Chapter Text
The day Peter found Tony Stark sitting in his living room, talking to his Aunt May was the day that would go down in his list of days that would live in infamy. He’d had a really nice day at school that day, thanks to his bully Flash being out with the flu, and his asthma had barely flared up at all. And to make it even better, the dumpster down the street had a perfectly running bluetooth keyboard just sitting there.
Seeing the dark-haired man had been enough to cause him to pause and adjust his glasses higher up on his nose in shock. “Hey May…” He said, shooting her a questioning look.
“Peter! Why didn’t you tell me about the internship program you signed up for?” She called back, the biggest smile on her face.
Peter’s eyes shot to Mr. Stark, who gave him a look that said go along with it. So he did. Because it was Tony-freakin-Stark. “Uh, yeah, well…”He stuttered, “I wasn’t sure if I’d get it…”
“Well, kiddo, you did!” Stark claimed, standing up and shaking the bespeckled boys hand. “Mind if we have a little chat? So we can talk about… Official, uh, intern business?”
“Oh, uh yeah,” Peter shifted the keyboard in his arms as he led the billionaire to his room. He was struck suddenly with a panic. ‘What did Tony Stark want with me? What internship? And did I put away my dirty laundry?’ Were all thoughts racing through his head as the man behind him took in the messy but organized little bedroom.
His bed had been pushed against the wall next to the window, and the majority of the space was taken up by the desk and dresser, the surfaces of which were covered with scattered computer parts, routers, and screens that were clearly second hand. The wall above the dresser had a shelf with multiple pill bottles, as well as an extra inhaler, and emergency glasses.
Tony watched as the kid self consciously cleared away the few dirty clothes off of the floor, mumbling about not being prepared for guests as he did so. It didn’t seem like the room of a normal teenage boy, and with the research he had done into him, he knew that the steadily panicking 15-year-old was anything but.
“So, uh,” Peter began, trying to lean against the wall next to his bed, in an attempt to look cool, “what internship am I being offered? Does it include like… money?”
Tony grabbed the desk chair and lowered himself down into it, completely unprepared for it to sink closer to the floor. He ignored it, and decided he was just going to cut to the chase with this meeting. “It’s not necessarily a traditional internship,” He answered, watching the kid for any breaks in his facade. “Hell, given what I know, it’s the easiest option for you, especially considering the other is jail time.”
Just like that, the kid’s face turned a whole two shades redder, and he pulled his inhaler out as a sudden coughing fit hit.
“Jail time?” He asked, his voice breaking as he caught his breath. “What do you mean?”
“I know your secret, kid.”
“What secret?”
Tony rolled his eyes as the kid began watching him more closely, and leaned back in the chair. Denial was always to be expected, but it was annoying.
“The hack on my company last month. It didn’t release anything too confidential, just some passwords that were easily fixed. But the hack on Oscorp last week” he whistled, “That was a serious blow to them. Who knew they were experimenting on monkeys,”
“Chimps,” Peter mumbled.
“What was that?”
“They were experimenting on chimpanzees. Are you trying to insinuate that I did those hacks? ‘Cause believe me, I wouldn’t do something like that,” Peter pushed his glasses back up his nose, annoyed that they would choose this moment of all moments to attempt to journey off his face.
“I traced the signal back to a hacker named Spiderman, and was able to find the main network used to hack. Spiderman is in this apartment building, and more specifically, this floor. I don’t think Ms. Guswick and her three cats down the hall are the ones exposing Oscorp’s dirtiest secrets.”
Peter sat down on his bed as he realized that the cover he had so carefully created for himself had been blown. “Who else knows?”
“Right now, just me,” Tony answered. “But if you want to continue your online vigilante agenda, you’re going to need a non-traceable network, and more. Besides, you’re useful, the Avengers could use someone with your talent.”
“The Avengers? You want me to join the Avengers? I have school!” He exclaimed, the meager excuse sounding dumb to his, and no doubt Mr. Stark’s ears too. Joining the Avengers was every kid's dream, and he wasn’t entirely sure why he didn’t want to. Something about the idea made him feel sick.
“Not joining the Avengers, kid. Just helping. You’re not old enough to join, anyway,” Tony ignored the relieved look on the kids face, and continued. “You’ve got talent kid. Enough to catch my eye, and that’s saying something. Without help, that talent will either get you arrested, or it could get you nowhere. Or worse, you could become a target. I could help you keep that from happening."
"It sounds like I don't have much of a choice, do I?"
"Of course you do. You could quit doing your hacking and pretend I didn't offer anything you wanted, or you could work for me, and learn from the best of the best. Either way, you attempt another Oscorp, I'm not covering your traces," The billionaire pulled a business card from his pocket and handed it to him. "My personal number, in case you decide to take up my offer. Don't go giving it out, though."
Peter sat staring at the card for a long time after Stark left. His Aunt had decided to take them out for a celebratory dinner, and while he had enjoyed his food, the dilemma of what to do kept making him nervous.
It was a decision he couldn't take lightly. If he refused the internship, then he could kiss Spiderman goodbye. But if he said yes, then despite Stark's words, he knew that he'd belong to the Avengers. The television behind Aunt May’s head caught his attention just then, the news was reporting about the hack on Oscorp, and how despite the legality of how the hacker Spiderman had found the information, he was still being praised as a hero by those who had suffered from the medical studies and experiments of the company.
Seeing the words ‘Spiderman, A Hero?’ really made him feel good inside. It was the same feeling he knew Mr. Stark and all of the other Avengers must feel every time something they do helps people.
Later that night, when the apartment was dark and quiet, Peter sent a simple text to the number on the card.
‘I’m in.’