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Tony stood frozen at the door, unable to step inside, afraid his vision would take face of reality, a brutal reality which he was not ready to face. The room was dimly litted and it reminded how Peter was afraid of dark spaces. The alarmingly cold temperature was another drawback for the boy and he wished he knew about the arrest sooner. He had to squint his eyes inorder to see the small hunched figure sitting quietly in the middle of the room. A small groan from Peter and Tony's heart sunk a little more. He crossed the distance in three large steps "Peter.. hey kiddo"

At the call of his name, Peter looked up with his exhausted eyes and swallowed through his hoarse throat. Tears glistened in his eyes and he tried to talk, to say something but suddenly it was all too much for him. The fear of not getting out of this room, the fear of enduring prison time even when he was not guilty, the fear of never seeing Tony, Aunt May or his friends was taking control over his fragile mind. The boy gasped unable to get the words out but couldn't stop his tears from falling down

"Hey Pete, Take it easy" Tony spoke up while trying to keep himself calm. He reached out to run a hand on Peter's messy curls "You need to breathe kid. It's okay... I'm here now. Breathe"

Peter shook his head drawing in a deep breath before shakily letting it out "Mr Stark?" he asked not truly believing his eyes. Tony pressed a warm kiss on the crown of his head "One and only"

"Oh thank God" Peter slumped, relief cursing through every inch of his body. Tony leaned back and a dark frown coloured his face when his eyes fell on a bump over Peter's forehead. He remembered his head being slammed on the car but that was hours back and this looked fresh wound. There were also fingertips on the boy's pale cheeks, like his jaw had been caught tightly.

Tony was really struggling to keep remain calm. He could feel anger rushing inside his veins like tidal waves. How could anyone have a heart to hurt an innocent boy like Peter. He so badly wanted to react on his anger but then noticed how Peter was shivering and quickly took his coat off, draping it over the boy "You're freezing kiddo"

Peter closed his eyes welcoming the much needed warmth. Tony's coat had the familiar perfume scent which relaxed him to great extent "Thank you"

"Let me warm you up" Tony reached out to rub Peter's hands but froze on seeing the cuffs which were tightly clasped on the boy's skin. Peter's wrists were bruised and looked horribly painful "Somebody get these off him now!" he shouted and started checking for other injuries

Brian held his hands on his hips and frowned "He's still under custody. I can't allow..."

"What the hell happened to your fingers Peter?" Tony's eyes went wide in shock. Peter's four fingers were covered in red blisters and had started to swell around. He carefully cradled the hand being extra gentle and blew a soft puff of air hoping to soothe the burn "Who did this to you kid?"

Peter pressed his lips tightly. He didn't want to cry but Tony's presence and his genuine concern brought fresh bout of tears in his eyes "It's... okay Mr Stark. I'm fine"

"The hell you are!" Tony cupped Peter's face wiping the tears with his thumb "Underoos.. there's no need to be scared now. I won't let anyone hurt you again. Tell me who did this"

Peter sniffed quietly and flicked his eyes on Brian "He.. dipped my.. fi...fingers in hot coffee"

Tony turned around to look at Brian and all his self control drained into deep ocean. The man clenched his fists, did an about turn, closed the three feet gap between them. He raised his arm and punched the man straight to his jaw who stumbled couple of steps back, catching his now hurting cheek "How dare..."

"You son of a bitch!" growled Tony cutting the man off "What kind of treatment is this! You burned his hand? Are you even in your right state of mind!? This is third degree torture, something that is done to murderers, rapist and terrorist. Under what category did you think my boy was suitable for this kind of torture" he grabbed Brian's collar and throttled him "This is end for you! Your career is finished. You should've thought twice before laying your hand on my kid"

Brian wrenched himself out of Tony's grasp and straightened his clothes. He noticed everyone in the station was looking at them and he glared at Tony "I did my duty. I'm not ashamed of it. All criminals will be treated equally and the boy is no different"

Tony raised his hand again but at the same time Peter shouted "Mr Stark don't!" he turned around and saw the boy had gotten up and was swaying on his feet, eyes blinking in slow motion "Please...no.."

Peter didn't want Tony to get into trouble because of him. He wasn't sure why but all his mixed emotions suddenly seemed amplified by a thousand percent or maybe it was sheer and utter exhaustion he felt, both physically and mentally that he could no longer keep up with his own weight and started falling down

"Peter!" Tony rushed back inside and caught the small bundle of muscles before it could hit the table. Peter let out a small whimper and went slack in Tony's arms, weary brown eyes falling shut behind his upswept lashes. Tony was alarmed and scared as he gently cradled the boy, placing his palm at the back of Peter's head that lolled on his shoulder. He was finding little hard to adjust as Peter was still handcuffed to the table "Somebody please get these off him!" he yelled and gently tapped on Peter's cheek "Pete? Hey kid! Open your eyes"

Brian shook his head in disappointment and commanded an officer nearby "Free the boy and call a damn doctor" he then muttered the next words under his breath "What a weak soul. Can't even handle few hits"

Simon came running inside and quickly uncuffed Peter's wrists. Looking worriedly at the boy, he then added "I'll get a doctor"

Tony pulled Peter close to him, almost bringing him to his lap and murmured soft words "Peter I need you to open your eyes. Please baby, don't scare me. Come on, tell me what hurts"

A whine broke from Peter before his eyelashes fluttered open. His grip on Tony's shirt was weak and voice cracked "Mr...'ark"

"There you are" Tony smiled running a hand on Peter's cheek. It hurt him to see the boy in this condition "Everything is going to be alright. Trust me. Just stay with me kid"

Peter nodded, believing every word of his mentor. Tony said to trust him and that was all he was going to do. He closed his eyes again, a tired sigh escaping from his lips

LATER

"Thank you Leslie for all your help" Tony shook hands with his lawyer "Can I take Peter home now?"

"Ofcourse Mr Stark. Peter has been granted bail. Though I would suggest to find the other boy as soon as possible so he could prove Peter is innocent"

Tony gave a sharp nod. Peter had told him what actually happened once the boy was given water and some snacks. He knew it wasn't enough considering his high metabolism but atleast he wouldn't faint again. His injuries were also slowly healing but not at it's usual pace and it was bothering him. Though it would also cover his identity and he wouldn't have to explain anyone about the mysterious healing. The man sighed. Peter shouldn't have endured all that pain, no child at his age should, no matter how bad crime they committed. It took more than half day to complete all legal formalities inorder to grant bail for Peter but never once he left his side. He made sure Brian was nowhere near the kid, personally guarding the room that held Peter captive. He had already given instructions to Happy to find the other boy so they could clear Peter's name. The man then went to thank Simon for helping Peter, glad that not all cops are same as Brian.

Tony titled his head and saw Brian signing off few papers, probably Peter's bail papers and his eyes hardened "Did you get the other papers done?"

Leslie nodded, pulling out another file and handing it to Tony "Everything is ready Sir"

"Thank you" Tony smiled politely. There was one thing he needed to do before taking Peter back home. He strolled towards Brian and cleared his throat

When the man turned, Tony extended his hand with the file "I'm more than happy to give this to you"

"What's this?" asked Brian with a frown. It was obvious to everyone that he wasn't happy when Peter's bail was granted. He flipped the pages and his frown deepened "What the hell is this?"

"You thought you could get away easily after hurting my boy?" Tony narrowed his brows, eyes glaring hard "I'm filing a lawsuit against you for falsely arresting my intern Peter Parker. You'll also be charged with defamation. You've caused Peter both physical and mental pain and for that I'll make sure strict actions are take against you"

Brian threw the file on the desk and fumed "You can't do this! I'm the head of NYPD!"

Tony scoffed "Maybe it's time New York needs a new head. Start counting your days here. After everything you've done to Peter, there's no way you are breathing in same city as him. You messed with the wrong guy McLouth" with that he turned around but paused to look back again at Brian "And don't worry about your silly snapshots. My men are already searching for the other kid and will not stop until they find him. I'm sure by evening you'll see him giving his statement"

Tony straightened his clothes and took a relieved breath. He walked towards the main hall where Peter was waiting for him still covered in his coat which the boy clunged tightly around himself. He smiled at him and pushed back his curls "Ready to go home?"

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