DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN THESE CHARACTERS! I ONLY OWN THE PLOT!
Hello, my beautiful people!
I loved writing this chapter! Steve and Nat are sooo cute!
Please leave some feedback, that's how I improve! And, thank you to everyone who has left a review already! I appreciate each and every one of them!
Happy reading y'all!
Tony was chained to the wall watching as Ryan slammed Peter's head into the water again and again. He tries to scream and get free but he can't make a sound.
He can't move.
All he can do is watch.
Peter passes out after what feels like hours but they keep going.
"Stop it! Please! I'll do anything!" Tony wrenches out. Nothing comes out.
They throw him to the floor after a little while. Tony can somehow hear his kid's heartbeat from here. It's not fast and erratic how it should be. It's slow. Too slow.
"Pete!" Tony tries to call out, but in vain.
Ryan walks over to Tony and takes his face into his hands, wrinkling his nose in disgust at Tony's tears.
"Too bad. You're not good enough to save your own kid. Kinda pathetic but I didn't have high expectations for you. You will never be enough." Ryan sneers, throwing him back down. Ryan takes out a gun from his pocket and as if in slow motion clicks it in place.
Before Tony can scream, he puts a bullet through Peter's heart. Peter dies instantly. Tony knows. He hears his heart stop. He heard one of the only people in the world that brought light and hope into his crappy life, heart stop. He saw it. He felt it.
And he never got to tell him how much he loved him. How much he wanted to prove his worth to him because he could never live up to the 15-year-old.
And he would never get the chance. Ever again.
"Tony! Wake up!"
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"Tony!" Pepper says, putting a hand on his trembling form.
Pepper was just sitting beside Tony on the bed. May had told her she was going to get some food for them from the pizza place down the street. Something about getting some air.
Pepper was expecting this. What was more traumatic than watching your son get tortured in front of you while you watched helplessly? But it still broke her heart to see Tony in this much pain, even in sleep.
"Tony!" Pepper says shaking his shoulders.
Tony gasps and his eyes fly open, frozen in fear and sorrow.
"Hey, it's alright. You're safe." Pepper whispers, combing her fingers through his hair.
"He's gone, Pep. I let him-" Tony gasps for air. His son is gone. One of the two lights of his life. He was gone.
"Tony. Peter's here. He's not gone. Look around. Where are you right now?" Pepper asks gently.
"No, you don't understand Pep. He-he's gone. My kid's gone because of me." Tony sobs, unable to process Pepper's words.
"Tony. I need you to listen to me sweetie." Pepper says, tears in her eyes. She hated seeing Tony so weak and vulnerable like this. It broke her heart. Tony had changed for the better and now all he got was shit for it.
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Tony looks into her glistening eyes slowly. Guilt was consuming him and if Pepper was too late, he would drown.
"Peter is in another room. He was hurt but he's ok now, just like you. Bruce is working on him and the results will be out in a few minutes. You saved him Tony. You saved each other. Just like always." Pepper says, rubbing circles into Tony's wrist.
"Where is he? Where." Tony gets out, still breathing heavily.
"A couple doors down. You need rest Tony. Both of you do. I have no doubt he's going to be fine. I'll have them put him in this room after they're done ok?" Pepper asks quietly.
Tony nods and swallows the bile coming up his throat.
"God it was awful Pep. I couldn't protect him. I-I couldn't." Tony says, laying his head on the pillow that felt like heaven on Earth.
"I know honey." Pepper tells him. She scoots closer to him and wraps her arms around his waist carefully. She understood how much Peter meant to him. Tony would move heaven and Earth for that kid and the heartwarming thing was that Peter would too. They were fiercely protective over each other, only proving it right even more so with this whole ordeal.
Pepper understood that one would be broken without the other...to the point of no return.
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"But your home now. Peter's as safe as he can be. You can rest." She says. She knows that protecting Peter will always be above protecting himself for Tony.
"They're in my Tower Pep. The fuckers who made us scream until we lost our voices are in my fucking home." Tony says, breathing heavily once more.
"They're locked up in cells hundreds of feet under the ground floor Tony. You will never have to see them again if you don't want to. Or, you can beat the shit out of them if you feel like it." Pepper reminds him.
"Fuck. I don't want them anywhere near me or Peter. Unless he wants to beat the living crap out of them which I'm all for." Tony says, pulling Pepper closer. It felt so good to be able to hold her in his arms again. He still remembered when Ryan had tried to mess with their heads and played those horrible edited sounds. Thinking about it gave him shivers.
"Are you cold? Do I need to put the AC up?" Pepper asks.
"No. Just-just thinking." Tony mutters. "When do we get the results? Is Pete ok? I need to see him Pep. God."
"I don't know Tony. Friday will tell us if anything happens. I'm sure you'll be the first to see him." Pepper answers. Tony nods and runs a hand over his face.
"I know you want me to tell you what happened. I know you want to help but Pep just gimme some time ok?" Tony tells her softly.
Pepper nods in understanding. "You don't have to tell me Tony. But I'm ready to listen whenever you do."
Tony nods and gives her a small smile.
"I'm gonna get you some water. Will that be all Mr. Stark?" Pepper asks, a glint of a smirk in her eyes.
Tony smiles. "That will be all Mrs. Potts."
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Peter wonders if it was all a bad dream. He felt quite comfortable. He was probably on a bed as he could feel sheets under him. Peter had forgotten how good a bed felt like. He tries to move but finds he can't. Woah this is so weird. It was like he could sorta feel his body but his mind was somewhere else. He couldn't really form coherent thoughts, it was all muddled and fuzzy. Peter didn't like the feeling at all. When you're a genius and a mechanic, not being able to form thoughts and being able to think clearly is the worst nightmare. Peter closes his eyes. Hopefully when he wakes up his brain won't be so screwed up with all the drugs they pumped inside him.
Wait who's they?
Was it Ryan?
Or-dare he hope?
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Helen walked to Tony's room briskly. Though it has happened to both of them, Peter was in critical condition so she needed to get back to Bruce as soon as possible. She knows Tony will never be the same if they let that boy die.
"Hey Mrs. Potts. Is Tony asleep?" Helen asks, standing in the doorway.
"Hi Helen. Yes, and please call me Pepper." Pepper says, looking up.
"Ok. I'm going to clean him up and take a look at that bullet wound. They stitched it up temporarily right?" Helen asks.
"Yes. They said they're going to wait for you to do the long-term." Pepper informs her. Helen nods.
"Ok. You might want to step out of the room. It's probably going to get messy as it is a thigh wound." Helen suggests.
Pepper nods and rises from the bed. "Is Peter ok?"
"Bruce is working on him. He does need help so I'm going to help Tony and get back to him. Your son will be fine Pepper." Helen says softly.
Pepper thinks about correcting her, but decides against it. It was basically true anyway. The fact that she loved Peter as she would her own son wasn't new information.
"Please tell me when you're done. I'm going to be in the waiting room for Peter." Pepper tells her.
"Of course." Helen nods.
Pepper smiles tiredly, and walks out of the room.
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Bruce sighs as he cleans up his hands. Four straight hours of working on a kid he knows and loves was a lot to take. And Bruce could take a lot. He had to have Helen take over multiple times and take a break because he kept losing it.
"Damn." Bruce mutters. He opens the mini-fridge in the break room and grabs a Red Bull. Usually, he was against energy drinks, but he was far past caring about his preferences at this point. He needed the caffeine. The exhausted doctor takes a deep breath and heads out to talk to his friends, who he knows hasn't moved an inch.
As soon as he opened the door, the Avengers stand up, their expressions varying.
Steve and Natasha looked fearful, Wanda had a sad expression on as she could sense the fatigue and pain radiating off of Bruce, Clint and Sam were clenching their jaws in anticipation and May was silent with tears in her eyes.
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"Bruce?" Steve asks, as Bruce was evaluating them.
"He's fine for now. On a lot of drugs, but he'll recover in a little less than a week for his physical injuries." Bruce says, a small smile spreading across his face as he sees relieved tears in everyone's eyes.
May falls into her chair in relief, Pepper holding her hand. Natasha puts her forehead to Steve's chest, blinking back tears. Steve takes Natasha's arm, holding her steady.
"I suggest you all get some shut-eye. You can all see them tomorrow. May, you and Pepper can go in." Bruce tells them.
"Thank you Bruce. You should go get some rest. You look exhausted." Pepper says softly. Bruce lets out a yawn and nods.
"Yeah I think that's a good idea. Helen, is Tony ok?" Bruce calls.
Helen comes out of the break room. "Yeah. He's still out but he wanted Peter in his room." Helen tells him.
Bruce nods. "Alright. Just tell Marta to get Peter's bed into Tony's. You should rest too." Bruce tells her.
"Got it. Goodnight Bruce." Helen tells him, and walks toward the nurses' rooms.
"Goodnight everyone." Bruce tells them. He walks toward the elevator and they follow to head up to their rooms, minus Steve and Natasha.
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"Hey." Steve whispers, nudging her elbow. Natasha comes out of his chest and looks up to his eyes.
"Hm." She answers.
"You ok?" Steve asks. His eyes shone with compassion. Natasha wasn't acting like herself at all.
"No." She admitted plainly.
Steve furrows his eyebrows. "But-he just said-"
"I know." Natasha interrupts. Steve looks at her questioningly. "I'm just so tired." Natasha says faintly.
Steve looks down at her, holding her a little tighter in case she falls. Of course she was tired. She was one of them that barely stopped to eat and drink, let alone rest. He had just forgotten in the spur of the moment.
"You need to rest. Right now. Let's go." Steve tells her. Just as he begins to lead her forward, her legs give out and she crumples toward the floor.
"Woah!" Steve exclaims, catching her before she hits the floor and lowering them both down.
"Oh shit." Natasha says, clutching her head. "Sorry Steve. Shit."
"What did you do Nat?" Steve whispers as he picks her up gently.
"Hmm." The combination of no sleep, minimal food and water, and sitting in a chair for hours had taken a lot out of her.
Steve feels her forehead to find it burning with what's probably fever. "God. Nat, I told you to take care of yourself." Steve tells her softly.
"S'rry." Natasha mumbles. She was acting like a child but she couldn't care less. Out of all the Avengers she trusted Steve the most.
"Hey, it's ok. Let's get you to Helen or Bruce yeah?" Steve asks.
Natasha shakes her head. "They're tired Steve. Don't bother them." Steve stops. She was right.
"Ok. Let's get you to your room. Have you sleep this off." Steve tells her softly.
"I owe you one." Natasha tells him weakly.
Steve chuckles, heading to the elevator. "You pay for my shawarma next time and we're even."
"Deal." Natasha says, falling asleep on his chest.
"I'm gonna hold you to that."
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May looks at her nephew with tears in her eyes. There were IV's all around him, providing him with the nutrients he needed and blood that he had lost. Who could do something this cruel to a teen, who did nothing to them? And what about Tony? He did so much good for everyone else and he gets so much pain for it. He tries so hard. They both do. But it's never enough for everyone else. And it breaks her heart.
"May? Do you want to go get some food? They're gonna put Peter in Tony's room." Pepper tells her.
"Yeah sure. I feel like I'm gonna keel over." May says. She was exhausted, both mind and body.
"You're not the only one. Steve texted me just now. Nat's sick." Pepper says, rubbing her forehead.
"Oh God. She didn't look too great but I didn't want to get snapped at." May says, remembering how Natasha had glared irritatedly at Rhodey when he told her she needed to rest.
"We'll check on her in the morning. I think Steve's taking care of her." Pepper says, leading May to the elevator.
May nods and they ascend up to the common room.
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Pepper and May sit at the dining table, eating their cold, leftover pizza from yesterday in silence.
"Did Bruce say when they would wake up?" May asks. Pepper nods.
"He said Peter would most likely wake up first. His metabolism will probably burn through all the drugs faster than Tony can." Pepper tells her.
May nods. "We need to help them. Any way we can."
"We will." Pepper agrees.
"Pepper...when are you going to bring up the…" May trails off.
"They are going through a lot right now. Maybe when things quiet down I can remind Tony." Pepper suggests.
"I think that's a good idea. We don't want to overwhelm them." May nods.
They put their plates in the dishwasher and head back down to the MedBay. They walk to Tony's room and open the door to find Peter in there as well. The two boys are both dead to the world, a worrying look of fatigue identically shown on both of their faces.
Pepper and May take a seat on the soft leather chairs provided for them, in the middle of the father and son. May takes a seat next to Tony, and Pepper next to Peter. They both sigh and look at each other. They both were thinking something that they had thought a lot over the past
Why them?
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"Hey Steve. Here." Rhodey yawns.
"Thanks Rhodes." Steve says, accepting the fever meds and soup Rhodey had grabbed from the kitchen.
"You guys are softies." Natasha slurs, giggling a little. Rhodey raises an eyebrow.
"So she's completely out of it." Rhodey deadpans.
"I told her to eat and rest. She didn't listen and know she's got a fever." Steve says, shaking her head.
"You know I can hear you fellas right?" Natasha asks, smushing her face into her pillows.
Steve scoffs. "Like you'll remember any of this tomorrow."
Natasha brings her face out of her pillow to pout at Steve with Rhodey looking at the duo, amused.
"Need anything else?" Rhodey asks.
"Nope. Thanks Rhodey."
"Call if you need anything. And when she's on Nyquil." Rhodey snickers, remembering the last time Nat was sick. She still hasn't lived the whole clinging to Steve fiasco down. Then again, the number of times Natasha had taken care of Steve when he was sick or injured far out-weighs the vice-versa.
Steve rolls his eyes, a slight smile on his face. "Yeah, yeah. Go to bed Sourpatch."
Rhodey groans. "Damn Tony and his annoying-ass nicknames."
Steve snickers. "Goodnight Rhodes."
"Goodnight Cap." Rhodey says, walking out the door.
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Peter woke up, what he thought to be afternoon, as the sun was well up in the sky. It was one of the perks of having one of the best rooms in the MedBay. The window to his right was a full-length one-way window. The MedBay was on the tenth floor so it was still reasonably high up and Peter just watched the people bustle around catching buses and eating pancakes at the corner shop around the street.
Wait.
MedBay?
Peter's eyes widen as he looks around. It wasn't a dream. They had been rescued!
Where's Tony?
Peter painfully turns his body looking to his left. He allows a fond smile to spread across his face as he looks at Pepper and May, who were both fast asleep. Pepper was curled up in her chair, her head on his second pillow. May was in the same position on the side of-
Tony.
Relief overtakes Peter as he looks at Tony's peaceful sleeping form. If Pepper and May were in here, surely they were both ok. Right?
"Friday?" Peter whispers.
Friday reads the room and copies his tone. "Hello, Peter. Very nice to see you again. Are you alright?"
"It's nice to see you too Fri. Yeah I'm fine. What's the time?" Peter asks.
"The time is currently 1:34 PM." Friday informs him.
Peter nods. "Ok umm, what time did Pep and May go to bed last night?"
"Mrs. Potts and Parker fell asleep at approximately 4:30 AM." Friday answers.
Peter winces. "Yep. They definitely need sleep."
"Would you like me to get Dr. Banner or Cho?" Friday asks, her tone kind.
"No that's fine Fri. Is-is everyone else ok?" Peter asks. He doesn't really remember anything about their rescue, including whether anyone got hurt.
"The Avenger's are all currently asleep. Mrs. Romanoff had a 99.2-degree fever last night which has increased to a 101.4-degree fever." Friday informs him.
"What? Why?" Peter asks, his head snapping up to look at the ceiling.
"Mrs. Romanoff has had a minimal intake of nutrients as well as water. She also has a dangerous amount of sleep-deprivation built up over the last week and a half."
Peter curses under his breath. "Why would she do that? Oh God."
Peter feels around his body. It all felt right. He wasn't in much pain, except around his abdomen area which sucked, but considering everything he's gone through, was completely manageable.
Before he was about to attempt to get up and sneak out to go check on Nat, he hears a quiet voice calling his name to his left.
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"Pete?"
Eeeeek! I can't wait to start writing the next chapter! There's gonna be piles of fluff, don't you worry ;)
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Until next Sunday!
Have a lovely day/night :)