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[engineous]

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[starkinternship]

silly logic.

i did go through your 'training wheels' protocol though. but only because i was locked in your giant storage facility for nearly an hour.

[though - he's still not sure he needs 500 different webshooter settings. overboard much, Mr. Stark?]

i did figure it out. but i'm a lot better at building computers than hacking them.

[he's still pretty sure Mr. Stark was aware that a curious kid like Peter was going to work on bypassing his security features. it's what Mr. Stark would've done.]

[engineous]

If I put that wall there to test how high you could climb, and you cheated by telling someone else to break through it, how is that silly logic?

Can we just agree that you kinda fucked up but so did I and just get past it? I didn't know you were holding on to resentment like this, Pete, it's unhealthy.

[starkinternship]

i... don't resent anything.

and 'silly logic' was sarcastic, i guess? text message doesn't have intonation

can we go back to when i was calling you short? =)

[engineous]

Only if you let me go back to talking about swatting you with a broom.

[starkinternship]

you realize i could snap the broom like a twig, right?

[engineous]

Yes. But will you?

[starkinternship]

probably depends on how hard you swat me with it.

[engineous]

You think I'd hit hard enough to hurt?

[starkinternship]

you'd have to be wearing the suit to hit me that hard.
but no.
unless you turned evil.
have you?
is there a way i would know?

[engineous]

If I'm wearing the suit, at that point I'd just fly up there and grab you.

Hm, that's a good question. You don't think you'd be able to tell that I'm evil?

[starkinternship]

assuming you could catch me.

[this is fun... he almost wants to try this now. almost.]

well - i probably could. would depends on if it was OTT evil or subtle evil. like just evil enough that it looks almost natural.

but - even then, pretty sure the spidey-sense would pick up on it. it really doesn't like bad guys.

[engineous]

Did you get an upgrade in your abilities that lets you go supersonic?

That's true, but it also know who you trust, right? Seems like it'd be interesting to test, though I never want it to happen ever.

[starkinternship]

rude! also - how'd you get the feds to let you go mach speeds over the country? they don't like mach speeds in populated airspace. it's why the concorde was trans-atlantic.

[there's a little spider dude who spends a lot of time reading wikipedia and other random internet pages.]

it does know who i trust, but it's also really good at picking up on danger.

[too good, going by all that weirdness during the snap.]

if you ever turn evil... i'd have to lock you in a cell until we could fix it.

[yeah - no change in hell he would survive losing Mr. Stark again.]

[engineous]

Bold of you to assume that I have any clearance to do so.

But I also have a best friend in the military, and have sometimes been known to play nice with people in charge. So I get permission, or I ask forgiveness after the emergency.

Good to know you wouldn't use my own instant kill mode against me. Thanks, kid.

[starkinternship]

why am i allowed to hang out with you again? you break more rules than me.

[and his aren't the big federal gov't kind either.]

does Col Rhodes know you use him like that? i think that makes you a bad friend.

[and when did he learn it was okay to tease his mentor?]

.............

nope.

never.

couldn't.

no way.

please never put me in a position where i'd have to.

[that scares the shit out of him. even just knowing it's a possibility out there in the vast world of infinite possibilities. he doesn't want to be the one who would have to do that. ever. they'd literally have to be the last two people in existence and Mr. Stark would literally have to be irredeemably evil.]

[engineous]

[ He's about to make a joke about how he and Rhodey mutually use each other, but then Peter is quick-firing messages and he can practically taste the panic. Shit, he hadn't meant to bring up dying like that. He doesn't hesitate to call Peter, waiting for him to pick up the phone. ]

Hey Pete, I'm here, 'kay? You know I wouldn't do that to you.

[starkinternship]

[He's sort of staring at his phone and it startles him when it buzzes for a phone call instead of a text message. He answers, but for a moment, he can't actually say anything. When he does speak, he says:]

I couldn't do it.

[He's quiet again for a second.]

Even if it was the only option - I don't think I could.

[His voice is rough and strained and he hates that he sounds like that. He hadn't expected that sort of reaction, but it was almost visceral. And it scared him.]

[engineous]

[ Tony drags a hand over his face, feeling stupid for barreling into this conversation without even thinking about it. If Peter had been so torn up about almost losing him at the hands of an enemy, of course he'd be triggered by the thought of doing it himself. ]

I would never ask you to. No one would. And hey, I've lasted this long without going to the Dark Side, so I think I can avoid becoming Vader, what do you think? I'm more of a Han than an Anakin, anyways.

[ He's hoping—really hoping—that maybe the Star Wards references will draw Peter out of his thoughts, whatever they may be. ]

[starkinternship]

Mr. Stark - I don't want to talk about Star Wars.

[Don't ask him what he does want to talk about though - he doesn't know. But he doesn't want to compare Mr. Stark to anyone from Star Wars and he doesn't want to talk about that.]

Are - are you busy right now?

[engineous]

Alright, no Star Wars. I—

[ He shuts his mouth with an audible click, unsure what to talk about. Luckily, Peter helps to fill the silence with a question. Even if Tony were busy, he’d easily clear his schedule for him. ]

No, why?

[starkinternship]

[He's quiet again, but not really on purpose. He just doesn't realize he's not really saying anything.]

Um - would it be all right for you to just come - come hang out with me for a bit?

[He's never asked for anything like this before because it didn't feel like a thing that he should ask for. Right now, he's alone in his dorm and he's sort of feeling every inch of the darkness even with the light on.]

[engineous]

[ Thankfully, Tony is in New York. He can’t imagine what he’d do if this had happened while he was abroad, but some sonic bombs would have definitely been heard somewhere.

As it is, he’s already suiting up and switching Peter’s call from his phone to the heads-up display. ]

Be there in ten. Are you in your dorm? Can you unlock a window for me?

[starkinternship]

Yeah.

I'm sitting in the window.

[He needed the air. He's not doing anything out of the ordinary. He does this all the time - much to the half-amused annoyance of the security staff.]

[engineous]

[ Tony stays on the call with him, just in case. Seven minutes later, though, he quietly flies up to Peter's window and finds him there on the sill. He almost makes a Juliet joke but thinks better of it in the end. ] Scoot over.

[starkinternship]

[He doesn't disconnect the call until after Mr. Stark shows up - it's oddly comforting, even if no one's talking, just knowing that he's still there.

He moves over to the edge of the window so Mr. Stark can sit next to him. But, once he's there, Peter leans over against Mr. Stark's arm and lets his head rest against the man's shoulder.]

Thanks.