Chapter Text
Peter walked out of the school building shaking from a mix of excitement and nerves while he looked for Happy's car. The boy had been fidgeting the entire day, not able to keep his happiness inside like allistics somehow do. He was jumping up and down whenever he could, his hands constantly flapping in front of him like he was about to fly. He couldn't believe he was finally meeting the Avengers ! Of course, Tony let him know ahead of time, knowing he needed to prepare for even the smallest change in his routine — and this was far from small.
The team had taken some time away from each other — Wanda and Vision traveling the world, Steve and Bucky sharing an apartment in Brooklyn, Sam visiting his sister and nephews back home where Bucky had spent some time as well, Natasha and Clint staying with his family, Thor and Bruce being who knows where. Still, they all kept in touch, ready to assemble in case they were needed. This time, their mission was quite simple: having lunch together and checking out some upgrades Tony had made on their equipment. And most of all, they were going to meet Peter, the mysterious intern Tony wouldn't shut up about.
The car ride to the Tower was filled with Peter's happy squeals and flappy hands that emanated so much excitement, Happy couldn't help but smile fondly at the boy — though he would never admit that. The teen couldn't keep track of the time passing by — this time not only due to his overall time blindness — and he only noticed they had arrived when Happy grumpily opened the door to the back seat, where Peter was. He got out of the car, letting his head shake around as he grinned.
“C'mon, kid, Friday's holding the elevator for you,” said Happy, guiding Peter to the metal doors with a gentle hand on his back, then turning around, “Go ahead, Tony is probably waiting for you, I have work to do”, and Peter waved at the man with a smile.
“Hello, Fri!” he greeted the AI, trying not to jump up and down on the elevator as he would end up scaring himself. Instead, he opted on rocking his torso side to side at a fast pace, desperate for the stimulation as he couldn't contain his excitement.
“Greetings, Peter” replied the voice from somewhere in the ceiling, “Boss is waiting for you on the communal floor as planned. Would you like me to visually remind you of the schedule for today?” she offered.
“That's alright, thanks! I still have the printed version you got me last week” said the boy.
Tony understood Peter needed a structured routine and a step by step planning for anything new, especially when it was something that induced so much emotion — whether it be positive or negative —, like meeting his childhood heroes. With that in mind, he prepared a detailed schedule for the big day, having Friday create a step by step visual version of it as well. All of that plus the numerous explanations he gave the boy about how the entire event would be helped Peter feel less anxious, and it definitely helped him prepare for everything.
As soon as the elevator doors opened, Peter could clearly hear the team's presence, though he noticed not everyone was there, which he was thankful for — he had explained to Tony how overwhelmed he would feel if he met them all at once. Thor's booming laugh brought Peter back from his thoughts, and he blushed at the thought of meeting the god Tony insisted Peter had a crush on.
“Ah young Stark-son! I have heard numerous tales about you!” greeted Thor as soon as Peter made his way to the living room, and when the man rested his hand on the boy's shoulder, he blushed even more, not missing Tony's teasing eyes on him. He tried to ignore that, as well as the other avengers in the room, who all started to stand up as they saw the supposed intern enter the room.
“He- hello Mister Thor, God of Thunder, Sir!” he stuttered while awkwardly waving his hand in greeting.
"Hello! It's very nice to meet you, son", greeted Steve as he stepped forward, offering his hand for Peter to shake.
The young boy couldn't mask his starstruck expression as he shook the man's hand, "Mister Steve Rogers, Captain America, sir!"
" Retired Captain America, kid" sounded a sarcastic voice that made Steve roll his eyes in fake annoyance.
Peter blushed as he looked at Sam in all his Captain America glory, and he wouldn't be surprised if everyone noticed his eyes glowing in awe.
"Right, I'm sorry Mr. Wilson!" he said, the color draining from his face as he nervously turned to the man.
"I'm just messing with you kid, don't worry about it" Sam said while waving his hands "It's nice to meet you! Call me Sam, no need for the whole "mister" thing"
At the awkward silence that soon followed, Tony finally stood from his seat and made his way to Peter. "Hey kid, glad you're finally here", said the man squeezing the boy's shoulders in comfort as he noticed how he was stimming anxiously, his legs moving rhythmically as his palms hit against his thighs with force. "You already know Bruce and Bucky", he introduced, gesturing to the two men who stood in place, quietly smiling and waving at the blushing boy, both due to shyness and not wanting to overwhelm the kid. "Bruce, Peter made me promise him that at some point you could both talk about your studies, he's quite a fan of you academically", he said, to which Peter agreed shily.
"Oh" said the man in surprise with a soft smile on his face "Y-yeah, of course"
"Now Pete, why don't you head to your room to change while we order our food?"
"Right, yeah, I'll do that!" agreed the boy, reminding himself of the schedule they had planned together, and headed to his room.
Tony watched with a fond smile that didn't escape his teammates, though no one commented on it, they only shared a knowing look with one another.
"Cute kid you got there, Tony" Sam's voice broke the silence and Tony couldn't hide his smile as the others all voiced their agreements.
"A bit quirky though, right?" said Steve, who soon got disapproving looks from his teammates, and a murderous one from Tony.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing Tony, it's just that he fidgets a lot, huh? And he didn't understand Sam's joke"
"Hey, don't drag me into this, I didn't say anything. Kid's great" Sam said defensively.
"He is a great kid, Tony" agreed Steve, aware of the daggers the man was sending him with his eyes.
With that, Thor - always unaware - broke the tension by saying he would accompany Bruce to his lab before their lunch arrived, and they soon left the room. Tony had explained to them all the schedule he had prepared with Peter, saying that he didn't want the kid to be overwhelmed by meeting his childhood heroes, so they wouldn't all be around at the same time, and that included lunch.
When Peter finally emerged from his room, having not only changed clothes but also reviewed the visual step by step schedule, he could smell the thai food - his favorite - that Tony had ordered, so he followed the smell to the dining room where Tony, Steve, Sam and Bucky were setting the table. When he noticed the questioning and amused looks the team was sending him, Peter realized he'd been quietly squealing and flapping his hands, and he blushed.
In no time everyone was sitting down and serving their meals. While the adults ate and casually chatted, Peter bounced up and down on his chair, swinging his legs around and flickering his fingers on his left hand as he ate. He could notice some looks directed at him, but he couldn't really read them, and still there was nothing he could do about it, he couldn't help it. Eating was a big sensory experience, either too underwhelming or too overwhelming, and he had to regulate his senses in order to keep himself from freaking out.
Tony watched Peter quietly stimming while he ate, and he couldn't help the fond smile from forming on his face. Gosh, he loved that kid . He couldn't help but notice the looks his teammates had on their faces, though, which the boy seemed happily unaware of. Sam had a look similar to Tony's, with traces of fondness and amusement, while Bucky's seemed more content and understanding. Steve's look though made Tony glare at the man. He seemed to be studying Peter, mentally taking notes of every move he made. The sharp noise of something hitting the floor brought Tony back from his thoughts, and one look at Peter holding his hand as if he was holding a cup was enough for him to understand what had happened.
"Good thing we got you those plastic ones, huh?" said Tony in amusement, but also with a comforting smile, as he walked to the kitchen in search of paper towels to wipe the grape juice from the floor.
"Sorry, I thought I had a good grip on the handle" the boy whispered shily, slightly embarrassed for having dropped his plastic Star Wars cup in front of the team. He nervously tapped the fingers from his right hand on the back of his left hand rhythmically.
"Don't worry about it, kid. Happens to the best of us"
No, it doesn't , Peter couldn't help but think. Still, he smiled softly at his mentor as the man handed him his now washed cup after drying it.
Tony threw away the paper towels and went back to his seat, and everyone started eating once again while chatting as if nothing had happened. Everyone noticed, though, how Bucky soon dropped his chopsticks on the floor, bringing all eyes to him. Peter couldn't tell if the man had done that on purpose so he wouldn't feel too embarrassed about dropping his cup, but he was grateful nonetheless and he happily flapped his hands in front of him.
After everyone had finished their meals, each brought their dishes to the sink and started clearing the table. Tony looked at Peter and tapped his finger on his own watch, the gesture they had agreed on to indicate it was time to move on to the next part of the schedule. Peter excused himself and headed to his room, confirming with Friday what was his next step: brushing his teeth. That was a habit the boy was still working on, so keeping a tight schedule around it, like brushing his teeth after every meal, was very important. The only way he could do it, though, was with extra soft toothbrushes and children's strawberry-flavoured toothpaste. He also liked to use apps to keep track of this habit and time it, there was even one that allowed him to catch a pokemon every time he brushed his teeth.
When he was done in the bathroom, Peter took his time in the bedroom to recover from all the feelings overwhelming him. Happiness, excitement, embarrassment, shame. So many emotions and he could barely process any of them. His bedroom was quiet and calm, and he sat on the floor as a way to ground himself, reminding himself to breathe deeply. In through the nose, out through the mouth. In… Out…
After a while Peter finally recomposed himself, and opened the door to head back out. But he stopped as he heard loud voices coming from the dining room.
"What do you mean I should get him into a facility ?" Tony's voice boomed, strong as thunder.
"C'mon, you know what I mean, I can't be the only one who has noticed. He's clearly a-" Steve trailed off, thinking of his next words.
"You better be careful with what you say, old man"
"-special kid"
"Yeah, that's not the ideal way of saying it"
"Look, I'm sorry, I was busy all frozen while the entire society evolved, I get it. But still, Peter clearly has special needs, how do you plan on caring for him?"
"Just the way I've been doing most of the time we're together. He's not a ' special kid '," Tony argued in disdain, "he has a disability and I'm going to provide the accommodations he needs in order to make the world more accessible for him"
"How did it even come to that, though? Were his parents not around much or-" Steve asked, intrigued, as if studying a new-found species.
"His parents don't have anything to do with his autism" Tony interrupted
"Well, you know most of these developmental issues happen when the mother doesn't give the child enough care and attention" explained the older man.
"Well this developmental issue happened because his brain just didn't happen to develop the way it was expected to. And that's okay. Peter has a disability, which is no one's fault, and it is completely valid whether you like it or not. It doesn't matter if there isn't a known cause. All that matters is that he gets the accommodations he needs to lead a good life " Tony said, raising his voice as he talked.
Peter couldn't see the scene unfolding, but he could imagine Tony, despite his short stature, intimidating Steve like an animal in the wild puffing out its chest to its opponent. He wondered if Bucky and Sam were still in there, and if they were agreeing with what was being said about him. He was still trying to process those words himself. He couldn't help but feel relieved at his mentor's words, reassured that he wouldn't admit Peter into an institution like that. He knows of the horror stories from autistic people having to go through awful kinds of therapies being trained like dogs to repress behaviours that are natural for them. Peter shuddered at the thought. He was snapped out of his thoughts at the sound of a third voice amid the argument that was still going on.
"Okay, that's enough already." said Sam in a calm voice, as if disarming a bomb that could explode any moment, "This argument isn't getting us anywhere and you both know that. Steve, for the love of all that is holy, stop saying shit. Tony, calm down, take a deep breath." he instructed.
"I'm gonna head down to the lab for a second, let me know when Peter comes out of his room. And don't even think about saying any of that shit to him" Tony said.
Before Peter could notice that the others started to walk out in different directions as well, he was startled by a voice beside him.
"So you heard all that, huh?"
"Shit! I mean, Mr. Bucky Barnes sir, I didn't see you there"
"Sorry kid, didn't mean to startle you" the man said sheepishly before continuing, "How are you doing?"
"Not bad, I'm just starting to understand why they say 'never meet your heroes'..." replied Peter, disappointment clear on his face.
"Well, you met Tony. He was your hero too, right?" he said, seeing Peter nod before continuing, "And you both seem to go along very well"
"Yeah, Tony is great!" Peter agreed, flapping his hands a bit with a smile.
"You know, the things Steve said… He worries a lot. And he was born in different times - we both were -, times where people didn't know how to deal with those who were even a little bit different. So people believed that their best chance was to live in a place where they would be taken care of 24/7"
"Yeah, with shock therapy" the boy retorted.
"And that too. I never said I agreed with the idea. My mama always did her best to keep me away from those places."
"Wait, what? What do you mean, you ?" the younger one questioned curiously.
"You see, I was always different. I protected Steve a lot when he was younger and smaller, but he also protected me, helped me with the things I was never able to do." he explained, "I've never had a diagnosis, or any kind of treatment, but everyone who saw me knew, they could tell. And now when I met you, I knew immediately, and Sam could tell as well. I see myself in you"
Peter was shocked beyond words. One of the men he admired the most was just like him ? Of course, he always knew there were things he wouldn't be able to do like others, but to see a live example of the things he could do made him feel powerful. He didn't really think he would be able to be completely like other superheroes, or part of a team. But now he felt hopeful that the team could accept him for who he is, and know how to work around his struggles.
Noticing the boy was still processing everything he had heard, Bucky excused himself, giving Peter a shoulder squeeze and a smile before leaving. Peter still stood there, speechless.