Chapter Text
The loud noise of chattering amongst a dozen of students that were crammed into one bus quickly gave Peter Parker a headache. They were all exclaiming in quick and excited conversations, clearly looking forward to the field trip to The Stark Industries Facility.
Peter had to admit he was feeling extremely exhilarated as well. The Stark Industries Tower would have so many technical equipment that was way above his level as a member of the Academic Decathlon team. The fact that this was not an opportunity all high schools were given made him even more ecstatic.
"Dude, I can't believe we're actually going to the Stark Tower." Ned said, a big grin plastered on his face. He was practically jumping in the seat next to him with excitement. Peter smiled back, "Me neither. It's gonna be so cool." He responded, thinking of the amount of scientific and technological advances Tony Stark has made in that tower.
Mr. Harrington stood up from his seat and promptly clapped his hands to get the attention of every student. "Boys and girls, please look forward and listen to the following statements I am gonna give you!" He practically yelled, finally getting the stuffed bus to be silent.
Peter fixed his posture and directed his focus on his teacher. "I know you all are very excited to get going on this field trip, but it is important to remember that we have rules to follow!" Mr. Harrington said, then continued; "Firstly, keep your security badge visible at all times, secondly, remain with your assigned group at all times. Lastly, it is not allowed to touch or interact with any equipment or containment cells without permission from the guides."
Mr. Harrington stared down every individual carefully, until finally saying; "Is that understood?" Everyone gave a quick nod, then continued on with their loud conversations. Peter looked out of the window, catching sight of the huge tower getting closer and closer. This might be the best day of his life.
-
The bus came to a stop, and all his classmates flooded out in a big wave of excitement. They were greeted by a woman with blond hair tied up in a pony tail when everyone finally crowded outside of the bus. "Hello students of Midtown High! My name is Pepper Potts and I'm pleased to be your tour guide for your field trip." She said with her arms crossed, a polite smile on her face.
Ned nudged his shoulder into Peter's, "isn't that Tony Stark's fiancé?" He whispered gleefully, stoked to be so close to actually seeing the man. Peter was about to respond, but got interrupted by Ms.Potts. "I assume you were informed about the safety protocols by your teacher?" She asked, while glancing over at Mr.Harrington who gave a quick thumbs up.
"Perfect! Well then, we will be headed to the lobby to get you all sorted into groups, then we'll head to the laboratories." Ms.Potts declared, turning around and motioning for everyone to follow her inside.
Peter felt his heart beat faster, they were going to the laboratories? There would probably be high-tech fluid mixers in there, or maybe laser machines! He guaranteed there would be hologram screens all over the place, providing so much information his head would go into overdrive, (which he happily would experience.)
Peter and Ned followed Ms. Potts into an elevator, approximately ten other students crammed into it with them. They had received their security badge and got separated into three groups, and were now headed to the laboratory on the 48th floor.
The elevator door opened and they were met with a huge room containing several people seemingly distracted by their work. Some of them were sat on chairs with their arms inside a glovebox, operating with small pieces of bio-organic specimens, while others were occupied with electron microscopes to study what seemed like gene-spliced organisms.
Peter stared at the differing stations, each one providing him more and more excitement. He was about to leave the group to explore before he was disrupted by the voice of Ms.Potts.
"This floor is what we call the Stark Neuro Mote Technologies." She stated, and Peter heard several 'ooohs' in the crowd. "It is specifically designed for cutting-edge medical research and the containment of hazardous biological specimens." Peter looked around the room again, spotting a glass enclosure with what seemed like small insects. Ms.Potts continued; "you are now allowed to look around and ask questions, however you are restricted from touching anything." With that, every student started roaming around the laboratory.
Ned and Peter gave a quick glance to each other, a gleam in both eyes, before separating to explore their respective interests. Peter immediately went over to the enclosure with the insects, curious as to why they would keep them here. Upon further inspection he figured out the insects were spiders, all in varying sizes and colors.
Peter noticed a small gap in the enclosure, as he reached to close it with his hands a man had approached him. "Hey kid, keep your hands away from the box. Didn't you listen to your guide?"
Peter hastily pulled his hands away, hiding them behind his back. He turned around and his mouth practically gaped open. Holy shit holy shit holy shit. "I- um- sorry, sir, or I mean- Mr. Stark." Peter felt heat rise to his face, he was so in trouble.
The freaking Tony Stark stood in front of him, and it couldn't have been a worse time for him to suddenly appear. He probably thought Peter was about to grab onto all of the spiders and cause a havoc. "I am so sorry Mr. Stark- I was just- i was trying to fix the gap in the enclosure." He explained frantically, pointing at the glass box.
Tony shot a look at where Peter was pointing, and a glint in his eyes appeared. "Aha, so that's why there's been spiders crawling around my workplace." He said, while closing the gap with his fingers.
Peter couldn't be more shocked, "I- uh- aren't those important? Like- shouldn't they be under surveillance?" He asked, which made a smirk emerge on Tony's face. "What do you think we keep these spiders for, exactly?"
Sweat was slowly dripping down his neck. Was he seriously being tested right now? "Well- I assume they're used to improve your armor and gadgets?" Peter said carefully, and Tony only gave him a look to keep talking. "I guess.. if you can integrate synthetic spider- silk proteins into the under armor of the Iron Man suit it would probably make it lighter, more flexible and- and highly... puncture-resistant."
Tony looked at him wide eyed, "yes, that's right-"
Peter couldn't stop himself from continuing,"you could also use their spider venom to create non-lethal paralyzing weapons, medical anesthetics or biochemical countermeasures against supervillain toxins." He mumbled, all his words rambling into one quick sentence. Peter stared down at the floor, too embarrassed to look at the man in front of him.
Silence stretched over their conversation. Peter couldn't help himself from being worried if he overstepped a line- he definitely shouldn't have interrupted him. "Whats your name, kid?" Tony asked, curiosity creeping through his tone. "Uhm- my name is Peter- Peter Parker." He responded, his voice cracking slightly.
Tony smiled, "Well, Peter Parker, you have an excellent mind for being such a young student. Don't be surprised if I reach out to you sometime." He stated, then walked away like nothing happened.
What. The. Hell. Peters mind was going wild. Did Tony freaking Stark just say he might contact him? He needs to find Ned, he will totally freak out.
Before he could even take a step forward, he felt a ticklish feeling on his shoulder, crawling closer to his head. He tried to brush it off with his hand, but he was too late- he felt a painful sensation in the nape of his neck, the pain seeped into his skin and down his body. Peter almost stumbled over by the sudden burst of discomfort, but the pain subsided as quickly as it arrived. He headed off to find Ned before he could think more of it, too excited to tell him about the interaction he had with Tony Stark
The rest of the day continued in a blur of crowded rooms, loud voices, and dizzying sights. Peter was right, Ned did totally freak out over the whole Tony Stark situation. Unfortunately for him, Peter was too unfocused to actually respond in full sentences.
"Hey dude," Ned said, nudging Peter's shoulder while they walked beside each other. "You look kinda pale, are you okay?" He asked , a worried look in his eyes. Peter felt a migraine beginning to form in his skull, "Yeah- I'm fine, I just- I need to use the restroom." He mumbled out quietly, "excuse me one minute, Ned, sorry."
Peter fought his way through the swarm of people and caught eye of a sign pointing towards the 'WC'. He speed-walked his way there, finding the men's bathroom and hastily closing the door behind him. A feeling of nausea washed over him, and before he could properly prepare himself he began to vomit into the toilet.
It took about five minutes until he felt comfortable enough to stand up and wash his hands and face. The throbbing in his head was getting worse and he found it hard to focus on anything in front of him. Peter fiddled with his pocket and dragged out his phone. After a moment of struggle to find the correct number, he called Aunt May and put the phone against his ear.
The ringback tone coming from his phone was so unexpectedly loud he dropped it from his hands. Before the phone could hit the floor, Peter had reached out and caught it with his foot, carefully balancing it on his shoe. He was about to question his unusual reflexes, but got distracted when a voice came up from the speaker.
"Peter, is everything okay?, I thought you were on a field trip right now, I hope you are having fun!" Aunt May's voice came through the phone, and Peter had to turn to volume down to make his head hurt less.
"Hey. Sorry for calling you, I just- I'm having a terrible migraine and I've vomited for the last five minutes- I can't stay here too long, I think." His voice came out more trembling than he'd like, but he couldn't help it.
Peter could imagine the worry on Aunt May's face. "Oh poor Pete. I'm coming to pick you up right now, just wait and sit still until I get there, okay?" She said softly, the sound of keys dangling in the background.
Peter mumbled out a response, slid down to the floor with his knees against his chest and closed his eyes; hoping desperately that the pain would subside soon.