Summary: Mixed POV. The scene you've been waiting/dreading for. [Warning: contains corporal punishment of a minor]

Chapter 13: Promise Me

Peter's POV

"Thanks again for driving me, Uncle Happy!" Peter said in his usual animated tone. He grabbed his backpack from the seat beside him and pushed the door open to get out of the car.

"I'll be back at 11 P.M. sharp. Don't be late!" Happy yelled out as Peter slammed the door shut.

"I won't!" Peter shouted back as he sprinted into Ned's apartment, grinning from ear to ear.

Peter couldn't wait to go on patrol again. With all the mind-blowing changes in his life this past week, he desperately craved the one activity he could always count on to relieve his stress: Spiderman patrols with Ned.

He was already frustrated enough discovering how overprotective Tony was of him, expecting Peter to stay cooped up in the tower like he was freakin' Rapunzel from that Disney movie. But his frustration grew even more when he returned to school yesterday.

Flash had been spreading rumors to his classmates that Peter had been in Juvie for drug abuse while he was absent from school. Ned and MJ did their best to defend him, telling everyone he'd just been sick, but nobody really believed them—not when it was far more entertaining to believe that Peter had been in jail.

With his enhanced hearing, Peter easily caught all the whispers and side glances as he roamed the halls between classes. It wasn't exactly fun being labeled as a 'poor, troubled orphan spiraling out of control' or a 'teacher's pet turned drug addict.' Still, he told his friends not to worry about the rumors, joking that he's finally getting some street cred for once.

When Peter finally reached the front door of Ned's flat on the 5th floor, he swung the door without hesitation. From experience, he knew it wouldn't be locked.

"Ned," Peter called out, "did the pizza arrive yet?"

Ned appeared from the kitchen, beaming while holding out a large box of pizza. "It just got here, like, two minutes ago!"

"Awesome, bro!" Peter exclaimed as he gave Ned a fist bump. He wanted to eat as fast as possible so that he could start his patrol right away. If he finished the pizza in 10 minutes, he'll have a good 4 hours before he had to be back to Ned's to meet Happy again.

Peter quickly devoured four slices of pepperoni pizza and washed them down with a can of Dr. Pepper. He wiped the grease off his face with a paper napkin and half-heartedly brushed the crumbs off his shirt. Satisfied he'd gotten most of them, he unzipped his backpack and pulled out his Spiderman suit.

"Ned, find anything good?" Peter asked as he stepped into his suit.

"They're saying there's a robbery at a jewelry store on Franklin Avenue," Ned replied, his eyes glued to his phone. He had hacked into the local police feed to listen in on any active crimes in the area.

"Sweet. I'll try to get there as fast as I can." Peter finished suiting up, strapping on his web shooters, and jogged towards Ned's bedroom window.

"Don't forget your comm, Peter!" Ned called out, mouth full of pizza.

"Oh right, and I'm leaving my phone here—I'm sure Tony's got a tracker in this thing." Peter grabbed the earpiece from Ned's desk and placed the phone Tony gave him in its place. He couldn't possibly carry the phone with him on his patrol—Tony would find out he was gone immediately.

"Woaw. Cool... or not cool? Are you sure we can still do this, Peter? I don't know how I feel about helping you keep a secret from the freakin' Iron Man, dude. I mean, what if he gets angry at me and blasts me into oblivion?" Ned asked nervously.

"You'll be fine, Ned," Peter said with a slight shrug. "He'll probably be furious at me though... with him trying to make me follow those stupid rules and all." Peter mumbled, his voice growing smaller.

"Rules?"

"Ugh, don't get me started. I'll tell you when I get back," Peter huffed, rolling his eyes. He opened Ned's window and started climbing out. "Alright, let's get this show on the road," he exclaimed as he launched himself out of the window, firing a web toward the apartment building across the street.

He swung upwards, landing smoothly on the rooftop. Just as he was about to sprint toward another building, he heard a strange noise from behind—a low-pitched mechanical whirring followed by a deep thud of something heavy landing on the same roof he was on.

"Hi, Spiderman. Building LEGOs, was it?" A very familiar voice called out.

Peter completely froze in his tracks. He prayed to whatever higher power was listening that the voice he just heard didn't belong to who he thought it did. Slowly, he turned around, and his heart sank when he saw the unmistakable metallic red and gold armor staring back at him.

Shit. It was his dad.

"Sorry, d-do I know you?" Peter stammered anxiously, trying to disguise his voice with his best attempt at a Batman impression.

"Drop the act, Aidan. I know it's you," Tony said, his tone flat and unamused.

Shit! Shit! Shit! What now?! Peter shifted slightly, debating if he should just deny everything and bolt.

"And don't you dare try to run, little boy. Unless you want me to swat you in front of your friend over there," Tony threatened, pointing his finger towards Ned's bedroom window.

Peter gulped and turned his gaze to the window. Ned was staring at Peter and his dad, his mouth agape.

"Peter... am I losing my mind, or is Iron Man really here talking to you right now?" Ned whispered through Peter's earpiece.

Peter swallowed thickly and turned his gaze towards Tony again. "How did you..." Peter started to say.

"Of course, you don't even have your phone with you. Of course, you were going to do God knows what dangerous stunt you usually pull, without any way of getting help!" Tony's voice rose in frustration.

"Ned's my backup," Peter replied lamely.

"Your little fourteen-year-old friend from school is not backup, Aidan," Tony snapped, clearly exasperated.

"He's fif—"

"No. This is where you ZIP IT, alright? The adult is talking!"

Peter flinched and took a step back. Tony was absolutely livid. His gaze dropped to the floor, and his chin trembled slightly.

"Here's what's going to happen, pal. You are going to go back to your friend's room, retrieve your phone, and come straight back. Then, I will fly us back home, where we'll have a long conversation about all of this. Capiche?"

"Capiche..." Peter replied dejectedly. He definitely wasn't looking forward to that conversation. With a sigh, he headed back to Ned's window to retrieve his phone.

Peter was carried back to the tower in silence, and they arrived far too quickly for his liking. The spacious penthouse felt eerily quiet; Pepper was away attending a gala event in Staten Island.

How would his mom react to the news that he was Spiderman? He chewed on his lips, uncertainty churning in his stomach. Peter couldn't decide if it was better or worse that she wasn't there.

Tony deactivated his Iron Man suit and stepped out of it. He then quickly tore off Peter's mask, gripped his upper arm, and led him to the living room. After pushing Peter down onto the couch, Tony plopped down on the recliner beside it.

Tony buried his face in his hands and took a few deep breaths. The room fell into complete silence, stretching on for what felt like an eternity. Not knowing what else he could do, Peter stared down at his feet, waiting for his dad to break the silence.

"Aidan, please look at me. Just...how? You certainly didn't have these... these powers when you were a baby," Tony began.

"I only got them maybe seven, eight months ago. I was bitten by a radioactive spider," Peter replied quietly. He tried to muster the courage to meet his father's gaze but found himself too scared. Instead, he settled for looking at Tony's shoulder.

"Where the hell were you exposed? Were you experimented on, Aidan? Did the Parkers do this to you?" Tony interrogated, his voice rising sharply once again.

"No! Of course not! I got bitten on my field trip to Oscorp in 8th grade! I... kind of wandered into a restricted area with all kinds of animals, and before I knew it..."

"Norman Osborn, that good-for-nothing son of a bitch! What the hell is wrong with his security team? They should have kept a dangerous area like that well-guarded!"

"Dad..." Peter felt his chest tighten. The conversation had barely started, and his father was already losing his cool. This sucked.

Tony closed his eyes and took a couple more deep breaths to calm himself down.

"I've had my suspicions, Aidan, for a couple days now. I watched all the videos of Spiderman I could find, and I had FRIDAY try and analyze his... your powers. FRIDAY, remind me what you found," Tony demanded.

"Certainly, Boss. Here is a breakdown of Spiderman's key abilities from my analysis: enhanced strength, enhanced agility and reflexes, the ability to crawl on walls, the ability to shoot webs, and enhanced speed and stamina."

"Is there anything FRIDAY's missing, Ads?" Tony asked, seeming to have calmed down a bit.

"Uh... well, I also have enhanced senses—enhanced hearing, sight, and all that. I also have this sort of sixth sense that warns me when someone nearby or I'm in danger. And I have accelerated healing and tougher skin."

"FRIDAY, add all that to your list," Tony ordered, his voice reflecting his surprise. He paused for a moment before continuing. "I've got to admit...these abilities are impressive. But that doesn't make you invincible, Aidan. Don't you realize you could get yourself killed, trying to play superhero like this?"

"Well, I have to do something with these powers. Uncle Ben always said 'with great power comes great responsibility,'" Peter replied, frowning.

"Addie, if that uncle really did care for you, I'm pretty sure he didn't mean you should risk your life fighting crime every day. You can't even legally drive yet, for crying out loud!" Tony scoffed, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration.

"You don't know that," Peter muttered, clenching his jaw. What could Tony possibly know about Uncle Ben? He had never even met him once.

"Aidan, I can't just stand by and let you do something this dangerous. I can't let you go out there and fight criminals with actual firearms—abilities or not, you're definitely not bulletproof!"

"I know I'm not bulletproof, so I try to be careful. I can take care of myself just fine, Tony," Peter replied, his voice growing increasingly petulant. He felt his frustration mounting as his father continued to berate him.

"No, you can't, Aidan! You are a child—my child! And I forbid you to ever go out as Spiderman again!" Tony declared, abruptly rising from his seat.

Peter's temper flared the moment he heard his father's declaration. What right did Tony have to stop him from being a hero? As a superhero himself, shouldn't he be encouraging Peter to be a hero too? And Peter had only just discovered Tony was his father a week ago. He understood it wasn't Tony's fault that he hadn't been part of Peter's life for the past ten years, but Tony couldn't just barge into his life all of a sudden and take away the one thing that mattered to him the most!

"No. You of all people can't do this to me. You're an Avenger, for Christ's sake! You can't just stop me from helping people! You're a complete hypocrite!" Peter yelled, leaping from his seat.

"Aidan Maria Stark! You better watch your tone, young man!" Tony reprimanded.

"No! Screw you! You can't just suddenly enter my life and forbid me from being who I am just because you're my father! You're fucking insane!" Peter screamed while stomping his feet, completely losing control of his temper.

"You do NOT speak me like that, Aidan! And in case you've forgotten, you broke all three rules I set. You lied to my face more than once, deliberately left your phone behind, and recklessly endangered yourself by sneaking out as Spiderman today. Congratulations, you've earned yourself one heck of a spanking!" Tony annouced.

"Well, in case you've forgotten, I have powers, dad—high pain tolerance, tough skin, accelerated healing, the whole deal. Spankings won't work on me so there's no point even trying," Peter taunted, glaring at his father.

They locked eyes in a long, tense stare down. After a while, Tony squinted and let out a disbelieving scoff.

"We'll see about that, Aidan. I want you to go change into your pajamas right now and wait for me in your room. And don't even think about leaving, because I'll have FRIDAY alert me the second you do!"

"Fine! And for the record, you completely suck!" Peter yelled out as he marched into his room.

Tony's POV

What the hell just happened? Who on earth had swapped souls with his sweet, precious son? Had Addie really just taunted and challenged him like some street punk? Like some demon child? The kid showed not an ounce of remorse for his actions—none whatsoever!

Tony did his best to talk some sense into the boy, to calm himself down long enough to explain just how dangerous what he was doing really was. Sure, he lost his temper a few times, but who wouldn't in his position? He had just found out that his kidnapped son had been bitten by a radioactive spider, turned into a mutant, and somehow thought that was a good enough reason to play hero every day and risk his life. But did his son listen to his explanation? No! He started screaming profanities at Tony and throwing a full-on tantrum—one he's never seen the 4-year-old version of Addie ever throwing.

And the nerve of the boy, taunting him that he couldn't be punished because he was enhanced! Well, if his hand couldn't get the message across on his son's enhanced backside, Tony would build an implement that could. He was done being Mr. Nice Guy. If he had to be the bad guy to stop his son from risking his life, so be it.

Determined, Tony headed down to the workshop. With the help of his bots, Dum-E and U, he quickly designed and built a paddle from scraps of titanium-alloy left over from his previous Iron Man suits. The material was both lightweight and durable—perfect for delivering a lesson to one naughty spiderling. Gripping the handle, Tony swung the paddle through the air a few times, then slapped it against his thigh to test its strength. Yep. That definitely hurt. This would do.

But just as Tony was about to leave the workshop and head to Addie's room, his anger vanished, replaced by a sinking dread at the thought of spanking his son for the first time. Could he really go through with this? Even if Addie started to cry? He had to. He'd promised a spanking if Addie broke any of the three rules, and the boy broke all three less than a week after moving into the tower. If Tony didn't follow through, Addie would completely disregard his rules from now on. He paused, taking a few deep breaths, trying to steady himself. With the paddle in hand, Tony resumed walking to his son's room, unsure but determined.

"I'm coming in," Tony announced as he opened Addie's bedroom door. Thankfully, Addie stayed in his room like he'd been told. But he was lying on his bed, blanket pulled up to his nose, eyes closed. Not a single sign of acknowledgment that Tony had entered his room.

Tony sighed in exasperation. Did the boy really think pretending to sleep would make him go away?

"Addie, I know you're not sleeping. Get up," Tony said dryly.

After a couple seconds, Aidan groaned and reluctantly opened his eyes, sitting up. His eyes widened twofold the moment he noticed the paddle in Tony's hand.

"Oh, pretty neat, huh? It's made of the same material as my Iron Man suits, in case you were wondering. Just perfect to use on the backside of my naughty super-powered son with a higher-than-average pain tolerance."

"Nooo," Addie whined pitifully, shaking his head as he hugged his knees.

"Yes, Aidan. And I told you to get up," Tony said firmly. He waited as Addie slowly climbed out of bed, then sat down on it, placing the paddle on his right side. Gently, he guided Addie to stand between his legs. The boy chewed on his bottom lip and dropped his head to the side, refusing to look up at his father.

Tony also noticed that the boy was already blinking rapidly, trying to hold back tears, though the defiance in his eyes hadn't disappeared.

"Why are you about to receive a spanking, Addie?" Tony questioned.

"B-because you're a hypocrite, and you're punishing me for... for being a hero," he scorned, though his voice was already wavering.

"No," Tony corrected, holding his son's hands. "It's because you broke all three rules I explicitly told you would result in a spanking."

"But...but..."

"No buts, Aidan. You will NOT lie to me. You will ALWAYS make sure I can contact you. And you will NOT risk your life so recklessly. Do I make myself clear?" Tony scolded sternly.

Addie remained defiantly silent, staring down at his feet.

"Aidan, I need an answer," Tony pressed.

"No. Y-you suck," Addie mumbled stubbornly, still avoiding Tony's gaze.

Tony sighed in frustration, barely stopping himself from rolling his eyes at the childish reply. God, this kid was stubborn. Oh well. Maybe he'd be more cooperative after the session on Tony's lap.

"We'll talk again after your spanking," Tony said, guiding his son gently over his lap. Addie fidgeted uncomfortably, and Tony waited patiently for him to settle down.

Once Addie finally settled down, Tony hooked his fingers around his son's waistband and quickly pulled his pants and boxers down to his knees.

"No, not bare..." Addie protested, clumsily reaching back to pull them up again.

"Sorry, Aidan, but I need to make sure I'm not hurting you too much," Tony replied, gently moving his son's hand away.

"You're spanking me—of course you're hurting me," Addie grumbled unhappily.

Tony let out a sigh. "You know what I mean. And didn't a certain little spider taunt me not even an hour ago, saying that spankings wouldn't affect him?" he responded, raising an eyebrow.

In response, Aidan just whined, burying his face into his folded arms.

Tony took a moment to remind himself why he had to discipline his son. He needed to stop his son from risking his life every day. In an instant, the image of Pietro Maximoff's lifeless body flashed in his mind, overlapping with the sight of his son laying on his lap. His hand trembled, and he had to take a few deep breaths to regain his composure. Tony just couldn't bear the thought of losing his son again—he needed to keep him safe. Steeling himself, Tony wrapped his left arm around Aidan's waist and raised his right hand in the air.

He brought his hand down hard on the boy's rear end three times. Aidan drew in a small breath at the first swat, but remained otherwise unfazed. Tony paused, inspecting his son's skin for any sign of damage, but there was hardly a mark—his skin remained the same shade of porcelain white. Looks like Aidan had been right. His skin was much tougher than that of the average teenager.

Tony picked up the paddle, grimacing slightly at the thought of having to use it. Steeling himself once more, he began testing different levels of force, starting with just a quarter of his strength and gradually increasing it. By the fourth swat, Aidan let out a small yelp and squirmed around slightly. Immediately putting down the paddle, Tony inspected Aidan's skin again and noticed it had begun to pinken slightly. Now he knew exactly how hard the swats needed to be.

Tony began to spank in earnest now, alternating between cheeks and peppering swats to every inch of his son's backside.

By the tenth swat, Addie began to whimper. His squirms grew more frantic, and he flexed his feet back and forth, trying to ease the pain.

Soon, the whimpers turned into yelps of pain, and the squirms turned into thrashing and kicking. Tony tightened his grip on Aidan's torso, admonishing the boy to settle down. Before long, a loud sob escaped the boy, and Addie dissolved into tears.

It was absolutely heartbreaking having to listen to the boy's loud sobs and hiccups. He felt like a monster for causing his little boy so much pain. But Tony had planned to give the boy 30 swats in total, and he couldn't stop now. He started to quicken the pace of the swats, eager to be done with the spanking as soon as possible.

But just as Tony was about to deliver the 23rd swat, Addie suddenly pushed himself off his lap, breaking free from Tony's grip. The boy hastily pulled up his boxers and pants, and darted toward a nearby wall. To Tony's shock, he began climbing up the wall—heading straight for the ceiling.

Tony froze, blinking up at his son—who was now clinging to the ceiling—struggling to process what had just happened. Addie stared back at Tony miserably, cheeks flushed and tears streaming down his face.

"Aidan Stark, get down here right now!" Tony called out, narrowing his eyes. He realized that the boy had used his powers to flee from his spanking. The gall of the boy!

"N-no," Addie sniffed loudly, shaking his head vigorously. "I-I won't go down (hicc) unless you promise to (hicc) s-stop," he croaked, rubbing his bottom with his right hand.

Tony couldn't help but scoff at the audacity of what his son had just said. He closed his eyes and counted to ten, willing himself to stay calm.

"That is not for you to decide, young man! If you don't get down here by the count of three, I'm restarting the spanking from the beginning!" Tony warned, giving the boy a pointed look.

"No! P-please!" Aidan pleaded, his face paling.

"One."

"Dad, (hicc) w-wait!" The boy frantically waved his hand, trying to stop Tony from counting.

"Two."

"I'm going down! I am!" Addie hurriedly climbed down and shuffled nervously towards his father.

"Three."

Tony firmly took hold of his son's wrist and pulled him back over his lap. Lowering Addie's pants and boxers again, he adjusted his position so that his bottom was raised higher. Then, grabbing the paddle, Tony brought it down hard on the boy's sit spots.

"Dumb move, Aidan! You do not"—smack—"decide"—smack—"when your punishement"—smack—"ends!"

"Owww! I'm (hicc) s-sorry!" The boy wailed, his voice filled with misery. Tony winced at how pitiful his son sounded. Fuck. He hated doing this.

"Five more and we're done, buddy," he said softly.

Tony swiftly delivered the final five swats to Addie's sit spots as the boy went limp over his lap. He sighed, relieved that the ordeal was finally over. Tony quickly adjusted Addie's boxers and pants into place and started gently tracing circles on Addie's back.

"Shh... we're all done now, bud. It's alright... take your time to calm down," Tony murmured. Guilt gnawed at him as he watched Addie's small frame tremble with sobs as the boy cried into his pillow, his shoulders heaving up and down. God, he wanted to punch himself, or rip his hair out, or both.

It took quite a while for Addie's sobs to subside. Tony continued patting his child's back in a steady rhythm until Aidan began to calm down. Slowly, his deep, shuddering breaths turned into quieter hiccups and whimpers.

"Addie," Tony began softly, "please, you've got to stop putting yourself in danger. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something were to happen to you. Please, for my sake, for your mom's sake... we need you to stay safe."

Aidan sniffled, slowly lifting his tear-stricken face from the pilllow. "But I-I have to save people. I can't abandon people who need me... (hicc) I have to make up for—for (hicc) not saving them."

Tony's heart sank. "Them? Are you talking about your aunt and uncle, Aidan?"

"Y-yeah," Addie replied, his lips quivering.

Tony sighed and shifted Aidan's position so that the kid was sitting sideways on his lap. He held him tightly, the boy's head pressed against his chest.

"Aidan, please. You had absolutely nothing to do with their deaths. How could you possibly be to blame?" Tony said, a swell of anguish rising within him.

"B-but if I had been with them, I could have stopped them from dying! I could have webbed up the gun or stopped the car from crashing!" Aidan cried, his voice cracking with desperation.

"Or you could have died in their place, Aidan! You've got to get this notion out of your head that just because you've got some powers, you're invincible! You're not!" Tony countered, his voice sharp.

The room fell silent as Aidan stared at Tony with wide doe eyes. The boy pouted and crossed his arms across his chest, clearly not believing a word Tony was saying.

"I'm begging you, Addie—promise me you won't go out as Spiderman again," Tony pleaded, his voice laced with desperation.

Aidan's brows furrowed, and he looked down towards his hands. "No... I'm sorry dad, but I don't know how I can live without being Spiderman," Aidan mumbled quietly, shaking his head in refusal.

"I won't let you off my lap until you make this promise." Tony said, though he knew it was an empty threat. He knew Aidan was more than capable of pushing himself off if he wanted to. But Tony was growing desperate. He needed his little boy to listen to him.

Addie remained stubbornly silent, and Tony felt a surge of panic. His son, his little boy, was so caught up in this sense of duty, this need to atone for things that weren't his fault, that it terrified him. Aidan just couldn't see the danger he was putting himself in, blinded by his powers and the overwhelming responsibility he felt.

"Aidan Stark!" Tony's voice grew stern again, the desperation rising in him like a wave. "If you don't promise me now, you're getting another spanking tomorrow!"

Instantly, Aidan's head snapped up in disbelief, and the floodgates opened once more.

"Fine, I promise, but I hate you! And I wish you've never found me!" he shouted, tears spilling down his cheeks as his body trembled.

The words hit Tony like daggers, each one piercing deeper than the last. Unsure of how else to respond, Tony just wrapped his arms around Aidan, hugging him tighter.

Aidan squirmed in Tony's arms, his body tense as his tear-soaked face pressed into Tony's chest. But despite his words, the boy didn't pull away from the embrace.

"I hate you...I wish you weren't my dad," Aidan repeated, his sobs muffled against Tony's chest.

Tony just closed his eyes, feeling Aidan's heart pounding against his chest. If his son hating him was the price he had to pay to keep him safe, so be it.

"I can live with that, Addie," Tony whispered. "I can live with you hating me if it means you're safe. But I'll still love you no matter how much you hate me."

Aidan's sobs only grew louder, his emotion pouring out like a dam breaking.

"I-I wish I was (hicc) still living with Aunt May and Uncle Ben... (hicc) I wish they never died... Why did they have—have to die (hicc) and leave me all alone... why?" Aidan's breathing came out in ragged gasps, his words barely coherent between sobs.

Tony's heart shattered as he felt the soul-crushing sorrow his son was drowning in. He held Aidan even tighter. "I'm so sorry they're gone. But I promise you, buddy, you are not alone. I've got you, and I'm not going anywhere. I'll always be here for you."

"But what if you die too?" Aidan whimpered, his small body trembling as he clung to Tony. "What if I'm a curse, and I kill you and Mom too?"

"You're not a curse, Aidan," Tony said firmly. "You didn't cause any of this. You didn't cause Aunt May and Uncle Ben's deaths, and you won't cause mine or your mom's. We're here, and we're not leaving you."

Aidan's lips trembled as he looked up at his dad, uncertainty still flickering in his eyes. "You better not die," he mumbled, his voice small and broken. "I'll hate you even more if you die..."

Aidan sniffled, his sobs quieting as he leaned his head against Tony's chest. Tony held him close, rocking him gently until the boy fell asleep in his arms.

I'm really sorry Tony was quite harsh on Peter, guys. :( Tony is really desperate to keep Peter safe and lacks much parenting experience. He's trying really hard, but it's a steep learning curve for him as he figures out how to keep his super-powered son both safe AND happy.

And Peter, our spider baby, hasn't fully realized the extent of the danger he's putting himself in by fighting armed criminals without any training and with just his friend from school as backup. He doesn't yet understand how much grief he could cause his parents by getting seriously injured—or worse. He also hasn't fully accepted Tony and Pepper as his parents, which is completely understandable considering the time frame, but he's slowly getting there.