Chapter Text
Tony sat in the living room of the Queens apartment, waiting for the boy. He told the woman—May Parker—that he wanted to offer her nephew an internship. He hated lying about it, she was such a nice lady after all. After a few stories from both adults and a few cups of each's preferred drink, the door swung open.
"Aunt May, I'm home!" a voice, likely Peter Parker's, called out. "I'm gonna grab a snack then start heading over to—" The teen stopped talking as he walked into the living room, taking in the sight of a famous billionaire sat on his couch. His head flicked to his aunt; brow raised in a way that was both curious and accusatory.
The woman just smiled, "Peter, Mr. Stark is here to offer you an internship!" The boy turned his gaze to the mechanic, studying him. Tony resisted the urge to shrink back from the accessing gaze.
"You need Spider-Man's help with something don't you?" he said after a moment, stare unwavering. His aunt's smile shrank. Tony gawked then sighed.
"Yes, you're right. I need to even the playing field with the Rouge Avengers. In exchange for your help, I'll mentor you and get you a better suit." The boy nodded then considered the offer. Then he pulled out his phone, typing something out. It vibrated once. He looked up and grinned.
"I got the 'okay' to add you to my collective of mentors. I'll help."
1)
Tony didn't typically go to the R&D floors, tending to stick to his private labs. But Pepper had told him that one of the workers, Red, had requested a chat, waiting in one of the playfully named "Boom Rooms". Tony figured that Red just had a problem he was struggling with and didn't want it to explode.
He stepped into the room, expecting the typical reaction from a worker at SI. Instead, the ginger looked at him and grinned, canines a tad too sharp.
"Ah, Mr. Stark, sir, good to see you! I'm glad you accepted my request!" he said, green eyes squeezing shut in an exaggerated smile. Tony nodded and smiled back—though it was more of a grimace—he glanced around for an experiment, or an invention, or something to explain why he was needed. Seeing none, his gaze focused back on the man in front of him, which was...hard. Red seemed less human then initially thought, smile to sharp, eyes too knowing, his hair wavering in unexplainable ways. He gave off the vibe of being older than he looked, of being something greater than human.
Tony cleared his throat, "So, why did you call me down here?"
"Ah yes, that, well," the man erupted in flames, form shifting. "I'm Hong Hai Er, or Redson, son of the Demon Bull King and Princess Iron Fan. I'm also one of Peter's mentors."
Tony nearly passed out. The man—er, demon?—was standing much taller than before, blazing hair pulled back into a high ponytail. It was honestly easier to look at him like this than when he was appearing as a human.
Not noticing Tony's bewilderment, the demon continued, "You're well-known Stark. It's known you don't let people in. So, I'm telling you now. Let the boy in. Don't push him away. A do not hurt him. Otherwise, you'll have my family and I to answer to." Tony nodded. The demon smiled, shifting back to his human form, heading to leave.
At the door he stopped and turned. "Also, maybe give him an actual internship. Kid's a genius."