Field Trip to Stark Industries- Peter Parker/ Spider-Man

Field Trip (Pt. 1)

     "No, Ned, I don't think you see how bad this is," I whisper-yell, tripping over my words, "I-he- he's gonna embarrass me! They all are! And then Steve is gonna be all 'I'm Captain America! Do what's right! Is that bullying I hear?' And then Clint is going to do something- I know he will- ever since Mr. Stark forced me to prank him! And it's just so... so... Ugh! Damn it! I can't explain!" I throw my hands up in the air, exasperated. 

     "Okay, Peter, say it's really as bad as you say. What the hell do you think standing around here whining is going to do about it?" Ned reasons, reaching over and patting me on the back.

     "Fine, fine. Then could you help me break my arm?"

     "Wha-what? Peter! No!"

     I sigh dramatically and slouch down in the chair that I'm currently sitting in, across from Ned in the school library. "There's no hope for me. I have to go to Mr. Stark's tower today to help him in the lab- how am I going to hide the permission slip from him?"

~

     *Disk scratches* Before we get all confused here, let me rewind a bit.

~

     The first-place prize of winning the Decathlon was an almost full tour of the Stark Tower and a meet-and-greet Q+A with all the Avengers. 

     And that would have been fine- exhilarating, even- if I were a normal kid. If I weren't Spider-Man. If I didn't spend almost every day after school with Mr. Stark in the tower before heading home to Aunt May. Mr. Stark is the closest thing I have to a father figure and the rest of the Avengers are like my crazy Aunts and Uncles, and as soon as they find out that I'm on a school field trip to Stark Industries, they're going to pop out of everywhere to say hi. Some, like Steve and Bucky, will do it to give me "street cred," Which probably won't turn out the way they envision it. Others, like Sam and Clint, will do it because they know that I will become extremely nervous and make a fool out of myself, which they will unsurprisingly find incredibly amusing. The alternative to going would mean I'd have to fake sick or get seriously injured. So, basically, either way, I'm screwed.

     And it is the reason I am sitting here in the school library, staring at this goddamn permission slip, collapsing into just sheer disparity. I'm done for. I-I'm toast! I think I'll just run away- yeah... yeah, that's good! Change my name, social security number, get plastic surgery-

     "Peter!" Ned's voice shakes me out of my thoughts. "Were you even listening?"

     "Hm?"

     He sighs and rolls his eyes. "I was saying that you don't have to show Mr. Stark the permission slip. Just don't bring it home, and boom! He doesn't have any idea about it, your reputation is safe, and you don't break any limbs in the process!" 

     The end-of-the-day-bell rings and I swing my backpack over my shoulder and jump up. "Ned," I exclaim, "You're a genius!" I run past him to the door. 

     Ned swivels his head around, and loftily says, "I know."

     I roll my eyes and rush out of the library to Happy's car, throwing the slip in the recycling as I do so.

~~~

At the lab

~~~

     I rush past the interns' labs and up the stairs to Mr. Stark's lab. I burst through the doors and skid to a halt in front of him.

     "Uh- hi, kid! How was school?" He flashes me a genuine smile and goes back to tinkering with one of his Iron-Man suits.

     "Sc-School? Umm, school was great! Yeah! I-I did this... thing... and then I high-fived... uhh, whatshisface, and then I... You know what, school was boring. Yeah! Yeah, that's all it was, just writing writing writing, nothing new. Yyyyyep."

     Mr. Stark gives me a weird glance. "Oooookay... do you want to help me?"

     "Uhh... Uh, right, yeah! Sure!" 

     Just as I was about to reach for a screwdriver, however, the hairs on the back of my neck started tingling, and I shot straight up, sensing something.

     Mr. Stark looks up at me, and asks, "What, does New York need its hero? Did you sense something with that Peter Tingle of yours?"

     I glare at him. "What did May tell you?"

     He chuckles, turning back to his suit. "Oh, nothing. But you know what, after patrol, why don't you go home and rest up? You've got a big day ahead of you tomorrow."

     "A-A big day? I don't know what you're talking abo-"

     "You're going." He says, without even looking at me.

     "Pardon?"

     "You're going on that field trip tomorrow."

     "How-How did you know th-"

     "Please, kid, you really think I wouldn't know about a field trip to my own building?"

     "You know what? I'm feeling a bit woozy, I think I'm coming down with something. Oh darn, I won't be able to go!"

     "Kid, you're Spider-Man. You can't get sick. You're going. There's no way out. If you don't show up here, tomorrow, I will personally find you and bring you here, wherever you might be. And I don't think you really want your entire decathlon team to see you dangling from Iron-Man's arm, yeah? So, why don't you make this easier for both of us, and just come? Now, don't you have a city to save? Ta-ta!" He waves a little bit and throws in a signature I-know-I-won-deal-with-it smirk.

     Exasperated, I sprint out of the lab, groaning. I'm in for one hell of a day.

Word count: 942