances as they’d entered.
He watched as Peter stabbed at the linguini on his plate and cut it into more manageable-sized strips.
“You know, if you rotate the fork, it’ll roll the pasta up for you.” He picked up his own and demonstrated with his spaghetti. A smirk tugged at his lips as the other boy’s eyebrow twitched in irritation.
So far today he’d protected and cared for him. Now that he knew that Peter was fine it was time to slip back into their usual banter.
A strange part of Harry loved pissing him off just as much as he loved loving him. It was addictive and if anything, it made their strange relationship easier.
The omega gave an amused huff and tried to copy, only for the linguini to slop messily back onto his plate. “Sorry Harry.” He curled his lip back, imitating an alpha’s sneer. “I don’t think I got the same etiquette lessons as you.”
Harry considered shoving his fork in Peter’s cheeky mouth, then quickly realized that was what lovers did. And they weren’t lovers.
He pushed that gnawing feeling down and instead ate his own pasta in one swift motion and bounced his eyebrows cockily.
Peter burst into laughter and looked down, shaking his head. “You’re an ass.”
The omega tried again, this time with a smaller amount, and awkwardly licked it off of his fork. That was good enough, right?
He observed the other boy and decided that he was grateful for him showing up today. He’d been feeling alone and in a strange way vulnerable.
Harry hadn’t abandoned him.
“Hey… so… I just want to say thank you for earlier.” Peter started awkwardly as he picked up a piece of bread from the basket. “You probably should have left me, but it was nice that you didn’t.”
His Aunt hadn’t taught him how to twirl pasta at a fancy restaurant, but at least she’d taught him good manners.
Harry’s dark eyes met his for a moment and he swallowed, trying to clear the lump that had formed in his throat. It seemed that he was finding this topic harder to talk about than the omega who had been roughly fucked.
It was ridiculous. He needed to toughen up.
“He shouldn’t have left you.” He shrugged his shoulders and fell quiet. His eyes wandered around the booth, wishing he could change the subject. The niggling was back.
Then it was like a dam was breaking and his words came pouring out.
“Some days I just fucking hate him. I hate how he treats people. I hate how he doesn’t seem to care about anyone but himself.”
Harry paused before flicking his eyes away, realizing that he’d said too much. He wasn’t used to getting emotional. His father had chastised him for it one too many times over the years. Apparently, it was ‘unbecoming of an alpha.’
Peter bit his lip and weighed his response carefully. Norman didn’t seem a bad man. Yes, there were traits that he’d definitely have him improve if he could, but underneath his strict fierceness, he was kind and fair.
He showed that in his smaller actions, even if he went about it the wrong way sometimes.
“It’s okay, Harry.” Peter flashed him a nervous grin. “He’s good to me. I understand he’s a busy man. He just doesn’t seem to be the kind to enjoy pillow talk in the morning.”
Peter’s eyebrows furrowed at how Harry’s face had drained of color at the reminder of their intimacy and his fingers twitched, wishing that he could reach across the table to squeeze his hand.
“And no… I don’t hurt anymore. It was just a pulled muscle from-”
“-I wouldn’t treat you that way!”
The words rushed from Harry’s mouth and he instantly regretted them. He wanted to backtrack; maybe add that he’d treat any omega differently than his father would but his proud and stubborn streak wouldn’t let himself.
Despite everything he wanted Peter to know that he meant it.
That he meant him.
Oh.
Peter felt his heart drop. Shock twisted onto his face and he blinked a few times, trying to bring himself back to reality.
He’d misinterpreted. Harry was generalizing. He couldn’t possibly mean…
No. Of course he didn’t mean that he wanted him.
But the implication was there.
Whatever Harry had meant to say, Peter decided that he wasn’t going to entertain it. He couldn’t. It didn’t matter that his mind had conjured up a thousand questions. It didn’t matter if he wanted to pry. Some things were left unsaid, and with his contract, they had to be.
The omega let out a shaky laugh and shrugged his comment off. He continued.
“He’s also said that I can work in the lab a few hours a week and go to college. He thinks it’s important I major in science since he knows I’m good at that. See? He’s supportive.”
The older boy’s eyes widened and he crossed his arms over his chest, abandoning his meal. He wasn’t brooding. He was thankful that Peter had shrugged his comment off. It was just a smack in the face that Norman was being so encouraging of this omega.
It was so unlike how he’d been in the past.
“If that’s what you want to do, then do it. But understand that my dad never does things unless they benefit him.”
Peter nodded and picked up the dessert menu. Now that they were here and were back to having a deep conversation, he decided that he could really go for an ice cream.
And maybe it was the ideal time to try to encourage the other boy to come to school with him.
Maybe he could use Harry’s adoration for him in his favor. Peter had never tried to be a manipulative omega before, but perhaps just this once it would work.
“I just…” The hero swallowed, feeling like he was walking a fine line. “I really want to go to college but I’m kind of scared to go alone. I’d like someone else on campus… so that I feel safe. I doubt that there’ll be any other omegas there.”
And there it was.
Harry felt himself bristle.
“And what? You want me to join you?” He grimaced, picking up on the hint quickly. His mouth twitched at the thought of being talked about. “Has he put you up to this?”
He could see the nervousness in the younger boy’s expression and he sighed to himself.
This was his father’s ploy. It had to be.
“Norman only said that you were interested in going to college- but not for what he wanted you to. So why not do both?”
“You’re suggesting I do two courses at once?” The alpha scoffed and snatched up his own dessert menu. He buried his face in it in the same way that one would bury their head in sand.
Harry didn’t want this conversation and was regretting inviting the other boy out. He pretended to read through the options.
Peter frowned as he watched him clam up. Sometimes he felt so close to the young alpha… but other times he was difficult to reach.
“I’m suggesting that you do a business course and make connections while you’re there. You don’t exactly have to pass with top honors. Just keep your dad happy. Your future job is secured with Oscorp anyway… right?” Peter pressed, trying to get him to listen and agree to his plan.
He reached up and pushed the menu down so that he could look him in the eyes. They were dark and wary. Untrusting.
Was he scared of Norman’s control?
“…So just enroll and breeze through it. Then you could work on your- whatever you want to work on. Maybe it would be fun for you to stay on campus?”
Harry glanced down at his plate and was silent for a long moment. Just when Peter thought he was giving him the silent treatment, he looked up and heaved another sigh.
“It sounds dumb… but I’ve always wanted to start a band.”
Peter grinned, thankful that the alpha was giving him an inch. He leaned forward, feeling like he was at the final hurdle. “Well make some friends there and I’ll come and watch you play. You play guitar, right?”
Harry rolled his eyes, his confidence waning. He could see a waitress approaching and was thankful for the interruption.
“Hey guys, how was your meal? Can I get you anything for dessert?”
They chose to share a sundae.
-
When Peter arrived home, he could hear chattering coming through the open office door.
One male voice argued with another. A gruff voice butted in. Then a woman talked over them hurriedly. It was rowdy until he heard Norman’s growl silence them.
He halted before passing into the kitchen, trying to listen in.
He inhaled, wondering if he could catch a few scents. Since being bitten by the spider, his senses had been heightened- especially around alphas. He’d joked with Daredevil about how his sniffing skills were as clear as his hearing.
There were at least four alphas in the room and maybe a couple of betas.
He took a step, deciding to dart past but then the floorboard made an obvious creak. He froze.
“Pete? Is that you?”
The omega tensed. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to see Norman. He just didn’t like the idea of being in a room with several lecherous eyes.
“Yes! I just got home. Sorry, I didn’t know we were expecting guests.”
He appeared in the doorway and his eyes scanned the room. The last time he had been in here it had seemed so much smaller, but somehow Norman had rearranged the furniture. There was now a large meeting table in the middle of the room and a whiteboard at the head.
A complex chart was pinned up there and after a moment Peter worked out it had something to do with Oscorp research expenses.
He smiled at the casually dressed board members around the table and counted six heads. So he had been right. A few noses twitched, trying to catch his scent. They’d realize instantly that their boss had knotted him last night.
Peter tried to ground himself. He wouldn’t blush.
“Darling, would you mind making us some coffee? Adrian has already gone home and I’ve had to call an emergency meeting. It’s quite serious.”
Peter nodded, thankful for the quick reprieve, and disappeared. His mind wandered as he prepared the drinks. Maybe he should have gone home with Harry.
-
Carrying three trays into the meeting room one after the other was the hard part. Each time, the conversation fizzled out as all the alphas’ eyes fell on him.
It was an uncomfortable silence as he placed the cups in front of them.
“I’ll leave some milk and sugar in the center so you can make it how you like it.” He smiled and motioned to where he’d put the jug.
The woman was the first to reach out and help herself, then she passed it to the man on her left.
“Why don’t you join us, Pete?” Norman pulled out the chair that sat empty next to him.
Peter felt his heart skip a beat. His instincts were telling him to politely refuse. He could see raised eyebrows around the table, but against his better judgment, he joined them anyway.
He figured that his alpha wouldn’t want him there for no reason, and as the conversation returned, it seemed that he had been correct.
“Pete here works with Curtis Connors so maybe he can shed some light on why we are pouring millions into biogenetic research and getting no results.”
A middle-aged alpha across the table scoffed. “You can’t expect your omega to know that, Norman.” His hand motioned at Peter rudely. “It’s cute you’re letting him play scientist for a while… but come on.”
Peter swallowed. He knew a reason- and it was one that his mentor had been wary of bringing up to the higher-ups of the company for ethical reasons.
“Actually, there is something.” He started, hoping that the man would let him talk. “I can’t speak for all of the biogenetic departments, but for Doctor Connors’s specifically we are finding that we are hitting a wall when it comes to what we are able to do. We are working on limb regeneration through amphibian and reptile research. But the problem is is that we only have permits for certain creatures-”
“-So that should be an easy solution, you silly boy.” The alpha snapped at him and leaned forward as though he was challenging him.
“Actually it’s not.” Peter narrowed his eyes, trying to keep his cool.
He was having flashbacks to being at school where all the alphas would talk over him in class. Where they would belittle him, sometimes without meaning to.
That wasn’t going to happen anymore. He was more than his biology.
“There is one specific reptile that Doctor Connors may need to further his research to make a potential breakthrough. But getting a permit for that might be considered unethical.”
The alpha across the table sneered at him.
“Unethical!” He mocked back. He opened his mouth to continue only to snap it shut when there was a piercing scrape of a chair.
“Cut my omega off one more time, Morris and you’ll be cleaning your office out first thing tomorrow!” Norman’s voice was sharp and he stood to tower over the man. His hands gripped the table, as though he was struggling to control his anger. “Please continue, Pete.” He kept his hard gaze fixed on the other alpha, challengingly.
Peter's heart was thudding in his chest.
“What we need is a permit for a tuatara. It’s a lizard-like creature from New Zealand and is considered one of a kind. It’s a rhynchocephalia reptile. But they are rare and are considered endangered.”
The man in the corner who was taking minutes for the meeting tapped away on his iPad, noting down the request. He swiped onto a webpage and nodded to his own thoughts.
The room stayed quiet.
Norman took a seat and let out a long breath. “See? How easy was that? And not one of you could figure that out in three months of declining profit. Not one of you tried talking to the head scientist.”
“Well at least this proves you really do have a boner for Stark.” The elderly man who sat on the other side of Norman smirked at him and nodded at Peter. “All those years of criticizing and calling him…” He trailed off with a snicker.
The woman raised her cup to her lips, unsuccessfully hiding a grin.
Norman narrowed his eyes.
“My interest in Stark has, and always will be professional.” A rumble echoed in his throat and he bared his teeth, one step away from launching into a scrap. “He may be brilliant, but I’ll never want an omega who acts like that.”
Cocky. Arrogant. An asshole.
Peter was everything that Tony should be.
“Whereas my Peter..? He’s perfect.” Norman reached up to ghost his fingertips through his omega’s hair and gave him a loving glance.
There was a long silence around the table. Eyes shifted from side to side trying to make a mental connection and then the old alpha was rising to his feet. He brushed himself down and gathered his papers.
“Now that we’ve identified a major problem, maybe we should leave you alone with your boy.”
It was obvious that Norman was infatuated, much more so than he had been with his other omegas. The man had known him for years and he hadn’t even looked at Harry’s mother like this. It was a little awkward to be around.
The alpha wondered if he was planning on claiming Peter eventually- after all, he’d never found a worthy mate.
He forced a smile and headed to the door. “I’ll check back in a week. And maybe then we can discuss Oscorp’s publicity and reputational issues.”
Peter wondered what he was talking about.