The New Boy One Door Down

15

Peter's POV

I turn to see a very sweaty Harley Keener standing behind me with his hands on his hips. His face was drenched in sweat and his hair was dripping wet with what I hoped was water.

"Did you just call me by my last name?" I asked him as I raised an eyebrow at him. He smiled a bit.

"Maybe, but that's not important. What's important is that Tony is going to have your head the second you walk in that door."

"It's really that bad?"

"If not worse." He said with a nod of his head. I groan at that and look back at the doors.

"Do you know where he is?"

"He's in your room I'm pretty sure, but you can ask Jarvis just to double check." He said before taking off running down the track that wrapped around the facility. How rude of him, but I guess he didn't want to hang around for my murder.

With a small sigh I step into the facility and make my way to my room. Just like Harley said, Mr. Stark stood proudly in the center of my room facing away from the door but when I stepped in the door he turned around immediately.

He looked a lot better than he did this morning when I called him. His hair was styled now, his face wasn't red anymore, and his three-piece suit was pressed perfectly and not a single wrinkle was in sight.

We stared at each other for a few minutes. I don't know what he was waiting for but I was waiting for him to say something so I didn't mess up or say the wrong thing.

"What happened?" He asked. His voice was even and stern; he wasn't playing around.

"Well you said you didn't have time to let Ned come over so I went to Ned's house and by the time I thought I should head back I was too close to being asleep and think it was safe to swing back here like that." Which wasn't technically a lie. I did go to Ned's house after the picture broke, and I was going to come back but I was too tired to make myself get up, which wouldn't have been safe.

"And what happened to telling Happy every living thing you do? I know you haven't been telling Happy that you were going out for a while and I've let it slide because you came back every night but this is unacceptable." He was glaring at me at this point.

"Why does Happy need to know every time I want to go somewhere?" I snapped at him. "I've been to space! I've died! I came back to life and fought an alien! I'm not just a kid with an old suit-."

"It matters because you're my responsibility! It matters because I signed the papers that give me the right to be your caregiver for the rest of your life! It matters because I can't-. It matters because I said it does."

"Because you can't what?" I ask, trying to get the rest of the sentence out. He didn't answer my question though. He just sighed and looked to the ground for a moment before looking back up at me.

"Do something like this again and the suit is gone for good. I mean it. There won't be any going back to an old suit and working your way back up to being an avenger. You'll be done for good. Do you understand?" I nod my head while not looking at him.

"We're a team and teams need to know where each other are whether that's in the field or at home. A million things can happen if you don't know where your team is.

"Now go get your training done and add another set to each thing. Let that be a reminder to tell people where you're going. No after training today, this is your lesson." With that he strode past me leaving me behind to stare out the windows of my room.

Well, that wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. Maybe Harley is already done for the day and I won't have to talk him for the rest of the day.

Without changing into other clothes I made my way down to the gym and got started with my pre training work out. And just think when I was done with the first set I had to do it all over again. What a joy.

By the time I was finally done I had sweat soaking my shirt, my head throbbed, My face was as red as a fire truck, and I felt like throwing up.

The second I got to my room I closed my door and stripped out of my clothes so I could tale a shower and wash all the sweat off of me. I felt better after my shower but I still had a headache.

I tried to ignore the pounding in my head as I wrapped a towel around my waist and walked out of the bathroom.

Imagine my surprise when I see Harley Keener sitting cross-legged on my bed.

His face flushed into a deep red when I walked out of the bathroom. Even his ears were red.

"This is why people knock on doors that are closed before they open them." I said as I walk across the room to the drawer that held my underwear.

"I did knock, but when you didn't answer I came in anyway." He had turned himself away from me.

"And how did that work out for you?" I asked while slipping my underwear under my towel before taking the towel off and throwing it on Harley's head.

"Clearly it's not going too well." I smiled in his direction but he couldn't see it, he was still hiding under my towel.

"I don't know, I'd say it's going fairly decent. You know you don't have to stay under there right?" I was dressed at this point so he didn't have to stay there unless he just wanted to.

"Are you dressed?"

"No, I was just going to let you get a chance to see my body." I say, my voice dripping with sarcasm. "Yes I have clothes on."

He turned around slowly, as if he was skeptical. I roll my eyes at him because of it.

"Hi." He said. His cheeks were still red. A small smile played at his lips.

"Hi."