Spidery Intervention

Natasha observed the occupants inside the Quinjet. She silently cataloged the way they interacted with each other and the minimal clues that unconsciously belied their emotions.

Sam was keeping a low conversation with Steve and Barnes. On the other end of the aircraft, Tony was explaining something to Peter. The billionaire was ignoring the soldiers, while Peter would discreetly glance at them from time to time. It was clear that both of them were still pissed.

The only reason Steve had even been allowed into the Quinjet was because Sam had asked –short of begged– Tony. The man hadn't fallen to his knees, of course; he was just polite, sincere and earnest as he promised to keep Cap away from Tony, if only for the trip back.

Peter promising to deck the blond man in the jaw if he stepped out of line probably helped. Barnes surely did as well, but Natasha was sure that Steve wouldn't try anything at the risk of ending up with more cracked bones.

The teen, meanwhile, had taken to staying close to Tony, despite the fact that the man kept telling him that he could take care of himself.

"But Mr. Stark, you're old. What if you displace your hip?"

"You little shit!"

Thankfully, they were able to keep the fact that a teenager stopped the Winter Soldier by himself under wraps. Plus the fact that said teenager was a masked vigilante.

The situation was still a technical snafu, but at least they remained together. Natasha hoped that they could work things out in the end, one way or another.

—

"Do we have to?"

"Yes, kid. I'm sorry, but while I want to help you out with your whole hero skit, I refuse to let your aunt be out of the loop. She deserves to know," Tony insisted, opening the car door to let the pair step out.

As the man hurried up to the teen's apartment, with said teen following sullenly, he wished he had brought something to snack on for their talk. Tony still took a moment to ask FRIDAY to order them some food, though, but it should arrive later.

Peter let them in and Tony took a moment to look around the tiny apartment. It was cozy and well taken care of, but he could see some clothes thrown haphazardly after a long day here and there.

"Peter, honey!" May Parker greeted her nephew with an enveloping hug and Tony felt a small tug of envy. "Mr Stark, I didn't know you were coming."

Tony smiled at her. He had met the woman before when she had gone to the compound to accompany the boy for a couple of interviews. She was remarkable and rememberable, and she was perfectly content to text Tony occasionally to check how the internship was going. May was even courteous enough to ask how Tony was doing and be genuine about it.

“Hello, May. I came to visit for a couple of reasons, I hope it’s not a bad time.”

“Oh, no, it’s perfectly fine. Although I haven't prepared dinner. I was going to pick up some take out,” May said pleasantly, motioning for all of them to sit down.

“It’s fine, I ordered something. Is Greek ok?” Tony asked.

“Why yes, yes; I haven’t eaten Greek food in a long time. Thank you, Mr Stark.”

The three sat in the small leaving room and began to make small talk. Peter recounted the many things he saw in Viena with Tony filling in on some of the names the boy seemed unsure how to pronounce. Both of them mentioned some of the gifts they brough for May, much to her delight. Once the food arrived, they sat at the table and Tony decided to start with the less heavy topic after they had eaten a little.

“Have you checked your email this week?”

May blinked in slight surprise while Peter seemed a bit relieved of course. “Not too closely.”

“You should have received something, an email from SI, about renewing Peter’s internship, although some of the terms have been updated,” Aunt and nephew looked suitably flabbergasted and May was suddenly scrambling to open her phone. “It’s fine, it’s fine. Here, look.”

Tony took out his phone and placed it on the table. Without needing to say anything, FRIDAY projected the said message.

May seemed perplexed for a moment but quickly got into reading the proposal Tony had SI make.

"This is…," the woman was at a loss of words, and even Peter was silent.

"Peter's original internship was supposed to last two weeks. We agreed to add one more week when Peter came with me to Vienna, but honestly, that also worked as an excuse to have my people work on this," Tony fiddled with the hologram, highlighting some parts. "This is a one-year internship contract and it's for Peter to come to work with me four times a week. Because of some of the work I have seen the kid do, I know Peter is advanced beyond a lot of the material he would be learning in Midtown. He would be getting the credits he would need to opt out of some classes and get ones that will either challenge or teach him something useful or new. Several credits will also be valid for any college should Peter decide to get a degree. Should he continue to work at SI, some of the credits will be valid up to and including a PhD. SI even has financial aid programs for college students who are employed by us."

"Holy shit…," aunt and nephew expressed together.

"The internship is also paid. Since Peter would be working with me directly, his level of clearance would have to be quite high, which also means that his yearly salary would reflect that, although there are limits to what can be done for internships," with a slight movement, the number was displayed for the small family to see.

"Eighty… Eighty four thousand…" Peter stuttered.

"That's almost as much as I make as a nurse…," May said breathlessly.

"Shit, really? Sounds like they are underpaying you," Tony said with a frown. "There are also a couple of bonuses for completed projects, accounted sick days and health insurance that covers orthodontics and optometry for both of you."

"Is that what interns are paid in SI?" May asked. She was clearly trying to get a hold of herself. "It 's so much."

Tony nodded seriously. "It depends on the department but that's the average. There are several reasons our employees don't quit. Of course, once Peter became a full employee, after a few years of internship, his initial salary would be closer to two hundred thousand dollars yearly plus benefits."

Tony observed the pair carefully, stopping himself from smirking by sheer will. He wasn't even lying. SI's full internship program was difficult to get into for a reason. What he offered Peter might be a bit much for any teenager, but the kid was brilliant enough to deserve it. Besides, he hadn't even told them that, now knowing Peter's secret and intending to help with with his heroics, Tony was going to add more.

"Mr Stark, this is too much," Peter finally said. "The… The credits for college are amazing but I'm not sure I deserve all this."

"Kid, having seen your work, I can assure you that you more than deserve this. Many college students don't have the mind or the discipline to achieve what you are capable of. I'm a genius, Peter, and I appreciate other geniuses when I see them," Tony said firmly.

Before Peter could protest, May sighed and raised her face. "I've always known that Peter would go far. It's a bit validating that a man in your position would also recognize and would be willing to help with that. I…," she looked to the side, sending Peter a soft look that made the teen blush. "I think this is an amazing offer, and I would be willing to accept if it is something that Peter wants and that it will help him."

Tony locked eyes with May for a few seconds and nodded. He then looked at Peter, silently conveying that the hard part was to come.

"There is a second offer that I would like to make, but Peter here needs to come clean about something first."

The teen gulped and looked to the floor, fidgeting for a moment.

"Peter?" May said. "Honey, what is it?"

Taking a deep breath, Peter looked at the older man, steeling himself before answering. "I'm Spider-Man."