//IRON DAD//SPIDER SON//MARVEL ONE SHOTS

Field Trip- Part V

PETER POV

Peter couldn't believe his luck.

Starting out, today seemed like it was gonna be an all-out suck fest- now, he was touring his official work place, as Mr. Stark's official personal intern. The look on Flash's face when he saw Peter's pass was really what made the day- MJ had whipped out her sketch book on the spot, capturing that sweet moment forever.

"Here, on your left, you will see some of Dr. Erskine and Howard Stark's early notes on the 'super soldier serum', as the treatment has been dubbed."

The tour guide was currently leading the group through its first stop- a small, museum-like hallway, where different Avenger-related memorabilia was displayed. Right now, they were looking at a display case full of Captain America stuff, like his old army uniform (It was so tiny, Peter thought it might even be too small for him) and different prototype shields. "In the summer of 1943, this serum was successfully administered into Steve Rogers, transforming him into the hero you know today as Captain America."

As the tour guide continued, Peter found himself focused on the notes mentioned before. The papers were a mess- notes connected to other notes with lines and circles, written in a sloppy hand that reminded him a little too much of Mr. Stark's. Even the scatterbrained format of the notes resembled his mentor's own sporadic method of brainstorming.

I wonder if Mr. Stark resents that. Peter knew that Mr. Stark's dad hadn't been a good one- sometimes, Tony would let something slip about his childhood- like how he learned to curse at a young age from his dad's angry rants, or how he knew what it felt like to have a chair thrown at his head. The mere thought made Peter's blood boil. How could someone be so cruel to a kid like that? Did Howard realize how much pain he had brought on his son? Did he know that Tony would grow up with a hole in him that would never be filled?

"Hey, Peter, the class is leaving." Peter blinked, and suddenly Ned was standing beside him, pulling on his arm to join the receding group. "Oh, uh- sorry." Peter hadn't realized how long he'd stared at those notes, or through them, as it were.

"You OK, Peter? You look kind of...spacey" Peter shook his head a little, "Yeah...its nothing." Ned didn't look convinced, but he didn't press the issue. "Miss Cayla said we're going to the intern's lab next. Do you work there?" Peter tripped on the entryway to the elevator, making a few students snicker. Peter ducked his head and slid to the side of the crowded car.

Oh yeah. He was now an official SI employee. Of course- everyone would expect him to work with the rest of the interns. "uh...no, actually- I just work with Mr. Stark. I literally don't know anyone at Stark Industries except for the owner and CEO." Ned laughed under his breath, "Dude, what even is your life?" Before Peter could respond, Cayla the tour guide spoke up. "Alight, guys, next stop is the lower level laboratory, where SI interns, such as myself, work and play."With that, the elevator dinged and slid open to reveal a large open space filled with cluttered tables and what was supposed to be New York's best and brightest.

It was chaos.

The entire area was a precarious system of half-finished projects and clearly overcaffeinated college students. Most of them wore white coats and regulation safety goggles, while more than a few opted for casual wear, really putting the "college student" in college student.

"Here, SI interns work hard to produce new ideas and even make breakthroughs in all areas of science. And that's not just wishful thinking- our interns are some of the smartest and most talented people in the world." As Cayla talked, she slowly led the group toward one end of a table, where a young man in a housecoat sat. He was studying a sample through a microscope, and didn't acknowledge their presence until Cayla cleared her throat. At the sound, the man jumped up from his chair, extremely startled. When he saw the tour group, however, his shock quickly turned into a bashful smile. "Class, this is Manny Kirkland, America's leading researcher in techno-neural grafting. Because of his specialised genius, Stark Industries has successfully developed nanotechnology that can be implanted into nerve cells to instigate a natural healing process." Peter, along with a few others, clapped at that, knowing the significance of such a breakthrough. Manny just looked embarrassed by the attention- Peter knew how he felt- when he worked in the lab with Mr. Stark, the man was always praising Peter for an idea or design he created. At first it was mortifying -to be complimented by a literal genius- but after a while, he grew to appreciate the encouragement. Manny Kirkland didn't seem used to the praise, though. As Cayla went on, the man's face turned red and he looked down at his shuffling feet. "Shucks, Cayla-" Peter's eyebrows raised at Manny's thick southern accent, "-what I'm working on is horsefeed compared to your own project."