“You have a good pain tolerance. I'll give you that.” Peter grit his teeth and smiled.
“I get off on it,” he replied. The paddle came down with a hard crack against his ass. Fuck! It took everything in Peter’s power not to kick his legs, he sucked in a breath and slowly let it out.
“Sure, you do kid,” Tony said with a sigh. He didn’t like doing this, but the kid had literally asked for it. Peter had come to him in the middle of the night. tony had been up, of course, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t dead tired. Or that this was something he wanted to be doing at two in the morning.
The paddle came down again and Peter flinched, but otherwise remained still. They were well over a hundred smacks by now, Peter’s ass was only a warm pink. Tony wasn’t counting, at least, not anymore. He knew the kid healed quick, and he supposed that had something to do with it, but even Steve would be feeling something at this point. Yet, he hadn’t cried, or asked Tony to stop, and every time Tony asked for a color, as per the safe word agreement, he was green. So, Tony continued.
“No really, last time I got my ass beat like this- or anything close to this for that matter, I was a whining bitching mess.” Three smacks in quick succession made Peter kick his left leg a little but caught it before Tony could say anything to him about it. He was in perfect form. Having only broken position a few times, on some particularly sensitive areas.
“I can take it.” Pietro said, his voice strained, Tony shook his head before sighing. “Keep going,”
“Wanna tell me what this is about yet?” Peter shook his head defiantly. “Didn’t think so. Look kid, we gotta take a break…” Peter nodded, whipping the few stray tears that had leaked from his eyes.
“OK.” He pushed himself to his feet and yanked up his jeans without so much as a flinch, before turned back to Tony. “I’ll go…. Stand in the corner I guess, just tell me when you’re ready.”
“You really don’t have to do all that kid,” Tony tried, but peter waved him off.
“I know, I want to.” Tony sighed again and allowed the kid to go to the corner.
“Friday, set a timer for ten minutes please.”
“I’m, not Alexa,”
“Oh, don’t start,” Tony grumbled, pinching the bridge of his nose, “I brought you into this world….”
“And?” Friday challenged; Tony could hear the humor in her voice.
“And? Just set the damn timer.” There was an audible ding and then silence.
“Timer set.” Silence lapsed for a moment before tony spoke again.
“Thank you, Friday,” Tony pulled out his phone and scrolled through his contacts. Steve was of course near the bottom as ‘star-spangled man with a plan.’ The phone rang twice before Steve answered. He didn’t sound tired in the least, and according to the clock, it was now 4 in the morning.
“Hello?”
“Hey Steve, You busy?” Tony asked, he watched Peter in the corner, his ramrod straight back and slow breathing worried him.
“Not really, I was about to go for a run. Why, is something wrong?”
“Uh,” Peter stood, hands on his head in the corner, almost tauntingly still. “Yeah actually, could you come down to the lab?”
“The lab?”
“Yeah,” The timer went off quietly next to tony making him jump. How long had he been staring at the phone before he made the call? It hadn’t felt like a very long time, but it must have been.
“Did you get stuck again?”
“NO…” Tony sighed, “It’s about Peter…”
“Is he okay?” Steve asked immediately, Peter twitched in the corner, and Tony wondered if he could hear the conversation.
“Not exactly, he’s not in mortal danger, but uh, he’s not to peachy either.”
“Is he hurt?”
“Nothing he didn’t ask for.”
“What?” Steve asked, confusion clear in his voice.
“It’s a long story, if you come down here, I’ll explain it to you.”
“…I’m on my way up.”
“Thank you” Tony hung up the phone and looked at peter. The kid was wearing hello kitty pajama pants, and an oversized ‘welcome to New York’ t-shirt. He’d very obviously came in the middle of the night, most likely after trying, and failing to sleep.
Steve arrived in the lab shortly, about five minutes after the call had ended. Tony only knew this because he’d been watching the clock, worried. He wanted to call Pepper, but knew she’d be murderous if he woke her up.
“So…” Steve began, he motioned towards Peter, and raised his eyebrows.
“I need you to help me.”
“Ima need a bit more information than that Tony.” Steve said, he leaned against the closest lab bench, and waited.
“The kid, I don’t know, something’s wrong. He came to me to get spanked- don’t look at me like that Steve,” Steve raised his arms in mock surrender and motioned for Tony to continue. “and I’m not- it isn’t effective.”
“And what do you want me to do?”
Tony shrugged his arms and waved at Peter for a moment before making a noncommittal noise in the back of his throat. “You’re strong…”
“Yes, I am.” Steve agreed. He waited patiently for Tony to continue.
“I am…. Not as strong… as you, you know, super soldier and all…”
“What are you getting at tony?”
“Peter come’ere a moment will you?” Peter walked over toward them, not even dragging his feet as he did. It was almost as if he hadn’t spent the last hour or so getting his ass beat by the man of iron. Tony bristled.
“you want me to spank you?” Steve asked, Peter winced.
“Don’t…. say it like that.”
“But you want me to spank you,” Steve asked again, arms crossed over his chest. Peter hung his head and shrugged his shoulders.
“I feel bad. I want it to go away, I know that when I mess up, sometimes, I get…. Punished, and then it feels better. So… I guess. I don’t care who does it as long as it works.” Steve furrowed his brow.
“And who usually spanks you? Tony?”
“Yeah…”
“And this time?” Peter shrugged again, avoiding Steve’s gaze. He was familiar with the star-spangled lecture because of detention, but it was something entirely different to have it happen in person.
“it’s just…. Not enough...”
“Kid you need therapy,” Steve said, “But I’ll do it.” Steve’s face had turned slightly pink. “But we do it my way, alright? I’m old fashioned.”
“What does that mean? ‘old fashioned’ sounds like something from a frickin’ porno.” Tony said as he shoved blueberries in his face. Steve’s already pink face turned pinker as he turned around and glared at Tony. “Right, not helping, got it.”
Steve dug around in his pocket and produced a pocket knife, he handed it to a confused Peter. It was a few seconds before it clicked in his head.
“What’s this for?”
“For you to cut a switch.” Steve said simply, Tony choked on his food, and Peter nodded, determined.
“You’re going to switch the poor kid?” he asked as Peter marched from the room towards the elevator. Steve shrugged.
“Honestly, I thought he was going to back out.”
“Obviously fucking not Steve! Now you have to switch him. Oh my god, you’re going to switch my kid…”
“He’ll back out,” Steve said confidently, “after the first few swings, no one lasts long.”
“not even you?”
“Especially not me! The last time I got striped I was howling like an idiot dancing like a monkey and begging for it to stop.”
“yeah and when was that?” Steve turned a darker shade of pink.
“Shortly after Bucky regained his memories.”
“Kinky.”
“not like that!”
“Then what was it like?” Steve opened his mouth to respond, but he was interrupted by Peter walking back into the room, holding a pocketknife in one hand and a long thick switch in the other. Visibly paler than he had been when he left, Peter handed the switch to Steve.
Steve bent the switch in his hand before bringing it down on his own thigh, about half strength. A hiss escaped his mouth as he immediately went to run the sting out. He knew it would be gone in a few minutes, but that didn’t diminish the immediate pain it held.
“Are you ready for this?” Tony asked, not so confident that Peter would back out. Peter nodded gravely. Tony shot Steve a look of what now asshole. Steve ignored him and motioned towards one of the lab benches.
“Lean over this and grab the other side. Stay in position.” There was a pause and Peter’s brain caught up with the rest of him, before flopping himself gracefully over the lab table.
“This is going to hurt,” Tony called, “Like a lot!”
“I’m pretty sure that that’s the idea Mr. Stark.” Peter mumbled. He reached over and grabbed the other end of the table securing himself into place. “oh wait,” He stood back up before yanking down his pants and underwear, effectively barring himself from the waist down.
What now STEVE? Tony’s mind screamed, Steve looked over his shoulder at Tony and shrugged, unfazed. Steve brought the switch down with stinging accuracy, hitting the centre of Peter’s ass, immediately drawing a shout from the teen over the table.
“You good Peter?”
“Mother trucker dude” Peter laughed, releasing the desk to place one hand over his eyes, “That hurt like a butt cheek on a stick.” Steve frowned, and lightly tapped Peter with the switch.
“Back in position.” He ordered.
“Yes sir,” Peter said with whimsy before grabbing the other side of the desk again. Slightly deterred, Steve brough the switch down harder, gaining another yelp out of Peter.
“OW!”
Steve nodded and continued. After this steve spanked in silence, the only noise being Peter’s yelping. This continued for a few moments before Peter released the dest and bent his knees mid swing, causing the switch to come down on his back. He rolled his shoulders like it was nothing and reached back to cup his ass.
“Are you alright?”
“M’fine” he mumbled, pressing his face into the crook of his arm, “s’just painful.”
“That’s the idea,” Tony said sarcastically, Peter whined for a moment before getting back into position.
“I’m ready for you to start again.”
“Let me look at your back first.” Peter shrugged and stood. He pulled his shirt over his head and turned around, revealing a long red mark spanning across his back.
“Shit kid.” Steve reached out and lightly ghosted the mark with his fingers. “Shouldna warned me,” Peter rolled his shoulders again.
“It’s fine.” he said, “I’m fine, this is fine,” he smiled and put himself back over the bench. “Ready when you are.” Steve put his hand in the middle of Peter’s back, as if to hold him down. And swung, almost as hard as he could. Almost.
“AH FUCK!” Peter shouted, the switch broke skin in a thin line crossing several other strokes.
“Do you have to swing so hard?” Tony mumbled, his hands covering his ears.
“Better to get it over faster,” Steve said simply as he swung again. It took six strikes before Peter flung his hand back, hot tears rushing down his face. Steve, ready for it, snatched it up and pinned it to the small of his back. “Are we done here?” he asked, Peter nodded quietly. Steve released him, allowing Peter to slowly get up. Steve parked his ass on the Bench before pulling Peter into his lap, letting his abused cheeks hang between his legs.
“I feel like a monster,” Peter whimpered, his face pressed into Steve’s shirt. “or a bad person,”
“You aren’t a bad person Peter, you’re literally the best kid I know,”
“I can’t lift Thor’s hammer like you can.” Steve scoffed and lightly smacked Peter's ass and was met with a squawk of pain. “Well I can’t!”
“So, you’re a bad person because you’re not worthy?”
“No,” He mumbled, pushing his face into Steve’s pec, it was as if Steve had opened a floodgate of tears that streamed down Peter’s face, his body racking with sobs.
“Hey, kid, it’s ok, whatever it is, it’s ok, we can deal with it, don’t worry, don’t cry kid,” Steve soothed, Tony stood to the side watching sadly.
“tell us what happened Peter,” Tony said quietly, Peter sobbed harder and clenched his fists into Steve’s shirt.
“He’s dead.”
“Who’s dead Peter?” Tony pried, Steve rubbed Peter’s back soothingly, running his hand up and down his spine.
“Uncle ben,” He cried, “He’s dead and I can’t find the guy that did it, it’s all my fault.” Tony and Steve shared a look. Tony knew that Peter’s uncle was dead, but peter had never told him the details of the encounter. A burglary gone wrong.
“Peter it isn’t your job to find him, it’s the police’s job…” Tony began, but Steve shot him a look.
“Have you been looking this whole time?” Steve asked, he pulled the crying kid away from his chest, and stared Peter in the eye. “Peter, it happened a year ago didn’t it? have you been looking this whole year?”
“You looked for your friend for longer, I thought… I thought I could bring justice to him, for uncle ben you know…” Fresh tears rolled down Peter’s cheeks. “But I can’t find him, the police aren’t looking anymore, he died for nothing.”
“Oh Peter,” Steve said, he pulled peter close to his chest and gave him a hug.
“Why didn’t you ask any of us for help?” Tony asked, the sun began to stream in through the windows, bathing the lab in lukewarm light, like an angelic glow.
“didn’t think you’d help me….”
Tony opened his mouth to say otherwise, but quickly closed it, knowing peter had come to him for help before, and he’d been turned away.
“How can we help you Peter?” Steve asked, ever the problem solver.
“I don’t know.” Steve patted the kid's back.
"We can't do much," He said, "but we can listen."