Upside-Down

Chapter 14

Tony pulls up to the back field in the flashiest car Cap would let him bring, a new model of some electric car, and puts it into park. He can see the door clearly, and after a second it bangs open. Three kids stride out, one being Peter, then another boy, and then a girl. They make their way toward the car.

Tony prepares to lean his head out the window and tease Peter a bit, maybe about the girl, but once they get half way to the car, what looks like a ball of black and gold leap from the bushes, straight at Peter.

Peter, who Tony had expected to be terrified, actually looked elated. He cradles the furball in his arms, stroking it's back.

"Aww... is that the cat you were talking about?" The other boy asks.

"Yeah," Peter says, "This is Fish."

Ned reaches out a hand to pet the creature, but it starts yowling at him, and he quickly retracts his arm. The girl doesn't go near it. She looks terrified and disgusted by the creature. She flinches when the cat leans its head toward her, and when it starts nuzzling her she cautiously pats its head.

After a moment Peter looks up, as though he'd forgotten that Tony was there.

"Remember me, kid?" Tony asks.

"Y-yeah Mr. Stark, sorry, I got sidetracked."

The other boy, who still seemed to be recovering from the cat's scream, suddenly looks up, "You're Tony Stark!" he shouts.

"That'd be correct," Tony shrugs.

"I'm sorry si- Mr. Stark they insisted on coming."

"We had to make sure you weren't the serial killer who kidnapped him." The girl shrugs, looking away from the gold and black cat. "And that is not true you said we could come."

"Only because you didn't believe me-"

"Wait, maybe he is the serial killer." The girl interrupted.

"MJ!" Peter exclaimed.

"What are you doing to Peter?" She continued, "If you are experimenting on him, you will have me to answer to!"

"And me!" the unidentified kid said, a little less ferociously.

"'Guys, calm down." Peter continues to stroke the cat, who is currently glaring at Tony so much, that Tony felt as though he needs to add another enemy to his enemy list. Peter's cat.

"If you do anything to him-"

MJ starts, but the boy interrupts. "We'll kidnap him back from you! I don't care if you have the scary witch lady on your side!"

Peter looks disgruntled by this description of Wanda, and before he can answer Tony interjects. "Pete, quit arguing with your girlfriend and get in the car. We gotta hurry, Bruce wants us to help him with his quantum generator."

"She's not my girlfriend." Peter turns red, and Tony laughs. Peter glances down at the creature in his hands.

"You could bring the cat."

"Thanks Mr. Stark." Peter turns to his friends. "See you guys tomorrow then."

"Yup," MJ continues to glare at me, trying to act intimidating.

"See you Pete," the other boy steers MJ back into the school, but before they get inside MJ points two fingers to her eyes then back at Tony. He laughs as Peter opens the door to the passenger seat.

"Who was that?" He asks, closing the window.

"My friend Ned-"

"I mean the girl."

Peter turns red again. "She's MJ. She's my friend."

Before Tony can continue to tease Peter, a black and gold furball streaks over the cupholders, then spins in a circle, and  sits down in the back seat, and proceeds to glare at him. If MJ wasn't intimidating, this creature certainly was.

"I'm sorry Mr. Stark, normally he's not so glare-y."

Tony puts the car in gear. "Don't worry about it kid, animals have never really liked me."

Once they arrive at the tower, Peter runs and shuts the cat in his room. He comes back quickly, and Tony grins. "You ready to go to work, kid?"

Once they arrive in the lab, Tony sits the kid down at a desk and says, "Peter, when you are my intern that only means a few things. One, you help me when I ask. Two, when you're working, you're working. Sometimes I'll just tell you to work, and that means go work on your project. Three, always have a project. I'm gonna let you work on that project today. You have access to all the materials you need."

"Umm... Mr. Stark, what is my project."

"Normally, I'll let you come up with that. Not today. Today you're designing your own lab equipment. You can do what ever you want with that... prompt, Spiderling. But until this project is finished, you won't get to speak to Friday when  you're in the lab. Comprende?"

"Um, yes."

"Good. Get to work." Tony goes off to his desk to work on his next Ironman suit design, intending to watch the boy work, but when all the boy does is write on some notebook paper, he abandons that plan. He trusts that Peter is working on something for his lab, and not history homework.

Tony gets lost in his work after a few minutes, and comes back to reality an hour later, when he hears an awkward cough from behind him.

"Sorry Pete, how long have you been standing there?"

"Not long, Mr. Stark. I made a list of all the things I need." Peter shuffles the papers awkwardly.

"I'll take it. You should have the stuff within the next thirty minutes, it should only be down-" He blinks at the paper. "Woah, I might not have that... or that." Tony looks up. "What are those other papers, kid?"

"Oh. My plans."

"Can I see?"

Peter hands Tony the pages. "Wow, Pete, this is great. I should be able to get the stuff for the main computer by tonight, but some of this stuff won't come for a week or so."

"You'll be able to get it though? I was worried some of it would be too-"

"Don't worry about it kid. I'm Tony Stark. I could get whatever you want. I think I have the stuff for the desk in the closet over there."

"Okay, Mr. Stark, I'll go work on it."

Peter starts to walk away, and Tony continues to scroll through the list. "Hey Pete?"

"Yeah?"

"Not gonna be able to get that vibranium."

"Aww. I knew it was a longshot."

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Ta da! Another chapter. I hope you enjoy it!

Have a good day guys!!!