Bruised But Not Broken - Irondad/spiderson

Exploring the Labs

Morning sunlight slips through the window, warm against my face. I realise I cannot sleep anymore.

My body still aches, deep and dull, but I feel stronger. Fuller. Like something has been refilled inside me while I slept. Aunt May is curled in the chair beside my bed, her head tilted awkwardly. I do not want to wake her.

I move slowly.

Swinging my legs over the edge of the bed, I let my feet rest on the floor. I test my weight carefully. Wobbly, but solid. I stand, steadying myself with a hand on the mattress. My muscles protest, cramped from days of stillness, so I stretch gently until the stiffness eases.

Then a thought hits me.

Ned.

Where is my phone?

I push the glass door open just enough to peer into the hallway. It looks empty.

"Mr. Parker," a voice says calmly from above. "Would you like me to inform Mr. Stark that you are awake?"

I jump slightly and retreat back into the room.

"Uh, no thanks," I say. "FRIDAY, right?"

"Yes, Mr. Parker," she replies. "Where would you like to go?"

"I'm just stretching my legs," I say. "Maybe the bathroom."

"Of course. Please follow the white light."

A soft glow illuminates the floor, leading out into the hallway. I follow it slowly, careful with each step.

As I walk, I pass labs filled with things I do not fully understand but desperately want to. Screens glow. Machines hum. Then a sudden flash erupts from one room, catching my attention.

I stop.

Through the glass, I recognise Dr. Banner immediately. Gamma radiation expert. Astrophysics genius. Second only to Mr. Stark, in my opinion.

I lean against the glass, watching quietly.

On the board behind them, equations cover every inch. One line catches my eye instantly. A mistake. A simple one, but enough to derail everything.

Two thousand instead of three thousand.

No wonder they look stuck.

My heart starts pounding. This is a terrible idea.

I knock on the glass.

Several heads snap toward me. One man with buzzed blond hair storms over and opens the door.

"Can't hear you through the glass, kid," he snaps. "Soundproof."

"The math is wrong," I say quietly, pointing to the board.

He scoffs. "I calculated that myself. It's not wrong. It's unsolvable."

"No," I say. "You made an error."

Dr. Banner looks up. "What does the kid want, Hanson?"

"This thing thinks the math is wrong," Hanson says dismissively.

"It is wrong, sir," I say, my voice shaking.

Dr. Banner studies me for a moment.

"Show me."

I squeeze past Hanson and limp to the board. My hand trembles as I correct the number and finish the equation. Once the mistake is removed, the solution is obvious.

Dr. Banner hums thoughtfully.

"Huh," he says. "Looks like you're right. Hanson, your math was off. Let's run it again."

He pats my shoulder.

"Who are you, kid?" he asks. "And what are you doing on this level without a badge?"

"I'm sorry," I say quickly. "I was just stretching my legs. I don't really know where I am."

Hanson steps closer. Too close.

"Do I need to call security?"

I back up instinctively, my weak leg giving out as I hit something solid behind me. Arms catch me before I fall, lifting me upright.

"The kid's with me," a familiar voice says.

Hanson pales. "Sorry, Mr. Stark."

Tony snorts and looks at me.

"You okay, kid?"

"Yeah," I say. "Just pushed it a little too far."

He guides me out of the lab.

"You hungry?"

"No, sir," I say automatically.

My stomach growls loudly.

He laughs. "Sure, you're not. Come on. Kitchen."

He supports me into the elevator, one hand steady on my shoulder.

"You know," he says as the doors close, "I'd like you to take the intern assessment after lunch. I think you'd fit in here."

I look down at my feet.

"I don't want to be a burden," I admit.

"You're not," he says firmly. "You're family."

The word hits harder than it should.

In the kitchen, he sits me at the island and starts rummaging through the fridge.

"How do you feel about pancakes?"

I smile. "That sounds perfect."

As he cooks, footsteps enter the room. Pepper Potts and Natasha Romanoff walk in mid-conversation.

"Hey," Tony says casually. "We have company."

" This is Peter Parker, the kid injured downstairs a few days ago. I thought I'd treat him to some of the best pancakes." Mr Stark Smirked.

We exchanged pleasantries and started talking. As I ate the pancakes, we talked about school, my friends, and my upcoming internship test for Stark Industries. After finishing the meal, Mr. Stark walked me to an empty room with a table and test. He said I had forty minutes to complete the test.

I sat down and flew through the questions; some were challenging and took me longer than others, but I was never finished. I still had ten minutes to spare when I walked out the door, handing Mr Stark the sheet.

" Well done, Peter. I'll look these over personally and get back to you," he said, taking the paper out of my hands and tucking it into his suit jacket.

"Since you have been healing well, but you're still suffering from a head injury, I made up a guest room upstairs for you to stay in over the weekend. Your Aunt has agreed to let you stay and can come see you after she finishes work tomorrow." Mr. Stark said happily as he walked me towards where I would stay.

" Oh, no, Sir, I couldn't possibly stay here any longer; I'm already being such a bother", I stammer out.

" No ifs and buts, it's settled; you're staying here with me. " I didn't want to argue it anymore, so I just agreed and thanked him as we walked towards the guest room.

Mr stark opened the door to a large bedroom with an ensuite. It was dark grey with a king-sized bed in the middle and a desk on the side with my phone sitting on top.

" I will get FRIDAY to bring you to dinner. For now, get comfortable and rest," Mr Stark stated as he closed the door behind me, leaving the room silent. I hobbled over to the bed and flopped down. What is becoming of my life?