summary: one early lab session changes everything. scientifically and otherwise.
“y/n.”
shoving your face deeper into your pillow, you groan. whoever that is needs to go away.
“y/n!”
they shake your shoulder, making your head shoot up. your expression goes from angry to worried once you realize it’s peter.
he’s standing over you, still in the pajamas stark brought for him last night. your eyes dart to the IV in his forearm— stretched thin from the pole across the room.
“peter! what are you thinking?” you shoot up from the recliner, guiding him back till there’s slack in the line.
his eyes flick down to your hand on his chest, then back to your face. a sheepish grin tugs at his lips.
“sorry? you weren’t waking up… and the thingy over there was beeping…” he trails off.
you turn off the vitals machine peter was pointing at.
“it’s going off because it tried to take your blood pressure and couldn’t— since you took the cuff off.” you point to the discarded cuff on the floor.
“oh…”
“yeah.”
you stare at each other for a long moment, the silence thick.
“here, let me take the IV out. the bag’s empty anyway.” your hands work quickly, pulling the catheter from his vein and bandaging the spot.
peter watches with a soft smile. he thinks everything you do is cool— even the simple stuff. he wishes he’d been more alert while you were taking care of him earlier.
“i’m feeling a lot better,” peter says, breaking the silence. “i think we should start experimenting today.”
you raise an eyebrow.
his enhanced healing must be working overtime—his bruises are gone, and one of the cuts on his face is already faded pink.
“all right, but only if you’re really feeling up to it.” your tone is skeptical.
“really! i’m feeling great. ready to get moving.” he rubs his hands together, practically buzzing.
you check the time on your phone—and your eyes widen. “It’s barely five in the morning. Peter, how do you have so much energy right now?”
he shrugs, bouncing past you and off to his room in the tower to get dressed.
a laugh escapes you as you shake your head.
after banner confirms he doesn’t need you—literally shooing you away—you change out of last night’s scrubs and into something more comfortable.
peter’s already in the lab when you arrive. he’s hunched over the table, eyes narrowed, curls falling into his face.
he looks up the moment he feels your presence.
“what?” he asks nervously.
“what?” you echo, genuinely confused.
“why are you looking at me like that?”
“like what?”
“like… i don’t know… all smiley.” he gives you a dopey grin, as if your smile was contagious.
you hadn’t even realized you were smiling. there’s just something about the way his nose crinkles when he’s focused. you clear your throat awkwardly, moving towards the table.
“maybe i’m a little relieved you’re okay after everything last night?” you say defensively. “tony would’ve fired me if i let you die.”
he laughs under his breath— and it makes your cheeks warm.
why does it make your cheeks warm?
“i wasn’t even close to dying, y/n. i just got the wind knocked out of me.”
“well, you’re lucky you didn’t break any bones.” you mutter, hiding your flustered expression behind professionalism.
turning your attention to the microscope on the table, you try to change the subject.
“sooo… what are we looking at?”
peter pulls you over eagerly and gestures for you to look.
it looks like the tiniest piece of thread— blue, with a glowing purple shimmer around the edges.
“that’s our microscopic smart fiber.” you can hear the grin in his voice.
your eyes widen as your neck cranes to get an even better look.
“that’s so cool,” you whisper. “i can’t believe this.”
“i made it with some of the stark tech i use to make my web fluid. the assembler builds the nanoparticles and polymer chains atom by atom.” peter explains animatedly.
“wow… okay. so, now what?”
“well, the nanofibers are too small to test individually. we have to combine them into a bigger thread— like normal sutures.”
“…and we do that by…?”
“gathering dozens of these fibers, and twisting them into a yarn… kinda.”
you nod as he pulls up his notes on a hologram. he explains things in a way that makes you understand without ever making you feel stupid.
it takes about three hours.
the first hour is spent learning stark’s machinery. the second hour is full of peter making terrible jokes that still make you laugh. the third hour consists of peter giving you a very stern lecture on lab safety after you stuck your finger somewhere it should not have been.
“is that it? did we do it?” you ask cautiously.
“that’s our macro-scale prototype thread. now we test it.” peter lifts it with some tweezers.
he places it carefully in a small machine that’s sat on the countertop. there’s two clamps that he places on either side of the thread.
“this is a micro-tensile tester,” his fingers click away at the screen attached. “it’s gonna put the thread under controlled strain. there are sensors inside that makes sure the suture maintains tension and adapts.”
you hum in response, unable to take your eyes off his focused profile.
“c’mere,” he grabs your arm gently, guiding you to where he stood. “you should be the one to start it.”
you stare nervously at the machine. peter is standing very close behind you. he always forgets his awkwardness when he’s working on a science project.
“so, do i just—?”
“oh, yeah, here.”
peter takes your wrist, guiding your finger through a sequence of buttons. his touch is gentle, but confident. and his fingers were warm. too warm.
the machine whirs to life loudly.
you jump, bumping straight into his chest.
“oops! sorry— i didn’t think it would be that loud.”
“y/n, you’re fine.”
he laughs softly. you look down at his hand still around your wrist. he notices too, his breath hitching before he quickly lets go.
you swallow hard, suddenly very aware of how close he is. close enough to see the freckles across his nose, and a scar above his brow you’ve never noticed.
peter licks his lips nervously, putting his weight from one foot to the other.
“y/n, i-“
he’s cut off by a loud beeping noise from the machine. his gaze shifts towards the table reluctantly.
“it’s done. let’s check the analysis.” he clears his throat.
you hover beside him as he reads the results.
his eyes widen, a smile growing on his face.
“we did it… it worked.”
your head snaps towards him, mirroring his excitement.
“seriously?” you breathe.
“yes— yeah! we did it!” peter grabs your shoulders and shakes you like he needs you to believe it.
your jaw drops into a huge smile. without thinking, you fling your arms around his neck, squealing.
“peter, you’re a genius!”
peter freezes for a second—then carefully wraps his arms around your waist, laughing shakily as he tries to get his heart rate under control.
“oh, am i interrupting something?”
you and peter jump apart like you’ve been electrocuted.
your wide eyes land on tony, who’s standing at the entrance of the lab with a smirk.
“actually, yes. peter and i just successfully made a superhero suture,” you chirp proudly.
“a nanofiber suture specimen,” peter corrects from behind you.
“yeah! that!”
“we still haven’t tested if it responds correctly to metahuman biology…” peter mumbles.
you frown. there’s still a lot of work to do.
“if you’re building sutures for superhumans, you need superhumans.” tony says, crossing his arms over his chest. “peter says you wanted to make these for reed richard’s. is that true?”
“yes! mainly for him. but banner, peter… even johnny storm could benefit.”
“fine. i’ll call them in. you can draw samples.”
“that’d be great, mr. stark. thank you!” peter says.
“yeah, yeah, don’t break anything.” tony disappears down the hall.
silence settles over the lab with tony’s absence.
“so…uh,” peter starts, cheeks pink. “i guess we make a pretty good team.”
“yeah, we do.” you laugh softly.
he looks like he wants to say something else—but instead gives you a shy, warm smile that sends butterflies through your stomach.
you turn back to the table so he won’t see.
“well,” you exhale. “looks like tomorrow i get to teach you how to draw labs. student becomes the teacher or whatever.”
peter nods eagerly. “yeah, c-cool. tomorrow.”
your pager suddenly starts beeping. banner needs help in the med-bay.
“i have to go…” you say, disappointment lacing your voice.
“it’s okay, go save some lives,” peter says, waving you off.
“it’s probably just thor again— he came in the other day to ask if he sneezing eleven times in a row was normal.” you roll your eyes as you grab your stuff.
“bye, peter. i’ll see you tomorrow.” you give him one last smile before heading towards the exit of the lab.
you swear you feel his eyes follow you the whole way out.
previous chapter here! next chapter here! tag list here!
summary: when a sudden emergency hits the med bay, you finds yourself more shaken than you expected. caring for the injured patient reveals emotions you’ve been trying to ignore.
the med bay was strangely quiet today. normally there was some superhero or agent—or someone else important—limping through the doors needing to be fixed up. but not today.
you click your nails against the desk in front of you. as happy as you were no one was out there nearly getting themselves killed, you could’ve used something to make the time pass quicker.
the clock reads 12:47 p.m., making you let out a loud groan as your head falls into your hands.
“where the hell is banner?” you grumble, grabbing your phone.
the line rings three times before his gentle voice finally comes through.
“hello?”
“banner? where are you? i’m bored.”
“y/n, i took the day off. maybe you should too. you’ve worked every day the last two weeks.”
“i don’t really have much else to do. plus, tony pays me enough that i shouldn’t even be allowed to sleep.”
he laughs softly on the other end.
“why don’t you call your boyfriend?”
your face drops into a defensive scowl. you know exactly who he’s talking about.
“peter? he’s not my boyfriend.” your voice cracks.
“does he know that? tony told me peter was going on and on about how smart you are and how fast his wounds heal after you fix him u—”
“banner—“
“oh! and apparently he loved those pink scrubs you wore that one time. i think his exact words were ‘i’ve never been so excited to have been stabbed before so i coul—‘“
“BANNER!” you cut him off. “you’re insufferable. i’ll find something to do. enjoy your night off.”
you hang up quickly.
once the embarrassment fades, you can’t help the smug grin that spreads across your face.
he liked your scrubs enough to tell tony about them.
a giggle escapes you, picturing peter rambling about you while tony sits there, exhausted but pretending to listen.
you stand up from the desk. if banner was taking the day off, you might as well too.
you grab a pager and slide it into your scrub pocket. if there was an emergency you’d be there—but for now, you’d be in your room researching nanoparticles to keep up with peter tonight.
and maybe, just by coincidence, you’d decide to wear your pink scrubs instead of the black ones you had on now.
five and a half hours hunched over your laptop later, there’s so much new information in your brain it actually hurts.
peter normally patrols from 5 p.m. until around 11 p.m., which gives you about four hours before he might show up.
you sprawl out on your bed, thoughts spiraling. how will tonight go? will he notice your scrubs? will he say something? should you order dinner for while you work together? you did promise to buy him di-
your pager shrieks, cutting your thoughts short.
you’re out the door before you fully register you’re moving.
the med bay comes into view, and you pick up speed when you hear someone groaning in pain. you burst inside, spotting tony first— still in the iron suit, mask off.
then you see him.
peter. lying on the table. his hand grips his shoulder desperately. he’s groaning deeply—the kind of sound you only hear when someone’s truly hurt.
“peter? oh god—what happened?” your voice shakes.
“he was tracking down some people who managed to steal my tech,” tony explains quickly. “he was chasing them by web-slinging. they hit him out of the air with a grapple-pulse launcher. it was just a prototype—it got stuck in his shoulder.”
tony’s voice sounds just as shaken as yours. you can tell he feels guilty that he let something slip through his fingers, and now peter’s hurt.
“i’m assuming he fell from pretty high?” you grab your penlight, looking into peter’s eyes to check for signs of concussion.
“hi,” peter manages through clenched teeth. “god, you’re so pretty.”
“from about fifteen feet up,” tony adds, wincing.
“he’s definitely concussed.” you mutter, ignoring the flirting. “peter, do you feel dizzy or foggy?”
“with you in those pink scrubs looking at me like that? yeah, i do,” he mumbles, still clutching his shoulder.
you shake your head. concussed peter has zero filter.
“pete, i’m gonna look at your shoulder okay?” your voice softens. then to tony: “do you know how to get this thing off?”
“it was just a prototype for a reason…” tony trails off helplessly.
“well, you better figure it out.” you stomp toward the supplies.
tony sighs, then pulls out a sensor to try recoding it.
you return to peter, brushing a curl from his forehead. “hey… i’m going to start an IV so we can get some pain meds in you.”
“yes, please.” he whimpers, walls dropping completely at your soft words and touch.
“god, you poor thing.” you mutter as you prep his vein. “tony, where you at over there? don’t make me call banner on his day off.”
“i’m recoding it. it should unclasp once im done.”
“wait until he’s medicated. that’s gonna hurt.”
the IV goes in easily, your hands steady despite how worried you are.
you hang the meds, subconsciously tracing gentle circles into peter’s bicep. his hand comes up to cover yours, fingers clammy and desperate.
his watery eyes meet yours.
“everything hurts so bad, y/n,” he whispers.
“the meds are kicking in. it should be better soon.” you squeeze his hand. “i’ve got you. you’re okay.”
“m’kay,” he murmurs, already fading.
“tony, unclasp it,” you say, moving to his injured shoulder.
the metal device retracts four embedded spikes, each one peeling painfully from peter’s muscle. tony removes it as gently as possible, and you immediately flush the wound and start closing it.
“y/n, he’s sleeping. isn’t that dangerous with a concussion?” tony asks, his eyes never leaving peter’s face.
“that’s a myth,” you mutter. “his vitals are stable. let him rest.”
hours pass. his wounds are closed and bandaged. he looks peaceful, but protocol for a concussion requires you to wake him.
you touch his good shoulder gently. “peter.”
his lashes flutter. “y/n…”
“it’s me. i just need to check your vitals and ask you some questions.” you wrap a blood pressure cuff around his bicep, then attach a pulse ox to his finger. “do you know where you are?”
“in the med bay… at stark tower.”
“do you remember what happened?”
“yeah. i was chasing bad guys who stole mr. stark’s stuff. they shot me out of the air with some… thingy.”
you nod, reading his vitals. they’re all normal. relief floods through you.
“do you feel nauseous at all?”
he shakes his head, a tiny smile appearing as he watches you.
you close your laptop after charting. “you okay?you really worried tony and i.”
“im okay. thanks to you.” his eyes soften. “i’m sorry i worried you. and… i’m sorry i ruined our plans tonight.”
“don’t even worry about that.” you wave him off. “i’m just glad you’re okay. you were miserable when i got to you.”
the memory makes your stomach twist. you look away.
“y/n… i’m sorry if i said anything weird earlier,” he mutters. “i was really out of it…”
“i have no idea what you’re talking about,” you tease, winking as you stand. “let’s get some more fluids in you.”
peter watches you with stars in his eyes as you hang another saline bag. you look so confident, so capable—so you. it’s hard for him not to stare.
you wash your hands, tension leaving your shoulders as the warm water runs over your palms. even with all your training, there’s always fear lurking under the surface.
but peter’s okay. talking, healing, alive.
you dry your hands and turn to him. “you have to sleep here tonight so i can monitor you.” you sound matter-of-fact, almost bossy.
peter laugh. “okay, mom.”
“ew, don’t call me that again,” you fake gag.
“you just wanna have a sleepover. admit it.” he grins.
“you push your luck one more time and i’ll call tony to babysit you.”
“okay, okay. no sleepover. just a professional nurse monitoring a hurt patient.” he lifts his hands dramatically.
“exactly,“ you huff.
he snuggles back into the pillow. “maybe tomorrow morning we could start on our project?”
“if you’re feeling better,” you smile.
before you know it, he’s fading off back to sleep.
you grab a pillow from the supply closet and settle into the recliner in the corner, pulling a thin blanket over yourself. you watch his peaceful face through half-lidded eyes.
the boy you’ve grown to care for is safe—bandaged, healing, breathing—right across from you.
with seven alarms set to wake and check on him, you finally drift off with a relieved sigh.
summary: peter does everything he can to make your dream a reality
peters been up all night. all night, researching these bio-conductive nanopolymer sutures. he can't stop picturing y/n's incessant thanks for making her dream a reality.
the slurping sound that comes from his mouth as he drinks from his coffee cup makes him cringe, just like the sun did when it first started peeking through the window.
look, he's not researching so throughly just because he has a massive crush on y/n. this is actually really interesting to him. yeah, he's always been really interested by how the tensile strength of sutures works, and how to stabilize it with vibranium nanoparticles.
since... yesterday.
he finally shuts his laptop screen, leaning his office chair back with a loud creak. a long sigh leaves peter's mouth. he's written a clinical hypothesis and spent all night finding a suitable base polymer.
standing up from the spot he's spent the last fourteen hours in, he stretches his arms above his head.
he's so close. so freaking close to being prepared to create a nanoparticle-integration prototype. for research purposes, he decides he should bring y/n what he's got so far.
his phone sits heavier in his pocket than it did before. it practically begs him to pick it up and call the new contact he added to his phone the second he left the tower yesterday.
peter sighs again. his fingers, cramped from holding a pencil all night, reach for his cracked phone. he reads the time—7:42 a.m.— and decides it's too early to call her, as much as he'd love to hear her voice.
hey it's peter! been working on this for a bit, think i've got something. wanna meet for lunch?
his hand shakes as he stares at the message he spent twenty minutes typing out. why is he being such a freak about this? he's texted girls before. so why is he so intimidated by her?
maybe because she's older than him, more successful than him, and—in his opinion— just way too good for him overall.
despite this, he lets out a shaky breath and presses send. what's the worse you could say? no?
who's peter?
oh god. apparently that's the worse thing you could say.
peter slams his eyes shut, throwing his phone down on the bed. he should've never texted you. he should've just waited until a decent hour and gone to the tower to see if you were there. his phone dings again. he webs it into his hand in half a second, bracing himself
just kidding! yes, pete, lunch sounds awesome ;)
he blows out a loud breath he didn't know he was holding, smiling at the winky face. he types back quickly, and they decide on a restaurant near the tower since y/n wants to walk there.
peter sets an alarm for an hour and a half before lunch, then collapses into bed, finally closing his eyes for the first time in twenty-four hours.
you find yourself smiling for longer than usual at the peter's text. judging by how early he sent the first one, you guess he had been up all night researching these sutures you dreamt up.
and for some reason, it's making you feel really giddy.
"the hell's got you so happy at this hour?" bruce asks, eyeing your dopey grin. he wants to smirk, but he's too tired.
“peter is helping me with my sutures," you sigh dreamily. "he's kind of sweet. and really smart."
bruce shakes his head, snapping his goggles back on. he did not sign up for a twenty-something nurse as a partner, but he's really grown to like you.
"sorry, dr. banner. can i help with anything?" you ask, jumping up from the exam table.
he looks at her with a raised eyebrow. "no. i'm okay for now. why don't you go get some rest? it was a long night, and i've got it covered." he waves you off, smiling when you practically squeal.
"you're the best boss ever," you chirp. "oh- also, peter asked me to lunch. is it okay if i go today? i'll keep my ringer on in case you need me."
"yeah, yeah. he's a good kid. go to the lunch," bruce sighs, trying to hide his smile.
"wow, so i am allowed to have a life outside of work? good to know," you tease.
"hey now, not usually. but for the spider kid, i'll make an exception."
you grin, giving him one more smile before heading back to your room.
peter doesn't even need to snooze his alarm. he wakes up with a dopey grin, excited to see you.
he showers, gets dressed, picks out a shirt he swears you complimented once, and even asks aunt may if his outfit matches.
he takes the subway instead of swinging, wanting to look more put-together than usual.
when he steps off the train and starts the five-minute walk to the restaurant, his palms finally begin to sweat.
this isn't a date. she'd never be into that.
he repeats these self-deprecating affirmations the entire way. shockingly, they don't help.
he arrives before you and asks the host for a booth near the window, far from other tables so people won't eavesdrop.
his fingers tap against the wooden table anxiously. he worries about you walking alone—even though it's a ten-minute trip from the tower.
"is this seat taken?"
his eyes snap up to your beautiful face. he opens and closes his mouth like a fish.
he's never seen you out of your scrubs. and you look... really hot.
"yeah, h-hopefully by you!" he blurts, covering it with a breathy laugh.
you smile as you slide into the booth.
"oh hey, you're wearing that shirt i like." you say happily, pointing at him.
he blushes immediately.
"yeah, you're... wearing a shirt... and i like it too." he instantly cringes. "sorry— i mean, i really like your shirt too. i've just never seen you out of scrubs."
"really?" you giggle, choosing not to tease him. "well, thank you."
the waiter saves him from further embarrassment by taking your drink orders.
once he leaves, you lean forward eagerly. "so? what have you got? i can't wait to see!"
peter pulls out his laptop and the folder you gave him.
your eyes widen as you skim through a detailed research document, complete with step-by-step testing procedures.
"we have to start with a base polymer," peter says, pointing. "i found one called polycaprolactone. it's used in dissolving sutures."
"then... we can experiment with smart materials—like shape-memory polymers or hydrogels with nanofiber scaffolds."
you nod even though most of it sounds like gibberish.
but the way the science rolls off his tongue? the way his jaw tenses while he explains? the confidence in his voice that he usually doesn't have?
it warms your chest.
the waiter returns with drinks. you thank him.
"so... what do we do next?" you ask, trying not to show how overwhelmed you feel.
peter clicks to the next page: nanoparticle integration prototype.
"next, we experiment. if it works, we'll have created a microscopic smart fiber."
"peter, this is seriously impressive. you're really smart," you gush.
he beams despite trying to hide it.
"it was your idea. i'm just adding onto it." he shrugs. "i'll send you these documents. i already talked to mr. stark—he and banner gave us the green light to use whatever we want in the lab."
"peter... thank you. i had no clue you were going to do all this."
"it's not a big deal. i love science and building things, so... it's all or nothing for me."
you shake your head at how casually he downplays his intelligence.
"when should we start?"
"tomorrow?" he offers.
"that works for me. want to just come to the tower after patrol?"
he smiles, thrilled that he made you happy.
your phone buzzes. you groan.
"banner needs me. natasha dislocated her shoulder again. but i'll see you tomorrow, right?"
"yeah, for sure."
you pull out your wallet and hand him two twenties. "here, i really wanted to buy you lunch."
"i was gonna buy you lunch." peter protests, pushing your hand back to your side.
"peter, you're in college. i remember how that was." you drop the money onto the table. "please? you've done so much for me."
even though you're only two years older, that comment reminds him you're in a different league.
"i'm not taking your money, y/n." he stands and, without thinking, stuffs the bills into your front pocket.
you can't help it when your breath hitches as his fingers graze your hip, or the way you can't even argue back with him.
peter remains blissfully unaware, grabbing his backpack and slinging it over his shoulder.
you clear your throat, pushing away thoughts you shouldn't be having.
you walk out together in a comfortable silence. peter opens the door for you, humming in response when you thank him.
"want me to walk you back to the tower?" he asks you softly.
"it's okay, banner sent a car."
"oh, good."
you stare at each other for a beat before the car honks impatiently.
"all right! i'm coming!" you snap at it, then smile sweetly at peter again. "i'll see you tomorrow night. and i am buying you dinner at some point as a thank you. whether you like it or not."
"get home safe." he calls out as you slip into the suv.
he starts his walk to the subway, hands in his pockets, replaying every moment of lunch.
peter decides, right then, that he'll do whatever it takes to make your dreams a reality—just to make you smile at him again.
_________________________________________________
i’ve got two more chapters ready in drafts… just saying
read the previous chapter here! and the next chapter here!
summary: peter shows up to the tower with the perfect excuse to see the pretty nurse.
peter stares at his masked face reflected in the window of a random manhattan sky scraper. he’s just finished patrolling, wrapping up the night by stopping some robbers who stole an elderly woman’s purse.
a loud ringing plays in his ears- karen informs him it’s an incoming call from ned.
“hello?” peter says breathily, crawling to the roof and sitting on the edge.
“peter! you patrolling?” ned’s excited voice comes through.
“i just got done, but i was.” he answers, wincing as he stretches his beaten body out.
“cool! i wanted to see if you could come over tomorrow. you’ve been at the tower so much, we haven’t gotten to finish the millennium falcon lego set.” ned reminds him. “you’ve been too busy lurking around the hot avengers nurse this past month.”
peter can practically hear the smirk in ned’s voice.
“dude! it’s not lurking when she’s helping me after i get my ass beat saving the city,” peter groans, wiping a hand over his face in defeat.
ned laughs on the other end. “well, you’ve been getting your ass beat way more often.”
okay, so maybe he has been making excuses just to see you… but, in his defense, he really was hurt some of the times. and you make him feel way better.
his heart squeezes thinking about the way you fawn over him when he’s hurt — even if it’s nothing serious.
“peter, you need to be careful! who else will help me understand banner’s big science words?” you’d told him once.
that’s basically like you called him smart… which basically means that he maybe, possibly, has a chance.
“i mean… statistics show that crime is elevated around the holidays. because of increased consumer activity, you know?” he mutters, desperate to get ned off his back. “i’ll come over next week.”
“sweet!” ned says excitedly. “have fun with nurse y/n tonight.”
“oh god, don’t make it seem like-“ the sound of the call ending cuts his words off, forcing another sigh from him.
now his head is filled with thoughts of you in your cute scrubs. he likes that everyday, you wear a different color than the last time he’s seen you. so far his favorite is still the classic blue — but from what you told him, you still have several other colors collected over the years.
before he can even realize what he’s doing, he’s swinging off the building, headed toward stark tower.
when he gets there, he peeks his head around the hallway corner to get a glimpse of you. his enhanced hearing picks up your music first, then he sees you.
well, he’s got a new favorite color of scrubs now.
you’re sitting at the desk, typing away on the computer. your scrubs are the prettiest shade of pastel pink he’s ever seen. he sighs dreamily to himself, peeking through the glass. you look like a barbie to him.
as if you can feel his eyes on you, your gaze drifts towards the window.
his breath hitches — he hunches his head down below the glass. there’s no way you saw him, right?
“peter, what are you doing?” you call through the cutest laugh. “why are you on the floor?”
his cheeks flush red as he jumps back up, brushing himself off. “i thought i saw a, um, spider.” he excuses lamely as you approach the doorway.
“a spider?” you say incredulously, one brow raised. he nods quickly at you. “okay, whatever you say, spider-man.”
you walk back into the med-bay, your sneakers squeaking against the clean tile of stark tower. peter mindlessly follows you from behind.
“what’s going on, peter? are you hurt?” you lean against the counter, crossing your arms over your chest. peter pretends that doesn’t make his peter tingle, looking away instantly.
“yeah, um. i was chasing down this robber and he grazed me with a knife.” he fiddles with his mask as he speaks. “it’s on the back of my arm.”
this isn’t an exaggeration or a lie — he really was grazed by a knife. would he ever have sought medical attention for something like this before he met you? definitely not.
“ouch. yeah, let me take a look.” you grab some gloves, making peter sit down on one of the exam tables.
he swallows thickly as he presses the spider emblem on his chest, the suit pooling off one broad shoulder. he pulls his injured arm out of the sleeve, turning to give you a better look.
it’s mangled and red, but not too deep. it runs from the inside of his bicep to the outside near his shoulder.
“looks like it hurts.” you frown, grabbing supplies to clean it out. “it’s a good thing you’re quick, peter — that could’ve been bad.”
“it doesn’t hurt too bad.” peter shrugs, watching you move around the room. “just didn’t want it to get infected.”
you nod proudly. “good. some of the other avengers are so stubborn. like, clint — you know, i had to chase him down the hall with hydrogen peroxide the other day?” you scoff at the memory.
“he just kept saying ‘it’s not necessary, y/n. i’m fine.’” you deepen your voice to mimic clint, making peter laugh. “at least i don’t have to fight to do my job with you, because you’re responsible — like me.”
peter smiles at your cheeky tone, laughing as he pictures you chasing clint down the hallway. it’s so sweet how much you care about all of them after only a few weeks.
he tries not to flinch as your gloved hands hold his bicep steady. whatever you’re putting on the cut really stings, and he clenches his jaw to hide it.
“sorry, i know that it probably burns,” you say softly.
to peter’s surprise, you lean in close and blow gently on the wound. the cool air against his skin melts the pain away.
he swallows hard, trying to blink away the image of your lips so close to his arm.
you apply ointment, then wrap the bandage around his muscle. the feel of his bicep flexing underneath your fingertips makes your face warm.
“all done,” you say sweetly, pulling your gloves off.
you wait for him to meet your eyes, but he doesn’t — he just pulls his suit back over his arm.
he’s clearly shy, always stuttering when he isn’t talking about spider-man or science. with those, he’s confident — he likes predictability.
thinking of how to get him talking without making him uncomfortable, you finally get an idea.
“it’s actually kind of perfect you’re here. i wanted to ask you about something i’m working on.” you move over to a file drawer, pulling out a folder. “i was fixing up reed richards the other day. he was complaining about how normal sutures don’t hold because of his… stretchiness… and, um, i came up with this.”
peter catches the folder mid-air, his curiosity instantly piqued. he opens it to see your neat handwriting at the top of the page: “bio-conductive nanopolymer sutures”, underlined with a wavy line. detailed sketches along with pages of research fill the folder.
“this is amazing.” peter breaths, eyes wide. “y-you did this? i thought you said you weren’t into science past anatomy and physiology.”
you giggle, smoothing out your pink scrub top. “i’ve been hanging out with bruce way too much. reed’s got a baby on the way, and i just… i felt bad he said to not bother stitching him up, since they’d break anyway.”
your eyes meet his again, making him squirm.
“you’re brilliant. and thoughtful.” he swallows the lump in his throat, flipping through more pages. “i’d love to help you on this.”
a wide grin spreads across your face — his praise makes your heart flutter. you join him at his side to look at the page he’s on.
peter flips again, stopping when he sees a spider symbol doodled in the corner.
“oh, don’t look at that!” you laugh nervously, trying to grab the folder. but he’s already too deep.
“i just thought that maybe these could help you, too — if we can figure them out.”
peter reads your notes about how the nanopolymer’s biometric field could help sync with his healing abilities, aiding the process.
he can’t help smiling. sure, you have notes for banner and johnny storm too — but still. you care about him. you want his wounds to heal properly. romance is not dead.
“peter!” you snatch the file from him, flustered. “that’s embarrassing, i forgot i even had that page in there.”
he’s very pleased to find you blushing this time.
“it’s not embarrassing at all,” he reassures with a grin. “it’s really cool that you’re thinking of everyone who could benefit.”
“yeah?” you ask softly, eyes down. it’s the first time he’s ever seen you ask for validation.
“seriously.” he nods, taking the folder back gently. “what you’ve done so far is great, but i can help with specifics and running trials. y/n, can i take these home with me?”
“of course.” you chuckle, knowing you were right to loop him in. “thank you… for wanting to help me.”
peter’s heart skips at your words. “i’d help you with anything. a-anytime. literally.” his voice is genuine, his expression soft.
your smile widens. “don’t make too many promises, parker — you’ll get sick of me.” you playfully shove his shoulder, missing the blush that blooms across his face.
“i don’t think i’ll ever get sick of you,” he mumbles under his breath.
you miss it completely, stretching your arms with a loud yawn. “how the hell did it get so late so fast?”
peter watches, swooning, clutching the folder tighter to his chest. “i’ll get out of here and start researching this.”
“you’re such a peach.” you pat his shoulder, then pause. “oh, wait…”
you grab a pink sticky note and pen, scribbling something down. “here’s my number.”
peter stares down at the pink sticky note in his hand, your handwriting looping perfectly across it. he tucks it safely into his suit pocket, already knowing he’ll never throw it away.
“okay, i’m definitely crushing now,” he mutters, smiling to himself as he walks out of stark tower.
_________________________________________________
ps… should i start a tag list? idk how tumblr works <3
read the prologue here! and read the next chapter here!
summary: you meet peter on your first day as the avengers official nurse.
“god dammit.” a string of cuss words leaves your mouth as you run around your manhattan apartment frantically. it’s 4:30 in the morning of your first day, way too early to realize you never asked the dress code.
you stare at the pile of scrubs laying on the bed in front of you.
“what color screams ‘avengers school nurse’?” you mumble to yourself, eyes flicking between your options. rolling your eyes, you pick up your black scrubs, throwing them on over your long sleeve white undershirt.
the wrinkles on your top are smoothed out as you tuck it into the bottoms, checking your appearance one last time in the mirror. you adjust your jewelry before grabbing your bag and running out the door.
the car ride to the tower was silent. you were too busy replaying the content learned from the required online modules in your head. the drive was twenty-five long minutes of you whispering sweet nothings about infection control and workplace safety to yourself.
“you’re here! good.” tony seems to be in a much better mood today, clapping his hands together once in approval.
“good morning, mr. stark.” you smile, adjusting your bag on your shoulder as you approach him.
“let’s get you up to the lab with banner.”
a few hours go by, and now you’re squinting your eyes as you watch banner run some kind of test on a blood sample. he’s really great about explaining things as he does them, which you find yourself really appreciating- even if some of the words are a bit out of your scope of practice.
you jump in your seat as the silence is broken by someone throwing the door of the lab open, running right through it.
“dr. banner! look! i-i collected a sample of the weird bio-organic residue left behind by the Lizard! and i wan- oh!”
the man stops in his tracks once he sees your confused expression. he gives you a sheepish smile, lowering his hand with the vile in it.
“oops-sorry, i didn’t realize you were busy…”
your head tilts slightly before you look the guy up and down. he’s wearing a flannel over a star wars t-shirt. his baggy jeans hang loosely around his hips; you decide they probably wouldn’t stay up without the belt secured around his waist. his brown curls stick out messily on one side - clearly from his rushed entrance to the lab.
he notices your stare, quickly averting his gaze. his eyes squeeze shut briefly, obviously uncomfortable with the attention.
you can’t help the small grin that pulls at your lips. as if he wasn’t cute before, his nervous habits were really convincing you.
you tear your eyes from him to look over your shoulder at dr. banner, who’s already watching you with a knowing grin.
“hello to you too, peter.” he sighs, coming around from the lab table to approach the new kid. “this is y/n. she’s my new assistant in the lab and med bay.”
this makes you quirk an eyebrow at him. jumping down from the stool you were sitting on, you join banner and the guy you now know is peter, scoffing in dramatized offense.
“assistant? i’m a registered nurse, actually.” you correct him with a playful smile, reaching out your hand to peter. “it’s nice to meet you.”
he looks at you with a dazed smile, not even registering your waiting hand. bruce bumps into his shoulder to bring him out of his daze, forcing a grunt out of peter.
“oh, sorry,” he blurts, finally shaking your hand. “it’s really nice to meet you too.”
it’s hard to hide your smile as he holds your hand for a bit longer than what’s typical for a handshake. you clear your throat awkwardly, letting go of his hand first.
banner reaches out and grabs the vile from peter, shaking his head at the boy as he saunters back to the lab’s workbench.
peter’s still staring at you when you finally turn around and walk back to your stool. he follows right behind you, taking your polite smile as an invitation to join you.
“you’re a nurse? that- thats really cool!” his voice breaks a bit at the end, making him clear his throat. “how long have you done that for?”
“thank you! i graduated when i was nineteen, so about three years now.” you cringe at your tone that comes out more like bragging than confidence.
his eyes widen a bit. “wow, cool.” he says under his breath. “so, you’re like, twenty-two?”
“yup.” a small chuckle falls from your lips, looking over at banner who’s swabbing the vile peter just brought in. “so, where’d you get that… um, goo from?”
“some weird alien thing that’s been destroying the city.” he says shortly as he shuffles over to banner. “does she know i’m spider-man?” he whispers-very loudly-despite trying to speak privately with the doctor.
“she’s sitting four feet away from you, so she does now.” you talk about yourself in the third person, snorting at his failure of subtly. “i’m sure i’ll end up taking care of you at some point anyway. plus, i signed about a hundred pages of paperwork regarding confidentiality.”
he grimaces at how quickly he revealed his secret identity, smiling awkwardly at you.
“so, that’s how i got the sample…” he admits lamely, trying to brush his mistake off.
“i didn’t think spider-man would be so… young?” you squint your eyes a bit, cocking your head to the side in curiosity.
“hey, i-i’m only two years younger than you.” he protests, raising an accusatory finger. he puffs his chest out a bit before crossing his arms over it, clearly trying to appear more mature.
you throw your head back in laughter at his defensive stance.
peter blushes at this, his eyes darting around anywhere but you.
the lab doors open, a cursing tony stark walking through. he’s holding a dirty paper towel to his arm that’s dripping blood onto his black sabbath t-shirt.
you jump up from your place on the stool, approaching him right away. “how’d that happen?” you ask calmly, moving his hand and the paper towel to get a good look. he hisses at the air hitting what looks like a pretty deep gash on his forearm.
“i was welding a piece of armor plating. a piece of shrapnel got thrown up at me.” he clears his throat to hide the shakiness in his voice.
“are you okay, mr. stark?” peter’s concerned voice gets closer as he approaches him. tony sends him a reassuring smile, even though the amount of blood coming from his arm makes him feel woozy.
“you definitely need some stitches. there’s some little pieces of metal in there too that i’ll have to get out.” your confident tone assured tony that you knew what you were doing. “i got this, dr. banner!”
walking out the lab doors, you lead tony to the med bay that’s a short walk down the hallway. peter follows on tony’s heels, still looking worried.
you nod for stark to sit down on one of the examining tables, him listening begrudgingly. peter plops down into one of the rolling stools, frowning as he gets a closer look at tony’s arm.
“i’m gonna numb you, so i can clean it and get it closed up.” you say softly as you set some supplies down on the metal tray next to tony, then walking to the handwashing station.
the latex gloves make a loud snap as you pull them up into place. you sit in the other rolling stool, taking tony’s forearm in hand. cleansing the wound by flushing it with sterile saline, you make simple small talk with him to try and keep him breathing normally.
peter watches this all with admiration. if he didn’t have a thing for nurses before, he sure does now. the way your fingers confidently work at cleaning the wound, how you walk tony through each thing you do, and your small apologies anytime tony hisses from pain-it all makes his chest tighten with attraction.
his eyes travel back up to your side profile, observing your casual expression with your bottom lip stuck between your teeth in focus. in that moment, he has to hold back a sigh.
“how’s that?” your voice breaks peter’s thoughts. he looks at tony’s arm that’s now bandaged up expertly with a red cohesive wrap.
“i chose red so it’d match your suit.” you say, as if it’s not the sweetest thing peter’s ever heard.
tony gives his signature smirk to you, rotating his arm to appreciate your work. “thanks, kid. you’re pretty great at what you do.” he pats your upper arm in a fatherly manner before standing up. his gaze falls on peter, who’s still staring at you with a dopey half-smile.
“parker!” tony snaps his fingers in front of his face. “don’t you have something to do other than ogling the new nurse?”
a red flush crawls its way up peter’s neck at an impressive speed. he jumps up, avoiding your eyes at all costs. “i wasn’t ogling- oh my god.” he rushes out of the room, shaking his head at how obvious he is.
“i should’ve known you’d have a thing for her.” tony calls out loudly after him, making sure peter can hear even down the hallway. he can never let the kid off easily.
you shake your head in low laughter before looking up at tony. “leave him alone. it’s cute.” you say through laughter.
“alright, but don’t say i didn’t warn you when he’s coming to you every time he gets a mosquito bite.” tony points his finger at you.
you roll your eyes at him as you pull your gloves off, tossing them in the trash. “yeah, yeah.” you mumble under your breath, running the hot water as you scrub your hands.
the sound of tony’s chuckle is quiet as he walks out of the med bay, but you still catch it. all these heroes would definitely keep you busy.
and it turns out there was some truth to tony’s warning about peter-because he does ends up being your most commonly recurring patient.
summary: you’re a nurse hired by tony stark to take care of the avengers when they get hurt. spider-man happens to be hurt a lot.
you stare up at stark tower with wide eyes and sweaty palms. since the call came through barely yesterday morning, you didn’t properly prepare yourself for how intimidating this was going to be exactly.
about 15 hours ago now, you got a call from a random number. you had applied to about a million job postings online, so this wasn’t really anything new. letting out a small groan, you drop your spoon back into the ice cream pint, answering the call on speaker.
“hello?” you mutter through your bite of ice cream, picking nervously at the purple polish on your nails.
“hello, is this y/n l/n? my name is happy hogan, i’m calling regarding a nursing position you applied to?” a tired male voice booms through the speaker.
your eyes widen, clearing your throat and putting a fake smile on even though he can’t see you.
“this is she. how can i help you, happy?” you scrunch your nose up at your annoyingly sweet tone, rolling your eyes at yourself.
“we’d like to schedule an interview with you for tomorrow morning. around 9:30am. does that work?” he sighs. it sound like he’s doing five things all at once and can’t wait for this to be over as much as you.
“that sounds great to me.” you say, but really you’re disappointed your busy schedule of sleeping in till 11 in the morning is now infiltrated.
“are you ready for the address?” he grumbles.
“oh uh, y-yes. yes. now i am.” an awkward chuckle falls from your lips, your nose scrunching up as you cringe at yourself.
and now, here you were. wearing an itchy top, with slacks that squeeze your stomach just a bit too hard. maybe eating that entire pint of ice cream last night wasn’t the best idea after all.
your shoulders rise as you prepare yourself with one big breath, then they fall as you start your trek towards the tall glass doors.
inside the lobby, it’s weirdly quiet. the sound of your heels on the marble tile echo through the room, bouncing off the panels of the walls. a short haired brunette lady looks up from the computer she’s typing at, her eyes landing on you instead.
“he’s in there.” she smiles and points over to a room with frosted glass as walls. it looks like an office, or a meeting room.
you nod and manage to squeak out a small thank you, tail tucked between your legs as you hurry to the room.
the sound of your fist knocking on the frosted glass makes you cringe. who chooses glass for a door?
then, there he is. tony stark himself. which, no one told you would be who was interviewing you.
what a fun surprise.
“oh! h-hi, i’m y/n,” reaching your hand out to him, you smile and try to pretend like you don’t want to crawl into a hole and die. “i’m here to interview for a nursing position?”
he smiles a typical tony stark smile, taking your hand with both of his and shaking it. he swiftly moves to the side and motions for you to come in.
“thanks.” you stumble in and try to swallow, even though your mouth is as dry as a desert. there’s a seat facing his desk, so you walk up and lower yourself into it. your knuckles turn a lighter color than normal from how hard you clutch your purse.
“so, you’re a registered nurse?” tony cocks his head to one side, standing on the other side of his desk, but not sitting down.
“yes, sir. i have been for two years now.” you hate how small your voice sounds.
“good, good. it’s a tough job, huh? lots of…” he trails off, waving his hand around in front of him. “bodily fluids.”
you can’t help the snort that escapes your nose, but quickly clear your throat to play it off.
“i guess so? it all depends on what kind of nursing. i love my job, so it’s easier for me to look past the gross parts.” you feel your confidence returning as you speak about your career. it’s the one thing you’re always sure of yourself on.
“right, right. you’re younger than i was expecting,” he blurts out, finally sitting down on his chair. you let out a small breath, not realizing how much him looming over you was stressing you out. “do you have enough experience for this kind of position?”
you stare at him as you purse your lips, sucking in air through them. “what exactly… um… is the job i’m interviewing for?” your eyes shoot down to your fingers picking at your nail polish again.
he lets out a small chuckle, leaning back in his chair. “basically, a school nurse, but for the avengers or any other person who can’t go to a normal hospital.” he stares at her for a moment. “what are you, like nineteen?”
“oh, no, i’m twenty-two, actually. i started the nursing program while i was still in high school, which is how i already have two years of emergency department and one year of intensive care experience.” you press your lips into a tight smile, hoping that does the trick.
his expression doesn’t move a bit.
“you quick on your feet? good at taking orders? flexible schedule?” he asks, looking down at his watch and sighing.
“yes?” you answer him skeptically.
“then you’ve got the job.” he stands up quickly, ushering you out back into the lobby. “i’ll show you to the med-bay. doctor banner will help you from there.”
your hands wrap around your arms, hugging yourself as you wait for the elevator in silence. every once in a while, your eyes flick back to tony, who’s staring at his phone with a stressed expression.
“thanks for hiring me.” the words slip out from you in an attempt to relieve to silence.
he smirks at you, nodding quickly. it’s clear he finds your need to fill the room with small talk amusing.
the elevator doors finally ding, tony holding his arm out for you to go first. you shuffle in, still gripping yourself purse tightly.
the doors open to a long hallway with bright fluorescent lights that remind you of the last hospital you worked at. you follow behind tony, eyes scaling each room you pass.
“bruce!” tony barks out as you walk through the doors of a huge room. it’s got an area for lab work, a huge supply closet, and around five rooms that are identical to the ones patients stay in at the hospital. “i’ve got the nurse you requested.”
a man with tired eyes in a lab coat begins walking over to you. he introduces himself, even though you already knew who he was.
“well, welcome aboard.” he says nicely, a refreshing change from tony’s unapproachable demeanor.
you smile as he rambles on about different expectations, when he will need your help, and the learning modules he’s curated just for you.
“you also have your own apartment in the living quarters. in case you’d like to stay here after a late night, or just stay indefinitely. it would make your life a whole lot easier.” he explains animatedly.
at this you smile nervously, wondering what the hell you got yourself into.
you leave the tower that day with a stack of paperwork to fill out, a lot of homework, and a more apparent frown line.
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hi! this is my very first tumblr post. i hope i did it right. this story will be full of yearning, a jealous peter, and maybe even some fantastic four cameos? oooo fun! hope you liked it, will be posting chapter one soon :)