Author's Note: Hey guys! Amazingly managed to post sooner for once ha. Enjoy the little bit of drama in this chapter and top secret news... Steve is on his way! But it's our secret ;)
It had been nearly two months since Peter and Tony had had their heart to heart, and Peter's behaviour seemed to have improved drastically following this admission. Tony had made a marked effort to be around more and also to keep the teen in the loop if he did need to go away, staying in touch and making sure the kid stuck to the rules they used.
Overall, things were great as far as Peter was concerned. Tony was like a mix between a Dad, cool uncle and older brother. He'd taught the teen how to do loads of cool stuff and had even promised to teach him how to drive when he turned 16, provided Aunt May agreed. He could be pretty strict when Peter screwed up, which really sucked, but Peter believed it really was just because he cared about him. Caring about him made Tony protective though, and Peter was finally learning to try and listen to him and do things safely and not just take risks for nothing.
That was why, when Tony asked him to come on a mission with the remaining Avengers, Peter was delighted. Another mission? Together? Awesome! It was rare for him to go on a big mission but he had a go-bag stashed under his bed in the vain hope Mr. Stark would need his help.
It would have been better if it was the entire group of Avengers, in Peter's opinion, merely because that would have been so much cooler (and he would have felt like an Avenger), but what could he do? Half of the team were now fugitives, after all. At least it was with Natasha and Rhodey, Peter figured. Tony had told him that Natasha had settled things with the government, even though she'd helped Steve and Bucky escape, as she had signed the Accords in the first place. Rhodey and Vision were also always available to go on missions, but it had been decided that this time, Vision would stay back at base just in case. Having War Machine, Iron Man, Black Widow, and Spider-Man handle the mission was more than enough, Peter had been told, much to his delight.
He was also shocked to learn that his mentor had called the school and told them he was being taken to a conference with Stark Industries and would be missing a week of class. This was awesome! Even Aunt May had given the nod of approval, on one condition: Peter took the work he was missing with him to do as homework so he didn't fall behind again. Peter wasn't sure what was worse, the fact she'd made the request, or the fact Mr. Stark had already collected the work from the school office before she asked.
Peter wanted to pout and complain, but he'd been so overwhelmed with excitement that he'd let that one slide. It was now two days later and they were putting final plans in place to stop a terrorist cell who had managed to get their hands on foreign materials and were making weapons of mass destruction with them. Mr. Stark thought the technology was from the attack on New York when Peter had just been a kid.
At the moment, Tony was lecturing Peter about making sure to get his work done, which Peter didn't appreciate so much. "Thankfully it's a not a busy time during the school year, so you're not missing too much, but we both know what'll happen if you don't finish it, right, kid?" The raised eyebrow clearly made his point.
Peter nodded, barely listening to Tony as he rummaged through his bag, trying to find his earphones for his phone. Tony placed a hand on his arm, making him stop in the process of digging through his bag. "Yeah, Mr. Stark, I get it." Peter sighed, finally making eye contact with Tony. "Get all my work done, don't forget about how important school is. I understand."
Tony gave him a look for his slightly unnecessarily impudent tone, saying, "Me taking you on this mission is a privilege, kid, keep that in mind."
"Of course, Mr. Stark." Peter was more genuine this time, nodding quickly, knowing that it really was a privilege. Tony could've chosen not to take him, after all. He felt a bright flash of excitement and he grinned at the older man. "I'll make you proud, Mr. Stark. Promise." And he meant it, because no matter what, he really was going to make Tony proud.
Tony nodded wearily, running a hand through his hair. Pulling out a pair of sunglasses and placing them on his face, he said, "Alright, kid, I know you will. Just don't do anything stupid, please. For both of our sakes."
"Me, stupid?" Peter echoed nonchalantly, successfully managing to pull out his earphones. "Of course not, Mr. Stark!"
"You're going to do exactly as I say." Tony pointed at him sternly. "No doing anything unnecessary."
"I won't," Peter promised, plugging his earphones into his phone. "I'm Spider-Man, Mr. Stark! I can handle this!"
"I know you can," Tony said levelly, shooting another look at Peter. "That's exactly why I'm talking to you about this and taking you on this mission in the first place. You follow all the orders I give you, you understand me? May will kill me if you're not back home in one piece."
"Yeah, okay." Peter sighed. "I'm not a little kid, Mr. Stark. I know what I'm doing, I know what this mission is about. I'm just there to get a bit of experience and work alongside you, like you said."
"Good." Tony let out a breath he had clearly been holding, as if he had been waiting for an argument from Peter. "Don't do anything I would do, and definitely don't do anything I wouldn't do. There's a little grey area, and that's where you operate. Alright?"
"Yes, Mr. Stark, Sir, of course, Sir!" Peter said cheekily, causing Tony to roll his eyes.
"Don't make me regret this, kid."
True to his word, Peter knuckled down to his work and got the majority of it done before their scheduled attack on the terrorist base.
As they suited up, Tony turned to Peter. "Alright, kid, remember… follow the plan. No heroics. Wait for the signal to go in."
"I know, I know… we don't have to talk about this again," Peter insisted, swinging up and out so they could get on with the mission and not go over the rules again. Really, Mr. Stark was such a mother hen sometimes!
Tony watched him go as he sighed, feeling frustrated. He had a bad feeling about this. Why had he thought it a good idea to bring the teen with him? Peter was always keen to prove himself and it usually ended in tears and argument. He shook his head and followed the kid, waiting for the others to move on motorbikes over the rough terrain.
They arrived at the cell's base not long after, with Nat leading the op to try and secure a "deal" so they could infiltrate and get to the head of the group. Peter was to stay back and swing in later to web individuals up and reduce firepower. Tony would destroy their weapons and Rhodey planned to target their tires so they couldn't flee.
Peter stayed back, just as Tony had told him to a million times, watching at a close distance. He really hadn't been planning on doing anything stupid — he knew that Mr. Stark would not be impressed. At all. But watching the terrorists linger outside, he knew that if he didn't jump in now, he would never get the chance to do it later.
So, leaning forward a little, he whispered, "Hey, Karen. What are the chances of me getting caught by those bad guys if I go down?"
"Judging from the distance, the chance of you getting caught is highly possible."
"Right." Peter huffed; of course it wouldn't be that easy. "Bet it was Mr. Stark, somehow finding a way to put me in the spot where he knows I wouldn't be able to do much."
"You are correct."
Peter inhaled. "I'm sorry, what?" he asked sharply.
"Sir is extremely protective of you," Karen told him easily. "It does not surprise me that he plans to keep you out of this as much as possible."
Peter let out a small groan. "I'm not a little kid!" he huffed indignantly. "I could even handle this myself." Rolling his eyes, he said, "Hey, Karen. What else can you tell me about Mr. Stark's plans?" He wouldn't put it past the man to plan something else without telling him to keep him out of harm's way.
"Would you like me to confirm your question with Sir?"
"No! No, God, no." Peter shook his head rapidly. "I'm okay, thank you, Karen." He noticed that one of the men had come closer to him, and a thought hit him. Really, it didn't sound that bad — he was close to this man; it would make sense for him to take him out, right? And besides, he could probably web up the other guys too before any of them noticed. With a grin, he aimed and shot at the man, effectively wrapping him up before swinging towards the others.
Everything was going to plan, and he was feeling smug. He'd managed to web a few guys up, even putting a few down for a nap until they could be rounded up by his teammates. The trouble with his plan going so well was that Tony, Nat and Rhodey hadn't yet noticed what he was up too and he'd grown complacent in his success.
He failed to notice a canvas covered truck appear from his far right and was taken by surprise when a bullet scraped his arm and ripped his suit, leaving a deep gash in its wake and causing him to fall to the ground. "Ahh! Oww! Jeez, this is new!" he complained, grimacing at the fiery sensation in his bicep. The suit stuck to him uncomfortably and it took a moment for him to recognise the warm, sticky sensation of blood oozing from his arm in a steady stream. Ugh, Mr. Stark was gonna kill him.
Peter forced himself up, blinking against the glare of the sun, and tried to focus on the convoy making its way towards him. He lifted his arm to shoot his webs, letting out a yelp and dropping it again before raising his good arm. He managed to stop the truck with his webs, but was unable to slow the dozen guards that ran at him at once. With both hands he could have but his right arm was throbbing.
Across the plain they were in, Tony gave the signal for Natasha to move in, oblivious to what Peter was up to out of their line of sight. Friday broke his concentration a moment later, sounding surprisingly worried. "Sir, Karen has informed me that Mr. Parker's heart rate has spiked dramatically in the last minute."
"It's probably adrenaline, this his first mission…" Tony reminded the AI absent mindedly.
The eye roll was practically visible in Friday's tone. "Well yes, it is. However, Sir, the adrenaline is not excitement. Mr. Parker has been shot by members of the cell group and is now amidst them unable to use both hands."
"What the hell? Where is he?" Tony barked, jetting from his location to scan the surrounding area and try to determine shade areas where Peter could be obscured from view.
"My diagnosis shows that…"
Tony tuned the AI out, already having blasted off towards the location she rattled out. Cursing the kid, he urged himself to go faster. God knew what was happening to the teen. "I am going to kick that kid's ass when I get him back," he muttered to himself, feeling a flash of relief when he saw that he was nearing the location.
He finally reached a high vantage point and increased his acceleration. He managed to ask Friday to inform Rhodey and Nat what was going on, then turned his attention to the convoy van driving into what looked like some sort of fortified hideout in a rocky outcrop across the plain. For a moment, his skin tingled and he felt an all too familiar fear make his heart beat a little faster. This base looked similar to the place he'd been taken after the car bombing years before. Shit. He hoped they weren't about to do similar to his protege. If it weren't for his suit, he would've rubbed his face with his hands. Instead, he ordered Friday to scan for Peter before blasting off.
Peter winced when the guards roughly grabbed him by the arms, pressing on his injury as they dragged him from the van and shoved him onto his knees. "Ow!" he complained. "C'mon, guys, seriously? No need to be so—"
"Shut up," one of the guards snarled, hitting his shoulder with the back of his gun. "Or I'll shoot you."
Peter tried to hide his flinch, clenching his fists. Instead, he scoffed, "You wouldn't even be able to lift your gun before I—"
"Not when you're like this." The guard gestured towards Peter, who strained against the grip of the guards who were holding him firmly.
"And not without these." Another guard ripped off his web shooters, dropping them on the ground and crushing them with his feet. "Take his mask off."
"No, wait—" Peter yelped, struggling to break free, but the mask was easily ripped off of his head, leaving him gasping in slightly desperation.
"Oh, what? Seriously? He's just a kid." The guard who had hit him with the butt of his gun rolled his eyes. "Well, that makes things easier for us."
Peter felt a flash of indignance and he opened his mouth to let the threats spill, but before he could, the guard slapped his face with a scoff. "You shut the hell up, kid," he snarled, "and wait patiently like a good little child." He punched Peter again for good measure.
Peter spat blood from his mouth, wanting to throw up at the metallic taste now in his mouth. He was sure he was going to have a black eye after this, and holy crap, he was still bleeding. Well, things had definitely not gone as planned.
Tony was going to kill him. Then May was going to bring him back from the dead and kill him again. Of course, he would have to lie to her and say that he'd just gotten into a fight since she couldn't know that he was Spider-Man, but he knew that wouldn't make Tony look good. Especially since the man was supposed to be supervising him. It wasn't his fault, though, Peter thought wearily. This was his own fault; if Peter hadn't done this, this entire thing would've been over already.
"Hey, kid, did you hear me?" A hand roughly shook his shoulder, causing him to blink rapidly as he tried to regain his senses. "I told you to get the hell up." When Peter just stared at him — because did this guy seriously think that Peter would actually obey? — he rolled his eyes and snapped at the other guards, "Tie him up. We'll take him; he might be handy to use."
Peter's heart started racing again when two guards easily yanked him up, wrenching his arms behind him. He struggled, desperate to get away, but he knew that he certainly didn't have the upper hand in his current situation. Not when he was injured and up against twelve massive guards without his web shooters.
Tony had been searching this Godforsaken compound for an entrance for hours. He hated this. He hated that Peter was stuck in there, no doubt hurt and aching and confused. Even now, the billionaire could see the pained confusion in his eyes and the way he'd trip over his words and no doubt make this situation worse for himself.
Letting out a growl, Iron Man turned on his heel and jetting back to his teammates. "Damn it! I got nothing. That place would be locked up like that even if a bomb hit it. How did they even manage to get him anyway?" He ranted with worry thick in his voice. His hazel eyes took on a dark glint as he continued to say every single thing he was thinking. "I swear to God, if they hurt him I will kill every one of those sons of bitches. Slowly and painfully. I—"
Tony was cut off by a message from Friday. "Uh, Sir? Incoming call."
"Not now, Friday. We need to get Peter back," the billionaire ground out.
Rhodey interrupted this time. "Hey, Tony, I think you'll want to see it…"
Tony turned back to glare at him. "What the hell are you talking about?"
Rhodey pointed at the iPad in his hand, face grim. "This," he said simply, holding it out.
Tony accepted it with dread, his chest tightening painfully when he was the video feed with Peter being beaten up. By the time he'd watched and heard the message from the cell's ringleader, the iPad screen was cracked from how hard he'd be squeezing it. "We're going in for the kid."
Peter groaned as he heard the door to the room he was being held in being opened, the hinges of the lock creaking in protest. He seemed to be in some kind of old mining facility from what he'd seen, although that hadn't been much. His head had either been covered or he'd been being punched or slapped. Thankfully they hadn't resorted to hardcore torture techniques because of his age, but this whole experience had been terrifying for the fifteen-year-old. Please, God, not another round. The blood on his lip was still drying from a slap that had been hard enough to leave his ears ringing and him biting his lip to keep from yelling. He knew his spidey senses would heal his injuries faster than most, but it still hurt right now.
"Please, not yet. I need water…" he pleaded wearily.
"Relax, Pete, you're safe," a familiar voice whispered as quick hands started to get him out of his bindings. "I'll get you water. Do you think you can walk yourself?"
Peter creaked his eyes open with difficulty, surprised and relieved enough to cry when he spotted Rhodey. They'd come for him. He hadn't thought they'd be able to find him. He stood on shaky feet and managed to walk but he was painfully slow, exhausted from the stress of the past few hours. He didn't even manage a protest as he was slung over War Machine's shoulder until they got out. "I'll get you water as soon as we're out of here, okay? We gotta move fast."
"Where's Tony?" he asked when they were safely out of captivity.
"He had a job to finish," Rhodey explained, glancing out the window of their jeep in time to see the compound going up in flames, an explosion from within rocking it to its core; the minute it took before Iron Man flew out and away at top speed made Peter's heart hammer in his chest.
He surprised Rhodey by laying his head on the older man's shoulder wearily and blinking away tears, barely even managing to say hi or thanks to Natasha who was driving. He managed to accept a bottle of water from Rhodey but didn't manage to drink much. He just wanted to stay here and not think or do anything for as long as he could. The drive back to the safety of their base was silent.
Peter knew he was in for it.
Currently, he was lying in bed, injuries attended to. Thankfully, they weren't too bad, although he would have a few bruises and cuts here and there. It wasn't his injuries that were worrying him, though. It was Tony, and how much trouble he was in.
When they had arrived to their base, Peter had allowed his injuries to be taken care of, too tired to argue that he was fine. Then, he had promptly fallen asleep for the next two days, only stumbling out of bed occasionally to use the bathroom and get some food and water. Tony hadn't complained that he had been doing so. In fact, he had explicitly insisted that Peter was to rest for as long as he needed to.
Peter stared up at the ceiling, snuggling under the covers, feeling warm and cozy. Friday had informed him that Tony was to arrive in the room he was resting in in approximately five minutes to check up on him and to 'have a quick talk.'
Peter was not in the mood to be lectured.
Or spanked.
The next few minutes went by much faster than he had wanted it to. There was a sharp knock at his door, so Peter quietly called out, "Come in."
The door opened and Tony stepped in, a slightly concerned expression on his face. He had brought a glass of ice water, which Peter appreciated. His throat felt parched.
"Hey, kid. You doing okay?" Tony raised an eyebrow when Peter sat up with a wince. The man handed the teenager the glass, to which Peter mumbled a 'thank you.'
Peter took sips of the water, closing his eyes for a moment at how good it felt to quench his thirst. "Yeah, 'm okay," he mumbled when he finished the glass of water and placed it on the nightstand. "Doesn't hurt or anything."
"Good." Tony sat down on the bed, careful not to sit on Peter. After regarding Peter silently for a few moments, he said, "That means we can start our long overdue discussion."
Peter blanched. "Our … discussion?" he echoed weakly, clenching the covers with sweaty hands nervously.
Tony gave a short nod. "Our discussion." He raised an eyebrow. "And you can start it by explaining to me exactly what happened and what you were thinking."
Peter's gaze dropped to the covers and he picked at the seam silently as he considered his next words. If he admitted he'd ignored the plan, Tony would be furious, but Karen and Friday had probably already told him so direct lying wasn't a possibility. "You saw, those guys attacked me and shot me…"
"Yeah, they did. But how?" Tony asked in obvious confusion. "Weren't your spidey senses tingling?"
Peter bit his lip. "You saw how many there were, right? My spidey senses went crazy but there were too many all at once and one of them shot me!"
Tony raised an eyebrow. "Why didn't you call for backup?"
"I thought Karen was smart enough to ask for help for me…" Peter mumbled awkwardly.
"Hey, no, don't blame her. You telling me that if I ask her, she won't tell me you asked her not to contact me?" The older hero asked knowingly. He was starting to piece together what had happened and if he was right, the kid was in for it.
Peter felt his face heat up uncomfortably and he looked away, gaze wandering over the room he'd been staying in at the SHIELD base they were currently at. It was large and plush, unlike the hospitals he and May were used to using before Peter met Tony. His uncle had died in a room much smaller and with much less privacy and now, Peter mused with dread, he was about to die in a much larger room. "Not exactly…"
Peter swore he heard Tony growl lowly in disbelief. "Not exactly? What the hell does that mean?"
"I might have asked her about me jumping in early and then told her not to ask you for permission…" Peter mumbled into the covers, face flushing when he heard Tony's deep intake of breath.
Tony was quiet for a full minute and when he did speak it was with deliberate calm. "You're telling me that you ignored very clear orders and as a result ended up shot, taken hostage and tortured?"
Peter gulped when Tony's eyes met his with a slow, deep rage in them. "Uh… I, um…"
"Peter." It was only one word but it said a thousand things all at once.
Peter looked around the room, desperate for an escape. Butterflies fluttered in his tummy and he was starting to feel sick all over again. "M-Mr. St-Stark, I don't feel so good…" he stammered, starting to get pale with nerves.
Toby snorted and shot him a grim look. "Oh yeah, I bet you don't. You know, kid, I think this is the dumbest thing you've done all year. I mean, really, what the hell were you thinking? We had a good plan in place and we had that plan in place for good reason. These guys are seasoned killers, and you went in without backup or any hint to us of what you were doing."
Peter blushed and kept his gaze down. "I'm sorry… I just.. I… I was trying to help!"
"You would have helped if you'd stuck to the plan, kid," Tony pointed out in frustration.
"I… I thought Karen would be able to tell you guys if things got really bad," Peter tried weakly.
"If things got really bad?" Tony's tone turned murderous. "What, so being taken hostage and having the shit beat out of you wasn't 'really bad?'"
"N-No, I never said it wasn't—"
"I don't want to hear it," Tony interrupted sharply, standing up and pacing the room, seeming agitated. "I don't want to hear your usual excuses."
Peter looked down, clenching the sheets in his fists, trying not to cry. He hated it when Mr. Stark got so upset at him! "'M sorry," he said hoarsely, voice cracking at the end. "I just… I thought I could handle it."
"Well, you clearly weren't able to!" Tony shot back, crossing his arms and glowering at him. "Kid, if there's one rule in missions like this, it's stick to the plan, which you didn't do." He held up a hand when Peter opened his mouth to try to justify his actions yet again. "No, I told you, kid, I don't want to hear it. I'm talking, you're listening."
Peter mutely nodded, and Tony continued speaking.
"Honestly, kid, I don't even know if I should trust you enough to take you on a mission again."
Peter flinched at that, feeling hurt. "Mr. Stark, please," he said weakly. "I can… you can trust me, I swear!"
"Your actions have proved otherwise." Tony regarded him for a few moments.
Peter swallowed back guilty tears. He'd never meant to make Tony not trust him anymore. He'd just wanted to prove he was as skilled as the Avengers. "I really am sorry, Mr Stark," he whispered eventually, head dropping down in shame.
Silence stretched out between them for an eternity as Tony debated what to do before Peter surprised him by starting to get up and unhook the wires attached to him. "What the hell are you doing, kid?" He asked in confusion.
"Getting my stuff so I can get the next flight home. I don't deserve to be here…" Peter told him in a small voice as he wobbled on still tired legs.
"Oh no," Tony countered. "You deserve to be here, you just damn well won't get away with insubordination like that. I'm going to make sure it doesn't happen again. First, you're going to get your scrawny butt back in that bed."
Peter stared at him with wide eyes, mind obviously clicking through his options uncertainly.
Tony held his gaze, one eyebrow raised, and waited for Peter to realise that he'd inevitably end up having this conversation later anyway and it would be easier on them both to just get it over with.
As he expected, Peter grudgingly slid back into bed a minute later and Tony swore the teen was pouting. "Good choice," he acknowledged before continuing. "You know this was big, right? You knew it was wrong to deviate from the plan, that's why you told Karen not to tell me. We'll be discussing that later by the way, Karen," the billionaire added to the room at large.
"Of course, Mr Stark," the AI intoned immediately and Peter swore she sounded guilty. He looked at Tony in confusion.
Tony just smirked. "I already told you, kid, I made her and Friday. She knows she should have told me what team 'naughty little Spider' was up to. Now, as we were saying. You know this was serious, yes? I don't actually have to explain why this was a big black mark by your name?"
Peter lowered his gaze, feeling a little ashamed, and nodded. "Yeah," he admitted. "I know, Mr. Stark, I swear. It was — I really messed up, I know—"
"Damn well you did." Tony snorted, rubbing his face with a hand in exasperation. "I've already told you, kid, I don't really want to hear excuses."
"I just… please take me on missions in the future." Peter's voice cracked pitifully at the end as he looked up at Tony. He looked — and felt — extremely close to breaking down into sobs.
Tony stared at the kid, trying to figure out what to do. The kid was looking so goddamned crestfallen and meek and gosh, he really didn't want to tan his ass bright red, but he had to. He knew that if he didn't punish Peter, the teenager would get into even bigger trouble in the future — possibly ones that even Tony couldn't get him out of.
"M-Mr. Stark?" Peter bit his lip, still looking up at the man pathetically.
"Okay, kid. Here's how it's gonna go." Tony stood and placed his hands on his hips, shooting Peter a look to emphasize how serious he was.
Peter gulped but nodded seriously. He'd do anything to make this better.
Tony gave his own brusque nod before continuing. "You're going over my knee. This is serious and, even worse, we've talked about the unnecessary danger thing before, kid. Because of that, this isn't going to be like previous times. This time you're not gonna have protection when I make sure sitting in that bed for a few more days isn't comfortable." He held up his hand to stop Peter's stammered protests. "No, kid. No arguments. I'm not finished. You're also grounded from the suit. That means no patrolling in your old suit either. You obviously can't make smart choices in that suit right now, so maybe the time away will help your perspective."
Peter stared at him with wide, wet eyes. "B-but… Not my suit, Mr. Stark! Please!"
"No suit. Two weeks. If I feel you're not ready for the suit at the end of those two weeks, I'll extend it. I've already got the suit so no use trying to hide it. I'm serious about this, Peter, I'll be keeping an eye on things, so I'll know if you're patrolling on the fly and I won't be impressed. Is any of that not clear?" the older man asked sternly.
Peter shook his head mutely, dropping his gaze to the covers again and beginning to pick at the fabric.
"Alright then. I need to go and take care of something quickly, but I'll be back in ten. Don't do anything dumb in that time, kid, because it'll just add to the trouble you're in." With that, Tony stood and made his way out the door. The truth was, he needed to figure out what he planned to use; he'd told Peter it would be more than his hand but there wasn't anything handy to use in the room Peter was staying in.
He roamed the corridor of the wing Peter was staying in and rooted through the drawers of a desk in one of the offices on the block, muttering to himself about how useless SHIELD was.
Tony finally found what he was looking for — or at least what he could deem as acceptable — and pulled out a wooden hairbrush from one of the drawers in a bathroom. Inspecting it closely, he nodded to himself, satisfied. He knew this would surely teach the kid a good, proper lesson to make sure that he would never do something that stupid ever again. Tony was going to personally drill it into the kid's head.
He turned back around, ready to kick the kid's ass, when he bumped right into Natasha. Inhaling sharply, he rolled his eyes. "Why do you always have to sneak up on people like that? Jeez." He rubbed a hand over his face.
Natasha didn't respond to that, just letting her eyes flirt over to the hairbrush in Tony's hand. "You borrowing that?"
"Yeah, I am," Tony responded shamelessly, brushing past her. "It's for a good cause."
"I know."
Tony felt Natasha's gaze trained on him until he turned the corner, heading back to the room Peter was currently staying in.
He wasn't surprised to see the kid looking apprehensive, pinching the sheets with his fingers and shifting restlessly. When Tony stepped in and shut the door behind him, Peter's head snapped up warily. Tony had to stifle a slightly amused smile at the way Peter's eyes turned comically wide at what was in his hands.
"Hey, kid," he greeted, coming closer.
"M-Mr. Stark… I… we don't… you don't need that… that thing."
The fact that Peter couldn't even bring himself to say what it was — and what it was surely about to be used for — made Tony smile, unable to hold it back this time. "What, this?" Tony lifted the hairbrush.
Peter nodded, eyes still wide.
"Oh, Pete, I think we do need this. We really, really do." Tony sat down next to him on the edge of the bed, still firmly holding the brush.
"No, we—"
"What, so you're saying you don't deserve this?" Tony cut him off, raising an eyebrow challengingly. "You don't deserve to have your ass kicked for what you did?"
"I didn't—"
"You were taken, Peter, goddamned taken as a hostage." Tony's tone hardened as he stared at the kid, trying to knock some sense into his head. "You didn't stick to the plan, you promised to listen to me, which, by the way, you didn't, and you put yourself in danger when you didn't need to." Tony pinched the bridge of his nose, taking a few deep breaths. This kid really was gonna be the death of him one day. "What would have happened if you had gotten even more injured, or even worse, killed? How do you think your aunt would have felt about that?"
"Bad," Peter whispered, lowering his eyes guiltily.
"There are always consequences for your action, Mr. Parker." Tony kept his eyes on the teenager. "And I know that sometimes you do things because you think it's the right thing to do, but you need to think first. Being a superhero doesn't mean you can do whatever you want, disobeying orders and jumping into a fight without a plan or backup. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
Peter nodded apologetically, cheeks slightly flushed. "I understand," he said softly. "'M sorry, Mr. Stark."
Tony nodded, patting his lap. "Alright then, kid. C'mere."
Peter gulped, internally debating, and let out a yelp when Tony took advantage of him being distracted and tugged on his wrist to get him moving. "Woah, Mr. Stark! Wait, I can do it…"
Tony thought about just hauling him over his knee but decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. "Okay. You have thirty seconds before I do it for you."
Peter blanched a little but gave a shaky nod, staring at Tony for a small eternity before caving and crawling over his knee nervously.
"Good boy," Tony praised softly. He was relieved Peter was the way he was; he'd never have co-operated and behaved himself at the teenager's age. In fact, that had often been a bone of contention with Howard when he was younger. He sighed softly to himself and steeled himself for the meltdown he was going to witness in a few seconds, then he placed the brush on the bed and reached down to tug Peter's pyjama pants and boxers down to mid thigh.
As he expected, Peter started to squirm and try to sit up. "Please, Mr. S-Stark! Please don't!"
"I told you this was going to happen, kid. You've earned this for being so downright idiotic and nearly getting yourself killed. If I have to be the bad guy in order to keep you safe and alive then you better believe that that is exactly what I'll do."
Peter made a sound somewhere between a whine and a huff but stilled and hung his head in defeat.
Tony waited another moment before tightening the hold he had around Peter's waist and bringing his palm down sharply. He didn't lead in slowly like he usually did, instead setting up a fast and furious pace to get Peter's attention and make sure the teen knew how badly he'd messed up. He didn't enjoy being hard on the kid but when they'd nearly lost him out there… Tony's resolve strengthened further. No; he wasn't going to run the risk of that happening again.
"O-Ow!" Peter gasped, squirming right from the start, clenching his fists and writhing. "M-Mr. Stark! I-It… hurts…"
"Good. It's supposed to. That's the point of a spanking, kid." Tony rolled his eyes, still bringing his palm down quickly with a snap of his wrist to make it sting. "You put yourself in serious danger during our mission, and that's not acceptable. At. All." He punctuated his words with firm spanks, making Peter jerk forward.
"A-Ah!" Peter visibly winced. "I know i-it was b-bad—"
"Like hell it was!" Tony snapped, because the kid was still arguing, and if he was still arguing, that meant that he hadn't properly grasped the severity of the situation yet.
"B-But — OW — it's… please, too fast!" Peter gasped, throwing a hand back to try to protect his bare bottom.
Tony snorted, pausing his spanks and pinning the kid's hand to the small of his back before continuing on with the punishment. "Too fast, huh?"
"Y-Yes!" Peter wailed, choking on a dry sob. "Y-You… start s-slower!"
"I know I do," Tony acknowledged sternly, but he did mercifully slow the speed of his spanks a bit when the teenager kept gasping, shoulders shaking as he tried to catch his breath. "But you've never done something so serious or stupid before, so I think you had this 'too fast' spanking coming."
Peter hung his head miserably, not arguing anymore, knowing it was futile. He knew he had been stupid, but he hadn't been completely incompetent during the mission! He could've handled it, he thought to himself slightly petulantly. He would've eventually found a way back to the base. If Mr. Stark hadn't been so overprotective, placing him in the safest place in the mission, he wouldn't have acted this way. So really, he had been stupid, but it wasn't completely his fault. Or at least, he didn't think so. He knew Mr. Stark would disagree with him, though, so he didn't dare voice his thoughts.
Tony spanked in silence for a while, waiting for the kid to blurt out whatever had him tense as a bowstring over the billionaire's lap. "Alright, Pete, spit it out."
"Wh-what?" Peter stammered out.
"Whatever's making that web head of yours work so hard," Tony elaborated.
Peter shook his head stubbornly. "N-nothing Mr. Stark…"
Tony rolled his eyes. "Uh-huh. Alright, suit yourself. Beware; I'm going to ask you questions later so you'll want to have thought about why you're being spanked and what choices would have been better."
Peter groaned but gave a small nod. He hated it the most when Tony did it this way.
Tony nodded and turned his full focus to warming up Peter's thighs for him, continuing until his rear end was radiating heat and a deep, dusky pink. He paused, resting a hand on Peter's thigh. "Alright, buddy. Tell me why we're here."
Peter just clenched his fists a little, making Tony wonder if he really had to spank even more before they actually got started, but thankfully, the teenager spoke. "'Cause I didn't listen," he muttered, barely audible.
Tony snorted. "That's a little vague, I think. Why don't you elaborate for me?" He shifted his hand warningly.
"I was stupid and I disobeyed your orders during the mission," Peter huffed out. "And I didn't tell you what I was planning to do."
"Right," Tony agreed. "Pretty stupid on your part, because look where it got you." Tony landed another smack for emphasis, making the teenager jerk forward, caught off guard by the unexpected spank. "But that's not all, kid. There's much more than just disobeying me or doing something stupid. You've done that before, and you've been spanked for that before."
"I know," Peter said through gritted teeth.
"Oh, you know? Then tell me, Peter, what is it that's gotten me so angry this time, huh?" Tony let his hand fall again, landing another firm smack.
"I… disobeyed you?" Peter sounded a little more unsure this time, fidgeting on Tony's lap.
"Nope; like I said, you've done that before. More than once, actually." Tony rolled his eyes because, seriously? Trust the kid to not know what he had really done wrong.
"I, uh, I didn't want Karen to tell you what I was up to, I guess? I guess you think that's pretty bad, because—"
"Oh, so you don't think that's bad?" Tony gave him three hard smacks for that, causing Peter to splutter. "And that's still the wrong answer."
"I don't know, Mr. Stark!" Peter complained, voice strained and body tense. "'M sorry!"
Tony sighed. "You can't be sorry if you don't know what you've done wrong, kid. Your apology means nothing if that's the case."
Peter flinched at that, and had the decency to silently drop his head, ashamed.
"You unnecessarily put yourself in danger, kid," Tony told him, "when I clearly told you not to. You don't just jump into fights like that, especially if there's a plan that's already decided amongst other people."
"I just thought I'd be able to handle it," Peter said weakly, "and just take them down before anyone got hurt."
Tony let out an exasperated sigh. "Well, it clearly didn't work out the way you wanted to, because you were taken as hostage. And the fact that you thought that doesn't excuse your actions at all. I meant what I said before the mission, that it's a privilege for you to be taken along for missions."
That made Peter scowl at the mattress. He was good at what he did, why couldn't Mr. Stark see that? It wasn't fair that he was the only of them who didn't deserve to help save people! Peter felt resentment bubble up inside him but tried to quash it before he could say something stupid that made Mr. Stark even more mad.
Tony waited for him to speak. "Well? What do you have to say for yourself, Peter?"
"I.. I was just trying to help… I thought… You trained me and upgraded my suit and… I get it, I don't deserve to go on a mission with the Avengers again." Peter trailed off, blinking away tears but trying to put on a brave face.
Tony blinked in surprise at the softly spoken words. "Wait a minute. Wait. Peter, I didn't say you don't deserve to do anymore missions. You are a great asset to this team and you have the potential to be a real hero, kid. You have a lot to learn, and right now, with school and everything else, missions are a privilege. That doesn't mean that what you did was okay, but let's make this clear; you are worthy of that suit, Peter. We just need to work on you fixing that stupid attitude of yours where you act first and apparently don't think at all."
Peter shuddered in a deep breath, reaching up to swipe at his eyes to brush tears away.
Tony sighed, pausing spanking long enough to pat the kid's back in reassurance. "Let's get to helping you sort that happy-go lucky attitude. Here's the deal, Mr. Parker. I'm going to use this brush to teach you a lesson and I seriously hope you learn from it because if we end up here again, I am going to make this seem like a walk in the park. Your life matters and I have no intention of letting you throw it away."
He waited a moment for that to sink in before picking up the brush, tightening his hold and bringing the brush down smartly on Peter's exposed buttocks. Peter had a delayed response, but after a few seconds he sucked in a huge breath before letting out a yelp and trying to push up off Tony's lap.
"Ah, ah, ah," Tony chided, bringing the brush down a little lower. "Cut that out, kid."
"Oww! But… h-hurts!" Peter protested in a small voice, clenching his cheeks before realising that would only make things worse.
"That's kind of the point, Pete. It would be pretty pointless if it didn't make you want to avoid it in future," Tony reminded him mildly. He landed three more sharp smacks with the brush, making the teenager cry out.
"O-Ow!" Peter yelped, flinching. "C'mon, Mr. S-Stark! I said I was s-s-sorry!"
"I know you did," Tony responded. "But we're not done yet. We still have things to discuss."
"Well, then, we can discuss it like normal h-human beings with both of us sitting on our butts!" Peter complained, flinching when Tony rubbed the wooden back of the brush on his cheeks.
"I think you're getting too sassy," Tony mused.
"Well, you're thinking wrong," Peter muttered, burying his head in his arms. Gosh, his butt was on fire! He was being spanked bare for the first time, not to mention with a hairbrush!
"I also think you still haven't told me what exactly is going on in that head of yours," Tony continued on swiftly, as if he hadn't heard Peter's mumbled comment. "So why don't you go ahead and tell me?"
"Don't want to," Peter growled back. He knew he was behaving childishly, but he knew that his thoughts were even more childish.
"Fine, have it your way." Tony brought the brush down, causing Peter to let out a sharp gasp. "It just means we'll be here longer. I've said this before, Pete, and I'll say it again — my arm is going to last longer than your spider butt will." With that, he began spanking in earnest, bringing the brush down firmly.
Peter's body was stiff, muscles tense as he tried to hold back his cries. Eventually, he couldn't help it and he burst into tears, the fire in his butt was being ignited more and more with each smack that Tony landed. "S-Stopppp!" he cried. "P-Please, Mr. St-Stark!"
"C'mon, spiderling," Tony said with a sigh, slowing down his smacks a bit. "I need to know what's going on in that head of yours, or I won't be able to help. You know that. You're a smart kid."
"N-Not a kidddd!" Peter sobbed, turning his head to the side as he cried heavily. "N-Not!" With a sob, he burst out, "I'm g-good. I'm as good as ev-everyone and y-you don't have to p-put me on the s-sidelines when we're on a m-mission! Not a kid!"
Tony heard his words and sighed softly to himself. Finally, they were getting somewhere. "Hey, little spider? You know I'm not sidelining you because I think you're not capable. You do, don't you?"
Peter's only response was to keep crying loudly, his body quaking with the force of them.
Tony paused the spanking, gently rubbing the crying teenager's back with his hand. "C'mon, little spider," he soothed. "I don't think you're incapable of holding your own when we're on a mission or out in a fight. Doesn't the fact that I even take you to these things in the first place mean that I think you're fully capable?"
Peter let out a choked sob, though his body was shaking less now that Tony was rubbing gently. "K-Karen said—" he stammered. "S-She said… I was… in t-the safest place!" He began sobbing harder again, visibly getting upset. "S-So I couldn't… d-do anything!"
"Oh, little spider," Tony sighed, making a mental note to talk to Karen about what exactly she could tell the kid. "That doesn't mean I was sidelining you."
"Yes, it does!"
Tony watched the kid sob into his arms, wondering how exactly he could continue the punishment with the kid so distraught, and patted his back again, hoping it didn't come off as totally awkward. "Peter," he said gently, knowing that he had to say something. "I'm not going to deny that I put you in a place where the fight hopefully wouldn't get too bad, but that's not me sidelining you. That's me trying to protect you."
"I don't need p-p-protection!" Peter whimpered.
Tony shushed him, and continued speaking. "You're just a kid, Pete. You're fifteen; you're just a teenager. You shouldn't even be worrying about these sort of things with how old you are." He paused, trying to gauge Peter's reaction, before continuing. "Natasha, Rhodey, and I are much, much older than you. That means that we've faced much worse, and gone through things that are traumatizing and outright horrible. I never, ever want you to experience what we have." His voice broke a little at the end at the thought of what had happened to him in Afghanistan happening to Peter.
Peter sniffled, sobs slowing, and Tony knew he was getting through to the teenager.
"That's why sometimes I can come off as overprotective. It's not because I don't think you're good enough to fight in the most dangerous places, because you are. You're an important asset to the team when we go on missions; hell, I'm sure you could've even joined the Avengers if…" Tony paused, knowing that he was rambling, "if things hadn't turned out this way." It was a lame finish, but there was no other way to put it. He suddenly felt like throwing a pity party, because goddammit, the fact that Tony Stark was not good at emotions was an understatement.
"N-Not your fault." Peter's voice was muffled, but Tony could make out what he'd said. Understanding it was a different matter.
"What was that, kid?"
"Not y-your fault," Peter repeated. "C-Cap's dumb."
Tony couldn't help but let out a snort, because trust Peter to attempt to comfort him while over his lap, getting his ass kicked. "Yeah, kid," he agreed. "He was pretty dumb."
"I… fought well in Germany?" Peter asked, suddenly sounding like an insecure little child.
"You were one of the best," Tony told him, because it was the truth. "Pretty sure we would've gotten our asses kicked if you weren't there. You have no idea how thankful I am that I got to you before Cap did, kid."
Peter let out a small laugh, sniffling and turning his head to face Tony. Tear tracks were visible on his cheeks, but he wasn't uncontrollably upset like he'd been before. "Thanks, Mr. S-Stark."
Tony inwardly groaned at how innocent the teenager looked, with teary, big puppy eyes. But, well, he didn't have a choice but to finish what had to be done. So, he lifted the brush, forcing himself to say, "You have ten more with the brush coming, kid. It's not because you weren't good enough. It's because you behaved rashly and inappropriately, unnecessarily putting yourself into danger. Do you understand that?"
Peter nodded, eyes filling up with tears. "Yeah," he whimpered. "S-Sorry."
Tony disregarded the apology for now, knowing he would be hearing more sooner or later when the brush would fall. "We're gonna do things a little differently now," he told him. "I want you to count each smack, but you're going to do it before I bring this brush down on your sorry ass. Got that?"
Peter nodded, biting his lip.
"I need to hear it, kid," Tony requested with a firmness he didn't feel in his tone.
"Y-yes…" the teen whispered miserably, sniffling and squirming nervously.
Tony nodded decisively before tapping the brush lightly against his backside as a gentle prompt. "Whenever you're ready, buddy."
Peter swallowed down the lump in his throat and sucked in a nervous breath. "Yes S-Sir, Mr. S-Stark… one."
Tony brought the brush down on his right cheek before letting it rest there for a moment.
"Oww!" Peter hissed, fresh tears spilling over. "T-Two…"
Another spank landed in a mirror image. Peter started to cry harder again. It took a while for them to make it as far as five, by which point the kid had gotten himself wound up again.
"N-no more! Too s-sore!" He insisted childishly, shaking his head when Tony prompted him to keep going.
"Peter…" Tony warned wearily. "We're not stopping till you do as you're told, so I suggest you quit being stubborn."
Peter whined and kicked his legs out but soon lay still again. "S-six… you s-suck…"
Tony rolled his eyes, landing a firmer smack to his mid sit spot.
Peter howled out a breath. "Sev… s-seven…"
Tony targeted the next two at his thighs. They managed to get through the last two with another few pauses and pleas from Peter, and eventually Tony was able to put the brush down and fix Peter's clothes for him. He rested one hand on Peter's lower back and patted soothingly. "All done, little spider. I forgive you."
Peter let out a sob of relief at Tony's words, going limp. He had thought all the previous spankings were bad; this one had been the worst! He had gotten spanked bare, and on top of that, with a brush!
"We're all done," Tony soothed again, patting his back gently once more. "You're okay."
"T-That hurt," Peter whimpered, trying to wipe away the tears in his eyes. "No m-more spankings now."
Tony snorted, helping Peter get up. "You behave and we won't need to have any more," he shot back, though not unkindly. "But we both know that you're not ever gonna stop getting into trouble," he added good-naturedly. He placed his hands on the kid's shoulders, looking at him closely to make sure that he really was okay. This spanking had been harder than usual.
Peter pouted. "It still hurt."
Tony fondly rolled his eyes and easily drew the teenager into a hug, surprising even himself with how natural it felt now. "Don't ever pull a stunt like that again," he said sternly. "God, Pete, you need to stop giving me grey hairs. You're going to be the death of me."
Peter whimpered and dropped his gaze guiltily. "Sorry…" he murmured, brushing away stray tears despite Tony's arms wrapped around him. He was tense for a moment before tentatively laying his head on Tony's shoulder.
Tony sighed, giving him a squeeze. "I know, kid. I know. Let's work on it a day at a time, hmm? But I'm serious about the dangerous stunts. Keep 'em up and I'm gonna bash your knucklehead brain in."
Peter managed to huff out a small laugh. "I won't, Mr. Stark. I promise I'll do better…"
Tony nodded and smiled. "I know, squirt. That's all I ask. You're gonna be okay, I believe that. However, you're still on bed rest so back under the covers."
Peter's face fell but he gave a jerky nod when Tony let go and hurried to obey. He really didn't want to risk receiving anymore discipline today.
Tony watched him go with an amused shake of his head. "Because you're gonna want to be sitting down when I kick your butt at cards and chess…"
Peter's head shot up and he gazed at Tony hopefully. "Really?" he asked in wary hope.
"Really," Tony assured him. "Give me a minute."
He returned to the hallway where he'd left the games and books he'd managed to track down, carrying them into Peter's room and putting them down on the table beside the bed.
Peter grinned at him excitedly and Tony couldn't help but return the eager smile. He let Peter choose a game — chess, unsurprisingly — and watched the teen set it up, wondering when this had become so… normal. Being a mentor and role model to the kid was exhausting, especially given his penchant for mischief, and Tony couldn't help but think back to Cap and all the patience he'd had when leading the Avengers. Where did the man get his energy from? When they'd started out, none of them had been hero material. Hell, if you asked him, they still weren't hero material. And yet Cap had been the voice of reason, acting as the moral compass and Dad of the team, right from the beginning. Tony felt a pang of regret once more at the way things had gone down with the Accords. Now that he had Peter to look out for, he was starting to realise just how valuable a friend Steve really was.
He became vaguely aware of Pete staring at him in concern and offered the teen a sheepish smile. "Sorry, kid, I was a million miles away. You go first."
Peter didn't need to be told twice.
They were pretty evenly matched and over the next hour played a good game of chess that Tony eventually let Peter win because he could see how tired his spiderling was. They played card games that were less difficult for a while until Peter surprised Tony by dropping off to sleep, cards still loosely held in his hand. Tony laughed softly and snapped a photo to tease him with later, then quietly tidied up the games. He needed to go and make a few calls but then he'd come back and check if his troublesome webhead was going to be okay.
