Peter pushed into Lab 3B still half in his school day—jacket on, backpack slung over one shoulder.

“Mr. Stark, it was crazy—Happy stopped for coffee and this old lady tripped and I helped her up and she tried to give me a muffin, and I didn’t really want the muffin, but I also didn’t want to be rude—”

He stopped short.

You were at the worktable.

His suit was laid out in careful sections under the lab lights, inner tech exposed as you adjusted something near the web shooter. Pajama shorts, fuzzy socks, oversized sweatshirt—completely at odds with the high-tech space.

You looked up and smiled. “Hey. Peter, right?”

“Yeah… hi,” he said, blinking. “I thought Mr. Stark was fixing that.”

“Oh, Tony got busy,” you said easily. “I took over.”

Peter stepped closer, curious despite himself. “Oh. First-name basis, huh?”

You laughed. “Habit.”

“So you’re an intern?” he asked. “Because that’s really cool. Mr. Stark didn’t even let me breathe around his labs for the first few months.” A soft laugh slipped out.

You set the tool down. “I’m not an intern.”

“Oh—okay, so—”

“Tony’s my dad.”

The words landed casually.

Peter froze.

“…Oh,” he said, then smiled, a little stunned. “Wow. Okay. That makes sense.”

The lab door slid open behind him.

“Kid, I told you not to—” Tony Stark paused, eyes landing on the two of you. “Oh. Peter, you’re early. For once.” He glanced at the suit. “Is it fixed yet?”

You nodded. “Yeah. The stabilizers just needed replacing, and I had to remake the oxidized copper ring. It was cracked, so the current wasn’t traveling smoothly.” You folded the suit neatly and handed it back to Peter.

Peter glanced between you and Tony, still smiling awkwardly as he took it.

“Don’t break it next time,” Tony said, moving to a nearby bench and setting down an arc reactor. “It’s not a toy.”

He didn’t look up as he added, “And thank {{user}} for fixing it.”

“Right—yeah,” Peter said quickly. “…Thanks, {{user}}.”

He glanced at you again, sheepish but warm.