Sing to the Sky {31 Days Of Peter Parker Whump}

15-Manhandling

"What do you want?" Tony demands, keeping a careful eye on the man's finger on the trigger. The safety's still on so Tony counts that as a very small win.

"I want money. I want blueprints. I want suits. I want plans. But most of all," the man drawls, "I want to see the great Tony Stark, Iron Man, the hero everyone looks up to, grovelling on his knees. I want to see you get down and beg for your child's life."

It's the worst noise he's ever heard, Tony's decided. Listening to the safety being clicked off the gun. The gun pressed to his kid's head. 

A sob escapes Peter's throat and his big eyes snap open, meeting Tony's easily.

"You're going to be okay, baby. You hear me? It's okay. Keep your eyes closed, okay? Pretend it's all just a bad dream, Bambi," Tony reassures, heart thumping against his chest.

Peter nods quickly, squeezing his eyes shut again, soft whines leaving his lips every now and again as he tries to keep himself quiet and still.

Tony lifts his eyes back to the man who's glaring at him, finger hovering over the trigger.

"On your knees," the man commands, almost nonchalantly gesturing to the floor.

And Tony doesn't hesitate, dropping to the floor and staring up at the man, almost like challenging. 

"Let the kid go," Tony snarls. "He's six. He's a kid. Leave him out of this. Please. Just let him go."

"You sound too angry to be begging. Do we need to try a little harder?" the man says as though he's talking to a toddler about toys. "Jared, give the kid a good hit."

"Don't fucking touch him!" Tony roars, but he's not going to put his kid in any more danger. If he moves, the man might shoot, and Tony can't risk that, even when a bigger man steps up to the task.

The punch lands on Peter's tummy and Peter immediately tries to hunch over, but the arms don't allow him to. His little body falls limp, eyes opening again and meeting Tony's.

"Daddy," Peter wails, a waterfall of tears now flooding down his rosy cheeks. "Daddy, I'm scared. Please."

"I know you are, sweetheart. I know. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Everything's going to be okay, I promise. I'm so sorry, baby."

The elevators ding as they open, revealing Steve Rogers. He's in uniform, shield strapped to his back, hands up in surrender. 

"Steve," Tony practically sobs, knowing if anyone can help his child, it's Steve.

Steve spares a glance to Tony, a reassuring look in his eyes, before focusing his full attention to the Hydra men.

"Taking a 6 year old hostage? Really? That's low, even for you," Steve quips, trying to buy time to figure out the safest route. 

"I thought you said he wasn't going to be here," one of the men hisses to the first guy. 

The blond doesn't even time to answer before Captain America's shield is hitting him right in the face.

The gun goes off, but pointed towards the ceiling.

Peter collapses to the floor, arms curling around his stomach where he had gotten hit. 

Tony's immediately stumbling forwards, catching his kid and drawing him close to his chest.

The child sobs and wraps his arms around his dad's neck, holding on tight. His whole body is trembling agonizingly. 

Tony's arms wrap tightly around the kid, one around his back, the other cupping the back of his neck. 

"I've got you. I'm so sorry. You're okay. I've got you. I've got you, baby. I've got you. You're okay. You're safe now. I'm sorry," Tony murmurs, tears beginning to slip down his face, no need to keep up the charade of impassiveness for the hydra men. 

"Daddy," Peter whines again, hiding his face in the crook of Tony's neck.

Peter's tears stain Tony's shirt and Tony's tears catch in Peter's curls, but neither seem to care, keeping a tight hold on the other. 

"I've got you, bambi. I've got you," Tony whispers, running his fingers through Peter's curls, untangling the knots left behind from the man. Hoping his soft touch makes Peter forget about the aggressive one from just minutes before. 

Peter chokes out another sob, small body trembling and curling tighter into Tony, desperately seeking the comfort he needs. 

"I've got you, Peter Pan. You're safe. I'm so proud of you. You're okay. Nothing like that will ever happen again. I promise. I'm so sorry," Tony says, voice hitching and making the tears fall faster down his face. He squeezes his child tighter against his chest, pressing kisses to Peter's curls and to his forehead, reassuring himself that Peter's still alive, still breathing. 

"I love you, Daddy. I love you. Thank you," Peter says, tears slowing as the exhaustion hits him full force.

"I love you too, baby. I've got you. Go to sleep. Remember, it was all a bad dream. I'm so so proud of you, Bambi. Go to sleep," Tony whispers, pressing another chaste kiss to Peter's forehead as his eyes close. 

Tony finally looks up, meeting Steve's eyes. 

"Go to bed, Tony. I'll deal with them, get them to Nat. I'll figure out what happened with security too. Go get some rest, make sure Peter sleeps. I'll figure this out," Steve says, offering a gentle smile to the exhausted man, holding his sleeping child to his chest.

"Thank you," Tony whispers, voice shaking and a little too high, trying to keep his emotions at bay.

"It's no problem, Tony. This will never happen again, okay? I'll make sure Hydra's taken down entirely if it's the last thing I do," Steve says, eyes holding an angry fire. He looks down to Peter's body, relaxed in his sleep, and the fire soothes. "He'll be okay, Tony. This wasn't your fault."

Tony nods once, trying to convey his feelings in his eyes before letting his gaze drop back to his child. 

The hero carries his child to his bedroom, tucking Peter in carefully before slipping under the covers beside his son. He wouldn't be able to sleep without being able to hear Peter's soft, even breaths, checking over and over again to make sure the breaths come every time.

"Go to s'eep, Daddy," Peter yawns, tucking his small body against Tony's chest.

"I am. Goodnight, Bambi," Tony murmurs, pressing a final, loving kiss to his child's forehead. Making silent promises that he'll keep him safe no matter what.