Stronger

chapter five

Hi everyone! Hope you're enjoying the book so far.

I wanted to warn you–the POV switches a lot in this chapter. Also, I wanted to clear things up. Miss Walker is Peter's teacher, Mrs. Wright adopted Peter.

Is it just me or has this been the longest week ever? 

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Tony's POV

Steam floated off the fresh cup of coffee. It made it easy to tell which it was amongst the other empty, disregarded cups.

Tony had been working in the lab for the last fifteen hours since he got back from trying to catch Spider-Man, and now decided to at least get some paperwork done. To get through it all, he needed at least a seventh cup of coffee. He didn't actually remember the last time he slept.

Lately, with all his projects, paperwork, dealing with Fury, trying to get Spider-Man, and making sure the Avengers don't kill each other or burn the building down, he didn't have much free time, let alone time to sleep.

Sleep must've taken him by force again though because Pepper woke him up at his desk surrounded by papers.

"Tony, you need to stop this. This is the third time you've fallen asleep working today, you haven't slept for three days, and you've had way too many cups of coffee."

"I have to get this work done, Pepper. I don't have a choice," he sighs, his eyes still drooping.

"You know what, I'm going to get you an intern. That way you'll at least have someone to help you with this paperwork and maybe even in the lab. Now go upstairs and go to bed," Pepper ordered with no room for argument.

Tony was too tired to argue anyway, and in all fairness, it was a good idea.

"Okay, Pep. I'll get an intern. I'll make a test for them to do and pick the best one or something."

Pepper just smiled at his slurred words and nodded, ushering him upstairs. Tony went to sleep like Pepper asked, unknowingly having just made one of his best decisions.

Peter's POV

Other than fighting the Avengers, the weekend was pretty boring. He went out as Spider-Man for a few hours on Sunday, but after spotting Hawkeye perched on a rooftop with his bow, he thought it would be best to go as Peter Parker for the rest of the day.

It was on Sunday too, that the Wrights became increasingly physical. He found out they'd smoked, and now it had become a punishment. He was accidentally in the hallway at the same time as Mr. Wright and got punished for being in the way. Mr. Wright held one end of his cigarette to Peter's arm, causing it to burn. That was the end of short-sleeved shirts.

Music filled his thoughts as he rode the subway and walked to school. It was a nice change of pace from all the depressing thoughts that filled his head.

Ned had texted him that he wasn't going to be at school, meaning it was going to be a long day. That being said, he decided to go to Miss Walker's class early. She always let students hang out there before school and played music.

He walked in and greeted Miss Walker, and was about to go towards his seat, but she called him over.

"Hey, Peter. I actually wanted to talk to you about something."

Thoughts about what he did wrong or why he was getting in trouble immediately clouded his mind, but were blown away when he saw her smile. He wasn't in trouble?

"Okay, what is it?" he asked tentatively.

"You are probably the smartest kid I know," she started, making Peter blush, "so I was going to suggest you take this test. You have to have a recommendation to even take it." She handed him a small piece of paper, with a date, time, location, and list of subjects on it. "It's a test Tony Stark created to try to find himself a personal intern.