thinking about peter copying tony’s mannerisms the more time he spends with him. I think we sometimes forget that tony was peter’s IDOL for YEARS before he recruited him during CW. Like imagine your favorite celebrity just sitting in your living room when you come home from school one day.
peter adores tony, but tony builds this emotional wall between them from the get-go, mostly because he’s afraid he’s going to be a bad influence. At the beginning of the mentorship he keeps peter at an arms length, because he knows everything he touches turns to ruin.
I certainly think that, in the earliest stages of their relationship, before peter started to see the more human side of him, he would copy his mannerisms, even simple little things like the way he stands with his hands in his pockets or the way he nods at the receptionist when he walks into one of his fancy business buildings. He thought that maybe, if he was more like tony, tony would like him more.
when they’re in the lab, peter copies little things about tony, the way he sits, the way he stands with his arms crossed, the way he moves seamlessly around the room swiping at holograms and picking up tools in a controlled, chaotic dance. At this point, peter doesn’t know where everything is in the lab yet, but he feels insecure asking, so he just kind of fumbles around until tony helps him.
peter yells at DUM-E to pass him things the way tony does, except DUM-E doesn’t listen to him.
peter starts picking up some of the sayings that tony has, even the less… school appropriate ones.
peter gets kidnapped while he’s out on patrol. it’s the first time this has happened, and quite frankly he’s terrified. when tony is scared he doesn’t show it. so, he tries to act all tough and smart like tony. it only ends up making the kidnappers more angry with him, and they hurt him more.
after this, tony has a heart to heart with peter about all this, sort of an expansion on the classic “I just wanted to be like you / I wanted you to be better” moment from Homecoming, where he explains to him that he likes him just the way he is, and the reason he’s been so distant is because he doesn’t want to rub off on him.
peter explains that the reason he’s doing all that in the first place is he wants tony to be proud of him, and think he’s worth his time.
from there, they start to open up to each other.
inspired by this post by @wanderinghumanposts and a chat i had with my buddies @gracieparkerr and @birds-0fprey
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