Chapter Text
Peter's day was going absolutely awful. First he forgot his homework, which wasn't too bad, because his teacher for that class was really nice, and it's not like his grade was low enough to matter. In fact, his teacher laughed and told him that he probably needed to not ace all his tests and live a little.
Next, he was once again "reminded" how pathetic he was, and how he was such a loser, by Flash, but that was pretty normal, so he wasn't too upset about it.
Then he forgot that it was his best friend's birthday yesterday, and since he slept in, he missed giving her his present.
"Peter, it's completely fine!" She reassured with a comfortable smile, Peter frowned and she placed a hand on his shoulder.
"I know, you say that but it's still a special day. I would invite you over but you're having a family dinner right?" She nodded and he sighed.
At the end of the day as he rushed out of school so he could get back home, for the second time that day, he was interrupted by Flash.
"Why in such a big rush, Penis?" Peter kept at his pace as he passed him until he felt a tug on his backpack.
"Don't ignore me!" Peter stopped in mild surprise, Flash wasn't normally physical with him. But it wasn't unknown, he just hoped this wouldn't escalate much further than verbal abuse.
Peter took a deep breath, barely suppressing an eye roll, "I have places to be that aren’t here, and I really need to go, so can you save your self loathing and jealousy for another time please?"
Flash's eye twitched and Peter felt himself being shoved. He could have dodged it or taken it easily enough, but he made himself stumble back.
"Your internship is fake, you know that right?" He spat at Peter's shoes, and Peter scurried off as fast as he could without making a fool of himself. Flash wasn't as lucky there, though.
Flash was right though, the internship was technically fake. He actually just needed an excuse for hanging around his house, Stark Tower, without suspicion.
See, Peter, as we know him, and as his classmates know him, isn't really who he is.
There are a couple of different reasons for this, and depending on what you read, will determine what secret is told. For some universes, that secret is Spider-man, and yeah, sure, that will come soon, but this world doesn't know Spider-man, not yet.
Peter doesn't want to be known, and his father doesn't want him to be known either. Not because he doesn't love Peter, or isn't proud enough to want to show him off to everyone he meets. His father always wished he grew up with a normal life, and because he didn't want all of twitter micro analysing every single movement, accomplishment and mistake he made, things were put in place to keep Peter safe. Mostly.
Peter, at birth, was named Peter Benjamin Stark, though that ended up changing, though not legally to Peter Benjamin Parker, so that nothing at school would arouse suspicion. The Principal of the school was also made to sign an NDA, along with a couple other important teachers, but otherwise, nobody knew unless they were told.
When he turned eighteen, he would be free to do anything and everything he wanted as a public figure, if Peter wanted to, which he wasn't sure if he really did, to be honest.
Peter liked this set-up, he was not keen to see his face all over the news.
But a phone call and an investigation would change everything.
Peter puts his phone away, sighing, but still jogging to the train station. Happy was caught in traffic, and Peter took the opportunity to take a couple of detours out in the city that Happy, Tony's bodyguard, and Peter's non-official driver, wouldn't take him.
His hand slid down the dirty rusted railing as he tapped down the steps in a hurry. The next train wasn't too far away, but when given the chance to simply, not wait, Peter took it.
He scanned his card and rushed forward, through the subway doors just in time.
He panted slightly, probably more out of muscle memory more than an actual need to catch his breath. Looking around for a place to stand or sit, Peter discovered that the train car was empty.
He stopped, feeling a soft hum begin to settle around his head as he looked around the seats.
Hadn't there been people in here when he got in? And at the train station?
It hit Peter rather quickly and the hum cuddly became a blanket wrapped thickly around his head, choking him. His head pounded and Peter knew something wasn't right.
He didn't recall… anyone.
The next few moments were a blur, before he fell unconscious.
-
Peter awoke in a room. A very dark, wet, probably mouldy, room. His chest ached and his face was bruised. He heaved in a couple of deep breaths to calm himself and looked around more.
The room looked old, and Peter could tell from here that the hinges on the door were rusted.
The walls had streaks of brown and green, which could have been a mixture of anything, but Peter guessed blood. The smell sure wasn't making him think it was chocolate and raspberry syrup.
There was a camera to his left facing towards him.
Peter tried to move his body, and could, but not without pain shooting throughout his body. He felt cuffs around his ankles and wrist, and the thought came crashing down. Peter had very likely been kidnapped.
He struggled, but managed to calm his breathing and focused his hearing to hone in on anything that might help him find out more about the situation. And thank fuck for his recent inhancement, because he heard two heartbeats outside the door, probably standing guard.
Although Peter had discovered that he could lift trucks and had been going out for two weeks at night and stopping muggings, he was not confident in his fighting ability.
Peter bit his lip and closed his eyes to listen in on anything else going on outside. He was about to stop when he heard two sets of footsteps coming down from probably a hall outside his holding room, and speech followed them.
"He is enhanced, clearly. We want to make another Winter Soldier, but with better… controlling methods." A masculine voice spoke. His voice was rough, and dry.
Peter didn't have much time to process what he was saying before someone else spoke.
"So you want me to wipe his mind?" A girl with a thick accent, probably European, spoke up, and Peter swallowed thickly.
"Basically," the two stopped, and Peter assumes that he gives her something, "he resides in there at the moment. We will bring him out in 20 minutes, be at Room Beta then. Don't. Be. Late."
She scoffs and says something in a different language and walks off, then the man walks towards the room from what he can hear, and speaks to the guards.
"No problems, I presume?" They don't speak, and Peter guesses they probably nodded, because the other man responds with a "good," before continuing.
"You can have your break in 20, after you escort Subject 221 in."
"Yes sir," comes from the two before the man moves. Then Peter is left, relatively alone.
He has 20 minutes to escape, and his heart pounds.
Quickly, he checks his body.
He still had his wristwatch and Peter could feel his phone (although probably very cracked) in his pants pocket. A plan formed in his mind.
Peter rolled over and took his phone out where the Camera shouldn't be able to see.
The phone was shattered, and Peter winced. He pressed the power button and was surprised to find that it lit up.
He unlocked the phone, and pressed in some numbers and phone rings before it picks up.
"--Eter Peter! Where are you? You should have called sooner--" He cut the man off.
"Hey, Dad, I uh," he looked around him, making sure his voice is at a low whisper, and he hopes his father can hear him, "I don't know where I am, and like, I'm scared."
The call was silent and Peter took a deep breath, trying not to panic.
"Please try and trace this, I-I don't think- I want to remember you, and everyone, I don't want to do what they want please-" he was cut off as a son escaped his lips and the door opened. Peter ripped his head up as the guards came in, and he didn't get to hear what his dad said next because next thing he knew he was hit and his phone was stomped.
-
Three words shocked the country. Many people were confused and shocked. And his parents were probably experiencing the above and most other emotions you could name that would go along with this.
They expected a ransom. They hoped for one after they couldn't trace where the call came from.
Tony wished it were himself a second time, and Pepper wished he would come back on them.
Even weeks later, there was nothing to be found. No ransom, no body, nothing. Nothing would be found in the coming months, either.
Tony put all he could into finding his son, organising for searches and endless investigations to come, and Pepper went to meeting after meeting to find anything that could be done. But the case was cold.
PETER STARK: MISSING.