Just to let you know I did not make this one and it his mature themes just to let you know
Tony paid for their meal and herded Peter from the restaurant with an arm loosely around his shoulders. They’d just had lunch at a quaint little third floor Italian restaurant not far from the tower and fortunately hadn’t been spotted. The kid was rambling on about something or other and Tony was listening absently as he pressed the buttons on the elevator for the garage level.
“
You know you’ll have to postpone that three-hour long call with Ned if you want to watch the movie?” Tony said.
“We don’t talk for three hours.” The kid pulled a face and Tony scoffed.
“Yeah right, you’re worse than Sam and Steve. Little gossips, the lot of you.”
“Well, I’m not missing movie night, those are the best.” Peter said as they came out of the elevator. Tony checked around for his car and spotted it near the back, still unharmed. Always risky leaving cars like his in public parking.
“Best, huh?” He said, fishing in his pocket for the keys and his phone fell out as he rummaged.
“Well, after lab time with you obviously.” Peter said, sounding so honest that Tony just blinked stupidly at him. God, the kid was making him soft. That was the reason he’d blame for being so caught off guard that someone, hell, a lot of someone’s, were able to grab hold of them so quickly.
Men in some sort of middle-eastern garb and covered faces wrestled with him, his instinct to fight spurred on with the fact that he had Peter with him. He’d been tugged away from Peter, though the kid still reached out towards him. Tony vaguely registered shouting something as he kicked out, his foot connecting with someone’s shin, though it did nothing to dissuade his captors and he watched as two men grabbed Peter’s arms behind his back, and another man sporting a long ugly scar across his right cheek, jabbed a needle crudely into the kid’s neck. Something rough was then shoved over his head, a bag he assumed, and it went dark. The distinct sensation of a needle pricking skin had him lashing out blindly, fuck, he was useless to the kid if he was drugged. The guy holding him let out a curse, not English, and he felt the needle fall out of his neck.
His wristbands were tugged roughly off his wrists, there went the call for a suit. He strained to make out any sound from Peter as he was grasped under the armpits and hauled across the car park, but everything was getting sluggish. His legs refused to cooperate in a terrifyingly short amount of time and dread really started to set in. They had the kid. He was supposed to be safe with him. He’d promised and assured his aunt.
Whatever paralytic they’d managed to get into him was enough to render his legs and arms almost useless. It felt incredibly similar to the shit that happened with Obie as he’d lain prone on his couch. He was aware, so very aware, but unable to do a thing. His arms were put in cuffs and he was hauled into what seemed to be the back of a van and onto a side bench, and someone’s hand pushed against his chest to prop him up between two people. The darkness of the sack lessened as his eyes adjusted and a little light had filtered through enough that he could make out vague shapes in front of him and his heart raced as he slumped heavily to his left. He still couldn’t hear Peter.
The engine started and the van started to move. Tony’s perceptive brain couldn’t help but pick up the slight stutter the engine made after every few turns. The men were speaking rapid Arabic, sending him back to the Ten Rings. He needed a plan. He needed to find out what they wanted and get the kid as far away as possible. And if he got out too, then even better.
Before he’d gotten further than that thought, the sack covering his head was ripped off roughly and he found himself opposite a greying man with a rough goatee, staring at him with an unnerving intensity. Peter was cuffed, standard police issue, no real match for Spider-Man, and leaning heavily into a bulky guy on his right. His eyes were glassy and unfocused, though they were directed at Tony from the opposite bench. Shit, the kid had been hit with a full dose. He hoped it’d wear off pretty soon. By the looks of it, these guys had no idea who Peter was. The cab was separated from the driver and front passenger by a mesh and Tony glanced cars moving outside. They seemed to be on their way out of the city. Tony did a mental inventory; he had no phone, motor function in his legs and his arms felt heavy and sluggish. The team weren’t expecting them back for another half hour and they had his kid drugged to the eyeballs.
Those brown eyes caught Tony’s attention far more than the foul breath coming from the fucktard in front of him on the opposite bench. Peter seemed to be trying to convey every bit of apology he could muster and Tony shook his head.
“No, don’t. This is on me kid.” He said. Fortunately, the drugs did little other than slur his words slightly.
The oldest guy with the rancid breath leaned forwards to rest his elbows on his knees.
“Tony Stark,” He drawled in heavily accented English, “You speak truth to the boy, this is entirely your doing.” Out of nowhere, the guy swung his arm around and dug Peter sharply in the stomach. Fucking asshole.
“Come on then, Ben Kingsley, what’s your plan?” Tony said as he glared at the guy, fighting the urge to check Peter over at least with his eyes. The kid was wheezing, winded from the punch.
“Who is that?”
“Some actor. Don’t you guys watch movies? Or you too busy picking up people off the street like the Child Snatcher?” Lame ass redirection, he was faintly glad Clint wasn’t here to hear that. “Oh wait, also a movie reference.”
The guy jerked his head to the man sitting on Tony’s right and suddenly his own head was slammed backwards into the side of the van and there were dirty nails digging into his cheek. That smarted a bit.
“You insist on making a mockery of me once again.” The old guy hissed. “Understand that that will not be happening again.” The lackey to his right let go of his face.
“Don’t take it personally, I do it to everyone.” Tony shrugged his heavy shoulders as best as he could. “You said ‘again’ though, have we met?”
“My name is Ajal, you murdered two of my sons in the mess you made of their camp.” He opened his arms and shrugged, “The task was simple. Build the Jericho. But you refused. I have had a lot of time to prepare my justice, Tony Stark. You have not been easy to get to, alone in your tower with your American heroes. But then this child appeared…” He leaned across the guy sitting between him and Peter and grabbed the kid by a fistful of curls. Peter winced and Tony started to protest. “You took my sons and humiliated me in front of our entire family.
It is time for you to return to yours without a son and feel the shame.”
“Well that’s where you’re wrong, douchebag.” Tony sneered. “He’s not mine so you’re not getting your revenge like that. Let the kid go, you’ve got me.” His voice wavered towards the end as the guy hauled Peter across the lap of the guy in the middle. Ajal kept his eyes on Tony as Peter let out a whine.
“Liar.” Ajal hissed as his fingers tightened around Peter’s face. “I know that look in your eyes.”
Tony silently seethed. He had no plan, they were outnumbered, drugged and on their way to god only knew where, where apparently the shitty plan was to have Tony watch them murder the kid as some fucked up revenge.
Ajal smirked at him, running a hand down Peter’s face in what only could be described as a caress and Tony felt himself still. The others laughed, quiet chuckles that had Tony’s blood boiling as he itched to reach across and pull Peter out of their sick hands.
“I think,” Ajal announced, “a slight change of plans.”
Peter’s eyes were focusing better on him now, terrified. Tony did his best to reassure him with a look, but cold realisation was making it difficult. Ajal instructed something to Scarface and they started to manoeuvre Peter back into a sitting position. The boy’s arms and legs were still limp, and Tony’s heart stuttered in his chest. Ajal leered at Peter who now sat beneath the arm he’d slung over Peter’s shoulders. The guy smirked at Tony, showing off yellowed teeth and reached a hand down to grasp himself through his clothes.
“Is the boy as talented as his father? We have heard plenty about your… conquests.” He sneered and Tony thought he was going to be sick.
“You’re wasting your time!” Tony snapped, “He’s not even mine so just let him go.”
Ajal ignored Tony and reached for the kid’s belt.
“You wanted to humiliate me back, right?” Tony pleaded, desperate, “Then why bother with him, he’s just a kid?”
Ajal’s hand stopped.
“You wanted Tony Stark on his knees, you’ve got him.” The man stared for a long moment, considering, and Tony didn’t dare break eye contact. The other men in the van were quiet, obviously nothing more than lackeys. The driver kept his eyes front.
The creep abruptly spoke rapid Arabic and shoved Peter across the van and into the front corner, against the mesh. Tony had no hope of catching him, even if he had a full range of movement in his limbs, as he was propelled forwards by the guy on his right, landing face first onto Ajal’s crotch area.
Rough hands dug into his upper arms and hauled him a little more upright, though he listed helplessly to the side and humiliation didn’t truly set in until he saw they had Peter propped up against the mesh, arranged to look right at him. Oh god, please don’t let the kid see this.
He was jerked back around to kneel on the floor of the cab, right between Ajal’s knees. Pure denial raced through his head. This couldn’t be happening right now. Shame churned in his gut and he screwed his eyes shut. Peter was never going to look at him the same way after this. Those little slivers of hero-worship Tony glimpsed as they worked on stuff in the lab. The way his eyes would go soft when Tony handed him a mug of cocoa during a late-night movie. The looks that both tore and meshed together his desire to flee the kid’s life, and to stick around to bear witness. These men were going to take that from them, and Tony had no idea how to stop it. He was supposed to be Iron Man, he was supposed to save the kid from seeing shit like this, the vile seedy side of humanity. Though why was he even surprised? It had only been a matter of time before he’d screw things up.
He opened his eyes in grim resignation. Better him than Peter, that much he was certain. Ajal’s hand was in his trousers stroking himself and Tony felt nauseous. The van hummed around him and Tony honed in on the knocking sound from the engine. It’d be something to focus on.
“No.” Peter slurred almost inaudibly, making Tony’s stomach sink.
“Close your eyes,” Tony begged, “It’s okay, kiddo, just close your eyes.”
Peter let out a startled whine and Tony writhed around to try and check on him but between the drugs and the bruising grip on his arm, he didn’t get far.
“Please,” Tony desperately looked up at Ajal, “let him out of here. You can do whatever you want to me, just let him go.” He wasn’t above begging, not for the kid. He still didn’t regret it when his head snapped back from a punch to the face.
The old man leaned forwards and grabbed Tony by a fistful of hair and yanked his head around to Peter. His cheek throbbed.
“I want to see you suffer, Tony Stark.” He spat. Tony’s eyes landed on the growing dark stain on Peter’s thigh. They’d stabbed him, they’d stabbed his kid! The rage filling him was useless though and he’d never felt so powerless. “So the child stays. He can cheer his father on!” Ajal tugged his head back around and breathed close. “Perhaps show us whether sucking cock is genetic, hm? You can show your son how it is done. Is that not what parents do, guide their children?”
Tony knew he was too weak to fight this. They were hopelessly outnumbered and the drugs weren’t wearing off fast enough. Ajal let him go and kept eye contact as he leaned back against the side of the van and unbuttoned his trousers, pulling himself free.
Oh god. Oh god, oh god. His thoughts narrowed to a panic rush of hoping against hope that Peter wasn’t watching this. Wasn’t seeing what a sick and depraved world he lived in. Tony would give anything just to see that innocence last a little longer. He would just have to deal with this and then think of something when they had more to work with, outside this van. He’d get the kid out, even if he died while doing so, that he promised himself.
Ajal stroked himself for a quick moment before he reached forwards to grab Tony’s hair again and tugged him close.
“You bite,” He warned, “I’ll fuck the boy first.” First? That wasn’t much of a consolation, but Tony gave a jerky nod. He just had to buy them some time.
The guy smirked at him and started to shove his head down before he gave a startled shout and yanked his arm sideways as the van lurched to the right, flinging everyone about. Tyres squealed and horns blared as Tony’s eyes flittered around the van to spot the cause. The kid had shot a string of webbing through the mesh to the steering wheel and Tony’s heart stuttered as he watched the kid blindly launch an elbow into the guy’s temple who had been holding him.
The van then crashed into something and Tony was launched from where he’d fallen at the back of the van, through the air. As though in slow motion, a thin arm came around his waist to halt his fall, probably giving him whiplash, and he watched the other men fly past him to hit the mesh divider. Some of them had broken through, though none of them moved. The van had come to a stop.
Tony struggled to stand but his legs were still uncooperative. The rear door opened behind him and he was dragged backwards to fall and hit the asphalt painfully.
“Pete,” Tony gasped out as he rolled over. The kid was laying next to him with his face screwed up in pain. Cars had slowed down on the opposite side of the freeway and others had pulled over but he paid them no mind. He hauled himself up to lean over Peter and put a shaking hand on his cheek. He glanced over him, checking for further injuries and noticed a definite dislocated shoulder, probably from when he’d grabbed Tony and the momentum of the crash. The blood on his thigh wasn’t life threatening, fortunately the assholes hadn’t nicked an artery.
“C’mon kiddo, look at me,” The drug was still weighing his lower body down, but he pushed himself up to go through Peter’s jacket pocket while he kept his eyes trained on the kid’s face. “Underoo’s, Roo,” Tony coaxed and Peter’s eyes opened to let tears run down his temples. “It’s alright, I’m calling FRIDAY now, she’ll get us out of here.”
He fumbled with Peter’s phone but managed to triple click the home button, sending an automatic SOS to FRIDAY. She’d automatically try contacting him whilst sending a suit to Peter’s phone location. Hopefully nobody had taken his phone from the car park. He pulled Peter’s cuffs down over his webshooters. God, the kid had saved them both. His knees are starting to feel painful as the drug was wearing off.
“Mr Stark.” Peter moaned and tried to sit up until Tony placed a hand on his chest.
“Stay down, kid, suit’s on its way.” He reassured him. People were starting to approach, and Tony just prayed this wouldn’t hit the news, that he wouldn’t be recognised. “You were so good,” Tony murmured quietly, leaning over Peter to run a hand through his hair. He vaguely heard orders being given to spectators to keep back.
“Tony.” Came a voice from behind.
Tony gripped Peter’s jacket and spun reflexively with his palm raised. Natasha raised her own hands and quirked a brow.
“You’re okay, it’s us.” She assured him. He lowered his hand and looked around. Sure enough, Steve and Clint were helping police cordon off the section of freeway and escort the traffic past on the outside lane.
“How…?” Tony asked.
“Steve figured you’d never make the kid miss Star Wars.” She sounded breathless as she tugged him back upright. Peter grimaced and whined softly as she pulled him away, so he held on tight to his good hand. “He asked FRIDAY to find where you were, and she noticed you were both showing different locations. We were already on our way when you were on the move.”
He sat and watched dazedly as Natasha wrapped Peter’s leg with the emergency gauze she carried in her suit.
“I asked FRIDAY to send a suit, so it’ll be here any second.” He mumbled.
“Yeah, it might be a good idea to take him back to the tower with that. We only brought two bikes, we were in a bit of a hurry.”
Sure enough, the distinctive whine came from overhead and Tony sighed, his adrenaline crashing. He just wanted to get Peter away from this.
The drugs wore off fairly quickly after they arrived at the tower, FRIDAY piloting the suit for him as he’d held Peter securely in his arms. Tony stood outside a medbay room in a viewing area and watched Bruce clean and dress the stab wound on Peter’s leg as he slept. It had knocked the kid out, the come down mixed with blood loss. Tony however, gripped his upper arms as he crossed them, his trembling hands a testament to stupid decisions and illegal highs when he was younger.
He’d dropped Peter off with Bruce and cleaned his face up in the washroom himself, ignoring the incessantly snide voice in his head that called him out for hiding from the kid. By the time he’d come out, Peter had been asleep, and he’d stayed out in this room, content to watch behind the glass.
Steve walked into the room, shield strapped to his back and jaw tight. Tony spared him a glance.
“Captured the men.” Steve stated. “Only two survived out of the six in the van. They’ll be incarcerated for life.”
Tony snorted softly. No, they saw Peter use his webbing, they won’t see out the week. He just needed to talk to Fury and work out a deal. Shield always needed new tech, he supposed.
“He can’t know they died,” Tony said instead, turning his head to meet Steve’s eyes, “Peter doesn’t need that on his conscience.”
Steve gave him a long look before nodding sharply.
“Six incarcerated.”
Tony went back to watching Peter and waited for Steve to leave. The guy seemed in no hurry though and leant forwards to brace his hands on the windowsill of the viewing glass. Tony watched the knuckles on his hands turn white a few times.
“Steady on there Cap, don’t think that ledge is up to standards.”
“Tony,” Steve began, and his voice held no small amount of unease. Tony’s stomach clenched. “I pulled those guys out of the van.”
“I’m sure you did what you could for them. It was likely inst-“
“One of them…” Steve interrupted him. “Was… he was exposed. What happened in there?” The guy sounded awkward as hell and Tony resolutely kept his eyes on Peter and tracked his chest as it rose and fell steadily.
“Nothing happened.” Tony said, quiet but firm. “The kid made sure of that.”
There was a knock on the door and Steve relented his grip on the windowsill and seemed to settle into himself with a sigh before he called out ‘come in’.
“Hey,” Natasha walked in and Tony gave her a cursory glance. He’d always admired how unruffled she looked after a fight. She stood on Tony’s left and ignored Steve in favour of gesturing to the empty chair next to Peter’s bed. “Why aren’t you in there?”
“His aunt is on her way.” He merely said, careful to keep his tone neutral.
There was a long pause and Tony could feel Steve’s presence on his right, quiet and watchful.
“Give us a minute Steve?” Natasha requested. Steve hesitated for a moment before leaving the room. Natasha was pretty commanding when she wanted to be, Tony mused.
“Hey Nat?” Tony cut her off as she opened her mouth. “I know what you’re going to say, it’s gonna be some shit about how I need to be in there with him, that he’s my responsibility because I dragged him into-“
“Shut up.” His teeth obediently clicked together. “I’m going to tell you that you’re an idiot.”
“Think we all know that I’m a genius, not-“
“You’re going to shut him out. You’re going to distance yourself from him because you believe that’s what’s best for him. You, as far as possible away.” She held his eyes and Tony fought the urge to look away. He couldn’t deny what she was saying.
“He was targeted because of me. They wanted to get to me, and they used him.” He gestured forcefully at the bed through the window and Natasha calmly regarded him as his voice turned bitter. “It was some relatives of my Afghanistan friends back in my hey-day. Their goal was to humiliate me. Send me back to Pepper and you lot without… him.” His voice trailed off as he remembered. They really thought Peter was his. He supposed it wasn’t too much of a stretch if they’d been watching him for a while. They often went out for food, walks around Central Park so Peter could meet dogs, the museum and Tony even went to Peter’s Decathlon championship. He was in the area for that, a total coincidence, despite what Happy and Pepper liked to say between themselves.
“Why didn’t they just kill him when they picked you up?”
“I think they wanted us both somewhere quiet where the leader, Ajal, could go off on his spiel about the past however many years he’s planned to get revenge, yadda yadda, typical speech.”
“I was with Steve. Did anything happen Tony, apart from the stab wound in his thigh?”
“Nothing happened.” He huffed out a frustrated breath. “But it very nearly goddamn did. And you know what? I was useless. Absolutely fucking useless! He’s the one who got us out of there. He crashed the van. Some hero I am.” He muttered.
Natasha turned to watch Peter and Tony did the same. He glanced at his watch and guilt curled in his gut. May would be here very soon.
“The child wanders the tower in your hoody and sweatpants when you’re away on business, did you know?” She said and Tony blinked, wiping his face. “You’ll never not be his hero.”
“Does he really?” Tony murmured, the thought completely disarming him.
“Ask FRIDAY for footage, but yes. Tell me the reason you’re black and blue is not because you did your best to put a target on your face instead of his? Even better, tell me that that asshole we found with his dick out wasn’t gunning for Peter first and you offered yourself instead?”
Her attention was fully on the side of his head and he rolled his eyes in an attempt at nonchalance.
“You got spies everywhere now?”
“No.” She said. “I just know that you love him.” She said it so simply that Tony just stood there and blinked. “Any decent parent would do the same for their kid.”
“I’m not-“ He finally managed.
“Don’t finish that. Or I may be too busy to ensure the prisoners arrive at their containment facility successfully.”
Tony made a vague ‘Hmm’ sound. That would save him the headache of going to Fury.
“Tony, get in there before he wakes up.”
“His aunt’s gonna kill me.” He whispered.
May didn’t kill him, she just pushed him aside to get to Peter who was still lying in bed. He fell back into his seat.
“Shouldn’t he be awake by now?” Her hand cupped the side of his face and she ran her other hand through his curls.
“He lost a lot of blood. Though he should wake any time soon, the doctor said.”
She turned to look at him for the first time and he felt himself tense in the plastic chair.
“What happened?” May’s eyes narrowed. “I saw the news, that was you, right?”
Tony nodded.
“Why the hell am I allowing this?” She shook her head incredulously and stood up straight, looking down on him. He glanced furtively towards the door and she folded her arms.
His mind inexplicably flashed back to when his father had found the mini lab inside his closet, full of things he’d pilfered from Howard’s. He’d known, then, that it’d be taken away. Tony wasn’t allowed things that would make him happy. Not really, genuinely happy.
“You promised me.” May stressed. “You promised you’d keep him safe.”
“I did not say those exact…”
She just glared at him.
“When I allowed him to keep doing this- this Spiderman thing, you said he’d be safe with you!” Her raised voice had his heart rate pick up as he tried to get the words out past the swooping sensation in his stomach. This was it, he’d fucked up and now she’d finally seen sense.
“We were having lunch.” He tried quietly. “It was just lunch. I wasn’t intending on getting into any fights or wild car rides.”
“People have been watching.” May stated. “They’ve noticed him, and now he’s caught up in the shitstorm that is your life.”
Tony clenched his hands in his lap. He couldn’t defend against this. He’d been so stupid, going out places with the kid. Of course someone would have noticed. Selfish. So goddamn selfish.
“I am sorry.” May said, her voice quiet. “I can’t have you in his life any longer.”
Something twisted inside his gut and he hauled himself forwards to grasp his hair and lean his elbows on his knees. She was taking him away and he had no idea what to do other than try to breathe.
She carried on. “I accepted that he’d be at risk, regardless of your input, when he went out as Spiderman. But this happened to Peter. He was with you as a civilian child and he got in the firing line simply by association with you.” She explained it so logically, that Tony still struggled to think of a response beyond ‘please’. “Tony, you have to understand, this is my boy.” Her voice was soft and full of love for Peter.
“He’s mine too.” He breathed out. It was near silent but May must have heard, stood so close to him. She gave a small huff of disbelief.
“You didn’t raise him.” She stated, low and cutting. He kept his head down so she wouldn’t seem him wince. “You weren’t there all those nights he cried after a nightmare. I’m the one who settled him back to sleep, kept a roof over his head and food on the table, especially after we lost Ben. You haven’t always been there.”
“Neither have you, May.”
Tony’s head whipped up fast and to his mortification Peter was wide awake and almost sat up in his bed. How much had he heard? May started towards Peter but the kid held up a hand.
“Please, I’m fine, just listen.”
Peter stared until she took a step back next to Tony who still sat in the uncomfortable plastic chair. He looked exhausted and Tony just wanted to leave this conversation for now. Or, better yet, leave the room and avoid the goodbye.
“I spent years with my mum and dad before living with you and uncle Ben, so technically, you weren’t always there either.”
“Peter,” May’s voice trembled, “You’re my child, no matter how long-“
Peter cut her off.
“And Mr Stark did everything he could for me to keep my childhood today.” Peter’s eyes were watery, and Tony clenched his jaw. He was going to buy Natasha whatever she wanted after she sorted out those guys. “You can’t say that you love me no matter how long I’ve been yours if you can’t see that it applies to him as well.” Peter shrugged and Tony stood up suddenly.
“Pete, it’s okay. Your aunt’s right and I’ll go.” He wouldn’t do this to them. They were a family and Tony was just some intruder getting her kid mixed up in shit that he shouldn’t be. No wonder she was protective and pissed. May’s jaw ticked and he went quietly to the door.
“Mr Stark, please don’t.” Peter said softly. He closed his eyes briefly before turning around to face them with a tense grip around the door handle. May now looked conflicted.
“Sorry Roo, it’s not my place.”
He was stood at a window on the medbay floor a while later when May found him. He’d been watching but not seeing the people bustle past the tower, going about their day. He’d calmed down as he observed them all below, pointedly avoiding the little clusters of families, mostly tourists, who stopped to have their photographs taken next to the famous Avengers Tower.
“I was wrong.”
Tony blinked, confused, and turned to face May. Her eyes looked a little red and she had her hands shoved into her jean pockets in a way that was strongly reminiscent of Peter. She seemed young and uncertain.
“Peter told me what happened today. The full story.” She said and Tony found it surprisingly easy to stay quiet for once in his life. He had no say in any of this. “He told me what they were going to do to him and how you put yourself in harms way to protect him. There’s not many people in his life who would do that, not any more, and I think I forgot that a little while ago.”
“He’s your kid,” Tony shrugged, not liking how lost she looked, “of course you’d be protective of him. Hell, the shit that happened today… that was on me, I’m well aware.”
“Tony, you didn’t make those asshole’s target you. They chose to use Peter-”
“Yeah, well, they did target me. And by extension, Peter. I’ll back off, keep him out of the spotlight and just hope that the damage hasn’t already been done.”
“That’s the problem, I’ve realised it’s too late for that now because I’ve got a boy in that hospital bed damn near in tears because he thinks you’re going to leave.”
Tony shook his head helplessly. “I’m no good for him
