You can trust now, Peter darling

26

Peter kept his promise and met with his father the next day, straight after school again. But this time, they weren't at the cafe. They were just walking around the streets, and there weren't many people around.

"I know it must suck that I have another dad now. And I'm sorry about that. But I'm not gonna apologize for loving him like I loved you." Peter said to Richard. He was silent so Peter continued.

"He's helped me...a lot. He's been there for me, helped me feel safe again, after the whole HYDRA thing. So if anything, you should be grateful for him. He rescued me. He saved me." Peter said, slightly wincing at how rude that might've sounded.

"I understand, Pete. And I do want to thank him when I see him tomorrow. Although, I'm confused. He rescued you? I thought the Avengers rescued you?"

It was then that Peter remembered that he hadn't told his father that he was adopted by Tony Stark.

"Yeah, so- um- there's something I haven't told you." Peter said, coming to a halt and causing Richard to stop walking too.

"The man who adopted me is...Tony Stark. He took me in after rescuing me from HYDRA and about one month later, he adopted me." Peter explained. Richard stared at the boy before releasing a deep breath and cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Wow, okay." He muttered and coughed again. "As much as I...dislike that man, I'm just happy that you're with someone who can protect you."

Peter smiled, pleased with his father's reaction and they started walking again.

"Thank you." The boy said.

"No worries. And besides, he'll be lot of help with the whole HYDRA situation. Especially because you have that Winter Soldier chap. I bet he knew a lot about the Vex soldiers." Richard said. Peter froze and immediately stopped walking.

His heart started racing and his breath was caught in his throat. Richard sensed Peter was no longer next to him and stopped walking also, but stayed facing the other way.

The man sighed and turned his head slightly.

"You never told me about the Vex soldiers, did you?"

"No."

Richard finally turned around and faced Peter.

"Well, there's no use in pretending anymore." He sighed and took a step towards Peter. The boy wanted to take a step back but it was like he was stuck to the spot.

"Wha- I-I'm confused." Peter choked out.

"Oh, come on, Pete. You're supposed to be a genius. Can't you figure this one out?"

Peter thought back to every memory he's ever had with his father, including the ones in the past week. And suddenly, everything clicked together, making Peter feel like he's been stabbed in the heart.

The shady man he made a deal with for Oscorp. He was from HYDRA. The deal was to do with Peter. His own father practically sent him straight to that awful place.

"You...you gave me to HYDRA...?" Peter said, not wanting to believe it.

"Ding, ding, ding!" Richard said with a psychotic smile. "I'm sure you have a lot of questions. So let's start from the beginning."

Peter finally understood why he his spider senses went off whenever he was around that man, and they were screaming at him right now. But he needed to know everything.

"8 years ago, a man called Anton approached me at Oscorp." The name 'Anton' struck a nerve in Peter, and Richard noticed. "You know him, don't you? He was the man who was behind all that torture you went through."

Peter's eyes swarmed with tears. But he couldn't open his mouth to say anything. He just couldn't.

"You know how much money he offered me to make sure you got bitten by one of those freaky spiders? 10 million dollars! Who could say no to that?" Richard said with a menacing laugh. Peter finally started to back away slowly, the tears in his eyes falling down his face.

"N-No." He stuttered out.

"I know all about your special little powers, because I orchestrated the whole thing, Peter." Richard said as he stepped towards the boy again. "Or should I say, Spiderman?"

Peter almost chocked on air. He was Spiderman 4 years ago, which could only mean that Richard had been following him his whole life.

"And of course, I couldn't have you suspecting it was me behind all of it. So before you even got bit by that spider, I faked my death. Some people from HYDRA helped me with the plan, they gave me a parachute and saved me from the water not long after the crash. They helped me change my identity and gave me a place to live that was under the radar. They kept my updated on your capture, it sure took a long time though. Did it really take 3 years to get you bitten? And then an additional year to even get you kidnapped?"

Peter couldn't breathe. He didn't know what to think, all he knew was that he had to get out of there. He felt like he had been stabbed 6 times in the heart. By the time Richard had finished the story, the boy was practically choking on his tears.

"You- you killed...you killed my mother." Peter eventually got out. It was one thing that Richard planned the spider bite. It was another thing that he made a deal with HYDRA to have Peter kidnapped and tortured. But what upset the boy the most, was that he murdered the woman that raised him.

"It wasn't an easy decision, but it was one that had to be made." Richard sighed.

"Did you...did you kill Ben too?" Peter asked, afraid of the answer.

"Nope, that was just a lucky coincidence. May too, but she kicked the bucket when you were already taken." He said, causing Peter to see red.

"I wanted us to grow closer before you found all of this out, but I guess the plan will work anyway."

"What?"

"You escaped, Peter. That wasn't supposed to happen. And you know who they're blaming? Me." Richard said and stalked towards Peter again.

"They're still...they're still out there?" Peter said in a cracked voice.

"Some of them. You're new Avenger family killed most of them." Richard spat. "Anton can easily be broken out of jail. But the point is, you're going back. Otherwise they'll have my head on a stick." Richard said as he grabbed Peter's arm.

"No!" Peter screamed and threw a punch at the man's face. He stumbled back and spat blood out of his mouth. Before Peter knew it, he was sprinting away from the man, as fast as he could. He webbed himself onto buildings, not caring if anyone saw him.

He ran and ran and ran into he couldn't breathe and his feet were blistering.

He ran until he was back home.