(A/N)

Whoops, lookie here... I said that I would write an angsty chapter next! Haha, sorry...

Okay, so this one DOES have angst, just not as much as I planned.

Don't worry, I was actually planning on a different story, I just couldn't figure out how it would end, and then this popped into my head... so, hopefully, next time I'll have the original idea there. :)

REVIEW ANSWERS (yup!):

Let's start with the VEEERRRRYYY first one.

Black Cat: Hello, first reviewer! I'm glad I'm not the only grammar freak around. As for the "STAY RANDOM" bit, I meant it so that you just keep having random bursts of... randomness? You're right, this is hard to explain. I do see your point, though.

cabrera1234: ...I'm glad you asked! ;)

cabrera1234: You're very welcome!

MythologyStar: Thank you so much! I'm really glad you enjoyed it. :D

MythologyStar: I haven't actually seen Daredevil, but I'll take your word for it! XD

Guest: Sadly, I won't be making any of these one-shots actual stories, mostly because I think of this website as more of a place for me to write down whatever comes to mind. If I did make it a story, I would hardly update because of my commitment to Wattpad. Sorry... But I'm really glad you liked it! Thanks!

Okay, I think that's about it. Thank you so much for reviewing! Also, thank you for following and favoriting!

ACK! Almost forgot the summary!

It takes place after Captain America: Civil War. Peter experiences his first fire drill after the spider bite (I know schools are supposed to have one every month, but just bear with me), and because of his enhanced senses, it's a little more than what he bargained for.

Happy reading!

(I don't own Spider-Man or any characters associated with him, yadda yadda. Honestly, this is . Emphasis on FANFICTION. If I owned him, don't you think I would be doing something productive, like making a third season of Spectacular Spider-Man?)

.)()()()()()()()(.

An internship. He called it an internship.

He called going to Berlin to fight the Avengers, his own teammates, mind you, an internship. He called getting beaten up by Captain-freaking-America an internship. He called stealing Captain America's shield an internship. Tony Stark called this all an internship?

Two weeks later, Peter was still laughing over it.

Of course, it helped cover it all up with Aunt May. The only problem was... she actually thought he had been helping Mr. Stark with his lab, working on chemical formulas, and fetching him coffee. So forgive him if all he was able to come up with when Aunt May asked him what he did was a measly, "Uh... science stuff."

"Oh," Aunt May had said, a confused expression on her face.

Yeah... that didn't go too well.

It wasn't all a hoax. After Peter returned, Mr. Stark had confirmed that the internship was "legit," he just needed to actually schedule a time for it. Mostly, that time was during school, during dinner, during patrol as Spider-Man, or at four o'clock in the morning. Sure, it was inconvenient, but totally worth it. He got to spend time with an Avenger (okay, they were split, but it was still cool)!

Peter thoroughly enjoyed spending time at the tower. Because he was Spider-Man, he was allowed to use the training room, which was where he spent a lot of his time, fascinated by the training methods the Avengers used. He would go and chat science with Stark, then help him with some designs, and go get coffee, as he had expected. Tony Stark barely slept, and when he was low on alcohol, he would have coffee. It seemed, however, as if Stark refused to drink in front of Peter, which the fifteen-year-old was completely okay with.

Yes, Peter Parker loved being Tony Stark's intern.

He didn't know that Tony felt the same way about him.

Tony Stark rarely felt much love for one person in particular. He most certainly didn't see himself as a responsible adult, which the public agreed on (psh, whatever). But when he saw Peter, he saw a certain spark in the kid. A spark that would grow into something more.

He wanted the kid to be happy. He didn't want him to end up an alcoholic, playboy, and complete jerk, like Capscicle reminded him daily.

And so, he took it upon himself to show the kid what it was like to be an honorary hero. Someone who was better than him. Someone other could look up to. The internship kept him close, allowed him to watch him closely and see him grow.

Tony hoped Peter liked being his intern.

..0.0.0.

"Peter," Aunt May called from downstairs, "time for school!"

Peter heard her. He just didn't want to get up.

"Peter!" May called again. She sighed, climbed the stairs to his room, and knocked on the door. "Peter, wake up."

He'd gone to bed at, like, three in the morning.

"I'm coming in."

Peter groaned and turned over in his bed, scratching his head. Wait a minute. Where was his hair?

Was that spandex?

Like a bullet, Peter shot out of bed and locked the door before Aunt May could open it. "I'm naked, Aunt May!" he yelled. It was the first thing that popped into his head.

"You're going to be late for school!" May shouted, unperturbed. "Get ready!"

"Will do," Peter replied, sighing in relief as he heard her walk down the stairs. He fumbled with his mask for a bit and managed to take it off, throwing it in his schoolbag with his gloves. He was going to see Mr. Stark directly after school today, so there wasn't any point in changing out of the Spider-Man suit.

But Aunt May had nearly seen him. He needed to be more careful...

Finished with changing, Peter opened the door and ran down the stairs two at a time, swinging over the railing to land on the floor of the kitchen by his aunt. He grabbed a toast and said a quick goodbye, giving her a kiss on the cheek, then ran out of the house, fully aware of how late it was.

He ducked into an alley, took off his clothes, put on his mask and gloves, and swung the rest of the way to school. He let out a whoop as he shot web out of his wrists, making him look like Tarzan as he swung across the city. Below him, pedestrians waved and shrieked in joy as the blue-and-red clad superhero flew by. Along the way, Spider-Man shot a glob of webbing at a man trying to mug a woman, making him get stuck to the wall while the woman got away and called the cops.

Reaching Midtown Science High School, Peter changed back into his civilian clothing behind a dumpster, then walked out as if nothing had happened. His watch read that he still had a few minutes to spare. Perfect.

It was great being Spider-Man.

He saw his best friend, Ned, and waved him over.

"Hey," Ned greeted him. "Finished your homework?"

"Ugh!" Peter slapped his forehead. "Crap. No, I was too busy."

"Internship?" Ned asked sympathetically.

Peter rolled his eyes. "I love being his intern, honest, but sometimes I wonder how that man does it. And why he has to drag me down with him."

They laughed heartily and made their way into the school. The halls were lined with students chatting, lockers slamming, and teachers yelling. Peter felt a twinge of pain in his head at all the noise, but ignored it. That had been going on for a while now, but had never bothered him enough that he thought of it to be an issue.

"Yo, Parker!" said a loud voice from behind him. Peter and Ned sighed collectively and turned to face Flash Thompson, the school bully. He wore his signature smirk and sports jersey, with his gang of cheerleaders and footballers behind him.

"Flash," Peter said tiredly. "What is it now?"

Flash grinned. "Heard you got a little job with Stark!" he boomed, making Peter wince. All that noise really was getting to him. "You get paid?"

"Nah," Peter replied and started to walk away, waving goodbye to Ned, who had a different class. Over his shoulder, he yelled, "After all, knowledge is the greatest gift one could get!"

"Nerd," he heard Flash mutter as he walked away.

Peter had gotten better at ignoring Flash's taunts. Ever since the spider bite, he had grown in confidence, and when he figured out that Spider-Man was Flash's idol, well, let's just say he had been a lot happier that day. What wouldn't he give to see the jock's reaction at the realization that Spider-Man was a nerd, the very boy he used to constantly bully (and still did, though not as much)...

He was so immersed in his thoughts, he didn't notice when he entered the classroom, and much less when the teacher finally started the lesson.

"Peter?" the teacher called for the third time. "Peter!"

A girl next to him poked him in the ribs, dragging Peter out of his fantasies. "Oh," he said, noticing the snickers of his fellow classmates and the exasperated expression of his teacher. "Sorry, what was the question?"

"I asked you," Mrs. Frisen spoke, drawing out the words, "if you finished your homework."

"Oh." Peter shifted nervously. "Actually... I got home really late, and didn't have time to finish it. Sorry."

His English teacher sighed. "That's alright. I know you have a lot to do, just don't let it get in the way of your schoolwork."

"Won't happen again," Peter promised. Not many of the students knew he had the internship, and to reduce unwanted attention, the teachers tried to keep it contained. Of course, since Flash knew, it was only a matter of time before the rest of the student body did, too.

Before Mrs. Frisen could resume the lesson, a low bell sounded over the speaker (ow, complained Peter's ears), and the crackly voice of the principal spoke: "Attention! We will be holding a fire drill shortly. Students are asked to comply to their teacher's wishes. Again, this is just a drill. A fire alarm will sound in a few minutes. This is just a drill."

The students turned their attention back to the front of the classroom after the announcement was over. A fire drill wasn't something they had never experienced before, even though it had been a while since the last one.

Peter, for one, was freaking out.

He remembered how his head hurt every time he walked by the locker bay. With that noise, he was extremely uncomfortable. How would a fire drill affect him?

He stood up. "Mrs. Frisen, I need to use the restroom," he said.

The teacher frowned. "Not now, Peter. There will be a fire drill shortly. Sit down."

"But I really have to go," Peter begged.

"Then you'll have to hold it," she said firmly and turned back to her whiteboard to keep teaching.

I can't be here when there's a fire drill, Peter thought, panic starting to set in. I can't.

.o.0.O.0.o.

"Sir," said the feminine voice of Tony Stark's AI, Friday, "it seems as if Peter Parker's vitals are spiking an unhealthy amount."

"What?" Tony snapped to attention, spinning in his wheeled chair as he sat at his desk, working on some new designs. His lab was, as usual, cluttered with all the latest technology. A mug of coffee sat next to him on the table, and bags were visible under his eyes. "What is it? What happened? Is he hurt? Is he dead?"

"He's at school," Friday replied smoothly.

"At school? Wait. If you can tell his vitals, does that mean he's wearing his suit?"

"So it would seem. You did tell him to come over here as soon as school finished."

"So I did," Tony muttered. he got up and opened a hologram of Midtown High. "Where is he now? Can you tell me what happened?"

Friday zoomed into the English classroom for him, highlighting Peter in red and the rest of the students in green. Tony noticed how his serotonin levels had spiked, showing that he was panicked. But... he was in the middle of a lesson. Didn't the teen love school?

"Sir, it seems there has been an announcement moments before that may have something to do with Peter's emotions."

"Play it."

As the billionaire listened to the announcement, he slowly felt realization trickle in. A fire alarm. In itself, quite harmless, but...

Whatever happened happened; it's like my senses have been dialed to eleven.

Iron Man shot out of his seat. He had to get to that school.

.o.0.O.0.o.

Peter could feel the seconds trickling down to the fire drill. It was a constant buzzing in his mind, keeping him from focusing, and every fiber of his being was telling him to get out of that school!

But he stayed put.

It was just a fire drill, right? He'd hurt for a few moments, then they'd go outside, and it would pass. Not a big deal. He could handle it.

Not a big deal, my ass, his spider sense screamed. Get out of there!

As for Tony, he had arrived at the school. He flashed his Avengers card at the secretary, who was too stunned to say anything, and walked right on into the building. It was when he finally reached the hallways lined with lockers that he realized: He had no idea which classroom Peter was in. He had forgotten to check.

Not only that, he strongly despised high schools. Those memories weren't good.

Right as he was about tear the building apart in his haste, he saw a student hurrying down the hall. He was an overweight boy with dark brown hair and eyes. "Hey! Hey, you!" Tony called, running up to the kid.

The student spun around and stared wide-eyed at the Avenger, speechless. Oh, yippee, a fan. Great.

Tony wasn't in the mood for autographs. "Peter Parker," he said curtly. "Where?"

The boy's expression became guarded. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh my God," Tony exclaimed. "Can't you see this is an emergency?"

"Peter's my friend," the boy said. "I'm not gonna-" then he stopped. "Wait. You're his boss." He grinned sheepishly. "Sorry. Uh, English class, second floor, room two-oh-eight."

"Thanks, kid," Tony said, running off in the direction he pointed in.

He sprinted down the hallway, ignoring the stares he received from students in their classrooms. The fire alarm was going to go off, and he'd never find the Spiderling when that happened.

Just as he saw the classroom in front of him, the fire alarm went off.

.FFFFF.

Pain exploded in Peter's head as the fire alarm went off. A high pitched ringing made his ears seem like they were about to fall off, and black spots danced in front of his eyes. He clutched his ears to clock it out, but to no avail, and crumpled to the floor, screaming.

The students, about to leave the room, stopped in shock as they realized what was happening. The teacher was shaking, unsure of what to do.

Make it stop, make it stop, please, just make it stop...!

Ringing. Buzzing. His entire being was vibrating. His head was screaming, and he could not move. He tried to curl up into a little ball, thinking that would make it better.

Things only got more confusing when Tony Stark burst through the door, hair disheveled. He was in a t-shirt and pajama pants, an extremely unprofessional look for the Iron Man, but he didn't care. He yelled at the teacher over the alarm to get the kids out, saying he would take care of it. She nodded, trusting the man, and ushered everyone out.

Pain pounded into his skull, hitting him with a brick over and over again.

Tony was desperate. He tried to snap Peter out of his state, but the kid wouldn't budge. He noticed blood trickling through his hands clutching his ears, and swore - very loudly, which, he realized, would definitely not help.

Luckily, he came prepared. He touched the watch on his wrist, and metal plates began flying over the city to where he was standing. They gathered around the screaming and crying boy, creating a protective shell.

The last thing Peter saw before losing consciousness was red and gold blocking his vision, and with it, the noise.

.uUuUuOuUuUu.

When the alarm finally stopped blaring, Tony disassembled the suit. The pieces flew back out the window, where he knew they would return back to the tower. Peter was asleep, still curled up in a ball. His hands had fallen to his sides, showing the blood that had started to trickle out of his ears. Tony felt a pang of sympathy. The poor kid couldn't even experience a fire drill because of his heightened senses.

Of course, one single fire drill shouldn't be enough to do that. The billionaire was going to have a serious talk with Peter when he woke up.

Right on cue. Peter shifted and groaned, then opened his eyes blearily. "Mr... Mr. Stark?" he asked, confused. "What are you - what are you doing - here?"

Tony raised an eyebrow. "Fire alarm." His voice was controlled, low. Quiet. Pleasantly so.

"It hurts," the vigilante complained. "My head hurts."

"Yeah, and it would've hurt a lot more if I hadn't gotten here," said Tony. "How long have your senses been bothering you? And I want an honest answer."

"Um... a while? I don't know." Peter touched his ears and seemed surprised that there was blood. "The... the locker bay - and the people talking..."

Tony shook his head in exasperation. "Kid, your senses are enhanced. The more you strain your ears like that, the weaker they get. All that noise built up, and the fire alarm was the breaking point." He grabbed a nearby Kleenex box and dabbed the tissues at Peter's ears, which were still bleeding, though not as much. He gave the box to Peter while he rummaged around in his pockets. He had come prepared.

He pulled out a little black box and pressed a button. The box unfolded into a set of headphones, the earpieces thickly padded. Before Peter had any idea of what was happening, Tony lunged forward and put the headphones over his head. Immediately, all sound was blocked off by a pleasant feeling of numbness. It was so comfortable, in fact, that he didn't even notice the rest of his class had returned and was now watching the exchange with wide eyes.

He sat there, completely at ease and enjoying the silence, as Tony spoke with the teacher. When he was finished, he knelt by Peter again and pressed a button on the headset. "Peter," Tony said. His voice was just the right volume. "Can you hear me?"

"Yeah," Peter answered, "I can hear you."

"Good. The headset will adjust any noise to a bearable volume. You'll wear this for the rest of the day."

Peter groaned. "What? No!"

"You can and you will," said Tony stubbornly. He turned to face the teacher and winked at her, then strutted out of the classroom as best he could in pajamas.

.000000000000.

To say he was exhausted was an understatement.

The day was almost over, and each time Peter entered a new classroom, he'd have to explain why he wore the gigantic black headphones. A lot of teachers didn't even believe him until he called Mr. Stark!

Really, all he wanted to do was go home, curl up in bed, and sleep forever.

The bell rang, and again Peter relished in the fact that it was at the perfect volume. He packed up his books and left the classroom, then walked on to the locker bay.

He opened his locker, but before he could grab his bag and stuff everything in it, he saw Flash out of the corner of his eye reach forward and take off his headphones before he could react. All at once, the noise of the lockers banging and people shouting slammed into him, and he collapsed against his locker, crying out in pain as his ears began to ring again. He knew his ears were bleeding, but he couldn't do anything; his senses were taking in too much for him to move.

Just as he was about to black out, he felt the numbing sensation again as someone put the headset back on, and after a moment, he could move again. His vision focused to see Ned yelling (well, it sounded more like he was talking to him, but Peter was pretty sure he was yelling) at Flash, who looked completely terrified.

"Why would you do that?" Ned was saying. "Haven't you been paying attention to anything that's been going on?" News of the "Parker Fire Alarm Incident" had traveled throughout the school fast. Peter wondered how Flash hadn't known.

"I - I thought... I thought it was all a - a joke," Flash mumbled.

"A joke?" Ned shrieked. "A joke?!"

"Ned," Peter spoke up. "I'm fine. Honest."

"Only because I was here!"

"I'm sorry, okay?" Flash yelled. His face was burning, his eyes held anger... and fear. He truly hadn't known what he was doing.

"Flash," Peter said softly. "It's okay."

The jock scoffed, but Peter could see the relief in his eyes. "Whatever, Parker." He stalked off.

"You okay, Pete?" Ned asked once he was gone.

"Yes," Peter said impatiently. "I'm fine. Now, can I please get my stuff so I can go home?"

.hHhHhHhHh.

When Peter got home, a package was waiting for him, signed T. Stark.

Inside the package was a pair of red and blue earplugs (he rolled his eyes at the colors), each with a little dial at the larger, flatter side - the side facing sound. A letter inside the package read, Adjust the volume to your taste. Wear this at all times. When your ears heal, then you can take them off, Spider-Boy.

Peter grinned and slipped the earplugs in. They fit comfortably, and when he looked in his reflection on a window, he saw that they were almost invisible. He turned the small dial and played around with it for a while, enjoying the changes in the volume. It was perfect.

The next day, he went to school, and no one was the wiser. He went about his day, and didn't wince once at the noise.

Gradually, he turned the dial a bit more each day, until there was almost the normal amount of sound reaching his ears. It took a while, but after that, he got used to all the noise and was able to go about his day, completely at ease.

The next time they had a fire drill, all that happened to Peter was a slight pain between his eyes and a vibration in his head, but he just covered his ears and fought through it.

No more ringing in his ears.