A/N: This chapter came out a bit cringy and weird and I couldn't get it just right, so bare with it...Sorry 😅
[Third Person's PoV]
"Did you seriously follow me all the way from the press conference?" Tony Stark asked with an incredulous look. His voice dripped with arrogance. "I thought I made myself clear—no more questions."
"Tony," Pepper Potts interjected calmly, stepping up beside him. "They're clearly together. I doubt she even knew we were coming to Parker Industries. WE didn't even know we were coming here when we left. It was a last-minute call."
As the elevator doors slid open, Peter Parker and MJ stepped in ahead of them, Peter pressing the button for the top floor.
Tony's eyes shifted between the two teens, immediately noting the close proximity between them—the subtle glances, the natural ease. He squinted suspiciously. "You two an item or something? Maybe just a casual fling?"
Peter scoffed, wrapping a casual arm around MJ's shoulder. "More like future wife."
MJ's cheeks flushed with color, and she gave Peter a quick, sideways glance, clearly caught off guard but not displeased.
Tony blinked, his expression unreadable. He then turned his gaze to MJ and back to Peter, his demeanor shifting slightly. "So, is she going to be joining us in the meeting? Because, let's be honest, it wouldn't be appropriate to have a third party involved. Especially not a reporter, given what we're about to discuss."
"She's not exactly a third party," Peter replied coolly, waving it off as if it were a minor technicality. "I trust Little Red here. We grew up together. If this meeting needs to stay off the record, you can trust she'll keep it that way."
MJ flashed a charming grin. "Just think of me joining out of personal curiosity. Besides, who wouldn't be curious about a high-stakes meeting between Peter Parker and Tony Stark?"
Tony gave her a long, contemplative look before shrugging. "Fine. It's not like what we're discussing is top-secret government intel. Knock yourself out."
With a gentle ding, the elevator reached the top floor. The doors opened to reveal a sleek, modern office with a panoramic view of the city. Peter stepped out first. "Follow me," he said, leading the group toward a large glass door, its contents obscured from the outside.
He placed his hand on a biometric scanner. With a soft click, the door unlocked and swung open. From inside, they could see everything outside—one-way privacy glass.
Peter moved behind his impressive desk and sank into a high-end leather chair, gesturing to the cushioned seats across from him. "Make yourselves comfortable."
Tony and Pepper sat down, while MJ took her place behind Peter, leaning against the wall like an unofficial assistant.
Peter offered a polite nod. "Before we get into things, I just want to say—congratulations on your freedom. I can only imagine how hard that was. Regardless, welcome back."
"Appreciate it, kid," Tony said with a curt nod. Then his expression flattened. "Now hand over my shares."
Pepper sighed, already massaging the bridge of her nose in anticipation. "Tony…"
MJ chuckled under her breath, while Peter leaned back with an amused grin. "Your shares? That's Funny, because last I checked, they were registered under my name. Legally acquired at that. So technically, I'd say they're my shares."
"Yeah, shares of MY company—with MY name on it," Tony shot back, his tone rising with irritation. "Which means they belong to ME. They shouldn't be in your hands to begin with. That was a mistake."
Peter leaned forward, placing his elbows on the desk and interlocking his fingers. "Do you even remember how business negotiations work, Mr. Stark? I'll cut you some slack, since you've been out of the touch for a while. But do you really expect me to go, 'Oh my gosh! You're absolutely right! These absolutely don't belong to me! Here, take them back, Mister Stark,'" he said, mimicking a childish, high-pitched voice and gesturing as though handing over a gift.
"Or," Peter continued, his tone now colder, more calculating, "is this a ploy? A game to try and pressure me into giving them back at a lowball price because you think you can intimidate me—what, because of my age?"
Tony clicked his tongue, leaned back in his chair, and crossed one leg over the other. "Alright, kid. Fine, let's cut to the chase. How much do you want? Name your price."
Peter's expression didn't budge. "I'm not selling them, Tony. I know why you would want them, since you want to shut down the weapons division, and i'll give you my full support since I'm down with the idea. But I'm not selling them to you."
"What? Stop being difficult, kid. Just name your price, 100 million, 500 million…" Stark grumbled, "You know I need them, so you think you're being smart by being difficult, so I go increase the price since I'm 'desperate' and can extort me"
Peter shook his head slowly. "That's where you're wrong. This has nothing to do with money."
Tony stared. "Then what the hell is it about? You're young billionaire. You obviously like the money."
Peter sighed, chuckling slightly. "I won't deny I like money, who doesn't am I right? This might sound crazy to you, but… I'm doing this for your own safety."
"What?!" Tony exclaimed, turning to Pepper, who looked just as bewildered.
"Not just your safety, Mr. Stark," Peter said gravely, "but my own, and the safety of everyone else. You might not realize it yet—and honestly, neither do most of the people around you due to the circumstances of your return only just being recently—but you are an incredibly dangerous man, Tony."
Tony raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms with a smirk. "Thanks? Not sure if I should take that as a compliment or an insult."
"Take it however you like," Peter said, shaking his head with a hint of exasperation.
Pepper, still trying to process everything, looked both confused and deeply concerned. "Wait, hold on a second—what do you mean Tony is dangerous?"
Peter took a breath and gestured casually. "Well... he's a genius, for starters."
Tony's expression immediately turned smug. "Didn't know you were a fan, kid. If you wanted an autograph, you could've just said so. Tell you what—I'll give you a signature, and in exchange, you hand over the shares. Sound fair?"
Peter facepalmed while MJ chuckled beside him.
"Looks like you finally met your match," she teased with a grin, nudging him slightly.
"You shush," Peter replied playfully, pointing at her, which only made her laugh more.
"I still don't get it," Pepper said, shaking her head. "What does Tony being a genius have to do with him being dangerous?"
Peter's tone darkened. "I don't think I explained myself properly the first time. What makes Tony Stark dangerous isn't just that he's a genius... it's that he's a genius who's been driven insane."
Tony scoffed, sitting up straighter in his chair. "You've gotta be kidding me. Who the hell do you think you are, kid? I'm perfectly sane, I'm the most sane I've ever been. So enough with the dramatics—just name your price and let's negotiate like adults."
Peter leaned back slightly, watching Tony with a serious gaze. "Tony Stark, if you really did manage to stay sane through whatever hell you've been through, then honestly, you're more insane than any of us feared."
He opened a drawer, pulled out a lollipop, and casually unwrapped it, offering it around. Everyone declined, and Peter shrugged before popping it into his mouth.
"The most terrifying thing about a genius that's been driven to insanity," Peter continued, voice muffled slightly by the candy, "is that they don't think inside the bounds of known reality or common sense. Once they pass that threshold, there's nothing holding them back. And as the saying goes—'the sky's the limit.'"
Peter's voice became even more solemn. "Mr. Stark, none of us know what kind of hell you've experienced or even worse know how you've managed to escape that hell. No official reports. No military involvement. No coordinated rescue effort. You were just... gone. And then, out of the blue, you show up at a press conference, talking about having your eyes opened, about enlightenment, about change."
He glanced at Pepper, then back at Tony. "It's worrying. That kind of talk isn't normal—not from you, not from anyone."
Pepper frowned and turned toward Tony slowly. "Tony... as bizarre and dramatic as Mr. Parker is being, he has a point. How did you escape? What really happened out there?"
"I'll tell you later…" Tony muttered, avoiding her eyes.
Peter raised an eyebrow. "Case in point. You're hiding something, Stark. And that's why I can't just hand the shares back to you like it's nothing. You're a genius who doesn't believe in limits and wants to change the world. That's the most dangerous kind of person in the world. These shares... they're not just legal leverage, they're my insurance, a way to keep you in check, if you will."
Tony scoffed again, leaning forward this time. "Insurance? Against me? Come on. What do you think I'm going to do? Build a killer robot?"
Peter's eyes hardened. "Who's to say you won't? Maybe not intentionally. But imagine this—you develop an AI to protect the world. It becomes too smart. Too powerful. It calculates that the only way to truly protect humanity... is to control it. Or worse—wipe it out."
Pepper let out a dry laugh, but it quickly faded into silence. "Alright, that's going too far. Tony would never create something like that... right?"
She paused, her words trailing off as she turned slowly to look at him. "Right?"
Tony hesitated. "Seriously, Pep, have a little faith in me." Tony looked off to the side deep in thought and wondered, 'Would I have eventually created an A.I in an attempt to make the world safe…'
"You have some faith in yourself!" she shot back, clearly exasperated. "The fact that you didn't immediately deny it says everything."
Meanwhile, MJ gave Peter a sidelong glance, her eyes filled with a quiet mix of awe and unease. 'Did he really plan all of this? From the moment he rescued Tony...creating the narrative that he's unstable just to prevent something like Ultron from ever being created?'
What MJ didn't know—what no one knew—was that Peter had planned it all. From the moment the news broke that Stark had gone missing, Peter had quietly instructed Aria to begin acquiring shares. Not for power. Not for money…
But for insurance against Tony Stark.
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