𝐑𝐈𝐕𝐀𝐋𝐒 | peter parker&michelle jones

chapter 11

"you'd think that silence would be peaceful. but really, it's painful." -david levithan♡

Michelle didn't even think about how she was going to get to and from Stark Industries until school had ended. Maybe they would take the subway? She found Peter waiting outside of her classroom, he gave her an awkward wave and shoved his hands in his pockets. Oh right, she had forgotten about the whole panic attack thing that happened in gym class. His hand on her heart. 

"Uh, Happy is waiting outside for us," Peter said and Michelle glanced at him. That's right, Stark's assistant would probably be picking them up.

"Happy?" she said holding back a laugh, who in their right mind names their kid Happy?

"Yeah uh, he's Mister Stark's assistant." Peter seemed flustered and Michelle wondered if he'd ever had to come up with a cover for what he does for Stark industries before. She sincerely doubted it, purely based on how much of a terrible liar he was.

"I figured," she said and Peter raised his eyebrows in confusion, "I just think Happy is an interesting name." That made Peter smile, which made her goddamn heart flutter. She ignored the feeling and followed Peter out of the building. There was a black Audi, Tony Stark's signature car, she half expected the billionaire to get out of the car with sunglasses and a suit as she had seen him do so many times on the news.

Peter, like the gentleman he was, opened the door for Michelle and climbed in after her. In the front seat was a slightly pudgy man wearing black sunglasses, not Tony Stark. She wondered if she would meet the man at Stark Industries, from what she knew Tony didn't run the company anymore, Pepper Potts did.

"Hi Happy, this is Michelle Jones," Peter said and Michelle huffed in annoyance.

"I can introduce myself, thanks," she would have shaken his hand but since she was sitting behind him, she didn't bother.

"I like her," the man-Happy- said, nodding at Peter who made an exasperated noise. The two seemed close even though he didn't say anything else, just rolled up the window between the front and back seats leaving Peter and Michelle sitting in silence. 

"So what do you even do at Stark Industries?" Michelle asked nonchalantly, and she could see the way Peter tensed and started tapping his fingers on his knees nervously. 

"I-I've told you, I'm an intern, I work in the science division." He mutters out, it's true, that's the lie he gave everyone. 

"And you just happen to know Tony Stark?" she says raising her eyebrows. She didn't bother explaining to him that Stark Industries didn't hire high school students, she enjoyed knowing more about his own fake internship than he did.

"He uh, he was the one that picked out the interns from the high schools, so yeah I've met him a few times." Peter wasn't meeting her eyes and she wished for his sake that he knew that she knew he was Spider-Man. Then he wouldn't have to pretend to know what he was talking about. 

"You have his phone number," she stated simply and he gaped at her.

"H-how did you-"

"Today, I said I'd call him, you didn't deny it, and I've suspected it for awhile honestly, you're a terrible liar." He was staring at her and he started to laugh.

"You'd be surprised," he muttered out and she rolled her eyes, oh no she wouldn't. Honestly, he was the one that would be surprised.

"Well I'm going to read if you don't mind," she said pulling out her book, putting a stop to the awkwardness that had come upon them, she had gotten it at the library today and had a goal to finish it by the end of the week,  it was about how public figures had negative influences on society, how appropriate.