"I don't want to be part of-of anything you just said! I don't want anything to do with this 'big boys' world of yours." His hands balled into fists, Tony's face turned into a small smirk.
"Sorry to say that you don't have much of a choice right now, kid. You're in this now whether you like it or not, you can't take back that spider bite, that's just how it is."
...
Hearing this, Peter began to try and say something before stopping himself, simply holding his head in his hands and sitting in silence
A major part of him wanted to curse this guy out right there and then, Tony Stark or not. He wanted to just walk out of the room and not look back.
But he just…
He just didn't have it in him.
What was the point, anyway? If Tony Stark himself had to let him know about this stuff, it was too big to run away from
"Look, Parker." Tony began, leaning forward in his seat and reaching over the table before placing a hand on his shoulder.
"I know how it sounds, but you have to understand this is bigger than you and me. Just know that if you keep going on the path you are now, you can help a lot of people in big ways."
Hearing this, Peter looked up from his hand and adopted an incredulous look on his face.
Help people? That's what he's been doing this entire time! He had been fine before this!
"I had been helping people before all of this! That's the whole point of me being able to do what I can do! And now you just drop by and tell me all of this?
A-About how I can join your little group you have going on? I don't want this!" Peter yelled, only now noticing about how the scars on his forearm had been stinging this entire time.
But he just didn't care.
At least not right now.
Today was supposed to be fun! Just him playing some dumb sports game in a large event, then going to do hero work with whoever would take him!
Tony stayed quiet for a moment before sighing, looking out the viewing window and into the stadium.
"Look I… I know there could have been better ways to go about this whole thing, ways to explain all of this to you in a way that wouldn't sound as it did, but we can't change that. You're in line to work with one of the greatest organizations on the planet, Parker. In line to do a lot more good than you could achieve normally."
His tone went from that smug, nonchalant one he always had to something more… gentle, reassuring.
Peter began to say something before stopping himself, simply looking at Tony before letting out a sigh.
"It's like I have a choice, do I?" He muttered, looking away while Tony just chuckled.
"Kid, I don't think you're seeing this the way you should! You're gonna be one of the greats, you know? Up there with some of the greatest men and women in the world, people who can do good on levels people could only dream of! What you can achieve is bigger than just fighting the good fight, you can help change the world for the better."
He gave a soft squeeze to the boy's shoulder, Peter still not looking at him.
"One of the greats…" He muttered, looking down at the ground. "That's not what I'm in this for, you know? To join some shadowy group of people with only some vague idea of what they do "
Tony chuckled, no real humor in the sound.
"Like I said, not really like you have a choice now. You're part of this now, kid, that's just how it is. Honestly? You shouldn't really worry about it right now!" He told him, Peter shooting him a confused glance.
Shouldn't really worry about it? How could he not worry about all this?
Pulling his arms back, the man simply shrugged with a small smirk on his face.
"Parker, you're 15! This stuff won't come into play in your life for a bit so just like… relax! Enjoy your youth, focus on UA stuff, you know? Just keep being a regular prepubescent teen who can lift tons!" He laughed, Peter only looking at him in growing confusion.
"So you just want me to… brush this off? Keep doing what I've been doing like you just didn't drop all of this on me? Like everything is normal?" He asked, flexing the fingers on his hurt hand.
Taking a moment to think about it, Tony simply shrugged and gave a nonchalant nod.
"Yeah, basically! You got internships coming up, right? Focus on that! Can't afford to slack off on school because of this! Matter of fact? Here."
Suddenly, he dug into his pocket and pulled out two different business cards before placing them on the table between them.
"I'll send in an internship offer just for you, alright? Maybe we can do a work-study in the summer or something! That's my card, give me a call when you thought all of this over." He said, checking his watch again.
Slowly, Peter picked up the cards from the table and began to read them over.
One was pure white with the Stark Industries logo, Tony's name along with what he assumed to be his personal phone number.
Normally, he'd freak out about the chance to do an internship with ironman or about how Tony Stark gave him his personal phone number.
But now? He just didn't know what to feel right now.
Maybe he'd freak out later.
The second one was… weird, though.
It was a dark grey, had the symbol of something that looked like some sort of bird inside a circle along with Tony's name and a different phone number.
At the top, the acronym 'S.H.I.E.L.D' was written in white letters.
"What's this one for?" He asked, holding up the grey card as Tony simply crossed his leg and smirked.
"That's for when you decide if you're ready for the big leagues, kid! Keep it, alright? It'll be useful." He told him, checking his watch once again.
Peter reread the card in his hand again, a look of confusion on his face as he tried to figure out what it was about.
"Call that when you want to start doing good on a whole different level, Parker. We have an eye for talent in this career path, and you sure do have a lot of it."
"Who is this 'we' you keep talking about? What is S.H.I.E.L.D even about? What do you even do there?" He asked again, putting both cards in his pockets without taking his eyes off of Tony.
Tony only smirked bigger, his expression growing even more smug than it already was.
"You ever heard of the Avengers?"
Peter froze in his seat, it felt as if the wind had been knocked out of him.
Holy shit
The Avengers?
This whole thing was about the Avengers?
And they wanted him?
He… didn't know what to think of that. The most famous hero team in the world wanted him? Like, enough to seek him out during school?
God, what does he say to that?!
Did Peter even want to have anything to do with them?
Suddenly, Tony's watch beeped, causing the man to get up from his chair and shove his hands into his pockets.
"Would you look at the time? I believe this talk has been constructive! You don't have to have to make this decision for a while so don't worry about it right now! Now, I bet you have friends to hang out with, right?" Tony said, sticking his hand out to Peter once again.
Just like that?
He just gets to leave?
Cautiously, Peter shook Tony's hand before rising from his seat, the cards in his pocket felt as if they weighed tons.
"I'll… think about it…" Peter muttered, taking one last look at Tony's smirking face before taking a deep breath and walking out the room.
A few moments passed with the man simply standing there in silence, looking at the closed door to the room.
Suddenly, one of the corners of the room began to glitch and flicker like a hologram before a man walked out from the illusion.
He wore a black coat over similarly black clothes, an eye patch over one of his eyes. The man placed his hand in his pockets and looked at the closed door.
"That went well, huh?" Tony asked him, going behind the counter and grabbing the bottle he drank from before once again.
The man stayed silent, hands behind his back as he looked at the stadium below.
"He'll come around, Stark. It's just a matter of time before he realizes he can be something greater." He said, watching the crowds below.
Tony stayed silent, pouring himself a drink before speaking.
"Why did you even come, Fury? Not like you to tag along on this kinda visit."
Taking a moment to respond, the man now known as Fury smirked a little before turning to Tony.
"What can I say? I wanted to watch the birth of something spectacular up close."
Tony only hummed, taking another sip from the glass.
...
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