You Are Not Tony Stark

Richman's World 1/2

Chapter summary:

             

Ned has something to say to Peter, and that will affect him more than he would have thought.

Or, Peter begins to notice what kind of life he lives now.

           

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"Crap, now I need a new backpack. Again," Peter groaned as he looked at the mess Flash had done. Apparently, he has no instinct for self-preservation because he started to bother him again. He had to come up with an excuse because he couldn't tell his parents that Flash was douchebag again.

"Dude! You have to tell them," Ned said, helping Peter collect his textbooks.

"Sure, I can totally imagine it. Bruce and Nat would definitely be involved too. You know what? We can equip him with a funeral straight away," Peter snapped.

"They'll know anyway."

Peter wanted to object, but he was disturbed by the beep of his phone in his pocket. He took his Starkphone out of his pocket and read the message from Happy.

"Happy is here, I have to go," he murmured, hiding his phone in his pocket again so he could take all the books.

"Hey, Peter, I just wanted to say I'm really glad you're still Peter," Ned said, and he gave him a confused look.

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, you know... You could just be another Flash now that you're rich."

"I'm not rich. My adoptive parents are," he said, frowning.

"Whatever, dude. You know what I mean. Just look where you live. You have the latest Starkphone-"

"It was a birthday present and I got it just because I accidentally smashed my phone on patrol," he explained. "Plus, it doesn't count when it's a phone from their company!"

"And that's what I'm talking about! You'll lead the company one day, Peter. You'll be the next Tony Stark. You could be a friend with anyone if you told the world the truth. But you're still with me, so thank you for being Peter," Ned said with a small smile.

"I don't want any other friends, Ned! I like spending time with my guy in the chair," he said with a grin. "But I really have to go now," he said when he heard another beep from his phone.

"How was school?" Tony asked as Peter joined him in the lab.

"Hmm, fine," Peter murmured, paying attention to the project Tony was working on. "But I need a new backpack."

"Just tell Friday to order one," Tony said casually and Peter was relieved that he wasn't asking for details. He probably thought he had lost it again, as was the custom of his. On the other hand, Ned's words really got under his skin. When he was with May, the new backpack was quite a burden for them. And yes, it was nice to be able to buy a new backpack whenever he wanted, but even so, he began to feel remorse.

"Thank you, dad," he said.

"Not worth mentioning. For all I care, you can order more of them in stock. I know how bad you are with backpacks," Tony laughed.

"Yeah..." Peter laughed forcefully, but Tony didn't notice. He was too occupied by the project.

"End of the chatter, are you going to help me?"

"Actually, I'm going to my room. I have to do something for school," he said, and Tony gave him a suspicious look.

"Okay, but don't overdo it," he said with a small smile.

Peter just smiled at him before he turned and headed to his room. He thought he would be better there, but it was kind of the opposite. All the equipment he had and the private bathroom just reminded him of Ned's words.

Now that you're rich...

Hell, his entire room was as big as the apartment he and May lived in. But that's okay. Tony and Pepper adopted him and that's how they live. He just adapted to their lives. It's not that he was rich. He only lived with rich people.

And that was the difference.

Peter tried to read the book about radiation he had received from Bruce for his birthday, but his thoughts were still running toward Ned's words. He barely read one page before Friday told him it was dinner. He sighed and set the book on the table before he made a slow pace into the dining room.

"I ordered food from my favorite restaurant." He heard his mom say, thanks to his improved hearing, and groaned. He knew very well which restaurant was his mom's favorite. And it was pretty expensive. The first time they ordered from the restaurant, Tony had to order for him because Peter refused such an expensive meal. But he had to admit it was very good food.

"Hi, mom," he said as he entered the dining room.

"Hi, honey," she said with a smile and kissed his forehead.

"So, what are we have?" Tony asked as he set up the plates on the table.

"Well, salmon for me and Peter and steak for you," Pepper replied, transferring the food from the boxes to the plate.

Peter watched the food on his plate and his stomach tightened. He knew he was thinking illogically. He needed food. And yet he was sick of Ned's words. He felt like he was going to vomit if he was eating even a small bite.

"Pete, are you okay?" Pepper asked when she noticed her son hadn't touched the food. She knew that salmon was one of his favorite foods, so it seemed strange to her.

"I told you not to overdo it," Tony joked.

"I'm fine. I was just thinking. I read a book from Bruce and there were some interesting things," he lied and smiled. Then he finally started eating his dinner, make them believe that everything was all right.

After all, he was sure Ned's words would soon stop chasing him.