bruce banner, LIFELINE

the big apple.

At first Peter Parker was going to let his phone just ring and pretend like he couldn't hear 'I Like To Move it Move it' from the Madagascar films blaring out of his right pocket.

However the lady in front of him raised her eyebrows at the teenager, she was challenging him to answer it. Peter didn't want to, he wanted to show how serious this was to him. So he answered the phone and made the biggest mistake, he called his impromptu meeting with Pepper Potts an interview.

He was so surprised to hear Catherine's voice he almost forgot how to speak. They hadn't talked in what felt like years and Peter didn't know until that moment how much he had missed her.

Peter was torn between the only family he had left and his powers. In the moment, he chose his powers and hung up on his sister. He would call her back later.

"Mr Parker," Pepper said as she stood outside the Stark Tower, "This is not an interview at all," Peter opened his mouth to justify his actions but the women raised one hand to silence him, "In fact I was on the way to an actual interview when you rudely stopped me."

"Just let me speak to Mr Stark, he'll understand why I am so-"

Pepper sighed, she was tired and Peter seemed like a good kid and that was the exact reason he couldn't see Tony.

"Look, you're sweet. It's just you're a kid, it doesn't matter if these 'spider' powers you tell me are true, you're still too young. It's a dangerous line of work for anyone." Pepper wasn't sure if she did believe this kid had superpowers but he seemed a lot the most adamant man she has ever met; Tony.

Peter sighed, he had risked everything telling her about the whole incident yet his reward was to have her spit right back in his face in disgust.

Peter wished he was more like Catherine when she was his age. She would have told her exactly what it is like but then Uncle Ben learned his lesson and wouldn't settle for anything less than perfection from Peter, "Please just let me speak to Mr Stark...." The desperation in his voice was pitiful but it couldn't break Pepper at all.

"He would tell you the exact same thing. Look you wanna help the world? Focus on your school work, get good grades and then you can do whatever you want when you're old enough." Pepper squeezed his shoulder slightly, she prayed that he would listen to her advice.

"Fine." Peter lied through his teeth as he thought nothing could ever be 'fine' for him ever again. He knew what Tony would tell him, the billionaire would tell him to forget his formal education and get an education in becoming a badass. At least that's what Peter really wanted to hear instead of Peppers heels clicking on the pavement as she entered the Stark Tower.

Peter Parker had no intentions of letting his powers go to waste. He was Spider-Man and he would just have to show Tony Stark how much Iron Man needs a sidekick.

---

Peter Parker was not known by his family to arrive to anything on time. So as his older sister waited at the airport for her company home she was not surprised, it allowed her to just sit and watch the line of taxis rush by. It was the little things like the yellow cabs she hadn't realised she missed.

Parker was bitterly reminded about the last time she was here, leaving for Calcutta. She had never really left to go to nursing school, just spent all her time in the city only stumbling home at odd hours of night to get back to Uncles Ben's and and Aunty May's.
Then she left for Calcutta to escape all of what she had become.