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Tony knew he was in the wrong.
Everyone had already told him that, but he simply pretended not to understand anything and continued with what he was doing.
And he believed it was the right thing to do.
His purposeful steps echoed as he approached toward the door which was secured with a keypad lock, the door was constructed from reinforced metal and a regular human would have no chance of opening it without the passcode.
The passcode only Tony and Pepper knew.
Pepper was against this whole thing but she had no say in it, the only thing she could do was to be involved in the situation as much as possible. Not for the sake of Tony though, no, it was for Peter.
Arriving at the door, Tony entered the 8-digit passcode to the digital lock that kept the door sealed shut. The oiled hinges opened without a single whisper, Tony had made sure everything was well-maintained.
Still, it wasn’t silent enough to avoid the detection of a certain resident in the securely locked room.
Soon, the curly-haired young boy made his appearance from behind the couch, he was sitting on the floor. His childish, doe eyes reflected an excited glint as they made eye contact with Tony's. Though he could be considered a teen at this point, those eyes had never changed and never lost their innocence.
The boy let out a delighted voice.
“Mr.Stark!”
“Hey there kiddo, what’s up?” Tony said, a genuine smile spreading across his face, reaching up to his eyes and making the corners crinkle.
“Oh, I was just trying to build my Lego kingdom from the start again.”
Tony walked towards the lounge area of the room and sat on one of the soft couches to take a look. Littering the carpet in a seemingly haphazard fashion, an array of Legos sprawled across the floor, their vibrant colors forming a mosaic of chaos. Yet Tony recognized the method in this apparent madness. In Peter's mind, a careful plan had neatly positioned each Lego, turning the chaotic-looking setup into a display of hidden order and thoughtful arrangement.
“Again?” Tony echoed with a confused frown “Should I buy you new ones? Just name it and it’s yours.”
“Oh, you don’t need to do that. I like getting familiar with the process and doing it over and over helps. And besides...” Peter deliberately avoided eye contact as he added in a smaller voice “I don’t even know their names. Because, you know, I’m forbidden from using the internet.”
Tony sighed with exasperation.
“Pete, we’re not doing this one more time. Please don’t start.”
“But—“
“No buts.” Tony interrupted curtly.
“But you never explain! I’m always asking you the same things and—and you tell me nothing!”
Tony tried to calm himself down, having a shouting contest led them nowhere. Previous times, they had only hurt each other. Also, it always ended with Peter crying his eyes out in front of him. He hated seeing the kid cry, it made his heart ache in a way nothing ever did.
“Please, Mr.Stark! I won’t try to talk to anyone, I just want to take a look at some Legos and books.”
“Oh?” Tony said with narrowed eyes “Like the last time? If I remember correctly you, somehow, called the cops on me while trying to pick a science book. Wonder how that happened. An accident? Hm?”
He watched the kid lower his head in embarrassment, his voice was still a low murmur.
“I just wanted answers, but...now I only have more questions. I mean, why didn’t the police do anything? You’re clearly committing a crime here.”
Tony chuckled.
“I wonder.”
“Also,” Peter pressed on with a slightly elevated voice “You still didn’t answer the most important question, at least tell me the reason.”
“The reason for not telling you?” Tony raised a single eyebrow.
“No!” Peter huffed “The reason you’re keeping me here!”
Peter looked smaller than he ever did in that moment, his eyes were moist and unshed tears threatened to spill. They were like bullets for Tony’s heart, it hurt, but he could do nothing about them.
Tony took a deep breath and got off the couch to lower himself to the floor, right in front of Peter, to give him a gentle hug. At first, he was hugged back. But then, Peter pushed him back with an unexpected force and Tony had to let go.
“You can’t fool me with a hug again! Tell me! Tell me the reason!”
‘Wow,’ Tony rolled his eyes and let out another sigh ‘It’s time for the shouting contest I guess.’
Yet, he tried to keep his voice level.
“You won’t be satisfied with the answer, kid. You’ll just keep asking more and more, believe me when I say it’s best you don’t know.”
“I won’t!” His voice rose even higher, and Tony cringed “And I will keep asking until you answer me!”
She had definitely heard it by now from the room upstairs.
“Okay,” Tony said placating “I will answer just one question, one time. Okay? Do we have an agreement?”
Peter nodded with elation, his eyes gaining back the same glint it had before.
“You’re here, because there is something dangerous outside and it wants to hurt you.”
“Why?” the kid tilted his head.
“Nu-uh, we agreed on one question.”
A stubborn scowl took over Peter’s face.
“It’s the same question, I was just extending it!”
Tony ruffled his hair and gave him a soft kiss on the forehead.
“Nice try, kiddo.”
He watched as an adorable pout made its appearance on Peter’s face, he was the most precious thing in Tony’s life with his doe eyes and curly hair. He had a rebellious streak but it was nothing Tony couldn’t handle with just a little bit of sedatives; the kid didn’t need to know, but maybe he already did and was playing the idiot for the sake of remaining vigilant.
Tony heard the locked door unlocking again, he already knew who it was without even bothering to look.
Soon Pepper walked past him, her vanilla scent wafting through the air. It also was a sedative for Peter, metaphorically of course.
Tony knew that Peter was comforted by Pepper’s presence.
It was almost like they were playing bad cop and good cop, the only problem was that Pepper was on Peter’s side and it scared Tony. He was worried that being a bad cop would make the kid hate him in time, especially when he had Pepper for comparison.
For Peter, she was an angel.
He recalled the occasion when Pepper and Peter had tried to persuade him to allow Peter to take a walk in the garden —a decision that turned into a disaster, leaving Pepper fuming with fury and Peter in tears in her arms.
“Why did you make him cry again, Tony?” she interrogated while still hugging Peter, a slight pang of parental jealousy sparked up in his chest seeing Peter comfortable with her.
“He keeps asking the same questions, and I’m trying to keep it together.” He reasoned.
Pepper looked discontent with her pronounced glare.
“Just try to think about it from his side!” her voice intensified “He’s locked up here, day and night! This room doesn’t even have windows! How do you expect him to not ask questions?! Why do you have to be so cruel?!”
Just as he was about to answer, Peter gave her shirt a slight tug.
“It’s okay Pepper, please don’t fight because of me.”
Pepper turned her gaze to the kid’s face with absolute admiration, while tearing up, her eyes matched with Peter’s. Then she smiled, lifting her hand to wipe away his tears and then her own.
“We’re not fighting, just talking with a loud voice.”
Pepper then made eye contact with Tony, her death glare told the story as she pointed to the door with her head.
She then let go of Peter and stood up at the same time with Tony.
“It’s night-time honey, I will have a talk with Tony and come back to tuck you in.”
The door automatically locked itself as they let it shut on its own. Tony followed Pepper, who was walking with long strides. The click-clack of her high heels echoed through the long corridor. The corridor led to a garden where Peter’s living quarters were located, separate from the house Tony and Pepper lived in.
With a hand scan, Pepper opened the door to the house and headed straight for the bedroom with Tony right behind him.
He knew she was extremely angry, and expected her to yell as loud as she could just like she did the first day he imprisoned the kid.
But to say he was taken aback by the sight as Pepper sat down was an understatement.
Her tear-streaked face bore patches of red, and she remained silent for a full minute, attempting to regain composure. Tony stood in stunned silence, his gaze fixed on her. Then, with an air of surprise, she spoke, her voice unexpectedly tranquil.
“You have to stop this, you have to let him go Tony.”
“No.” he replied harshly, not saying anything else.
“Please! It’s been 2 years, it’s not working. You’re worse than when Peter—“
“Don’t—“ Tony rubbed his temples as he warned Pepper “Don’t say it, I’m this close to losing it.”
Pepper abruptly rose from her seated position and moved nearer to Tony, her labored breathing resonating audibly.
“You’ve already lost it!” she screamed. “What’s the worst that can happen?! What happens if May discovers this? Or Steve? Bruce? Huh?! Ever thought of that?!”
“They won’t find out,” Tony uttered through gritted teeth “As long as he stays put, no one can find him. Besides, I put some fail-safes in place.”
She blocked her face from his view with her hands and spoke through as calmly as she could.
“That’s not the problem here and you know it.” She then made direct eye contact, her gaze unwavering “Let him go. We can get you help, we just need some NDAs and the rest will follow.”
“No, I’m not going to a shrink—I don’t need it. Now drop it before things get ugly.”
Her stare and rigid expression conveyed utter disappointment, her lips pressed together as if she was trying to stop herself from talking any further.
“I’ll stay with Peter tonight, leave us alone.” she said as she stormed out of the room.
Tony sank wearily onto the bed, emitting a sigh that resonated with defeat. He massaged his temples, a feeble attempt to alleviate the stress weighing on him. Deep within, an acknowledgment tugged at him – Pepper was right. Yet, the prospect of letting Peter go remained an insurmountable challenge, an act he could never bring himself to undertake.
With that, he leisurely navigated to his side of the bed and reclined. Sleep, an elusive acquaintance since that day two years ago, continued to evade him. Nonetheless, he persistently lay down in this familiar position, yearning for the solace of rest.
Sadly, what he was waiting for didn’t happen that night as well.
So he just lay there, thinking.
His thoughts were filled with Peter.
His actions, to the ears of nearly everyone, would echo with the resonance of cruelty. He was aware of his own derangement, a realization that cast a shadow over his every deed.
But he still just couldn’t fathom living without that adorable kid right by his side, he was terrified of losing him. The thought of not being able to see his smile one day made paranoia fill up his very being and Tony shuddered with just the implication it brought.
As he pondered, an unwelcome sound echoed through the speakers strategically placed throughout the house for FRIDAY's accessibility, it was a warning call he had never wished to hear.
“Boss, Peter has left the designated area and is now running towards the electrical boundary.”
Alarmed, Tony jumped out of the bed and ran out the door without even wearing his shoes.
“Damn you Pepper!” he cursed, he knew it was her doing.
He quickly dashed to the forest line to reach the electrical boundary of the land before Peter, his lungs were at full capacity and they burned.
But stopping was not an option.
If he did, Peter would...
He kept sprinting, surprised by the speed he was achieving, a pace he hadn't believed was within his own capabilities. Once beyond the edge of the forest, he noticed the red markings on the ground that signified the limits of the property. Thankfully, Peter wasn’t here yet but he could hear the hurried footsteps coming his way.
He slightly adjusted his position just to catch Peter right in time as he leaped out of the thick bushes of the forest that surrounded the whole property. He gripped the kid’s wrists tightly and shook him to stop him from panicking any further.
“Kid! Stop!”
“No!” he cried out, tears spilling down from his cheeks in a few seconds “Please! Mr.Stark, I just wanna see! I’m begging you, just let me leave. I’ll come back, I promise!”
Tony shook his head sideways.
“No, I’m sorry, I can’t do that. You have to go back.”
“I won’t! I don’t wanna be locked up again!” he shouted.
Afterward, he undertook an action that Tony would never have expected in his lifetime. Not from this kid.
Peter successfully freed one of his hands and delivered a solid punch directly to Tony's nose, leaving him momentarily dazed and making him let go completely.
Blood dripped down as Tony gawked at Peter, he was running at full speed towards the red line.
“Peter stop!” Tony screamed in anguish, his own eyes were watering now “Don’t cross that red line! Please!!!”
Peter didn’t listen.
“Kid...” Tony whispered as he slowly walked towards Peter, he knew he didn’t have to hurry.
Just as Peter stepped over the line, a zapping sound was heard and his knees buckled under him. As Tony got closer, he could see Peter looking at his own legs in utter horror.
Tony watched him punch his own leg while shouting.
“Why?! Why can’t I walk?! What happened to my legs?!”
His terrified, crying eyes found Tony. He tried to crawl back but of course, he had no way of outrunning Tony now.
“Just calm down, Pete.” Tony said with resignation and crouched right in front of Peter who was still trying to back away.
He grabbed his ankle and pulled Peter towards himself, he then turned him on his stomach and lifted his shirt up to press the fingerprint activated button which was placed on his back. Peter’s voice slowly faded away as he let out a final, incomplete sentence.
“What...are...you...doooo...—“
Then silence.
Tony gathered him in his arms and made his way to the lab with painfully slow steps, his face expressed numbness because that was how he felt at the moment.
He entered the lab and lowered Peter to one of the empty lab tables which were specifically reserved for this scenario.
Opening his lab computer, he entered the password for the restricted notepad and typed in his next input:
P.E.T.E.R (Personalized Emotionally Tuned Electronic Replica)
Trial 0.360: FAIL.