#tony stark x reader imagine
part 3 – the homecoming dance
It seemed as though after spending that evening in his apartment, everything between you and Peter changed. There wasn’t any awkward tension or tip toeing around your feelings. You could simply just feel and not have to be ashamed or embarrassed by it. He started going to meet you at your locker before school, complimenting you on whatever outfit you were wearing, and holding your hand, which was your personal favorite. It was like a reminder that you were finally his. Although neither of you clarified whether you were officially dating yet or not, it was obvious something had changed in your friendship. MJ and Ned were quick to point out this change, teasing you two relentlessly but also congratulating you both.
Even outside of school, Peter was still tugging at your heartstrings. He sent you adorable texts and even facetimed you before bedtime to talk. One morning before school he had even gotten you some iced coffee, and another day offered to walk you home. He was definitely the sweetest boy you had ever met, and you found yourself falling harder and harder for him each day. As the dance approached, Pepper helped you slowly get ready. She went out with you to find the perfect dress, one that complimented your eyes and cascaded down your hips, as well as some matching jewelry. She also briefed you on some dance lessons just in case your brain went blank in the middle of a slow song. You giggled to yourself as you imagined Aunt May doing the same with Peter.
Before you knew it, the night had finally arrived, and you were excited and nervous all the same. Staring at yourself in the mirror, fancy hairstyle framing your makeup painted face, you smiled. You wouldn’t have wanted to spend this night with anyone else but Peter. Walking down to the lobby you smiled at your dad, beaming at you with teary eyes. “You look absolutely stunning, y/n,” he gave you a big hug. “Can’t believe my little girl’s all grown up.”
“Best believe it,” you smirked. “I’ll be up and off to college before you know it.”
“Ah you won’t be gone long,” he shook his head. “I know you’ll breeze right through it. You’ve got your father’s brains.”
“If only she had your confidence too,” Pepper teased. “Then she’d be unstoppable.”
“Yeah right,” you scoffed. “I’m a teenage girl in high school, dad. You probably have more confidence than all of us combined.”
“A visitor has approached the door. Would you like me to let him enter, Mr. Stark?” JARVIS chirped through the building and you felt giddy, heart beginning to race.
“That must be Peter,” you smiled and you saw your dad tense behind you as you rushed towards the door.
“Peter?” he raised an eyebrow, clearing his throat awkwardly.
“Yeah,” you opened the door, proudly presenting your date to your father.
He stood there in the doorframe, just as you imagined, but almost even better. Hair swept back neatly, sporting a tuxedo and a bowtie, smelling faintly of cologne, he was handsome as ever. You wanted to kiss him right there on the spot. “Y/n! You look beautiful,” Peter gasped and you blushed, looking up at him, shy.
“Thank you,” you whispered. “You look very handsome too.” Your dad stepped out from behind you to get a good look at the boy and you stepped back to let them introduce themselves, noting the almost surprised look on both of their faces. Did Peter really think you weren’t going to introduce him to your family?
“Nice to meet you sir,” the boy extended his hand, looking a bit jittery. “Peter Parker.”
“Tony Stark…” your dad drew out his voice, seeming very off, and you stared at him strangely, confused. They shook hands slowly, both staring at each other weirdly, and you narrowed your eyes at the interaction, letting Peter step into the room and watching as the two of them struggled to find words to say.
“Big fan of your work,” Peter nodded slowly, smiling anxiously, entire body tense. “You’re a good man, Mr. Stark.”
“Going to keep my daughter safe tonight, Mr. Parker?” your dad asked, ignoring Peter’s praise, and you rolled your eyes, sighing, slugging him in the shoulder playfully.
“Y-yes sir, of course, absolutely,” Peter insisted, almost as if trying to convince himself, and Tony hummed, still skeptical. Your father turned to you and you instantly felt strange yourself, hoping everything was okay.
“Mind if I have a couple words with Petey here?” your dad asked and you stared at him quizzically.
“Sure, is everything alright?” you turned your head to the side.
“Of course, you know, just the regular don’t hurt my daughter or I’ll hurt you type of talk,” he reassured and you chewed on your inner cheek, looking up at him, hesitant.
You lowered your voice, leaning into his ear to whisper. “Just don’t mess this up, okay dad? I really like him,” you pleaded, and he smiled softly, nodding.
“It’ll only be a couple minutes,” Tony replied. “Why don’t you go out and wait with Happy in the limo. I’m going to talk to Mr. Parker for a little bit.”
Reluctantly, you followed his instructions, going out to wait in the backseat of the vehicle with Happy. Meanwhile, your father confronted Peter in the lobby, pulling him aside so that they were alone. “Look, Mr. Stark, I can explain really-” Peter began but Tony shook his head, shutting him up.
“No. What did I tell you?” he asked bitterly, taking off his glasses, cursing. “Shit. You’re not supposed to be doing these things, kid. And with my daughter? Are you serious? You have a job, people to protect, yourself to worry about. You can’t be involving other people who could potentially get hurt, just so you can boogie for a night in your high school’s gymnasium.”
“I know, I know. But it’s so much more than that,” Peter sighed, apologetic. “And I swear, I wasn’t the one who approached her Mr. Stark, I would never try to mess with your daughter. I know you told me already and everything, but I swear, she approached me. And I didn’t want anything to happen but she just, she’s really a great girl, Mr. Stark. She’s so smart and funny, and she kept asking me to hang out, and we kept talking and I- I couldn’t help but catch feelings. And there was this dance coming up and my aunt, you know my aunt, she kept bugging me to ask someone, and the only person I could think of to bring was-”
“Her. Okay, I get it, kid,” Tony sighed, running a hand through his hair. “But I don’t think you understand. She likes you. A lot. She’s really fallen hard. You’re all she ever talks about. And I’m just afraid if this keeps happening, whatever this is between you two, something bad could happen. You having these powers, being, you know, Spider-Man… It’s a full time gig. There’s no option for girlfriends, Peter. If something ever ends up happening to her, that’s not only going to be on me anymore. That’ll also be on you. And you’re just a kid, I don’t think you’re ready for that yet. I don’t think anyone ever is.”
“I promise I’ll be careful, Mr. Stark. I’d never let anything happen to her, I care about her a lot. I really do,” Peter swore.
“It’s not a matter of how much you care, Romeo. You can’t control things like this,” Tony argued. “Think of what would happen if anything happened to her. If anything happened to you! She’d be devastated. She wouldn’t be able to take it. And if you two stay together, she can’t know. She can’t know about any of this, about your powers or your suit, or the fact that we already know each other. It would be based upon a lie. And she doesn’t deserve that.”
“So what? I’m just not allowed to have a girlfriend?” Peter began to get annoyed. “I can’t be a normal high schooler sometimes? I’m not allowed to bring the girl I like to one school dance?”
“Look kid, none of this is normal. Not a single bit of it. And I know that’s not fair to you, but that doesn’t mean it has to be unfair to anyone else either, okay? Being a superhero, that whole gig, being Spider-Man, that comes before anyone else. Especially girls, no matter who that girl is,” Tony explained. “I’m sorry, but no means no. You just can’t have both.”
“And apparently I can’t choose either?” Peter stared at him, desperate, but Tony insisted.
“Being a hero means doing the right thing,” he said firmly, finalizing his statement. Stark looked at the boy, noticing the sadness in his eyes, and shook his head. It was for the best. “Now go. Have a good night. Give her something to remember. Take care of her.” There was a pause and he sighed. “You can plan on telling her tomorrow.”
Peter blinked at Tony, trying not to either punch him in the face or start crying, watching as your father walked away, unsure of what to think or do. He wanted to swing away, to the highest rooftop, and scream at the sky. But he couldn’t. He had a dance to go to and a girl to take care of. A girl he couldn’t even keep if he wanted to. Walking silently to the limousine, he opened up the door, and you greeted him cheerily, but he remained quiet, making you concerned, furrowing your brow. “What’d he talk to you about? You were in there for a while, I thought you’d never come out,” you chuckled, trying to lighten the mood, but he still looked different. Almost sad. “You okay, Peter?”
“It’s fine,” he shook his head. “He just uh, he told me to have a good time.” He gave a fake smile and you stared at him, concerned, wondering what the fuck your dad just did to make him look so goddamn depressed.
“A-are you sure that was it?” you wondered, and you could pick up the same type of tension on Happy. It was like everyone knew something you didn’t.
“Yeah, just forget about it,” Peter insisted. “It’s fine.”
When you arrived to the dance though, he seemed distracted and distanced, making you worry even more. Ned and MJ greeted you both with their dates, and you all poured glasses of fruit punch and took silly photos at the booth. When it came time to dance, you begged Peter to join you, and you swayed your hips to the music and twirled around in circles, trying to get him to loosen up, but he still seemed off. “What’s up with Peter?” MJ finally cracked as soon as you had stepped away from the boys and you shrugged.
“He’s been like that ever since he picked me up from my house,” you frowned. “I feel like something’s wrong.”
“Did you ask him about it?” MJ wondered and you sighed.
“Several times, but he won’t tell me what’s up,” you replied. “I’m almost scared it might be something I did. We were fine until he came over. Maybe the tower and my dad and everything scared him off.”
“I don’t think so, Peter doesn’t seem the type to ignore you,” MJ insisted. “Just let me know if I can help. I hope you figure it all out soon.”
“Thanks,” you gave a sympathetic smile. “Me too.”
“Best of luck, buddy,” she winked, going off to grab some snacks.
You shook your head, hoping everything would work out. Maybe the dance was just making him nervous. You made your way through the sea of people crowding the gymnasium, trying to find a familiar face. A slow song began to play, one of your favorites, and you instantly rushed towards Peter, holding out your hands. “Come on,” you begged. “Slow dance with me? Please?”
“S-sure, of course,” he smiled, getting up from his chair, making his way to the middle of the dance floor with you. He set his hands on your hips and you rested your arms on his shoulders, smiling as you looked into those hazel eyes you grew so fond of, thinking about just how much he meant to you. Sure, it started off as a silly little crush, having your eyes out for the smart nerdy boy in your chemistry class, but now? You felt like Peter was your best friend, and you wanted him to be something more. He was easy to talk to, to relate to, to be around. When you were with him, it was like the entire rest of the world disappeared.
“Can I tell you something?” you wondered and Peter looked at you, caught off guard.
“Uh yeah, yeah, sure,” he agreed. “But um, I have something to tell you too.”
“You do?” you raised an eyebrow, interested. You secretly hoped it was the same thing. “Maybe you should go first.”
“Are you sure?” he looked quizzical, almost unsure of himself.
“Mhmm,” you smiled, still swaying your hips, looking into his eyes, hopeful. What if he was going to tell you how much he liked you too? Or what if he asked you to be his girlfriend? What if he told you he loved you? No! No way. That would be way too soon. Wouldn’t it? Your heart raced as you watched him struggle to find the words to say, excited as ever, but as soon as they left his mouth you wished he had never said them at all.
“I don’t really think this is working out,” he whispered and you stared at him, beginning to feel your heart shatter into a thousand pieces.
“W-what?” you stammered, freezing in your place, confused.
“Us,” Peter clarified, looking down at the floor, embarrassed. “I think I made a mistake. Asking you to the dance. And I’m sorry.”
“Wait, what?” you almost laughed, trying to convince yourself this was all some crazy prank or something, but you looked up and saw the pain and sadness in Peter’s eyes and you suddenly knew something wasn’t right. Maybe that’s why he had been acting so weird. Did he regret asking you to the dance? He seemed so excited when he had asked you. And he had told you all week how much he was looking forward to it. Was it all just some big lie? You shook your head, still in denial. “You’re joking, right?”
“I’m sorry, y/n,” Peter mumbled, breaking away from you, walking off the dance floor. But you didn’t know what to do, instead just standing there, tears of your own forming in your eyes.
Were you fooling yourself? Were all of these feelings just one sided? Were you too stupid to see what was happening all along? You hated yourself for thinking someone like Peter could ever like you. You were just friends, and that was it. God, Ned and MJ probably thought you looked stupid too. Tears welled up in your eyes as you exited the gymnasium, pulling out your phone, sitting on the curb in your dress, hating yourself for messing everything up. Your phone rang several times before you sniffled, clearing your throat.
“Uh, hey dad?” you whimpered.
“Y/n?” Tony asked, concerned. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
“Can you pick me up from the dance? I want to go home,” you told him, voice shaky, wiping tears from your cheeks.
“Sure thing, kiddo,” he reassured. “I’ll be there in ten. Hang tight.”
part 2 – an apartment in queens
The following weeks you found yourself sitting at Peter Parker’s lunch table nearly every day. You slowly got to know him better, understanding his passion for photography, his love for Star Wars, and of course, his obsession with science puns. Alongside him, you also got to know his friends, MJ and Ned. MJ was more laid back and careless than Peter, messy hair and doodling in class, dark humor and straight-to-the-point conversation. She wasn’t like the other girls you knew who liked to gossip about drama or swoon over boys. Instead she talked about true crime and conspiracy theories. Ned was a lot like Peter, minus the anxiety. He was a goofball who enjoyed LEGOs and read comic books and was always excited to announce whatever latest movie just came out or NASA’s newest discovery. His friends were interesting and cool, and you enjoyed hanging out with them a lot too. Of course, they weren’t nearly as charming and polite as Peter was, but you liked the company all the same. MJ was reliable in recommending you good music and Ned in showing you memes he thought you’d appreciate.
As far as Peter goes, when you weren’t sending silly selfies to each other or texting paragraphs back and forth over the phone, you both made an effort to spend time together at school. Study hall slowly became a regular thing between the two of you. After the dismissal bell rang, you would meet at the cafeteria vending machines to grab snacks, and then spread your textbooks out on a library table and breeze through your homework, sharing jokes and stories about the school day or whatever else was going on in your lives at the time. However, approaching the library that evening, both of you instantly pouted at the notice posted on the door.
“Closed for SAT prep,” Peter read aloud. “Uh oh.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” you stared at the piece of paper taped to the entrance, letting out a small huff. “We have a test tomorrow and to be completely honest, I haven’t even read the last two chapters yet.”
“I have,” Peter piped up. “I can fill you in if you want, you can borrow notes.” He turned to face you and narrowed his eyes. “Although it’s not like you to be slacking on an assignment. What’s up?”
“I’ve just been helping my dad with this uh, this project lately,” you replied. “I’m trying to figure out how to improve computation time through admissible heuristic-”
“A* yeah,” Peter blurted, recognizing your words, and you paused, thoroughly impressed.
“Wait! Parker, you’re telling me you know algorithms?” you stood there, jaw still hanging in surprise.
“Sure, I am a computer geek after all,” he chuckled softly, flexing a humble brag. “I have a bit of experience in computer science, if you ever want a helping hand.”
“Holy shit,” you blinked, thinking to yourself, as if he couldn’t get any hotter?
“Anyways, you should really get on those chapters. You know this exam makes up ten percent of our grade for the quarter.” He pauses to think for a moment and then his eyes light up with an idea. “Let’s hang at my place and I can catch you up,” he offers, and you look at him incredulously, practically delirious at this point.
“Y-you want me to come over?” you raise an eyebrow and he stiffens, hesitant.
“Uh, I mean, if you’re okay with that,” he explains. “I just thought since the library was closed, you know, we could find a different place to study. It doesn’t have to be my place we can go to a coffee shop or the park or something-”
“No, no your place sounds perfect,” you insisted, head reeling at the fact that your crush just invited you to their house.
“Awesome, cause I know a really good pizza place on the way,” he grins and you think you could melt on the spot right there.
Peter doesn’t live very far from Midtown at all, just a couple transfers. And as far as pizza recommendations go, he knows the very best spot in town. It’s obvious he’s a Queens kid, the way he walks about the city and interacts with the people, it’s like there’s nowhere else he could ever possibly belong. It’s heartwarming, to see the way he talks about his favorite shops and people, pointing out little things like good climbing trees and perfect awnings for being caught in the rain. If you didn’t know any better, you’d think he created the city himself, the way he was familiarized with everything. It was impressive.
Your dad didn’t really let you out of the tower to roam much. Happy usually escorted you around a in a car or he insisted you take a taxi rather than the subway. When you did go out, it was usually in his company, to a fancy party or a conference hall, a five-star restaurant or a prestigious academy. Being raised surrounded with such success and wealth was a blessing, and you were ever grateful for it, but it was times like these when you wondered what it would’ve been like to just be a normal kid. To be able to explore and meet others and know the city as well as Peter does, every little hideout and bodega, the best spot to watch the sunrise or grab a sandwich.
“Well uh, this is it,” Peter clutched onto the straps of his backpack, giving a nervous smile. “It might not be much, but it’s my home. It’s just me and my Aunt May, she’s the one who pretty much raised me so…” He shrugged and then opened up the door, you being sure to take everything in.
“Oh my gosh Peter! Hi! How was school today? Oh! And you brought a friend!” a bubbly brunette with glasses greeted both of you, scooping up Peter in a hug, and you instantly knew she must be Aunt May. “Hi dear, I’m Aunt May and you are?”
“This is y/n, remember?” Peter introduced you and you raised an eyebrow at that last part, noting the way that he must’ve mentioned you to her before. You tried to hide the blush rising to your cheeks.
“Y/n? Oh yes, how could I forget your-” May paused immediately upon Peter’s terrified eyes and nodded slowly. “Your uh, your?”
“My friend,” he smiled. “She’s my friend, May.”
“Right. Awesome,” she looked at you and you could sense her suspicion, that they were hiding something, but you dismissed it and smiled back. “I’m so glad you could come visit today, Miss Y/n! Peter’s told me so much about you.” You looked at Peter and he gave you terrified eyes, making you laugh. “Oh, was I not supposed to say that?” May turned to you and you laughed harder, reassuring her it was just fine, but inside, your head was reeling. Peter had talked to her about you before? You just hoped it was all good things.
“Anyways… We’re gonna study for our test, so we’ll be in my room. Just knock if you need me,” Peter explained, and to your surprise, grabbed you by the hand and led you down the hall, heart fluttering in your chest every step of the way. He dumped his bookbag on the ground and shut the door, flopping onto his bed, sighing. “Sorry that’s my Aunt May, she can be a little overbearing at times.”
“No, no, you’re all fine,” you reassured, taking a seat next to him at the edge of his bed. “I get it. My dad can be a lot like that too. Lots of questions and pestering- it’s just cause they care about us, you know.”
“Yeah, I appreciate that,” Peter smiled softly, leaning up and looking at you, noticing the way you pressed your lips together, waiting to ask something. “What?”
“You told her about me?” you wondered, and he swallowed nervously, clearly embarrassed.
“I mean, uh… Yeah. I did…” He paused, staring at the floor. “Is that okay?” he asked, scared. “I mean, I tell Aunt May about everything, she’s sort of my best friend- but not in a weird way, she’s my aunt you know, but-”
“You’re fine, Peter,” you laughed. “I’m just giving you a hard time.”
“Oh,” he grew quiet, letting out a soft sigh of relief as you laughed a bit harder, smiling at him. He looked back at you, face reddening, hazel eyes softened. “You have a nice laugh, you know.”
“Really?” you cocked your head to the side, growing self-conscious. “I always thought it was a bit too obnoxious.”
“No, it’s genuine,” he shook his head, insisting. “I like it a lot.” He looked down towards his feet and started to pull out some textbooks from his backpack, and you could’ve sworn you heard him mumble. “I could probably listen to it all day.”
Reading classic English literature was never the most exciting way to pass time, but with Peter, it instantly became your favorite hobby. Both of you impersonated characters and made fun of the old dialect, as well as sprinkled in vine references at every appropriate moment. While writing notes, you doodled cartoons in the margins and decorated them with stickers. It was like hanging out with Peter outside of school made doing school related things much less nerve wracking. It gave you the freedom to be laid back, boisterous, and most of all, handsy. Throughout studying you found yourselves guilty of seeming to find any excuse to touch the other, whether it was poking, tickling, pulling hair, slugging a shoulder, or tugging on a sleeve. At one point, Peter even leaned against your side, resting his head on your shoulder and watching as you scrawled down notes, making your head dizzy.
A notification went off on Peter’s phone and he sighed, walking over to where it was charged on his desk before staring intently. “Woah,” he held his phone screen up to you with the displayed time. “I didn’t even know it was this late! I’m sorry.”
“Oh no,” you glanced at your own phone, spotting the several missed calls and texts from your father, sighing. You didn’t want to leave, but you knew you had to. You didn’t want to dig yourself a deeper hole. Shooting your dad a couple texts and asking Happy to come pick you up, you groaned, realizing there was no avoiding explanations on this one. The school library wouldn’t have even been open for study hall at this time if you said you were there. “Shit, I’ve got to go. I’m sorry, Peter.”
“It’s okay,” he insisted, although you could sense his disappointment too. “Maybe another time?”
“Definitely,” you grinned. “I think I like hanging here much better than the library. You even have a periodic table up on your wall for reference.”
“Exactly!” he pointed out, overexcited, and you giggled at his enthusiasm. “The library’s got nothing on us.”
“It’s a lot quieter in here too,” you added. “Which is ironic, because you’d think a library is the quietest place there is.”
“Not in a high school it’s not,” Peter shook his head and you laughed alongside him.
“You got that right,” you agreed.
Gathering up your things into your bookbag, you joked back and forth with him, until you were about to head out the door and he stopped you, making you freeze. “C-can I ask you something?” he wondered and you stared up at him, wide eyed, nervous. “I’ve sort of been meaning to ask you but I get nervous sometimes and I didn’t know how you’d react but uh-”
“What’s up, Parker?” you smirked, having a feeling that whatever was about to happen could only lead to something good.
“Well you see, there’s this dance coming up, next week actually, and me and Ned were talking about it. Um, it’s the homecoming dance. I was wondering, if it’s okay with you, and it can be as friends or maybe more than friends but well, maybe, I was thinking…” he stopped rambling and sighed, looking at you, frustrated and terrified of himself all at the same time. “Would you like to be my date to the homecoming dance next Friday?”
“Peter-” you stared at him, fireworks exploding in your chest. “Yes! Of course!”
“Wait, really?” his eyes lit up and you nodded eagerly, dropping your bookbag and rushing up to hug him.
“Really,” you insisted, wrapping your arms around him. You had never hugged Peter before, but he was warm and comfy and he smelled like fabric softener. You buried your face into his shoulder, squeezing tight, muffling your giggles. Both of you pulled back and he was smiling ear to ear, you as well. “I wish I could stay longer, but um, I’ll be sure to shoot you a text when I get home.”
“For sure,” he kept smiling at you like a fool, and you couldn’t say anything because you bet you probably looked the exact same.
Waving goodbye to Aunt May and closing the door behind you, you took a step before instantly hearing Peter excitedly ramble on to his aunt. “I asked the question May- the one to the dance. And she said yes! She said yes, holy shit- I’m gonna need a suit. And a corsage. Where do you even get a corsage?”
“Woah, slow down there, kiddo,” Aunt May chuckled. Trying not to eavesdrop any longer, your entire face flushed, heart fluttering, fuzzy feeling enveloping you as you walked down the hall. You were falling for Peter Parker. And you were falling hard.
The car ride home with Happy was pretty quiet, and you knew you were going to get another talking to, you could just feel it. It wasn’t that you were purposely trying to be rebellious or anything, sometimes you just genuinely lost track of time. It was easy to be distracted when you were with someone like Peter. Your attention seemed to effortlessly gravitate towards him, you couldn’t even help it yourself. Making your way up to the elevator, half of you was still buzzing with excitement from your night at Peter’s, but the other half was dreading the rest of the night to come dealing with the repercussions from your dad.
“It’s nine o’clock, y/n. Where in the hell were you? And don’t even start with study hall,” your dad folded his arms, already exhausted.
“I went over to a friend’s house to study,” you explained. “I’m sorry, I lost track of the time and I just-”
“Was it a boy?” he looked at you, narrowing his eyes from behind his glasses and you sighed. “The boy?”
“What does it matter?” you whined.
“It matters because you’re the type of girl to get into trouble,” he argued and you did a doubletake, offended.
“Excuse me?” you stared at him. “I get perfect grades, dad! I’m on the honor roll! And you think that I’m going to get myself into trouble?”
“You’re my daughter, y/n. There’s no way in hell that you aren’t,” he shook his head. Tony sighed, looking you up and down, and then pursed his lips. “Does he treat you right at least? This boy?”
“Y-yeah,” you blushed, nodding, slowly feeling your agitation fade away. “He’s really sweet.”
“Is he smart?”
“Super smart. He competes in the decathlon, dad. Plus he literally studies computer programming for fun.”
“So he’s a giant nerd.”
“No! Okay, maybe. But he’s a cute nerd.”
“Alright, alright,” Tony nodded slowly. “So are you two dating or is this a crush type situation?”
“He asked me to the homecoming dance,” you told him, blushing furiously just at the thought of Peter Parker in a suit and tie, hair gelled back, swaying with you on the dance floor.
“I better get around to meeting this kid then,” he insisted. “If he’s inviting you over and going to the dance with you and all.”
“I’m sure you will, dad,” you smiled sweetly. “The dance is coming up soon and he’s obviously going to pick me up so, you can have a couple words with him then. He’ll be dressed up and everything, it’ll make a good impression.”
“Right, right,” he laughed. “Well just be careful, alright? I can’t have my daughter’s heart getting broken out here. He should know he’s messing with Iron Man’s daughter, I’ll kick his ass if he ever wrongs you.”
“I know, dad,” you rolled your eyes, giving him a big hug. “But I think we’re safe with this one. He’s a really good guy. I can feel it.”
part 1 - study hall
Although none of the other girls in your class would agree with you, you were convinced that Peter Parker was the most attractive guy at Midtown High. He had stolen your heart from the very first day of AP Chemistry, confidently answering some basic questions concerning the structure of carbon compositions, and you basically swooned. You found smart guys unbelievably sexy, and ones who were humble were twice as good. Parker was a quiet kid, very sharp and sensible, but also friendly and courteous. Unlike the other boys at your school, he wasn’t loud mouthed and cocky, throwing outrageous parties and trying to hit on every girl within a five foot radius. It was refreshing to see a guy your age not be obsessed with copying down your homework or trying to invite you to a college frat party. Peter Parker was different, and you liked that about him. You liked it a lot.
He kept to himself and two his friends mostly, MJ and Ned, which made you more interested in him and his life. Most days he either wore these adorable blue V-neck sweaters or these goofy science pun t-shirts that looked as if ordered in a bulk pack from Amazon. He was a proud member of the photography club, robotics club, debate team, and Science Olympiad. He was one of the smartest people you knew, and in turn, that simply made him the most attractive. Perhaps it was your father who had established your high standard in boys, seeing as he dabbled in astrophysics and technological engineering as a hobby. He was Ironman after all, being an overachiever was practically a household expectation. You were pretty smart yourself, and although it could be looked upon as rude or inconsiderate, the truth was you liked to surround yourself with others who either matched or challenged your intellect.
Since establishing your crush on Peter Parker, you strived to spend more time with him. You told yourself you could start it off as a friendship with a silly crush and see how things went from there. Towards the end of the class one day, you were determined to talk to the boy. The plan was to ask him to go over some of his notes with you, maybe make it a study date situation, hope he didn’t call your bluff. It wasn’t that you didn’t understand the lesson, you understood everything perfectly fine. Hell, you could probably speak stoichiometry in your sleep. However, you needed a good reason to introduce yourself, so you hoped for the best and decided to take a leap of faith. Nervously smoothing your sweaty palms down on your thighs and gathering your books up from your desk, you walked over to where he was talking to his best friend Ned. “Hey,” you tapped him on the shoulder and he turned around, staring at you with his soft hazel eyes, brunette hair swept up neatly, eyebrows raised in curiosity.
“Oh hi,” he gave a warm smile and nervously cleared his throat. “What’s uh, what’s up?”
“I’m y/n, I sit over there,” you pointed out as an introduction.
“I think I’ve seen you around. Aren’t you Tony Stark’s daughter?” he cocked his head to the side and you groaned slightly, ever the exhausted with being immediately associated with your father.
“Yup that’s me,” you sighed. “Uh, anyways, I noticed you seem pretty caught up on this lesson and I was having some difficulty understanding some of the concepts, I was hoping maybe I could borrow your notes sometime? If that’s okay?”
“Oh?” he seemed surprised, but flattered, blush rising to his cheeks. “Sure! Of course. I’m Peter by the way, Peter Parker.” He gave a nervous laugh and then shook his head. “My notes aren’t the neatest in the world but if you think they could help, I’d be more than happy to lend you them for a night or two.”
“Thanks,” you nodded. “That would be great. I think I’ve seen you in my lunch period too, so I could always just return them to you before class then.”
“Yeah, yeah,” he agreed. “Or uh, if you wanted, we could always hang out at the library afterschool and I could explain it to you. Protein structural components can get a little tricky sometimes.”
“For sure,” you chuckled, realizing how lame you probably sounded laughing over chemistry. “I’m usually free afterschool, as long as you’re okay with it, that sounds great to me!”
“How afterschool tomorrow?” he offered. “Just for an hour or two?”
“Perfect,” you couldn’t help but blush yourself. “Thanks, Peter. Really.”
It felt like your heart was beating out of your chest as you walked away, envisioning his adorable smile still in your mind. He was so sweet, and kind, and understanding. Pretty eager too. You had to stifle a laugh as you heard Ned slug Peter on the shoulder and whisper shout, “Dude! You just scored a study date with Y/n Stark!”
“See ya, Parker,” you turned around and winked, walking out of the classroom and towards your locker.
The next day in class, you kept glancing back in your chair to look at him, smirking to yourself every time you caught him staring back. He was shy alright, and nervous, but it made him all the more adorable. That morning you made sure to fix your hair up and put on a little bit of lipstick, and after being thoroughly interrogated by your overbearing father, you were able to get out the door in one piece. It wasn’t that you were overexerting yourself into catching his attention, but you’d be lying if you said you weren’t hoping to have him compliment you. The rest of the school day, you caught yourself using the rest of your attention to calculate how much time was left until you could rush to the library and actually talk to him for once.
“I thought you’d never show up,” you teased as he took a seat next to you at one of the tables, setting his backpack down on the floor and sighing.
“Me either,” he groaned. “Ned wouldn’t stop bugging me about this being a date.” He gave a nervous laugh and turned to you, but you weren’t laughing. Instead you looked at him, smiling sweetly, unable to resist your temptation.
“It can be a date,” you shrugged, opening up your textbook and waiting for a response, only to catch him dumbfounded, struggling to find words to say.
“Oh, I mean- I-” he stammered and you chuckled.
“I’m just playing with you, Parker,” you playfully reassured. “Now come on, open up those science notes so I can take a good look. I’m still lost on the GPCR structure similarities.”
“That’s what doesn’t really make sense to me though,” he mused, doubtful as he instead swiped your notes across the table, reading them over and pointing at your diagrams. “I think you do. All of these are mapped out perfectly, and your comparisons are spot on.”
“Well there’s no harm in getting clarification,” you replied, trying to grab back your notes but he held them out of your reach, narrowing his eyes. Peter didn’t buy it.
“Why do you need my help, y/n? You’re literally the smartest girl in school. Your father is Tony Stark for heaven’s sake, you don’t need tutoring,” he insisted. “If anything, you should be tutoring me.”
“You?” you scoffed. “Pete, you’re varsity on every academic team there is. No way.”
“I just don’t get it,” he admitted. “Why’d you ask for my help? It’s obvious you understand the lesson perfectly fine.”
“Well…” you blinked at him, shocked at how quickly he had seen right through your cover. “I uh, I don’t know.” Your face turned a bright shade of pink and you began to feel queasy. “Can I be honest?”
“Of course,” he nodded, concerned but also curious as to what you had to say.
“I just wanted an excuse to talk to you,” you confessed, embarrassed. “I always see you around and you seem so smart and you’re a part of all these clubs and teams and I don’t know…”
He looked surprised, almost confused, but then smiled. “Me? Why me?”
“I dunno. You seem really sweet.”
“Thanks. You too.”
“I was thinking maybe we could be friends? If that’s not too weird or-”
“No, no that sounds, that sounds great,” he insisted, clearly flustered. He looked up at you, eyes sparkling, lips curled up in a smile. “You could’ve just asked you know.”
“Yeah I’m uh, I’m clearly a fool when it comes to those kinds of things,” you laughed nervously, scratching the back of your head.
“Well, since we’re here anyways,” Peter decided. “Want to do homework together instead?”
“Sure,” you agreed. “That sounds great.”
Both of you spent the next couple of hours solving Gauss-Jordan elimination matrices and memorizing resistance series equations. In a lot of ways, Peter Parker was just as much of a nerd as you were. It was comforting to know someone’s brain worked the same way yours did, excited to be challenged with theorems and calculations, determined to find solutions and build upon your already established intellect. When the library eventually closed, you walked to the cafeteria vending machines and grabbed some chips and sodas, exchanging conversation and making each other laugh with stupid jokes.
“Sit at my lunch table tomorrow,” Peter invited after having added you on snapchat. “MJ and Ned will be there, and you can bring some of your friends if you want too.”
“Okay,” you grinned. “Count me in.”
Walking home, your entire stomach was filled with butterflies. Things couldn’t have gotten better. He was genuinely funny, and clever, and really sweet too. You hoped and prayed things would go well between you two. Practically skipping to the elevator, you tried to hide the stupid smile on your face in hopes that your dad wouldn’t pry too much. However, you instantly cringed when you heard JARVIS’ voice greet you as the doors slid open and you reached your floor.
“Good evening, Miss Y/n. It seems that you have finally arrived home from school,” he chirped and you groaned, knowing what was to follow. “Your father has requested that I alert him upon your arrival, he has been inquiring about your whereabouts-”
“Yeah, yeah, I know JARVIS,” you mumbled, setting your bookbag on your chair and frowning. “I came home late, I was at study hall with a friend.”
“You are approximately three and a half hours late from your usual arrival,” JARVIS informed.
“I am aware,” you insisted yet again, noticing your dad march towards you from a hall. Part of you was surprised he even noticed you were gone at all. Most of the time he was either out with the Avengers on a mission or cooped up in the lab working on a new project.
“And where were you afterschool, young lady?” he inquired, arms folded, peering at you above the rim of his glasses.
“I was at study hall with a friend,” you repeated, chewing at your lower lip, trying to play it off. “It took a little longer than I thought it would, I’m sorry.”
“You couldn’t give me a call at least?” he asked, annoyed.
“I didn’t think you cared,” you shrugged.
“Well I’m your father, so I do,” he argued and you nodded, growing quiet and waiting to hear whatever scolding you had coming to you.
Sometimes you wondered why he was constantly on your case. Maybe with him being an Avenger and all, always exposed to threats and danger, it translated to him being constantly worried about you. You knew it was just cause he cared, but at times, it did get a bit overbearing. You’ve learned by now to just nod your head and respond with “yes dad” and “I’m sorry dad” interchangeably.
“Much less, why are you all dolled up?” he looked you up and down in disapproval. You glanced down at your skirt and sweater, remembering the way he had inquired about your hair and makeup this morning. He wasn’t wrong. You rarely ever put any effort into your appearance when it came to going to school. You usually threw on some jeans and a hoodie and made your way out the door. “If I didn’t know any better I’d think you were trying to impress someone.”
“I’m not,” you lied, rolling your eyes. “I just felt like changing it up today.”
“Uh huh,” he drew out. “Twenty bucks says your little friend at study hall was a boy.”
“Dad!” you whined and he smirked.
“That’s all I need to know,” he threw up his hands defensively, secretly proud of himself. “Hey kid, get your homework done and then meet me in the lab. Bruce has a project for you concerning some Dijkstra’s algorithms that are right up your alley.”
“Lucky for you I already got my homework done in study hall,” you pointed out. “So let me grab a snack real quick and I’ll meet you down there.”
“That’s my kiddo,” he smiled proudly. “See ya in a bit.”
