ACCOUNTABILITY
Author's Notes: I've only recently gotten into the Marvel Universe and have watched a few of the movies here and there. But, through reading other fan fictions, I've developed an interest in the relationship between Tony Stark and Peter Parker. I hope I haven't gone too far off character for everyone involved, and I apologize in advance for any errors I have made in describing technology or character. This story assumes that Aunt May knows Peter is Spiderman and takes place sometime between Spiderman Homecoming and Avengers: Infinity War.
My writing muse has been absent for a while, and I haven't decided yet if this will be a one-shot or a continuing story. It all depends on whether my muse sticks around and if I get more ideas.
Summary: After a dangerous encounter with enhanced humans, Tony Stark decides someone needs to hold Spiderman accountable for his actions. Warning: contains disciplinary spanking of a teenager by a father figure/mentor. If that isn't your thing, please move on. Flames will be used to warm my cold hands before being deleted.
"Sir?"
"What is it now?" Tony Stark demanded grumpily, barely taking his attention away from the minute repair he was making to one of the miniature arc reactors that powered his latest Iron Man suit. FRIDAY hesitated only a second before continuing, "Karen has informed me that Spiderman is currently experiencing difficulty." That caught Tony's attention. "Video," he said curtly.
Watching the live feed, Tony immediately got to his feet and activated his suit. As the nanotech formed around him, he stepped toward the balcony outside his lab. "What have you gotten yourself into this time, kid?" he mused aloud.
It took only moments for Iron Man to arrive at the location of the ensuing battle. Quickly scanning the scene, he took in the devastation below - cars were overturned, a fire hydrant was spraying water high into the air, and at least one building lay in rubble. HIs attention was caught by the two figures dressed in black leather. What are they supposed to be, he mused briefly, wannabe bikers? His musing was cut short when he saw one of them shoot a blast of what appeared to be air from their hands. Following the path of the blast with his eyes, he watched as it caught Spiderman in mid-swing, sending him tumbling head over heels in mid-air. Tony's heart stopped as he watched a blast of what appeared to be sonic energy coming from another the other black-clad villan catch the teenager in mid tumble, sending him off in another direction.
"Karen, talk to me," Iron Man demanded, holding his breath, waiting for the spiderling to shoot a stream of webbing toward the nearest structure and arrest his free fall. It took only seconds for him to realize that wasn't going to happen. He didn't need Karen's confirmation to know that Spiderman was unconscious.
Iron Man sped toward the falling teen. "Come on, damn it," he chanted under his breath, urging his suit on to greater speed. The image of Rhodey plummeting to Earth after being hit with a laser blast played over and over in his head. This couldn't be happening again. He wouldn't let it happen again. Tony mentally urged his suit to move faster, terrified that he would be too late.
It seemed like time slowed before Iron Man managed to scoop a still unconscious Spiderman out of the air a mere ten feet from the ground. Making the split second decision to protect the young superhero rather than pursue the bad guys, he instructed FRIDAY to notify the remaining Avengers of the trouble, he sped off toward HQ, cradling the teenager in his arms.
Three days later . . .
Tony's POV
I sat in my car outside the Queens apartment building where Peter and his Aunt May lived., my mind wandering back to the incident with the enhanced humans. The doctors at Avengers HQ had decided the sonic wave had overwhelmed Peter's senses, causing his brain to overload and shut down. They'd said there would be no lasting effects once he got over the massive headache he'd awaked with, but I wasn't so sure. I hadn't been able to get the image of Spiderman plummeting toward the Earth out of my mind.
I don't know exactly when it had happened or how, but Peter Parker had somehow become more than merely a protege to me. We'd gotten into a habit of the boy spending a weekend a month with me. We'd usually do some training and work in my lab. I'd also laid down some ground rules - one of which was that he didn't go after anything more dangerous than your typical petty criminal on his own. He'd broken that rule and had nearly gotten his idiotic self killed. I couldn't just let that go.
After the kid had been released from the med bay, I'd driven him home. He was in no condition to make his way there as Spiderman, and I'd had a few things I'd wanted to say about him risking his life. The last thing I'd said to him before he'd exited my car at his apartment building's front door was that we would be discussing his actions further this weekend. The tone of my voice left no doubt in Peter's mind that he was in trouble. I just didn't tell him that I had no idea at that time what I was going to do about it. He'd shown that me lecturing him until I was blue in the face or taking his Spiderman suit wouldn't work. I needed to do something that would drive the lesson home.
Sighing, I checked my watch my watch as I made my way into the building. Peter was due home from school in half an hour. That should give me just enough time to talk to May about what I had planned for Peter. I wasn't sure she would approve, and I didn't want to do it without her consent. Plus, I needed to let her know what had happened. I'd told the kid to tell her, but somehow I doubt he actually did it.
"Mr. Stark," May greeted me as she usually did - civilly with an edge of ice. I know she really doesn't trust me, but she knows it's in Peter's best interest for me to be in his life. After all, what does she know about being a superhero? She's just not equipped to handle everything that entailed - and that was one of the reasons I'd asked to talk to her before Peter and I left for our weekend.
"Please, call me Tony," I responded, yet again. We went through this every time I saw her. I wondered if she'd ever feel comfortable enough to call me by my first name.
We attempted to make small talk for a few minutes until May finally asked, "What did you want to talk to me about, Mr. Stark? What has Peter done?"
"What makes you think he's done something?" I responded a bit too glibly. She raised an eyebrow and just gave me a hard look. I imagined it worked well on Peter, since it had me squirming in my seat.
"Did the kid tell you what happened Tuesday night?" I asked and groaned aloud when she shook her head no. I watched her face as I told her what I had learned from watching the video footage Karen had recorded and what had happened from the moment I'd shown up on the scene. Her expression cycled from shock to fear to anger - feelings I knew all too well.
"Something has to be done to curb Peter's tendency to jump in over his head without thinking," I stated, hoping his aunt would agree.
"But what can I do?" she asked as she started pacing the room. "He's basically a good kid." She gave a short laugh. "I barely have to deal with the typical teenage stuff. I mean, I can't remember the last time I had to punish him for anything serious."
I waited until she passed by me and grabbed her hand, stopping her in her tracks. "Sit, please." I waited until she'd taken the seat in the armchair next to where I sat on the couch. "I have a suggestion, but you might not like it. I want to deal with what happened on Tuesday and take over his discipline for Spiderman. I know talking to him or grounding him isn't going to do any good. Spiderman is too much a part of who Peter is, and he's going to do it regardless of what you or I say."
May nodded for me to continue. "Exactly what are you proposing to do, then?"
"I plan to tan his hide. With your permission of course," I hurried to add. I held my breath, waiting for her reaction. For some odd reason, what she thought about my plan actually mattered to me. That was a new feeling, as I'd long ago overcome the needed to have the approval of others.
"You want to spank Peter?" She asked a bit incredulously. "Don't you think he's a little old for that?"
"Actually, no, I don't," I replied. "Look," I said, leaning back into my seat. I hope I came across as confident in what I was saying, because I certainly didn't feel that way. "If you have a better option, I'm all for listening to it. If we don't nip Peter's tendency to go off half cocked, he's going to end up seriously hurt or dead." I paused a moment to let that sink in. I'm sure May had already figured that out for herself, but I wanted to drive the point home. "So, something drastic has to be done to make him stop and think. I'm not proposing to take over every aspect of his life," I quickly added. "I just want to have more flexibility to mentor him as Spiderman - including discipling him as needed."
The silence in the room was definitely awkward at this point. I was afraid I was going to have to play my last card - threatening to end my role as Spiderman's mentor if I didn't get my way. I was about to open my mouth to say that when May nodded.
"Okay," she said reluctantly. I sighed in relief - seems like I'd been doing that a lot lately. I started to say something more, but the sound of a key turning in the lock brought both my and May's attention to the front door just as Peter walked in.
I smirked at the surprise on his face when he spotted me. Normally, either Happy or I would pick Peter up on Saturday morning for our weekend together.
"M-Mr. Stark, what are you doing here?"
"You and I are due for a discussion, Underoos," I said, studying the kid's body language. I could tell the second he realized what I was talking about. "Yes, she knows," I answered his unasked question as I nodded toward his aunt.
"I can't believe you would do something like that," May said, coming to her feet to stand in front of Peter. "What were you thinking?"
"I, um," Peter stammered, looking between me and his aunt.
"I'd like to hear the answer to that as well," I commented, not moving from my seat on the couch. I almost felt sorry for the kid, being under the magnifying glass with both May and me. "Is that all you've got to say for yourself?" I snapped when he remained silent.
"No," he said, shaking his head. "I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking."
"You weren't thinking?" Aunt May said sharply. "You could have been killed." She threw her hands up and started pacing the room. "Peter, I don't understand you sometimes. I know you feel like you have to be Spiderman and help people, but you are fifteen years old. You have no business putting yourself in that kind of danger." Her voice rose with each word. May turned and pace away from him, trying to control her temper. Once she had calmed down some, she turned back.
"I don't know what I'm going to do with you, Peter. If it were up to me, you would no longer be Spiderman."
The color drained from his face. "Aunt May, please. You can't take Spiderman away from me. It's part of me. I have to help."
"How are you going to help if you get yourself seriously hurt or killed, kid?" I asked sternly. "If I hadn't gotten there in time, that's exactly what would have happened on Tuesday." I came to my feet and moved to stand beside Peter. "Sit," I said, giving him a slight push toward the couch I'd just vacated. Once he was seated, I continued. "Your aunt and I have made a decision about your activities as Spiderman. You're going to be answering to me beginning right now. I'm going to hold you accountable for your actions." It was clear Peter thought the discussion was over or that I'd be going lightly on him. "This discussion is far from over, kid," I said, my voice hard - probably harder than he'd ever heard it. "We're just tabling it from now. You have I have a long, serious talk coming up."
I turned to May, silently asking for her consent and back up. I was relieved when she stepped forward. "I'm in complete agreement with Mr. Stark on this." I nearly laughed at the panicked look that passed over Peter's face. It lasted only seconds, but it was clear the seriousness of his situation was finally dawning on him.
"But," I didn't know what Peter was planning to say, but I cut him off. "But, nothing. Now, go get your stuff together. We're leaving soon. You got homework?" He nodded. "Bring it with you, you'll have time to work on it this weekend."
An hour later we pulled into the parking garage beneath the Avengers tower. Our trip from Queens had been mostly silent. I don't know what had been going through Peter's mind, but mine was on what I was going to say and do with the spiderling. This mentor/parental role was whole new territory for me. I glanced over at the kid. He was staring at his hands. I reached over and put my hand on his knee, drawing his attention to me.
I didn't know what to say to him. Hell, I'm Tony Stark - always ready with a sarcastic comment for every occasion. "Peter," I said simply. As soon as I said it, it dawned on me that that may have been the first time I'd ever called the kid by his name. I swallowed hard, trying to gain some moisture in my suddenly dry mouth. He turned to look at me, the fear in his eyes sent a knife through my heart. The kid was afraid of me.
"It's going to be okay," I said, hoping I sounded more confident than I felt. "I promise. You screwed up, Peter." I decided to lay it all out in the open without pulling any punches. "You knew the rules, and you ignored them. So, you have to face the consequences for your actions. That's how it's going to be. But, once it's over, it's over. You will be forgiven." Peter nodded.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Stark," he said in a small voice, still not looking up from his hands.
"I know you are, kid. But, you still have to be held accountable for your actions." I hesitated a moment then ordered, "Look at me." I waited until his eyes met mine. "What's going through your head?"
Peter shrugged. I gave him a hard stare for a moment and he just looked away. I sighed again. Lord, I really am turning into a damn teenage girl. "Alright, kiddo. Let's get on with it, then." I turned off the car's ignition and unfastened my seatbelt. "Take your stuff to your room, then go to my office. I expect you there in fifteen minutes. Take my advice and don't make me have to come looking for you," I warned sternly. I left the part about not liking the consequences unsaid. He's a smart kid, he could figure that part out for himself. As Peter started to get out of the car, I stopped him. "I suggest you think about what you did and why you did it. I'm going to expect answers from you, and a shrug isn't going to cut it." He nodded his understanding and climbed out of the car. I watched as he walked toward the private elevator to my quarters, his shoulders slumped and his feet dragging. I felt like a son of a bitch knowing I was the cause of it, but I also knew that if I didn't do something now Spiderman would end up getting himself seriously injured or killed. That couldn't happen, for his sake and my mental health.
Ten minutes later I was sitting at my desk, pretending to review my SI emails. I was watching the clock, mentally urging Peter to show up on time. It was going to be hard enough to punish him for his exploits on Tuesday without having to add to it.
A knock sounded on my office door. "Enter," I ordered curtly. I glanced at the clock on my computer monitor. Assuming it was Peter, he'd made it with 30 seconds to spare. I watched out of the corner of my eye as the door opened and the kid walked in. "Cutting it pretty close, aren't you?" I asked, only then looking up from my computer.
"Yes, sir," he answered quietly. The uncertainty in his voice cut me to the quick, especially since I knew I was the one who caused it.
"Close the door and take a seat," I ordered, pointing to one of the leather visitors' chairs in front of my desk. I moved around to the front of the desk, sitting on the edge with my legs stretched out in front of me and crossed at the ankles and my arms crossed over my chest. I'd hoped the more casual stance would help the kid relax some. It was one thing for the kid to be nervous, which he should be. But, it was quite another for him to be too scared to converse with me. That wouldn't help anything.
I waited until he was seated before asking, "Do you remember when we talked about your role as Spiderman and the importance of your safety?" Now was not the time for small talk.
He nodded in response.
"I want to hear your answer."
"Yes," he replied quietly.
"And what did I tell you then, Peter?" I could tell the use of his given name rather than one of my nicknames for him startled him. Good, I thought, maybe that would help drive home the seriousness of the matter. The silence in the room was thick as Peter studied the floor. "Well?" I demanded.
Peter shrugged.
"I told you earlier that a shrug is not an acceptable answer. Look at me, Peter." I waited until his eyes met mine. "What did I tell you about your role as Spiderman and the importance of your safety?" I repeated my question, my voice taking on a sterner edge.
"I was to stick to being a friendly neighborhood Spiderman and not do anything to put myself in danger," he finally responded. "And if I ran into something involving enhanced humans, alien tech, or anything more serious than a petty criminal I was to contact you immediately."
"And why is that?"
I almost smirked when I saw him stop himself from shrugging in response. "My safety is more important than stopping the bad guys," he responded, quoting my exact words back to me. So, the kid did listen after all. That, at least, made me feel slightly better.
I nodded to show I accepted his answer. "So, why did you go after the slabs on your own?" I saw his lips twitch slightly at the Doctor Who reference, glad to see he hadn't lost his sense of humor in the seriousness of the situation.
"I . . . um . . . I don't know?" His statement was more of a question.
"I don't know isn't an answer, Mr. Parker. I gave you plenty of time to consider the question. Now, I'd like to hear what you have to say."
Peter looked at me, tears forming in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Mr. Stark. I didn't realize they were enhanced when I first arrived. Once I realized they were, I thought I could handle them without any help. Karen offered to contact you, but I told her not to do it," he confessed, looking down at his hands again.
The image of Spiderman, unconscious and plunging toward the ground, flashed into my mind. "And how did that work out for you?" I asked sarcastically.
"Not well."
I gave a short bark of laughter. "Not well? That's quite an understatement. When I got there, you had been knocked unconscious and were falling out of the air. Do you have any idea what could - no, what would - have happened if I'd been just a few seconds later? As it was, I was almost too late." My voice rose with each word, and I was yelling by the end. I scrubbed my hands over my face in an effort to regain control. I started to tell him to talk to Rhodes some time about what can happen when you plummet to Earth, but I thought better of it. That would put Rhodey in an uncomfortable position of having to answer questions about an event that irrevocably changed his life, and not for the better. He and I had never actually talked about it, and I didn't know if it was something he'd want to discuss with the kid. "You came within seconds of being seriously injured or killed," I said more calmly. "That can't happen again."
Peter nodded. "I understand." He was back to studying the floor boards.
"I don't think you really do, Peter. What you did is serious and something like that can never happen again." I straightened and moved to stand directly in front of him. "I'm going to make damn sure you think the next time."
He looked up at me and swallowed hard. I think the seriousness of the situation was finally starting to dawn on him. "What are you going to do."
I reached down, grasped him by the upper arm, and drew him to his feet. I started toward the sofa in the sitting area at the far side of my office, pulling Peter behind me. "I'm going to tan your hide," I responded.
"No, you can't do that," Peter said. He dug in his heels and struggling to break my grip on his arm. With his increased strength, he almost succeeded, but I managed to get him to the sofa without slowing or breaking my stride.
"I can and I will," I said as I sat down and pulled him to stand between my legs. "Lectures and grounding you obviously haven't worked. You've proven taking your suit isn't an option either. You'll just go out without its protection. Your Aunt May agrees with me. From now on, you answer to me for your actions as Spiderman. If, like now, your offense is serious I will spank you. Now, unfasten your jeans."
I intended to let him keep his dignity by leaving his underwear in place, but I didn't want the thick denim fabric of his blue jeans to act as a cushion between his ass and my hand. I knew Peter had increased healing capabilities, but I also knew those capabilities didn't stop him from feeling pain. I'd never spanked anyone before - not even for fun - so I knew I'd have to figure out what I was doing as I went along and didn't want to cause any more damage beyond a reddened backside.
"No, please, Mr. Stark," Peter begged, trying again to pull out of my grasp.
"Peter, this is going to happen one way or another. If you fight me, you'll only make it harder on yourself. Now, do as you were told."
Tears were already forming in Peter's eyes as he reached down with his free hand to unfasten the button on his jeans. Seeing he was going to comply with my direction, I released his other arm to make it easier on him. After his jeans were unfastened, I grasped him by the wrist and directed him over my lap.
"Please, Mr. Stark," the kid tried again. "Don't do this. I'm sorry. It won't ever happen again."
"I know you're sorry, Underoos," I said gently. "But, this spanking isn't just about punishing you for what you did. It's also to help make you think the next time you are in the same situation. Because if I have to do this again, it's going to be a hell of a lot worse." Since I was satisfied the kid was in a good position with his upper body on the sofa and his backside at a good angle over my knee, I grasped the waistband of his jeans and pulled them down to his knees. I smiled slightly at the groan that escaped Peter's lips.
I took a deep breath and steeled myself for what I was about to do. I'd been on the receiving end of more than my share of spankings as a kid and couldn't help but wonder how my parents had been able to do it. I was ready to call the whole thing off. But, the image of Spiderman falling, unconscious, to Earth flashed into my mind, and I brought my hand down hard on the middle of Peter's backside.
Peter jerked at the impact of my hand and let out a gasp. I experimented with the strength behind my swats and the timing until I found the right combination. By that time, Peter was crying and struggling to avoid my hand. "Quit kicking," I ordered, landing a few hard swats to the tops of his thighs. I caught the hand he brought back to try to protect his reddening ass and held it at the small of his back. I continued to swat him until his cries became sobs and he'd slumped over my lap in surrender.
"We're almost finished," I said and cringed when Peter simply whimpered. I could feel the heat of his reddened backside through this underwear and knew he must be hurting pretty badly. I felt guilty at being the cause of his pain. But, forced myself to continue. "You do not put yourself in unnecessary danger." I punctuated each word with a hard swat to the tender junction where thigh joined buttocks. "You do not face enhanced humans on your own." Again, each word was punctuated with a swat. "And, you do not tell Karen not to contact me when you need help." The last swat fell. "Do you understand?" I demanded, my hand resting on his backside. When Peter didn't respond, I swatted him again. "I asked you a question, Mr. Parker. I expect an answer."
"Yes." He was sobbing so hard, I almost didn't understand him.
"Yes, what?" I questioned.
"Yes, sir," he responded a little more clearly. It wasn't exactly the response I was after, but I chose to accept it.
"Good boy. We're done." I smiled slightly at Peter's sigh of relief. I rubbed his back gently while he composed himself. When he was ready, I helped him come to his feet and looked away as he pulled his jeans back into place. I couldn't help but hear the gasp of pain when the rough fabric rubbed across his sore backside. I'd made sure he would be feeling this spanking for a while, although I was sure he'd be completely healed by morning.
I stood and opened my arms wide. That was all the invitation Peter needed. He threw himself against me and wrapped his arms around my back. I pulled him close and rested my cheek on the top of my head. It dawned on me how natural this felt. Normally, I wasn't one for physical displays of affection. Other than Pepper, I couldn't think of anyone else I'd hugged in the last ten years. We stayed that way for several minutes as Peter soaked my shirt with his tears.
Once he'd regained control, he pulled away. "You okay," I asked gently as I tousled his hair.
"Yeah," he said somewhat reluctantly, grinning sheepishly.
I pointed to the sofa, indicating I wanted him to sit. I suppressed the urge to smirk when he winced as his backside made contact with the rich leather of the seat. I sat beside him and draped an arm around his shoulders, pulling us into a slump against the backrest. We sat that way for several minutes before I said, "Underoos, I'm proud of you." He looked at me quizzically. "You are a good person, and I love the way you want to help others. But," I said, pausing for emphasis, "you can't continue to take risks with your safety. If you get seriously injured or killed, who is going to step into your role as the friendly neighborhood Spiderman?" Again, I paused. "And, what do you think that would do to your Aunt May . . . and to me?"
"I'm sorry, Mr. Stark," Peter said quietly. "I won't do it again."
"Tony," I corrected. "I think we've reached a first name basis now, don't you?" I grinned as I gave him a nudge. Turning serious again, I continued, "I don't ever want to have to do that again, Peter. But, I will if I have to," I felt my words from earlier beared repeating.
"Me, neither," he said. I couldn't help myself and laughed at the little boy quality to his voice.
"Just so you know, kid, you are completely forgiven. You've accepted your punishment, and we won't speak of this again." I felt him nod against my shoulder. I straightened and came to his feet. "Now, I suggest you go to your room and work on your homework until dinner's ready." I headed toward the door, intending to go to the kitchen to start our meal. I was relieved that it was over and we seemed to be back to our old, easy relationship - at least until the next time the kid screwed up. I knew better than to hope this would be a one time thing.
Author's Note: The Doctor Who reference is to the Third Season (NuWho) episode Smith and Jones. The black leather clad slabs were what I pictured in my mind when developing the idea for the enhanced humans.