An unexpected visitor
Peter heard voices ever since he had returned from space. It was something that he thought of as normal at the beginning. Aunt May said it was some kind of trauma after being disintegrated to dust and basically dying therefore. But Peter didn’t really believe that this was just a weird way of his brain to cope with his death. That this was just anxiety running through his brain, grinning darkly at him.
He really thought that there was more to it, but he couldn’t describe the feeling in his mind. Nor did he have the time or the people to do so. Everyone acted weirdly around him ever since the Avengers fight against Thanos. He couldn’t even remember half of it, all lost in hectic fear. But the way the people who knew looked at him - Ned and Aunt May, Tony and Happy. They felt pity for the fifteen-year old who had died, who came back from the dead and had much luck that his mentor was still alive.
Unlike others ...
„Pete“, said Tony, stuck under a car that he had bought from some guy in Upstate New York. You’d think that a man like Tony Stark, who was known for his technique, his suits, his brain and mostly for his money, would buy Peter a brilliant and high quality first car. But this? This was second hand and smelled of cat pee.
„Yeah?“, Peter asked, going down to one knee and trying to make out a face in the dark under the car. One second later Tony shoot out on his rolling board and grinning at Peter. But there it was again. That broken bit of Tony that was filled with guilt.
Tony was worse than the rest. Because everyone else didn’t know what exactly had happened on Titan. They hadn’t seen Tony being stabbed and them losing to Thanos. They didn’t feel how it was to be disintegrated far away from home, far away from family. And, in Tony’s case - they didn’t know how it felt to bring a child to space and let him die. Tony was one big blob of guilt.
„Mr. Stark?“, Peter tried to keep Tony from thinking about it.
„Huh?“, Tony said, then remembered that he had wanted something from Peter, „oh, yes, of course. You wanna grab me the screwdiver.“
„Sure“, Peter sighed, stood up and walked over to the tool bench. A moment later he reached under the car to press it in Tonys hand.
„Thanks, kiddo.“
„No problem, Mr. Stark.“
He was grateful for Tony. It was like he had Uncle Ben back, but a different version of him. More sarcastic, maybe even more clever but there was something missing. Something that Uncle Ben had and Peter didn’t. He could just not name it.
Being stuck in his thought Peter almost jumped as the doors to Tonys hightech garage were slammed open. He could hear Pepper arguing with someone. Unlike other times she was not dressed in her office outfit. Her honey blonde hair was held up in a messy bun and she didn’t wear any make up. She didn’t care. The person entering the room next to her didn’t as well.
„Mr. Stark“, said a tall man with dark brown hair and a grin like a sales man. He was followed by two buff bodyguards with black sunglasses and in his hands he held a suitcase.
Peter stood up.
The strange man looked at Peter as if he thought that the boy might be Tony but a second later Tony arose next to him, motor oil on his forehead.
„Norman“, sighed Tony and rolled with his eyes.
„Tony“, grinned that Norman guy. „Didn’t know you had a son, old friend.“
Tony grimaced at Pepper, asking if she had said anything yet. It was all still a big surprise, the whole baby thing but of course Peter knew they were expecting. He had been so happy and it was weird how brotherly he had felt.
Pepper pointed with darts as eyes at him and in that moment he understood what Mr. Norman guy had actually meant. Immediately his head turned red.
„Oh“, laughed Tony, „he’s not my son, Norman. He’s just a very close friend to the family. The son I never had, you could say.“
Or would have in a few month. Tony slung an arm around Peters neck and grinned proudly. This was embarrassing but on the other hand - how many teens could say that they were close friend to the family of Tony Stark.
„Nice“, grinned Norman, as if that was the only expression he had. „You must be the same age as my boy Harry.“
Peter shrugged.
„Anyways, Tony - I have a bargain to talk about.“
„Not now, Norman. I’m out of office.“
„You don’t have an office.“
„Which is practical because there’s no time to be bothered by your ideas, Norman. Whatever it is, find some other rich asshole to fund it but this one is busy at the moment, Capiche?“
Norman didn’t bother to even move. Peter stared at the older man with his perfect TV-face as if he was a walking commercial. „You shouldn’t just walk off before you know what I’m proposing.“
„Norman, I know your backstory. All you have to offer is the risk of turning into a mini version of the Hulk again and we wouldn’t want that, no?“
Tony turned his back towards Norman and sighed, leaning over the car. „Pete, maybe you should go home. We can work on the car another day.“
Peter really wanted to stay. Because he wanted to see what Norman had to propose and what Tony meant with being a mini hulk. But he trusted Tonys judgement. He nodded, mumbled a quick goodbye and followed Pepper to the entrance.
When he walked past Norman he glanced at the suitcase again. Something in his head tingled, then a scream went loose. The kind of scream that you wanted to help stop because else it would devour you just as well. But as quick as it had come it had gone and Peter walked out of the garage as if nothing had happened.
„Who was that, Miss Potts?“
„Ugh, just some guy Tony had some ties with years ago. Norman Osborn. You might have heard of him before, Peter“, she commented while walking up the stairs to the living room with him. Pepper never had much to do with Peter, not the way Tony had but she had accepted him just the same. When it was hard for Peter in school or when he was hurt from a fight and needed to get help she had always been there. She knew how important he was for Tony and vice versa.
But he wasn’t her son. There was a son, or a daughter, on their way and once they were here there wouldn’t be time for Peter. And he wasn’t jealous but he tried to enjoy the moments were this imaginative son-hood was still a thing.
„He runs that big industry Oscorp“, Pepper said, „but he’s a massive idiot and has some shady buisness going on behind the scenes.“
„I don’t trust him“, Peter commented, „there’s something about him ... or the suitcase...“
„You shouldn’t trust him, Peter“, said Pepper and sighed, „he has his backstory, you know? Have you heard of the Green Goblin? That was him.“
Peter had heard rumours about a crazy creature one halloween night but he hadn’t cared much about it as he hadn’t been a superhero back then. But know he realised.
„And Mr. Stark fought against him?“
„Yes“, said Pepper and nodded. There was something cautious in her look. Everyday was a risk that Tony returned to his role as Iron Man, something he had pinned as done once Thanos had been defeated. But she knew that the day would come when his promise had to be broken.
She must’ve been afraid that Osborn being here meant that Tony might have to fight again.
„Do you know what was in his suitcase, Miss Potts?“
„No, Peter“, said Pepper, „and if you ask me, I don’t want to know. Whatever comes with Norman is nothing good. He almost lost his son to one of his experiments - he’s not a good man.“
They had reached the doors when Peter felt it again. A weird version of his spider senses screaming, tugging at his nerves and making him nervous. There was something in the house that didn’t belong. That wasn’t natural. And Peter felt think only thinking about it.