Disclaimer: I own nothing in the MCU or anything drawn from the comics. Unfortunately. Lol. All characters belong to the amazing people over at Marvel! I'm just playing with them for a little bit. All lines from Iron Man belong to that crew!

Summary: Homecoming AU. "I swear..." he gasped out between his sobs. "I... I didn't kill Mr. Stark." When the argument after the ferry incident goes horribly awry, Tony is missing and presumed dead, and Spider-Man is suspect number one. Peter believes his mentor is still alive out there, but he'll need help to find and save Tony from who truly wants him dead in time.

Author's Note: Hey, guys! Thank you all for your follows, reviews, and favorites, they mean a lot to me! :-) Sorry this one took a bit longer, work kicked my butt this week, but hopefully this makes up for it! As promised, this one's got quite a bit more of Peter in it! So I won't keep you any longer! :-)

Chapter 9– The Familiar Pain of Loss

Pepper jerked awake with a gasp, a brief moment passing before she ran a weary hand over her face. She took a deep breath in attempt to settle herself down before dropping her hand and looking around the spacious Tower room from where she'd stretched out on one of the couches. It was lit by the pale morning sunlight that was rising over New York City, and she had to wonder how that had happened, how morning had even arrived. She certainly didn't remember dozing off, but what she did remember was that her dreams had consisted of nothing but the news reports from the previous evening on an endless loop, so any sleep she had gotten had been fitful at best.

But she still wasn't sure what had woken her so abruptly. It certainly hadn't been Happy or Rhodey bothering her, as the two men had spent quite a bit of time into the early hours of the morning after the former had dropped Peter off at his apartment discussing what Tony had let them know about the group of arms dealers and the guy with wings, as well as just what sort of weapons they seemed to be making with the leftover Chitauri technology and what to do next. That had been in the kitchen, a completely separate part of the Tower, though she assumed that the head of security would have left by now to go pick up the teen for school.

That was when she felt her pocket vibrate again as the shrill ring brought her out of her reverie. Pepper scrambled for her phone, her brow furrowing when she saw the screen was dark. But then, she heard another ring, and remembering she was keeping the disposable phone on her as well, she quickly reached into her back pocket and pulled out the small device. Knowing the only person it would be and why he would be calling her, she immediately flipped it open and brought it to her ear.

"Steve?" she asked quietly as she sat up and glanced around the room to make sure she was alone. She was suddenly feeling much more alert.

A brief silence came from the other end before a different voice than she expected was heard. "Sorry, Pepper. This is Natasha Romanoff."

Pepper worried her bottom lip between her teeth.

The Black Widow was someone she hadn't always gotten along the best with, thinking back to when she had first met the assassin when she had gone undercover as Tony's new personal assistant after she herself had been promoted to CEO of Stark Industries. Since then, and since both the billionaire and Natasha had been a part of the Avengers Initiative, they had begun to form an almost begrudging respect for each other which, more recently, had started to become more of a liking of one another. Pepper couldn't deny that she respected and admired the other woman's strength, patience, and tenacity when it came to dealing with all the men around her. She often felt similarly, even though she had less of the team to deal with and keep in line on a regular basis.

Though just like Tony, she'd had times over the past few years where she'd wondered if the former KGB agent could be trusted. Natasha Romanoff wasn't a woman who really formed loyal connections– other than with Nick Fury, Clint Barton, and maybe Steve Rogers and, though she wouldn't say it aloud, quite possibly with Bruce Banner for a different reason– seeming to prefer keeping people at arm's length, even if those people wanted to get closer to her. But, also like Tony, she'd seen her pull through for her teammates time and time again, so it was that reason alone that she trusted the Black Widow.

"Hi, Natasha," Pepper murmured. "Is everything okay? Is Steve...?"

"He will be," Natasha told her without feeling, but the CEO felt dread at her words nonetheless. "But we have a favor to ask."

Well, that was straight to the point.

Pepper's mind jumped into overdrive, wondering what sort of favor the assassin and Steve could want from her. But thinking back to her conversation with the Super Soldier the night before, she knew she'd do whatever she could to help them since he had offered the same to her.

"Sure," she finally said, taking a deep breath as she prepared to say the words that would technically make her a criminal if the wrong person found out since she'd be aiding wanted fugitives. "What do you need?"

When the piercing sound of his alarm clock blared from near his head, Peter instantly knew that morning was going to suck.

It was much too early for anyone to be waking up in his opinion, especially after the previous day. Almost stopping some of those weapons dealers he'd been hunting down, somehow surviving an explosion, being blamed for the murder of Tony Stark, and being under the influence of the hallucinogenic gas that made him see some things he'd rather not have had taken its toll on him. He'd gotten home a little bit later than usual the night before, glad he'd gotten his homework done at the Tower, and while May hadn't been the most thrilled with him, she'd been at least somewhat placated that he'd been at his internship before finishing his school work and "working on a project with Ned". Responsible things. Seeing how tired he'd been when he'd ambled into the apartment, she'd thankfully let him just go straight to his room without forcing him to eat anything– not that he felt he'd be able to stomach anything, anyway– or questioning him too much, and at least she hadn't noticed the lingering traces of the hallucinogenic. He'd barely managed to change into his pajamas, turn his light off, and climb into bed before passing out.

At least his sleep had been dreamless. It was exactly what he needed.

And now, staying right where he was suited him just fine. But knowing that May would suspect something, and not to mention have his head, if he didn't get up and go to school, Peter groaned as he reached out from where he was buried under pillows and blankets and blindly searched for the offending object. His fingers finally found what they sought, and he shut off the electric alarm clock. The teen allowed his arm to drop and hang over the side of his bed, but knowing it wouldn't be difficult or take long for him to fall back asleep unless he moved, he heaved a heavy sigh.

All right, Peter. You can do this. One... two... three... go.

A moment passed before he grumbled under his breath as he dug out of the pile and propped himself up on one arm, squinting in the dim, early morning sunlight as he looked blearily around his mostly clean bedroom. He immediately noted that while his head was still a bit heavy from having been so rudely awoken from a deep sleep, it wasn't nearly as fuzzy as it had been the day before. He smiled with relief, glad that the lingering effects of the gas had finally seemed to wear off.

But that didn't change the fact that he was still facing the problem of having to get out of bed and go to school like a normal fifteen-year-old. Grumbling some more, Peter shoved the blankets aside and dragged himself off the comfort of his mattress. Shivering a bit in the early morning chill, he began to throw an outfit together for the day without much thought. He was moving a bit sluggishly, he noticed, but he also figured that wasn't necessarily out of the ordinary after what he'd been through. And what he was still attempting to shake off.

Peter dragged his feet a little as he left his room and crossed the hall to the bathroom to freshen up a bit. He quickly splashed some water on his face and applied a light layer of acne cream almost robotically, the actions just automatic. As he brushed his teeth, he took a moment to study his reflection in the rectangular mirror. The dark rings that had been present the night before were gone, he had a bit more color in his cheeks, and his eyes weren't nearly so bright. All in all, he was looking more like himself and not so much like a zombie, and that had to count for something.

After a quick swish of mouthwash, the teen brushed his fingers through his hair in effort to get it somewhat presentable before deeming it "good enough" and leaving the bathroom to finish packing up the rest of his school stuff that he needed for the day. He grabbed his backpack from where he'd unceremoniously dropped it on the floor earlier, looking around the room without much interest for whatever else he was supposed to grab.

It should be noted, he thought, that school– generally– wasn't something that he minded, and even rather enjoyed most days. He got good grades, usually did well with extra-curriculars– even though he'd dropped those in order to make room for his "Stark Internship", something he still wasn't sure if May was overly enthusiastic about though probably wasn't– got his work done on time, and wasn't usually late to any classes. It's just that now, when Tony was missing and possibly hurt or even dead, and knowing that he could possibly remember something about it to help find him, school was the last thing he wanted on his mind. He would much rather be with Happy, Rhodey, and Pepper at the Tower or checking out spots around the city to help them figure out what happened to the billionaire. He'd be a great help to them, considering that he had been there when they had been attacked, he knew he could be...

But he knew that wasn't an option. If he skipped any classes, May would kill him. And he knew that while they'd told him he could help in the search for their missing friend and could come back to the Tower when he needed or wanted to, Happy, Pepper, and Rhodey wouldn't allow him to take time out of his education to do so, either. Neither would Tony if he were here, he figured. He'd probably laugh in his face and say, "Ha! In your dreams, kid" before kicking him out the door himself.

So, yeah, skipping school wasn't an option, no matter how much he wanted to since his time would be better spent at the Tower. It was a life or death situation, after all. But alas, school was calling. He'd just have to hope that the day didn't drag on too long, and before he knew it, he'd be heading over to rejoin the others to see how their search was coming along.

After grabbing a couple extra books and notebooks he'd need, Peter threw his backpack over a shoulder before making his way toward his door once again. But then, he stopped and quickly hurried back to his desk to where he'd set the paper bag with his Spider-Man suit in it when he'd gotten home the night before. He breathed a sigh of relief as he carefully took it out and slipped it into his backpack, knowing he'd rather not be caught without it and also grateful that May hadn't found it. Normally he took more care with where he put his suit, just in case his aunt did happen to wander into his room when he wasn't there or something, but he'd just been so exhausted when Happy had dropped him off that he hadn't given it that much thought. Thankfully, everything had worked out just fine despite his carelessness.

Now more confident that he had everything, Peter left his room and walked down the hallway to the kitchen, seeing his aunt was already there and had been busy preparing a quick meal before he had to go catch the bus. Not really much of a surprise; she was always on top of those sorts of things.

"Morning, May," he greeted as he grabbed the glass of orange juice she'd already set on the table for him and took a sip.

May Parker glanced over her shoulder from where she was standing at the counter and smiled when she saw him. "Hey there, sleepyhead," she replied before turning back to whatever she'd been preparing. "You're looking better this morning."

"Yeah, I'm feeling better, too," Peter told her as he sat at the table and carefully set his backpack on the floor by his feet. "But I slept well, so..."

"Good, it looked like you needed a good night's sleep." May grabbed a plate from one of the cupboards above her head. "You going to have a late night again tonight, or can I expect you home about the normal time?"

Peter thought that question over for a moment. He didn't think it'd be as late as the night before, but what if Happy and the others figured out something important they'd have to pursue? "Uh... I don't think it's gonna be so late," he muttered, taking another sip of juice to buy him another second. "I've just got my internship after school, nothing with Ned, so..."

May clearly hesitated, and the teen froze. She sighed, turning back to look over at him again, this time with a strained, almost sad look on her face. Crap. "Your internship?" she repeated quietly. "I wasn't sure if..."

When he'd arrived home last night, he and his aunt had briefly touched on the subject of the Stark Internship. Of course she'd seen the news reports about Tony and Spider-Man, so she'd been concerned. Rightfully so, as that had been about the time he'd have been with the older man. Even though she wasn't Tony's biggest fan, putting it lightly, after she'd found out about how he'd whisked him off to Germany for the "internship", she'd still had plenty of questions, such as if he'd been there, if he'd seen anything, etc. He'd really been in no shape to talk about it then, both because of the stupid gas and because he just didn't want to think about all the awful things that could have happened to the billionaire, but he'd assured her that he was completely fine and no, he hadn't been in the area when the "accident" had happened.

Right...

"I, uh, I still have it, actually," Peter finally said with a small smile. "Mr. Stark's CEO said she'd continue with me in his... absence. Until he's back, anyway. She wants to keep me on board, so I guess I'm doing pretty okay."

His aunt's gaze faltered. "I'm glad she's going to keep working with you," she muttered. "But with all these reports..."

"Well, maybe the news is wrong, okay?" Peter once again grabbed his orange juice and took another sip, hating the way his voice had cracked and rose almost an entire octave on that question. But it was true. He couldn't just believe that Tony was dead, even if May seemed like she could. His senses were telling him otherwise, that he was still out there somewhere, and that he was just missing something important. He just had to remember more of what happened up on that rooftop so they could find him, that's all.

Sighing, May turned completely to face him, giving him a sympathetic look that he immediately wished she hadn't sent his way. It made his stomach churn. "I know," she said, her voice calm and somewhat soothing. She then crossed the small room to stand directly in front of him, reaching out and taking one of his hands in hers. "I know you care about Mr. Stark, and that you're having fun and getting a lot of valuable experiences with this internship you're doing for him, ones that could get you a job someday. But it's also wearing you out, and I really think you should be slowing down." Her nephew opened his mouth to argue, but she held up a hand until he closed it again. "But what I really want to say is that I... I want you to be prepared, just in case things have gone the way you don't want them to. You and I, well, we know how hard loss is. And I don't want you to go through that again so soon. Believe me, I hope you're right. But I also want you to be prepared, just in case you're not."

Peter attempted to hold her gaze for a moment before he lowered his, letting out a long breath. She was right, he understood that. Loss was something that had plagued his family, it seemed, for almost all his life. It was something very familiar to him. He'd lost his parents in a plane crash at age four, a time he could hardly remember. And they'd lost Ben not long before due to a criminal that he hadn't been able to stop from taking the life of his beloved uncle. Losing Tony would be... he didn't even want to imagine it. So he didn't. Instead, it made him even more determined to find the billionaire in time.

It was with that thought in mind that the fifteen-year-old looked back up at his aunt, this time able to meet her gaze steadily. "I know."

Smiling, May patted his cheek before she returned to the counter, just as two waffles popped out of the toaster. She quickly set them both on the plate, grabbing some spreadable butter and a bottle of maple syrup out of the fridge before setting everything on the table in front of her nephew. "So you think you'll be home after your internship this evening, then?" she wondered, grabbing a fork and knife out of a drawer and holding them out to him as well.

"Yeah, I think so," Petter confirmed, taking the utensils from her before going for the butter. "If anything changes, I'll let you know."

"Okay. Just know that I'll be gone for a couple of hours this evening, too," May told him as she returned to the counter to make a waffle for herself. She turned to the coffee machine across the sink from her when it finished making her drink, and she quickly grabbed the mug to add some sugar and cream to it.

Peter smiled slightly after dousing his waffles in syrup. "Have a date, May?" he teased.

May let out a sharp laugh as she stirred her coffee. "Ha! Hardly," she said, glancing over at him with a cheerful smile. "Actually, I have something much more exciting going on tonight. A meeting to arrange the neighborhood garage sale later this month."

"Ooh, sounds like a blast," Peter replied after taking a big bite of one of his waffles, his smile lingering. After not eating anything to speak of after lunch the day before, he was starving. "I'd better call in to check on you, just to make sure you don't stay out too late or get into too much trouble."

"Hey. Watch it, smart mouth."

Peter chuckled along with his aunt as she finished making her own waffle, adding some strawberry syrup to it before she brought her plate and coffee to the table with her.

The rest of their breakfast passed in comfortable silence, the teen even having time to make himself a third waffle since he'd devoured the first two so quickly, before he had to go catch the bus. He finished off his orange juice before setting all his dishes in the sink, about to quickly rinse them before May shooed him off.

"I got this. Have a good day at school," she said, wrapping him up in a hug and ruffling his hair a bit before giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Remember to keep in touch if anything changes with your internship, or if you'll be home later tonight or something. I larb you."

"You got it," Peter assured her with a smile as he grabbed his backpack before he left the kitchen. "Larb you, too!" He felt her following after him at a slower pace, trying to push the feeling aside as he slipped his shoes on and grabbed his apartment keys. He knew she was just concerned about him, especially in the wake of potential tragedy with what had happened to Tony, but that same feeling just made him feel strangely on edge.

He slipped on a lightweight hoodie, zipping it up before sliding his backpack over a shoulder. The teen then turned back to his aunt, returning her smile as he gave her a quick wave. "Later, May." He then opened the front door and disappeared out into the hallway.

While in the elevator to get to the first floor, Peter dug around in his backpack for his iPod and noise-canceling earphones as he tried to think about all he knew about these guys he'd been hunting down. The same guys who may have attacked them and done something to Tony. He certainly hadn't caught any of the bad guys so far that he'd seen dealing with the crazy weapons, other than Aaron Davis– who just wanted this group of arms dealers out of his neighborhood– even though the FBI had possibly caught quite a few from the ferry. Those who remained couldn't be happy with him meddling in their plans all the time, he knew. Maybe... maybe the dealers he'd seen on the ferry, or even the guy with wings himself, had followed him and Tony to that building... Maybe they'd gone after the billionaire to get to him...

... or maybe Tony had just gotten in the way, and they'd been going after him instead...?

Either way, his stomach felt like it was being torn apart by the guilt that someone else he cared about could be hurt because of him.

Peter was jostled out of his thoughts when the elevator stopped, and he stepped out before hurrying through the lobby and into the cool morning air. He adjusted his backpack before unwinding the headphones from his iPod as he made his way down the sidewalk toward his bus stop a couple blocks away. He turned the device on and slipped one earbud in as he continued his earlier train of thought.

It had to be the guy with wings... who else could've gotten up to the rooftop with us so quickly? Unless any of the others can fly, but I don't think so... Why can't I remember seeing him there...?

A loud honk from a nearby car horn interrupted him this time, and Peter stopped with confusion and looked around. A couple shorter honks came from behind him then, and he turned to look over his shoulder to find himself facing a familiar black car with a man wearing a familiar look of impatience sitting behind the wheel. A smile spread across his face when the driver waved him over in exasperation, and the teen ran over and immediately opened the back door and slid inside.

"'Bout time, kid..."

"Hey, Happy," Petter said, leaning forward to talk with the man a bit easier. "What's going on? Is there some kind of new mission, or something?"

The head of security glanced into the rearview mirror, looking back at his passenger over the top of his sunglasses. "Uh, yeah," he replied as he put the car in drive and pulled away from the curb. "It's called 'Operation: Get You to School on Time'." He briefly shook his head. "Put your seatbelt on."

Peter frowned as he sat back against the seat and did as he was told. Of course. He'd forgotten that Happy was going to be taking him places for a little while. And, just as he'd thought, they weren't going to let him skip any classes, as much as he would love to do so. "Right, so you're my chauffeur for a while," he muttered, deciding to poke a little fun at his grumpy companion.

Happy forced a smile that was almost more of a grimace. "Just until we're sure that you're in the clear," he specified.

The teen couldn't help but smile as he glanced out the window. Despite how he clearly wasn't a morning person, he could tell that Happy didn't mind running him all over Queens if it meant looking out for his safety. "So, did you guys figure out anything after I left last night?"

"Not much," Happy told him as he stopped at a red light. "I told Rhodey all that Tony had told me about what you told him about these weapons dealers and this... birdman of yours. Apparently the feds got most of the crew, but they're not giving up their leader. So we'll be checking into that lead this morning, hopefully get somewhere..."

"Don't do too much without me, now." When the head of security only huffed in response, Peter's smile faded slightly. "Aaron Davis."

"What's that?"

"Aaron Davis," the web-slinger repeated. "He was making a deal with a couple of these guys, I caught it going down not too long ago. But he didn't want these, like, crazy alien-tech weapons, so he was hesitating on it. And then I... accidentally made myself known, and I saved his life. I caught up with him again just yesterday, and because I helped him, he was the one who told me about the deal going down at the ferry. He's got a bit of a record, but nothing overly serious. Not like the guys who work for this dude with wings. He just wants all this stuff gone from his neighborhood. Because of that, he may talk to you guys. I don't think he knows too much, but he might be a good start, anyway."

Happy once again glanced back at him in the rearview mirror, and even though he couldn't see his eyes, he could tell his gaze was thoughtful. "Aaron Davis?"

"Yeah." Peter nodded.

"Huh. Okay." Happy then pulled his phone out of his pocket, making sure to keep an eye on the road as he slowly began to type something into it. "Just making a note of that to talk to Rhodey about... Speaking of."

Peter watched curiously as the head of security tossed his phone to the passenger seat before digging around in his suit jacket pocket, pulling out a folded slip of paper and holding it out to him. "What's this?" the teen wondered as he took it from him.

"Those are Rhodey and Pepper's phone numbers," Happy answered. "Just in case you can't get a hold of me, for some reason or another. We decided that it would be best for you to be covered."

A smile spread across Peter's face as he unfolded the paper and saw the two numbers. "Thank you," he said. He really was a part of the team now.

"Don't mention it, kid."

Peter quickly pulled out his own phone to input the new contacts before he quickly looked out the window, his eyes slightly wide as they passed through an intersection. "Uh, hey, Happy. You were supposed to turn right here to get to my school..."

Happy glared back at him through the rearview mirror. "C'mon, bud, pay attention," he snapped irritably as he moved into the right lane so he could turn in the direction he was supposed to as soon as possible. "I don't know where I'm going to get to Midtown."

The teen simply smiled sheepishly.

Although, Tony realized, he wasn't sure when he wasn't sharing a prison with Ho Yinsen.

The billionaire had been sitting stiffly against the wall for he wasn't sure how long, not moving or saying a word as he simply stared at the other man in the room with him, who hadn't really moved much either. Because he's not real, he reminded himself yet again. None of this is real... he's in your head... just in your head... just like Dad...

Tony shut that train of thought down immediately before it could get any further. And if he thought about it, he could explain why Yinsen was there, too. Easily. His captors had set up the space to look like that Afghan cave he frequented much more often than he liked to admit. The flag, the car battery. Of course he'd be reminded of his late friend, the man he owed his life to.

But as he'd come to realize, he was always sharing a prison with Yinsen. His mind, his guilt over the man's fate because of him, was that prison, keeping them both trapped inside.

Bern, Switzerland. 1999. That's when it had all started.

Tony took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as he continued to study the other prisoner's... no, the trick of his mind... slouched form, his face turned away from him. He wished... oh, how he wished... that he remembered seeing Yinsen at the technical science conference in Bern. He vaguely remembered, through that drunk haze, a man who he believed could have been the same one he'd later been imprisoned with in Afghanistan introducing him to the distinguished Doctor Wu on that fateful New Year's Eve, but that was it. He wished he could remember that, and he wished he hadn't ignored him like he had. After all that he and Yinsen had experienced together years later in that hellish cave, he truly regretted not having a chance to spend actual quality time with the other man.

"So you're a man who has everything... and nothing."

"Is this what you wish the legacy of the great Tony Stark to be?"

The billionaire turned away from Yinsen then, unable to look at him any longer. He vividly remembered the sheer panic, the excruciating pain, that he had when first waking up in that dark cave. But he'd been alive. Alive only because of the man who was always trapped along with him, even now. He'd given him that second chance at living a worthwhile, better life. He'd given him that chance to change the direction his life had been heading in by guiding him toward the right one. In the face of terror, Yinsen had defied their captors' orders along with him by helping him to build his very first Iron Man suit, which in turn had caused him to continue to wear it out of a newfound feeling of responsibility. He'd stopped his weapons program at Stark Industries, no longer wanting them to fall into the hands of the wrong people who would use them for the wrong reasons. He'd found a makeshift family in the form of Rhodey and Happy, the other Avengers, and even Peter if he were being honest with himself. He'd found the only true love he'd ever really experienced in the form of the woman he'd least expected, though he couldn't deny that Pepper had given his life a meaning he'd never believed he would find. He'd left his previous life and all of its vices far behind him... all because this man he'd barely known had seen something in him that was worth saving and had sacrificed everything to allow him to live.

"Don't waste it... don't waste your life, Stark."

And as he reflected on everything he'd done with his life since escaping from that cave due to Yinsen's sacrifice, Tony liked to believe that he was keeping that silent promise he'd made to his friend as he died. He felt like he'd managed to do a lot of good for others despite the mistakes he continued to make, he felt like he was in a much better place than he was before his three months in captivity. And he owed it all to this man trapped with him once again. The billionaire knew many had died because of his last name before that day he'd escaped the Ten Rings, and many others had since, but Yinsen... Yinsen had died for him, not because of him. He had given his life to not only see his own family again, but to give him the chance to find his own. While he liked to believe he was keeping his word, he still felt like he could never fully repay the other man's sacrifice despite all that he had gained because of it, things that Yinsen had wanted him to have.

That guilt... it was the prison that kept them both locked away together in his mind...

Although...

The billionaire chanced another glance over at Yinsen, encouraged when he saw signs of a little more life from him. Perhaps this time... perhaps this time if he were able to escape, to liberate them both... they could both finally be free...

His hazel gaze moved back to the red flag burning brightly across from him, the symbol of the Ten Rings bolder than ever. His jaw set in determination.

"I'm gonna get us both out of here this time... I promise."

I'm not leaving you behind... Not again...

Drawing in another deep but slightly shaking breath, Tony pushed himself to his feet, throwing a hand against the wall behind him to keep himself steady when his legs nearly gave out underneath him. He waited until they felt a little stronger, at least until they weren't shaking quite so badly, before stepping tentatively away from the wall. The first few steps were a little more difficult than he expected as he swayed, his balance thrown off by how dizzy he was from the gas and everything that had happened down at the harbor, but he drew his bottom lip between his teeth as he pushed himself forward at a slow but steady pace.

Luckily the room they... no, he... was being kept in was small, for it didn't take too long to reach the wall across from him. Still, his heart was pounding in his chest, his face was covered in sweat, and whatever injuries he'd sustained were flaring with pain and throbbing in protest as Tony leaned against the wall. He closed his eyes briefly, attempting to catch his breath as he willed his pulse to return to a somewhat normal rate, before he opened them again and gazed up at the large flag above him. He took in the crossed swords, the ten interlocking rings, the various characters... and the sight filled him with rage. The flag was so red... so bright red... all he could see was that red...

Letting out a frustrated cry, he reached out and grasped the soft material in both hands before he pulled as hard as he could. It took a couple tries but he kept at it, and soon, a loud tearing sound resounded in his ears as the flag started to fall from the wall in pieces. The billionaire didn't stop until none of it remained hanging, and he glanced down at the last two uneven strips he held before allowing them to slip between his fingers to the floor in a heap to join the rest.

It wasn't the way out yet, but he couldn't help but feel some sort of sense of liberation, anyway.

Taking a couple deep breaths as a small smile appeared on his face, Tony turned to tell Yinsen the good news, though he hesitated before he could. He's not real... he's not real...

Before he could fully convince himself of this reality, the sound of the heavy metal door unlocking came from behind him, and he quickly turned back around, only to squint and raise a hand in front of his eyes as brighter light from some outside source fell into the room, nearly blinding him. He heard more than one set of footsteps, and after the door closed, he lowered his arm again to see who had entered the room.

His eyes widened as his breath caught in his chest, and he stumbled back a couple steps, making sure to keep himself between his captors and the mostly unresponsive Yinsen. For he immediately recognized the black, graying hair, full beard, and dark eyes of Abu Bakaar from the Ten Rings, followed by the bald, smirking, cold-eyed leader, Raza.

I'm not going to make your damn weapons... I'm not going to play that damn role you want me to play...

But the billionaire had no time to dwell on these thoughts as Bakaar and Raza slowly started to close in.

"I'm glad to hear the kid's doing better," Rhodey said, balancing his phone between his ear and shoulder as he finished pouring himself a mug of coffee. He'd only caught a couple hours of sleep after staying up most the night talking to Happy about anything he could find out about the arms dealers Peter had been chasing and attempting to narrow down any possible leads to Tony. "Also glad you managed to get him to school on time, which sounds a bit harder than it should have been."

"Ha. I don't know the area very well, I'll do better tomorrow," Happy snapped back from the other end.

Rhodey grinned. "You'd better hope you do better at 2:45 when you have to go back and pick the kid up," he reminded him, laughing when the other man grumbled under his breath. "Better get an early start."

"Yeah, yeah... But as I said, I'm actually calling with something important that I thought you'd wanna hear," the head of security said.

"Let's hear it, man." Rhodey grabbed the piece of toast that popped out of the toaster and set it on the plate he had waiting, grabbing some butter and grape jelly out of the fridge. "C'mon, don't leave me hangin'."

"Fine." The colonel's grin broadened when he heard the irritation in his friend's voice. "So the kid told me about this guy he talked to, the one who told him about that deal that was going down at the ferry yesterday before it broke apart and almost sank. His name's Aaron Davis. Apparently, he had a couple dealings with these guys, but he wanted nothing to do with it when he realized what they were selling. He more or less wants the same thing we do, these crazy weapons out of his neighborhood. Kid thinks he could be a good place to start, since none of the guys who were caught yesterday are giving up any information on this... guy with wings."

Rhodey worried his bottom lip between his teeth as he thought over this information. "Davis, huh?"

"Yeah. Aaron Davis."

"All right, yeah. At least it's something," Rhodey muttered. "I can track this guy down, and we can have a chat. See if he can give us anything worthwhile."

"That's what I was saying... Do you want me to come back to the Tower, or do you want to meet me at the place since I'm still in Queens?"

"I think I'll..." But then, Rhodey's sentence trailed off when he heard some noises coming from the direction of the living room. Pepper must have woken up, he'd have to see if she wanted anything for breakfast.

"I think I'll find his address and..." the colonel began again as he put the butter and jelly back in the fridge, but his sentence once again slowly trailed off when this time, it sounded like there was more than one voice coming from the living room. Quiet voices, but still multiple.

"Hey, Hap, I'm gonna call you back." Before giving the other man a chance to talk, Rhodey ended the call and slid his phone into the back pocket of his jeans. Leaving his small breakfast behind, he left the kitchen and began to make his way toward the living room. He knew someone couldn't just sneak into the Tower, so he wasn't overly concerned, but he was curious about who was there so early, anyway.

"Pepper?" he called out as he stepped into the spacious room.

Every voice immediately stopped as he walked in, replaced with utter silence, and he came to a halt. In the early morning sunlight, Rhodey immediately found Pepper where she was standing in front of one of the couches, her eyes wide as though she had been caught red-handed doing something she probably shouldn't have. A dark-skinned man with short black hair wearing black-rimmed glasses, a red and black plaid shirt and white tank top, and a pair of light jeans with a couple tears in them stood beside her, appearing slightly startled yet unmoving. On the couch in front of them sat a light-haired woman who was dressed in a flowery outfit that wasn't necessarily fitting of her, and though her hair was now blonde, he recognized her sharp, pretty features immediately. And beside her, wearing a bit more tattered outfit and appearing to have some cuts, bruises, and maybe even a couple burns, was a man he'd know anywhere, even with the full beard hiding most of his face.

It was Steve Rogers.

Author's Note: And there we have it! Some lighter moments, May's now a character, Peter's determined to get things moving, Pepper's helping "wanted criminals", and Tony's continuing to suffer from these PTSD moments. Poor guy's not gonna be in the best of condition anytime soon... But the rest of the gang is putting together some leads... and everyone's about to forcefully collide. How will that go? We'll find out! Thanks for reading, guys! As always, feedback's greatly appreciated! Until next time! :-)