If They Knew All About You

On the Road With a Spider

Peter had only ever experienced the Compound with Mr. Stark. Well, not just the Compound. The Tower, too. He'd seen other people around the buildings, sure, he had just never interacted with any of them. On purpose, of course. Talking to people could always lead to uncomfortable questions and Mr. Stark had told him more than once what a bad liar he really was. So he had kept his distance from people in the Tower and Compound alike. Just to be on the safe side.

It came as a bit of a relief though, not dodging people. He still tried to keep his secrets close to his chest of course, especially since he didn't exactly know who of them was privy to all the details. But people were nice. Incredible nice, actually. Helen Cho had been nothing but patient with him, explaining things, respecting Peter's... well, his special circumstances. Miss Potts had been warm and kind, but of course all that might just be because they thought he was Mr. Stark's son. Or was it "knew" that he was? They knew he was. If it was true. Which it had to be because Mr. Stark certainly believed it to be true. So did Miss Potts and... well, shit.

There was that one thought that prevailed above all others: Mr. Stark, Miss Potts, they had no reason to believe these tests, to believe all this if it wasn't true. With all his emotions and thoughts muddied from what had happened in those past days, that was the one truth that stuck out like a lonely post for Peter to cling to. The one truth he could measure all the other things against. And as outlandish as things had been ever since Mr. Stark had rescued him, ever since Peter had found out about that secret connection, still nothing could have prepared him for where that had left him now. Nothing could have prepared him for being in close proximity to the Black Widow. Not Spider-Man, but him. Peter Parker, the boy that he still was for all intents and purposes.

The expression on her face had been guarded ever since she had picked him up from the med wing. Or maybe that was just her face. He had always tried to avoid looking at her too closely, even when he had the extra protection of the Spider-Man mask. Didn't want to draw attention. Well, that ship had sailed. He could positively feel her eyes on his skin, but there was nothing he could do. He was supposed to go with her. That's what Mr. Stark had said was going to happen and short of breaking himself out of the Compound and catching the bus instead, there was very little Peter could do about it.

She headed for the car parked right in front of the main entrance and just dipped her head in its direction. "Get in!"

It wasn't that he was scared. The chance that she would try to do something that could hurt or harm him was slim, otherwise Mr. Stark would have never signed off on this. He was absolutely sure about that much. Not for Peter Parker and definitely not for—

He shook the thought from his head. This wasn't the time to mull that one over. Not again. He took a couple of deep breaths, centering himself, pushing the lingering throbbing in his skull further down before he pulled the door open and let himself fall into the backseat.

"What are you doing?" Her eyebrows were raised as she looked at him in the reflection of the review mirror.

Peter's mind was racing. What had he done wrong? She... she had said to get in the car and he was in the—

"Come and sit in the damn front seat. I'm not your chauffeur."

"I... Mr... Mr. Stark said that..." His own voice was pathetically thin. "He said that you would... you would drive me."

"That doesn't make me staff." She waved him to the front again. "Go on. Move."

He hesitated for a moment, sort of hoping that he might come up with a reason why he should stay in the back. It truly felt like every inch of distance he could keep between them would be of benefit, but he couldn't think of a single reason why he should stay where he was. Maybe the collision with the concrete floor had damaged his head after all. Even as he carefully slid into the passenger seat, his mind was blank.