Chapter Text
Chapter 1 introductions
My name is Peter Parker, and I am freaked out. No wait, scratch that, I am totally having a meltdown. Why? You ask me. I’ll tell you.
I am currently in the United States, New York City to be precise, Midtown Manhattan to be even more precise. You are wondering what the big deal is with me being in New York, in Manhattan? Well, I currently am standing in the elevator of a very specific building in Midtown next to a particular person who happens to own the building.
Yes Ladies and Gentleman, I, Peter Parker, science nerd extraordinaire, am standing next to the Tony Stark. And, even more curiously, this is not a coincidence, no no no, the Tony Stark asked me, Peter Parker, to stand with him in this elevator.
Okay, okay, he didn’t ask me to stand in the elevator with him, that would be weird. But he did ask me to accompany him to a location that requires standing in the elevator together.
Am I making sense to you? Probably not. I’ll start at the beginning then.
The year is 1990, it has only been 1990 for seven days now, two CIA agents Richard and Mary were enjoying their evening off. Had a glass of wine, a couple probably, and Richard had made dinner. With candle lights and all. One thing led to another and that evening Mary ended up in Richard’s bed-
Oh, this beginning is too early for you? You don’t need details? Okay then.
The year is 1990. Mary is pushing while Richard is freaking out next to her hospital bed –
Not what you want to know either? Well your loss.
November 1997 Mary and Richard-
Don’t interrupt me! This is important, I promise.
Okay, 1997, the last day I saw my parents. They dropped me off at my uncle Ben and aunt May who would become like parents to me.
You don’t see how this is relevant for me being in an elevator with the Tony Stark? I’ll keep the history to this year then, too bad for you, many people find my origin story interesting enough.
Okay, so. June 2015, I got my doctorate in biochemistry. Consequently I get a job in the R&D chem department of Stark Industries. Yes that is right, Peter Parker got a job at Stark Industries, suck it Flash.
Still not an explanation why I would be in an elevator with the Tony Stark. Since he is not the CEO of Stark Industries anymore the lowly employees don’t see him that often. Not that they did see him often when he was CEO but that’s irrelevant.
Okay, so I’ve been working in the chem research and development department for two weeks when he walks in and starts talking to my superior Janet. We were doing some research in one of the labs so my colleagues and I are all present to hear what they are talking about.
“Janet” Mister Stark said “My favourite head scientist-”
I suppose Janet has known him for a while because she interrupts him, she interrupts the Tony Stark.
“The answer is no”
Then the man pouts, mister Stark pouts at my superior!
“But me and Bruce need some help. Please Janet, pretty please with a cherry on top?” One of my colleagues snickers but mister Stark pays him no mind. Instead he is looking at Janet with big puppy eyes.
“Fine, tell me what you want. I’m not promising anything, just tell me what you need.”
Mister Stark smiles widely. “You’re awesome! Okay, so me and Brucie are doing some research on some organic material and we would like to make use of your expertise.”
“I’m not helping you.” Janet states, staring at him.
Aaaand the pout is back.
“But-”
“No Tony, I have not forgotten what happened last time you needed my help. I am not setting a foot in that lab of yours ever again.”
“We could come here…..”
“Negative, there are too much delicate projects going on here, I am not going to risk letting you in my lab.”
The pout intensifies. Janet sighs and turns to face us.
“Are there any volunteers to assist mister Stark in his research?”
I look at my two colleagues who are looking anywhere but in the direction of Janet.
“Good, Peter, you can go help mister Stark.”
What!?
And that is the story of how I got into the same elevator as mister Stark.
We pass floor 78, which would be as high as my clearance would bring me, when the elevator music changes from calming elevator music to ‘Iron man’ from Black Sabbath. I can’t help but to face palm at that, I could’ve known. Stark observes me from the corner of his eye and smiles. I say nothing, he doesn’t either.
The lift stops at floor 87 and the doors open. My eyes almost pop out of their sockets. The sight I am met with is one of the most beautiful laps I have ever laid my eyes upon. Mister Stark notices and grins self-satisfied.
“Pretty awesome, huh?” he says to me. I, being too shocked by the fact that he is speaking to me, don’t respond and only stare at the many tools in there. I thought my current lab was pretty awesome and sophisticated, in comparison with this lab, my lab is the stone age.
“Brucie” Tony exclaims “I brought fresh meat, Janet wouldn’t come with me but I got one of her minions.”
The man named Bruce looked up from where he was looking into a microscope. “That’s great, he knows his chemistry?” Tony looks at me in question but I am too busy processing other facts.
“You’re Bruce Banner” I say. The man looks uncomfortable.
“Yeah, I am.”
“I’ve read your articles on radiation, they are great! I used a few for my thesis.”
He smiled softly at me and I continue “I am more of a genetic – controlled- manipulation guy myself, but the theory was useful enough. But I thought you died?”
“The media seems to think that, yeah.”
Apparently mister Stark had enough of the attention not being on him and coughed. “So Peter, you want a tour?”
I agreed and mister Stark gave me a quick tour through his lab pointing out some equipment and pointing out the things I absolutely should not touch. That are a lot of things, but hey, I understand, I’m the same with my own lab equipment.
“So, do you have any questions?” he asks me after he had introduced to JARVIS and Dummy.
“Just one” I replied “Why do you need me?”
“Excellent question.” He said while walking towards the place where doctor Banner was sitting. He grabbed something from the table and held it up. It was a transparent cylinder shaped container. He shook it and it rattled. I raised my eyebrow waiting for an explanation.
“You know the Hulk right?” I nodded “Well, this is a piece of his nail.”
I took the tube and observed it “How did you obtain it?”
“It was shot off”
I looked up from the nail “He must’ve liked that” I muttered.
Tony apparently heard me and grimaced “yeah… Wait! Before you jump to conclusions, it were the bad guys who did it. I only collected it from where it had fallen. No green guys where intentionally hurt by the good guys, don’t worry.”
“It better not, Hulk is cool.” I said, which earned me a surprised look from doctor Banner.
“You think he is cool?”
“You don’t?” I shot back and doctor Banner was silent.
“So what do you want me to do with this piece of nail?” I asked when they didn’t answer my question.
“We wanted to compare DNA, and we’d like your help with that, you know, a trained eye that notices different things than us.”
“What do you want to compare it with?”
Doctor Banner answered, cutting mister Stark off “We happen to have the DNA from the human form of the Hulk, and DNA from the human before the mutation.”
Suddenly I felt a light bulb turn on above my head. “You’re the Hulk.” I said to Banner.
“Yeah, I am.”
And that my friends, is how I, Peter Parker, met two avengers.
Little did I know how it would change my life.
Hehe, I always wanted to write that sentence. But reality is, I knew how much my life would change the minute Tony Stark and I were standing in that elevator.