Slightly AU, no spoilers.

:D

~~~~~ 

Peter was clueless when it came to understanding the countless amenities that were placed openly throughout the Avengers compound. Which, in its own way, made revisiting the place all the more exciting. Each time he was invited either by Mr. Stark or by Nick Fury, there was always something new to look at, be it floating bar stools or food that would cook itself for you.

That, and, well, FRIDAY's technological programming blew him away, with the way she ran the entire facility and quite literally had eyes and ears in every room. The way she functioned so smoothly and efficiently – Peter could ask her anything at any time, and she'd have an answer faster than he could say supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. She worked faster that the world's fastest internet connection.

To sum it up, Mr. Stark's technology and all of his inventions made Pete feel like a kid in a candy shop, like he was living his childhood dream.

So, Parker was doing what he usually did when he finished his agenda for the day – wandering the building freely. Sure, Mr. Stark hadn't technically granted him all-access to the compound, but Peter had learnt that there were ways around Tony's often precarious injunctions; all he needed was time and patience.

Albeit, wandering around the Avengers facility at nine-thirty on a Friday night when he should be resting for an early-bird meeting at six in the morning probably wasn't a good idea, but curiosity was killing the cat. Besides, he was living his best life, and he wasn't about to let this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity go to waste.

Whilst he absentmindedly strolled up and down the seemingly never-ending hallways of the team's compound, Peter quietly hummed the tune to Bon Jovi's You Give Love a Bad Name, having heard the song play on Spotify earlier.

The Spiderman clicked off his phone and stopped humming for a moment as he walked into the open-concept kitchen, that was nothing short of a chef's culinary dream – with stunning modern finishes and enough space to store a million boxes of honey nut cheerios, the kitchen was well-suited for someone far more advanced in cooking than anyone Peter knew.

The size of the place never ceased to amaze him, and as he silently took notice to a new piece of machinery that looked closest to that of a toaster, the sound of subtle laughter could be heard from a good twenty feet behind Peter.

He froze.

There was a connecting lounge area just off of the kitchen, a place where he knew the Avengers liked to hang out after a long day's work, but Peter had thought he'd overheard Steve Rogers talking about heading out for dinner in the downtown area, which naturally enabled Parker to be more confident in sneaking around.

What he hadn't known, was that one member of the team had chosen to stay home that night.

The lights in the kitchen were turned off, and Peter was suddenly thankful that he had been quiet enough as to not disturb whoever was residing on the lounge sofas. He stalked around the island counter, careful to avoid areas where he'd be openly exposed to the couches, and practically tip-toed as far away as he could.

He was just about to reach the far wall that extended into the hallway from which he had came, when a louder chuckle rang out again, and this time, there was no mistaking who it had come from.

The kid's heart dropped in his chest. Although he was mere steps from safety, to which he could prance back to his room and bury himself in his pillows, his pounding heart stopped him in his tracks yet again, but this time for a different reason.

The deep chortle was followed with a few inaudible words, echoing throughout the open area and bouncing off the walls and back to Peter's ears. The sound of silence was quick to follow, and Peter's stupid brain was quick to react.

Without realizing what he had been doing or why on earth he was doing it, Parker was moving – he was stalking through the shadows that the kitchen provided, staying hidden as he returned to his original spot and peaked over the counter.

All the lamps were turned off except for one, which was why he hadn't seen anyone previously, and from his vantage point he could make out the shape of the couches, the coffee tables and . . .

Peter momentarily forgot how to breathe. His blood ran cold in his veins as his knees suddenly locked, feeling solid yet rubbery and unsteady at the same time. He didn't know if he should run, cover his eyes, scream, or all three, but all he knew, was that that image was permanently implanted in his skull. It was something he would never un-see so long as he continued his work with the Avengers, where he had to be around Mr. Stark nearly every time he visited.

He watched in utter horror as his brown eyes burned over the sight of Mr. Stark lying directly on top of Pepper Potts, his visible arm supporting himself against the couch, as Pepper's face was mostly shielded by the back of his head, their lips obviously locked in what Peter could only imagine to be a very passionate kiss. Pepper's one arm was hooked around Tony's neck, her fist tangled in his dark hair, while the other was busy running up and down Mr. Stark's back. Every now and then, a soft, feminine giggle would escape Miss Potts as Mr. Stark trailed kisses down her neck, before meeting her lips again.

Peter thanked the good Lord above that they were both still fully clothed, because he knew for a fact that he would've passed out right then and there had he walked in on . . . well, that. However, despite the maximum purity of the situation, Parker was sure that he would never be able to look at the two the same again, even though they technically weren't doing anything too graphic.

He knew he was beat red, and he still detected the heat of his face in almost total darkness. He felt like curling up into a ball and melting to the floor, so that he'd somehow manage to burn the sight from his memory. It was traumatizing, seeing his mentor on top of someone, even if that someone was his fiancé.

In the months Peter had been working under the Stark internship, Mr. Stark had only pushed the envelope once, after he lovingly kissed Pepper in front of the kid, earning a smack to the shoulder from the CEO. Even then, Peter had grown used to seeing the occasional wink Tony cast at Pepper, or overhearing an innuendo being exchanged between the two.

But Peter Parker wasn't clueless – he knew Mr. Stark was notorious for high levels of PDA and that he wasn't afraid of doing almost anything in the eyes of the public. Still, part of Peter knew that Tony would never carry out something more than pg-13 on a lounge couch at the facility while Peter was present, even if he thought Parker was in his room.

Yet, Peter found himself with his jaw glued to the floor, and his arms frozen to his sides as he stared at the pair, unable to force his eyes away.

Then, he did the unthinkable.

His phone accidently slipped from between his hands while he was frozen in his state of shock, and the device hit the wooden floor with a sickening clatter, and Peter cringed so hard he swore he strained a few muscles. The damage to the cell phone was the last thing he was worried about as Tony glanced up from Pepper, looking quickly over his shoulder to check where the noise had come from.

When his eyes landed on Peter, he quite literally threw himself off his partner, resulting in the couch rocking on its legs as Pepper also looked up, leaning back on her elbows.

Peter felt like the world was slowly crumbling around him, like if he said anything at all, the ground would fall away beneath his feet and the earth would swallow him whole. He knew he was still frozen in horror, his face red with shock and embarrassment (whether or not it was visible in the dark), as he shook his head slowly back and forth.

"Kid, what the hell?!" were the first words from Tony's mouth, as he readjusted his hair and tucked his shirt back in his pants.

Peter attempted to form words, but each time was a miserable failure that resulted in a series of strangled stutters as all known English fell from his lips in the form of uncomfortable exhales of air.

"Holy shit kid, I thought you were in your room! It's well past your bedtime, young man," he scolded in a sarcastically parental tone.

Peter had no clue what to say – what could he say?! What WAS THERE TO SAY?! He tried as hard as he possibly could to shut out the thoughts that warned him of what would've happened had he walked in a few moments later.

His mouth opened and closed several times, and he was certain as though he looked like he was having a seizure, between leaning down to pick up his phone and deciding whether or not to take a step forward or backwards. He didn't know what in the hell he was doing, as he stood there looking like a total idiot.

"I'm . . . I uh . . . I'm s-sorry," he barely managed through a quivering voice and an unsure expression. "I-I thought the team had gone out, and I was just . . . I was just l-looking around." 

The look on both of their faces was enough to shrink Peter into an atom, and in that very moment he couldn't have cared less if that actually happened. He should've known better than to wander aimlessly around the halls past his curfew, and he certainly should've known that Tony wouldn't have wanted to go out with the rest of the team – it was Friday, which was Mr. Stark and Pepper's designated date night – the night that everyone was asked to avoid their floor at all costs.

He really should've known better.

Tony ran a hand through his hair, as Pepper let out a nervous laugh. Parker could faintly hear her remark, 'I told you, Tony,' before he was speaking again. "Kid, be thankful you didn't walk in about twenty seconds later."

Peter choked on his own spit, as Pepper swatted Mr. Stark on the arm, shooting him a sideways glance. Pepper met Peter's frantic eyes with an awkward smile. "I'm sorry, Peter. It's our fault for . . . you know. This one just got carried away. It's not your fault at all."

"The hell it isn't," Tony shot back playfully, before looking back to a very panicked Peter Parker. "You, my lad, should've been in bed."

"We should've been too," Pepper added quickly with a bitter smile, to which Tony responded with a frown.

Parker choked out a strangled laugh, bending down to pick up his phone as he pointed to the hallway. "O-oh, yeah . . . well, I'll umm . . . just be back . . . I'll g-go back to my room, then."

"Mhm," Tony mumbled, scratching the back of his head as he anxiously tapped his foot on the ground.

The churning in Peter's stomach failed to subside, even after his feet finally allowed him to move from the kitchen. He could hardly believe what he had just seen, let alone would he ever be able to forget about it. Jesus, that was...I'm never going to get that out of my head...

His muscles were tense all the way back up to his room, where he face-planted in the pillow and lie awake for the majority of the night. In truth, he was terrified of closing his eyes, mostly because he knew what image would be waiting for him.

What scarred him even further, were the last words he heard from the billionaire as Peter left the kitchen. He was silently thankful to hear Pepper's protest, though, as he never, ever wanted to run into that type of thing again.

Mr. Stark's voice was still ringing in his ears. . .

"Now, where were we?"

"Tony, no."