AN: Hey guys!

So… I think I've accidentally turned a bunch of you guys into murderers and anarchists? The amount of reviews wanting me to brutally murder Ross and overthrow the corrupt government was SO FUNNY. I tried to push this one out as quickly as I could while also doing the fic justice. I don't ever want to give you a subpar chapter just because it's a chapter. I want to be proud of it, as cheesy and dumb as that sounds.

Anyway! This is the first Steve POV you get, and I am NERVOUS. I love Steve, but it took a lot of thought and rewriting to get this to a point I liked. I feel like expressing him as a ball of sunshine and optimism isn't actually true to his character. Steve is flawed and, in some ways, very damaged. I wanted to try to reflect that while also keeping that classic Steve-ness. I don't know how successful I was.

Okay. I'm done. Here we go!

Steve had never actually thought that Tony would use the phone.

Why would he? Tony had grown so used to betrayal that he'd made an art of shutting people out. It had taken Steve years to find his way onto the man's concise list of people he trusted.

They had become teammates, and then friends, and then, tentatively, family.

And Steve had shattered it.

In a way, the soldier couldn't bring himself to regret his decision. The Accords were wrong, and he had never been the type of person to stand idly by when his beliefs were threatened. He never had been. And Bucky… Bucky was important to him. In the end, Steve would always choose him over everything else.

He knew how dangerous that was.

But he'd meant every word of that letter. He had been trying to protect Tony when he'd decided to conceal the circumstances of his parents deaths from him, but in his rawest moments, Steve knew that he had also been trying to protect himself.

The family he'd made with Tony, with the team, gave him stability for the first time since he'd lost Bucky. And, when it came down to it, he didn't want to lose that feeling of home.

And so he'd hidden the truth, partly out of misplaced compassion and partly out of selfishness.

The image of Tony's eyes, betrayed and broken, in Siberia was burned into his soul. When he died, Steve was sure that they'd cut him open and find that particular sin etched into his lungs, because he could feel it every time he breathed.

Captain America was meant to be the symbol of righteousness. But Steve Rogers? Steve Rogers wasn't. Steve Rogers was just a frightened kid from Brooklyn who's home had aged and crumbled down without him.

So, no, Steve had never actually thought that Tony would call. But he had kept the phone on him at all times, just in case.

And then it rang.

"Steve." Tony sounded wrecked. In the background, Steve could hear the growl of an engine. "I need you." The billionaire paused for a moment, and all the soldier could do was listened to his ragged breathing. "I need all of you."

Steve's response was instantaneous. Even as he asked the question, the Captain was sending out the signal for the Rogues to assemble at their base. "Everyone?"

"Everyone."

This was serious. Tony wouldn't be calling if it wasn't. Steve slipped straight into command mode. Gather data, create a plan, and execute. "Where are you?"

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

"What's in Washington?"

"Ross. A trap."

Secretary Ross? Why would Tony have a problem with Secretary Ross? Tony had signed the Accords. Tony was supposed to be safe. "Then why are you going?"

"You heard about Peter Parker?"

Peter Parker? "Peter who?"

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

Steve winced. He'd made an effort to stay relatively updated on Tony's movements during his exile, but he'd had to go underground a month ago when a team of Special Ops forces got a little too close for comfort. What had he missed? "I've been… out of reach. Who's Peter Parker?"

"My son."

For a moment, Steve could feel the entire world screech to a halt. "Your… your son? Tony, I-I didn't know you-"

The billionaire cut him off. "Not biologically. I adopted him."

"You adopted a child, Tony?" How could he be so careless? Tony was supposed to be safe. He wasn't supposed to be giving his enemies a new weakness to exploit, and certainly not one that involved a child. "With our lifestyle? You can't put a child in our-"

"He's Spider-Man," Tony's son was Spider-Man? The little punk from Queens that had been at the airport? Jesus, Steve had punched Tony's kid, "and I don't want to argue with you. Not now, Steve. Please."

Steve didn't miss the way Tony's voice cracked. The billionaire was right. Now wasn't the time for that conversation. "Alright, Tony. Not now. What do you need us to do?"

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

I'm a soldier, Steve thought, a familiar bitterness rising in his throat, in the end, that's all we're good for. To fight, to die, and to be replaced. "We are."

"Good. Something tells me you'll need to be." Tony took a ragged breath. "I think Ross is going to try to take me in."

"You think he wants to arrest you? Why?"

"I've been pissing him off for months. Shit, I should have been thinking about it. It didn't matter in the beginning, the only person I was risking was myself, but I should've played along the moment I ended up with Peter."

"He can't just arrest you for pissing him off, Tony."

"He can arrest me for assisting in the escape of about four prisoners from a maximum security prison."

Somewhere, deep down, Steve had always known it was Tony. He'd just been too afraid to believe it.

"So it was you."

"Who else could have hacked into their systems? Of course it was me, Steve." The billionaire's voice dropped so low that Steve almost missed his next words. "The fight was never with them. It was never with you."

No. It was just with Bucky. And I'm sorry, Tony, but he's the last piece of home that I have.

"He's back in cryo." Steve doesn't know why he says it.

He hears Tony take a sharp breath. "I see." He swallows. "Is he… is he safe?"

Steve can't keep the surprise out of his voice. "I didn't think you'd care."

"I…" For a breath, Steve doesn't think Tony will finish the thought. "I know what it's like to have someone mess with your head. That doesn't mean I can forget what he did. Hell, it doesn't even mean that I can forgive what he did. But… there are more important things for me to worry about." A shaky inhale crackled through the receiver. "And, Steve? I know what it's like, now, to have someone you'd throw everything away for. To have someone that's more important than anything else. I… I understand."

I understand why you did it. I understand.

Steve was speechless. In the end, he all he could stutter out was a shaky, "I can't wait to meet him."

"Peter?" For a moment, the panic in Tony's voice faded and was replaced by fondness. It made a lump form in Steve's throat. "You'll… you'll love him. He's a lot like you, actually. Sometimes he'll say something, and all I can think of is-" The billionaire cut himself of suddenly. Steve could practically see him shake his head. "It doesn't matter. I don't have much time. As much as I'd love to finish up this ridiculously sappy chat, we need to go over the plan."

"Do you have one?"

"Of course I do. I'm a genius, remember?"

Tony's cockiness made Steve smile. Just like old times. "And what is it?"

"You're going to let Ross arrest me."

Why did Stark always come up with the worst plans? "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." The admission was reluctant.

"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."

Tony wasn't going to back down. For a moment, Steve's mind flashed back to Bucky.

("I know what it's like, now, to have someone you'd throw everything away for.")

No. Steve couldn't stop him, but he could help him.

"What do you want us to do?"

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

Every single fiber of Steve's being was reeling against the plan. Following a course of action that involved Tony placing himself purposefully in danger was something he never would have allowed before. But things had changed, and it wasn't just the team anymore.

("But… there are more important things for me to worry about.")

"I understand."

"Good. Now, here's what we're going to do. Peter's at the Compound with Rhodey. I need the team to gather there. I'll let Rhodes know what's going on before you get there so he doesn't, you know, try to kill you."

"Doesn't it seem a little dangerous for the Avengers to gather at the Avengers Compound?"

"You're right. It's obvious, and that's going to be our shield. No one would expect us to be so bold."

Steve had to admit, Tony had thought this through. "Alright. And what do we do then?"

"Protect Peter. And believe me, it'll be harder than you think. Once he knows Ross has me, he's going to lose it. Honestly, protecting him might mean drugging the kid and locking him in a closet." At Steve's chuckle, Tony sighed. "I'm only half joking."

"Sounds like he has all the Stark charisma, then."

"Believe me, he's got all my brains and all your righteousness. If you weren't a Capsicle back when he was conceived, I'd say we had an accidental kid when neither of us was looking."

The banter felt so easy, so simple. "You might want to look into a DNA test, Stark. Weren't you a playboy, back then?"

"I already had one done, as it happens. It was negative."

Steve laughed. "Well, good to know you covered all your bases."

"Oh, believe me, I've made sure to cover every base."

A familiar exasperation crept up at Tony's childishness. "Tony."

The engine cut off, and every hint of humor evaporated from his old friend's voice. "I have to go, Steve, but I need you to promise me something first."

"Anything."

"Promise me that you'll die for him."

It was direct. It was unwavering. It was so Tony. "I promise."

And he would. Steve Rogers would die, without question, for that kid, because he'd never heard Tony talk about anyone that way before.

Peter, Steve thinks, that's a good name.

When Tony calculated that Ross had been gone for about two hours, he shook Peter awake. He needed to evaluate just how lucid the kid was going to be before making a plan.

"Morning, kiddo." Peter blinked, and some of the haziness seemed to evaporate from his gaze. Relief flooded through the billionaire. "How're you feeling? And I need an honest answer, Peter. No messing around, okay?"

The kid seemed to understand the gravity of the situation. "I think 'm okay? Still feel a little… fuzzy."

Tony studied Peter's pupils for a minute. They were definitely still blown, but the kid was decidedly more coherent than he was just hours before. Little victories, he supposed. "Alright. That's okay. We'll deal with it."

"C'n I sit up?" Tony rushed to oblige him, propping the teenager against the wall that stood flush with the cot. Thankfully, Peter seemed to have regained at least most of his balance and managed to stay upright without his parent's help. "What's the plan?"

Tony smiled at the kid's eagerness. "We wait."

"We what?"

"Look around you, Peter." The kid did, too, much to Tony's amusement. "What do you see?"

"A prison cell?"

"A prison cell in a containment facility designed specifically to hold enhanced individuals. If you've got any fancy tricks up your sleeve on how to escape somewhere like that, please let me know. Otherwise, we do the only thing we can do. We wait."

Peter glared at him. Tony tried not to take it too personally. He knew the kid was pissed at the situation, not him. "Wait for what?"

"For nothing, Peter." Slowly, Tony slid his hand over Peter's wrist, tapping the pulse point gently. The kid cocked an eyebrow, but otherwise stayed still. "You feeling tired again, buddy?"

For a moment, the kid looked like he was going to protest. Then, realization dawned on his face. "Y-yeah." Tony nearly snickered at his over exaggerated blinking. "'M not feelin' too good, actually."

The billionaire brought his hand to the kid's forehead, brushing hair from his face and only partially faking his concern. "C'mere, kiddie. Looks like it's your naptime."

Peter did a brilliant job of murmuring a series of slurred protests as Tony tucked him against his chest. He pressed his face against the kid's hair, right above his ear, and breathed the words as quietly as he possibly could, trusting the kid's enhanced hearing to pick up the whisper. "Anything we say, they can hear. Cap's coming. He'll figure it out. We just have to hang on for a little while, okay?"

"Captain America?" Peter's voice was muffled against Tony's collarbone. The billionaire could feel each one of the teenager's warm breaths. It was surprisingly comforting. "I thought you guys weren't talking."

Trust the kid to make their catastrophic fallout sound like high school drama. "Yeah, well, that changed, okay? Now pretend to sleep, will you? Or actually sleep. Don't think I didn't notice that your pupils are still blown to all hell."

"I've been sleeping."

"Shut up, kid."

He pulled away, then, but kept the kid's forehead pressed against him. He could tell Peter was still awake just by his breathing, but the security cameras couldn't.

It only took Ross a few minutes to arrive.

Tony had been expecting him. The billionaire had, after all, just offered him the perfect opportunity. The man needed to catch them off kilter. Tony's open display of affection and Peter's faked drowsiness gave him an ideal moment. When the kid was vulnerable, Tony was weak.

The door to the cell slid open, and Tony pushed Peter up and behind him in an instant. The kid stumbled slightly, surprised by the sudden jostling, but Tony kept his hand fisted around the collar of his sweatshirt and steadied him. He pinned them against a wall, shoving his back against Peter's chest. He could feel the kid's ribcage push rapidly against his spine as the teenager's breathing spiked in fear.

Ross smiled wryly as he entered the cell, flanked by four large soldiers. "You think that's gonna stop me from taking him, Stark?"

"I can hope, can't I?"

Ross wasn't amused. "Where is Doctor Banner?"

Tony flinched. "I don't know."

"Where is Thor?"

"I don't know."

"What do you know about the being known as Thanos?"

"Besides the fact that he wants to destroy the universe? Nothing."

"You see, Stark, those are the wrong answers." Ross gestured for his men to move forward. "I warned you about the repercussions if you didn't cooperate. I suppose you need a little reminder."

"Ross, this isn't about him." Tony was ripped away from Peter roughly. When he tried to fight back, one of the guards slammed a fist across his face. He tasted blood. "Leave him alone! He's just a kid." Another punch. Shit, these guys hit hard.

"Stop! Don't hurt him! Mister Stark!" The kid was fighting back too, although it was proving a lot more difficult since his hands were shackled in front of him. One of the soldiers pressed a taser to his neck, and Peter would have nosedived if another guard hadn't caught his arm.

"Peter!" The current stopped, and the kid gasped for breath, blinking rapidly as he fought to stay conscious.

"Well," Ross clapped his hands, smiling at Peter in a way that made Tony's blood boil, "what a sweet display. Now, however, we have a lesson to teach to a certain billionaire. Bring it in, please."

Two men, dressed in lab coats rather than body armor, pushed a large container through the cell door. For a second, Tony thought it must contain some kind of toxic chemical.

When he realized what it actually was, his heart dropped through his shoes.

It was just water. But Tony knew firsthand what you could do with water, if you had enough sadistic imagination. And Ross had plenty of that.

The scientists locked the wheels on the container in place, and quickly retreated to a safe distance, clutching tablets in their hands and looking at Peter curiously. Clinically.

Like he was a fucking science experiment.

The guards holding Peter dragged the kid over to the tub and shoved him to his knees in front of it. Ross knelt beside him.

"Tell me, Peter. How long can you hold your breath?"

The kid stared at the water without a flicker of fear on his face. Tony felt pride glow in his stomach right alongside his dread. "I don't know."

"Well, it seems as though your father would like us to find out." Ross nodded at the guards. One of them held Peter still while the other took a fistful of his curls and shoved his head under the surface.

The kid started jerking almost instantly. Within a minute, Peter was all-out thrashing. Three more men had to lunge in to hold him under. Hell, even Tony started struggling so earnestly that a third man had to come just to restrain him.

They were nearing on two minutes when the billionaire broke.

"Let him up, Ross!" Tony yelled. Peter's movements were weakening rapidly. Terror swept through him. "Stop it! Can't you see he's done?"

"This is more than just torture, Stark. It's an experiment. It appears that our subject is still conscious." Ross turned to the two scientists behind him. "Call time when he stops struggling."

It took another thirty slow, agonizing seconds for Peter's jerking to still.

"Pull him out." The guard yanked the kid's head up. Water dripped down his nose and upper lip, but his face stayed slack. "Wake him up, would you?"

Tony let out a yell of dissent when one of the soldier's shoved a cattle prod into the kid's side. It worked, though. Peter woke up with a yelp, and then proceeded to cough and vomit up a bucket's worth of water.

As soon as he finished, and slumped against his guards in exhaustion, Ross met Tony's eyes with a self-satisfied smirk.

"Again."

The Compound was in disarray when Steve and the rest of the Rogues arrived.

Rhodey, outfitted in the full Iron Patriot armor, landed heavily in front of them before they could even reach the front door.

"Colonel Rhodes."

"Captain." The faceplate retracted to reveal Rhodey's distressed eyes. "Tony told me you were coming."

For a breath, both of them just stared at each other.

"Where's Stark's kid?"

The guilt in Rhodey's eyes told Steve the answer before the Colonel even opened his mouth. "He's gone. They took him. I was supposed to protect him, damn it, and they took him."

This wasn't part of the plan.

"We'll get them back."

Rhodey's eyes widened. "Them? He has Tony, too?"

Ah. So Tony didn't fill Rhodey in on the plan, then. "Yes."

"Shit." If there had been anything solid to kick nearby, Steve had a feeling Rhodey wouldn't be holding back. "Shit. That idiot. I told him not to go. And what does he do? Something stupid, just like he always does, because he's Tony fucking Stark and he thinks he's fucking invincible. I'm going to kick his brilliant ass when I-"

"As much as I adore the idea of giving Stark hell, I have a feeling we might have better things to be doing." Natasha had slid forward silently. Sometimes, Steve forgot just how deadly she was.

He could see it, then. All slyness and coiled tension. Natasha was not a force anyone could withstand.

Rhodey jumped into action, running a trembling hand down his face and composing himself in the way only a soldier can. Steve felt respect for the man flare in his gut. "She's right. C'mon, Happy and I have set up camp in one of the conference rooms."

The team slotted back into their past roles seamlessly. Rhodey seemed a little twitchy, and Vision was disappointed at the absence of Wanda, but there were no other blips in the programming as everyone got to work trying to track down any signs of Ross, Tony, or Peter.

As soon as Steve had everyone organized and working on their respective tasks, he gestured for Rhodey to follow him out of the room. He found himself watching the man's leg braces with a strong pang of guilt as the Colonel obliged.

"How are you holding up?" Steve asked, pointing to the couch. "I know you and Tony are close."

Rhodey dropped down beside the Captain with a heavy sigh. "It's not just him I'm worried about."

Steve hesitated on his next words. "What can you tell me about them?"

"About Tony and Peter?" When Steve nodded an affirmative, Rhodey's expression turned soft. "Peter's fifteen. The kid looks at Tony like he hung all of the damn stars in the sky just for him," he paused, shaking his head a little, "but Tony looks at Peter like he's the reason that he did it." And then, as quickly as Rhodey's gaze had gentled, it turned pensive and tense. "I can also tell you that as long as they have Peter, they've got Tony, too. He'll do anything to keep that kid safe."

"Anything?"

Rhodey met his gaze head on. There was certainty in his eyes when he spoke. "Anything."

That threw Steve off balance, but only briefly. "Tony said Peter is Spider-Man."

"He is."

"What are his abilities? His heightened strength I saw firsthand. Anything else?"

"Super strength, like you said. Enhanced senses. Accelerated metabolism and a healing factor. Oh, and he, uh, sticks to things."

After everything Steve had seen, that admission barely made him blink. "His webs aren't part of his physical abilities, then?"

"Nah. The kid designed them himself. Uses these little webshooters on his wrists."

"So he's smart."

Rhodey laughed. "He's a genius. For perspective, he can keep up with Tony in the lab."

No wonder Stark likes him. "If he's that brilliant, he and Tony might just break themselves out on their own. Ross won't even know what hit him."

There was a spark of something in Rhodey's eyes. It looked a little like gratitude. A little like forgiveness. "Damn straight."

They didn't stop until even the cattle prod wouldn't rouse the kid.

"Is it breathing?" Ross' voice was flippant, as if he was talking about the weather rather than the limp kid on the ground at his feet. Hell, the man even called Peter "it," as if Tony's child wasn't even a person.

One of the scientists rushed forward to check. "Yes, Sir."

Tony felt a modicum of his panic release at that. Peter was breathing, which meant that he was alive. And Tony could work with alive.

"See, Stark?" Ross gestured for the guards to deposit the kid on his cot. "I didn't break your pet just yet. Now, what do you say?"

The billionaire spat on the ground, and one of the soldiers tossed Peter onto the cot and jabbed the cattle prod into the the teenager's stomach. Even while unconscious, the kid's face scrunched up in pan as his muscle seized.

Tony ground his teeth together, feeling every one of the kid's jerks deep in his chest. "Thank you." He snarled. The words tasted like ash.

Peter went still. Tony strained against his guard's iron grip. Ross just snickered.

"I'll be back in exactly four hours." There was a small screen just above the cell's door. A countdown popped up, and Tony watched as the seconds started ticking away. "We'll see if our little exercise did anything to loosen your tongue."

Then the soldiers restraining him let go, and one gave him a hard shove towards Peter as they retreated. By the time Tony looked up again, the cell was empty.

He didn't waste any time in lunging for his kid. His hand went straight to his forehead, and he winced when he realized that Peter was freezing. Tony brushed wet curls from his face before slapping the kid's cheek gently.

"C'mon, kiddie. Rise and shine."

Peter came to fighting.

His shackled hands rushed up in a blur of motion. Tony just barely managed to block the clumsy blow as the kid's eyes darted wildly around him.

"Whoa there, Peter. Easy, buddy. Focus up, now. It's just me."

The kid calmed instantly at the sound of Tony's voice, relaxing back against the cot and looking more than a little disoriented. "Dad?"

Tony's heart squeezed painfully in his chest. "Yeah, buddy. I'm right here."

He pushed the kid onto his side as soon as the coughing started. Memories of his time with the Ten Rings threatened to overcome him as he listened to his kid hack and wretch up water over the side of the cot. He had no doubt that Ross was aware of his history, and had chosen this particular torture method just to mess with the billionaire's head.

He wouldn't give the bastard the satisfaction of watching him break.

After a while, the coughing eased and Peter groaned. "That sucked. Like, worse than that one Spanish quiz I made a 70 on."

Despite himself, Tony laughed. He really loved this kid. "That bad, huh? Sure you're not being just a teensie bit overdramatic?"

Peter chuckled, pushing himself up as best he could with shackled wrists and resting with his shoulder pressed against his parent. Tony slid an arm around his back, and the kid looked over at him with a watery stare. "We-we're gonna get out of this, right? Everything's gonna be okay?"

Peter wanted Tony to promise. He wanted to hear his hero, his dad, tell him that the world wasn't actually as fucked up as Tony knew it was.

Peter wanted him to lie.

He couldn't do it.

"I hope so, buddy. I hope so."

AN: I'm sorry? But I'm also not?

In case you're wondering, I knew this was how the story was going to go since the first chapter. Actually, I've had bits and pieces of these scenes written since the beginning. There's one that'll come up in a chapter or two that I'm REALLY excited about.

Also! I'm thinking about giving this a sequel. There's a lot of foreshadowing to Infinity War going on right now, and I've got this idea to explore how Thanos/The Infinity Stones/Infinity War might go down in this new little universe I've created. I would also love to spend some time having the Avengers really get to know Peter and it would give me a chance to get some more outside views on Tony&Peter's relationship. What do you guys think?