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A cell roughly the size of a set of bunk beds was definitely not Tony’s ideal place to wake up. To be fair, it was a bit more like a very large box than a cell, but that just made it worse.
It became even less ideal when Peter leaned over him. Tony would have liked to go back to sleep and wake up at home in bed to realize this was all a dream. Because Peter shouldn’t be here. Peter should be home. Safe, not trying to find out if Tony was okay in this place where they were both clearly not meant to be okay.
“I’m fine,” he muttered, just to stop Peter fussing over him. “Where are we?”
“I dunno.” Peter was squinting, although he seemed to have come to a while ago. “It’s really bright, though.”
It was, even to Tony’s unenhanced eyes. The walls, ceiling, and floor were all sterile white, reflecting the harsh light.
“No joke.” He shielded his eyes with one hand while trying to look for a door in any of the featureless walls.
The lights abruptly turned off, and bright spots continued to dance in front of his now widened eyes.
“Oh,” said Peter. “That’s new.”
“First time that happened?”
“Yep.”
Tony felt Peter’s knee press against his own, but he said nothing.
“Good to see you’re finally awake, Stark,” said a voice that made them both jump. It must have come from a speaker in the ceiling, as Tony was still fairly certain they were still alone. “Your boy was scared without you.”
“I was just worried.”
Tony put a hand on Peter’s leg to signal him quiet.
The voice from the speaker went on. “Before you start getting nervous, I’m not out for money, and I have no interest in watching either of you suffer. It’s enough to know that I have you here.”
“So you want me to believe you have absolutely no motive for locking us in a box?” said Tony irritably.
“Oh I have a motive,” said the voice from the ceiling, and something about it sent a chill down Tony’s spine. “But you don’t get to know it. Serves both of you right that way.”
“Well that’s great,” Peter grumbled.
“I don’t care to stick around, either; now that I have you, my work is done. Goodbye Stark. Kid. Enjoy your stay. It shouldn’t be overly long.” The speaker clicked off.
“So that’s it?” Tony snapped at it. “You’re not even going to try and intimidate us? Tell us what you’re going to do?”
There was no answer.
“Well, shit.”
They had felt around the perimeter of the box twice. Four times, if Tony counted himself and Peter separately as they followed one behind the other. They had found nothing that might be a door or even a weakness.
Then Peter had climbed up the wall and felt around the ceiling, but there was still nothing. He had tried pressing in various corners to pry the thing apart, but even his spider-strength did no good. It was like they had been completely sealed inside, and the image of a very large casket came uncomfortably to Tony’s mind. Surely they weren’t buried here, were they?
“Alright, that’s fine,” he said when he heard Peter grunt in frustration for the fifth time. “Take a break.”
“We don’t have time.”
“I‘ll bet we have a second. Breathe.”
“What does this place even do?”
“I’d rather not find out.”
Tony hated it. He hated being trapped in this box, in the dark, with no idea if they were buried alive and running out of air or if it was meant to do something to them, but he had to stay calm for Peter. He felt like a cow waiting in a slaughterhouse.
“It’s not gonna squish us, is it?”
“What?”
“Like the trash compactor in Star Wars?”
“I doubt it.” Tony reached out into the dark on the off chance he might find Peter, but his hand passed through empty air. “Let’s go around again, and check the base this time.”
They were crawling along the perimeter of the box, feeling for any crack or weakness that they could exploit near the floor, when the entire thing began to hum around them like a machine powering up. Tony’s heart dropped into his toes, and he heard Peter inhale sharply behind him.
“Mr. Stark?” Peter asked, his voice far more high-pitched than usual.
“We’re fine, keep going.”
“What’s it doing?”
Tony didn’t know. They could die at any second, and he wouldn’t know. He felt vainly at the smooth wall in search of a way out before that happened.
“Mr. Stark...”
They could die at any second, and he had to get to Peter. He had to. “Where are you?”
They stumbled in the direction of each other’s voices until Tony’s hand brushed Peter’s arm and he was able to grab his shirt and hold on for dear life. Peter latched onto his forearm, breathing heavily, and didn’t let go.
“You alright?” Tony asked, and it was a crazy thing to ask because of course he wasn’t alright.
“Yeah, I’m good,” Peter panted. “I’m good. What’s it doing?”
“No idea.”
Peter laughed strangely and grabbed for Tony’s other arm, too, clutching his jacket tightly enough to stretch the fabric.
“Which makes this a great time to find a way out,” said Tony, because he couldn’t bear to wait with him like this. Peter’s grip instantly tightened. “We’re okay, let’s go.”
He pried himself free of Peter’s clawing hands and wrapped an arm around the kid’s shoulders, dragging him along while he felt desperately at the wall. It was smooth, too smooth. The entire box continued to hum around them, and Tony found himself constantly cringing away from something he couldn’t see coming.
“Mr. Stark, Mr. Stark please, what’s it doing, what’s— what’s happening?” Peter gasped, pawing at Tony’s shirt as he pulled him along.
The box was still humming and the wall was too smooth and Peter was shaking. They could die at any moment and they wouldn’t know, and Peter was so scared.
“Okay, okay, we’re alright.” Tony stopped, pulling Peter in to his chest and wrapping him up tightly. “We’re alright, kid.”
Peter burrowed wordlessly into his arms, and Tony leaned over him like he could shield him from whatever was happening. Because he still didn’t know. If this was it, neither of them might ever know. Peter let out a tiny sound from high in the back of his throat and clutched the back of Tony’s jacket.
“It’s okay,” Tony soothed, running his fingers over Peter’s hair. That seemed like a good thing to do, but he couldn’t be certain. What was he supposed to do? “Just hold on.”
The hum around them grated on Tony’s ears, and he almost wished that whatever it was would happen soon. He didn’t think either of their nerves could take this waiting much longer, and he felt cold all over.
It hadn’t been cold before, had it? Maybe a bit chilly, but not like this, and it was getting colder.
“It’s a freezer!” Peter burst out, right in Tony’s ear, squirming to get out of his arms now. “Look, we’re okay!”
Tony breathed. It felt like it had been ages since he took a deep breath. Beside him, Peter was breathing again too, still holding his arm.
“Wow, okay, that was scary!” the kid laughed, grabbing Tony again in a sort of half hug that felt more like he had accidentally fallen against him than anything else. “We’re okay.” He took another ridiculously deep breath. “We’re okay.”
“We’re okay,” Tony echoed. They were trapped in a freezer, but a freezer at least was familiar, not some strange death contraption.
“So keep looking for a way out?”
“Definitely.”
They had time, Tony repeated to himself while he crawled along the featureless base of the featureless wall. It would take a while to cool that amount of space to any dangerous level, and even after that, hypothermia didn’t set in all at once. They had time.
Time for what, his traitorous mind asked. If they couldn’t find a way out, or if no one could find out where they were, then all the time in the world was useless. Tony stubbornly pushed the thought away and continued his search for a weakness. The box had to have one somewhere.
He shivered. It might not be life-threatening yet, but it was cold. “How are we doing, Pete?”
“Okay,” said Peter from the ceiling, and his voice sounded tight. “Cold.”
“Me too.” At least he had his suit jacket.
Which was odd; usually he and Peter didn’t go anywhere together that would require him to wear a suit jacket. Maybe they had been kidnapped separately? Or maybe they had been at the same event, and that meant Peter had a jacket too? Tony couldn’t remember.
If they could just get out, it wouldn’t matter. The only thing that mattered now was the stupid wall, and the floor, which he had been over enough times to feel like he was crazy, but he had to keep going.
There was a loud thud, like a body hitting the floor, and a pained “oof” from Peter.
“Kid?”
“I’m okay.”
“Did you fall?”
“I’m okay. The cold’s just kinda messing with me.”
“Enough to make you fall?”
“I get cold really easy.”
Tony knew that. It was an unfortunate side effect of Peter’s mutation, but it had always been more cute than anything else— blanket burritos on the couch, copious mugs of hot chocolate, a kid tucked under his arm during movie nights— he’d thought it only made Peter extremely cold-natured. With the heater in his suit, he’d never considered how it might affect him as Spider-Man. Not like this.
“You got a jacket?”
“N-no.”
“Come take mine.” Tony would have liked to go and drape the jacket over his shoulders in a comforting, mentorly manner, but he didn’t want to lose his place on the wall.
“B-but that’s yours.”
“I’ve got long sleeves. Must’ve been going somewhere important.”
He heard Peter shuffling toward him, and then the kid’s icy hand poked him in the face.
“Sorry.”
“You’re good.” Tony pulled off the jacket, mourning the loss of the additional layer as the cold air rushed right through his thin shirt, but Peter needed it more. “Put that on. Stick your hands in the pockets a while, too; they’re freezing.”
“Th-thanks.”
“Actually, c’mere.” Tony found Peter again and tugged him down to sit on the floor with him. “We’ll get you warm again.”
Peter curled into him, seeking the warmth that escaped all too easily though his shirt now that the jacket was gone. At least some of it could go to good use. Tony shivered. It was undeniably cold now, even without any spidery mutations.
“W’ should k-keep looking,” Peter muttered.
They should. They should also conserve their energy and huddle together to keep warm longer, but that wouldn’t last forever.
“Alright.” Tony gave Peter a squeeze, trying to impart as much warmth as he possibly could in that moment. “Be careful.”
They let go of each other and continued their blind search. Tony tried to ignore how much harder he was shivering now, and how numb his fingers were getting, and the fact that he might pass over any weakness in the wall without even being able to feel it. Peter was breathing heavily, and Tony realized that he was too, like they were both panting with the effort of just staying warm. It wasn’t working.
“Hey, kid?”
“Y-yeah?”
“How’s the jacket working out?”
“Good...” said Peter warily. “Oh crap.”
There was another thud, but it sounded like he had at least managed to land on his feet this time.
“You alright?”
“Yeah.” Peter was still breathing hard, and it didn’t take a genius to hear how exhausted he already was. “I-I’m okay.”
Tony got up and felt his way toward him, finding the kid leaning against the wall and shivering hard.
“H...hi Mr. Stark.”
“Hi yourself. Time for plan b.”
“Huh?” There was a scuffling sound as Peter started to slide down the wall and barely saved himself.
“That’s okay, sit down,” said Tony, trying to keep the worry out of his voice. “Save your energy.”
“M’kay.” Peter didn’t move. “Good... good plan.”
Tony took him by the arms and helped him to the floor, trying not to hiss at the freezing cold surface. That wouldn’t be helpful, but Peter didn’t have the strength to stand, and Tony couldn’t afford to use the energy to hold him up. He pulled Peter into his lap to at least keep him off the floor, alarmed to feel how violently he was shivering. It was honestly a bit difficult to hold him.
“We ne-ed t’get out,” said Peter, making no move to do anything but snuggle against Tony’s chest with his arms sandwiched between them.
“We’ll get out. J-just gotta stay warm.” Tony was shivering hard now too, a reminder that he wasn’t immune to the cold either. He hugged Peter tightly, trying to will his body to hold on to as much heat as it possibly could.
“You ‘kay?” Peter asked.
“Fine,” said Tony through gritted teeth, because Tony Stark’s teeth didn’t chatter with cold. His jaw ached.
“Jacket?”
“No, you—“ his teeth chattered anyway—“you keep it.”
“Th’nks.”
Some large percentage of body heat was lost through the head; Tony remembered reading that somewhere, although he couldn’t remember the exact number. He cupped the back of Peter’s neck in his hand and tucked the kid’s head more securely under his chin.
He was so cold. Whatever percentage of body heat was lost through the head, he was definitely losing that, and more.
“Wait. Got ‘n idea.” He patted Peter’s back. “N-need to borrow th’jacket.”
Peter let out a small whine at the cold, but allowed Tony to take the jacket back. With hands almost too cold to function, he draped it over his head and shoulders and leaned down far enough that it would cover Peter’s as well, like the world’s smallest tent.
Peter tucked his arms against Tony’s chest again and huddled close, still shivering. The air inside their tent warmed quickly with both of them breathing into it— it also grew humid, which was gross if Tony thought about it, so he didn’t, and only hoped they wouldn’t run out of oxygen.
Time had lost all meaning at this point, but he wondered how long it had been. Surely long enough for someone to notice they were missing. He hoped.
Peter continued to shiver, breathing quickly and unsteadily. Tony knew that was a symptom of hypothermia, but it sounded like he was scared, and that just wouldn’t do.
“It’s okay Pete,” he whispered into their tent. “S’okay.”
Peter said nothing, but nudged his head against Tony’s shoulder. His shivering was growing weaker, and there was nothing Tony could do.
“St-stay awake, kid.” He wasn’t sure if it was an instruction or a plea. His brain felt sluggish. “St-stay awake.”
There was nothing he could do. Peter was freezing, and all Tony had to keep him warm was a suit jacket and his own chilled body. At this rate, the jacket might outlive them both.
Don’t think about that.
Tony gave Peter a little shake. “T-talk to me, k-kid.”
Peter mumbled something inaudible.
“Good.” Tony’s head felt like it was stuffed with cotton. That was a bad sign, wasn’t it? A sign he was starting to succumb, too? “Th-that’s good, Pete.”
He shook him again, swaying in the darkness. It felt like slow motion, and the jacket was starting to slide off their heads. Tony couldn’t summon the wherewithal to let go of Peter to adjust it. His brain felt like it was moving in slow motion too, and he couldn’t even tell if Peter was awake, but he had to keep him awake. He had to, he had to...
Tony shivered violently and the jacket slipped off his head, making him gasp in the icy air. He felt for it on the freezing floor, couldn’t find it, panicked, managed to snag it by pure luck, and willed his fingers to drag it closer. He couldn’t be quite sure it was there, but it had to be, because he had to cover them with it, he had to keep Peter warm—
Tony stopped. Peter was limp in his arms.
“N-no. No no no, c’mon, Peter!” Tony shook him, but he only slumped further. “Pete? K-kid?!”
He didn’t respond, and Tony bundled him close to his chest as much as his weakening arms would allow. If he held him tightly enough, he’d be warm again, he’d wake up. He’d be okay, and someone would find them soon. At least Tony hoped so, but he couldn’t be sure; he couldn’t think!
“W-wake up, P-Pete,” he whispered helplessly. “Y-y’need t’- t’ wake up, ‘kay?”
He didn’t, and Tony’s own head began to nod. He fought it, but each time it came back again, like a shark circling its prey.
He had to stay awake. It came back. Someone was coming. It came back. They were in a box, but someone was coming.
Right?
Back again, fight it off, force his eyes back open. What if they really were underground? Barely beat it that time; Tony swayed and just managed to catch himself before he fell over.
They might be underground, and they might stay buried here if he couldn’t keep himself awake, and that would be the end of Peter and Tony.
Nearly fell again. Peter shouldn’t be here. Peter shouldn’t be buried anywhere, he should be safe...
Tony felt himself hit the floor, falling awkwardly out of his sitting position with Peter still in his arms.
Peter should be safe.
“Don’ w’ry.” It took all of his effort to form words, and he was sinking. “Don’ w’ry, m’here.”
Peter needed to know he was there. Tony couldn’t remember why, but that was important. He was weary like he had never been before, but he managed to raise his arm enough to let it fall limply across Peter’s back.
“M’here...”
Tony woke up to a steady beeping and an oxygen mask over his face.
That wasn’t exactly a new experience, but this time felt different. Something was wrong, he was forgetting something— the beeping sped up.
“Tony?”
Tony actually felt himself relax, because whatever was wrong, it must be okay now, because he was safe. He smiled, probably a dopier one than he would like to admit he was capable of, but it was okay. “Hey Honeybear.”
“Next time you decide to get trapped in a freezer, would you at least give me a call?”
“Why, so you don’t feel left out?”
Rhodey breathed out through his nose in the barest imitation of a laugh, and Tony grinned up at him, but something was still wrong. He was safe, but something was wrong.
Trapped in a freezer... freezer... Tony was starting to piece it back together now: the box, the voice from the ceiling...
“Where’s Peter?”
Something flickered in Rhodey’s eyes, and in half a second Tony was already struggling to get up because he had to find Peter; if nobody was going to tell him then he’d have to find him and be sure—
“Tony! Hang on, you can’t just run off!” Rhodey had grabbed his arms and was trying to make him lie down again. “He’s here, they’re working on him.”
“What’s wrong with him?” Because surely if he, an old, unenhanced man, was already as okay as he seemed to be, then Peter shouldn’t need anyone working on him still.
“They’re not sure, something with his spider DNA, but they’re figuring it out.”
“What with his spider DNA, Rhodes?”
“I just said, they don’t know yet, but as far as they can tell he’s stable, and they’re working on it.”
“Okay,” Tony breathed, because if he said it, then maybe it would actually be okay. “Is he awake?” He hated how small his voice came out then, almost like Peter’s when he needed reassurance.
“Not since I checked.”
That was bad. Tony wasn’t a doctor, but everyone always said the reason you shouldn’t fall asleep in the cold was that you might not wake up. And Peter wasn’t waking up.
“I want to see him.”
“They’re running tests; you couldn’t get close to him,” said Rhodey, and Tony didn’t miss the way he moved his arm, ready to grab him if he tried to escape the bed again.
“Then I won’t get close.”
Rhodey sighed. “Tones, you almost died. They don’t want you running around yet.”
“Well Peter—“
“Has people taking care of him, the best people we have. And you can see him soon, but you have to rest first.”
Tony couldn’t imagine how they expected him to rest not knowing how Peter was, but there were certain times when he knew arguing with Rhodey would get him nowhere, and this was one of those times.
“Alright, I’m resting.” He folded his arms sulkily, trying to ignore the scared flutter of his heart. “Who had us?”
“Long gone by the time we got there.”
“Figures. He said something about that. Said he had a motive, too, but wouldn’t tell us. Probably crazy.”
“Probably.”
Tony’s mind was racing with worry for Peter, but he still didn’t miss the strange way Rhodey was looking at him. “What?”
“You had me worried, Tony.”
Tony would have made a joke, but something in Rhodey’s eyes stopped him. He looked... not sad, exactly, but like he could use a hug. Tony wasn’t often one for gratuitous hugging, but if he had just found Rhodey inches from death in a freezer, then he might want one too.
As soon as they let him out of this bed, he was going to give Rhodey the biggest hug. Then bolt in search of Peter before he could stop him.
“Peter appears to be in a state of hibernation,” said Helen. “Thanks to his mutation, his cells produced a kind of natural antifreeze, which saved his life, but now it may be what’s keeping him asleep.
“Can you wake him up?” May’s voice was ragged, and Tony knew she hadn’t slept.
“There are things I could try, but I’m not sure what effect the antifreeze would have outside of hibernation. If his less spider-like nature takes over then, it could poison him.”
“So we just let him sleep?” Tony looked over at Peter, who honestly appeared more dead than asleep, and only the frighteningly slow heart monitor proved otherwise.
“Some spiders that hibernate based on temperature, not time of year, can actually wake up to hunt on warmer days in the winter, so we’re keeping him warm and seeing if that’s enough for him to wake up on his own,” said Helen. “That seems like the safest option at this point.”
Tony made a mental note to give her a raise. He’d never be able to repay her for everything she put up with, but he could certainly try.
In the meantime, he pulled a chair to the side of Peter’s bed opposite May to wait. Peter was bundled in blankets and what looked like a heated air mattress, but when Tony touched his hand, it still felt cold.
“Are you okay?”
Tony looked up, surprised at the question.
“They said you were in bad shape when they found the two of you.”
He shrugged. “I’ve been worse.” The last thing he needed was to make May feel like she needed to worry for him when she already had more than enough with Peter. “To tell you the truth, I hardly remember any of it.”
“Not about to go into hibernation?”
Tony cracked a smile. “Don’t think so.”
“Who’d have thought?” May chuckled, but her eyes never left Peter’s face.
“He has a talent for this kind of thing.”
“You’re telling me!”
Peter stirred, and Tony felt like he might melt with relief.
“Peter?” May asked, half-standing.
Peter just stretched, and Tony was almost certain he pointed his toes under the blanket.
“Can you open your eyes for us, sweetheart?”
“Hmm,” Peter mumbled, making absolutely no move to do so, but frowning slightly.
“We’re both here,” Tony offered, and touched his now slightly-less-cold hand.
It took more coaxing, but Peter finally opened his eyes— very beautiful eyes, Tony thought— and smiled lazily. “Oh. Hey, May.”
She kissed his cheek and asked how he was feeling, and he just smiled with his eyes half closed like he wasn’t sure what was going on while she told him how worried they had been.
“Sorry,” said Peter, turning his goofy smile toward Tony. “Hi Mr. Stark.”
“Hey kid.” Tony smiled back. “How are you feeling?”
“Were we in a freezer?”
“Unfortunately.”
“Huh. That’s weird.” Peter’s eyebrows furrowed comically like he was trying to work out a difficult problem. “Are we okay?”
“You’re going to be fine, sweetheart,” said May, kissing Peter’s hand this time. “Doctor Cho knew just what to do.”
Peter brightened considerably. “She always figures stuff out.”
“Yeah, she does,” May laughed.
“Wait, did I almost die again?”
“You and me both,” said Tony. “But you were the one who decided to go into hibernation without telling anyone you could do it first.”
“I did?” Peter looked wide-eyed to May for confirmation.
“I never knew spiders could hibernate in the cold, did you?” she said.
“That’s really weird.”
“At this point, what isn’t weird, kid?” said Tony.
“Wait a second.” Peter held up a hand that looked like it still might have been too heavy, shaking his head. “Wait. So like, like a bear?”
Tony burst out laughing. “Like a fucking bear.”