Peter Parker... Stark?

Rogues Return

When Peter stepped into the elevator and nearly tripped over his own feet, he knew he couldn't go on pretending for much longer. Ever since he'd cleared the infection out of his system, Ms. Walters had enforced her punishments from earlier. That meant no lunches, and since he was simply unable to properly keep up with the workload of three boys' chores, sometimes no dinners.

His high metabolism was currently kicking his butt.

Peter leaned his head against the back elevator wall and tried to stop the dizzy spells from making him want to tip over sideways.

"Hello Mr. Parker," Friday greeted as the elevator started to move, "Mr. Stark is waiting in his lab for you." Peter gave the roof a thumbs up.

"Are you not well, Mr. Parker?" the AI asked, sounding genuinely concerned.

"Just a little dizzy is all, thanks though Fri."

"Scans indicate that you have not been ingesting enough nutrients. You are showing early signs of starvation. I suggest finding something to eat as soon as possible."

Peter snapped his eyes open. "You scanned me?"

"Yes. It is part of my Health Protocol, and it is required by Mrs. Stark that I analyze anyone who shows signs of being unwell. Shall I alert someone to your condition?"

"No! No, that's uh, that's okay Friday. I'm alright. I just missed lunch today is all."

"It takes more than one missed lunch to regress to your level, Mr. Parker," the AI retaliated sassily, somehow still managing to sound worried at the same time.

The elevator doors slid open, and Peter sighed in relief as he walked out of the elevator, effectively ending the conversation.

When he entered Mr. Stark's lab, loud music was blasting from the speakers in the roof. The space in the middle of the lab had been cleared of all desks, chairs, and other unnecessary paraphernalia. Mr. Stark was working on some large contraption there instead, one the Peter had never seen before.

"Hello, Mr. Tony," he called over the music. Tony glanced up and smiled at the kid.

"Hey kid. You ready to come help me out with this beast?"

"Absolutely!"

~~~

Over an hour had passed, and Peter still had no idea what the machine was or quite how to use it. Suddenly, his stomach gurgled, timed just right to occur during a quiet part of the music.

Tony smirked. "Hungry?"

Peter chuckled. "Little bit."

Tony looked around for a second, his arms currently buried in machinery up to his elbows. "I am too. How about you run up to the kitchen and find something for us to eat?"

Peter nodded hesitantly. "Okay." When Tony didn't say anything else, he stood up and made his way back to the elevator. It carried him up a floor or two, and then he made his way into the kitchen and began digging through the pantry.

Peter felt really self-conscious. He didn't want to eat Mr. Stark's food, but he also knew if he didn't eat at least something, he would be in actual danger of starvation.

Finally, he found a box of pop tarts on one of the higher shelves. He grabbed it and then stepped backwards out of the pantry when suddenly his spider-sense went absolutely bonkers.

In his weakened state, Peter was unable to react fast enough, and suddenly he was pinned to the wall by a very dangerous looking woman. She leaned in close as Peter's heart picked up to twice it's normal speed.