Tony is fine. Completely fine. He is in his lab with his kid. He is safe.
So why are his hands shaking?
Is it hot in here? Did Friday turn on the heater? She shouldn't have unless he asked her. Did he ask her?
The simple black Stark Industries sweatshirt clinging to him starts to feel constrictive almost like the fabric is trying to swallow him whole. He yanks it off in one fluid motion and throws it towards his desk. He then jumps when he feels a slight buzz on his wrist.
What is wrong with him?
He looks down towards his sleek watch that had been a couple hundred thousand dollars. It was a nice birthday gift from Pepper. If only Pepper was here and he would not have to be alone.
Wait. He is alone?
His breath quickens at the thought and then it feels as if the oxygen in the room is gone. His strained gasps alarm the other occupant of the room.
"-going to be okay, Tony. You're okay."
Tony feels like he is underwater, the sounds slightly muffled with a strange echo. His legs are heavy and feel like any moment they'll buckle. He can't move if he wanted to; if he moves they'll hurt Peter. He has to be strong for Peter.
"-hear me? Tony!"
The voice sounds familiar but is too far away for him to identify. He is too busy struggling for air to listen. What a pleasant way to spend your Friday afternoon. Then a warm hand grips his. Who is in his lab? How do they have access? Rhodey is out of town and Pepper is in D.C. The only other person that it could be...
Oh.
So he hasn't been alone in the lab after all like he thought.
The smaller hand guides his hand and presses it firmly to a warm chest.
"-ony, hey! I'm here! Feel my heartbeat?"
It was at that moment that his mind focused on nothing but that heartbeat.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Gradually, the oxygen becomes more abundant and the black spots in his vision vanish. That's good.
Just at what point did he end up on the ground? His eyes must relay his confusion because a hand reaches out to ground him.
"Pete, when did you get here? Hm, I thought school didn't end till 2:45." His voice is raspy, but he really doesn't care. All that matters is that Peter is here and is safe. He licks his dry lips as he tries in vain to focus on the blurry figure that is Peter.
"Tony, it's nine o'clock. We've been down here for four hours." Peter looks at him in worry. Right. Nine o'clock and it's Thursday. Wait, no it's Friday.
"Right, my bad." He grimaces, it's like he's losing his grip on reality. His breathing has evened out so he's no longer panting. "Anway," He pulls the hologram he was previously working on towards him as he stands up with Peter right alongside him. "I was thinking of upgrading Karen with some cool new tricks I've been trying out." The lines of code appear and Peter glances at them then back at Tony. He knows what Tony is doing.
"What kind of upgrades are we talking about?" His voice trickles through the silence and the stress in Tony's face melts. He can talk tech. That's one useful thing he can do.
The first thing he noticed about the dark cell was how damp it was. He groaned as he sat up, the stiff cot doing nothing for his back. He went to raise his hand to rub his eyes, but a pull at his wrists reminded him of the wonderful jewelry that came with the hospitality.
Typical Tuesday.
Ouch. His head hurt. Badly. Did they really have to drug him with the serious stuff? His memory was fuzzy, but there was a faint memory of going camping?
Yeah, that sounded right.
Was it with Pepper? No, she was in Japan for the month. Happy had dropped them off on Sunday.
Was it Rhodey? No, he hated camping. So who had been with him?
He tried to think but came up short. Those are some good drugs they've got. His woozy head was of no help to him, and that scared him. The one thing he could always count on when in tight situations wasn't working. The stabbing pain behind his eyes flared and he let out a groan of frustration and pain. He hated whenever he couldn't think straight, especially when it was not his doing. He slowly laid himself back down. The lights felt brighter and all of a sudden his stomach wasn't feeling so hot.
He blinked, was it him or were his eyelids really heavy? Like sumo wrestler heavy.
Sleep wouldn't hurt, right?
Not like he could think straight anyway and his stomach was saying no to movement. Maybe he'd go to sleep and this was all just a crazy dream.
Yeah, that sounded good.
It would be something that he'd laugh at later. The genius's breathing slowed down and leveled out as he fell into slumber. Not of his volition. They just needed him sedated for now because they had big plans for him, and the boy.
Big plans.
In truth, Peter hasn't been okay these past couple weeks. Going back to school after everything has been difficult. The noises make him crazy and more times than he'd like to admit he has had Tony pick him up. Getting through this week was brutal. It was like the universe wouldn't allow him to be happy. He knew structure could help him. Tony had said that and he still believed the man; it's just adjusting was a lot harder than expected.
"If we take the week off and go to Malibu do you think Pepper will notice?" His voice is playful and lacked the gloom and doom he felt. The fact that he received no answer was not a surprise. He simply repeated it louder over his shoulder. He liked the idea of going to the beach. A sharp gasp took him out of his musing and his eyes found Tony. His face was pale and he was struggling to breathe. Peter bolted towards Tony as he began to see the signs.
"It's okay. You're going to be okay. You're okay." He tried to make his voice sound as soothing as possible. Tony's eyes were in his direction, but not focused on him and that worried him. He knew Tony's panic attacks by heart, but this was new. He tried to dismiss any worry to keep it from appearing on his face. As well as he knew Tony, the man knew him better.
"Can you hear me? Tony!" If only he could get Tony's attention. The way Tony's eyes wandered around but didn't acknowledge him.
Tony must be back there, in that awful place.
"-ony, hey! I'm here! Feel my heartbeat?" He finally gets Tony's attention and a wave of relief washes over him. He can hear Tony's heart rate settle down and his breathing along with it. It was okay. They were okay. Countless times Tony had done the same for him, helping him during his panic attacks. His mentor's eyes land on him with a hint of confusion mixed in them.
"Pete, when did you get here? I thought school didn't end till 2:45." Oh okay, not good. Did Tony hit his head when he went down and he just didn't see?
"Tony, it's nine o'clock. We've been down here for four hours." Luckily his voice remains steady and he sees Tony slowly nod like he's remembering. Maybe it's just a fluke. Surely Friday would've notified him if Tony was had brain injury.
"Right, my bad." Tony apologizes as he waves his hand nonchalantly. "Anway," He then summons the hologram he was previously working on towards him. Tony tries to stand up with ease but it's mostly Peter doing all the work - Tony doesn't seem to notice though. "I was thinking of upgrading Karen with some cool new tricks I've been trying out." Peter's eyes flicker towards the intricate lines of code. The lab had always been an escape for him and Tony, but he knew that they shouldn't be avoiding their problems. That eventually they were going to have to face them. Just not today.
"What kind of upgrades are we talking about?" He flips through the hologram analyzing it. Without even looking he can tell Tony has let go of the tension in his body. Peter would do anything for Tony to feel relaxed at all times of the day.
Peter could hear Tony's heart hammer in his chest. The sound of several footsteps had roused them from sleep and into defense mode.
It was useless because there wasn't anything either of them could do, so they both complied.
When the guards stopped outside the cell, Peter and Tony raised their hands to their heads interlocking their fingers and got on their knees facing the wall. It was almost like Peter could feel the barrels pointed at his unprotected back. He tensed before a rough hand pulled his arms behind him. He tried to keep his eyes straight forward, to not let this affect him. Soon enough his arms were cuffed behind him, not that he could break them. Without his powers he was just a normal teenager. The drugs they kept dosing him with kept him docile. He was then pulled to his feet and spun around. He almost tripped but a hand grabbed his shirt before he could. He opened his mouth but immediately shut it. These people did not appreciate any snark.
Tony had learned that the hard way.
He let himself be led out of the cell and down a whole network of hallways, away from Tony who was still kneeling facing the wall. They didn't bother blindfolding him because they moved every couple of days anyway - at least he thought so. All he knew was he'd wake up in a new surrounding sometimes with or without Tony.
It was all a mind game, but being separated from Tony was nerve-racking. Maybe they finally decided to kill him. He tried to banish that thought from his head, but it was difficult to quiet his mind when all he had was silence.
He still made an effort to memorize the places they stayed at. After two lefts and three rights, they stepped into a medical room. He was released from his cuffs only to be strapped down to a table. He didn't put up a fight, mostly because at this very moment they were holding Tony at gunpoint. Again, it was a mind game; a reminder of who was truly in charge in case they forgot. Their captor knew how to keep them in line. Tony wouldn't try anything if Peter would suffer and vice versa. It was disgusting how this cruel man was able to keep them in check. He often let himself get lost in his thoughts because once the drug flooded his system, things would begin to feel a little floaty and foggy.
An unpleasant cold sting in his arm and the drugs began to do their work.
No more Spiderman.
He was stuck with puny Peter Parker.
Sometime later he was returned to his cell, and the guards left. Allowing Tony to get up from his knees and embrace Peter. The fact that this was their norm was very unsettling. Tony would then ease him onto one of the cots, and let him curl up against his side. Peter would then fall asleep pretty fast due to the drugs and would wake up without Tony. Not that the man could do anything about it, but it still stung. The fact that he had Tony, but only when their captors allowed it was infuriating. The control that he possessed over Peter and Tony was sickening. Tony later would be returned to the cell covered in bruises and twitching from electricity. He would brush it off and sincerely tried to assure Peter it was okay.
But it really wasn't.
Peter hated feeling useless; ever since Ben died he'd made sure that he do whatever he could to help people. And here, he couldn't even help one person.
He didn't think it could get much worse, that is until they began to torture him, right in front of Tony.
Yep, his life sucked.
The gun went off and Peter screamed.
He sits up in his bed panting frantically as his hand instantly goes to his shoulder. He massages it slowly, the wound is gone, but there is this phantom ache. Doctors put him through a million tests and said there was no damaged tissue because his healing factor had taken care of it. He glances at the clock and falls back down on his bed. It's midnight. His hands are shaking like the time he drank five monsters. That was before when he could sleep through the night.
Before he can think clearly, his legs take him to where he desperately wants to be. He opens the door and Tony's eyes find him immediately.
"I really tried." He hates that his voice trembles. "I'm sorry, Tony. I knew we said we'd do it tonight, but I don't know if-"
"Pete," His voice falls silent and he can feel tears in his eyes. "Come here, buddy." Tony pats the empty spot beside him and Peter wastes no time settling himself under the covers.
"Tony," His eyes pleading at the man, he doesn't want to ask, but Tony knows what he wants.
"Friday, you know what to do." Tony tucks the teenager in, making sure he's warm. He presses a kiss to Peter's forehead to calm the kid. Seconds later he hears the metallic clang of his suits march into his room. Fifteen enter the room and take up position a few feet from the bed. All of them have both palms outstretched in an offensive stance. The whirling of his suits always soothed him, and now Peter, as he lets his eyes close. Tony begins running his fingers through the boy's hair.
"I'm sorry." Those small words slip out of Peter's mouth in a hushed whisper, but he hears it.
"Pete, you have nothing to be sorry for." Tony tries to keep his tone even as he thinks about the nightmare that woke him up two hours ago, and how he had been laying there debating whether or not he should run to Peter's room. He has to keep it together for his kid.
"I just wish we could be normal." It breaks his heart to hear that; he too wishes that. More than anything, he wishes that he could've broken out of there a lot sooner.
"Shhh, it's okay." His voice becomes softer. "I know kid, I do too." He looks around at his Ironman suits surrounding them in a protective circle. "Don't worry we'll get there kiddo. We just gotta be patient. Everything is going to work out." His words of comfort relax Peter and soon he is fast asleep in Tony's arms.
Tony takes one last glimpse at his suits. Then he pulls Peter closer to him and lets sleep overtake him.
They would be okay.
Someday they'd be okay.
Author's Note: I have no clue where this came from, but I just knew I had to write it. Thanks for reading! Please let me know what you think!