Summary: It's the 10th year anniversary of Aidan's kidnapping and Tony is getting drunk in his tower. FRIDAY interrupts his mourning with some unexpected news.

Chapter 3: Big Doe Eyes

The night Tony returned from his abduction seven years ago, Pepper made him promise one thing. Going forward, Tony would only get three days a year when he could try to drink his problems away. The rest of the year, he is allowed only one glass of whichever alcohol he chooses for the day.

Normally, Tony would be the last person on Earth to agree to such a thing. But the look that Pepper gave him when she made him promise—the pain seeping through her eyes—told Tony that this was his last chance to make things right with Pepper again.

Tony had never been the same ever since Aidan was taken away from him. The vow he had made to quit drinking and partying was completely thrown out of the window because he just couldn't bear to face the fact that his baby was hurting, abused, or...dead...somewhere out there, and that no matter how hard Tony tried to search for him, he just couldn't find him. Being sober was too painful, so Tony chose to drink.

For a while, Tony drank anywhere and everywhere—at parties, in his workshop, in meetings, at home. And he couldn't stand being alone with Pepper because he was always reminded how he had failed her too by not being able to get Addie back into her arms.

Afghanistan was a big wakeup call for Tony. During his captivity, Tony's alcohol was stripped away from him, and he was forced to face reality. He started to see how much hurt he was causing the people around him. The hurt he was causing the world with Stark Industry weapons. The hurt he was causing his friends by shutting them out of his life. The hurt he was causing to Pepper with, well, all the shit he had put her through the past couple of years by avoiding her and drinking away his problems.

So now Tony tried to be better and only got completely drunk three times a year. Once a year he drinks after his periodical fuck-offs, like that time he accidently built a rouge AI that tried to destroy all of humanity earlier this year. The other two days, however, are reserved for October 3rd and November 14th. The day Aidan was born and the day Aidan was taken.

Usually, Tony's favorite spot to drink on one of those days was in his workshop. He had a whole set up going on there with his mini wine cellar in one corner, soundproof walls, and a black leather couch to sit in and mourn while he stared at images of his baby on his transparent projection screen.

However, now that the other Avengers weren't living in his tower anymore—Clint has gone home to take care of his family, Thor has gone back to Asgard, Bruce has gone off to... well, he didn't really know, and the rest of the Avengers have finally moved into the newly built Avengers Compound last month—he decided to switch things up a bit and made himself comfortable on the couch in the living room.

10 years have passed now. His son would be fourteen years old, a teenager. He would have started high school, joined a sports team, or, if he shared Tony's love for mechanical engineering, the robotics club. He would have asked Tony if he could bring his friends home to hang out in the tower or for help on his math homework; maybe he even would have talked to him about his first crush on a classmate from school.

The more Tony thought about all the what could have beens, the more he found himself needing to drink. He poured himself a glass of whiskey.

Deep in thought, Tony barely heard the elevator chime open and was caught surprised to see Happy standing right in front of him.

"So I see today's choice of alcohol is whiskey."

Tony groaned. "Go home, Happy. Today's my cheat day. I only get three of these a year."

"Pepper sent me up here. Her meeting's running late, and she was worried you'll go overboard today seeing as..."

"It's been 10 fucking years now since I've failed my baby, you mean."

"Tony, you didn't fail him. You know it's not your fault."

"Then whose fault is it? There has to be someone to blame," Tony replied, chugging down his glass of whiskey. "I still dream of him, Happy. He always calls out for me to come get him, to come save him. And I try... I try real damn hard to chase after him, but he's just out of reach every. single. time. And the worst part is when his big doe eyes fill with disappointment when he realizes I can't save him. He just...gives me a sad smile, waves goodbye, and turns away."

"Tony, can't you see that Addie, even in your dreams, doesn't want you to suffer because of him? It was obvious to anyone how much he adored you and Pepper. He would feel devastated..."

"To see you like this," Tony finished Happy's sentence in a mocking tone. "Jesus...I can't stand you always repeating that same phrase over and over again like a broken record. Do me a favor and try to be a bit more creative with your pitiful attempts of comfort."

Happy sighed and sat down next to Tony. "Well, you already know that giving comfort isn't really my forte."

"You can say that again," Tony scoffed.

"Boss," FRIDAY called out.

"Fri, not now. You know better than to bother me on my cheat day," Tony waved his hand in the air to dismiss his AI.

"Apologies, boss, but my Addie Monitor Protocol has been triggered."

"Huh. Is another lunatic claiming that he found Addie?"

"There's just been a set of fingerprints logged into the NYPD's database that are a 99.9% match to those of Aidan Stark."

"What? Are...are you sure?" Happy asked, standing up abruptly.

"Yes, Mr. Hogan. The database states that the prints belong to Peter Parker, aged fourteen, arrested for unlawful attempt to purchase illegal drugs."

"FRIDAY, project the data," Tony barely whispered. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Was Tony dreaming? It sure seemed like it.

"Yes, boss." A hologram appeared in the center of the room.

Tony stared intensely at a mugshot of a young boy in a red sweater. The boy had brown, curly hair that covered half of his forehead, and big, brown, innocent eyes that put even Bambi's eyes to shame. You could just sense how nervous and uncomfortable the boy felt from his expression and the way he was biting his lips.

Peter Parker. Parents deceased. Uncle deceased. Aunt deceased. Currently residing in a foster home in Queens, NY.

"Tony, I could recognize those big doe eyes from a mile away. I can't believe I'm saying this, but that boy just has to be Addie!"

Tony felt lightheaded. The boy in the photo looked exactly like how Tony imagined Aidan to look like if he grew up to become a teenager.

"FRIDAY, tell me where the boy is."

"He's currently being held in an interrogation room in a police station in Queens Village."

Tony stumbled out of his chair. "I... I need to get there right now. I need my suit."

"No wait, Tony! You just drank a whole bottle of whiskey. You can't fly in your condition! I'll drive you."

Tony reluctantly agreed. "Alright, but drive as fast as ypu can. FRIDAY, call Pepper for me and tell her to get to the station as fast as she can."