Chapter Text
The Norm
Peter Parker is just your normal kid who lives in Queens, New York. Living day by day as a genius scholar kid. With everything he tries so hard to acquire for as less as he could. What can an orphan do anyway?
He who lives in a small café run by Aunt who took him in even if they're not even related by blood at all. She is the wife of his Uncle who also died together with his parents from a car crash. They were trying to go home to them but all three of them didn't make it.
So the two who were left alone continued on living.
Day by day even with the little money they have. They can eat and have coffee and that's all that matters.. for now.
"Happy birthday, hun." May kisses his cheek giving him a slice of chocolate cake from the café. They are yet to open. As early as 4am, they are both awake and prepping. As the only two employee's of their small café.
"I can't believe you're already 14 and yet Jeff's 12 year old daughter is taller than you." Peter rolls his eyes.
"I'm still growing May."
"Sure hun.. and.. also.. I'm sorry you have work during your school break. You know these are the only times that the café sells enough to pay the rent." Peter smiles reassuring May.
"May, I understand. Really.. this is all I can do for you for taking me in." May ruffles his curls that she smiles at. Same curls as his late husband. The Parker blood.
"Oh Pete.. I will never ever regret taking you with me. We can do this together no matter what." May gave him a side hug and he smiles at her. A rare short smile.
"Now make a wish and blow your candle." Peter takes a breath in closing his eyes.
I wish May will never get my stupid parker luck. I hope she'll be happy and not be burden with me anymore.
Peter opens his eyes and blows his tiny candle.
"Okay now eat that and help me open up right after. Happy Birthday, love you." Peter nods and May kisses his head before going.
"Love you too." He ate his cake slice fast and opens the café with May.
His life is simple. A life of an asthmatic nerd who likes to build computers and robots using scraps and some dumpster diving here and there. He even built his own computer set from broken parts left in the trash.
The day was longer as everyone seeks for the comfort of a cup of hot coffee in a freezing weather. Their old glass window freezes and snow fell while the sun didn't even peek out from the dark clouds.
"You good hun? We're gonna close in half an hour." May takes of his apron and hairnet smiling at her nephew who's currently wiping off the coffee cups.
"Yep, I can manage May. There's no more customers anyway." The day finally ended with ghost streets and everyone retreating into the warmth of their own homes.
"Okay then. I'll go to the grocery store and buy some supplies. Maybe pick up some food for dinner on the way. I'll be back in a few." May says fixing her hair and grabbing her bag.
"Hmm, take care." She wore her thick winter coat and wore her boots.
May head out and the café door's chimes clinks and clangs as the door opens and closes. Peter then finish washing and wiping all the used coffee cups. Now wiping off the round tables one by one, checking the clock on the wall reading 9:30pm. He walks to the door to flip the sign from 'open' to 'close' but he was startled by someone pushing the door open letting the cold breeze in and a man wearing a suit and a red tie.
"Oh shit that's freezing!" The man exclaims and Peter stares at him literally frozen himself.
"U-uh.. we're closed, Sir." Peter manage to stutter out. The man looks around and he sniffs.
"Could you just allow me one cup of coffee and I can go. I'm freezing here kid. My car broke down and my driver is stuck somewhere without his freaking phone. I'm tired and hungry and in dire need of a caffeinated drink in my system or I'll explode!" The man gasp for air after spilling out words after words so fast, Peter have to take a second to process it one by one.
"Uh.. okay. I-I'll go make you one."
"Thank you! You're godsend." The man sighs hard and he looks around his eyes pointing at the only couch they have in their small café. He made a bee line towards it and even with the semi-comfortable cushion, he welcomes the warmth and exhales all the stress out of his system. His senses focusing on his scent as the young barista starts brewing a fresh batch of coffee.
"Is caffé americano okay?"
"No sugar." The boy nods finishing his task within minutes. He grabs the largest coffee cup with a quote on it saying 'Life Begins After Coffee'.
"Here you go, Sir. Would you like some donut or some cheesecake with that?" The man lifts his eyesbrow after reading the quote on the coffee cup, smiling at it and then at the kid who looks not even older than 13.
"Cheesecake would be nice." The boy nods bringing him the remaining slice of blueberry cheesecake.
"Thanks kid. Here, keep the change." He grabs his wallet and fish out a hundred and Peter's eyes widens. Quickly backing away.
"It's just 9.55 sir."
"It's also for the trouble. You're closing right?"
"Still. I'll give you your change. Just give me a sec." Peter takes the hundred and the man held his wrist maneuvering his hand to clench over the crisp bill.
"Kid, just take it. I will not accept the change either. I owe you one. I almost freeze to death out there. You saved my ass." The man leans back over the couch sipping his coffee and even humming out.
"Lovely." He sighs and Peter stares at the bill and then back at the man. Somehow Peter thinks that he had seen this man before. He just can't remember when and where.
"Y.. You look familiar.." Peter says and the man smirks grabbing one of the magazines from their coffee table.
"Oh.. shit." Peter curses as the man shows the front cover of none other than Tony Stark. The multi-billion dollar owner of Stark industries.
"You really had no idea?" Peter quickly shakes his head and he steps back watching the man in a more comfortable distance from him. No way Tony Stark is having coffee in a small and run down café. There's just no way.
"Well if I say so myself, I don't look like Tony Stark now." He really doesn't. He's clean shaven and his hair is longer than his usual short trimmed cut. Now that his hair is longer. It's showing off his natural wavy brown locks he usually hides. The signature styled beard is gone and his clean face is rarely seen.
"You see I've been on a long vacation and I just came back. Seems like my bad luck is back as well." Tony sips his coffee again and Peter just stared agape at him.
"Uh.. um.. C-Can I get you anything else, sir?" Peter's voice shakes and Tony smirks at him.
"Your name?"
"Huh?" Where can I get a name..? Oh.. right..
"Oh! Uh.. P-Peter.. Peter Parker, Sir."
"Well Peter. I need someone to talk to and keep me company, will you sit with me?" Peter nods smiling big. Smiling like that for the first time in a long while.
"Really! Oh God, I have so many questions about your inventions!"
"Wow someone's a geek like me huh?"
"Um.. kinda.. I.. I invent things as well. J-just from scraps and from the parts I get from dumpster diving."
"You invent things from trash?!" Tony was beyond surprised.
"Yeah.. I.. I can show you one!" Peter jumps out of his seat to grab his back pack from inside. Running back with a smile he didn't know is plastered on his face.
"Here." He grabs the small robot inside his bag and lay it on the coffee table. He then grabs his old cellphone with a crack screen. Pressing something on it making the robot move.
"It's a spider!" Tony exclaims, digusted and amazed at the same time. It's a spider robot as big as Peter's hand and it sticks on walls and shoots webs. When the web shoots it climb on it slowly and Tony was watching it like a hawk. His eyes bulging out of its sockets.
"What is this spiderweb made of?"
"They're carbon nanotubes." Tony examines the spiderweb and he pulls it from where it's sticking only to be pulled back.
"Oh um. It's hard to break. It'll dissolve within 2 hours though." Peter says and Tony ends up with a lot more questions with the kid than other way around. Peter then grabs his old tool box once owned by Ben. Tony eyes the tools with rust and he sighs. Taking note to gift the smart kid with new tools. They take apart the spider robot and modified and adjust. Even with the old tools. Tony knows what he was doing. Skillfully taking apart the robot and telling Peter which things should be adjusted. Like the 'web fluid' so Peter calls it, needs a better casing. Something that will not break easily or it'll destroy the robot from the inside.
"Hun, I'm bac-- who the?"
"May!" Peter grins and May stills. After so long. She finally saw that smile again. She could cry at that expression on her nephew's face right now.
"Oh I'm sorry for the intrusions."
"No.. um.. who are you?"
"May! Don't you know? He's Tony Stark!"
"Oh hun, why would Tony Stark go to our run down café?"
"My thoughts exactly." Tony says. He stands offering a handshake which May cautiously takes.
"I happen to get stranded and your son's coffee saves me from hypothermia. Thank you."
"Oh, he's my nephew. You're really Tony Stark? There's a lot of café around why ours?"
"Yours were the closest and I saw the open sign. I'm really sorry to intrude but I was freezing for almost two hours out there."
"We're happy to help. Its no intrusion whatsoever Mr. Stark." May says looking down at Peter's smile.
"May look! Mr. Stark helped me fix my spider."
"Modify actually. He did all the work." Tony says reaching out to ruffle the boys curls.
"Don't worry my driver is on his way. I just received a text that he finally realize that his phone is off." Peter then looks down at the paper bag May is holding.
"Mr. Stark, why don't you stay for dinner?" Peter suggested and the two adults stared at him and then at each other.
"Uh.. I don't think that's a good idea, kid."
"Oh why not. Are you up for some take outs?" May offers and Tony's stomach rumbles. Making all of them laugh.
"Don't mind if I do."
During dinner, it seems like Tony Stark had known of the Parkers ever since. He'd grew fond of the boy who's mind was so incredible. He can even keep up with him and his jargons about his inventions.
"You finally met someone who can understand you huh?" Tony was about to answer May but the question was not directed to him, which surprised him.
"No.. Mr. Stark is just too cool." Peter says making Tony smile fondly again at the kid. Then his phone rang.
"Looks like that's my cue. Let me take this." Tony excuse himself from the small dinning area from upstairs of the café. The two of them lived there. Only the two of them. He didn't ask any questions about the boy's family but he will find out about it eventually.
Happy was already waiting for him downstairs and instead of being relieved.. he was rather disappointed.
"Uh.. my driver is already waiting for me down stairs." Tony says after walking back, his hand automatically finding the boy's curls to ruffle them.
"Why the long face? Other than money, coffee is my no. 1 priority kid." He winks at Peter who's practically jumping out of his chair to hug the man. Tony Stark was never the touchy guy so he froze in place. Hands awkwardly in the air but a smile was forming on his face as he stares at the kid.
"S-Sorry.. I just.. um.. I really really hope you come back Mr. Stark." Noticing the awkward silence Peter steps back.
"Hun, Mr. Stark is a very busy man. He doesn't have--"
"No, its my pleasure. I'd love to have another Parker's signature brewed coffee." Peter beams again nodding big making his curls bounce.
"Thank you for the lovely dinner."
"No, the pleasure is all ours." May says pulling Peter out of Tony's way. Making sure her kid won't stop the man from heading out.
"May, I'll see him out." Peter says and Tony shakes his head.
"It's fine kid. See you around."
See you around huh?
1 week.. Peter waited for 1 week for Tony Stark to come by. Every night he'll hold off turning the close sign just to make sure Tony won't miss his chance to show up.
"Honey.." May had to flip the sign on her own, cupping Peter's cheek.
"I told you.. Tony Stark is a very busy man."
"It's just.. he said.."
"I know what he said hun.. just don't get your hopes up too much."
"But.. "
"Oh baby.. I'll go clean up. Why don't you go up and re-heat the chicken and we'll eat." Peter looks down nodding.
He just wanted to see the man he idolized so much. Maybe that single day is just a dream or something from the heavens wanted to gift a sad orphan something on his birthday.
He can't be sad about it. He get to meet Tony Stark! He should be thankful.. he should.
He looks out from the glass windows again but deciding to accept it. Their encounter is just one in a million.
He walks away from the door and then a knock startled him.