Chapter Text
Peter had been missing for three weeks, five days, and eleven hours. Three weeks, five days, and eleven hours agonizingly long hours that had Tony beside himself. The worst part of it was that it, in a way, it felt like it was, at least partially, his own damn fault. He Knew that when May had died and it had been suggested that he take the teenager in, that it was probably a very bad idea. The problem was that he loved the kid so damn much that he refused to see him placed with anyone but him because, despite the horrible circumstances, the idea that he could have Peter with him, in his home and under his care for the rest of his life sounded like a dream come true.
And it had been for the first several months. Then the media found out that Tony Stark had taken over guardianship of a teenaged boy from Queens. He'd been furious that the information had been leaked but all in all but not terribly worried. Peter was Spider-man. He had super strength and a sixth sense that told him when he was in danger among his other unique talents. There was no reason to worry until there was.
Tony had been well aware of the fact that Spider-man had picked up a new recurring enemy. However, like most of the characters that the kid fought he's seemed like more of a nuisance than a threat. He'd watched, periodically, through the lens of the baby-monitor footage as Peter toyed with the man before eventually webbing him up and warning him to 'play nice' in the future. I was almost as if it were a game for both of them. Though it didn't take long for it to become very clear that their dynamic was escalating.
The villain became more and more aggressive. The playful banter became harsh words and the haphazard attacks became more precise. He had sighed in relief when it appeared as though Peter had finally had enough and had decided to put an end to the cat and mouse routine. He'd told the man, mid-fight that he didn't plan on simply webbing him down anymore. He was going to notify the police.
That statement caused the villain to fall into a rage but even with a suit on standby, Tony couldn't get to the kid fast enough. The last thing that he'd heard was the aggressor telling his boy that he knew his true identity. That he knew that Peter Parker- 'Stark's kid' was the one under the mask.
It was then that Tony realized that they weren't after Spider-man, they were after his son and he nearly vomited at the connotation. However, that wave of intense anxiety was quickly replaced with pure dread when all of a sudden, out of nowhere at all, the footage cut out and Peter disappeared off the map.
Just like that, his son was gone.
For over three weeks, Tony searched high and low using every resource he had, including the Avengers. He complied stacks of useless information, tracked unsuccessful leads, and sat through every single one of the heart-wrenching videos that the captors sent to him. The worst part was that even after all that time, they'd yet to tell him what they wanted. It seemed that they were perfectly content to drag out the process. It was as if it were their goal to make him feel increasingly desperate and it was working. He was right on the edge of a complete mental breakdown when the final piece to the puzzle landed in his hands.
It wasn't easy but they had a location. All of the sleepless nights spent analyzing the horrifying videos and intensively combing through the encrypted messages had finally paid off. He was getting Peter back. He was sure of it.
Between himself, and every single one of the Avengers, they were in and out of the underground bunker in less than an hour. The frighteningly advanced holographic imaging tech had been seized and Peter was finally in his arms.
While the rest of the team rounded up the captors, Tony held his boy's limp body in his arms while Bruce, with FRIDAY's assistance, removed the implant that had been placed in the teenager's neck to suppress his powers and sedate him at will. With that out of the way, he spent the remainder of the flight gently and quietly wiping caked dirt and dried blood from Peter's face. Part of him wished that the kid would hurry up and open his eyes, while the other part hoped that he stayed asleep until after Cho finished what was sure to be a thorough exam.
Eventually, the plane landed and Tony began to descend the steps still cradling Peter against his own body. He refused to allow anyone else to carry him. He'd just gotten his boy back. He wasn't ready to let him go.
"You already took the suit off, Tony. And I know he's not exactly light. Let me take him for you," Steve had pleaded but Tony had adamantly declined. Peter was his and he was going to be the one to take care of him, carry him, hold him, and comfort him. He wouldn't have it any other way.
"You're going to be okay, Buddy. I'm going to make sure of it," Tony whispered as he lay his unconscious son's too-thin-body down on a medical bed, removed his soiled clothing, and replaced them with a pristine hospital gown. "You're safe now and I'm going to make sure you stay that way," he promised before collapsing into the chair directly beside the bed. "You're home."