Who can I trust?
Tony went down a rabbit hole.
He couldn’t stop.
He needed to know all the answers, what exactly did they do to Peter? Who was behind all of this? How Tony was going to avenge Peter’s mistreatment.
He didn’t realize that he was obsessing and that it was definitely damaging his mental health until FRIDAY spoke.
“Sir, you have been awake for 43 hours. I suggest you get some sleep.”
That came as a shock to Tony. Woah. He was going for a whole new record of how long he’s been awake for, not that it was anything to be proud of. If Pepper knew about this, she would be so angry at him. He couldn’t help but be grateful she wasn’t there.
But that also meant that he had been down in his lab for almost four hours. Oh no. Peter. He forgot about the actual child on his floor so Tony raced upstairs, expecting to find Peter in some kind of trouble or freaking out or something. What he didn’t expect to find was the kid in the exact same position as he left him, staring at the tv like he was in some kind of trance.
Tony cleared his throat to make sure he alerted the boy of his presence but Peter didn’t seem to acknowledge it. “Hey, kid. It seems like you like tv, huh?”
Still nothing.
Tony grabbed the remote and shut the TV off, causing the boy to squeak out in annoyance. “Noo.”
That was the first time Tony’s seen the kid do an actual childish thing that seemed actually normal. Tony placed the remote on the table. “Four hours of straight tv doesn’t seem healthy. How about we do something else?”
Peter looked at Tony and then back at the black screen on the tv. He hadn’t even realized Tony left him alone and he wasted a perfect opportunity to look for anything on the man that he could send back to Hydra.
Peter knew what he was supposed to be looking for but he didn’t exactly know where to find it or how to look for it without Tony there. He wasted an opportunity and he was going to pay for that later.
He looked up at Tony again. “Where’s your lab?”
Tony was surprised by that question. He was having a hard time figuring out just how good the boy's speech was and what he did and didn’t understand. “My lab?” The boy nodded. “It’s downstairs. How did you know about my lab?”
“I heard you say it.”
Tony didn’t remember saying anything like that in front of the kid. But he did know that Natasha said it over the phone. How the hell did the kid hear that. Just how good was his hearing?
Tony didn’t know if he should be asking the boy about this or be talking about it but he wanted to know. So he sat down on the couch, a few feet away from him. “Peter, Hydra was trying to turn you into something, right?”
Peter wasn’t prepared for these questions. Although he knew he was going to have to do a lot of improvising when he came here. Little did Tony know that Hydra wasn’t trying, they actually succeeded. They succeeded in turning him into their own super soldier, trained to kill any target Hydra wanted. Tony Stark just happened to be at the top of that list.
Peter looked at Tony. How was he expected to actually kill the man? He’s seen it done, but he’s never actually killed anyone before. Tony seemed… nice. Not like the men at Hydra who only cared about one thing; his powers.
It wasn’t that Peter was scared to kill Tony, well, he was but he was also feeling hesitant about it. He had a timeframe. Two weeks. Fourteen days. That’s all. Get Tony to trust him, find out the information he needed, kill Tony and then Hydra would pick him up and take him back home on day fourteen.
Tony realized Peter wasn’t going to answer his question so he moved on. “Can you tell me how old you are, Peter?”
Peter didn’t understand. He remembered Tony asking him this question last night.
He held up four fingers. “Eight.”
Tony’s heart broke just a little bit more. This poor child. This poor child who didn’t deserve any of this. He moved a little closer to the boy, feeling a strange sense of wanting to protect him. It was foreign to him, why was he having these feelings for a child.
“You are thirteen years old, Peter.” Tony wanted him to know his story. He needed Peter to know. He deserved to know where he came from and who he was. “Your birthday is August 10th, 2010.” He paused to let that sink in but Peter didn’t seem to care or even know what he was saying. “Do you know what today is?”
Peter blinked at him.
“It’s May 14th, 2023.” Tony explained but it didn’t look like Peter was even realizing what he was saying. He ran his hand through his hair. He wanted to tell Peter about his parents but that might be too much right now.
Peter pulled his feet up onto the couch, pulling the oversized shirt over himself to try and appear small. He didn’t understand what Tony was saying but it made him feel weird, like… sad. But he didn’t know why. He didn’t like to feel sad.
“I-I want to see your lab.” Peter knew he had to make up for lost time. If he couldn’t sneak down himself, maybe Tony would willingly take him down.
Tony didn’t see why that was necessary. “It’s not really for kids, kid.”
“Peter.” Peter pointed at himself and moved closer to Tony, trying to read him. He was pretty good at reading people, knowing what they wanted from him and doing that so he didn’t get in trouble but Tony was hard to read, he almost seemed… angry and sad at the same time.
“I know you’re Peter, how about you do some colouring or something. Would you like that? I have to make a phone call.” Tony couldn’t hold off any longer. He needed to call Pepper and tell her about who he currently had living with him and what he was going to do next.
Peter nodded, not really knowing what else to say. He didn’t want to upset the man.
“Perfect.” Tony didn’t have any crayons or markers but he did have paper and pens. He hoped that worked. He grabbed a pen and a few blank sheets of paper and placed it on the coffee table. “I’ll be right back. Stay here.”
He knew Peter was watching him leave but he didn’t turn around to look at him. He also didn’t know where to go to have a private conversation without the boy listening in. He went upstairs to his bedroom and shut the door, going into his closet and shutting that door, hoping it made a difference.
He was about to call Pepper but his phone rang with a unknown caller. Tony cleared his throat and answered it. “This is Stark.”
“Stark.” Fury greeted. Tony rolled his eyes. “I spoke with my team, we agreed that the boy isn’t safe with you and we want to take him in, figure out what exactly Hydra was doing to him.”
“I already said no.”
“Stark, we need to figure out if he’s a threat, just how powerful he is.”
Tony didn’t care. He wanted to know but with time. It wasn’t fair to send Peter to yet another group of people who wanted to experiment on him. “Why? So you can continue in their place. The kids in my care. And he’s not going anywhere with you.”
“Do you hear yourself, Stark! You can’t take care of a child. It doesn’t matter what Hydra did to him or what he can do, at the end of the day he is still a thirteen year old child who has needs that you can’t supply for him.”
Fury did have a point. Tony wanted to punch him. “And what does General Ross think?”
“I haven’t been able to get in contact with him since last night.”
Figured, Tony thought. He was probably working on his own way to get his hands on the boy.
“Give him a break. He’s been through god only knows what there, I’m not sending him off to be with some strangers.”
Fury was silent for a few moments on the other end. “And you’re not a stranger to him, Stark?”
He had Tony there. “I am. But I rescued him from that place. He’s comfortable right now. Don’t move him around again.”
“You better not be getting attached to this boy, Stark.”
Tony almost choked on his spit. “Trust me. I’m not.”
“Well it sure sounds like you are.”
“I’m not. He’s staying with me until we can find a permanent solution for him that doesn’t involve experimenting and scientists.” Tony didn’t know why those words felt so wrong coming out of his mouth. He was only a temporary solution, of course, but he couldn’t imagine Peter being anywhere else. And how could you not look at the boy and feel bad for him and what he’s been through. You’d have to be cold blooded to feel that way.
“We can’t exactly put him in foster care, Stark.”
“Obviously not.” Tony rolled his eyes.
“So I’m telling you, my team is the permanent solution. I can come today to take him, have my trained team do an assessment on him and go from there.”
Tony hated that idea. “No. I already said no.”
He heard Fury sigh on the other end. “He’s going to bond with you and get attached and then it’ll be extremely difficult to take him away. Think about that, Stark.”
Fury hung up the phone call before Tony could say anything else.
His last words repeated themselves like a mantra in Tony’s mind.
He’s going to get attached.
He’s going to bond with you.
Tony couldn’t picture that happening but he didn’t know why part of him almost wanted it to happen.
What the hell was wrong with him?
He should be finding every way to get the kid out of his house and out of his hands but he wasn’t. For some reason, it was like he wanted the boy to stay with him.
Tony sighed. He had to call Pepper. She didn’t answer the first time so he waited a few minutes and called her again. She didn’t answer again and he left a message. “Hey. It’s me. I Uh, some things are going on here. I um… I’m sorry I’ve been ignoring you. Just… please call me back so we can talk.”
Tony sighed.
He was so exhausted but he needed to go check on the kid now.
As he was making his way down, FRIDAY spoke and Tony was exhausted and just wanted to have at least one hour of peace without people demanding things from him.
“Sir, General Ross and Fury are here and requesting access.”
Tony groaned. Again. They were just here. “Ask them what they want first.”
He walked downstairs and spotted Peter in the living room, hunched over the coffee table. “How’s the drawing going?” He asked, stepping behind the kid to see.
Peter lifted the paper up to show Tony. He pointed at a tiny scribbled figure in the corner. “Peter.”
“Is that you?” Peter nodded. “And what’s that?” He pointed at the big blob of scribbles, having no idea what that could possibly be.
“At Hydra. This,” Peter pointed. “my room.”
“Was that the room I found you in, Peter?”
Peter nodded. “Peter’s room.” He confirmed and looked at Tony for his reaction.
Tony thought that was concerning and it just proved how messed up Peter’s poor mind was. FRIDAY spoke again, causing Peter to flinch.
“They are requesting to speak with Peter in the conference room, sir.”
Tony thought Peter’s reaction was funny but he immediately stopped smiling when he realized right after that he was going to have to let them speak with Peter if he was going to get them off his ass for at least a few days.
“Fine. Let them in. Tell them they’ve got no longer than an hour.” He sighed and kneeled down to be at eye level with the fearful boy. “Pete, so two guys are here to talk to you. They just want to ask you a few questions. If you don’t want to answer though, you don’t have to.”
Peter looked down and nodded. He felt safe with Tony for some reason, maybe because he was supposed to kill the man in two weeks so Peter felt like he had all the power here, even though he knew he didn’t. He was absolutely terrified to kill someone but he had to. It was his first real mission and he couldn’t mess it up.
He was just scared of getting more tests done. “Doctors?”
“No, kid. No doctors.”
“Scientists?”
“No. Not scientists either.”
Peter stood up upon hearing that it wasn’t either of those people.
He followed Tony towards the elevator and they headed downstairs to a few floors below them. Peter mapped out where they were going in his mind, remembering anything he possibly could just in case he needed that information for later.
When the doors opened up, Tony walked out first and Peter trailed behind him, wrapping his arms around himself as a form of self comfort.
He spotted a man with an eye patch and he hid himself behind Tony to try and not be seen. He didn’t know why he was doing that because he knew Tony wouldn’t protect him.
“Stark,” The man greeted. “we’re already set up. We just want to have a talk with the boy.” He peered over Tony’s shoulder. “I’m assuming this is him.”
Tony could tell that Peter felt uncomfortable. “Yep. This is him. Let’s get started then, shall we. The faster we start, the faster we can get this over with.” Tony started walking into one of the rooms, knowing Peter was trailing after him like a duckling.
He pushed open a door with a table in the middle and a chair on either side. “I’m gonna be standing right behind that glass.” Tony pointed to the one way mirror. “Remember, if you don’t want to answer a question, just tell him.”
Peter felt a slight panic at the fact that Tony was leaving but he didn’t know why. He just felt safe around the man, something he’s never felt before with anyone.
“Stay?”
“I will. I’ll be right on the other side of that mirror.” Tony left after that, wanting to get this over with. For Peter’s sake of course.
Peter took a seat and placed his hands on his lap, carefully watching the man in front of him. Peter didn’t recognize him from the pictures. He wasn’t an Avenger.
“My name is director Fury. I’m going to ask you a few questions, Peter. Do you think you can do your best to answer them?” He sat down, opening up a file.
Peter nodded.
“Great. Can you tell me how old you are?”
Peter hated this question. He didn’t ever know what the answer was. He held up nine fingers.
“You’re nine?” Fury asked, confused. Peter nodded. “Are you thirteen?” Peter nodded again. “Okay. Are you five?” Peter, once again nodded so Fury turned to look towards the one way mirror.
“That kid’s mind is screwed up.” Said one of the men from Fury’s team. Anger boiled within Tony at that statement. He turned to look at the man.
“He’s a child.”
“Exactly.” The man shrugged. “That makes it even easier for those freaks at Hydra. Who knows what the fuck they did to him there.”
Tony scuffed. “Show some decency. He’s a fucking child who’s been through hell.”
The man shut up after getting told off by Tony Stark. Tony focused back on the conversation between the two, noticing Peter picking at his bracelets under the table. He was dying to know what those were, trackers? But why were they so big and obvious?
“Can you tell me how you arrived at Hydra?”
Peter stared at him. He didn’t understand. He was born there. “I was always there.”
“So you were born there?”
Peter nodded.
“How do you know that?”
Peter didn’t know. That was just all he remembered. “Yes.” He nodded, hoping that was what Fury wanted from him.
“Okay. Can you tell me what Hydra was working on? They were trying to make you into something? What was it?”
Tony thought it was obvious. Hydra wanted someone who can kill, what better way to do that than to train a child from a young age, melting their minds down to nothing but what Hydra wanted it to be. In this case, a child super soldier.
Ross wiped the sweat off his forehead and let out a grunt of annoyance. “The kid obviously doesn’t know. He’s useless. Just take him back up to your fortress, Stark.”
“You aren’t on one eyed man’s side?” Tony asked, surprised.
“No, Stark. Fury and I don’t have to agree on everything. I think the kid is a waste of time. You can happily be on babysitting duty.”
Tony raised his eyebrows in shock. Wow. He wasn’t expecting that, at least Ross wasn’t fighting to take the kid. But that was strange of him. Ross wasn’t one to not want to have access to an apparent weapon.
“You must really hate children then.”
“That’s not a child. It’s a pest.”
“He’s a human being. Not an it. Acknowledge that at least.”
Ross narrowed his eyes at him. “Fury told me you found a soft spot for the boy.” He told him. “Be careful before he snaps your neck in your sleep, Stark.”
Tony scuffed. He wasn’t afraid of Peter. Sure, he was a mystery but if the kid wanted him dead, he would have already done it surely.
“I don’t have a soft spot for him.” He denied it. “I just have a heart and I’m okay with taking care of him until we find a permanent solution.”
“There is no permanent solution for a child like… this. He’ll never find his place in the world.”
Tony didn’t think that was true. “He’s young. He can still live a normal life. Depending on the help he gets.” Tony looked at Peter. He looked so uncomfortable, like he wanted to step out of his body and be anywhere but here.
Ross scuffed and placed his hand on the door handle. “The kid doesn’t know anything. I want to talk with him.” Before Tony could even say anything, Ross opened up the door to the room Peter was in, standing tall.
Tony didn’t miss the way Peter’s whole body tensed up at the presence of Ross. “Have they met before?”
The other men in the room shrugged in response.
Tony carefully watched the interaction.
Peter sat up straighter, looking like he wasn’t even breathing. His hands moved to the table where he placed them carefully, his eyes not leaving Ross as he switched places with Fury.
The door opened to the room. “Well, that was a waste of time. That kid knows nothing.”
“Or he’s just a good liar. Or should I say actor.” Said one of the men but Tony was barely listening to them.
“No kid is a good liar. Tell me one kid you know who can actually lie.”
Tony toned them out. Peter looked absolutely petrified at Ross. His whole demeanour changed once the man walked into the room. He turned to Fury. “Have they ever met before?”
“No. Why would they have?”
Tony looked back at them. “The kid’s whole body language switched when Ross walked in. It looks like Peter’s terrified of the man. Like… he holds some kind of power over him.”
“Don’t we all?”
Tony couldn’t explain it. He didn’t know Peter very well. He actually didn’t know the kid at all but he could tell that Peter was scared, no, terrified of Ross and Tony had no idea why.
Peter felt his heart speeding up. Why was Ross here. He wasn’t supposed to be here. Did Tony know the plan? Did Tony know that he was sent here to kill him? And if Ross knew Tony, why couldn’t Ross just kill the man himself? Why send him there to do it.
Peter stopped his leg from shaking, getting flashbacks of Ross hurting him, screaming at him, hitting him…
He fought the urge to ask him what he was doing here but he could tell by the warning in the man’s eye that he better keep his mouth shut.
Ross grinned at him. “Peter, you didn’t answer many of Fury’s questions. I’m afraid you haven’t been any help to us yet. Step up your game and give us the answers we need from you.”
Peter nodded. He knew Ross wasn’t really talking about Fury but was talking about Hydra. He hadn’t made any contact with them yet.
With that, he stood up, walked over to Peter and ruffled his hair then left. Peter continued to sit there, looking towards the mirror where he knew Tony was watching him from. He wanted to leave now.
Tony opened the door a few seconds later so Peter stood up and raced to his side. He glanced over at Ross as Tony walked by, stopping to talk to someone so Peter looked down at his feet until he heard Ross’ voice in his ear.
“Little Spider. I’m very disappointed with you. Do I have to send you to the red room when you come back to us? I want information on Stark tonight. Prove to me that you’re actually a useful little pet.”
“…eter. Peter? Hello?”
Peter snapped out of it and looked up at Tony then back at Ross but he was gone.
“Hey. I was saying you did good. Let’s go back to my floor and just relax. Maybe you need to get some more sleep, kid.”
Peter didn’t know how he was supposed to fall asleep after Ross was in his head.