AN: Important Note: Tony Stark has anxiety, and so do I. I tried my best to represent my take on the disorder (which is why parts of these chapters may read a little funny), but it's different for everyone. If you think you may be suffering from an undiagnosed anxiety disorder, please get help.

Also… confession time. I have yet to see Thor: Ragnarok. I know, I know, I know. I'm THE WORST. I promise I'll watch it before Infinity War, but life is crazy enough right now that I can't find the time to really sit down and appreciate it. That being said, I know the basic plot enough to (hopefully) not make any grievous mistakes. Just… go easy on me with that, okay?

Here we go!


"Steve. I need you." Breathe. "I need all of you."

Breathe.

"Everyone?" Cap's voice was quiet. Serious. In charge. Everything Tony couldn't be right now.

"Everyone." Peter needed everyone.

PeterPeterPeterPeterPeter.

Breathe.

"Where are you?"

"On my way to the jet. I'm going to Washington."

"What's in Washington?"

"Ross. A trap." My kid, bloody and broken and alone, if I'm not careful.

"Then why are you going?"

"You heard about Peter Parker?" Peter Parker-Stark. My kid. Peter Parker-Stark.

Breathe.

"Peter who?"

Breathe.

"You've not been reading the news, then."

"I've been… out of reach. Who's Peter Parker?"

"My son."

This time, it was Steve's turn to breathe.

Breathe.

"Your… your son? Tony, I-I didn't know you-"

"Not biologically. I adopted him."

"You adopted a child, Tony? With our lifestyle? You can't put a child in our-"

"He's Spider-Man, and I don't want to argue with you. Not now, Steve. Please."

"Alright, Tony. Not now. What do you need us to do?"

"I need you to be ready to fight. Are you?"

"We are."

"Good. Something tells me you'll need to be."


Ross was waiting for him.

"Stark." There wasn't even a flicker of a smile on the man's face. "Glad you could make it."

They were standing in a conference room. Besides a pair of guards standing by the door, the same two men who had escorted Tony there just minutes earlier, they were completely alone.

Tony may not have Peter's spider senses, but he could still taste the danger in the air.

And he had no way out of it.

Steve had been incredulous when he'd told him the plan.

"You can't just let him take you, Tony."

"Calm down, Steve. We don't even know that's what he wants to do yet."

"But that's what you think he wants, isn't it?"

"...Yes."

"Tony-"

"He'll take Peter, Steve. He'll take him and he'll torture him and then he'll kill him. I can't let that happen."

A pause.

"What do you want us to do?"

"Protect Peter, and then get me out. In that order. Protecting him comes first, you understand me?"

Rogers didn't like it, but Rogers didn't need to. "I understand."

"Good. Now, here's what we're going to do…"

"Ross." Tony greeted, leaning casually against the conference table to his right. To an outsider, the billionaire looked as if he was in complete control. Every facet of his exterior was carefully groomed to exude confidence.

"I'm assuming you know why you're here?"

"You assume wrong. Tell me, Secretary, why am I here?"

The guards both drew their guns in synchronized precision. They aimed them at Tony's head.

"Tell me, Stark," Ross began to walk casually around the billionaire. If Tony wanted to keep him in his line of sight, he would have to rotate almost continuously. It was a power move, plain and simple, "do you remember what I told you, the day I introduced the Avengers to the Accords?"

"You told us a lot of things."

"That I did." Ross stopped about a foot away from Tony, looking at him with eyes devoid of everything but a cold glint that made a shiver race up the billionaire's spine. "I told you that if you came to a decision I didn't like, you would retire."

("And if we come to a decision you don't like?"

"Then you retire."

Natasha had smiled. She'd known what he'd meant. It wasn't good.)

"I signed the Accords."

"You did, but your son hasn't."

"He's a minor."

Ross laughed, hard and cool and sharp enough to cut. "The Accords don't give a shit if he's a minor, Stark. I don't give a shit if he's a minor. He signs."

"No."

"That's not up to you anymore." Ross stepped away from him smoothly, pulling out a plush leather conference chair and sinking into it with an air of finality. "Please, Mister Stark, take a seat."

A gun poking him in the back let Tony know that it wasn't a suggestion.

"I'm his parent." Tony sat on the edge of the chair, putting his elbows on his knees and leaning forward to fix Ross with a gaze that most would tremble in front of. Ross didn't even flinch. "Everything to do with Peter is up to me."

Ross raised a mocking eyebrow. "We'll see."

Something snapped inside Tony at Ross' continued arrogance. "What the fuck do you want, Ross? There's no way in hell this is just about my kid."

Another laugh. Tony didn't think it was possible, but this one was even colder than the last. "Of course it isn't. He's just a piece in the game. A game that you put him in, Stark."

Rage boiled in Tony's stomach. "Then what the fuck is this about?"

"You."

"Me?"

Ross shifted forward to match Tony's rigid position. His voice turned more deadly with every word. "I know you've been harboring the Rogue Avengers. I know you're the one who disabled the security systems on the Raft to get them out. I know you've been plotting with them. I know you know about the Infinity Stones."

The Infinity Stones.

Tony did know about them. They all did. Thor and Banner had sent a scrambled interstellar communication about a month ago, warning about someone called Thanos and an Infinity Gauntlet.

But he didn't know anything else. He didn't know what Thanos wanted. He didn't know where the stones were. He didn't know anything.

He didn't even know where Banner or Thor were.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Really?" Ross leaned back, smiling. "Well, I suppose I'll have to jog your memory, won't I?"


Something was wrong.

Peter wasn't stupid. In fact, he was practically a genius. He saw it in the glimmer of terror in Tony's eyes right before he turned away. He heard it in clipped responses he'd received from F.R.I.D.A.Y. when he asked why Mister Stark had left. He felt it in the way his spider senses had been screaming ever since Tony had showed up outside his door.

Currently, he could see it in the way Rhodey was making slow, tense circles around Peter as the teenager sat on the couch.

He could see it in the way the Colonel's hand was glued to the gun sitting in his usually hidden holster.

Something was wrong, and Peter wasn't stupid.

"Rhodey? What's going on?"

The man looked at Peter steadily for a moment. "Nothing. Don't worry about it, Peter."

"That's not fair!" Peter snapped, jumping to his feet and raising his hands in frustration. Rhodey quickly moved to cover him from the window. "Why won't anyone tell me anything? I'm not a baby! If I'm in danger, I need to know."

"We're just trying to protect you, kid. Trust me, some things you're better off not knowing."

The teenager sank back into the couch with a sigh, noticing the way Rhodey's shoulders lost some of their tension when he did so. "Whatever. Don't tell me."

"Sirs," F.R.I.D.A.Y. interrupted, "there appears to be a security breach in the West Wing of the Compound."

"I'm coming." Rhodey pressed the button on his wristlet that deployed the Iron Patriot suit. "Stay here, Peter."

Once he was gone, Peter sighed dramatically. The Compound had security breaches more often than you might think. Hell, even a squirrel could set off some of the more delicate systems if it was determined. Rhodey was just being paranoid.

And then the lights cut off, and Peter felt his first flash of fear.

"F.R.I.D.A.Y.?" He whispered, sliding over the couch for cover and crouching nervously. "F.R.I.D.A.Y.? What's wrong?"

She didn't answer.

Shit. Maybe Rhodey's paranoia had a point to it, after all.

His advanced hearing picked up the sound of boots thudding against the stairs. Peter glanced around desperately. He had his web shooters, but no suit. Rhodey had moved him to an empty set of apartments in the Compound as well, so it was too far away to grab. On top of that, F.R.I.D.A.Y. being disabled meant that the elevators and windows were all on lockdown, and the only staircase was filled with intruders, apparently.

He was stuck.

What do I do?

The soldiers started pouring into the room. None of them had spotted him yet, since he was concealed behind the couch, but he knew it wouldn't be long.

What do I do?

As the first man spotted the teenager and shouted, Peter hit the button on his watch three times.


Tony's wrist blared an alarm, and he knew instantly what it was.

Peter hit his panic button.

His head snapped up to the slimy smirk crawling across Ross' face.

No.

It's too soon. This wasn't part of the plan. Steve's too far. He's too far.

"You bastard," he snarled, lunging to his feet and flinging himself towards the man. Fuck the guns, this bastard touched his fucking kid. Tony was going to tear his throat out with his bare hands, "you fucking bastard! I came! I fucking came, Ross."

The guards caught him before he could reach the man, and shoved him back into the chair. Metal cuffs slid out of the arms and legs and secured Tony in place. Ross stayed seated, looking completely unruffled, as the billionaire fought violently against his restraints.

"You did, and you played right into my hand. You left him protected by a cripple, Stark. It was piteously easy to get my men into your Compound to take him."

A second later, a technician poked his head into the conference room.

"Uh, Sir? They've secured the target. They'll be at the facility in an hour."

"Was the asset damaged?"

The asset. They were talking about Peter like he wasn't a person. Like he wasn't a kid. Tony's kid.

"Not badly, Sir. I believe all the injuries are superficial."

Peter was hurt. Peter was hurt. Peter was hurt.

"Good. Rax and Stat will escort our guest there now." The guards, Rax and Stat, apparently, moved forward instantly. Ross fixed his attention back on Tony. "I apologize for the unpleasantries, Mister Stark. I would have preferred for this to have been a more civilized exchange, but it seems as though you've forced my hand. Don't worry, though, you'll see your precious Peter soon enough."

The last thing he saw before the bag was fastened over his head was Ross' smirk.


Peter was terrified.

He'd tried to fight his way out. It was fruitless, he knew, but it didn't stop him from trying. In the end, they'd brought him down with a taser powerful enough to knock Captain America himself on his ass. Then, they'd cuffed his wrists and ankles in restraints that must have been vibranium because, no matter how hard Peter squirmed and strained, he couldn't get them to budge.

Which meant that whoever had kidnapped him knew he was Spider-Man and had access to all the fun toys.

Which was so not cool, by the way.

They hauled him, kicking and screaming, into a jet waiting outside. Once they were inside, they fastened his restraints to a vibranium bar in a corner of the cargo hold. Six soldiers situated themselves around him.

If Peter wasn't so scared, he might have been flattered at how dangerous they thought he was.

"Hey!" He yelled, fighting uselessly against the metal cuffs around his wrists. "Hey! What do you want? Hello?! Anybody listening to me?"

Nothing. The men around him didn't even flinch.

"Y'know, I'm pretty sure kidnapping a minor is a felony. It's also just an asshole move, so there's that, too."

The guards continued to ignore him, so Peter continued to talk.

"Does anyone have flashcards for AP Chemistry? I'm kinda bored and I don't think you guys were nice enough to grab my backpack on the way out. I've got a test to study for on Monday, but I'm probably gonna fail it now. Thanks for that."

Man, these guys looked like they were made of stone.

"You know, my dad is going to come for me and it's not going to be fun for you guys when he does." Peter was briefly surprised by how easily the phrase "my dad" rolled off his tongue before the fear swallowed it up. "Have you ever been hit by Iron Man's repulser gun thingy? Cause, to be honest, I haven't either but it really doesn't look like it's something I'd want to put on my bucket list."

The guard closest to him swung around suddenly and slammed the butt of his gun across Peter's face. It hurt. A lot. "Shut up."

"I'm not very good at that." Peter said, probing a cut on the inside of his mouth with a wince. "Tony'll tell you that. In fact, shutting up is probably, like, the last thing I'm likely to do in this situation."

"Shut up, or I'll make you shut up." The butt of the gun slammed down on the back of Peter's head. The world spun. "Do you understand, you little shit?"

A voice come somewhere from Peter's left. "Just give him the shit Ross gave us. We'll be there soon, anyway."

Peter nearly lost himself in fear when the soldier disappeared and returned with a vial of purple liquid in his hands. The teenager jerked away as best he could, but his bonds were unforgiving and two men rushed forward to hold him in place.

"Told you I'd make you shut up, little brat." The soldier said, prepping a syringe with the purple stuff and smiling in a way that definitely wasn't friendly.

"What is that?" The needle slid into his arm. Peter steeled himself. "I'm not afraid of you."

There might have been an answer, but the world and his thoughts swirled away from him like water down a drain.


When they pulled off the bag, Tony found himself in a cell he recognized.

The Raft.

Peter.

His head swivelled around, and he nearly sobbed with relief when he saw the kid stretched out on a cot opposite him. The relief, however, quickly turned to rage.

Peter was unconscious, his face tilted towards Tony. His cheekbone was bruised and cut and there was blood matted in his hair. Where Tony was unrestrained, Peter's arms are shackled with thick cuffs.

He lunged forward, stumbling slightly as dizziness threatened to land him on his ass. Readjusting to the light after spending so long in darkness was a lot harder in practice than in seemed in theory, apparently. Tony dropped onto the edge of Peter's bed, running a shaky hand through his hair.

"Peter?" No response. The kid's face was pale and unmoving. "C'mon, buddy. You gotta wake up."

Tony could feel a pretty sizable bump on the back of Peter's head, but there wasn't another reason why the kid was unresponsive. Then, he saw the pinprick of speared blood on the crook of his elbow.

Drugged, then. How the hell did Ross get a hold of drugs that could drop Spider-Man?

"Okay, kid. You get your beauty sleep and I'll be right here." He slid onto the cot, pulling the teenager's head into his lap and brushing an errant curl out of his face.

It took another hour for the kid to stir. As soon as his glazed pupils peeked out from underneath his eyelids, Tony was shushing him.

"Hey there, buddy. Just hush now, alright? You're okay. I'm right here."

Peter blinked slowly before opening his mouth to speak. It took him playing with his jaw and tongue for a minute before he could find his words. "Wha' happ'ned? Where 're we?"

Tony briefly toyed with the idea of shushing him again and telling him to go back to sleep, just to spare the kid a few more moments of simplicity. Instead, he opted for telling Peter a clipped version of the truth in the most comforting tone he could muster. "Ross took us, but everything is going to be okay."

It took a few moments for Tony's explanation to register with Peter through the haze of sedatives. "Ross? Secretary Ross?" The kid's drunk pronunciation of "secretary" sounded more like gibberish than an actual word, but Tony got the message.

"Yes. He… he wants something from me."

"What?"

Tony sighed. There was a reason Peter didn't know about Thanos or the Infinity Stones, and Tony intended to keep him the in dark for as long as possible. Of course, with Ross, it may not be long. "He thinks I've been protecting the Rogue Avengers."

"Haven't though, have you?"

"No." Tony dragged his knuckles down the kid's cheek. Peter's eyes fluttered at the comforting gesture. "How're you feeling?"

"Head hurts. 'M fine."

Tony sighed. "Those are two contradicting statements, you know."

Ignoring him, Peter pushed himself upright on the cot. He would've toppled right back into Tony's lap if his mentor hadn't rushed to steady him.

"Maybe sitting up isn't the bed idea right now, huh?"

The kid shook his head stubbornly. The movement must have made his vision spin, because Tony had to tighten his grip on his shoulders as he tipped forward. "No. 'M good."

Yep. Peter may not have been born a Stark, but he was definitely one now. Lack of self preservation and perpetual stubbornness were family traits, it would seem. Hell, they even transcended genetics.

"Alright, kiddo, just… just stay off your feet for a bit, okay? I don't think my poor old man heart can take it, and you need to give your metabolism time to burn through whatever it is they gave you."

Peter murmured what Tony assumed was an affirmative, considering the fact that the kid tucked himself against the billionaire's side with a contented hum. From the way the kid's eyelids were drooping lower and lower with each blink, Tony assumed that he wouldn't be awake for much longer.

Tony didn't know what they'd given him, but he didn't like it at all.

The billionaire dropped his head back against the cell's wall with a sigh. He didn't know what Ross was planning. Obviously, he wanted information from Tony, but it was information that Tony didn't even have. He hadn't been harboring the Rogue Avengers. Hell, even after talking to Steve, he didn't have a clue where the group was hiding. And Tony seemed to know as much about the Infinity Stones as Ross did, which was basically only that they existed and that somebody named Thanos wanted to use them to destroy the universe.

You know, pretty light stuff.

The only thing that Ross actually had right was that Tony had knocked out the security systems at the Raft when Steve had come to break out his teammates. Tony's fight had never been with them. He'd had F.R.I.D.A.Y. track Steve and used her to put their systems down for maintenance when he arrived.

He would never forget the sight of Wanda, collared like a dog, wrapped up in a straightjacket. He couldn't let that slide.

But if Ross already knew that, then there wasn't much else for Tony to tell.

If Tony actually knew something that Ross wanted, he would have leverage. Leverage that he could use to buy time. Leverage that he could use to flip the odds. Leverage that he could use to protect Peter.

As it was, he didn't have anything.

And that terrified him.


Peter was out like a light by the time Ross strolled up to the glass viewing wall of the cell. The man was alone, and he looked so unassuming that, for the briefest moment, Tony could almost pretend that he wasn't the person who had drugged and kidnapped his kid.

Almost.

"Stark."

Tony adjusted his hold on Peter, tensing his arm just slightly against the kid's back. "Ross."

Peter didn't even stir. Tony glanced down at him worriedly. What the hell had Ross given him?

Somehow, the question must have shown on his face. Ross laughed. "We synthesized the drug just for him. It's a mix of long-acting sedatives and muscle relaxants. I'm glad it appears to be effective. We had to make do with unenhanced individuals and lesser mutants as test subjects. After all, there's only one Spider-Man."

If he wasn't so desperate to keep Peter out of this, Tony might have tried to break through the reinforced glass with his bare hands. But he would have to let go of his kid to do it, and that was so not happening. Instead, he just stilled the hand that was carding through Peter's hair to clench it into a fist. "What do you want, Ross?"

"Straight to the point, I see. I respect that in a man." Ross clasped his hands behind his back, fixing Tony with a cool stare. "If you must know, I have a two-pronged plan."

"And that is?"

"You see, I need information from you. Information that I know you'll be," Ross paused, smirking a little, "unwilling to give. It also happens that the United States government and I are very interested in what makes Spider-Man tick. Can you see where these two needs of mine may overlap?"

Tony could, and he hated it. "You sick bastard. He's a child."

"He's an enhanced vigilante that has been evading the law for months. Frankly, Stark, I don't care how old he is."

"Is this how our government handles the treatment of minors, now? By locking them in a maximum security prison for illegal experimentation?"

"I have jurisdiction over the regulation and treatment of enhanced individuals. What the rest of the government doesn't know can't hurt them."

Hope kindled in Tony's chest. Ross was acting without the permission of the President or Congress. He'd gone rogue. "Listen, Ross, do whatever you want with me, but leave Peter out of this."

Tony knew it was a useless plea. Ross had his eyes set on the kid, and he wasn't about to let his prize go.

"Very sweet." The man drawled. "In fact, I'm touched. You do still have a chance to protect him, you know. I'll be back in a couple of hours. If you give me some satisfactory answers, I'll sedate the boy when we cut into his chest to take a sample of his lungs."

Tony tensed so suddenly that it jostled Peter. The kid shifted weakly against him and murmured blearily.

"T'ny?"

"Shush, kiddo. You're alright. Go back to sleep, okay?"

The kid nestled his face more firmly into Tony's stomach and settled.

When Tony looked back up, Ross was turning to leave with a hard glint in his eyes. "You know, Stark," he said, strolled towards the exit, "you should've stayed heartless."

The door slammed shut behind him, leaving Tony with nothing but a silent cell and a kid he couldn't protect.


AN: Just so you guys know, the Raft is supposedly located somewhere near Ryker's Island, which is a detainment facility in New York. On a commercial airplane, it take about 1.5 hours to fly from New York City to Washington D.C., so I'm assuming that it would take about 1 hour to get to the Raft on a fancy government jet that goes fastfast. If you can't tell, I'm not a scientist, engineer, or an airplane mechanic.

I know Steve seems incredulous that Tony would adopt Peter and I want you guys to know that I don't mean this as a Cap bashing fic AT ALL. It's just that Steve was caught off guard, and he doesn't know any of the specifics. To an outsider, Tony adopting Peter could very well seem like a dangerous thing to have done.

Let me know what you guys think! I know this fic has taken a pretty dramatic turn that (I hope) no one was expecting! Hopefully, you'll all like where I'm headed!