Work Text:
It was nearing midnight when Tony remembered that Peter didn't actually live in the Tower with them.
"Hey, kid, quittin' time," he called to the teen hunched over a mess of wires and spare parts. Peter glanced up, then looked back down at his work before turning puppy-dog eyes on Tony.
"C'mon, Tony! It's not that late! And I'm almost finished with this!" he whined.
"Almost finished, my ass," Tony shot back, standing and wandering over to Peter's work table. "Besides, you've got school tomorrow. That's something you youngsters do, isn't it?"
"No?" Peter stood anyway, gathering his jacket from the bench next to him. Tony handed him his school bag and slung an arm over his shoulders as they walked to the elevator. The doors had just slid open when JARVIS's crisp voice came over the speakers:
“ Sir, it appears Mr. Odinson has arrived early. He is now greeting the others in the common room.”
Tony's face lit up. "Say, Petey-Pie, you've never met a god before, have you?"
"I, uh, can't say that I have," he responded. Peter had a pretty good idea where Tony was going with this, and he wasn't sure it was a direction he wanted to take.
"That's about to change! Hey, J, tell the guys I'm bringing Peter up with me to say hi. Tell Barton he's not allowed to be too much of a pain. Don't need Birdbrain scaring off my interns."
“ Agent Barton has been informed of your request and his response is not one I am prepared to repeat in front of a minor.”
"Excellent! Take us up to the common room."
Peter hurried to dissuade Tony. "Weren't you just saying I have school tomorrow? I don't think now's the best time for a meet-and-greet." The older man waved his hand vaguely.
"You're a big boy, we can push your curfew back a little bit." Tony paused a minute and took in Peter's nervous energy, his fingers twisting in the sleeves of his hoodie. "There's nothing to be worried about, kid. They're just people. Well, Thor's not. And Capsicle's from the 40s. Nat's probably 35% robot, but that's less than half, so I’d say we’re good." Peter leveled him an unimpressed glare.
"You're not helping."
Tony rolled his eyes. "The best way to get over your fear is to dive right into it. It also, coincidentally, is the best way to get over your crush on a certain super-soldier," he said, waggling his eyebrows. Peter felt his ears turn pink.
"I do not—!” The elevator doors opened. There, twenty feet in front of him, was Tony Stark's living room. Maybe a couple of months ago this sight would have been enough to get Peter to clam up, but recently he'd spent a fair amount of time arguing about movies on one of Tony's painfully expensive couches. This time however, said couches were occupied by the freakin' Avengers.
Captain America was lounging in an armchair across from Black Widow, both with a beer in hand. Hawkeye and Falcon were sharing a sofa, but not the remote the archer was trying to tear from the other's hand. Thor—who was way bigger than Peter had imagined—was chatting with Doctor Banner, the only other person in the room (besides Tony) that Peter had ever held a conversation with. All eyes turned in his direction.
“I— um— hi," Peter stammered. Bruce waved, as did Thor, a wide grin on the latter's face. Falcon and Hawkeye stopped fighting, Falcon standing up from the couch. Captain America smiled at him—which okay wow, Captain America smiled at him, Peter felt his heart stutter—and Black Widow raised an eyebrow.
"Thor!" Tony greeted, throwing his arms in the air as he walked into the room. The Asgardian drew him in an enthusiastic hug.
"It is good to see you, Tony," said Thor when he let go of the engineer.
"You too, Sparky." Tony grinned again before suddenly remembering the teen he had dragged in. He practically bounced over to Peter and steered him into the living room by the shoulders. "Everyone, this is Peter. Peter, this is everyone." Peter managed a wave before Tony plowed on. "I think most of you've seen him in the labs or around R&D or swiping food from my fridge like a freeloader." Tony squeezed his shoulder to let him know he was joking. "And I'm assuming you've got a clue who these assholes are, Pete."
Peter stood in shock for a moment before Bruce came to his rescue. "Hi, Peter," he greeted, "I'm guessing Tony dragged you up here?"
"He is my intern," interrupted Tony, "I get to drag him wherever I want."
"I'm pretty sure that's not how internships work," Peter managed.
"That is most definitely how internships work! And here I thought you were learning." Tony shook his head. He perked up instantly. "Anyway, I brought the kid up to meet you all before I drop him home." He turned to Peter. "Baby's got a bedtime."
"That's right, wouldn't want to deny you your beauty sleep. Look's like you might need it," Peter quipped. A loud snort came from the couch and before he knew it Hawkeye was slapping him on the back.
"Keep this one, Stark," the hero said. Peter blushed and ducked his head.
"That's the plan, Katniss." Tony smirked, a glint in his eye. There was a lull before Captain freakin' America was extending his freakin' hand for Peter to shake.
"Steve Rogers," the man said.
"Nice to meet you, Captain Rogers," said Peter, taking the soldier's hand in his own. He did not have a crush, he did not have a crush, he did not have a crush.
"Call me Steve." Captain America—Steve—smiled again. Falcon moved forward this time and also shook Peter's hand.
"Sam," he said.
"Or," Hawkeye butted in, "as I like to call him, the second best bird-themed superhero in this Tower."
"Is there another one I should know about?" joked Peter before realizing he maybe had just insulted an Avenger. He rushed to apologize, but before he could Black Widow was standing in front of him, approving smile on her face.
"Ignore Clint. I'm Natasha." She looked him up and down. "Surprised you managed to stick around Stark so long and still seem normal."
Peter shrugged, his eyes cast down. "The key is to just ignore him and nod a lot when he won't go away."
"Hey! You're turning my intern against me! Steve, Nat's turning my intern against me!"
Thor's booming laugh filled the room. He clapped a hand down on Peter's shoulder and the teen thought his knees might have buckled if he didn't have super strength. "Indeed, it takes a strong will to bear our good friend's antics. It is nice to meet you, Peter." Peter's slim fingers were completely engulfed by Thor's huge hand.
"Y-you too, sir."
"How come you call him 'sir'?" Tony pouted. "I'm your boss, Parker, and I don't get a 'sir'?"
"You threatened to make Dummy help me with my projects if I ever called you 'sir', sir." Peter raised his hands in an "oh well" gesture. Tony nodded to himself.
"That sounds like something I might say. Then again, maybe I have been rubbing off on you and that's why you haven't run screaming for the hills."
"I don't even want to think about having a second Tony around," said Hawkeye/Clint, settling back down on the couch. He took a sip from the beer Black Widow had set down. "One is more than enough."
"Yeah, yeah, wait until you're looking for another gear upgrade." Tony took a seat, pulling Peter down with him. Peter got the feeling the man had totally forgotten about taking him home. Not that he minded. While talking to Earth's Mightiest Heroes was nerve-wracking, Peter thought he might be enjoying himself.
"So what are you guys up to?" asked the inventor.
"We were trying to get Cap to have another go at the hammer," Sam answered. He gestured with his hand to the hammer sitting on the ground next to the coffee table. Thor grinned and moved it onto the glass surface. Peter wondered how heavy it could be if it didn't break the glass; maybe the table was just reinforced.
"That thing," Tony scoffed. "I'm still convinced it's keyed into his fingerprints."
"There is no trickery, my friend," assured Thor. His face was smug as he took a seat next to Tony on the couch.
"What's it made out of?" Peter asked, unable to help himself. He shrank slightly as everyone turned to face him.
"An Asgardian metal called Uru," the god replied. "It was forged in the heart of a dying star."
"Really?" Peter scooted forward to get a better look. His eyes traced the intricate designs on the head. Thor’s face drew into a gentle smile.
"Would you like to try and lift it?"
Peter's head snapped around. “Are— are you serious? Can I?" Thor nodded, smiling. Tony nudged him and Peter stood.
He wrapped his fingers around the handle. For a moment he was unsure whether to even try. What if he used to much strength? He couldn't afford to out himself like this. Then again, when would he ever get another chance to be this close to Thor's hammer, let alone touch it? Mind made up, Peter pulled.
The hammer swung easily into the air, surprising Peter into stumbling back a step. He steadied himself and stared at the thing in his hand in wonder, able to feel the power radiating off of it.
"I-I thought it'd be heavier," he said, smiling weakly. He looked around at the stunned faces around him. Thor’s face was blank, his eyes wide. Captain America’s eyebrows were nearly up to his hairline. ”What-what’s wrong? D-did I do something wrong?" Nearly dropping the hammer back on the table, Peter wiped his hands on his jeans as if trying to erase ever having touched it. He turned around and saw Tony beaming wildly at him.
"You did everything right, kiddo. Let's get you home." Tony rose and led him toward the elevator. Peter managed a good-bye before the doors closed over the Avengers' slack-jawed faces. Tony was still grinning.
"Uh, what the hell was that?" Peter asked. Tony shrugged.
"Nothing much. But you might be inheriting the throne of Asgard sometime in the future."
"Wait, what?"