Chapter 5
After a few hours of steady working to the sound of AC DC, Peter was brought out of his focus by a knock on the door of the lab. He glanced up from his suit - he was almost done with the wiring inside the fabric - to see the Bruce Banner standing at the door.
“Tony, you wanted me to come by?” he called through the glass.
Mr. Stark looked up from his welding. “Just a sec, Brucie-bear, lemme finish this up. What’s your number?”
“Probably, like, a three.”
“Alright, give me a minute more.” He glanced at Peter, suddenly remembering his presence, but forgetting his youth and nerdiness. “Pete, you can go let him in.”
He paused for a moment, before nervously walking over to the door, opening it for the older man. “Tony, who is this?”
“I said, just a sec, okay? This shit is tiny and I can’t get it done with you guys yammering away.”
I’m Peter, he signed awkwardly, hands slightly shaky.
Hi, Peter, it’s nice to meet you.
Peter watched the older man out of the corner of his eye before he began gesturing, You’re Bruce Banner, holy shit, you’re like, one of the best scientists in the world! And an Avenger! I’ve read all of your papers, and oh my god your research on gamma radiation is amazing! And you know sign language!
Bruce smiled at the antics of the overexcited teenager, blushing slightly at the praise. I’ m glad you liked reading my stuff. It’s not often that I meet someone as young as you who understands what it says, Bruce signed back. You must be pretty smart.
It was Peter’s turn to blush. Thanks, Mr. Banner.
Please, call me Bruce.
“Oh, good, you two have met. Bruce, this is my new intern. I thought you two would get along.” Mr. Stark had finished what he was working on, and was walking over to talk to the pair. “Whaddya think of him, Brucie-bear?”
“Tony, I only just met him a few minutes ago.”
“C’mon, gimme something.”
I’m standing right here, Mr. Stark, Peter butted in.
“Oh right. And how many times do I have to ask you to call me Tony?” The teen blushed again.
“So, what did you need me for?” Bruce asked.
“Oh, I just wanted you to meet the kid. He’s something, isn’t he?”
Again, I’m standing right here, Mr.- I mean, Tony.
Bruce laughed, before turning to the teen. “Peter, do you want to help me in my lab someday? I think you could help me with some formulas and stuff,” he said, catching a glance of where Peter’s notebook with the equation for his webs lay on the workbench.
The young boy looked at Tony with eyes wide with excitement.
“Now, hold on a second,” the mechanic said. “Are you trying to steal my intern?” Bruce laughed again as Tony looked at Peter, seeing what he thought of it. “Oh, alright. We’ll work something out.”
Peter’s smile lasted the rest of the day.
By the time he had to go home, he almost had the wiring done in his suit and the fabric was nearly all put together. Peter was exhausted, but even so, wanted to work more. Hanging out with Tony had been a surreal experience, and he finally felt like he had something to look forward to.
“Ready to go home, kid?” Tony asked, grabbing a set of his keys. “I’ll take you back to your house. I want to see where the spiderling lives.”
Peter’s mind immediately went into overdrive. How could he prevent Tony from knowing he was an orphan? He could go to Ned’s house, or MJ’s, but it was pretty obvious that they weren’t siblings and Tony had already met Ned. He could decline, but he didn’t want to seem rude or disappoint his newfound mentor. A sigh escaped his lips. If he let Tony see the orphanage, then Tony might not want anything to do with him and-
“Breathe, Pete,” the mechanic’s voice filtered through his intrusive thoughts, bringing him back to the present. “What’s wrong? You freaked out on me for a second.”
I’m sorry.
“Don’t be. Everyone freaks out sometimes. Now, what’s up with your house?”
Nothing. Nothing’s wrong with it, Peter signed, not meeting the older man’s eyes.
“C’mon, Peter, you can tell me. Does your mom not approve of me?” he tried teasing. The boy’s eyes became glassy, much to Tony’s surprise. He led the boy to the couch at the back of his lab where he took naps, sitting him down gently. “Peter, is something wrong with your mother?”
She’s dead, he signed, his hands falling back to his lap. I’m an orphan.
“Is that why you didn’t want me to take you home? Because you live in an orphanage?” Peter nodded, still not looking at Tony. “It’s alright, kid,” he said, setting a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “It’s not going to change how I see you. You’re still a brilliant kid from Queens.”
Finally, he looked up at his mentor. You don’t mind?
“Of course not. Now, is it okay if I see where you live or would you rather me drop you off at the old tower?”
I mean, I guess you can take me back to the orphanage, he gestured.
“Alright. Let’s do it.”
Over a few months, Peter settled into a routine. He would go to school, and if it was a weekday, he would patrol in the evenings, changing into the suit that he and Tony had put together. On Fridays, he would walk to the old Avengers Tower, where Happy would pick him up and take him to the compound for the weekend, having been given a room to stay in while he was there.
During his time at the compound, he was eventually introduced to the rest of the Avengers. His life felt surreal. Beforehand, Tony had asked him if he wanted to reveal himself as Spiderman, which Peter eventually agreed to.
Tony had led him into the common room, where all of them - sans Bruce and Thor - were lounging around playing Mario Kart on a large flatscreen TV. Peter’s eyes had gone wide as Tony announced his presence. “Alright, losers, there’s someone I want you to meet. This is Peter,” he had said. The group had looked up, pausing their game.
“Where’d you pick this one up, Stark?” the Black Widow asked, standing and walking towards him, sizing him up.
“Found him on a rooftop. He got stabbed fighting a guy and climbed up there,” he responded, nonchalantly. The rest of the Avengers looked shocked. “Oh, yeah I forgot to say that he’s special. He’s Spiderman,” Tony explained.
“And that’s supposed to be better than getting stabbed? He’s like, thirteen,” Steve said.
I’m sixteen, Peter signed, finally joining the conversation.
“I’m Natasha. You can call me Nat,” the Black Widow said, finishing her judgment, seeming to approve by holding out her hand for Peter to shake. He took it, smiling at her excitedly. One by one, the rest of the Avengers stood up and introduced themselves, always using their first names.
“Hey, Pete, how good are you at Mario Kart?”
I’m pretty good, he replied nervously.
“Why don’t you come play with us? Let’s see if you can show up Nat. It’s been a while since anyone’s beat her,” Sam invited, moving over on the couch to make room for the teenager.
Peter sat, accepting the remote that was handed to him. He changed his settings, and the race began.
It turned out, he was really good at it. His spidey sense worked even in video games, so he knew when shells were coming up behind him and where to maneuver to miss the ink splashes that would cover the screen when someone got the power up.
Although he didn’t beat Nat, he came in second place, crossing the finish line just after the assassin. High fives went around, and the grin on Peter’s face was infectious.
He felt happy for the first time in a while.