The Bet (Avenger's High School AU)

♡ Chapter Eleven ♡

Tony's promised him that he's fine and that it's whatever. That his home life isn't that bad and that he shouldn't need to crash with Peter again for a little while...

Peter, of course, didn't really believe him, so they made a deal.

Tony will stop asking about Peter's financial situation as long as Peter doesn't ask about Tony's parents again.

It was a decently fair deal.

Despite the fact that Tony continued to buy Peter lunches and occasionally slip the extra money into Peter's backpack. Despite the fact that Peter would casually offer sleepovers at his apartment to continue binging their Netflix series together and bring him some cream for bruises.

It was easier for both of them to continue to push their issues under the carpet and pretend they were both fine. Easier than talking about it or trying to find non-existent solutions to their problems.

Peter's been doing better with the money situation which is always nice. Now that he has the little bits of extra cash from Tony, he no longer has to worry about his phone bill. It's not much, but it makes everything feel a little bit less stressful.

Plus, with all the extra hours he's been clocking in at work, he finally got a raise. The extra dollar an hour goes a really long way. He finally had enough the week before to catch up on the rent money he'd been missing and then take a day off work to relax. It was incredible.

He still doesn't have water or electricity or enough money for dinners unless Tony comes over, but he can feel the stress falling from his shoulders from finally not needing to worry about rent.

May's hospital bills are still a lot and he doesn't have any spare cash ever, but he finally has the hope to continue working hard.

For May. And for himself.

So, when Wade asks him to hang out on a Saturday morning, there's no guilt when he agrees and passes his shift off to a co-worker.

*

"When are you free till?" Wade asks, leaning casually against the seat, one hand on the wheel as they fly down the highway.

"Six," Peter replies. "The nurses at the hospital have a whole bunch of exceptions for me, but I have to be in May's room before visiting hours are closed or else I won't be allowed in at all."

"No worries. I'll have you there in time," he says, changing the radio channel absentmindedly. For a moment, Peter worries about his well-being in a car with someone who seems so distracted all the time, but Wade has the car under perfect control.

"Where are we even going?" Peter asks, running a hand through his loose curls. He's never felt this clean before. He goes over to Tony's twice to three times a week just to shower, eat some good food, and do his homework. Sometimes, Nat will join them which is always fun. She's been doing good on cutting back on her alcohol intake ever since the day at the club from what Peter knows.

"It's a surprise, honey-bun," Wade replies carelessly. "You'll see when we get there. You'll love it though. I've got a whole plan thought out for today."

Peter rolls his eyes, pretending to be annoyed despite the giddy excitement that's filled his chest. Lately, it's felt like Tony's been his only friend. Obviously, that's not a bad thing because Tony's great. But Peter's always been a sociable person.

Steve and Thor have both been busy because football season has been really tough so they're constantly practicing. Peter's barely seen Bucky lately. Nat's been in and out, but not really as frequent as she used to be.