“Family comes first, mio bambino. That’s our code,” is what Maria Stark said to little Tony when they finally found where he was being held as a hostage, minutes before what his captors had said would be his demise if the Stark Industries didn’t pay an unreasonable ransom.
But SI never pays a ransom, that is their policy and the usual agents, that found him in this type of situation, and Aunt Peggy were too slow this time in figuring out where Tony was being held.
It was the first time his mamma had taken an action into her own hands.
With a gun levelled to his main captor’s head, Maria Stark, first daughter of mafioso Don Matteo ‘Patient’ Mellio, looked at her son with steeled love in her eyes. With a promise of cold blood as a vengeance.
Tony stared into her eyes as she pulled the trigger and now a body empty of life collapsed on the floor.
Men in black suits with guns started moving around them, cleaning and rearranging the room and whatever else they were ordered to do. A young girl stepped next to Tony and started treating his bloody wounds and Tony let her do it without any fuss, still fascinated.
Seven-year-old Tony has been left breathless. For the first time, his mamma has allowed herself to show him her darker side. The side of her powerful Italian bloodline.
While Howard fiercely protected subjects of his obsession - the lost Captain, Stark Industries and Maria, mamma protected her family - Howard, Tony, Jarvis, Ana, her father and a few others.
Tony copied this aspect from her. JARVIS, Rhodey, Pepper, Happy, Harley, Vision, FRIDAY and his other bots - they were his.
Now, his new child is being threatened and Tony finally fully understands his mom’s stance. He can feel his blood turning into a cold steel with a promise of vengeance.
Protect your family at all costs.
While he was never fully submerged into that side of his mom’s family business that she did behind Howard’s back, he observed and learned.
He didn’t even realise just how much Peter became part of his perceived family until this very moment.
“FRIDAY,” Tony coldly says, already suited in his armour and flying across the continent from Brazil to New York. Getting permission from the government and UN to use his suit to travel took way too much of his precious time and Peter’s safety is in critical stages. As much as he supports the Accords, at this moment he despises them.
“Already on it, Boss,” his baby girl answers. “While I’m finding where the video has been transmitted from, I’m analysing the environment and the area visible in the video.”
“Good steps. Also, send a message to Peps and inform her about the situation. Harvey should be with her at this time of day, so inform them both.” Harvey being Pepper’s personal intern is a new thing and now Tony has two people pestering him about work.
Thankfully, Peter is his normal and non-bossy personal intern. Tony is slowly and covertly teaching him how to be the head of the research and development department. One day, he’s going to inherit this position even if Tony didn’t inform him of it yet.
The video sent to him by some idiotic criminals contained a message that Peter has been captured and is being held hostage at gunpoint. Whatever drugs they gave to Peter made him visibly woozy even with his fast metabolism. Unless he was trying to play up the effects of the drug and gained some impressive performance skills which Tony doubted he had.
“We found out the truth Mr. Stark. He is your child. Is he precious to you? I don’t know how you managed to hide him for so long but the truth will come up and everyone will know. Unless, of course, you are willing to pay for our silence. How about, hm, fifty hundred thousand dollars? That shouldn’t be that much for you, Mr. Billionaire?” The black balaclava holding the gun to Peter’s head said. “You have one hour.”
Forty minutes gone by.
Twenty minutes are remaining.
And Tony is at least half an hour away from New York. His jets will blow up on him if he tries to go any faster.
While Peter isn’t his biological offspring, they are right that the little spiderling is his child. He will do anything to ensure his safety but he understands and heeds the SI policy of not paying ransom or negotiating with terrorists, just like the previous owners did. Once you give an inch, a mile will be taken. No need to create a precedent.
“Boss, I found out their immediate location.” On his HUD appears an address. “The cameras around the area are also confirming the presence of armed individuals. ETA thirty minutes. Lady Boss and Little Boss have been informed and are taking actions of their own, however, it appears that the criminals have prepared a bomb attack in the Tower. There is an evacuation process underway and the forces are limited in taking action on both problems,” his darling AI says.
“Fuck. Alright, Fri-baby, tell Pepper to take care of the SI. Assist her where you can. I’ll manage Peter.”
“Will do, Boss.”
Lucky for him, he has many paths and contingencies that he can choose to follow. He should have taken action way sooner than now.
“Connect me to Uncle Edu.”
Maybe it’s because of the memories that are being brought up in the front of his mind about his mom that he chooses to call his uncle instead of official, legal sources.
Calling his uncle Eduardo, mom’s older brother, is always a gamble. Once he became the new Don of the family Mellio, it became fifty-fifty with him accepting Tony’s calls.
Today is luck on his side. At least partially since Peter is still in danger.
“Antonio! Ciao. How unexpected. Is this a social call? That would be rare.” Eduardo’s gruff but perky voice booms through the speakers.
“Ciao, zio Eduito. Sorry, no. I have a request. A family one.”
Tony never had a request and the jovial tone immediately changes to a business one. “Oh, what do you need, mio caro nipote.”
“Simply put, my child is being held captive and there’s a request for a ransom which I don’t plan to pay. I’m on my way in an Iron Man suit, about twenty-five minutes away. Peter has fifteen minutes before they plan to get rid of him. I just sent you the location he’s being held in on your phone. I know one of your empty businesses is right next to it. Hopefully, your buddies are bored. I’ll pay you later whatever price you usually take for such services,” Tony tries to summarize the most important points.
“Nonsense. You’re free of charge. You are a family that never asks for anything, so I feel generous. Wait, actually, a simple social visit would be nice. You can bring your child with you.”
Tony had zero interest in taking Peter together for that visit. The kid would be no doubt excited and that could cause so many problems that Tony refuses to deal with.
“Sure. FRIDAY will contact you for further clarification about the family reunion later,” Tony says.
“Ah, you and your Ais. Make you lazy, my boy.”
“Just confess you are passionately envious of me and mine, zio.”
“Ha, you wish. The men are on the move, nipote. They’ll take care of it in no time and wait for your arrival with a job nice done.” With that, Eduardo ends the call.
“Hopefully, they won’t kill in front of Peter but that’s just a flimsy dream of mine,” Tony murmurs sarcastically.
Even with a plan in action, the flight is no less nerve-wracking.
Tony arrives five minutes past the deadline. He ignores the churning dread in his stomach. If something went wrong, he would be informed.
When the warehouse where’s Peter supposed to be comes into his sight, Tony carefully flights to the front. Trusting FRIDAY’s scans, he walks inside while on his HUD appears a number and locations of heat signatures. Most are accumulated at a lower level.
Rounding the last corner to his destination, the first people he meets are from the family. It’s easy to recognize them by the way they hold themselves and their weapons. They stand in front of the door, probably securing who goes in and out.
“Hullo. Everything went fine?”
The closest goon nods. “Mr. Stark. The threat has been dealt with and the subject of protection is being looked over.”
With a hum, Tony enters the room. Peter is nowhere to be seen but he’s surprised to see the kidnappers alive and secured. Unlike his mom, he doesn’t plan on killing them. Once, he would. But he has a reputation to maintain and a kid to take care of. Moreover, Tony is well aware that Peter treasures life like no other person does. The police will be in charge of the baddies' lives soon enough.
And yet, it does not mean he isn’t going to make their lives living hell by other means. He is a multibillionaire as they said in the video after all. And they did anger a scary CEO with a power of information influencing hounds alias known as PR and Legal team of SI. These wronguns are going to learn very quickly what a new low looks and feels like.
Tony throws a look at the goon-two who’s approaching him with confident strides. Tony recognizes this one. “Hey, Mr. Stark. It’s been some time. Don’s requested to save your child and to keep the offenders alive for you to deal with.” Marco’s ascent is as heavily influenced as ever but unlike the last time, it’s more understandable.
Tony would normally try to at least act more socially acceptable but he doesn’t want to have a chitchat right now. “Yeah, great to see you too, Micron. Where’s the kid?” His suit speakers make him sound choppier.
“Next room,” Marco points to the left. “As impatient as ever, Mr. Stark,” he sighs and returns to continue his business from before.
Once Tony actually sees Peter - safe, whole, uninjured - his shoulders release all the accumulated tension and he takes a shaky breath.
Peter’s sitting and talking with a very familiar old lady. He has been left in good hands then. Tony falls easily into using his mom’s language. [“Zietta Bianca, are you still troubling yourself with problem children?”]
Auntie Bianca smiles, pronouncing her wrinkles. When Tony was just a kid, she was a junior medic positioned in New York for the family. Bianca tended to his wounds from unfortunate encounters. ["My old bones are perfectly capable of doing their job. But rarely do I take care of children nowadays. You were always a special case of repetition."]
“Mr. Stark!”
It’s enough to get his full focus back on Peter who nervously steps from one foot to another and keeps from running to Tony.
Tony has no such qualms. He lets his prototype nanosuit retract into his watch - quick reactions, needs more precise vocal instruction protocol, acts differently from previous versions, more intuitive - and runs to hug Peter who curls into his arms the moment they touch.
They take a few seconds before Peter spills everything on his mind, “I thought they knew I was you-know-who. Then they started talking about me being your son and I said I’m not and they didn’t believe me and then they made their demands and I couldn’t do anything - what the heck was in that drug? - and then suddenly these guys barged in, seemingly coming to life from that one movie - The Godfather, I think? - And they do look mafia and they said they are here on your orders but I didn’t know if I could trust what they were saying and-“
“Holy shit. Breathe, bambino, breathe,” Tony says to stop Peter’s rambling. “You did nothing wrong. Did they hurt you in any way?”
Bianca chuckles at the spiel, no doubt remembering how Tony asked her a thousand questions on their first meeting, and Tony sends her an annoyed look while Peter ignores everything around him. She waves him off and goes to leave the room. Tony quickly mouths ‘thank you’, getting back a gentle smile as an answer.
After a moment of regaining proper control over his body, Peter says, “I’m fine. Besides the drug, they didn’t do anything… Also, Bambino?”
Tony hesitates. It came out of his mouth unexpectedly but naturally. “Sorry. It slipped out. If it makes you uncomfortable…“
“No! No. I wanted to ask what it means. Well, I think I know but,” Peter trails off, blushing slightly in nervousness but still holding Tony with his enchanted strength in a hug. “Sorry. No need to say anything.”
“Oh no, Pete. Peter. You are— you are so important. To me. I didn’t even realise how much I expect of you to be in the Lab or hear you talk about school and May in the Penthouse during dinners. The thought of something happening to you and not being there for you… it scared me.” It goes against Tony’s metaphoric fur to speak so openly about his feelings but he has a feeling that Peter needs to hear this.
Peter takes it all in and finally releases his hold on Tony but does not take any steps away from him. “That’s good to hear honestly. Like, what if I started to grow an Impostor Syndrome while being in the Lab, well, if I already don’t have one? But anyway, I also like spending time with you,” Peter says once again in one breath.
Tony hides his grimace. “You are aware that your internship is official. May had to sign a few papers since she is your legal guardian and I know for a fact that she made you sign them too. So your internship is valid.”
Peter’s silence speaks volumes and Tony stifles a sigh. Children these days. They wouldn’t read any papers before blindly signing them even if Satan was the one offering them.
“Uhm, anyway, weren’t you supposed to be in Brazil, or something?”
Tony chuckles. “Family comes first.”
Peter looks ready to cry again hearing that. “I do think of you as a family too, at least partly. I mean, you and May joke about parenting privileges and stuff. You help me with homework when I ask. You calm me from my nightmares and patch me up after patrols. You watch Star Wars till you hate it and yet, you watch it again with me. Like, that’s the ultimate adoration, I think.”
“Okay kiddo, I agree with you but now that’s way too much emotion for this interaction. Tone it down.”
“You’re the one who started it!” Peter exclaims with mock offence.
Tony raises an eyebrow at Peter, making him squirm nervously. “I was allowed. My kid was in danger.”
Rising hands with an enchanted speed, Peter waves them around the place. “Exactly! I was in said danger. I have a free speech about my feelings for at least the next twenty-four hours. It can help relieve traumatic stress.”
“Let’s call your scary Aunty Hottie then. I don’t want my head to be put on a spike in front of the Stark Tower to serve as a deter for those who might fail to protect you from physical, mental and emotional harm over the top.”
Peter grins. “She’s not that scary.”
“She is, Underoos. The incident Potato Head One & Two, remember?” Tony deadpans and shivers dramatically.
“…Yeah, she is. Why did you have to bring forth these traumatic memories?” Peter whines theatrically.
Tony laughs and observes Peter, trying to see if anything else needs to be said and then leaves this conversation behind. At the same time, he’s aware of the consequences of prolonging the inevitable call to terrifying women, May and Pepper, but this moment feels important.
“Does this mean I’m upgrading to the first name basis?” Tony asks.
His kid shifts a little in his place and looks him seriously in the eyes. “Sure thing, Mr. Stark. No more Underoos.”
“You little shit.” It comes out very much fond.
Peter laughs, eyes crinkling with the wide smile on his face. “It’s your little shit now.”
Tony signs with a smile. “It sure is.”
As they go to the front of the warehouse, Peter asks, “Hey, Mr. Stark, they were mafia, right? The outfits and tattoos and all. I know stereotyping is bad but, yeah. Since when do you have buddies in the mafia?”
“Don’t ask with so much excitement, kiddo. Don’t ask at all.”
…
Two days later, Tony watches Peter read the news concerning his kidnappers and can’t keep a joyful smile off his face at Peter’s relieved sigh.
“Thanks, Tony.”
He didn’t gift blood graced with vengeance as his mom did for him but this is more than enough for Peter it seems.