Saving Grace

Sixty Three

Peter told May what he wanted to do, and she gave him all the advice she could think to give: what to do, what to say, what to wear. She even took him to buy flowers — violets, to be exact — and drove him to Stark Tower, telling him she would wait in the car. He walked into the lobby, then spoke to Friday, who had to verify his identity before letting him in the elevator that leads to the Starks' actual home.

And now he's going up, his nerves high, his hands shaky. Grace may be his girlfriend, but this is still incredibly nerve-wracking, especially considering the fact that he has to talk to Mr. Stark, too. And, last he checked, they aren't exactly on good terms...

~~~~

Grace has just finished packing a some of her clothes and books she won't read in between now and moving day in boxes, and she decides to take a break by eating some junk food and doing some mindless doodling. She sits at her desk, a bag of chips open to the side, and begins drawing an eye in her sketchbook, music playing in her headphones. It's a pretty mindless task, especially because she isn't putting effort into making the drawing look perfect.

Suddenly, her music stops.

"Grace," Friday says. "Peter Parker has just arrived."

Grace pulls her headphones out, then stands, looking out towards her balcony.

"He's downstairs with your parents," Friday clarifies. "They're talking."

Grace frowns. For one thing, he didn't tell her he was coming. For another, he's talking to her parents, and it makes her wonder what it could be about. Could he be here to ask for his suit back? She told him that Tony would probably give it back at some point, but they both agreed that he needed a break from Spider-Man, anyway. So, what's he doing here?

~~~~

The elevator doors open, and Peter walks out cautiously into the main room, both Mr. Stark and Pepper Potts looking at him expectantly. Friday must've told them he was coming. The elevator doors close behind him, and he holds the flowers at his side, his mouth going dry. Tony realizes Peter isn't going to say anything, so he starts. "Hello, Mr. Parker. You met Miss Potts yet?"

"Uh, n-no, no, I haven't." Awkwardly, Peter waves a little with his free hand. "I-It's nice to meet you... Miss Potts."

She nods slightly, a small smile on her face; Grace has talked about him in a much more positive light since they made up. "Nice to meet you, too, Peter."

Tony turns back to Peter, eyeing his slightly dress-y attire and the flowers at his side. "Alright, look, kid, I'm flattered by the flowers and all, but I'm still not giving you the suit back."

Peter shakes his head, absently adjusting their flowers in his grip. "Th-That's not why I'm here..."

Tony raises a brow. "Then, why are you here?"

Peter takes a deep breath, everything he planned to say disappearing from his head all at once. "I... I wanted to ask your permission to..." He sighs. "My school's homecoming dance is next week, and I wanted to ask you if I could ask-" But he stops himself, seeing the sad looks on Tony and Pepper's faces. Peter already knows the answer.

And Tony knows that he knows. "I... Look, this has nothing to do with what happened with the ferry, okay? You're a good kid, Pete — and, honestly, if my daughter is going to be dating anybody, I'd rather it be you. It's just..."

Peter realizes then what a huge mistake this was — and why. He was so caught up in the idea of it, he didn't think about anything else. "It's not safe," he finishes.