Spider-Man/Avengers Oneshots

Puddles and Secrets

Trigger Warning: implied rape, no graphic descriptions.

Tony winced as a scrap of metal rebounded from his desk, almost hitting him in the face. He turned around to retrieve it but stopped when he saw a young teenager standing in the doorway, soaking wet from his feet to the ends of his hair."

"Really Pete? Is there a water villain out there trying to kill you now?" Tony asked sarcastically, tossing a towel to the grinning boy.

"Not exactly, but how cool would that be? Like if there was just a huge Gyarados flying around New York?" Peter quipped , rubbing the already damp towel in his hair.

Tony turned around to face him, "that's one of those Pokémon things isn't it? From that game?"

Peter gasped in excitement, "Mr Stark!"

"Don't make me take it back," Tony pointed a finger at the slightly drier kid. "But why are you so wet, it stopped raining a while ago?"

"Oh, um," Peter's cheeks turned a soft pink colour as he ducked his head. "There was a puddle."

"Why did you step in it, you're absolutely soaking." Tony raised an eyebrow at his kids antics.

"Well, I planed to just jump in it but then I fell and well, I got wet.",Peter explained, laughing at the thought.

Tony threw a dry jumper at him, "great job, put that on before you nearly freeze to death again."

"That was one time!" Peter whined. He pulled his shirt off and Tony quickly glanced over to him to make sure there wasn't any cuts or bruises which Peter had neglected to tell him about. He sighed in relief until his eyes landed on mark on his shoulder, a thin scar going from his collarbone, winding its way down to Peter's hip.

Tony frowned, "what's that scar from Pete? Shouldn't it have healed by now?" If Tony hadn't been watching Peter's reaction closely, he may have not noticed the way Peter tensed slightly before relaxing.

"It's nothing, Mr Stark, just from when I was little, I fell over at the park." Peter spoke calmly but anyone could've heard the strain in his voice. He was the worst liar Tony had ever met.

"Yeah, nope, I don't believe that," Mr Stark replied, walking over to Peter. The younger boy instantly averted his gaze, taking a couple of hurried steps backwards.

"I said it's nothing sir, I'd better go, I've got homework to do." Peter pulled the jumper over his head, grabbing his wet shirt before making his way to the door.

"Jarvis shut the door please," Tony muttered to his A.I who readily complied, the door closing with ease.

Peter turned to face him, his eyes full with a hidden fear. "Please, Mr Stark, I don't want to talk about it." He could feel his throat tightening, his vision clouding over with panic.

"Hey, Peter, just calm down for me okay? I'm sorry, I shouldn't have pushed you, just take a deep breathe for me alright?" Peter didn't realise that Tony had led him over to the couch until he could feel his mentor's arm draped around his shoulders.

After a couple of minutes, Peter's throat loosened and he took in a few deep breaths, slightly embarrassed to have had a panic attack in front of his sort of dad. "Sorry," he mumbled, Tony just catching the word.

"It's not your fault Pete, you've got nothing to apologise for, I should've have pushed you." Tony hesitated before choosing his next words, "do you want to talk about it or just do some work? Or you can go up to your room if you want, up to you."

"No, I, I have to tell you. I should've told you a while ago really," Peter mumbled, plucking at a loose thread on his jumper."

"It was when I was little, maybe seven or eight? I had this babysitter. Skip." Tony heard how small Peter's voice had gotten, and he instantly knew he wasn't going to like what he was about to hear."

"I thought he was the best you know? Well, next to you of course." Peter let out a soft, sad laugh, "trust typical Parker luck for me to be wrong about that."

"You don't have to tell me anymore if you don't want to kiddo, you can stop whenever you want," Tony quietly tells the boy curled up against his side.

Peter gives a half-hearted shrug, "he called me Einstein, like Albert Einstein you know? 'Cause he said I was really smart. One night, we were playing this game and I was talking about the solar system and he said he had something to take my mind off science." Peter swallowed thickly, "he showed me these magazines," the teen stopped talking for a moment before continuing, "adult magazines."

Tony was frozen in place, he was silently  begging Peter to say that Skip hadn't touched him, that it was just the magazines, but he knew that magazines wouldn't give you scars like the one Peter had. "You're safe now Pete, you know that right?"

Peter nodded, "yeah. Skip, he said that we were going to do the same as the people in the magazines. That's when I actually realised what was going on, but, I couldn't do anything. I was too scared to leave and even if I had then where would I have gone?" He seemed to curl on himself more until Tony gently reminded him again that he was safe.

Tony didn't realise that Peter was crying until he let out a muffled sob, "he raped me, Tony, he touched me and he cut me and he threatened me and I was so scared Tony, I still am."

Tony's heart shattered as he pulled him closer. "You don't need to be scared anymore Pete, no one's going to hurt you like that ever again, I won't ever let them, neither will Pepper, or the Avengers, or even Happy."

Peter let out a quiet laugh at that, "I eventually told May and Ben what happened, they went to the police but, there was no evidence other than the scar but there was no proof that Skip had done it. They couldn't find him anyway."

'They may not have, but I sure can' Tony thought grimly. "Listen to me Pete, you didn't deserve that. What Skip did to you wasn't right at all, and I'll kill him when I find him. You're really brave you know that? The bravest person I know and you have nothing to be ashamed about. No matter what anyone ever tells you, or does to you, you remember this; Peter Parker is a force to be reckoned with and this world does not deserve someone as good and pure as him. You got that?"

Peter smiled up at his mentor and hugged him tightly, "thanks dad." Tony couldn't stop the grin from taking over his face as he hugged his kid back.

And if when Peter woke up, Skip Westcott was on the news after being found dead inside his apartment, neither Tony or Peter mentioned it.