A New Home (2.0)

Chapter Ten:

Peter rushes from his room, backpack slung over his shoulder. He'd managed to oversleep, a pattern that seemed to be repeating itself more and more often. He's missed his bus this morning, which meant he was more than likely going to be late. 

"Bye, Mr. Stark!" The teen yells, waving a quick goodbye as he moves toward the elevator. 

"Whoa, kid, what's the rush?" Tony asks, sipping his coffee.

"I overslept and missed the bus and now I'm gonna be late." Tony sees this as the perfect opportunity.

"I could drive you..."

"No, Mr. Stark, you really don't have to worry about it." 

"Don't be ridiculous." Tony answers. He sets his now-empty coffee mug on the counter and grabs his keys. "We wouldn't want you to be late. Let's go. I'll even let you pick the car." 

The boy is still hesitant, but he follows Tony none the less.  After saying goodbye to Pepper, the two head to the garage. Peter stops dead in his tracks when they reach their destination. Countless sports cars and high tech vehicles. Everything from a Chevy to an Audi, it's here. 

Pushing back the awe, Peter attempts to think logically. As cool as it would be to show up a sports car, that would draw unnecessary attention. The last thing he wanted was to show up at school in a car that was worth more than he was. Tony seems to read the boy's thoughts as he leads him over to a silver Honda Civic parked a few rows down. 

"I had a feeling you might like this one more than the race car." 

Peter's jaw drops. 

"You have a race car?!?"

"Let's go kid." Tony laughs and flashes a smile. "Before you actually are late."

They'd attempted conversation, but eventually it fell back into silence. And it was deafening. About halfway to the high school, Peter asks (politely) to turn on the radio. Is this kid even capable of being rude? Tony wasn't sure. He didn't think Peter could so much as look at anyone in a malice way.

The music plays. Tony drives. Peter listens, occasionally humming along as he watches the city pass by them. 

"You have everything?" Tony asks as he pulls into the school's parking lot. 

"Yes, sir." Tony cringes at the term sir. 

"Peter, seriously, you're making me feel old." He jokes. "Call me Tony, call me Mr. Stark for all I care. But sir? Really."

"My bad." Tony just ruffles his hair and gives him a grin. 

"Don't worry about it. Just get to class." 

Any response Peter would've had is cut off by the warning bell. Five minutes. Climbing out of the car, he waves to Tony before running for the front doors. Peter makes a mad dash for his locker, where Ned Leeds is already waiting. 

"You're late. But good thing though, Flash already made his rounds. He doesn't know you're here." 

With a sigh of relief, he struggles with his backpack, the heavy textbooks weighing him down. The two barely make it to class in time, trying to ignore the glare from Ms. Warren as they move to their seats. She takes a moment and waits for the class to settle down. 

"Good morning students! So to start off today, I have an announcement to make. We will be taking a trip." Peter sits straighter in his seat, now giving her his full and undivided attention. He's always loved field trips. but something told him this one was going to be a little different. "We're going to Oscorp!"