starker

He’s got the cutest mop of curls he’s ever seen, and although he would never, ever dress someone with a physique like that in clothes like those, they kind of…suit him, actually. All in all, he doesn’t look half bad, which is what catches his eye first before he even notices the Star Wars pin on his backpack as the boy starts making his way toward the back of the classroom past where Tony usually prefers to sit.

Tony’s head actually turns, too, to watch him. That must have been quite the sight for anyone involved. Tony is usually the person who turns others’ heads, not the other way around. But clearly, this boy is an exception.

He goes and sits right behind Tony, which gives him an opportunity to twist in his seat and give him his most charming smile.

“Hey, new guy. Nice badge,” he says, one corner of his mouth turning up until a hint of teeth is revealed. That usually works on the ladies around. Tony has yet to figure out if it works on the guys, too, but that’s a program already in progress.

The boy looks a little bewildered at first, as if he can’t really believe he’s being addressed. He blinks at Tony, who silently notes that he has the most lovely brown eyes he’s ever seen, and the cutest frown too, when his brows knit together for a moment.

It sinks in quickly enough and he realizes that he is, indeed, ‘new guy’, and he flashes Tony a nervous but enthusiastic smile, probably catching up to the fact that Tony is talking about the Star Wars pin on his backpack strap.

“Thanks!” He beams, then his eyes are searching for a moment, and Tony tilts his head, unsure what the boy is searching for exactly.

“I like your…” He starts, hesitates, and then seems to find something, “Sunglasses.”

Tony casts his eyes up toward his hair where he knows his Ray-Bans rest on top of his head. He reaches up, tips them down with a single finger, and then pushes them down his nose further so he can look over the rim and send the new boy a quick wink.

“Thanks, geek.” He makes sure he says it fondly, to get across that he does not think of the word as something derogative.

Hopefully the boy will soon find out just how much of a compliment it is in reality.

Class starts and as the lesson progresses Tony finds out that Peter – that’s his name, as their teacher introduced him in the first few minutes, which seemed to make Peter very nervous, and it was the most endearing thing as he stumbled through the forced introduction – is not just a geek, but an actual, proper nerd. It’s like he harbors knowledge or something, with how effortlessly he seems to make it through their first class. And that’s something coming from Tony, who spends so very little time actually studying and yet he still always manages to get near-perfect grades.

He only fails, or gets below average, when he wants to annoy his family or grab the attention of his father. It’s warped, because it should be the good grades that do the trick – but instead it’s always the bad, and nothing else.

It doesn’t matter. Peter is clever. He’s bright, intelligent, knows how to keep up in class even though any time Tony glances over his own shoulder to catch sight of him for a moment, he sees he’s drifting off, mind clearly somewhere else. Like he’s a bit of a scatterbrain.

More than once does Tony wonder what he’s thinking about. He kind of hopes that somewhere in that clever brain of his, he makes an appearance. A positive appearance, of course. First impressions are everything, and Tony thinks that he’s nailed it when it comes to Peter, but there is only one way to really find out, and he starts the second the bell rings and he stands to turn to Peter to extend his hand.

“I’m Tony,” he introduces himself candidly. Peter looks surprised again, although this time it’s mostly directed at the hand that Tony is holding out. Nevertheless, much to Tony’s delight, the boy takes the offer, and they briefly shake hands.

“I’m Peter,” he says, “But you already knew that, thanks to Mr. Cower’s embarrassing introduction.”

Tony chuckles. There is something about the way Peter looks genuinely humiliated that kind of makes him want to slap a hand on his back and tell him he’ll be alright, and that no one will think any worse of him because of it. And if anything, he’ll make sure that Peter is welcomed at their school like no one else ever has been.

He’ll get the whole VIP treatment, from the one and only Tony Stark, and if anyone has a problem with that then obviously they’ll have to go through Tony first. But hopefully it won’t get that far. He’ll just need to make sure that everybody knows that Tony has taken Peter under his wing and there is one way of getting that across, and that’s by walking Peter to his next class.

“It’s fine, honestly. Don’t worry about it. Mr. Cower is always like that, I’m sure people forgot the second they walked out of here.” Tony gives Peter an encouraging little smile and is glad to see that the boy actually looks slightly more relaxed at the reassurance. And when their hands retreat at the same time, Tony sticks his into the pocket of his jeans while he waits for Peter to pack up his backpack.

He’s already packed up himself. He only had one book out and he shoved that into his bag seconds before the bell rang so he’d be able to make a quick escape like he normally does, but obviously his plan has changed quite drastically now.

“Thanks. Still really hope I won’t have to do that in any of my other classes,” Peter smirks.

Tony waves the hand that’s not in his pocket with gentle dismissal, pushing that worry away.

“That’s just the first day. After that is when the real stuff begins.”

“I hope you mean the real school stuff, not the real humiliating stuff.”

Tony laughs, and can’t help but think that Peter’s smile is just the cutest thing he’s seen all day.

They walk toward the door together, and Tony asks Peter what class he has next, and where. He pretends that it’s on his way to his own next class, and walks Peter there, asking him about himself and why he’d transferred to his school halfway through the year.

He finds out pretty quickly that Peter lives with his aunt, and that a few weeks ago his uncle was murdered, and with the life insurance money his aunt had moved them to a slightly better part of town, where he’d be able to attend a better school. And hopefully avoid getting snuffed himself, although that’s not something that Peter said – Tony just assumes that it’s a part of the whole moving thing.

Tony, in turn, tells Peter a little bit about himself, although it’s mostly shallow. He lives nearby, used to go to a private school but didn’t want that anymore and convinced his parents to let him go here. It’s nothing particularly exciting, but Peter listens to his every word, and seems interested.

It’s strange, but pleasant. Tony doesn’t think anyone has ever showed such genuine interest before. He has plenty of friends, and if he threw a party then it is guaranteed to be popular, and kids in the halls usually say something when he walks past them – but other than that, he supposes he doesn’t really have any true friends at the school.

But Peter is so open, and so welcoming, and he’s so sweet and genuine, and Tony can’t help but think that maybe, if he does his best and plays this right, Peter might be the kind of person who could actually be his friend.

And hey, if he can somehow get a little bit more than that, then Tony will consider himself the luckiest boy at their school. But it’s too early for that, and Peter flusters easily. When they get to Peter’s next class and Tony touches his arm, he can see the boy go red around the neck, and he bustles through a timid goodbye when the bell rings before Tony is off in the opposite direction to make his way to History.

“See you at lunch?” Tony calls before Peter has the time to duck into the classroom. Tony walks backwards to watch Peter turn, and give him a shy smile.

“Sure. I’ll meet you at the cafeteria. If I can find it.”

Tony doesn’t usually go to the cafeteria, but for Peter, he’ll make an exception.

.

The cafeteria hall is bursting with kids, freshmen running around and screaming to be heard over the cacophony of voices, sophomores a little quieter but still just about as energetic, as if they have yet to shed their downy feathers. Juniors and seniors are mostly outside on the football field, hanging out on the bleachers or taking advantage of what little sun they’ve had lately on the grass.

Peter sheepishly admits that he forgot to bring lunch, which is why he wanted to meet up here. Tony doesn’t hesitate in paying for Peter’s lunch when the boy is digging around in his wallet for the right amount, and he can see, over his shoulder, that he’s going to be short.

“Let me cover it this once, as a welcome present.”

And when Peter protests, it gives him an excuse to offer for him to pay him back on the weekend, maybe with a coffee somewhere. Peter looks so sweetly flustered again and Tony can’t help but adore him a little bit more for it. Jesus, what’s wrong with him? What is he doing, asking out a guy who, up until a few hours ago, didn’t even exist for him?

Tony doesn’t know why he even noticed him in the first place. Maybe it was the ugly button down, maybe it was the curls, maybe it was the way he moved that suggested he really didn’t want anyone to notice he was there in the first place. Maybe that’s why Tony saw him more than he had ever seen anyone else.

Whatever the case, whatever the cause, Tony knows that he’s done for even before Peter coyly agrees to get coffee with him on the weekend.

They sit down outside to have their lunch, and are soon swarmed by peers, but Tony’s attention keeps going back to Peter – who sits, mostly quietly, eating his lunch as he tries to remain invisible for the most part. But Tony notices him. He sees him. His new favorite thing might be when Peter looks up and catches his eye and subsequently smiles. He does it a few times throughout their break, and Tony loves it more and more every single time it happens.

He walks Peter back inside after, and to his next class. Peter comments on how many friends Tony seems to have, and Tony kind of shrugs it off.

“It’s nice to have someone to hang out with,” Peter insists, giving Tony a meaningful look, “Thank you. For kind of like…taking me under your wing today. I was really freaking out about the first day, this morning. Thought it would be… I dunno. Kind of lonely, I guess.”

Tony smirks. “Trust me, you’ll be so sick of me by the end of the week that you’ll wish you were lonely.”

Peter connects his knuckles to Tony’s upper arm at that, and quite firmly too. Tony flinches and wraps his hand around the assaulted spot, giving the other boy an affronted look and “hey!”.

“Serves you right,” Peter says, even though he looks torn between standing his ground and making sure that Tony is alright, “I know I won’t be sick of you. I actually think you’re really nice. And I’d like to spend more time with you.”

No one’s ever really said that to Tony before, not in those exact words. It’s usually the opposite, so it takes him a little bit by surprise. Clearly, Peter notices.

“Why are you surprised? We have the same interests, we’re both similarly intelligent, and—y’know…” Peter trails off with a shrug. Tony doesn’t, in fact, ‘know’, but the dozen or so options to fill that in that Tony can think of are all positive. “Besides,” Peter unexpectedly continues, “We have a date this weekend.”

Tony is now well and truly stunned into silence. If he wasn’t before, he is now. A date. While it’s what Tony intended for it to be when he offered back in the cafeteria, he knew he’d do best not to fool himself into thinking of it as such, since he was convinced that it would never come across that way. But now it seems that Peter thought of it the same way as him all along, and he’s pleased. Beyond pleased.

He realizes he hasn’t said anything yet when Peter’s expression changes into something disheartened and ashamed, and he’s about to say something when Tony quickly cuts in.

“If you’re not sick of me by then, that is,” he says, as if correcting Peter. The boy looks privately relieved.

“Like I said,” Peter says softly as they approach his next classroom, “I know I won’t be.”

Tony leaves him in the door opening, and he doesn’t see him a lot the rest of the day. He only catches up to him briefly on his way out of the building and toward his bicycle. Tony offers him a ride, but Peter declines with a fond laugh.

It doesn’t matter anyway.

Tony gets to watch Peter ride off and twist around on his bike to wave at him one more time before he turns down the street. He heads off in the direction of his car with a skip in his step.