I See Them

Found You

Just watched the Justice League movie and it was amazing!!! I know I'm late to the party. Lol
I hope everyone enjoys this chapter. It was supposed to be up yesterday but my exotic animal enrichment classes are super in-depth. But fun nonetheless:)

Song for this chapter is Tightrope by the Score
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Peter gripped the strap of his backpack tightly, much tighter than was necessary. But he couldn't help it, his anxiety soaring through the proverbial glass ceiling. It was Sunday night and the end of May's extra shifts, which meant leaving the safety of Avengers Tower, where he felt most at home. He didn't want to go.

"Kiddo?" Tony spoke up from behind the teen, not expecting said teenager to let out a frightened squeak and jump up onto the ceiling. "Oh my-" he tried to suppress his laughter but failed, "sorry, bud. I didn't mean to scare ya."

"It's okay," Peter said as he dropped down from the ceiling, landing silently on his feet. "'M just getting ready to head out."

The teen's reluctance was unmistakable, and it pulled at Tony's heartstrings, playing a sad tune he couldn't bear to hear.

Peter, of all people, didn't deserve to suffer under the weight of being a hero. Not while he had to maintain a three-point seven GPA to keep the scholarship for Midtown, a place where he got bullied and was labeled an outcast. Not when he lived in poverty, struggling to afford basic needs every human being should have without question. Not after having a tragic childhood filled with abuse and medical experimentation.

Tony wanted nothing more than to pull the skinny little hero into a big hug and cuddle together up in his king-sized bed in the penthouse to watch a movie. To tell Peter how much he and the team loved him, how excellent of a hero he was, and that he made the world a safer, brighter place just by existing.

Anything to help Peter relax and feel loved. The kid deserved that much.

But he kept those thoughts to himself, tucking them away for a later time, and instead settled on, "I'll see you again soon. Friday'll be here before you know it." He ruffled the younger hero's hair, "you're my favorite intern. You know that, right?"

"Hey!" Peter swatted at his mentor's hand, playfully. His curls were hard enough to tame as it was; he didn't need anyone fluffing them up any further. "I'm your only intern, Mr. Stark," Peter smirked, looking and sounding more like Tony than he realized.

"Ah, speaking of intern," Tony muttered to himself as he pulled a thick white envelope from his back jeans pocket, "here. I almost forgot." He handed the envelope, which was now creased and crumpled from being in his pocket to Peter.

"No, Mr. Stark," Peter immediately tried to push the envelope back into the billionaire's hands, not keen on taking any of the man's money. Despite what the Avengers might think, he was not a charity case. Tony did this every other week despite Peter's insistence that he did not need to be paid. "I can't accept this."

Tony rolled his eyes. "Kid, you fix armor and make high-tech weapons for the Avengers. You fight with us on missions and risk your life patrolling on a daily basis. Not to mention that you help make SI tech and assist me immensely in the lab." He stuck his hands in his pocket and leaned back against the wall behind him. "You more than deserve to be paid for what you do. Besides, you need the money."

"I..." Peter let the sentence drop off, knowing Tony was right; he needed the money. Badly.

May barely made enough money to keep the apartment, her nursing job not being very lucrative. What little money was leftover went towards gas for May's decade-old car and food. On such a tight budget, May could only afford enough groceries to sustain one normal person. But Peter was not normal, and his aunt wasn't too keen on sharing any food with him. Not that he could blame her.