Stark Crossed Lovers

Chapter Three

Peter had finally reached Tony's lab, to his surprise he found himself clutching tightly to the posted note with Sam's number on it. His mind began to wonder while Tony went to setup whatever it was he called Peter in to show him. He wondered, if when he left tonight, would this beautiful girl still be down stairs? “Kid are listing to me?” Tony said aggravated as if he had been talking for ages. Peter finally snapped out if his day dream said “Sorry, No Mr. Stark I was distracted.” Tony rolled his eyes “Well if you want these new updates to your suit you might want to. I put them on in a minute, and I can take them off a whole lot quicker.” Peter couldn't help but smile, he had never known his father, but he could only hope that he acted like Tony even a little bit. Even when Tony was yelling at him Peter admired the man, and held onto every word. “Right sorry Mr. Stark.” Tony began to drone on and on to Peter about all the new features on his suit updates. New web gliders, parachute, heating system. “Oh, and I almost forgot,” Tony said walking back to his work desk. “These might be a bit of a minor upgrade from your science project  you made for yourself,” he stated while handing Peter a new pair of web shooters. “Wow, Mr. Stark! Thank you so much, what's the new feature on these?” Peter was in awe just at the sight of his new shooters. “They shoot further, faster and aren't colored on with Sharpie,” Tony couldn't help but chuckle at himself. “These are unreal Mr. Stark,” Peter said still staring at them in amazement. “So, wanna try them out?” Tony asked looking at Peter with a smile. “REALLY?” Peter exclaimed while putting them on in a flash. He was just about to shoot them off right in the middle of the lab when Tony yelled, “NOT IN HERE, outside! Let's do a test drive.” Peter immediately rushed to put his suit on. It wasn't often Tony offered him to test his updates with him. This was an opportunity he could not pass on. Once they were both ready they took off right from the window off of Tony's lab. A few minutes into web slinging and Peter could definitely tell the difference between these and his old shooters. The webs that came from them allowed him to bounce from skyscraper to skyscraper quicker. They landed more accurately and held so much stronger than the liquid supplement he made in chemistry class while no one was looking. They decided to stop on top of the old bank that was just a few blocks from Peter's home. Peter took off his mask and smiled at the feeling of the cool New York air blowing through his hair. Peter's smile quickly turned into a frown when he realized he didn't get a chance to say goodbye to Stacy before he left. But Mr. Stark always stressed to him that no one should know his true identity. Let's face it, Peter thought to himself it would have been extremely obvious if one minute I was a kid in the office, and the next minute Spider-Man was walking out the front door. No one was to be trusted, one of the many lessons Tony had taught him. Of course that excluded Peters friend Ned. But Tony didn't have to know that Ned knew. Peter knew that if Tony knew he would flip and take it all away. But Peter decided Ned would be a good exception to the trust rule. Ned, was a nerdy kid as well, that meant he made good grades, and didn't really have anyone else to tell. Ned was Peter's only friend and they had been friends since elementary school, their bond stronger because they lived in the same apartment complex. They vowed to be each other's best friends and that still held true today. When Ned started to become suspicious of Peter always running off, Peter decided eventually he would need to explain so Ned didn't feel blown off. That whole idea came crashing down when Peter came home through the window with his suit on, and crawling on the ceiling to avoid being too loud. Only problem was he forget Ned was coming over after school. After a short pause Tony said “So kid what do you think?” he inquired about the suit. “Its awesome Mr. Stark!”  Peter pushed everything that cluttered his mind away. “Just remember the suit isn't a toy, you only need to use it when you need to and-” Peter promptly cut him off “-don't be seen without the mask on.” Tony smiled “Yeah, yeah smart ass. You get the idea.” Tony began to think, he loved Sam with his whole heart, but sometimes having Peter around made him wish he had a son, but other times not so much. He also felt a deep sadness for Peter's situation. Parents killed at a young age, living in a single parent household with his aunt, and living in the hustle and bustle of Queens. It brought a tear to his eye every once in a while because it made him think, what would have have happened to Sam if he would have left her in that department store. But, Tony didn't like to think about that, he liked to think about the life that he gained that day. Being Sam's father was the best thing that ever happened to him, and he was so thankful she didn't remember anything about that day in the crumbling New York square. Since she didn't remember, Tony felt it best not to trouble her with the horrible fate of her mother. Once Sam had gotten older and started to inquire why she didn't have a mom, he told her that her mom had passed quietly in her sleep when Sam was about three years old. Though still tragic the girl was his and he thought it best to avoid the trouble of exposing that biologically she wasn't. Love was all that mattered when it came to him and Sam. On those terms no one could deny Tony was the girls father. Peter finally broke the silence “Hey Mr. Stark what time is it?” Looking at his display he answered, “It's almost six, I need to head home I suggest you do the same.” With that the two parted ways for the evening, Peter heading towards his apartment and Tony heading home to eat dinner with his best pal. Once Tony reached the window of his lab he walked out of his Iron Man suit and immediately went up stairs to meet his daughter at the dinner table. Tony constantly wondered what kind of damage leaving his daughter locked away caused her. But there were two things he was certain about. The first being that he did what he did to protect her, always, and the second being that he would always be there for her. Always being there for her meant he could never miss eating with her, it gave them an opportunity to talk, laugh, or even cry if the day was hard. “What's for dinner tonight dad?” Sam beamed up at him. “I picked up your favorite, Chinese.” Tony smiled as he set the to go box of rice and General Tso's chicken on the table. Sam smiled back at her dad with excitement, as this was in fact her favorite dish. Dinner began as usual Tony inquired about school, and of course she was passing everything with flying colors. He expected nothing less from her, she was his daughter after all. Sam picked on him for not being able to use chopsticks properly. She giggled saying “You've traveled the world dad, and you still can't use chopsticks.” Tony smiled “That's because you are a terrible teacher Sammy, how am I even supposed to hold them.” Sam  laughed and tried to show him for what felt the hundredth time. Tony fiddled with the chopsticks before dropping them, to Sam's amusement. Tony then picked his fork up and said “I believe I will stick to what I know.” Through her laughing Sam asked “So, how was your day?” Tony lied “Oh same old same old, updating old technology, inventing new technology, getting interviewed by adoring fans." Tony knew that the boy would be trouble for Sam if she knew who he really was, so he made sure not to talk to much about him. So much so he even thought about not allowing her to manage the desk earlier today but it brought her so much joy and he just couldn't let her down. “What about you munchkin, anything interesting happen today?” Sam froze. She didn't really know what to tell him. What could she tell him? That she made plans to leave the house tomorrow without his permission? Despite his rules he has preached since she was little. So she lied, “Nothing besides that pizza dad! Pepperoni and mushroom, best combination for pizza ever.” They both laughed until Sam felt her phone buzz. She felt all the color leave her face remembering that she did in fact give Peter her number. She quickly thought up a plan to get away from the table long enough to text him back, if it was him, without her father knowing. “Well dad I am really tired and with that geometry final tomorrow I need to get some sleep.” She even add a convincing yawn at the end of her statement. “Alright munchkin, I love you, sleep well." Tony hugged his daughter kissed her on the forehead and sent her off to bed and headed down to the lab again to battle his insomnia. Once Sam made it to her room she closed the door immediately and opened her phone. She pulled the blanket over her and read the text from Peter. The text read Hey its Peter, Peter Parker. Just letting you know that I had fun playing twenty questions today. Also don't forget that you have plans tomorrow that you can't forget about. You only get one chance to build a Lego Death Star in a lifetime. Lol see you then! :) She was glad her dad couldn't see her now, because her face couldn't hide her excitement. She decided she was feeling bold and responded back with a simple but powerful, It's a date Parker. She hit the send button and immediately felt embarrassed. What was she doing? Flirting? Did she like him? No she just met him, that would be ridiculous. But she couldn't help to smile as she drifted off to sleep, confident her grand escape plan would work.