Bug boy || Peter Parker

Seven

After some quick sweet talking to May, Tony managed to bustle Peter and Tate into Peter's room. It was a small room, with blue grey walls and a sad looking single bed rammed into the corner. School books, various disassembled electronics and pencils littered the rickety desk. Tony gave the small space a quick look before sitting on the edge of Peter's bed, wincing at the lumpy mattress. Tate, who appeared to still be mad at him, took the desk chair. He spun on it idly for a second and Tony wanted to ruffle his hair, although it would earn him a scowl. But first things first.

Tate frowned at the old chunky computer on top of a set of drawers. "Did you build that? Nice. Not bad Peter. Salvaged parts? Oh you got a few pieces of raspberry pie. Funky stuff there". He leaned forwards and tapped the black screen with his finger nail. Peter chose to ignore him, focusing on the bigger issues here.

"I know that I never signed up for no internship", Peter said quickly, voice high with panic, surprise and nerves. "And what's your relationship?"

"No no", Tony held out a hand, cutting him off. "Me first". Tate tried not to smirk as Tony went into arrogant business man model. (It was pretty much a default setting at this point). It always amused him to watch as his father commanded a room. He may have learnt a lot more good things from Pepper, but Tate knew that his confidence and 'no fucks' attitude was definitely something he had picked up from Tony.

Tony fished into his suit pocket and pulled out his phone. He shook it and a holographic screen formed in the air. A video was playing. Tate and Peter both watched as a car thief was picked by a guy swinging over, and dragged out of frame. Tate blinked and watched the loop again. A masked guy was swinging from some sort of rope like Tarzan. "That's you isn't it", Tony stated.

"Um no. What do, what do you"- Peter blustered.

"Yeah. Look at you go". The video changed. This was one that Tate had seen before. He recognised it as the vid Abe had shown him in gym last week. A black car was caught before it could hit a bus. The masked hero then swinging onto a building and climbing out of sight like a monkey. "Wow, nice catch", Tony commented with a low whistle. "What was that? 30, 40 miles and hour?"

"That's on youtube though right?" Peter said as Tony rose from his seat. "You know those things are faked right? Done on a computer".

"Yeah yeah yeah", Tony hummed. Tate watched as his dad took a broom stick and poked the ventilation vent in the ceiling. It lifted up and a crudely made suit fell down, hanging on a piece of rope. Tate only got a glimpse before Peter was jumping and pulling it down. The boy stuffed it out of sight in a wardrobe.

"So you're the spiderling. Spider boy? Spidery?"

"Spider-Man?" Tate asked.

Peter jumped, having forgotten that the other boy was there. He frowned at him in annoyance. "Why are you here again? What's your relationship?"

"Oh he's my son", Toney hummed. Tate gave a grin and a mock salute. "So Spider-Man? Not in that onesie you're not".

"It's not a onesie".

Peter sighed and ran a hand over his face. "You know I was having a really good day today Mr Stark. Got my train on time. Wasn't late. There was a perfectly good DVD player just sitting there and algebra test. Nailed it. Might have even made a friend too", he shot Tate a accusing look. "Learnt how to punch without breaking my knuckles. It was a good day".

"Hey", Tate shrugged. "I didn't know about my father's visit or your little heroics either. So don't go accusing me". He held up his hands innocently. Peter sighed and deflated slightly, too stressed to really give anything else much thought.

"Who else knows?" Tony demanded. "Anybody?"

Peter shook his head. "Nobody".

"Not even your unusually attractive aunt?"

"Dad! Really? I'll tell Pepper".

"I'm kidding, just making a observation. Don't tell Pepper". Tony paused and gave his son a innocent look. Tate rolled his eyes.

"What I like is the webbing. Who made it? What tensile strength is it?" Tony pulled a small metal container from Peter's suit and threw it at him. Peter caught it without looking up and tossed it back into his closet in one fluid motion. Tate watched fascinated as Peter's movements loss their clumsy nervousness. He seemed more controlled, like he knew where everything was in the room. A drastic change from someone who Tate had seen trip Ofer his own feet and knock his forehead against the punching bag earlier.

"It's just that whenever happened, happened. My sense have since been dialled to eleven", Peter was saying. "There's way too much input. The goggles help me focus".

Tony gave him a assessing look. "You are in desperate need of a upgrade. Tate, you listening?"

"Upgrade noted", Tate nodded, already mentally scanning through the list. He played the footage he had seen of Peter's powers back in his mind and noted the details. "I'll start tonight".

"Atta boy", Tony gave him a wide proud smile that never failed to make Tate warm with confidence. "Upgrade. Top to bottom. Fully fitted. That's why I'm here", Tony waved towards himself. "Tate is here on pure lucky coincidence that I couldn't afford to pass up. Who knew that you guys went to the same school". He gave a happy chuckle before sobering up.

"Why are you doing this?" Tony's humour faded as he fixed Peter with a hard look. "What makes you get out of that twin bed in the morning".

Peter huffed as he sat down on the edge of said 'twin bed'. He gave a shrugging gesture. "I guess when you've been me your whole life. I've had these power for six months. Well, I read books, I build computers. And yeah, I'd love to play football. But I couldn't then so I shouldn't now".

"Cause you're different".

"Yeah. And I can't tell anybody that so I'm not". Peter looked up at the two Starks for a silent second. His brown eyes wide and vulnerable. Then he scoffed and looked back down at his hands. "If you could do the things that I can. But you don't. And then the bad things happen", Peter raised his head. His face clearer and calmer than it had been since he saw Tony. "They happen because of you".

Tony regarded him for one long second, obviously thinking hard. Tate watched his fathers nervously. Under the bad lighting, the lines on his face looked deeper than they had last weekend. The purple bruise around his eye standing out particularly harshly. Tate wanted to ask what had happened. He disliked seeing his father so worn. It made him anxious. When he had taken him in, Tony had promised that Tate would be safe. When Tony got worn and worried like that, it meant that something bad was happening. And when it was something bad, that normally meant it was iron man problems. Iron man problems that Tate was not allowed to help with. Problems which were secretive and protected by enough firewalls to keep him busy. Keep him busy, but not out forever. Tate would be getting his answers later.

"Have you ever been to Germany?" Tony was asking.

"I can't go to Germany, I have homework", Peter protested. Tate looked at him with a questioning expression. Did Peter like homework?

"I'm going to pretend you never said that. It's fine". Tony stood up and made for the door. "It might be a little dangerous actually. I'd better just go and tell your aunt"-

He didn't get another word out. As soon as his hand was on the door handle, Peter was on his feet. He preformed a weird flicking action with his wrist and a strange of web shot out. Tate laughed as it stuck Tony's hand to the door. "Don't tell aunt May", Peter warned.

Tate's laughter died as he glanced over at him. He looked the other boy up and down with a new appreciation. Tony watched his son as a slow devious smile spread across his lips. Tony coughed back his own amused grin as he caught the gleam in Tate's eyes as he looked at Peter. Tony schooled back his expression as he returned his attention to Peter.

"Okay Spider-Man".

Unedited