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“You cost me my life, Stark. I will cost you your soul”
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Tony knew, being so open with his love towards Peter in public and the media was a mistake. It was a big, big mistake. The thing was, Tony had a lot of enemies. Not just because he was a superhero or a playboy who seduced many wives over his youth. Sometimes it was because he won in the competition of the companies, engineers who laid their whole lives on the line to be able to invent something just to be beaten by SI in the race.
Tony knew, he knew it so well that people tried to use every possible thing that they could get their sinister hands on, but he didn’t think it would be this bad. Peter was Spiderman, Tony was Ironman, they both had AI who were watching them all the time. Tony knew how to protect himself, but when it came to Peter, he was desperate.
It was how he and Peter were tied up in chairs in a weird room, looking at each other with teary eyes and bruises. Peter was wheezing through the cloth gag in his mouth, slouching to accommodate his probably broken ribs. Tony was in pain too, blood slowly seeping through the cut from his head to his face. Dripping down from his chin.
But he didn’t care about himself, not for a single second. He needed Peter to be okay and leave as unhurt as possible. Tony needed that kid to continue being an angel dropped from heaven with his ramblings and wild hair.
Normally, he wouldn’t even think about the possibility of not being able to escape a kidnapping. He was Tony Stark, with the world’s mightiest heroes behind his back along with an one of a kind AI and of course Pepper Potts. However… This situation was starting to feel different.
It’s been days, agonizing days, since they were taken. Quentin Beck, some scientist that worked with SI and for some fucking reason went down to the wrong line, was visiting them every day with different ‘games’.
Games, he called his tortures. Waterboarding was just a race to see who could hold their breath for the longest. Whipping Tony’s back raw or kicking Peter while the kid’s limbs were tied up was working out. Starving them was just an appreciation to the fasting culture.
The worst thing was, by the second day, Beck figured out that Peter was Spiderman. That meant every fucking twisted game of his was always twice as long, strong, to Peter.
Tony was starting to understand what Beck was talking about on the first day they were taken. He was feeling his own soul slowly die as he watched the kid, his kid, whimper in pain. And the worst was, the date was coming.
When they woke up in this tiny and filthy room for the first time, Quentin gave them a choice and a date. Peter was the one who got to choose who, and Tony was allowed to choose when.
“Who will go out alive?” Quentin was smiling as he looked at Peter’s determined face.
Of course, despite Tony’s pleas, Peter chose Tony. Then, Tony was forced to choose a date, furthest being a week later, to ‘go out again’.
The clock at the corner of the room was counting seconds to midnight of the 6th day of their imprisonment. Soon, it would hit 12 and mark their week in the room. Then, just 8 hours later, Beck would come.
Both Peter and Tony knew what would possibly happen. It was why their eyes were not leaving each other’s eyes for a moment like they both wanted to carve each other on their brains. Tony started blinking in morse code again, telling Peter the most important thing.
“I Love You”
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“Rise and shine” Quentin entered the room with the keys of the vibranium bindings in his hand.
“You look miserable, like I wanted, Tony. Did you say your goodbyes to each other? I’d say that you would see him on the other side, Peter, but I am sure he is going to hell.” He put the keys in his pocket before taking a syringe out of his little waist bag.
Tony was trying his earnest to escape from the chains that held him in place even though he knew it was not possible. Quentin was ignoring him, instead of moving towards Peter and petting his bloody hair with one hand as he held the syringe full of some slightly yellow liquid with his other hand.
“I gotta admit, estimating the dosage was a pain in the ass even though I had your blood work. It won’t hurt, only a pinch”
Tony screamed, the needle went in Peter’s neck. Beck untied Peter’s gag before Tony’s and left the room.
“I love you, I- I love you D-dad. T-Tell Pepper I love h-her”
“I love you too bambino. W-we will say it to her together. We still need to finish the R-robodog, right?”
“Yes, n’ make his s-spots b-blue” Peter’s speech was slowing, as well as his whole body. He could feel his heart slow as the chemicals took their effect. He tried to keep talking as much as he could, treasuring his last moments with Tony, the person who was a dad to him. But everything had an end, no matter how joyful or agonizing they were.
He could hear Tony try to keep speaking, telling how much he loved Peter again and again and again. It was one of the things Peter would never get bored of. And he was glad that Tony’s voice would be the last thing he heard.
As his body slumped and he completely lost control of everything, he was waiting for his heart to stop. But… it was not stopping. It was slow, way too slow and weak to be properly heard but still it was beating. Peter was still himself, as he listened to Tony curse to Beck. He was still himself as Beck unlocked the vibranium cuffs and hauled his body on his shoulder.
Peter heard two heartbeats enter the room behind him, taking Tony out of his chains and dragging him behind.
“I’ll let you have his body, like hoe he gave me my prototype after fucking it.” Beck said, right before throwing Peter somewhere. Peter was not able to feel anything, not even if the surface was soft or hard.
“Your friends will come soon, but don’t worry I’ll be on the opposite side of the planet.”
Peter listened, he listened to Tony pick his body up in his embrace and cry. Sobs ripping off of his chest in pain, still muttering sweet nothings to Peter.
Some time passed, Peter didn’t know how much, but he knew it was long enough for Tony to stop sobbing. He sounded like he was accepting the situation, but Peter was not dead!
He tried to move, nothing happened. He was trapped in his body and the images of being buried like this was making his chest hurt with panic. But he couldn’t hyperventilate with his shallow, nearly non existent breaths. He did not feel his heart pick up speed as always, it was still beating so faintly.
Then, Peter heard the Quinjet, rapidly descending nearby.
“Tony! Pe- Peter?” Steve was the first one out, full on gear. Peter could hear the kevlar rub together and shield swing.
“Is he?” Captain America was speechless. It was something that would make Peter laugh in normal situations but now, it just reminded him how he was possibly looking. Unmoving, dead.
“N-No, no…” Clint’s knees hit the ground near Peter as his breath hitched.
“Kid…” Bucky just said one word, then he was off somewhere.
Natasha was just standing, her heart racing despite her silence.
Bruce slowly came forwards and did something, probably checking his pulse, Peter guessed.
“Is he?” heard Peter Sam asked.
“No pulse.” Bruce’s voice was filled with emotions.
Tony was still crying as the team moved both to the Jet, lying Peter on the med bed as he was just sleeping. Peter wanted to cry as he heard Clint’s whispered apologies right next to his ear. He heard Bucky, the feared Winter Soldier hug Steve and cry his eyes out. Tony was not crying, his breaths were sounding exhausted.
“I love you, baby spider” Natasha’s whisper made Peter want to scream. Scream that he was not dead but he couldn’t even feel anything.
Quinjet slowly landed on the compound, telltale sounds of it made Peter’s chest ache. He heard Steve’s sob as he carried inside, to the medbay.
“FRIDAY, vitals on P-Peter.”
“I am sorry, Boss. I’ll alert Karen.”
Even FRIDAY thought he was gone. Peter wondered if he was just hallucinating the heartbeat of himself. It was faint, but felt like it was there. Also, he was still conscious after a long time. He had to be alive.
“Tony!?” Pepper’s voice was rough like She was crying for a really long time.
Then, Tony completely broke down. Crying, no, wailing and screaming for Peter. Enough to force Bruce to sedate him.
“Fuck this, what are we if we can’t even protect him!” Bucky stormed out after muttering.
“We need to call his au-” Happy’s distressed voice cut Sam
“PETER?” The man was next to Peter in seconds, apologizing as he cried.
Then, the unbelievable happened and FRIDAY spoke
“I am detecting a heartbeat.” Then, it was chaos.
Bruce, along with the medical team rushed to his side, checking everything including his blood and transferring him to give him fluids. Everyone was pushed out of the room to give space to medical personnel but Peter could hear them right outside.
His blood work showed a sedative, overdosed. But the weird part was that his body was slowly eating through it. A sedative, which was not enough to kill him.
“Brain damage is possible, we are going to scan for it but just be ready for everything” Peter heard Bruce explain as some scans and tests were done to him.
Slowly, Peter gained his sense of touch, back. Just in time to feel the team as they went in the room one by one.
“We suspect he is awake,” Nurse warned before letting them in.
Pepper cried, telling them how much she loved him.
Happy rambled about being used to Peter and his rambles.
Steve told Peter how important he was and how he was loved.
Bucky just hugged him, tightly.
Sam cried, talking about how he was not ready to lose Peter.
Clint too, hugged him. whispering sweet promises to him.
Natasha slowly stroked his cheek and for the first time ever, Peter heard Natasha cry. She promised him protection.
Wanda, who had learned the whole situation as he was back from her training, just crying and muttering about how she couldn’t lose another brother.
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Next morning, when Tony woke up, there was a small spiderling curled in the bed with him.