Chapter Text
July 15th, 2015
Peter looked out the window of his social workers car trying his best to conceal his emotions as he watched the rain fall. Usually, Peter was all sunshine and rainbows, but not today. Today, he was quite and the only sound that can be heard from the car was the pitter-patter of rain, the low hum of the radio, and Peter’s caseworker going over what was going to happen from now on,
“So Peter,” Tina said, as she drove through the rain in Queens. “The McElroys are a really nice couple, and they agreed to to take you in for a few days while I find you a more permanent home.”
“But why can’t I just stay with Aunt May at the hospital?” Peter asked, looking away from the window for the first time.
Tina gave an exasperated sigh as she gripped the steering wheel harder.
“It’s not that kind of hospital,” she said, a bit frustrated that she had to go over this again with the eight-year-old. “Look, your aunt is really sick, and she needs to be watched over 24/7. She’s not capable of taking care of you anymore.”
Peter sighed and nodded his head as he looked back out the window and watched as they drove through one of the nicer neighborhoods in Queens. Although, knowing his luck, the boy wouldn’t be staying there long.
7 years Later
“In the past seven years I’ve been in 20 different foster homes,” Peter said, going over his notecards. “And there is a good chance that by the time I turn 18, I will be aging out of the foster care system. By receiving this grant, I will be able to buy necessary school supplies that will help me excel in my education and allow me to have an equal playing field with the rest of my classmates at Midtown Tech. How did that sound?”
Peter looked up from his notecards as Mr. Harrington finished jotting down some notes.
“Much better,” he said, smiling.
“So do you think I’ll get the grant?” Peter asked walking over to his worn-out book bag where he pulled out his laptop, that was currently on its last leg.
“Peter the September Foundation grant is meant for students who are currently pursuing higher education,” he said, sympathetically.
“And so am I,” Peter said, with a smirk. “The only difference is that I need this grant money so that I can have a chance to get into MIT or Columbia. They already accepted my application. Now all I need to do is give a speech.”
“Have you talked with your foster parents?” He asked, concerned. “They’re supposed to help you out with stuff like this.”
Peter scoffed as he took a seat next to his teacher. The Thompson’s may be wealthy, but they made it abundantly clear that Peter was nothing more than a maid that the state was paying them to house. It didn’t help that Peter’s bully, Flash, was his new foster brother.
“They wouldn’t even buy me school supplies for the new school year,” Peter said, sadly.
“Do I need to call your social worker?”
“It’s not that bad,” Peter lied. “I’ve got my own room, and as long as I do a few chores around the house then they pretty much give me freedom to do whatever I want.”
DING, DING, DING
“I need to go if I’m going to make it to Stark Tower on time,” Peter said with a small smile. “Thanks again for the feedback Mr. Harrington.”
“Good luck Peter,” he said.
Peter waved goodbye, as he quickly ran out of the building. He was thankful Principal Morita let him miss his morning classes so he could give his speech at Stark Industries. All of Peter’s teachers thought that he wouldn’t get the grant, despite being the only high schooler invited to give a speech. But, Peter insisted that he try. He needed a new laptop for his advanced robotics class, and there was no way he would be able to get it on his own.
The moment Peter stepped outside he instantly wished he had a coat. He was saving up for a proper one, but he wouldn’t get his next paycheck for another week, and he wasn’t even sure if it would be enough.
Peter faced the cold for 20 blocks, and when he got to Stark Industries he was sure his fingers were going to fall off. He took a deep breath before walking inside the tower. The moment Peter walked inside the tower, he felt significantly underdressed. This was a grant for broke students, and yet all of the applicants were wearing business casual attire except for Peter who was dressed in the nicest pair of jeans that he owned, ratty converse that looked like they were falling apart, and a t-shirt with a science pun. Oddly enough, that was the nicest outfit he owned.
“I’m sorry, we’re not doing student tours today,” The receptionist said, as Peter walked up to the desk.
“I-I’m actually here for the September Foundation,” he said, nervously. “I’m one of the finalists.”
“Name?” She asked, as she started to type in her computer.
“Peter Parker,” he said, biting his lip.
She instantly looked up and then took another look at his outfit.
“The high school kid,” she muttered to herself, as she started to print his badge. “If you’d like to wait over in that seating area, your name should be called shortly.”
“Thank you,” Peter said, putting on his badge.
“Good luck,” she said, smiling.
Peter took a couple deep breaths as he walked over to the seating area. As he sat down a tingly feeling began in the pit of his stomach. He looked at all of well dressed students, with copies of their proposals and realized all of his teachers were right. There was no way Tony Stark was going to chose him for this grant. I mean why would he. These students had already proved that they were smart and capable of creating hi-tech inventions that could one day change the world. He was just… well Peter was just a poor foster kid who couldn’t even afford school lunch ever since Midtown got rid of their free lunch program. He would be lucky to even graduate high school.
"Peter Parker?" A woman with ginger hair said, holding a clipboard. “They’re ready to see you now.”
Peter took a deep breath as the woman escorted him to the elevator. He could feel the other applicants stare at him from the waiting area, a couple even snickered when they realized what he was wearing.
“I-I’m sorry I didn’t dress up more,” Peter said, nervously. “This is all I could afford.”
“No worries,” she said with a tight smile. “To be honest, we weren’t sure what to expect from a high school student. I thought you had applied as a joke, but Mr. Stark called your school and your principal said that you were taking this grant seriously.”
“Yes ma’am,” Peter said, nervously. “I really want to excel at midtown, but my scholarship only pays for my tuition and most of my school supplies are expensive. I wouldn’t need as much money as the rest of the applicants, just enough to get a new computer and a few basic tools for my robotics class.”
The ginger haired woman gave Peter a sad smile as she opened the door for him. She jotted down a few notes as she then went and took a seat next to her husband Tony Stark and the rest of the scholarship board.
“I’m Pepper Potts by the way,” she said, getting herself situated in her seat. “This is my husband Tony Stark, Phil Coulson, Bruce Banner…”
Peter paled and tried his best not fan girl over Bruce Banner and Tony Stark as Pepper started to introduce all of the board members in the room. He couldn’t believe he was in the same room as two of the smartest men on earth, and they were about to hear him whine about how he needed money for school supplies.
“So Peter,” Tony said, smirking. “You’re a sophomore at Midtown Tech correct?”
“Yes, Sir,” Peter said, snapping out of his thoughts. “My guidance counselor at Bluepoint Middle suggested I apply.”
“Bluepoint?” Bruce said, slightly confused. He then whispered to Tony. “Isn’t that school failing?” Tony quickly looked at his list of failing schools in New York, a problem he was currently working on fixing, and found Bluepoint to be the worst middle school in Bronx.
“They didn’t recommend you to the Bronx school of science?” Phil asked.
“No Sir, my foster parents were requesting that I be moved once school got out. My caseworker had gotten me a bed in a group home in Manhattan. Midtown was a lot closer, and they offered more advanced science and robotics courses.”
Pepper gave Tony’s hand a small squeeze under the table as she made a few notes. She couldn’t help but think about their son Harley when she looked at Peter. They were granted guardianship when he was 13 after his mom went to jail. She signed over her rights a year later, and the couple quietly adopted Harley into their family. If Tony hadn’t become friends with Harley and his mom when he was younger, then there was a good chance he would have grown up like Peter.
“It says here your staying with Reginald and Elizabeth Thompson, is that correct?” Phil asked.
“Yes sir,” Peter said, nodding his head.
Tony’s squinted his eyes and looked Peter up and down. Clearly that was a mistake. He knew the Thompson’s, he didn’t like them but he knew they had money. The Thompson’s had enough money to buy this kid a laptop and school supplies. Heck, this kid needed needed new shoes and he probably needed a new coat. Wait, where was this kid’s coat?
Phil finished his questioning and urged Peter to go ahead and give his speech. Tony knew he should listen, but his mind was set on helping this kid the moment he saw his application. This interview was just a formality. Instead of listening to his speech, Tony went through the security cameras in the front lobby, praying that this kid walked in with a coat. But of course, he didn’t.
There must be a logical explanation for this though. There’s no way Reginald and Elizabeth Thompson, two of wealthiest people in New York, were neglecting a foster child. It would be all over the news.
He threatened the press with a law suit if they ever printed a photo of Morgan and Harley. Harley’s dad had just gotten out of jail and was dangerous. He knew he could handle Harley’s dad if he came around, but he didn’t want Harley to deal with that trauma. Morgan was six, and Tony wanted her to have a semi normal childhood. That’s why both kids were enrolled in school under Pepper’s name. There were lots of Potts in New York, but not a lot of Starks.
Tony knew he needed to investigate this more. So, he did something he normally doesn’t do.
“Listen Peter,” Tony said, closing the application. “I’m going to give you a brand Stark Computer, and I’m also going to give you access to my employee app that will let you pick up any school supplies you need for free. It can be used for notebooks, pencils, robotics equipment and lab equipment.”
Peter stood there frozen he was completely shocked, but his face dropped a few seconds later when he knew he’d have to admit that he didn’t have a phone.
“Sir, I-I don’t have access to a phone so I won’t be able to use the app,” Peter said, biting his lip.
Tony gave a small sigh. Of course this kid didn’t have a smart phone. He couldn’t even afford a winter coat, there was no way he could afford a smart phone.
“No worries, we’ll get you set up with a brand new Stark Phone, and a Stark Pad Pro with a Stark Pencil. Does Midtown make you buy your textbooks?”
Peter slowly nodded his head. He was still in complete shock that this was happening. He knew he wouldn’t be able to bring any of his tech to the Thompson’s because Eugene would probably find some way of destroying it. But he could leave it in his locker over night or with Ned and MJ and he knew they would keep everything safe for him.
“Do you have your own copies?” Tony asked, figuring the boy was using the library’s copies or sharing books with friends.
“No sir, I don’t.” Peter said, blushing again.
“Okay, give me the serial numbers for your books and I will make sure they are on all of your devices. Same goes for your Junior and Senior years. Put your book’s serial number in the employee app and we will give you free downloads for all your textbooks.”
Tony gave a small smile when he saw Peter cry happy tears. He now new exactly what his next Charity would be, and he and Pepper were going to make sure that every kid in New York had access to proper school supplies.
Peter arrived back at school just before the end of third period. As promised, Tony had given him a Stark Computer, a Stark Phone, and a Stark Pad with a Stark Pencil. He could annotate his text books, he could finally text his friends, and more importantly he could code during his robotics class. Tony’s head of security also gave Peter a ride back to school, meaning he didn’t have to worry about freezing to death just yet.
When Peter walked in to check himself back into school, Principal Morris immediately asked to see him in his office.
“So I just received a call from Stark Tower, and they are going to pay for breakfast and lunch for every single low income and scholarship student here,” he said with a big smile.
“You’re joking,” Peter said completely shocked.
“Nope, all you need to do is swipe your student ID and your meals will be taken care of.”
Peter’s legs immediately started to go weak hearing the news. Principal Morita gave him a sympathetic smile as he let the 15 year old process his feelings.
“I am so sorry they stopped including lunch and breakfast in the tuition,” he continued. “I did my best to fight for you and all of the other students who relied on that program, but it was out of my hands.”
“Th-this can’t be real,” Peter said, as he continued to catch his breath.
“It is, and you earned it,” he said with a smile. “Peter it was never our intention to make things harder for you here. Our board just didn’t think about students like you when they made these changes over the Summer.”
The bell rang and Peter could hear the hallways start flooding with students.
“Go ahead and get to class,” he said with a smile.
Peter walked out of principal Moritas class and floated through the hallway towards his advanced Robotics class. He was the only sophomore talking that class, and for the first time he could keep up with everyone.