“I’m bored.”
“So am I.” Tony sighed tiredly. Usually he would’ve discouraged Peter announcing his boredom so loudly, but for once he didn’t care. It wasn’t like the kid was being rude, Tony was pretty sure everyone in the room mirrored the young teens feelings, even the organisers themselves. They’d been sitting waiting for a meeting to commence for forty five minutes now and everyone was antsy, especially the fifteen year old with ADHD.
Tony had been against bringing the kid at all but Fury had insisted it would be good for Peter to understand some of what goes on behind the scenes. It was mandatory, their whole team was there even the extended members, including Rhodey, Sam and the like. Now they were just waiting for Strange to make an appearance on behalf of the Infinity Watch and they could make a start. What was taking the man so long anyway? He could literally manipulate space and time there was zero reason for him to be late.
Peter had been as well behaved as one could expect but as the hour mark approached he was getting progressively more fidgety and Tony wasn’t entirely sure it was down to him needing stimulation. “You alright kiddo?”
“Yeah, just bored.” Peter hummed as he swung his feet a little. He was being genuine in his answer though he figured his mentor was asking him if he had to use the bathroom. He didn’t, he’d deliberately not touched the free soda that had been given to him when he walked in; despite everyone else seated around the table having drank several glasses of various beverages to try and pass the time.
Tony nodded and left the boy alone, finding his answer to be truthful. Though he did note that if the kid wanted to go he should probably do so before the meeting commenced. Not that it would be a problem if he had to go during, but the kid would likely want Tony to go with him; and the man was conscious of how that would look to the rest of the team. He personally didn’t care much, if they thought it was weird that was their problem, he’d long since stopped caring what they thought; but he knew if one person so much as quirked an eyebrow Peter would immediately sit back down and insist he could wait.
Then Tony would have to either drag the boy out anyway making a big deal out of the whole thing and embarrassing the kid more; or he’d have to let him sit back down and just hope that Peter could hold it until the end. Neither of which sounded particularly appealing.
Though the other option was encouraging the kid to go by himself which brought up a whole new case of problems. The kid was shy and would feel awkward getting up and leaving by himself, he’d probably get lost and Tony’s biggest worry- the kid would probably get himself into trouble, like he always did when he went off on his own. Hell, Tony only had to turn his back for a second for the kid to get his hands on something he wasn’t supposed to, or talk to someone he wasn’t supposed to; he had to keep a close eye on him.
“You should probably go before we start.” Tony muttered very quietly so only the boy (and probably Steve) could hear; making sure to deliver the message as a statement as opposed to an option.
“At this rate, I don’t think we’re ever gonna start.” Peter sighed dramatically, spinning his chair around as he spoke; which irritated Tony, who grabbed it and forced the kid to face him while he was talking. Peter laughed sheepishly as the adults around the room snickered at the parental display. “Hehe. Sorry.”
“Last chance, yes or no?”
“No I’m good.” Peter nodded confidently with a smile. It was nice to be able to say that considering it felt like he spent half his time with a full bladder.
“Okay.” Tony sighed reluctantly conceding that he’d just have to deal with when the kid eventually did need to go. Which undoubtedly would be soon based on the fact he hadn’t been in ages. Even the man himself was starting to think he could go if he tried.
The kids last opportunity came and went not two minutes later, as a portal opened up in the corner of the room; a calm looking Steven Strange stepping through. Of course the man was met with a sarcastic chorus of ‘thanks for joining us’ and ‘glad you could make it’, as well as Nat blatantly saying ‘why the fuck are you so late?’; to all of which Steven just nodded curtly with a small polite smile on his face as he took his seat.
“Wonderful. Now that we’re all here-“ Nick started, looking pointedly at Steven who didn’t look the slightest bit phased by the looks he was receiving from around the room. “-we can get started. Barton you’re up first, give us your report for the Texas bust.”
As Clint started going over the documents he’d collected Peter tried to focus on what the man was saying; both out of politeness and the fact that he was desperate for some form of entertainment. He was able to follow along at first as the archer outlined the basics of the heist, what he’d had to do and what kind of weapons they were looking at; but as soon as the man started talking about which protocol violations had occurred and what guidelines had to be implemented during the documentation process, Peter quickly lost interest. As much as he tried to stay alert and attentive he found himself continuously jiggling his legs and tapping his feet, deconstructing and reconstructing a pen- all his little ticks becoming present as he tried his hardest to pay attention.
All he succeeded in doing was pissing Tony off as the man had to grab his seat again to stop him from swinging on it. He gave his mentor an apologetic smile and sat on his hands in an attempt to stop the behaviour; a trick that his kindergarten teacher got him to practise after raising his hand one too many times.
For once he wasn’t trying to be annoying, he genuinely couldn’t help it, which made Tony feel a stab of guilt for getting frustrated; he knew Peter was just as irritated by his hyperactivity as he was and as his mentor he should’ve accounted for this eventuality. He decided next time he’d bring some kind of fidget toy so the kid could find some relief without driving him fucking crazy- but for now he’d have to find an old fashioned activity for the kid to channel his energy into.
The man sighed and ripped a piece of paper out of the back of his notebook, passing it along to the teenager who took it gratefully and immediately started doodling.
At first Peter doodled some random project designs that had been floating around his head but after a while that bored him too and he ended up drawing caricatures of the people around the room. They were rather flattering at first; Peter drawing Clint in a heroic stance with his bow, drawing Bruce in a lab coat as opposed to his alternate form and he was just getting onto Steve when he felt the paper being pulled away from him.
He panicked initially, thinking Tony was about to tell him off but the man had a sly smirk on his face as he casually added more detail to Peter’s drawing. Tony was good at acting as though he was still listening, keeping his face a blank mask as he gave Steve a giant head comparable to the size of the shield Peter had given him; fit with a head of hair that was so quaffed it looked like the cartoon had slept with a curler in. Tony then went to write a speech bubble but he quickly slid the piece of paper back to Peter.
Unbeknownst to the boy, Nick had been circling around the room looking over people's shoulders and he’d made his way behind them.
“Nice to see you taking clear notes there Parker.” The man smirked when Peter jumped almost a foot off of his chair at the sudden voice emanating behind him; the rest of the room laughed and Peter scrambled to shove the piece of paper under the table. He shot Tony the dirtiest look he could muster, who responded by shrugging simply. God his mentor was such a dick sometimes, he totally did that on purpose!
The teenager made a point of turning away from him, crossing his arms over his chest and scooting a little closer to Bruce, who was on his other side. After a while of sulking Peter was forced to resume his tapping and pen clicking, even as Steve started talking about a mission that he had actually been a part of, therefore should be more interested in. But he wasn’t, the whole affair was so boring and he was starting to get distracted by something else..
He was beginning to regret not taking Tony up on the bathroom break offer. It wasn’t bad yet but now Peter was conscious of it, having nothing else to keep his attention, his bladder became his main focus. He didn’t have anything else to think about other than how long it had been since he last used the bathroom. How long had it been anyway? He’d gone before he got in the car- oh and when they stopped at McDonald’s; so that would’ve been around...three hours ago? Three and a half maybe? Even though he’d barely drank anything all day that was impressive considering he went almost every hour. Impressive and..uncomfortable to think about.
The more he thought about it the more he noticed his bladder steadily filling with three and a half hours worth of urine; even though he knew that’s not how it worked on a biological level, that’s how it felt. Like now he realised he had to pee his body was making an extra effort to make that happen. Hyperfixating on the issue wasn’t helping, but what else was he supposed to do? It was almost Tony’s turn to propose a new battle plan and Peter wanted to hear that; even if he didn’t, he’d still have to wait until after Tony finished talking before he could go.
But that little voice in the back of his head popped up; ‘You’re fifteen. You can go to the bathroom by yourself.’ He knew that- using the bathroom wasn’t the problem, he was well equipped to handle that part himself, thank you very much. He just..felt awkward excusing himself. He knew by now that he didn’t have to announce it to the room or anything, Mr. Stark told him so long as he knew where he was going Peter never had to tell anyone else; but it was something about the walk between his chair and the door, which admittedly was a very short walk as Tony had strategically placed them right beside the door for this very reason.
The walk always seemed impossible to him. It was the same reason he’d put trash in his pockets instead of getting up and dropping it in the trash can, or why he’d spend an entire class with a rapidly dulling pencil rather than get up in front of everybody; just the idea of all those eyes being on him, even for a fleeting moment, filled him with dread and made him feel nauseous. All those eyes on him knowing where he was going; that was just as bad as saying ‘hi everyone, I really have to pee because I have the bladder of a five year old and can’t wait as long as you all can!’
Again, Peter knew his brain was being stupid, he knew it was irrational. No one actually thought that and in fact several of them had slipped out assuredly to use the bathroom- no one said anything, barely even looking up but..but everyone thought of Peter as a kid anyway. They literally only referred to him as kid usually (other that Bruce, the Doctor always showed him a decent level of respect, Peter figures that came with being a doctor) and he didn’t want to prove the nickname right. He didn’t want everyone knowing he couldn’t hold it. His hands were sweating just thinking about it. Stupid anxiety making everything so difficult.
But it had been getting better, slowly but surely he was making progress; and most of that was thanks to Mr. Stark. The man had helped him get over his biggest hurdle, telling someone when he had to go. Admittedly he still struggled sometimes but more often than not he could tell Tony when he needed a break; if not outright he was still more comfortable hinting to him. Peter decided now was probably a good time to test his newfound skill, unless he wanted to end up potty dancing in front of a room full of his most esteemed colleagues. He was trying to make a good impression after all, both to them and to Mr. Stark, to show that he was maturing; that he wasn’t a little kid. Even if his bladder was the size of one’s that didn’t mean he couldn’t handle the situation like an adult. S.H.I.E.L.D agents don’t pee dance.
“Uh, Mr. Stark?” Peter tapped on the man’s shoulder, just as Steve was finishing up. Tony turned towards him and Peter made a hand motion for the man to lean in closer. Once he did, he whispered to him; “Can I go to the bathroom, please?”
“Sure kid, come on let’s go.” Tony said, automatically moving to get up with him but Peter shook his head.
“It’s okay, I can go by myself.” Peter said confidently as he stood up and moved towards the door, leaving his phone and jacket on the chair as ‘insurance’; so the man didn’t just think he was trying to escape the boring meeting to go and get cookies from one of the nice secretary people like he had last time.
Tony went to ask the kid if he was sure but he was already gone. Peter had picked a good time to get up if he didn’t want to draw attention as people were shifting around in order to switch their focus from Steve and ready themselves for what Tony was about to say. Peter had already left the room by that point so Tony elected to ignore the pang of anxiety in his gut in favour of getting this stupid meeting over and done with sooner. Besides he felt a bit of paternal pride in just how easily the boy had left the room, no hesitation and only a minor look of panic on his face; definitely an improvement on the kid who would’ve sooner peed himself under the table before mentioning it, that he’d been dealing with three months before. The boy had come a long way in a short amount of time so tiny wasn’t about to ruin the kid’s newfound confidence by chasing after him and insisting he needed a chaperone.
If the kid needed anything Tony was confident he’d come back and tell him; after all the kid had just him outright he had to use the bathroom- that was a big step. He figured if Peter had managed to do that he’d be able to tell him if he couldn’t find one or if something equally dramatic happened.
Out in the hallway Peter was making his way through the building back the way they came in, remembering that there had been bathrooms in the lobby when they first arrived. It was a pretty straight path down two flights of stairs; which was a little less easy than it had been earlier but he blamed the excess fluid he was carrying. He was proud of himself for being able to excuse himself without having a full on panic attack; only some minor hyperventilating but thatbwas qhicjly calming down. Now he was on an embarrassing adrenaline rush- no, no it shouldn’t be embarrassing. He was allowed to be proud of himself- he’d never have been able to walk out like that alone well- ever, so he was in a considerably good mood.
However, that mood was knocked a little when he saw a cleaning cart parked outside of the bathroom and a ‘closed for cleaning sign’ on the door.
“Damnit.” Peter muttered under his breath, bouncing in place slightly. He hadn’t accounted for that being a factor, because why would he? He’d been so focused on the act of actually building up the courage to leave the room mostly unnoticed, he hadn’t anticipated the further hurdle of an out of use bathroom too. That was just cruel of the universe to do that to him after he’d had to work so hard to get over his anxiety in the first place.
He wasn’t quite sure what to do. There was no one at the reception desk to ask where another available restroom was, and even if there had been Peter wasn’t sure he’d be able to muster up that much courage again so soon. No, he decided he’d be better off just heading to the next floor to try and find one. In the back of his mind he knew he should just go back to the meeting room and ask Tony- but that would be too embarrassing and he’d have to interrupt the man while he was speaking and that was just- that was just no.
So he ascended the stairs again, this time finding it a lot more difficult as each step jostled his bladder combined with having to spread his legs apart with each one- that wasn’t a fun time. Next time he’d be getting the elevator for sure. By the time he reached the second floor he was considerably more desperate and he realised it was almost identical to the third one the meeting was being held. Huh. That was kind of disorientating.
He’d automatically assumed there would be a toilet on every floor, because, well people worked there and it wouldn’t make sense for staff to have to go all the way downstairs just to go. That would be stupid.
But even after walking a ways down the hallway Peter still couldn’t see any signs of one; and he was starting to feel a little bit weird about traipsing around the halls by himself, especially when people were working. It felt a little rude to be wandering around when people were getting things done and he was starting to feel self conscious; that combined with the fact that his movements were started to become more erratic as his bladder continued to swell he decided he’d be better off leaving that floor before people got suspicious. Either thinking that he was some shifty kid who was trying to steal S.H.I.E.L.D secrets or even worse (arguably) knowing he had to pee- so he had to leave.
And go where? Sure he could go to the third floor and look there but what if he couldn’t find one? And what if Mr. Stark saw him walk past? Well logically Peter knew the man would help, but part of him was worried that he’d get mad about him taking so long; if Tony didn’t give him a chance to speak before dragging him back into the room then what would happen? He’d either be seen dancing by everyone or he’d pee himself in front of them- no thanks.
But if he went back down to the lobby and the bathrooms were still closed he’d be back to square one. He didn’t know what to do now- maybe he should ask someone or just accept defeat and go back upstairs; in hopes that Tony would’ve finished talking by now. And if he hadn’t? Well..Peter would have to figure that out then.
So he went to go back upstairs but his heart sank just looking at them. In the ten minutes he’d spent in search of a restroom is bladder was feeling pretty discontent and the prospect of climbing another flight of stairs didn’t seem particularly doable. Not without him leaking anyway and he really didn’t wanna do that. Maybe he should just text Tony so the man could meet him-
Ah crap. He’d left his phone upstairs. Now what was he gonna do? He tried the door to get back through the doors on the second floor- but his key card didn’t work. Suspicious activity- fuck, he’d been through too many doors in a short amount of time and the system had flagged it up. He was stuck in the stairwell. Great. Just great.
Back upstairs Tony had just finished talking and was waiting on the others to deliberate their feedback. He was hyper aware that Peter had yet to return and it had been fifteen minutes; way longer than what was necessary for one to go to and from the bathroom even if the kid had decided to go all the way back to the lobby instead of using the one two doors down the hall.
“Hey, where did your kid go? Shouldn’t he have-“
“Yes Coulson, I noticed. Thank you.” Tony said snappily. As much as he was thankful for the fact that should he not be there people would notice things about his kid- right now he was there and it was his job to look out for Peter, no one else. Except his housemates. And Rhodey. And Bucky and Sam and Happy and Pepper- Okay it was a lot of people’s job, but primarily speaking it was his and he didn’t appreciate anyone else’s input.
“Want me to go find him?” Clint offered, his dad senses picking up his friends anxiety and he too was worried about the kid getting into trouble.
But Tony shook his head. “I’ll go.”
“I’m stepping out for a moment to take a call.” Another voice chimed into the conversation. It was Strange. “If I see him on my way I’ll send him back up. I imagine he just needed a breather, I know I kept you all waiting a while.”
Though Tony instantly wanted to tell Steven to blow his offer out his ass, he hesitated. He wasn’t sure why, maybe it was the man’s calming demeanour or the non threatening smile on his face that put Tony at ease, but he hesitated. Tony Stark doesn’t usually hesitate over anything which meant his gut was trying to tell him something.
“Sure. Okay.” He felt himself say as the rest of his housemates looked at him as though he’d gone insane; knowing full well how protective Tony was over the kid, they were shocked he was allowing anyone but himself or one of them to look for him.
Steven nodded curtly stepping through a portal as opposed to the door, before Tony could change his mind. In actuality the sorcerer already knew exactly where Peter was. Halfway through Tony’s speech he’d grown suspicious about the amount of time it was taking the kid to return; so under the table he’d opened a small window, just looking to see what time of room he was in but not enough to see the boy in case he was in fact using the restroom. As soon as he saw that the floor Peter was standing on wasn’t tiled he opened the window further to see what the boy was up to.
Peter had a bit of a reputation for going off and doing his own thing when unsupervised, but the kid didn’t look to be up to any mischief. In fact he looked rather distressed and was pacing up and down a hallway, peering round corners and staring at every door. The kid was looking for something, clearly, and it was obvious from his stance alone that that something was the bathroom. A moment later Steven checked again, trying to see if the boy had found his way. The next window shifted to Peter in the stairwell, looking even more upset. Ah.
So Stark hadn’t thought to point out the nearest one to the boy then. Typical. Steven had planned on informing Tony at the next given opportunity but instead he opted to handle the situation himself; he didn’t want to draw any more attention to the boys predicament than necessary. Besides, he knew he’d be able to assist the boy quicker anyway.
Stepping through the portal he stood in the stairwell opposite Peter; who jumped and stuck to the wall (cross legged which was rather impressive) when he saw him. The teenager had been in the middle of debating whether or not it would be worth it to punch his way through the door; setting off the no doubt complex security systems. As bad as that sounded, he thought getting arrested was better than peeing himself- but alas he’d been discovered. And just in the nick of time. “Woah jeez- uh h-hi Dr. Strange.”
“Hi kid. Got somewhere you need to be?” He asked calmly, keeping his voice level so the boy didn’t think he was teasing him.
Peter’s face flushed dark red. “D-did Mr. Stark send you?”
“No but he is wondering where you went off to.”
“Oh-uh n-nowhere. J-just a walk.” Peter lied. After unsticking himself from the wall he shifted on his feet trying desperately to stand still but ultimately failing. The shock of the man appearing out of nowhere hadn’t helped his need to pee in the slightest and he was forced to clench his legs together tightly; in an awkward bow legged stance that anyone who had spent any amount of time with other humans would be able to identify as a pee dance.
“Uh huh. Fancy taking a walk to the bathroom?” Steven asked with a raised eyebrow. Did the kid really think he was being surreptitious? As much as he appreciated a drawn out cryptic conversation he figured he’d better be direct if he was to help the kid get to a restroom in a timely fashion.
If Peter’s face could’ve got redder it certainly would have. Despite wanting to deny it he knew it was no use and even if he rejected the man’s help, he’d likely go and tell Tony on him anyway. And in the time it took to do that he’d likely to be standing in a puddle by the time his mentor came to fetch him. He felt himself nodding sheepishly and Steven held his arm out, causing the boy to blink up at him.
“Don’t be frightened, it doesn’t hurt. This ways quicker.” Steven nodded, giving the boy a small assuring smile. As soon as Peter gripped onto his sleeve Steven opened another portal, this one directly inside the bathroom. He pulled Peter through, supporting the kid as he wobbled slightly- like most people did their first time space jumping- though the kid was more than a little unstable on his feet anyway by that point. “You’re back on the third floor kid. When you’re done the boardroom is two doors down on the left.”
Peter managed to squeak out a quick, but very grateful thank you as he rushed inside the nearest open stall. Luckily he heard the whoosh of Steven leaving through a portal again quickly so he was able to go without the added pressure of someone waiting on him.
Oh god that had been close. Way too close. Stupid doors- stupid Tony.
Rather than feeling the usual after-pee euphoria Peter just felt pure embarrassment rush through him. He’d only met Dr. Strange a handful of times and the man just had to take him to the damn bathroom- why hadn’t he just asked Mr. Stark to go with him? Yes that still made him a baby but at least he knew Mr. Stark didn’t mind him being a baby! In fact his mentor often encouraged such behaviour.
Oh god now he was gonna have to go back into the room and everyone probably knew what happened- what if they laughed at him? No, Mr. Stark wouldn’t let them- but what if he was mad? Mad that he’d taken so long and mad that he hadn’t brought his phone? Well- well if he was- that was his fault! He should’ve shown Peter where the bathroom was in the first place! In fairness he probably expected that Peter would’ve wanted him to accompany him, so he hadn’t thought it necessary- but still!
As much as Peter wanted to hide out in the bathroom for the rest of the afternoon he knew he couldn’t. If Dr. Strange went back and told Tony he’d gotten him to the bathroom, his mentor would be expecting him back after he went. If he took any longer he’d come looking for him and he most definitely would be upset. Ugh, he had to face the music- he just hoped the music wasn’t a chorus of laughter or yelling.
When Peter slipped back into the room the adults had taken a comfort break themselves, only Nat, Steve, Fury, Strange and Tony being left in the room. He flashed Steven a quick nervous smile before scurrying to his seat; intent on not making eye contact with the wizard for the rest of the afternoon. He sat back down silently next to his mentor who shot him a pointed look- just not one Peter had been expecting.
He didn’t look mad he looked rather concerned. “You okay?”
“Uh huh.” Peter mumbled quietly, as he pulled the cuffs of his sleeves down over his hands and fiddled with the fabric, twisting it around in an attempt to self soothe.
“Did you get lost?”
“Uh huh.” Peter repeated in the same tone with just a dash more embarrassment.
“Why didn’t you come and get me, kiddo?” Tony asked, dropping his voice down slightly to discourage any eavesdropping.
“‘Cause you were busy, I didn’t want to interrupt.” The teen said shyly. That was better than saying he wouldn’t make it back up the stairs at least. Or that he’d gotten himself stuck after he’d gotten himself lost.
“Well next time you can interrupt kid.” Tony sighed. “I shouldn’t have to send people after you.”
“Well maybe next time you could point out where the nearest bathroom is so I don’t have to spend twenty minutes trying to find one.” Peter hissed through his teeth before crossing his arms over his chest poutily. “Then you wouldn’t have had to send anyone- you could’ve gotten off your ass and looked for me yourself-“
“Don’t get snappy with me.” Tony pouted back, the pair of them being oblivious to the eyes around the room smirking at them.
“I’m not being snappy! Just because you don’t like what I’m saying doesn’t mean I’m being snappy-“
“You’re hungry aren’t you?”
Peter’s eyes blazed. “How dare you! I’m angry because you almost made me..do that thing all because you were inconsiderate and didn’t-“
“So you don’t want the grab bag of Chips Ahoy I’ve got in my briefcase?” Tony asked quirking an eyebrow as Peter very quickly stopped ranting. “Yeah. Not so inconsiderate now huh?”
“Jus’ gimme the cookies.” Peter huffed but Tony shook his head.
“Uh uh, what do we say?” The man shook the back teasingly, inviting the boy to try and take a swipe at them but he didn’t take the bait; much to his mentors disappointment. What? He was bored too okay, he was just trying to entertain himself and picking on Peter was too easy.
Had they not had company Peter would’ve hissed at him, but instead he decided to give the man what he wanted in exchange for sweets.
“Please.” Peter said, voice dripping with sarcasm.
“That’s better.” The man grinned as the boy snatched the pack away from him and immediately tore into it; tucking his feet up on the chair and hunching over, eating like a gremlin. You know, perfectly normal behaviour. “Am I forgiven?”
“Did you bring Oreos too?” Peter asked, mouth full.
“I did.” Tony nodded. Of course he had, he knew how the boy could rarely decide between the two.
“Then yes, you are forgiven.”