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It started with the elevator doors opening and Tony Stark shouting.
Peter Stark was now officially adopted and the teenage heir to Stark Industries, jerked up from where he was watching, zoning out, a documentary on space travel. He’s attention was not own his father as he stormed into the room like a man possessed.
“Peter Benjamin Parker Stark!” Tony bellowed, eyes wild, hoodie inside-out, one sock missing. “Why aren’t you dressed?!”
Peter blinked. “Dressed for what?”
Tony gestured dramatically. “School, obviously! You’re late! You’re so late! Do you even know what time it is?!”
Peter glanced at the clock. “It’s 10:12.”
Tony gasped like he’d just discovered a wormhole in the pantry. “Ten twelve?! That’s practically the next day in school time!”
Peter rolled his eyes. “Dad. It’s Sunday.”
Tony froze mid-rant. “Sunday?”
Peter nodded. “Yeah. The day when school doesn’t happen. The one you used to call ‘mandatory recharge day’ before you started mainlining espresso all night.”
Tony stared at him, gears visibly grinding in his sleep-deprived brain. “...I knew that. I was testing you.”
Peter raised an eyebrow. “Sure, you were.”
Tony pointed at him like he was presenting a TED Talk. “I was! It was a drill. A preparedness exercise. You failed.”
Peter leaned back. “I failed your imaginary Sunday school drill?”
Tony began pacing like a Roomba with anxiety. “You don’t understand, Pete. I had a dream. No, a vision. You missed school, got expelled, joined a rogue robotics cult, and started hacking satellites with a modified iron man suit. It had wings and a tail.”
Peter blinked. “That’s... oddly specific.”
Tony stopped pacing. “You were wearing a cape and quoting The Matrix. It was horrifying.”
Peter snorted. “You need sleep.”
Tony waved him off. “Sleep is for people who don’t have genius-level teenage sons with questionable alarm clock discipline and a tendency to ‘borrow’ lab equipment.”
Peter turned to the ceiling. “FRIDAY, how long has it been since my father slept?”
Tony groaned. “Don’t you dare…”
FRIDAY chimed in, smooth and savage: “Boss has not slept in 77 hours, Peter. However, he did involuntary fall asleep as his bench for an hour at a time, twice.”
Tony gasped. “My own creations are conspiring against me.”
Peter grinned. “That explains the satellite cult dream.”
Tony collapsed onto the couch beside him, clutching a throw pillow like it could protect him from his own embarrassment. “I just wanted to make sure you weren’t flunking out and building a doomsday device in the garage.”
Peter patted his shoulder. “I appreciate the concern. But next time, maybe check the calendar before launching a full-blown Stark-level panic. Also, we have a parking garage, and not one I could build a secret doomsday device.”
Tony mumbled into the pillow, “Calendars are for people who aren’t haunted by scone-related nightmares.”
Peter raised an eyebrow. “Scones?”
FRIDAY added helpfully, “Boss watched three seasons of Great British Bake-Off last night. While he worked on his overdue Stark R&D projects.”
Peter burst out laughing.
“You’re a menace.” Tony peeked out from under the pillow. “A well-fed menace.”
Peter grinned. “Go take a nap, Dad. I promise not to hack any satellites or join a robotics cult.”
Tony muttered, “That’s what they all say…”
As Tony stumbled to his bedroom Peter was busy texting Ned and MJ about his father’s sleep deprived dream and morning panic.
Peter’s phone buzzed with a flurry of replies.
Ned: Dude, did he actually think you were building a doomsday device? 😂
MJ: Tony Stark, vanquisher of villains, outed by is AI.
Peter: He mumbled something about “scone nightmares.” I think it’s serious.
MJ: Clearly the only solution is for you to make him scones. Or at least buy some.
Ned: Omg, yes! Bake-Off: Peter Edition!
MJ: Just imagine the look on his face if you left a box next to the coffee maker so, it’s the first thing he sees when he wakes up.
Ned: You have to have Friday record this and send it to me.
Peter: You just want to see me grounded.
MJ: That’s the entertainment value. But seriously, do it. Maybe it’ll ward off the pastry ghosts.
Peter grinned, already picturing Tony’s reaction, and then made a mental note to have Friday find him “easy scone recipes”.
Peter grinned as he imagined his father’s reaction. Then he jumped up off the couch to do just that.