I See Them

Taken Away

I hope everyone is doing well and staying safe! I know it's rough out there but I hope everyone is able to find joy in something, be it a hobby, a book, your fur baby, fan-fiction, etc... 
Please let me know if you enjoy this chapter! I hope you do!

Song for this chapter is Gold by Imagine Dragons

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"Would you get your goddamn hands off me?" Tony snapped, glaring at the kidnapper restraining him and effectively keeping him from comforting his kid. "And these," he shook the too-tight cuffs on his wrists, "are these even necessary? It's not like I could actually break out of a speeding van filled to the brim with armed criminals."

Peter sat quietly opposite the billionaire, cuffed with two armed kidnappers on either side of him. Even though he was handcuffed with two guns pointed at his head, and six other armed guards surrounded him, Peter was calm, seemingly unfazed by the whole kidnapping thing.

And that's what hurt Tony the most. The realization that Peter was used to guns, criminals, and dangerous situations pierced his heart like a knife. Peter was only sixteen years old. He should be worried about girls, his grades, and hanging out with his friends. Not desensitized to the dangers that hero-work brought. But here they were, being held captive by unknown assailants traveling to an undisclosed location where who-knows-what would be waiting for them.

"I'm so sorry, Peter." Tony leaned forward as far as the men restraining him would allow. He meant those words with all of his might. But sorry wasn't going to free them. And both heroes knew it.

The van they were in was definitely traveling at illegal speeds, the tires screeching around every turn; even the tiniest of bumps roughly jolted everyone inside. There were no windows and the back doors of the van were double bolted.

Tony could barely make out two people sitting upfront through the metal divider separating the front driver and passenger seat from the back carriage. Presumably, the two people up front were armed just as the other six kidnappers were. Peter and he were going to have to wait for an opening, which, unfortunately, looked pretty sparse at the moment.

Tony groaned, mentally kicking himself for his lack of preparedness. He knew from experience that bad guys often showed up when you least expected it. Hence, the necessity to always be prepared. Of course, that logic had been temporarily lost to him, which is why they were in their current predicament.

They had been in a total of six meetings that day. The first had been a brief check-in with the R and D scientists to discuss the latest Stark phone designs, and the second was a little powwow with Pepper to go over everyone's schedules for the winter months. The remaining four meetings were incredibly long and mind-numbingly boring, filled with presentations and lectures. Who knew board members could be so grumpy and dull?

As Tony's protégé and successor, Peter occasionally attended meetings and even shadowed his mentor on business trips, learning the ropes as Tony often said. And in all honesty, the teen enjoyed every second of it. Even if there were some boring parts, he still loved being with his mentor. And after a particularly slow day, Tony always made sure to take his kid out for ice cream or to grab a sandwich at Mr. Delmar's sandwich shop.

They finished their food and decided to take the scenic route back to Stark Tower through Central Park. Despite the chill in the air, both geniuses enjoyed themselves, talking about various projects they had lined up, scientific theories, and anything else that came to mind.

Tony was thoroughly enjoying himself like he did anytime he was with Peter. But in this case, it was their downfall. He let his guard down, allowing these unknown criminals to kidnap them. And now, as he and Peter sat tied up being jostled around in the back of a van, he was thoroughly kicking himself for it.