Day 487

It had to be some time in the early hours of the morning. Tony couldn't sleep at all. He felt as though he could hear every breath, every snore, every bed creak throughout the entire cell block. He didn't make it easy for himself – he was contributing to the noise by tossing and turning, the bed squeaking irritatingly as he did so. It didn't help either, that it was freezing. The thin blanket that they were provided with wasn't enough to keep Tony even slightly warm.

He sighed, staring up at the top bunk. He sensed that Peter was awake too. There was movement up there, and usually the boy was still when he slept. Tony decided that instead of trying to sleep, he might as well make do with some conversation. That would pass the time, at least.

"You awake, Parker?" Tony asked, his voice quiet but clear. He felt the bed move a little and then Peter spoke.

"Yes, you?" Peter asked.

Tony smiled. "No, I'm fast asleep."

There was a pause. "Yeah, that was a stupid question for me to ask. Sorry, Sir."

Tony wondered if Peter could tell that he was being sarcastic. The boy never seemed to understand when Tony was making a joke. He was always so serious all the time, and sometimes Tony wished he'd joke around back. A bit of harmless banter never hurt anyone.

"Are you cold?" Tony asked.

"A little bit," Peter responded, and Tony could sense that he was nervous. His voice had wobbled a little, and it was a lot higher than it'd been moments ago.

Tony wasn't really sure why he'd asked if Peter was cold. All he knew was that now that he was aware that Peter was a little bit cold, he needed to warm him up.

"Come here," Tony said, and although his voice sounded authoritative, it was also soft. Even Tony was taken aback at how soft his voice had sounded – it was unlike him. But there was something about Peter Parker… something that made him soft. Something that made him want to be a better person. Something… but Tony couldn't quite put his finger on what it was.

Peter climbed out of the top bunk of the bed and stood in front of Tony, not much more than a silhouette in the darkness. Tony reached out to take the younger man's hand, and he heard a quiet gasp.

"Come here," Tony said again, pulling Peter closer to the bed by his hand. Peter didn't let go of Tony's hand as he climbed into bed with him, but Tony could feel him shaking.

Tony wrapped his arms around Peter as they spooned, Peter facing towards the opposite side of the cell. It felt good to be like this – pressed up against each other, sharing in each other's warmth. Tony exhaled, closing his eyes and allowing himself time to appreciate the man who was in his arms.

He still felt incredibly lucky that Peter Parker had walked into his cell. He hadn't just found the sexiest, most obedient plaything for his own pleasure, but he'd found someone who he genuinely felt things for. And while that fact scared the shit out of Tony, there wasn't much to do in prison but constantly think about his feelings, and especially with Peter living right on top of him.

Tony could still feel Peter shaking, and he held onto him tighter, pressing his face against his hair. Fuck, he smelt so good up close like this. Usually when they fucked, Tony didn't have much of a chance to pay attention to the small things like this. Like the smell of Peter's hair, or the way his chest moved steadily with every breath, or the way he seemed to emit warmth like it radiated off of him.

"What's wrong, baby?" Tony murmured in Peter's ear. He felt Peter's body freeze up at the question.

"N-nothing's wrong, Sir," Peter replied, almost monotonous. Tony was still holding one of Peter's hand. He squeezed it gently and stroked his thumb against Peter's fingers.

"I think you're lying to me."

"Why did you call me down here?" Peter asked quietly, sounding as though he was on the verge of tears. "You already had me today."

Tony didn't speak straight away. He was very much aware that Peter didn't like having sex with him, but it stung a little to hear him speak of it as though it was just some chore. "I called you down here to hold you," Tony said. "Is that a problem, Parker?"

"N-no. Of course not." But Peter's voice told another story entirely. He clearly wanted to be up in the top bunk. And Tony couldn't really blame him – why would Peter want to be held by someone like him? He wasn't exactly the nicest man in the world, and he'd reduced Peter to a submissive, broken shadow of the boy he'd been when he'd arrived in the prison.

"Good," Tony said, pressing closer to him. They were lying there for a few minutes in silence. Tony was content, loving having Peter there, cuddled up beside him. He knew that Peter hadn't relaxed since the moment he'd climbed in next to Tony. His body was stiff, as though he was anticipating some sort of attack. He seemed… scared.

"Daddy, please fuck me," Peter mumbled, voice shaking. Tony hadn't been expecting the request. Peter never asked to be fucked for a second time in one day.

"Why?" Tony asked, holding on tighter to the boy.

"Please," Peter said, sounding desperate. If Tony hadn't been so wrapped up in how good it felt to be cuddling him for the first time, he'd have ripped his clothes off then and there and given him exactly what he was asking for. But Tony wasn't going to fuck him – not in the middle of the night, where everyone would hear them. Not when he had Peter in his arms, exactly where he'd wanted him for at least a year now.

"I asked you why you want me to fuck you," Tony said. "'Please' isn't an answer, is it?"

"I'm sorry, Daddy. I just need you inside me," Peter said.

And then it dawned on Tony. He sighed and loosened his hold on Peter, feeling hurt.

"So that you can get back to your bed?" Tony asked, already knowing the answer. Of course Peter was begging to be fucked so that he could get back to his own bed and away from Tony. He cursed that idiotic part of himself that had actually thought Peter wanted him.

"I-"

"-Don't lie to me," Tony warned. "You know what happens when you lie to me."

Peter shifted in Tony's arms. "Yes, I want to go back to my own bed." His voice sounded fearful.

"I don't think so," Tony replied, kissing Peter's hair softly. "You can stay here with me tonight, okay sweetheart?"

Tony felt Peter's body sag at his words. What was it – defeat? Nevertheless, Tony wasn't really happy. How could he make Peter actually want to be with him? He knew they'd gotten off to a rocky start, but it had been over a year and surely Peter must be starting to develop some sort of feelings towards him? They fucked every day, feelings were inevitable. Weren't they?

"Okay," Peter replied, voice cracking.

Tony closed his eyes, suddenly feeling like maybe he wouldn't struggle to sleep anymore. Having Peter there with him was comforting. He didn't feel cold anymore.

"I want to hold you like this every night," Tony murmured tiredly into Peter's hair, squeezing his body tighter. "Would you like that, baby?"

"Yes, I would, Sir," Peter replied quickly – too quickly – which made Tony question how truthful he was being.

"I love you," Tony whispered, surprising himself with the sudden confession. Peter seemed surprised too; Tony felt the boy tense up. "Fuck," Tony continued, laughing a little. "I fucking love you, Parker."

He hadn't realised that it was love until the words had left his mouth. But now that he'd said it out loud, it was all so clear to him. What else could it be other than love? But he was fucked. Peter couldn't ever reciprocate his feelings… could he?

When Peter didn't respond to Tony's declaration, Tony spoke again. "I need you to be completely honest with me, okay? Don't be scared to speak your mind. I promise I won't punish you. Yes?"

"Yes, Sir," Peter whispered.

"How do you feel about me?" Tony asked, and he hated how his heart raced in anticipation for Peter's answer. How had Peter turned him into this? "I mean… could you ever love me?"

Peter was silent for a long time, and Tony wondered whether he'd maybe asked the question too quietly, or maybe Peter had fallen asleep…

The wait for Peter's reply was a torturous one. Tony needed to know. Peter was supposed to be his sub, his little slut, his toy. But right now, Peter was in complete control. It was like he had Tony's heart in his hands, and Tony had never felt more vulnerable in his entire life. He'd never felt this way about someone before, and quite frankly, it terrified him.

"No, I couldn't ever love you," Peter finally replied, and it was cold. It wasn't Peter crushing Tony's heart in the palm of his hand – it was like a sharp knife through the heart and it was excruciating. "If you want the complete truth, here it is. I hate you, Tony. I will always hate you, and nothing will ever change that fact." And that was the twisting of the knife.

Hate. Hate. The word rang relentlessly in Tony's ears. He knew he'd asked for the truth, but he didn't like the truth. The truth hurt, and nobody got away with hurting Tony Stark. Not without walking away with worse wounds, anyway.

"That's okay," Tony said through gritted teeth. "It's okay, sweetheart. You'll learn to love me."

"I just told you I could never love you," Peter replied irritably, and Tony wasn't happy with the tone of Peter's voice. Tony needed to remind Peter that he was in charge here, and that if Peter was told to do something, he was to do as he's told.

"Don't talk back to me," Tony said coldly. "Maybe I wasn't making myself clear? You will love me."

"Sorry, I d-didn't mean to make you mad, Sir," Peter stammered.

"Tell me you love me," Tony ordered.

"But-"

"-Anyone would think you wanted to get punished," Tony said. "Do you not remember what happened to you the last time you were a bad boy?"

"Please, I'm sorry!" Peter said in desperation, turning around in Tony's arms to face him. "I'm sorry, Daddy. Please don't hurt me."

"Mm, I'm tempted," Tony murmured, glancing down at Peter's pleading eyes through the darkness. "You hurt my feelings, didn't you? You deserve to get spanked like the naughty little slut that you are."

"I didn't mean to hurt your feelings," Peter whispered. "I will do anything. Just please don't punish me, Daddy. I beg you."

Tony smirked. He remembered the last time Peter had been bad, just as well as he was sure Peter remembered. It was a few months ago – Peter had gone to a C.O and tried to get himself transferred to another cell. He'd tried to leave Tony. Luckily for Tony, the C.O hadn't taken Peter seriously enough, and unluckily for Peter, he'd been unable to sit down for a week following Tony's cruel punishment. His skin was still scarred, and he'd been on his best behaviour ever since.

"How about this? I'll let you go back to your bed," Tony said, planting a gentle kiss on Peter's forehead. "If you tell me you love me."

Peter swallowed, looking utterly distraught. Tony loved it. It was one of his favourite looks on Peter.

"Go on, baby," Tony purred, his breath ghosting over Peter's terrified face. "Just tell me you love me and you can go back to your own bed. Doesn't that sound fair?"

"But, I-"

"-Or would you rather I spanked your pretty little ass again till you're bleeding?"

Tony was sure he saw a tear roll down Peter's cheek. He didn't know why the boy was always so damned emotional. Peter scrunched his eyes up and exhaled.

"I- I… l-love you."

Tony tutted and shook his head. "That's not good enough. I need you to look into my eyes and say it like you mean it."

Peter opened his eyes again, and there was no doubt now that he was crying. His teary eyes shimmered in the darkness, and Tony wanted to stop him from crying but at the same time he wanted to hear Peter say those three words. It was the conflict that haunted Tony every day. Whether to make Peter happy, or whether to make himself happy. And Tony was generally a selfish person, so he'd let Peter cry in order to hear the words.

"I love you," Peter said, staring at Tony with a look so full of hatred that Tony almost laughed at the hypocrisy of it.

"Mmm," Tony moaned, leaning in and kissing Peter's lips, which tasted salty from his tears. Was it weird that it turned Tony on? It probably was, but Tony didn't care. He continued kissing the younger man, running his fingers through his hair and lightly tugging at his curls.

Peter didn't kiss back; he was still. When Tony pulled away, Peter was still staring at him with that cold glare. His lips trembled as he tried to hold back the flood of tears that were threatening to escape.

"I'll accept that," Tony said. "But next time, you have to mean it. And if you dare look at me like that again… well, your eyes may be beautiful but don't think I'd hesitate to cut them out."

Peter blinked his tears out of his eyes and nodded. "Y-yes, Sir."

"Okay," Tony whispered, leaning in again to kiss Peter's forehead, and then leaning back to look at him. "You can go back to your bunk now, sweetheart."

"Thank you."

"Good night, baby," Tony said, yawning as Peter got out of the bed to climb back to his own bunk.

"Goodnight, Daddy."

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