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“Peter walked into his apartment after school. “Hey May!”
“Hey, how was school today?”
“Good! There’s this crazy car parked outside…” Peter finally looked over to his aunt and a pit formed in his stomach. Tony Stark was sitting on his couch. Why was Tony Stark sitting on his couch? May gave Peter A Look™.
“Oh Mr. Parker”
“Uh. Wha… Um hey what. What are you doing?” Peter stuttered “Uh, I’m… I’m Peter.”
“Tony”
What are you… what are you doing here?” Peter couldn’t see this going any way but bad. He used to idolize Tony Stark. He used to put the man on a pedestal. He still idolizes him to some extent. His science was incredible, but he knew more now. He knew where the money to fund that science came from. He knew how many people died because of the man standing before him. Tony Stark may save lives now but he didn’t always. He couldn’t blindly worship him any more.
“It's about time we met,” Tony said. What the fuck May mouthed. And ya that was pretty accurate May. “You’ve been getting my emails right?” Tony continued with a wink.
“Ya? Ya.” Peter said unsure.
“You didn’t tell me about the grant.” May cut in.
“The September Foundation” Tony added.
“Right”
“Remember how you applied?”
“Ya?”
“I approved! So now we’re in business.”
“You didn’t tell me anything. What's up with that?” May asked “are you keeping secrets from me now?” A suit hidden in his room. Late night training with Matt. Bloody bandages in the trash. Stab wounds and bullet holes that healed themselves in days. Peter's stomach clenched.
“Well, I just know how much you love surprises so I thought I would let you know… anyways what did I apply for?” Peter’s voice cracked at the lie in a way that he knew had nothing to do with testosterone shots.
“That's what I’m here to hash out.”
“Ok. Hash, hash out”
“It’s so hard for me to believe that she’s someone's aunt.” Tony said gesturing to May.
“Ya well we come in all shapes and sizes you know” Peter could hear the annoyance in her voice.
“Well this walnut date loaf is fantastic by the way. Do you mind if I steal him for five?”
“Sure”
“I’ll be right behind you Mr. Stark” Peter said as the man got up and walked down the hall to Peter’s room. Peter looped his arms around May from behind the couch as if to hug her. “Call Matt. Quietly” he breathed in her ear. She gave him another Look™ when he released her. He shook his head and mouthed later. If anyone would know what to do it would be Matt. He walked into the room after Tony but not before quickly hitting record on his phone and placing it in his pocket.
“I definitely did not apply for your grant.”
“Ah ah! Me first! Tony interrupted. He whipped out his phone “quick question of the rhetorical variety” He loaded a video of Spiderman swinging through the streets “That's you right?”
“Um… no, what do you mean?” Peter stuttered. Tony flipped to a video of him catching a car before it could hit a bus.
“Wow! Nice Catch! 3000 pounds going 40 miles an hour? That's not easy. You got mad skills”
“That's uh… that's all on youtube right? Because you know that's all fake. All done on a computer?” Peter internally cursed his inability to lie. Tony hummed. He grabbed a dowel off Peter’s desk and pushed the hatch in the ceiling open. His suit flopped out.
Peter was proud of his suit. Melvin Potter had made it for him like he’d done Matt’s. It was the same dark red of the Daredevil suit but with a rich dark blue on the sides and legs. Faint black lines webbed their way across the red parts and a spider emblem sat proudly on the chest. It was everything he’d wanted in his suit. His symbol. But now it was hanging in his room for the world to see. He lept and threw it in the closet.
“So” Tony said “you're the spider-ling. Crime fighting spider. You’re Spiderboy?”
“Spiderman” There was no use lying now. Tony knew. He silently willed Matt to come faster. “I can’t believe this. I was actually having a really good day today, you know Mr. Stark? Didn’t miss my train. This perfectly good DVD player was just sitting there and algebra test. Nailed it,” he was trying to stall.
“So does your unusually attractive aunt know?”
“No. No no! If she knew she would freak out and when she freaks out I freak out!” Too late he already felt like his heart was beating out of his chest. He took a breath and willed himself to calm down like Matt had shown him how to.
“You know what I think is really cool? This webbing” Tony chucked a vile of it and Peter caught it without even looking up, another thing Matt had taught him. “The tensile strength is off the charts. Who manufactured that?”
“I did” He threw it in the closet.
“Climbing walls? How do you do that? Adhesive Gloves?”
“It's a long story.”
“Lordy!” Tony was holding up the mask, trying to see through the eye holes “Can you even see out of these?”
“Yes! Yes I can” The eyes were specifically designed with enhanced sight in mind. Normal people would barely be able to see out of them. “I can see through those ok? It's just that when whatever happened happened it's like my senses have been dialed to 11. There is way too much input so they just kind of help me focus.” Matt had also been a blessing for his senses, teaching him how to use them to his advantage and make sure they didn’t overwhelm him as much.
“Why are you doing this?” and boy wasn’t that a question “I gotta know. What's your MO? What gets you out of that twin bed in the morning?”
“Because. Because I’ve been me my entire life and I've had these powers for nine months. I read books and build computers and ya I would love to play football but I couldn’t then so I shouldn’t now.”
“Sure cuz your different”
“Exactly. But I can’t tell anybody that so, I don’t. Look when you can do the things I can, but you don’t and then the bad things happen. They happen because of you.” Bang Bang! Ben on the sidewalk laying in a pool of his own blood. The light leaving his eyes. “With great power comes great responsibility.”
“So you wanna look out for the little guy. Want to do your part. Make the world a better place. All that.”
“Ya ya ya just looking out for the little guy. Tony walked over and sat next to him on the bed then clapped him on the back.
“You got a passport?”
“No I don’t even have a driver's license”
“You ever been to Germany?”
“No”
“Oh you’ll love it!”
“I can’t go to Germany!”
“Why”
“I got homework”
“I’m gonna pretend you didn’t say that.”
“I’m being serious! I can’t just drop out of school!”
“It might be a little dangerous. Better tell aunt hottie” Peter let out a web and stuck Tony’s hand to the wall.
“Don’t tell Aunt May”
“All right Spiderman… Get me out of this'' Peter rushed to find the bottle of web dissolver.
“I can’t go to Germany, Mr. Stark.”
“Sure you can!” Peter was really wishing Matt would hurry up.
“No I can't.” The door opened and a man with red glasses and a white cane walked in. Speak of the devil and he shall appear. Peter’s shoulders sagged in relief.
“Uh who are you?”
“My name is Matthew Murdock. I’m a family friend.” he holds out his hand. Purposefully making Tony walk over to him to shake it.
“And why are you here?” Peter could tell Tony was starting to get annoyed.
“Like I said, I’m a family friend. May and I worked at Landman & Zach together. She called me. Peter, would you like to fill me in on what's going on?”
“I don’t think it's any of your business Mr. Murdock”
“Oh but I think it is” the devil laced his voice.
“Matt, he knows. He wants me to go to Germany and I don’t know why but he threatened to tell Aunt May.” His voice wavered ever so slightly. Peter could almost see the devil rearing his head in the way Matt’s grip on his cane tightened. He was able to keep it under control though, keeping his face calm and collected.
“Mr. Stark, why do you want Peter to go to Germany?”
“I really don’t see how any of this is your business.” Tony tried again. Matt's lips curled into a smirk. Tony was in for it now. That was the look he got when he had a witness right where he wanted them. Like a cat who’s prey can do nothing to stop what's coming.
“Let me get this straight Mr. Stark. You’re coercing a minor to cross country lines with you. Without the explicit permission of his guardian. That's child abduction Mr. Stark. Which is a Class B violent felony in New York punishable with no less than 20 years in prison. And, since you want to take him out of the country, not just the state you would also be violating the Hague Abduction Convention. That's really not a good look Mr. Stark.”
Tony huffed “Fine! You ever hear of the Sokovia Accords?”
“Yes”
“Well, Rogers and his merry band of idiots are violating them and we need to bring them in.”
“Mr. Stark, are you aware of the Geneva Conventions?”
“Of course”
“Then you know that coercing a minor under the age of 16 to partake in armed conflict is a war crime.”
“Well… Uh”
“Also the Sokovia Accords are not the rule of law in the United States. I’m sure you know that all treaties and accords need to be ratified by both the house and senate before they become legally binding in the US. While I haven't read up on the German Government I’m sure there is something similar there and I highly doubt they have ratified it in the 24 hours since it was signed at the United Nations.”
“Well just because it hasn’t been ratified…”
“And constitutionally it can’t be ratified. The accords are in violation of the 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th amendments and deprive citizens of the writ of Habeas Corpus. It would never stand up in court.”
Tony, obviously forgetting that Matt was in fact blind and therefore any kind of visual intimidation was moot, moved to get in Matt’s face. Not to mention that Matt was literally “The Man Without Fear” not that Tony knew that. “I could ruin you Mr. Murdock”
“Many others have said the same Mr. Stark and none of them have succeeded yet.”
“Well none of them were me…”
“I’ve taped this entire conversation Mr. Stark” Peter piped up “I’ve been recording since I entered the room. If you try anything I’ll dump it on the internet and everyone will know that you tried to kidnap a minor with the intent to use them as a child soldier. I’ll lose my secret identity but I think it's worth it.” Any respect he had had for the man had vanished over the course of one conversation.
Matt was wearing his devil grin. The one that made criminals shit their pants. “Get out Mr. Stark” the devil was even more present in his voice now giving it a dangerous edge.
“Fine! I know when I’m not wanted!” Tony seethed then he stomped out. Peter let out a breath he didn’t even know he had been holding in. He ran over to Matt and hugged him. Matt hugged back.
“Thank you. I really didn’t want to go to Germany with him.” Peter said into Matt’s button up.
“He's not going to get anywhere near you. I won’t let him” He ran his fingers through the boy's hair in a way he knew would soothe him. Just then May walked in.
“Does anyone want to tell me what the hell is going on?”
“Stark heard about Peter, about how brilliant he is and planned to manipulate him for the benefit of Stark Industries.” Matt lied, and huh, that was actually a pretty good excuse.
“He what!”
“It’s ok May. He won’t be getting near Peter again, and if he tries I’ll do everything in my power to make sure he stays away.”
“Thank you Matt.”
“Of course, we can't have McSmartyPants over here working for Stark Industries now can we?” He ribbed. May walked over and wrapped Peter in a hug. For the first time since Ben died he felt like maybe he would be ok.