Bruised But Not Broken - Irondad/spiderson

Waking Peter

Stark POV

Pepper and I spent the better half an hour making a delicious pasta dinner. We carefully boiled the noodles to al dente perfection. We added a homemade sauce with fresh tomatoes, garlic, and basil. We talked about our day and enjoyed each other's company. It was a simple yet satisfying time spent with the person I love most.

During their conversation, I Interjected my thoughts on the kid,

 "Pep, I genuinely believe he would make an excellent personal intern for my lab. I can't explain why, but there's something about him that I feel connected to. Can you trust me on this?"

Pepper sighed and responded, 

"He's not a toy, Tony. He's a kid who's been through a lot, and if you think for a second that he's just something you can fix like one of your suits, then this won't work, and he should leave after he recovers."

Frustratedly, I replied,

 "Fix him? Come on, Pep. He's a child who's lost, and I think I could make a positive difference in his life. Besides, I looked at his test scores. Not only was he the only student who passed, but he also got a 95%. The kid is practically a genius because I made one question unsolvable. Yet, he tried to solve it instead of just confirming and checking a box. I must show Bruce this."

Pepper crossed her arms and looked down at the table. 

"Fine, Tony. He can work in your lab, but you must care for him. He's only fifteen, and I'll keep a close eye on this."

After much convincing, Pepper agreed to let me mentor the kid, the same kid he felt he owed after letting him down. He was determined to give this kid a future, whether he liked it or not. Dinner was ready, and Stark called over the few Avengers who weren't on a mission - Nat, Clint, Bruce, and Wanda. Unfortunately, Peter's aunt couldn't join them for dinner as she was working a twelve-hour shift at the hospital.

I instructed FRIDAY, "Get Peter up and down here for dinner."

 FRIDAY replied, "Yes, Boss."

As they sat at the table, I gently informed the team, 

"All right, guys, Peter is joining us for dinner and staying in the room across from mine. This kid is special. I know he's here because he was hurt in the lobby on my watch, but he took the intern test, and I would like to offer him a spot in my lab. Bruce, please take a look at his test."

Bruce examined the results and said, 

"This is an impressive score, Tony, but are you sure about letting a teenager work in your lab?"

I let out yet another sigh, 

"When are you guys going to learn to trust me? I'm not going to burn the kid out or yell at him. What kind of monster do you guys see me as?"

"It's just, we have never actually seen you around a kid, Tony," Nat raised her concerns.

"Yeah, you can be a particularly grumpy person, Stark. Just be careful around the kid," Clint suggested.

 I rolled my eyes and asked FRIDAY what was taking Peter so long.

" Sir, Peter won't wake up. He seems to be in distress," FRIDAY stated.

Panic ran through my body as I slid into the hallway and raced to his room with Pepper close behind. Nearing his door, I could hear muffled whimpers and cries.