You stole my love
The thing Peter missed the most was his pillow. Strangely enough. It wasn’t too puffy or too hard, it was perfect. It smelt like his dad no matter how many times it was washed but Peter loved that. It was the only thing to actually help put him to sleep back home.
The pillows at the house with Steve and Bucky were too hard.
They made his neck bend at an awkward angle, gaining a kink in his neck so Peter slept without a pillow.
He didn’t know how many nights he was there for, it felt like 100 nights but he was pretty sure it was only ten nights, maybe eleven. He didn’t know.
Peter was staring at the bedroom wall, steadily sucking on his thumb and waiting for someone to walk into the bedroom to wake him up. He knew Steve wanted him to wake up by himself and run into his arms for a morning cuddle like he always did when he was younger but Peter refused to do that now.
He didn’t even do that with his actual dad. He was fourteen, not ten.
It was also the reason why Steve let him sleep for so long.
Peter heard the door open so he quickly shut his eyes, pretending to be asleep and hoped it paid off. He really didn’t want to talk or do anything but lie in bed all day.
A hand was being placed on his back, causing Peter to violently flinch. His eyes snapped open, turning to look at the man. “Mmm?”
Steve smiled at him. “Good morning, bear. Did you have a nice sleep?”
Peter flopped back down. “Mmhm. Mm?”
“That’s good. Go pee then come join us for breakfast.” He pulled the blankets off the bed, causing Peter to curl into a ball at the cold. There didn’t seem to be any heat in the small house, or it wasn’t strong enough for him to feel it.
Peter watched Steve leave. He slid out of bed, bracing his feet to touch the cold floor then he walked into the bathroom and sat on the toilet. He missed his family so much that it brought him pains in his chest.
The ache to be at home right now made him feel like he was either going to vomit or die.
He did neither and went to be with Steve and Bucky but it felt the same to him.
“Come sit. We want to talk to you.”
Steve patted the seat next to him so Peter took a seat, sitting up on his knees. The food smelt good and it made his mouth water, Steve was always a good cook but Peter didn’t trust what went in his food anymore.
“In a few days, we’re going to be getting on a plane to start our lives somewhere else.” Steve began, Peter looked over at him with wide eyes. Steve ignored it. “We’re gonna have to keep low for the first year. Like we did last time. Just so I can keep my bear safe.” Steve reached over to pinch his cheek but Peter moved away.
“Don’t.” Steve warned him. He tapped on his arm. “Take your thumb out of your mouth so you can eat.”
Peter yanked his mouth out of his mouth. He had no idea he was still even sucking on it and that scared him. It came so naturally to him now.
He hated that. He hated everything about this.
He had no idea how he was going to get out this time.
Maybe he wouldn’t.
Even if he did, what happens to him next?
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Tony couldn’t sleep. He couldn’t eat. He couldn’t breathe without Peter.
He was positive that they were going to find him and bring him home but they didn’t find him. Tony’s biggest fear came true when he walked through those doors without Peter safety in his arms.
That was three days ago.
Tony knew that every second counted but he was beyond terrified that he wasn’t going to get Peter back like the first time. He simply could not go seven more years without his child.
He just couldn’t. He couldn’t live without Peter. He wouldn’t.
Natasha walked into their house and made her way into the dining room where Tony was standing there and staring at the painted picture of himself and Peter that he painted onto the wall all those years ago.
Tony was glad he didn’t paint over it to cover it up since it was the only thing holding him together right now. He didn’t even turn to look at Natasha when she walked in.
“We got a lead. It’s small. It might be nothing.” Natasha explained to him. Tony looked away from the picture on the wall and shut his eyes.
“Did Owen go alone?” He asked. Owen never stopped. He was a machine and wasn’t going to stop until he brought Peter home. Tony was grateful for the man and for Natasha but he was scared that they were able to leave the country before he had the airports shut down.
“Yeah.” She simply said.
There were footsteps behind them so they both turned around and saw Morgan staring up at Natasha with permanent red, puffy eyes. “Natasha? When will Petey come back home to us?”
Tony walked away from the situation. For the past three days, Morgan had been asking him when Peter was going to come home but he couldn’t give her an answer. He was wondering the same thing.
Harley completely locked himself in his bedroom and Pepper spent everyday and every night in Peter’s bed.
Tony walked up the stairs to go join her.
He pushed open the door and took a seat on the edge of the bed, looking at the mess in Peter’s room. Peter was the last person to touch everything and make the mess so no one dared to ruin it.
“Pepper?” Tony asked. Her back was to him so he wasn’t sure if she was awake or not.
She turned to face him, holding Peter’s blanket and teddy bear in her arms. “These don’t even smell like him anymore. They just smell like me now.”
Tony scanned the room. He tried to picture just a few days ago when he sat in the same spot and watched Peter play with his legos that he never seemed to grow out of. Now, he was gone.
He laid down on the bed, mindful of the bed rail that they still had up for Peter. He used to spend every night in this same spot as he waited for Peter to fall asleep.
Tony sighed and closed his eyes. When he opened them, he turned over and tried to picture Peter’s giggling face looking at him with the most beautiful smile that Tony had ever seen plastered across Peter’s face.
He was pulled from his memory by Natasha slamming the door open and rushing into the room, holding up her phone.
“Tony. We gotta go. Owen thinks he found them. He thinks he found Peter up in Finger Lakes. We gotta go now.”
Tony was sitting up in Peter’s bed and rushing out of the room in no time. He didn’t even realize Pepper was calling after him. He had no time to waste.
Finger Lakes was far.
They were there the day Peter was kidnapped but eventually left after they couldn’t find any leads.
Now, they were heading up there again and Tony prayed so badly that they weren’t driving home without Peter again.
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Peter felt like he was having an out of body experience.
He had been feeling that way for… he didn’t know how long. It wasn’t like he was allowed to leave the small house, besides going into the backyard for a few minutes a day with Steve or Bucky by his side.
Peter tried to keep track of how many days it’s been by counting the nights he slept but it was all jumbled up in his mind since he was forced down for naps once a day. No matter how hard he tried to stay awake for them, he always fell asleep.
He didn’t particularly like the bottles at first, he knew Steve was only giving it to him so he could drink it while lying down. Peter knew now that the bottles were drugged. He didn’t know that before but he knew it now.
Even knowing that, he got excited every time Steve walked in the room with his bottle because he knew he was going to sleep and when he slept, he dreamed of his family so he happily accepted the bottle.
Now, Peter was waiting for Steve to usher him into the bedroom so he could sleep because he was so tired and he just wanted to forget everything for a little bit.
He didn’t know if his family was still looking for him or if they were still even alive.
It was his fault if they were dead and if they were dead, Peter wanted to die too, at least he could be with them then. He used to try not to think of dying since it scared him but now, it brought him some peace to have the chance to see his mom again and have his dad hold him tucked away safely in his arms.
Steve walked into the living room and held his hand out for Peter, shaking the milk filled bottle in the other hand. “Come, baby bear. It’s nap time.”
Peter stood up and held his hand out for Steve, waiting for him to make the next move but there was the distant sound of a car pulling up to the front of the house. Steve froze and looked over at Bucky.
There was a loud bang which had Peter flinching. He whipped his head around to the front door at the same time as someone knocked loudly and desperately on the other end.
No one dared to move. Steve covered a hand over Peter’s mouth so he didn’t make a noise which caused Peter to whimper loudly and try to pry Steve’s hand away from himself. “Mmm!”
“Shh.” Bucky pointed a finger at them. He then carefully moved towards the window and peeled back the curtains to get a look and immediately turned to look at Steve. “It’s them. They’re here.”
Before Peter even had the chance to do anything, Steve was picking him up and grabbing a small red bag off the kitchen table.
“What’s happening?” Peter asked Steve once his mouth was no longer being covered. He tried to look towards the door and was able to see Bucky hold up a gun but Steve was lying him on the ground. “Wait. What’re you doin’?”
Steve shushed him and opened up the red bag with shaky hands. As soon as Peter saw the syringe, he turned onto his hands and knees to get away but Steve was grabbing him again.
“It’ll only hurt for a little bit and then you’ll go to sleep and we’ll be together.” Steve pressed a kiss to Peter’s forehead, pinning him down with one hand on his chest.
Peter shook his head, feeling tears fall out of his eyes and soaking his hair by his ears. “No. No! I don’t want to sleep. Don’t!”
He heard a huge bang and a shatter of something so Peter turned his head, light immediately assaulted his eyes from the front door being kicked off its hinges and a man wearing all black walking into the house with his gun aimed.
“Detective Owen. Let go of him and show me your hands, Rogers. Right now! Show me your fucking hands!” The man yelled so Peter tried to get away from Steve again but Steve was holding him tighter.
Peter looked up and made eye contact with the man who he hoped was here to rescue him but it wasn’t for long because Bucky was hitting the man on the back of the head with a gun.
The man was quick to recover and throw a punch back at Bucky but Peter felt a pinch in his arm and then a sharp pain ran through his body, causing Peter to tense up and clenched his jaw shut.
It felt like his body was on fire but he couldn’t scream or move.
He didn’t know how long he felt that way for then everything was going numb. His vision went blurry and he could no longer hold his head up then everything went dark.
Steve looked down at Peter and grabbed another syringe to inject it onto his arm now but he got up after watching Bucky get shot in the shoulder.
He stood in front of the man and went to aim a punch at his face but Owen blocked it and grabbed Steve’s arm, pinning it behind his back.
Owen threw the man to the ground and went to aim his gun at him but he noticed that Barnes was gone with a trail of blood leading down the hallway. He didn’t have time to follow it since Peter currently needed help.
Owen ran towards Peter, kneeling beside the small boy. He checked for a pulse.
Police were filling the room with their guns raised. “Please tell me an ambulance is here. His pulse is weak.”
Outside, Tony was opening up the car door before it came to a sudden stop.
The location they got seemed to be off the grid and it was. Tony thought they had a fake lead once again but sitting in the driveway of one of the houses was a black pickup truck.
He heard a gunshot go off and jumped.
Peter.
Tony went to go run inside the house but a police officer was preventing him. “Sir, we have to clear the house first-”
“My sons in that house!” Tony didn’t care. He would punch the cop in the face if he had to. Peter was in there and was waiting for him.
He went to take another step towards the house but he froze when he saw it.
Owen was carrying Peter out in his arms but Peter wasn’t moving. His neck was bent back, rolling against the man’s shoulder and his arms and legs were hanging loosely at his sides.
It didn’t even look like he was sleeping. Peter looked… dead.
Tony felt sick.
He didn’t waste any more time and immediately ran to Peter’s side and cupped his cheek but he was cold. “Oh god. Peter. I’m here, Peter. I’m right here. Wake up for me.”
Paramedics surrounded them and tried to pry Peter’s lifeless body from Owens arms. “Rogers injected something in his arm. I don’t know what it was.”
Tony grabbed onto Peter’s limp hand, wanting so badly to feel Peter squeeze his back but there was none of that.
They placed Peter onto a gurnee and quickly got him into the ambulance so Tony hopped in after his kid. “What’s wrong with him? Why isn’t he waking up?!”
One of the paramedics opened Peter’s eyelids and shined a light. “Fixed. Both are fixed. Put him on 02 oxygen and let’s get him to the hospital immediately.”
Tony didn’t want to let go of Peter’s hand. He scanned his kids body that looked so immensely small. It had only been four days without Peter but it had felt like a lifetime in hell and now he was looking at his child, at Peter, who wasn’t moving. Who didn’t even look alive.
They cut his shirt off and attached a bunch of monitors onto his chest and stomach then there was a beeping coming from a monitor screen above Peter’s head.
Tony tried to focus on that. He squeezed Peter’s hand and focused on his heartbeat. “Stay alive, baby. I’m here. Daddy’s here, baby.”
As soon as those words left his mouth, Peter’s hand slipped out of his and he started seizing. His body went tense and curled up before he was shaking uncontrollably.
Tony was pushed out of the way as the two paramedics worked on his son. “We need an ETA?!”
“Five minutes out!” The driver yelled back and Tony felt the truck move faster.
“Seizing stopped. Two minutes, twelve seconds. Roll him onto his back.”
Tony was scared to touch Peter. He was scared to even talk but then there was foam coming out of Peter’s mouth and Tony all but lost it. “Peter. Peter. What’s happening to him?! Why’s he doing this?!”
“He was injected with a substance and his body is trying to fight it.” Someone explained to him but Tony could barely focus on anything but Peter right now. “We are doing everything we can but we need to get him to the hospital.”
Tony didn’t know how long it was before they were pulling up and the back doors were being opened. A bunch of doctors were already waiting for them to arrive so they surrounded Peter as soon as they got there.
“Fourteen year old male. Kidnapped victim, there seems to be no other physical injuries but he was injected with an unknown substance seventeen minutes ago. Started seizing on the way over for two minutes, twelve seconds. Dilation fixed.” The paramedic who was trying to explain everything to Tony before, said to the doctors but then Peter was tensing up and started seizing again.
“Okay! Let’s get him in. Page Paediatrics and Neuro!” A doctor demanded, barely looking down at Peter and running along the gurnee with a handful of other doctors.
Tony followed them in the hospital and into an emergency room. “Tell me he’s gonna be okay. I can’t lose him again, just-”
“Sir, we are going to do everything we can to save him but you need to leave so we can do our jobs.” The same doctor who took command before said to him but Tony couldn’t leave. He couldn’t leave Peter. Not again. Never again.
“No! That’s my kid! That’s my kid! Please.”
A doctor ran past him and into the room. “Talk to me. What do we got?”
“Fourteen year old kidnapped victim. He seized once in the ambulance and once just now. His body is trying to fight off a substance that was injected into him but we need to figure out what it is before his body shuts down. Check dilation in pupils.”
“Fixed still. I want his lab results back in the next five minutes!”
“Let’s start him on fluids and get activated charcoal into his system. Quickly people, we only have minutes before long term effects start!”
“I want one dose of Naloxone and check pupils again.”
Tony watched on. He felt like he wasn’t breathing but maybe because he wasn’t actually breathing.
One of the doctors shined another light into Peter’s eyes and nodded, Tony saw relief wash over her. “Light reactant.”
He let out a huge sigh and bent forward. This was good news but it didn’t mean Peter was out of the woods just yet.
They were taking Peter out of the room and Tony wasn’t allowed to go with him so he watched them wheel Peter away and threw up into the first garbage can that he saw.
Peter was okay. Peter was alive. That’s what he tried to tell himself over and over again but Peter wasn’t okay. He wasn’t even awake so Tony didn’t know if he was going to… he pushed down those thoughts immediately and pulled his phone out of his pocket to call Pepper and tell her to come to the hospital immediately.
She picked up on the third ring. “Tony? Tony?”
Tony leaned against the nearest wall and sank to the floor. “Pepper. We found him. Peter, he's…. he’s at the hospital right now and they took him away from me so-”
Pepper cut him off with a sob. “Oh my god. Oh my god. I’m coming. We’re coming right now. Send me the location. Is he okay? Oh god. My baby. My baby.”
“He’s… Rogers did something to him. I-I don’t know what he did but Peter had two seizures and he didn’t wake up and I can’t…” Tony pushed himself off the floor and found the garbage can again to throw up what little food he had left in his stomach into it.
He wiped at his mouth and looked around the waiting room that he somehow managed to find in his dazed state. He wanted to see Peter. He needed to see Peter.
“Tony. We’re coming right now. We’re gonna be there soon.”
Tony nodded even though Pepper couldn’t see him. He needed to see his kid.
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It was a painful amount of time later.
Tony saw the doctors walking towards him so he got out of the waiting room chair and crossed the distance between the two. “Is he okay? Is my kid okay?”
The doctor gave Tony a warm smile and placed a heavy hand on his shoulder. “Peter is awake and is asking for you.”
Tony leaned forward and sucked in a shaky breath of air. “Oh thank god. Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you.”
“Of course. My name is Dr. Patterson and I’ll take you to see Peter right now.” The doctor let go of Tony and started walking down a long hallway.
Tony couldn’t imagine, he didn’t want to imagine if the doctor came out and told him any other news. He would drop dead right there on the spot and wouldn’t even want to be resuscitated because that meant he would get to be with Peter.
But that wasn’t the case. Peter was alive and okay and he was going to see him now.
“The police are here. They want to ask Peter a few questions but I told them they had to wait.”
Tony nodded. “They can wait. His mom and siblings will be here soon.” He wanted to ask about Steve and Bucky but that wasn’t important to him right now. Right now, Peter needed him.
“Of course.” The doctor continued. “Peter was given a dosage of temazepam. It was an overdose but it was already running in his system before so he will be a bit confused and a little groggy for a few hours. Possibly days. He will also be sleeping a lot as his body is still trying to get it out of his system.”
Tony tried to take in every word the doctor was telling him but all he could think about was the fact that those… monsters had drugged his kid. His fourteen year old child.
Not only did they kidnap him, they drugged him too. More than once according to the high amount that was in his system.
“Is-does he… is everything else okay?” Tony could barely get the question out. He knew Steve and Bucky wouldn’t hurt Peter by abusing him or assaulting him but he had no idea what their intentions were with Peter.
“Besides for the drugs in his system, he is fine. His doctor, Dr. Karev, is an amazing doctor and is with him right now if you have any further questions.” The doctor pushed open a door and smiled. “Go see your son, Mr. Stark.”
Tony couldn’t move fast enough.
He walked into the hospital room, eyes immediately landing on Peter sitting up in bed and he couldn’t hold it in anymore. He released a sob and held his arms out for Peter.
“Oh Peter. Baby, I’m here, Peter. I’m here. I’m here.”
As soon as Peter saw him, he lifted his own arms up and made desperate grabby hands for his father. His real father who he had been crying for and aching for since he was stolen away from his family.
Peter tried to talk but he wasn’t able to form any words at the moment. He just wanted to be held by his dad.
Tony sat on the edge of the hospital bed and lifted Peter up so he could hold him in his arms, never wanting to let him go again. He took a sniff of his hair and even through the strong hospital scent, he could still smell Peter.
“Oh, baby. I love you so much. You’re okay now. I got you. I got you, baby.” Tony said against Peter’s ear, wanting to hold him as close as possible.
Peter pulled back and forced his eyes on him, lifting his hands up to cup Tony’s face and his eyes scanned wildly over him. He whimpered and nodded. “Daddy. Daddy. Daddy, I-I-I- missed you. I-I missed y-you so much.”
Tony nodded. “I missed you too. Oh god, I missed you, baby boy. I love you so much. You’re okay. You’re okay now.”
“He’s a strong kid.”
Tony turned to look at the doctor that must have been watching them this whole time but it was the first time Tony was noticing him. “Yeah. Yeah, he is.”
“I told him he had to lay down and rest but he wanted to sit up and wait to see you first.” Dr. Karev told Tony, which had the father smiling.
Tony knew Peter and he knew how stubborn he was when it came to sleeping but in this moment, he was glad that Peter chose to stay up and wait for him.
Tony waited for him for far too long. He kissed the top of his head, letting his fingers run through his greasy curls. “How are you feeling, Petey? Are you in any pain?”
Peter shook his head and made a whining noise, wanting Tony to hold him closer. Peter whimpered when he did. “I… I thought I killed you. And-and it was my fault. I’m…” Peter’s eyes went wide as he looked around his hospital room. “Where’s mom? And Morgan and Harley?”
Tony pressed a kiss to the side of his face, trying to calm him down. “They’re okay. They’re on their way right now.”
He didn’t know what Peter meant about what he just said. Peter thought he killed him? What did that mean?
Peter sighed and whimpered again, grasping tightly onto Tony. He let out a few cries and kicked his legs out, obviously really uncomfortable. “What’s wrong? Are you in pain, Peter?”
The doctor from before appeared at Peter’s side and checked a few buttons on the monitor. “We’re trying not to give him too many drugs otherwise it’ll be too much in his system so he’s a bit delirious and uncomfortable right now.”
Tony nodded in understanding and tried to pull Peter so he was more comfortable. He stayed that way for about a minute before he was crying a bit again and trying to move around. “It’s okay. You’re okay. Tell me what’s wrong.”
Peter rubbed at his eyes, his face scrunched. Tony felt so helpless.
“You’re here. I thought-I thought…” Peter rubbed at his eyes again and tried to sit up fully. Tony was getting really concerned now. “Dad.” Peter whimpered.
“I’m here, baby. Tell me what you want.”
Peter grabbed at his shirt desperately. “I want you.”
“You got me. I’m right here. I’m here, Peter.” Tony tried to force Peter to look at him but he barely made eye contact with him. Tony wondered what went on in the four days that Peter was gone. He was terrified to know.
Peter gave a tiny nod, seeming to understand now that Tony was there. He let his dad pull him into his arms and lay him back on the bed. Tony watched as Peter brought his thumb up to his mouth and started sucking on it and he felt like all the life drained from his body once again.
He didn’t bother taking it out, knowing Peter wouldn’t let him and needed his thumb to help calm him down.
Tony wanted to cry. They had worked so hard to get Peter to stop sucking his thumb. So so hard and it took years and now all of their progress was ruined in four days.
He held Peter closer to himself and shut his eyes, breathing in Peter’s scent and trying to forget about everything else but the fact that he got Peter back.
Peter was asleep in only seconds after that.
Peter was safe now. He was home in Tony’s arms.