Texting Tony

Chapter Eight

"AMAZING!!" Peter shouted into the crisp evening air before scooping Karen into his arms. The metal reinforcements held well and definitely increased mobility. The damned faux animal just jumped a whole two feet higher than it's highest ever recorded jump. Whatever the hell that metal is, he's gotta get Grant get him some more. 

"Peter." Karen nuzzled her master's smiling face, "if we don't leave soon, we will miss dinner." He hummed in response and set to collect his things, along with a few usable scraps that Karen and he had found. His main project now would be to create some sort of battle and/or capture robot. That he could produce by the summer. Their tiny family tends to go up north to Canada to visit some extended family by then, but Peter couldn't do that without feeling guilty for leaving his duties as the protector of Queens.

The streets, as loud as they were, were quiet of crime and Peter was able to fend off the early autumn chill with Karen wrapped around his neck like a scarf. He felt at home with the crowded streets he was walking and paused in front of an antique store with lights luminatimg the shop's showcased wears. There displayed was a necklace in the shape of an eye, with a faint green glow at its center. It shouldn't be there. Peter wasn't sure how he knew this. It looked like it should be there-with how old it looked to the complex metal work that surrounded it. But it also had something wrong. Something that was like magic.

Peter found his feet walking him to the entrance of the shop and he listened as an old jingle of a bell sounded in the other wise empty shop. The air was heavy and smelled of dust and wood. Items crowded and overflowed the shelves, including the front register - where an old but well cared for register sat, and Peter had to take a moment to admire the intricate metal work that decorated it- and some making piles on the floor. Colorful beads hum and created a rainbow cover over a doorway that sat behind the register. Despite the mess the place was, it held a flow that created the feel of an organized chaos.

He grinned- the place reminded him to much of Grant's workshop - and therefore felt like home. Either way he made a break for the window display and reached out for the necklace. He felt the warm metal buzz against his skin as he removed it from a fake Monique and gripped it tightly in his fist. The green stone in the center thrumped like the strings in a guitar and seemed to glow brighter. Magic. definitely very, very powerful magic.

"Quite the piece there, ain't it." A strong voice called to him. With a quick turn, Peter caught a face covered in shaggy hair peaking out from the bead curtain. "No idea how I came 'ound it, but I'm quite a lucky one."

"Yes. Yes it is." Peter peaked at the man, and decided, ultimately, he wasn't an immediate threat. The man was rather lanky, a good foot taller than the boy, but was hunch in on his self, making the knitted cardigan he wore look like a cloak. Long, wryly, and knotted salt and peppered hair covered a leathery face and crooked nose, but his gray eyes seemed to glow against deeply tanned skin, gentle, despite his angular eyes. He took notice of the man's rather indigenous features, and pleasantly noticed they were vacant of the stereotypical stoicism, but were pulled into a customer service smile. People that don't show emotion always set the poor boy on edge, and even a smile, even if it was fake, helped calm him down. What it didn't help with, however, was the fact that the temperature dropped at least fourteen degrees. "How much? My name is-is Peter! By the the way..."

The boy knew that (y/n) would strangle him if he ever left something like this here, no matter the cost. He also was gaffed at his own rude bluntness. The man seemed to pay no man's to the boy's rudeness or stuttering, and combed his hair with his fingers, gently tugging out of his face and into a loose braid. Peter took note of the elegance the man's weathered hands had with the action and knew how practiced the actions most likely was. His features became more prominent, though nothing changed from his original noting. "That would be, oh I don't know, maybe 'undred 'ifty. Give or take."

The young boy turned the price over in his head, mulling over how much of a lose it would be. 'It would definitely set back on the week's groceries, man, we've been eating good recently too... maybe I could ask for a loan from someone? But who would lend me the money? Maybe Mr. Ultracreepy- MR.HONEY! HIS NAME IS MR.HONEY- no, we'll I like him, he seems like he'd be an ass over people owing him, especially with a sum that large, and over a neckl-'

"Kid you still there?" Peter looked up at the man and nodded. But when he was about to speak, he was interrupted. "Look, you look like a young kid, and honestly, I don't think you look like you could pay for this. So I'll tell you what." The man shifted his weight and rested his back against the counter. "I'm getting older, and my body ain't what it used to be. Someone's got to do the heavy lifting. You come work for me for a week, after what ever schooling you do, six hours after." The man cocked his head to get the kid's reaction, and was meet with a flabbergasted expression. "Do we have a deal?"

'A deal? This could work well for me. I'll probably have to shave off some Patrol and homework hours, but (y/n) would help me where I need, and everything has been quiet recently. I don't have any fix's up scheduled for the next two weeks either...Maybe a week of helping around here is do able.' Peter picked his jaw off the floor and nodded his head mutely. The man nodded his head and started toward the beaded door way. "Take your necklace and go. Come here tomorrow. And bring the robot."

Peter was made distinctly aware of Karen around his neck as the man disappeared again. The boy slipped out the door of the store with a quick register of the address into his phone and the eye necklace stuffed haphazardly on his neck underneath Karen. Without a second thought he opened his most recent group chat.

Peter:
Hey guys. I think I just got a job.

6 people are typing ...

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Peter only realized, climbing up the stairs of Green Gables, that he never got the name of his new employer.

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Word Count: 1174 words
A/N:I really need to set up a set time for writing. Have a really bad sketch lol. Why is it so grainy fjkcjvcms