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If you prefer to read on Ao3, it's posted there!
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DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of these characters! They belong to the MCU! I only own the plot!
Bastards, Tony thinks as he's wrestled to the tub.
"Peter! It's ok!" Tony tries, looking helplessly as Peter screams and thrashes in his chair.
Then, his head was being held underwater. After a few minutes, he was roughly pulled up and gasping for breath as he broke to the surface, only to be held under again. He sputtered and fought against the idiots holding him, forcing him down. Water entered his lungs to be forced out moments later as he coughed violently, only to be forced back in again as he was put under. It was freezing which only added insult to injury, and the men's hands held him tight to the point he thought the bones in his arms and hands might shatter.
It was on the sixth dunking, or maybe the seventh, who knows, he'd lost count a long time ago. He had passed out several times from the flashbacks of his capture but they simply splashed water on him until he woke up and dunked him again. It was a never-ending cycle of the painful fire, panic attacks, flashbacks, and screaming.
Just then, as Tony was about to give up, his weakened senses focused on the un-ending screams and begs coming from somewhere in front of him. I have to stay awake. For Peter, Tony thinks. Even though every cell in Tony's body screamed in exhaustion, he forced himself to stay awake. And finally, they let him up. Tony didn't have the strength to resist as someone picked him up and threw him to the floor. He vomited a spell before his body finally let him rest.
"Assholes," Tony mutters weakly.
Tony struggles to keep his eyes open as he hears faint voices above him but finally succumbs to the darkness waiting for him.
Peter's sure it's been hours. At first, he screamed. The entire time, just screamed whatever foul language he knew. Cursed the horrible people who were hurting Tony as though he wasn't human. As though he was a monster with no emotions. He stopped screaming after Tony passed out the first time. The silent tears never stopped. Peter just trembled in his seat asking whatever was above why it was so cruel to his mentor. Why it hated him this much after he's done so much for everyone else. Peter was begging. Begging their captors to stop. Begging them to let him take his place. But they just kept going. Again, and again. They'll always win, Peter realized. There was no way to save him. Even with all his powers, all he could do was watch as the hate for his captors grew in his heart. Then, as they roughly yanked his mentor up and threw him to the ground, Peter realized something has changed within him. For once in his life, he wanted to hurt someone. He wanted to hear these people scream as he had, as Tony had. He wanted them to suffer in agony. And...he wanted them to die by his hand.
And Peter was not ashamed.
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As Ryan approached him, Peter bared his teeth willing himself not to give his captor the satisfaction of seeing him crumble, even though he was reduced to begging mere moments ago.
"I really am sorry you had to see that Pete." Ryan says mockingly.
"Go to hell." Peter growls.
Ryan smirks and plunges a needle into Peter's neck. Immediately his thoughts go hazy and Peter slumps forward a bit. He sees Ryan take his handcuffs off and leave with his goons. Trembling from the drug, Peter drags himself over to Tony letting out a choked sob.
"Tony? Can-can you hear me? Wake u-up." Peter says hoarsely, shaking his mentor's shoulder. Getting no response, Peter puts his ear to Tony's wet shirt and was relieved to find a steady heartbeat.
"Tony come on. Please. I-I don't know what to do." Peter whispers, wiping away the tears on his face. To Peter's relief, Tony grimaces, shifting slightly.
"Oh my God." Peter says to himself, as he pulls Tony onto his lap. Gently, Peter places a bruised hand in his mentor's hair trying to provide at least a little bit of comfort. At the contact, Tony groans and leans into the touch slightly.
"Tony? Can you hear me? Wake up….just please tell me your alright." Peter trembles. After watching his mentors face for a few minutes, he accepts the fact that his mentor needs sleep. Shifting himself to make a better pillow, Peter wraps his arms around the man and holds him close.
"What are we going to do Tony?" Peter asks, partly to his sleeping mentor and partly to himself.
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Ok. Stop being useless, Peter thinks to himself. Peter scans the room going over every inch of it with his eyes. Bingo. There's a small camera in the corner of the room. That was not good and it made life a whole lot harder. But, Peter doesn't see a mic so at least Ryan can't hear what they're saying. Peter sighs looking at his hands. The self-destructive thoughts come back to him as they always do. It was your fault. You could have saved him, Peter thinks, looking at his mentor's sleeping face. The tears come back at full force as he thinks about the torture his mentor was put through, after everything he had been through before.
"Pete." Tony's hoarse voice whispers. Peter is jolted from his thoughts and he almost sprains his neck looking at his mentor.
"Oh God. Are you ok? I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry Tony." Peter whispers, trying to stifle the tears leaking across his cheeks.
"Stop that Pete. It's not your fault kiddo." Tony says tiredly. Tony tried not to think about what happened, so naturally, his brain plagues him with images from the ordeal. He remembers the water. His whole world, water. He remembers the dizziness, and the burning fire in his lungs, and the screaming. Remembers the pain, excruciating, and dull at the same time. Ever-present. Water. Pain.
Stop, Tony tells himself. He can't wallow around and wait for something else to happen. He had to get out now. He has to focus and get his kid out of here. Tony glances at Peter, his question clear in his eyes.
"Camera in the back left corner. No mic that I can see." Peter informs him. Tony nods and lets out an exhausted groan.
"Tony. You need rest." Peter tells him, clutching the man's hand.
"I'll rest when we're out of here Pete. Right now we need to figure out how to get out of here." Tony says shifting to sit up on his own. Tony puts a shaking hand on Peter's shoulder, concern in his eyes.
"You ok kiddo?" Tony asks the teen.
Peter looks at him with a horrified expression.
"Of course I'm not ok! They just…just-" Peter wipes his eyes and looks at the ground. Tony sighs and pulls his kid into a tight hug. Peter melts into the touch trying to clear the images that will most likely haunt him in his dreams.
"I'm ok Peter. It's ok. Better me than you." Tony says soothingly.
Anger flashes between Peter's eyelids. He pulls away from Tony and looks into his eyes. "I'm not letting them do that again. Next time, it's my turn." Peter says with no room for argument.
Tony's heart suddenly goes a mile a minute. This kid was as stubborn as he is. But this time...this time he has to win.
"Peter Benjamin Parker. You will not open your mouth you understand? You will protect yourself and keep your mouth shut. I will not let you go in my place. Damnit, kid. This time I need you to listen to me for once in your life." Tony says frustratedly as Peter tries to interrupt.
"You think I can watch that again? Tony, watching that was the worst thing that has ever happened in my life. And you know my life is screwed up." Peter says quietly.
Tony rubs a hand over his face, ignoring the tears at the back of his eyes. Peter's parents have died in a plane crash, his uncle shot in front of him and bled out in his arms...and Peter had said that was the worst thing that had happened to him. Tony didn't deserve that. And he never would.
"Kid-" Toy tries.
"No Tony! If I have to watch that again I will go insane." Peter says, his whole body shaking like a leaf.
"Then don't watch." Tony whispers. Peter turns to look at him with an angry glare.
"Peter. If you…-if you love me. Please listen to me. Just this once." Tony says, his voice soft and swallowing back the lump in his throat. It was a low blow, but Tony was willing to do it to keep his kid safe.
Peter looks at him with wide eyes filled with betrayal. "You-you can't do that." Peter whispers.
"Just did. Keep your mouth shut you understand?" Tony asks seriously. Peter nods reluctantly as his body is racked with sobs. The last thing Peter needed was for Tony to think he didn't love him. Tony cards a hand through his kid's hair and holds him tightly to his chest as he waits for the sobs to reside.
"I love you." Peter whispers hoarsely.
"I love you too Pete." Tony tells him guiltily. "How about you rest your eyes for a bit. I'll wake you up if anything happens." Tony tells him.
"Nope. You're sleeping. End of discussion." Peter says, pulling Tony's arm. Sighing, Tony lays down on Peter's lap too tired to argue. Soon, he's asleep.
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After what seems like forever, Tony's breathing slows as he falls asleep. Peter hopes he can stay awake. Who knows what Ryan will do to them when they're both asleep. Ryan. At first, he felt guilty and sad. It was his fault that Ryan didn't have a family anymore. Now all of that was gone, replaced by a burning hate that refused to soften. Peter has never felt this hate before. Never. Not when he was told his parents left him alone in the world by those wretched social workers, not when he hated himself so much for not being able to save his uncle, not even when he was furious at Steve for almost killing his mentor. This was something else and the scary part of it was...Peter was ok with it. Because he knew Ryan deserved it.
Peter sighs and clears his head. He needs to start making a plan if they were going to get out of here. Peter gently shifts his mentor off of his lap and stands up stiffly. He walks over to the door, aware of the camera at his left. He examines the door's looks and unsurprisingly he finds the lock is made out of the same material as his handcuffs were.
Peter lets out a huff of disappointment for the camera but his heart is racing a mile a minute. The actual door is made of wood. Peter could easily punch through it. During training, he could punch through a piece of wood 3 times that width. But Peter knows not to get his hopes up. He kneels down and feels in the slight crack beneath the door. As he expected he feels smooth metal instead of the toughness of wood. He stands up to feel the metal lock before touching the bottom again. Same material. Cursing, Peter returns to his place by Tony's side and pulls him on his lap gently. Peter puts his head in his hands in frustration. There goes that plan.
Peter blinks the sleep out of his eyes and looks around. Shit. He wasn't supposed to fall asleep. He looks down at his mentor who is showing signs of waking up too. Peter's stomach grumbles. He can't remember the last time he ate something. Then again, he has no idea how much time has passed in the darkness of the room.
"Tony. Wake up." Peter says, as Tony starts to mumble in his sleep. Tony wakes up with a start, breathing heavily.
"Shit." He heaves.
"You ok?" Peter asks anxiously.
"I'm fine." Tony says, rubbing his eyes. "Did you get some sleep?"
"Yeah, I fell asleep." Peter sighs.
"Good. You need rest buddy." Tony sighs carding a hand through the teen's hair.
"How are we going to get out of here Tony?" Peter asks quietly.
Tony thinks for a second. He didn't want to give the kid false hope but he didn't want to freak him out either. All Tony knew was that Peter was going to get out of this alive, and hopefully unharmed.
"Still working on that. We'll think of something Pete." Tony tells him. Peter nods as his stomach grumbles.
"We need to get some food in you." Tony says anxiously.
"I'm fine Tony. And plus it's not like they're going to give us food." Peter says. He would just have to suck it up and stick it out until they came up with a plan.
"No kid. Your metabolism is stronger than you think. If you don't eat you might…" Tony trails off looking sick. Fortunately, Peter couldn't see his expression due to the lack of light.
"I won't Tony. I'll stick it out I promise." Peter says sincerely. Peter really hopes he can keep his promise.
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Boom. A gunshot sounds across the room as the door opens. Tony immediately pulls Peter behind him and backs into the wall. The lights turn on revealing Ryan's smirking face.
"I wonder how many times it'll take to hit one of you." Ryan wonders out loud.
"I wonder how hard I have to punch you to break your face." Tony says growling. Ryan saunters over and puts the gun to Tony's forehead. Peter lets out a muffled yell.
"Kid you have five seconds to step out in front of me before I shoot him." Ryan says, bored.
"Peter no." Tony says in a hushed whisper. Peter ignores him and steps in front of Tony boldly.
"Don't call me that." Peter says, glaring at their captor.
"Hmm. Someone's got guts." Ryan says amused. His two goons step in, each armed with a gun. "Oh yeah, Anthony? Try anything and I'll shoot your kid in the heart." Ryan says, smirking.
" Bastard," Tony says under his breath. Ryan ties Tony up as one of his men plunges a needle into Peter's neck.
Peter's vision goes hazy as he tries to stay standing. "T'ny." He slurs.
"I'm here kid. It's ok." Tony says helplessly.
"Ok ready for round two Stark?" Ryan asks as a tub of water is brought in.
"Born ready baby." He quips.
"No. I'll take his place." Peter says weakly
" No! Peter! You are-" Tony tries.
"So someone wants to be a hero? Fine, take him instead." Ryan says gleefully.
"No! No...no...no Pete! Get him back here! You assholes!" Tony cries, verging on a panic attack as they get closer to the tub.
"Tony I love you." Peter says, forcing the guy hiding him to turn around so he could look into his mentors eyes. He had to let him know...just in case.
"No PETER!" Tony screams. Peter is wrestled to his knees, nose almost touching the water.
"I told you I would break you Stark." Ryan says gleefully. "Begin."
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The two men release Tony and he runs over to his kid. Peter throws up the probable gallons of water in his stomach, trembling from exhaustion. Tony pulls the teen into his lap unable to keep the tears out of his eyes.
"Ugh, that sucked." Peter murmurs weakly.
"Oh my God. I'm so sorry kiddo." Tony whispers, holding Peter tightly.
"Stop. Not your fault." Peter says, his eyes fluttering shut.
"I'm going to kill them." Tony says to himself, glaring at the door.
"Tony. It burns." Peter says clutching his mentor's hand. Tony's heartaches as he knows exactly what it feels like. It's almost as if your lungs are eating themselves.
"I know. It sucks. But it'll get better. How about you get some sleep ok?" Tony asks gently. Peter nods and buries his hand into Tony's chest. And that's how they fell asleep.
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"Wakie wakie!" Ryan's voice echoes through the room. Peter immediately jolts awake courtesy of his enhanced senses. He immediately fixes a glare at Ryan and pulls Tony behind him, who was only starting to wake up. "Aww. Isn't that sweet. The kid's protecting his dad. You're pretty brave Peter. Again you remind me of my daughter in many ways." Ryan says apologetically.
Peter's morals sounded bright and shiny in his ears. The need to help people was inscribed into his DNA. He almost always couldn't help it. He had to at least try to get through to Ryan. "Do you think your daughter would be proud of you right now? If she's anything like me like you keep telling me, she would be disgusted with you." Peter says sternly.
The vein in Ryan's temple tenses, something Peter picked up that showed he had gotten to his captor. "I'm avenging her, and my wife. It doesn't matter what they would have thought ." He says through his teeth.
"You think that's an excuse? What would your wife, of your…-what, 8-year-old daughter? What would she think about you torturing a kid that's only a few years older than her own child? You think she would be happy?" Peter asks disgustedly.
"I don't-"
Peter goes on, ignoring the man. "How sick of a person can you be? Using someone's bond with their father against them? You're using me to get to Tony. Your torturing two innocent people for no reason. Do you even understand what you're doing? You're going to go to hell for this. How could you do this to your daughter? You are putting shame to your family's memory."
"Listen you little brat-"
"You can call me whatever you want. And you can say whatever, but it won't change it." Peter says looking into his eyes.
"It's true you know." Tony says stepping in front of Peter. Ryan clears his throat and glares.
"No one asked you Stark. And you two won't get to me. You think you're smart but I'll always win." Ryan says. Peter shrugs, acting disappointed.
Ryan plasters the smirk on his face again. "You know, you two are really annoying together. I think you need to spend some time alone." Ryan says. Be snaps and three men grabs Peter's arms hauling him with them.
"No! No! Tony! Let go!" Peter yells as they drug him...again.
"Peter! I'll get you I promise! Let him go you asshat!" Tony yells furiously at Ryan. Ryan shrugs.
"Dad! Stop! No!" Peter struggles as he's dragged out the door.
"I promise Pete!" Tony says as the door shuts.
"You are going to have hell to pay if there is one mark on my child." Tony says glowering at Ryan as he slaps the handcuffs back on his wrists and ties him to the chair. Ryan huffs in amusement and slams the door behind him.
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Peter had called him dad. So Tony had to keep his promise.
I'm sorry! I know I'm evil!
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