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[He knocks on the door, probably startling poor Tony. Again. He waits until he can hear Tony closing in with his stupidly good hearing, too, and the voice behind the door is muffled but audible:]

Just got into a fistfight with someone!

Please don't build me a helmet, everyone'll laugh at me.

[Opening the door will reveal a relatively fine kid; not a scrape on him, save for the large rose-shaped bloodstain on his mask that started over his eye and has rapidly evolved into something grosser. It's really not as bad as it looks; it's just one of those bleeders you get in a MMA fight or whatever.

He still kinda feels pukey though.]

Hey man.

[ Tony does startle a little, but by the time Peter gets inside, he's composed himself enough to give the kid a deeply dry look. ]

Why are you getting into fist fights?

[Questions he never thought he'd have to ask. He gives Peter one last once-over, then shoos him over towards the sofa as he detours for the first aid kit. ]

No one will laugh at you, what do you take me for?

Because they'll know you built me a helmet for my big dumb punchable head.

[He walks in, peeling the mask off. It's gross under there, not gonna lie, but he at least stopped halfway here to try and mop off some of the blood that settled over his eye. Stupid blind spot. Stupid close-quarters fisticuffs. He looks forlornly and knows he'll need to deep clean this mask (again) or risk having to get a whole new one — which he's trying to avoid, because he doesn't wanna bug Tony.]

And it was a big dude on a B&E. Y'know how it is.

[No, Mr. Stark probably doesn't, Pete. You do B&E's, he saves cities and stuff.

His head hurts, leave him be.]

[ Tony seems to spend a lot of time sighing when Peter is around. Funny how that works. ]

You're not police, you don't need to be stopping every single crime you see.

[ He fetches an ice pack too, while he's add it, and carts the whole thing over. Tony's possibly had some experience with head injuries. ]

Also you're like twice as strong as most people. What did he do, sucker punch you?

[POSSIBLY HAD SOME EXPERIENCE...

Yeah, Peter knows 'possibly' is a 'full of shit' word choice.]

Uuuuh, yes I do? I'm the neighborhood version of the Avengers. I handle that stuff.

... And besides, Riverview has a lot of people in it with super-strength, so...

[He plops down on the sofa, almost falling asleep with such an abrupt comfort.

And maybe considers saying something, before clamming up.]

Edited (Shhh you see nothing ) 2018-08-20 20:51 (UTC)

[ That's his story and he's sticking to it, thank you.

He eyes Peter for a moment, then unceremoniously drops the ice pack down onto his head. ]

Rule number 1, kid. You can't make yourself responsible for everything, you'll go nuts.

[ While they're on the subject of do as I say, not as I do. ]

[Peter hisses hand moving to grab the ice pack, rolling it in his hand as he huffs. He reaches for the first aid, ready to start digging around in the gauze and antiseptic, and it may be a bit too obvious he's done it before; granted, it was before he met Tony that he bought the first aid he keeps shoved under his bed in Queens.]

I'm not responsible for everything... Just whatever I run into.

[There he's obviously doing just enough during his self-made work hours.

None of this is because he's freaking out about home in private, of course.

And speaking of home... After a hesitating moment, he sighs.]

It wasn't just a random B&E. I mean, it was breaking and entering, but —

[He clears his throat, wiping around the split in his eyebrow. The accelerated healing will have this gone by tomorrow night, and there's already interesting colors of bruising and swelling as his body rushes through the process faster than an ordinary man's.]

How involved are you with keeping track of people from our world? Like, um... James Barnes?

[There's no gentle way of bringing it up, so there you go. Back home, as far as Peter knew Tony wasn't really on good terms with him; not because of you-know-what — Peter has no clue about any of that misery — but simply because he was a primary target in Germany. And also wanted for blowing up a building? Yeah, fine, Peter maybe isn't the best judge of people to befriend. But he at least was aware Bucky didn't do it, and that he was... messed up from... like. Mindwashing stuff.

So he's a bit of a bleeding heart.

... And now a bleeding face.]

Barnes?

[ Tony's eyebrows climb upwards, but he doesn't move to get in the middle of whatever Peter thinks he's doing. It's obvious he's got some experience here, even if he's not exactly being the most thorough about it.

But what's Barnes got to do with it? ]

I don't keep tabs on him or anything, but I see him from time to time.

[ It's a strange relationship to explain, especially when Peter doesn't really know why things were so bad to begin with. But they're friends...sort of. Something like that. And that just feels weird to say. ]

We've got an understanding. Why?

Oh. Um.

[Then this is good! If he's kind of sort of okay with him, it won't be as awkward to just point out. And he won't feel as bad for going to see the guy tomorrow morning, as is his quiet little plan.

He looks a lot less gross now that he's mopped tacky old blood out of his eyelid, cool. He starts half-assedly tapping gauze over it; like, yeah, it probably needs stitches, but he doesn't really scar, it just makes the healing time a tiny bit slower. Spider magic... Yeah, okay, he's pretty sure that is not remotely a spider thing and his DNA just fritzed in the middle somewhere.]

Wellll... He broke into a diagnostics lab where they keep medical records, personal stuff like that? I caught him in the act and he said it was to keep people from getting hurt, that he wasn't trying to actually steal anything.

I said we should talk about it outside, and then he almost punched me in the back of the head, and then- [He motions to his face.] We kinda sorta got into it.

... For the record, I was being a total bro about it.

...you got into a fight with Barnes.

[ Again is probably the wrong thing to append there, considering the first time had very definitely been Tony's fault. But it does explain how someone managed to get a sucker-punch in, considering the whole super soldier thing. ]

He's. [ There's a pause while Tony tries to work out the right thing to say. ] He's still got a lot of issues. But if he says he's trying to look out for people, I'd believe it.

Sure, yeah! A fisticuff, they call it.

... I mean, I didn't do any punching, but that's not my style. He freaked out and ran off after the second knock to the head, and I was kind of figuring — chasing him would just make things worse. Like you said. Issues.

[He winces, massaging the ice-pack into function.]

Could you let him know that he doesn't have to break into places, to get things done here? Maybe there's something you can do to help with whatever he needs? 'Cus I'm not gonna let him break into places, like, right in front of me.

[He will not hesitate to get punched in the head some more, obviously.]

[ Tony's expression shifts like he's not sure if he wants to be amused or exasperated or both or neither, but in the end he just lets out a long slow breath. ]

I'm working on it. But you might have noticed that he's a little on the stubborn side.

[ Which is a bit like describing water as a little wet, but whatever. ]

He gets it into his head that he has to do things by himself. [ And because Tony is Tony, he can't help adding a dnost and, ] Sound familiar?

[He crosses his arms and HUFFS.

WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN, MR. STARK, HMMM.]

I asked for help just now, didn't I?

I'm just saying.

[ Such a bland tone. Clearly, he doesn't mean anything at all. ]

Anyway, I'll talk to him if I see him. He doesn't come by too often.

[... Fine, fine.

He ices his brow with a wince.]

Hey, that's something, at least. And I'll let you know if we get into another boxing match.

I appreciate that.

[ It might be dry, but it's still true. ]

Just hang out for a while, you're not in the way.

[He says immediately, with extra sass:]

You want me to hang out literally or non-literally?

Non literally. Keep your footprints off my ceiling, please.

[ File that under things he never thought he'd have to say. Kids, man. ]

[He gives a salute.]

Roger that, Mr. Iron Man, sir. No ceiling prints.

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