The Arachnoids [A Starker Rock Band AU]

11: Perfect Posture

"You had fun last night?" Tony asks Peter casually. They're seated in Tony's dressing room, Peter's guitar resting on top of his legs. He asked Tony to give him guitar classes yesterday, and while it'd been a reason to start the conversation, Peter actually does want this. Of course, he plays the guitar more than good enough. Otherwise, he wouldn't be in a band. Tony's been doing it for more than twenty years, though, so surely there's something he can teach him.
"Last night?" Peter echoes, slightly confused. It sounds as if he had plans the prior evening, which he didn't. Ned and he ended up watching a movie on Ned's iPad. The man's probably just trying to make small talk. "Yeah! It was nice. Just hanging out, y'know?"

Tony simply hums at that, and something is lingering in his gaze that Peter can't quite place. It's funny how unreadable Tony can be. His face is never emotionless, yet so incomprehensible. Peter almost wants to add to it, asking if Tony had a nice evening as well, but Tony opens his mouth first.
"Play the Earth 616 riff, will ya?"

Peter grins and grabs his guitar. He doesn't even have to think about this one. His fingers find their way to the steel strings naturally and he presses into them. They swiftly switch positions and he strums. His pick catches where it's supposed to and Peter closes his eyes. It's not a difficult part, really.
"Now, switch to the bridge," Tony instructs. Peter listens right away and brings his hand up the fretboard to play.
"And... The solo."

Peter switches again, his fingers moving faster this time. He looks up. Tony's eyes aren't looking at his fingers. Instead, he's staring at Peter himself. Tony's eyes are filled with... Pride? It's strange how Peter can instantly feel the familiarity of a red flush crawling up his neck until his cheeks burn.
His fingers tense, just for a second, but it's enough for him to hit the wrong note. Peter cringes and stops playing, smiling sheepishly.
"Eh," he mutters embarrassed, "-I usually nail that part."
"I know," Tony breathes. "You got distracted."

The boy presses his lips together. There's nothing he can say. It's true. And bad. He's a professional, and he got distracted by something as simple as Tony's approving stare. Tony clears his throat.
"You're solid, Peter. You've got the skill. And it'll only build the longer you do it. But you're missing one important thing."
"And that is?"
"Your posture."

"My posture?" Peter repeats. He frowns, shifting his attention to his own body. His lips part and he feels his cheeks heat up even more. "Right."
"When you stand upright it's much better, but still important to keep in mind. Your neck..." Tony's voice trails off. He puts his guitar down and walks over to Peter. Gently, he rests two fingers on his chin and gives light pressure. Peter lets it happen, tucking his chin in where Tony wants him to.
Tony's other hand moves to the back of Peter's neck and his fingers trail down. Peter has to actively keep from shivering.
"See? Your neck is elongated now. Looks much better, and 'tis healthier too. Saves you lots of headaches later in life."

"Thank y-"
"Tsk tsk, we're not done yet." Tony teases playfully and Peter's lips curl into a smile. Tony's nice to be around when he's like this; a completely different guy.
Tony stands behind Peter now and Peter's eyes widen when the man leans into his back. His hands cup both his shoulders and he pulls them back. Peter gulps when he feels something warm building inside his chest and he lets himself be pressed into Tony's lower body. Tony's fingers are warm, burning through Peter's thin shirt.
"Now, your back's straight." Tony chuckles. "Gotta tuck your chin in again, kid."

Peter mutters a quick profanity under his breath when he realizes his neck had already released the good position. He tucks his chin back in and sighs. It feels odd to sit up so... Upright. It feels highly unnatural. Tony doesn't let go of him, though, and the contact is nice. Makes him feel more at ease.
"Don't forget to breathe," Tony whispers more softly this time. Peter laughs. He hadn't realized he'd been holding his breath. He exhales, the soft huff ringing in his ears.
"That's it, Peter."

The words cause Peter's eyes to fly open wide. A sudden, hot surge of arousal hits him. It makes his insides tingle, his chest constrict. His groin slowly starts to show interest too and Peter doesn't know just how fast he has to bolt from the man's touch. He turns around to look at Tony, startled. Tony simply cocks an eyebrow.
"You okay there?"
"Yeah," Peter breathes, voice tense. "I'm just not very good at keeping still." Not a complete lie.
"I see."

Something about those words makes Peter feel Tony knows exactly what happened.

Tony simply walks back to his seat and grabs his guitar again. He strums a couple of chords and then looks up at Peter.
"I have an idea," he states. Peter, who still feels a bit shaky, raises his eyebrows.
"Oh?"
"We should play together during our set. One song. You and me shredding on our guitars. People like that shit. Would build your name more, too."

Peter lets the words sink in for a short moment and is grateful for the subject change. It'd be amazing to do that. He already knows how to play most of their songs already, The Avengers were his favorite band, even before he started taking classes.
"That'd be nice," Peter starts, painfully aware of how pathetic it is that he still tries to keep his upright posture. "But we'll switch it up. MJ and Ned get to play with you as well."

This time, it's Tony's turn to frown.
"How do you envision that?"
"Drum battle between Steve and Ned." Peter starts. "MJ could either have a bass play-off with Natasha or maybe sing that one song you did with Valkyrie? It'd be a nice duet and you haven't played it in a while. Fans will like it." Tony's lips slowly turn into a smile. He nods.
"I like the way you think. I'll discuss this with management and my band, 'kay?"
"Sure!"
"Good, that's settled then. Back to your guitar classes." Tony waves his hand dismissively. "Play the spider song."
"The spider song?" Peter laughs out loud. Tony sniffs and playfully shakes his head.
"It's hard to remember all the titles, kid." Since when had Tony started calling him kid so often? "Just play it."

Peter's fingers settle back onto his instrument and he plays. Just as Tony asked. This time, he's more aware of the lingering gaze on him, and it makes him feel hot all over in a way he never saw coming. He likes it, he decides.

He likes it.