[A/N: Because I'm just as impatient as all of you when concerning the release of chapters, here's another!!! and it's GOT SO MANY MORE WORDS AND FEELS.]
"Pepper, I need you to schedule something in the UK," Tony practically ordered as he walked into the living room with a StarkPad in hand. "Make it a holiday, or fake busy meetings that I'll be avoiding," He continued without missing a beat.
Pepper just scowled at him, "No, you have two very important stockholder meeting that you cannot miss this weekend!"
He rolled his eyes at her temper, she had become increasingly irritable lately, and he didn't know why, not that it mattered at the moment. He needed to get to Russia, he was so close to finding Peter.
"Skip it, take care of it, do something. Whatever it is, make it quick," He waved her off as he made a beeline to the kitchen. He opened the refrigerator to grab a bottle of water.
His response only seemed to make her more irritable, he hardly noticed.
"Tony, I know you're worried about Peter but you can't just lock yourself in your lab and treat me like-"
"Pepper! I found him," He quickly interrupted.
She suddenly looked surprised, "What-"
"He's in Russia of all places, there's reports of a new vigilante that can climb up walls, super strength, and all the other characteristics of Spider-Man minus the web slinging," He set the water bottle aside as he walked over to her. He put his hands gently on her arms. "Pep, I finally found him. I just need you to get me over the ocean without questions and a schedule I can easily disappear from. I can take care of the rest."
"You really found him?" She asked quietly.
"Best lead I've had so far. There's video proof that was taken two days ago, I need to get there quick in case something happens and I lose him again."
She looked at him a little shocked but there was a hopefulness in her eyes, "Ok, I'm sure I can set up something with the London division, I can get something on Monday but you'll still need to go to the stockholder meeting," She pulled out her phone as she started to get things set up.
"Thank you Pep," Tony said as he leaned in to kiss her cheek.
"Thank me by finding Peter, who knows what that poor boy has been through."
"I'm going to get things ready on my end, I've got a few things I need to check with the suit," He quickly turned on his heal as he started heading back to the workshop.
"Tony?"
"Hm?" He faced her just as he got to the doorway.
"Once you find him, you're getting rid of that suit right?" She asked cautiously.
"Yeah, sure, whatever," Tony waved her off as he continued towards the workshop.
Pepper looked off at the doorway Tony just disappeared though as she bit her bottom lip. She shook her head before looking back down at her phone.
******
After Blackwidow's visit things were quiet, well, as quiet as they can be when you're actively seeking out crime.
Peter started helping around the homeless shelter when he could. There were one of two incidences where a fight nearly broke out at the shelter, things were getting tense after one of the major donors pulled their funding.
Food portions were smaller and fewer volunteers showed up as the summer started coming to an end.
But Maria still kept to her normal schedule, she was more or less the unofficial leader of the project. Which really wasn't fair, as she was having to juggle planning her lessons for the coming school year while also having to deal with the struggling finances of the shelter.
Peter couldn't do much except for offer his help in the kitchen during serving times. During which he'd listen to her rambles and complaints about how some of the donors were dealing with the money, and that they were only giving the bare minimum for tax write offs.
One evening they closed up like usual, luckily it was a quiet night and there were no incidences during serving.
Maria turned to him after locking the door to the shelter, the older woman looked tired but at the same time content.
"I think I can make it home on my own tonight, Nor," She said with a small smile.
'You sure?' Peter wrote on the now worn out notepad.
"Yeah, plus there's a small fair going on in the park this evening, you should go. It seems like something you'll like," She lightly pat his shoulder before walking past him.
Peter watched her walk down the sidewalk as he put the notepad and pen into his pocket. He absently rubbed the side of his cheek in thought, he no longer wore the bandages and had to face the realization that the claw marks on his cheek were there to stay.
He had no other planes then paroling, but lately the streets have been calm in the area, he liked to think he had something to do with that, so he decided there wouldn't be any harm in visiting the park for a few hours.
The small park was decorated with lights and different booths set up around the walkways. There were venders and games, as well as a small stage with short plays being performed.
All of it was in Russian of course, but that wasn't nearly as much of a problem as it was before. He prided himself on fast learning, since he already had the basics of the language, he easily enjoyed the performances.
But he should have suspected the night wouldn't end well, with his current track record it wasn't a surprise.
It was late when everyone started to pack up, the last performance wrapped up and Peter had been watching from the back row as he sat against the trees.
Most everyone else had brought blankets or lawn chairs to sit on and Peter was very tempted to just climb the tree for a better view but decided not to in the end.
He slowly got up from his spot as he headed out of the park, but it was then that things took an off turn.
He got the strangest feeling that he was being followed, but it had to just be his paranoia since his spidey sense wasn't warning him of anything.
That still didn't stop him from spotting movement out of the corner of his eye. The flickering of a light as if something passed it, or the shifting of trash on the ground caused by a nonexistent breeze.
It felt like something was hunting him, and it was only more terrifying that his spidey sense wasn't reacting to anything.
'It was just paranoia, caused by a lack of sleep ,' Peter kept telling himself, but it hardly help his nerve.
He was about a block away from the park when he finally had enough, the moment he turned the next corner he ran.
If he was just paranoid then nothing would happen, but if he was being followed he didn't want to risk getting caught.
He hurried down a back alley and jumped up a trash can onto the wall as he made it to the roof.
Something heavy landed in front of him, the sound of it was so quiet that only his sensitive hearing could pick up the noise of it's movements that whoever it was obviously made an effort to hide it.
"Peter?" Asked a deep voice from in front of him. Suddenly a figure shimmered into existence. A human shaped body in some kind of costume with four large spider like legs suspending it from the ground.
Peter looked up with wide eyes, he didn't waste a second before he ran to the edge of the roof to jump to the next.
Mr. Thomas must have hired someone to find him, he knew he should have been more careful.
He could hear the figure follow as it effortlessly jumped the gap between buildings.
On foot Peter didn't think he had much of a change against them, he really did miss his webshooters.
His only option of escaping them was fighting them off, but he'd need to go somewhere he had the the advantage. Judging on how they relied on the legs, a small space would be preferable, the legs would be more of a hindrance at that point than a help.
Peter jumped back on the streets with a rolling land as he darted into the entrance of a drainage system.
He could hear them follow behind, but he didn't realize how close they were until he was grabbed by the leg. He was lifted off the ground before he could face plant into the concrete.
One of the slim legs coiled itself around Peter's chest and arms like a snake, somehow creating and dismantling joints when needed.
He looked down at the leg very confused, it reminded him of the nanoparticles Mr. Stark was developing, but that was impossible, everyone else in the world was decades away from that tech... unless.
A set of hands on his shoulders snapped him out of though, with him standing on his feet, his assailant standing in front of him. The mask quickly retracted on the man's face as the spider arm that was restraining Peter suddenly pulled away.
Peter took an unsteady step back, he backed into the wall behind him as he stared in disbelief.
Mr. Stark pulled his hands away as he held them up in surrender. "Hey, it's okay Peter. It's just me," He said gently, "Sorry about the scare, I wasn't sure it was yo- oof!"
Peter slung himself at the billionaire, practically attacking him with a hug.
Mr. Stark didn't hesitate to wrap his arms around the teen in return, he must have notice Peter's body shake and the small sobs escape, "It's alright kid," he muttered quietly.
"I'm sorry," Peter choked out.
"Huh?" Mr. Stark sounded surprised at the fact Peter actually spoke, but who could blame him? Peter hadn't said anything to anyone for nearly ten years.
He pulled away to look Peter in the face, of course his eyes were immediately drawn to the scars on the side of Peter's face. Peter could see the worry in Mr. Stark's eyes.
"I'm sorry, I-... I didn't want to leave," Peter's voice was barely above a whisper.
"Pete," he looked Peter over before pulling him back into a hug. "God, I can't imagine what you've been through," He said quietly, "But we need to get you home first."
Peter tensed at the word 'home,' he didn't really have anywhere to go. Sure Mr. Stark was going to help him deal with Aunt May but what about after all that? He had nowhere.
'Where is home...' it was less than a question and more of a grim statement.
It turned out Mr. Stark was supposed to technically be in London, he was there on SI business and had snuck over to Russia using a quinjet he borrowed from the Avenger's compound.
The walk (more like a run really since they lept from building to building) to the quinjet was mostly quiet.
Peter had to admit none of this felt real.
In all honesty, he was just waiting for the other shoe to drop.
That all this was just a cruel dream he would wake up from at any moment, but after an hour of silence during the flight to London nothing changed.
He was still sitting in one of the seats that lined the inside wall of the aircraft. He was fully awake, despite the fact he dug his nails into his palm in hope the pain would wake him up from the nightmare if it was one.
Mr. Stark just walked in from the cockpit, he had taken off the nanosuit at one point. There was an odd relief at that, Peter really didn't like the way the thing looked.
The man cautiously walked over to sit next to Peter, leaning over, his elbows rested on his knees so he could get a better look at Peter's face.
He opened his mouth to say something, but Peter interrupted with his own words.
"This isn't a dream is it?" He asked quietly.
"Thankfully not, this is very real, I promise," Mr. Stark replied after a small moment of pause, he lightly put a hand on Peter's shoulder, as if to prove he was really there.
Peter tensed a little but let out a shaky breath as he buried his face his hands, and he took a moment before leaning back against the chair. He could already feel his throat getting sore from the broken sobs and the few words he spoke.
'My friends,' Peter signed, 'If I go back to New York, May will know I'm alive. She'll hurt them,' his breath suddenly got caught in his throat at the thought of that evil woman getting anywhere near his friends.
"We can work that out when we get back to the states, we'll need to fake your return first. Everyone in New York thinks you're running with the cartel," Mr. Stark signed.
Peter nodded thinking back to Blackwidow telling him he made the news.
"Peter..." Mr. Stark started cautiously, "They made you fight didn't they?"
Peter nodded, he could feel his hands start to shake at the thought of the dead little girl they killed instead of him. His hand automatically went up to his throat to make sure the collar wasn't still there.
"I didn't want to," Peter forced out, his voice broke slightly and was already getting croaky. He could feel a few tears stream down his cheek as he curled his feet onto the chair and leaned towards Mr. Stark.
The older man wrapped his arms around Peter for the third time that evening, but it was slightly different than the others, or maybe it was the same and he was just now noticing.
He felt something he hadn't felt in years.
He felt safe.
He finally felt safe.
Something swelled in his chest, but it wasn't the usual anxiety that he'd been accustomed to. He felt relief and joy at the thought that in that moment he was truly safe.
He was safe from forced fights.
He was safe from Mr. Thomas.
He was safe from Aunt May.
Peter couldn't stop himself from completely breaking down as he clutched the fine threaded undershirt that Mr. Stark wore with his suits. It was only after a minute that Peter realized that he was utterly exhausted. He had to fight the urge to sleep but his body was putting up a hell of a fight.
Peter didn't want to wake up on one of the roofs of Moscow, but it was a uphill battle, and eventually the world faded.
******
Tony let Peter sleep in his arms for the remainder of the trip, it wasn't till they were ten minutes away from the landing sight that he gently laid Peter down on the seats before going up to the cockpit. It was only a handful of minutes later that he heard a crash from behind that he quickly returned to the hull of the quinjet to investigate.
Peter stood there wide eyed and panicked as he backed himself against the bay doors. He looked around quickly before his eyes locked onto Tony.
"Peter, hey, you're alright. You're in the quinjet, we're landing in London soon," Tony held his hands up, showing he meant no hard.
Peter took a breath to calm himself as he looked around again, he nodded quickly before he straightened up. He kept his arms close to himself as he moved closer to Tony.
"How long?" The kid croaked quietly.
"About four minutes," Tony still couldn't get over the scar that slashed across the side of Peter's face. What kind of opponent did Peter face that even the kids abilities couldn't heal properly?
Tony clenched his fist, the faint image of Tony standing atop the bodies belonging to those who hurt Peter was satisfying.
The man slightly shook his head, he didn't remembering being so brutal in his revenge plots. He pushed the thought back as he spoke again, "Want to check the front out? I'm sure there's a few things that might interest you."
Peter looked up at him wide eyed, it was more of awe then horror this time.
"Come on, kiddo," Tony waved as he walked into the cockpit.
Peter sat in the copilot's seat as he watched Tony switch to manual piloting as he took the controls from FRIDAY.
For the next few minutes Peter watched closely as the genius steered the quinjet to the roof of a hotel. Tony made a few comments explaining the panels on the outside of the jet that helped it stay hidden. They soon landed gently and the bay door opened without a command.
Peter watched as Tony reached down to a suitcase shaped object, instead of picking it up, he placed a hand on it. The particles of the box shifted and slithered up Tony's arm quickly, he could feel the nanotech stretch across his body as it made the shape of blazer and the excess nanoparticles hid just under his shirt.
Peter watched with interest, but Tony could have sworn there was distrust in his eyes towards the stealth suit. Tony wasn't sure why, but that made him a little angry.
Tony quickly stood up as he turned to exit the cockpit, he scrunched his nose while out of Peter's view. Why was he mad at that? Peter had every right to be skeptical of things, especially after what he'd been through.
... Maybe Pepper was right about the-
Pepper was wrong about the suit, Peter will get used it eventually.
"Pep's waiting for us in the room, she's actually been eager to meet you," Tony said as he stepped out of the jet. Peter was very close behind.
'Really?' Peter signed, his expression almost in disbelief.
"We've all been worried about you, kid." Tony said gently, he lightly put an arm behind Peter as he placed a hand on the kid's opposite shoulder. Peter flinched slightly at the touch almost causing Tony to pull away, but kept his hand there after Peter leaned into his arm slightly.
The quinjet hatch closed once they were a few feet away and the aircraft silently drifted back into the air before disappearing into the clouds.
He lead Peter to the roof doors, then down a few flights of stairs before they reached the floor of Tony and Pepper's room.
He could tell Peter was on high alert as if he was assessing the place for any kind of threat. Tony lightly rubbed his thumb across Peter's shoulder before he pulled away to open the door to the room.
He held the door open for the kid and watched at Peter took cautious steps that were obviously practiced to look casual. If Tony wasn't watching Peter so closely he wouldn't have noticed.
The room was by no means small. There were two bedrooms, a living room, a bathroom, and even a little nook for a kitchen.
Tony could hear Pepper's voice from one of the bedrooms as she talked on the phone. Peter visibly tensed at the sounds, he looked back at Tony as the man closed the door, as if to make sure he was still there.
Pepper must have heard the door as she said polite goodbyes to whoever she was talking to and said she'd call back and reschedule the meeting later.
"Tony did you-" She stopped mid sentence as she walked out of the room to find Peter standing in the middle of the living room. He had that deer in the headlights look after glancing towards Pepper.
Pepper's gaze softened and along with her tone, "You must be Peter."
Peter nodded slowly before raising his hands to sign, but he quickly glanced towards Tony silently asking him if Pepper even knew ASL.
"I only know a little, not nearly as fluent as I should be," Pepper smiled lightly.
"Here, I've got something for you Pete," Tony said as he walked over to a bag sitting just next to the glass coffee table near the couches. He picked it up as he dug through it.
It contained all sorts of stuff he bought for Peter when he found the kid. Extra clothes, medicine for enhanced humans courtesy of Doctor Helen Cho (Thank god Peter didn't seem to need it), and one very fancy, specially designed, StarkPhone with a few accessories that he knew would be useful.
He turned to see Peter watching him curiously, Tony held out two rubbery brackets to Peter as he turned on the phone.
"Slip those on your wrists and position the power button so its located underside of your wrist," He handed Peter the phone after he set up the app he'd been setting up.
Peter seemed go wide eyed with fascination as he figured out what the devices were for.
'Thank you' Peter signed, the phone immediately spoke <Thank you,> barely a second later. It was less robotic like the usual text to speech apps he used and was very similar to the voice he used in the spider suit.
For a moment Tony could see the same kid he would work next to in the lab, filled with fascination and wonder, but as quick as it came, it was gone just as fast when he faced Pepper.
<It's nice to finally meet you, Miss Potts.>
"Tony has told me a lot about you, I'm glad to meet you too."
<What did he say?> Peter asked almost hesitantly.
"Sorry, kid. I had to tell her about you're spider business," Tony said with a slight hint of guilt. "But don't worry, the only ones that know are Pep and I."
<MJ and Ned also know> There was a small pause as Peter looked down at the floor regretfully, <and May and Mr. Thomas.>
"Who's Mr. Thomas?" Pepper asked carefully. Tony eternally winced, he had purposely left out the mention of Thomas to Pepper, it would have only caused her to worry more than she already did, but there was no doubt that she noticed Peter's scar so she might make assumptions from that.
<He made me fight. Throw the matches in his favor> Peter didn't make eye contact with either of them as he started to explain. <First it was enhanced animals, but after I was shipped to Russia... I had to fight other people with powers.> His breath hitched and Tony instinctively moved closer to Peter. <Then there was this little girl, they shot her because... because I didn't do what they said.>
Pepper looked horrified as she put her hands to her mouth, her eyes shined with the beginnings of tears.
Peter's legs seemed to give out and Tony quickly caught Peter lowering them both to the floor. Peter curled into Tony's form as his breathing hitched unevenly.
Tony could just see that motherly instinct kick in as Pepper quickly joined them on the floor, but when she reached out to touch Peter he violently jerked away, practically throwing himself away from the two.
Pepper looked utterly heartbroken at the obvious instinctive reaction.
<I'm sorry, I'm sorry,> Peter quickly signed, he looked absolutely terrified, <I didn't mean- I'm sorry.>
"No, no, Peter, it's okay," Tony could see her desperately trying to hold it together for Peter's sake. "You don't have to be sorry, ok?" She sniffed as she pulled her legs under herself in a more comfortable position on the floor.
"You've been through a lot, Pete," Tony was about to reach a hand up to comfort Peter but it was only then that he realized the kid now had a deathgrip on his sleeve.
"How about this," Pepper said as she slowly stood up, "Let's get some room service? Settle in a little while I get the flight to New York ready?" She wiped her eyes quickly and put on a friendly smile for Peter.
Tony looked from Pepper back to Peter, "How's that sounds, Pete?" He slowly started to stand and helped Peter up with him. He seemed to be avoiding eye contact with Pepper, which was understandable.
But damn was it heartbreaking.
Peter had the headlights look again as both adults looked to him, he just nodded slowly before wiping his eyes on the sleeve of his hoodie.
"We got some clothes if you want to change," Pepper said as she walked over to the hotel phone located in the corner of the living room on a work desk.
There were a few papers scattered about it from Pepper going through paperwork while Tony was out looking for Peter.
"Feel free to use the shower, kiddo," Tony said as he grabbed the bag he had set on the coffee table before handing it to him. "Looks like you haven't had one in awhile," he said in a teasing tone, he made an effort to lighten the mood from before.
Peter gave a faint smile as he shook his head, he took the bag from Tony before lightly digging through it. He was very surprised when he pulled out the graphic T Tony had grabbed from John's apartment all those months ago.
"I thought I lost this," Peter said quietly as he looked up at Tony.
"Found it while looking for you, I remember seeing you wear it a lot so I thought you might be attached to it," Tony said with a small shrug.
"It was a gift from Ned," There was a small pause as he read the pun on the shirt 'Looking for Love in Alderaan Places.' Peter grinned at the Star Wars pun, before looking back at Tony with a softer smile. "Thanks, this-... this means a lot," his voice broke slightly and Tony could hear it get more croaky.
"No problem, kid," Tony reached over to ruffle Peter's hair (It was already pretty messy so there wasn't much change). Peter pulled away as he batted Tony's hand playfully, the tense atmosphere had almost completely melted. "But after we get back, I need you to get a haircut. You can't rock the hippie hair."
Peter just gave a small laugh as he started walking towards the bathroom. Once the door closed Pepper had already finished ordering room service.
"Tony?" Pepper said as she walked over to him.
"Yes, dear?" Tony said as he twirled to face her.
"Now that Peter's back you're retiring the stealth suit soon right?"
Tony glanced down at his coat make of the suits nanoparticles, "Yeah, sure. I said I would didn't I?" He shrugged.
'Absolutely not' He thought to himself.
She couldn't understand how important the Stealth Prime was. The suit was revolutionary. Ross was right to fear it, in the wrong hands it could easily help topple entire governments without leaving a trace, but it was a good things they weren't in the wrong hands.
After everything was settled with Peter, Tony had a few more plans concerning the Widower.
After all Peter couldn't properly be Spider-Man with the accords still in effect, if they ever decided to target the hero of Queens Tony himself would be required to deal with the vigilante.
That was something he couldn't let stand, there would need to be amendments to the accords, and he doubts that would happen without the officials associated with the accords receiving an... external motivation of some sort.
"Just making sure you remembered," Pepper said with almost a relieved sigh. "Ever since you started wearing it there's been... this change about you, and I don't think Peter needs to be around that with all he's been through," She said quietly, as if she was worried Peter might overhear her.
"Don't worry about that," Tony waved off, he took both her hands in his, "Everything is almost over, I know things will get better soon," He leaned in giving her a small kiss.
******
After a really hot shower and a change into comfortable and familiar clothes, Peter felt drowsy.
It wasn't the usual drowsiness where his body was trying to force him to sleep, but the type of drowsy you feel when you're ready to curl up in a soft blanket with your favorite warm drink.
Peter found a brush in the bag Tony gave him, along with other toiletries like an unopened toothbrush, shampoo and conditioner he'd just used in the shower, and deodorant.
He managed to brush the rat nest that formed in his hair before using the toothbrush and deodorant.
It was so nice to feel properly clean after months of literally living in the dirt, though Maria did offer her shower a few times in thanks for making sure she got home safe, but that never felt like a proper one since it still felt like the grime was stuck to his skin after getting out.
He blamed his clothes and the fact that he spent every night sleeping outside, his hyperactive senses were no help in those situation.
But now, even they were satisfied.
He found himself looking in the mirror.
He hardly changed since the last time he actually examined himself, the only difference now was him being slightly less skinny. His ribs were still countable but the ridges of his spine didn't stick out nearly as much.
He played with the thought that Mr. Stark was probably the only person that could overfeed Peter since he was rich enough to buy that much food. The idea of actually having a little bit of fat on his stomach instead of abs was a funny thought.
Peter pulled the shirt over his head and read the pun in the mirror one last time before walking out of the bathroom.
He thought of Ned and MJ, soon they would be completely safe from May's power. It didn't matter if she went after them herself or if she hired thugs, none of them could get through Iron Man's protection.
The moment he opened the bathroom door his nose was hit with the smell of food. It seems Pepper ordered an entire buffet, there were at about two carts completely full of food. Pizzas, pastas, burgers, and because they were in London, fish and chips, as well as a number of other things.
Peter's mouth watered and his stomach growled in anticipation.
Peter had slipped on the bracelets and had the phone in his pocket. <Is this all for me?> His face the only indicator at how truly surprised he was.
"I don't think Tony and I could even make a dent in it by ourselves," Pepper joked.
A quick glance around showed that Mr. Stark wasn't even in the room, Peter got a little nervous, that was until he heard the man talking on the phone in the other room.
"He's working out how to reveal you to the public without bringing up the fact you were in Russia. So there's no questions about your abilities and your identity as Spider-Man stays secret," Pepper said gently. She seemed to have already grabbed a small plate with macaroni and cheese on it and was sitting on the large armrest of one of the couch.
<Do you know what's going to happen?> Peter asked as he walked over to the carts as he hesitantly grabbed a plate. He glanced at Pepper as if asking permission.
"Help yourself, Peter. We can always order more if we run out," She commented.
At least one plate full of food later Peter was sitting on the opposite end of the couch that Pepper sat at as he flipped through the channels of the tv. He was already on his second serving of, well, everything, and this was him technically taking it slow. He was completely aware that overeating after an extended period of time practically starving was a very bad idea, but he didn't feel sick yet so that was probably a good sign.
He was definitely taking smaller bites now that he was starting to get full, but he had a feeling that once his spidey metabolism kicked in, he'd start the cycle over again.
Peter eventually landed on the Disney Channel, he stopped paying attention to it and was currently just using it as background noise as he started examining the new phone Mr. Stark just gave him.
It was black, a sleek design with gold trim around the edge, but he was afraid to ask if it was real gold. If anything it was probably just gold plating, since StarkPhones have always been advertised as 'HeroProof™' even without a case, the lining was most definitely a substance much stronger than gold.
While gold was an awesome conductor, it was not a very strong metal
But that still didn't explain how light the phone felt, unless...
No way.
He couldn't have.
Peter stood up, walking over to the middle of the room before going over to the tiled floor of the small kitchen. He lifted the phone above his head before dropping it, making sure it hit the corner of the phone as it hit the ground.
Sure enough, it produced a familiar ring that he'd only ever heard in Captain America's shield.
Of course he did.
Tony Stark put vibranium in the phone case. He probably remembered the horrendous state Peter's last phone was in, guess he wanted to make sure Peter couldn't break this one.
"Peter everything alright?" Pepper asked, she looked amused by Peter's actions.
Peter just scooped up the undamaged phone before walking back over to the couch.
<Mr. Stark, put Vibranium in the phone case> Peter was grinning at the fact, he looked at the casing of the phone clostly. "That's so cool," Peter whispered.
"I'm glad you like it," Mr. Stark said as he walked in from the other room. He had just hung up his own phone and was slipping it into his pocket. "Hope you don't mind but I may, or may not, have stolen your old phone from your apartment. All your contacts, pictures, music, and such were transferred to the new one. I did have to digitally sanitize them to get the the iPhone code off," He pretended to make a disgusted shiver as he sat down next to Peter. "A nightmare you were using that thing in the first place."
Peter just laughed as he leaned slightly against Mr. Stark. He couldn't help but have some kind of contact with the genius, it was the only thing that convinced him this was all actually happening.
Of course since the man really was a genius, he probably picked up on that, hence why he slung his arm over the couch behind Peter, causing Peter to naturally nestle closer.
Peter was still looking at the phone, he hadn't actually explored the interface much.
Peter was quickly reminded that Tony Stark never knew when to stop when designing tech. The thing had an instant eye scanner, Peter practically just had to look at the phone to get it unlocked, and he doubted that anyone else could even hack the thing if they wanted.
The home screen probably had pixel measurements out the wazoo, because even when he held the thing close to his face he still couldn't discern the different pixels.
"Completely customizable, like literally everything," Tony said as Peter spun the globe that was on the home screen, it held all the different apps, all Peter had to do was rotate it to see a different selection of apps. The movement was fluid and it even jostled slightly with movement to the phone, "The only catch is you got to code the stuff yourself, but I have no doubt you can handle that," Tony said ruffling Peter's slightly damp hair.
<Sounds fun,> Peter signed, he set the phone down as he leaned over to the coffee table to grab the plate he was still working on. He started eating again.
The three of them ended up watching the live action release of Beauty and the Beast. Peter had actually been looking forward to seeing it, and was really enjoy the CGI and effects.
After awhile of eating on and off and everyone quietly relaxing into the atmosphere with recreated classic playing, Peter finally spoke up during one of the brakes.
"So.. wh-what's going to happen now?" Peter whispered.
"Remember Lieutenant Anderson and his partner?" Tony asked glancing down at Peter. At some point Pepper had positioned herself so she was snuggling against Tony on the other side of the couch.
Peter nodded slowly, he mentally winced at the thought of almost getting Detective Octen killed during his time as Nor.
"They were helping me look for you before your name was released, they're also trying to find all they can about May, but they agreed to stage your finding. In about..." He glanced at the time, "Ten minutes, we should get a call reporting that your whereabouts have been discovered. It's um..." Tony sighed. "You're not going to like this next part Peter, I'm sorry but it's the only way we can explain your scars."
Peter pulled away slightly so he could look at Tony better, <What is it?>
"I found out about the cage fights Mr. Thomas had in New York, the place is still running so if we have you sneak in there, the police will bust the place and Anderson and his partner will be the one to find you," Tony watched him carefully and shifted so his hand was resting on Peter's shoulder, he could feel the kid tense up slightly. "Peter I promise if there was any other way we'd be doing it, but this is the only option that will produce the least amount of questions."
Peter took in a shaky breath as he leaned into Mr. Stark again, "Ok, I can do that."
"We're going to have a hell of a day ahead of us," Pepper sighed.
"You got that right," Tony said with a dry laugh.
"But we'll be doing it together, okay Peter?" Pepper said softly as she leaned forward to look at the teen.
Peter nodded with a faint smile.
He liked the sound of that.
Together.
******
It was easy to get Peter on the private jet in the middle of the night, most people were too drowsy to notice. All they saw were two people getting on the aircraft.
FRIDAY made sure to cover the cameras, and Tony snuck on using the stealth suit. He had earlier explained to Pepper that he would be using it to keep an eye on Peter all throughout his 'rescue.'
Peter heard her grumble about it being the last time he used it. There was a sharp glare in Mr. Stark's eyes at the comment, but it was gone as quick as it came. Peter decided not to think much on it now, especially since he felt like he was going into a food coma from everything he ate.
Luckily the trip from London to New York was at least six hours, even in a top of the line private jet.
There were no complaints from Peter.
He had been in the jet before and was in no way less excited about it, he just thought that those six hours could definitely be spent sleeping. Pepper seemed to have the same idea, she showed him how both of the couches in the plane folded out into comfy beds.
Before leaving the hotel room she had changed from the professional skirt and heels into fluffy pajama pants. It was an odd look on her since he'd only ever seen her as the peak of professionalism, but he'll admit, seeing her in more casual wear helped him feel less intimidated by her.
Peter was quick to crash on the couch bed, he didn't remember most of the flight because of the pleasant half sleep he found himself in. It was the type of sleep where your listening to the gentle lulls of quiet voices in the vehicle around you, one where you don't completely dip into unconsciousness but still have pleasant thoughts projected into half formed dreams. Time dragged on, but moved quickly at the same time.
So when a gentle hand rested on Peter's shoulder to wake him, Peter didn't want to stur.
"Come on, Petey. We're landing soon, the detectives are waiting for us," Mr. Stark said gently.
Peter let out a long breath before slowly sitting up, he stretched his arms and Mr. Stark sat in the now open spot made available by Peter's shift. He wrapped an arm over Peter's shoulder and the teen leaned into his side.
"Sleep well?" Mr. Stark asked amused by Peter's grogginess. The kid opened his eyes wide as he tried blinking the sleep away.
"Five minutes," Peter murmured as he leaned his head on Tony's shoulder. His voice was barely a croak and Tony made a note to definitely get Peter into some kind of vocal therapy once it was all over.
"I already gave you an extra five, you'll need to be awake when we land," Tony said with a small chuckle.
"Fffffffine," Peter sighed as he sat up on his own. He absently rubbed the scar on his cheek before stretching his arms again.
He soon looked around and reached for the phone that had fallen to the floor some time during the flight, he handed it back to Mr. Stark.
"Keep it kid, you're going straight from the warehouse to our flat. No one will see you up close other then the Lieutenant and Detective.
Peter nodded slowly, <what about after everything?>
Tony glanced up at Pepper who had just walked out of the bathroom, she was in her business clothes again but he wasn't nearly as intimidated by her now. Mostly because his spidey sense was calm and just being in the proximity of Mr. Stark was comforting. Especially after the months of being on high alert.
"Well..." Pepper began, "we were wondering if you'd like to come live with us."
Peter went wide eyed.
"We currently have a place in Manhattan on Park Avenue, but we've been waiting on renovations for a building we bought in Queens. Two floors, one for livings of course but the other is nothin' but workshops space."
"R-Really?" Peter asked quietly, his tone in complete disbelief.
"Of course, kiddo," Tony paused for a moment as he looked over at Pepper, "Us getting married is the start of our little family, and we want you to be in it."
Peter was completely speechless, the feeling of someone, let alone two people, actually wanting him in their family.
Peter had no control of himself as he jumped up from the couch suddenly hugging them both.
"Thank you, god thank you, so much," Peter said practically sobbing into Tony's chest as the two hugged him tightly in return.
******
Everything was set and ready, Peter had snuck into the warehouse with Tony in the stealth suit. He assured the teen he was going to be right next to him the whole time.
If Peter had been returning to the place under any other circumstances, he would have been completely on edge, but with the thought of Mr. Stark there to support him was comforting. So much so there wasn't even a warning from his spidey sense.
Peter noticed the faintest shimmer of light out of the corner of his eye as Mr. Stark hid in plain sight. The suit's stealth was honestly incredible, but nothing was completely perfect after all, if you knew where to look, especially in a well lit room, you could see the slight shift of light like a mirage.
Peter found himself prying open one the the cages quietly only to bend the bars back in place, he could hear the other animals in the room shift as they sensed their presence.
All Peter had to do now was wait, he listened closely as he sat down in the middle of the cage, despite the shower and change of clothes he still looked a little worse for wear.
It was only a few minutes until he heard the police bust down the door on the far side of the building. There were rushed footsteps and police yelling as they stormed through the rooms one by one.
Footsteps ran down the row he waiting in, Peter quickly got up as he looked out the bars, he shook them lightly getting whoever's attention. "Lieutenant! He's here!" The familiar detective yelled.
He managed to break the lock on the cage door before letting Peter out, he still held his distance from the Detective before he felt an invisible arm nudge him towards the man.
Right, he was supposed to follow the Detective or Lieutenant out.
"It's alright Peter," Octen said kindly, "This part will be quick, we just need to get you out of here, then you're heading straight to Stark's."
Anderson jogged up to them, he seems strangely relieved to see Peter, "Come on, kid," He sighed taking his large jacket off and placing it over Peter's shoulders.
The oversized coat easily covered the clothes that were obviously too nice to be owned by a boy who was trapped in a cage for months. Peter wondered if he should have kept the clothes Mr. Thomas left him, they would have definitely been good for cover.
Peter grabbed the inside of the coat as he pulled it around him like a blanket, he didn't bother putting his hands through the arms.
Now, he needed to act shocked, that wasn't too terribly difficult to do. He took a deep breath as he huddled into the coat, Anderson put an arm around Peter's shoulder as he lead the teen out of the cursed warehouse.
Octen pulled out a walkitaki, "We found Peter Parker, I repeat, we found Peter Parker. Lieutenant Anderson is taking him out to the front."
The rest happened quicker then he expected, even though he wasn't actually in shock, the events made his head spin.
******
'Breaking News !' Flashed red across the screen. A man and woman sat at the desk with papers in hands and serious expressions. The woman spoke first.
"This morning around nine, police given an anonymous tip about an illegal fighting ring in the western harbor of Queens. Officers on scene were shocked to find Peter Parker imprisoned in the warehouse along with numerous mechanically and genetically modified animals.
Mr. Parkers unusual case was brought to light after his identity was revealed as a notorious drug runner named Nor. His association with Tony Stark through a junior internship brought questions into light that eventually revealed May Parker as the instigator behind the teens forced connection with the Brooklyn mob.
In the warehouse it was already believed that the animals were forced to fight each other while audience placed bets, but this video here:'
A square in the corner of the screen was enlarged, it showed Peter Parker stepping into an ambulance with a large coat placed around his shoulder. His hair was a mess and he looked skinnier than the picture just right of the screen that showed that last known image of Peter from his school picture day. His hair much longer in comparison and the scars clearly visible.
"Suggests Peter Parker was also forced into the arena along with the mistreated animals. It is unclear how long Mr. Parker was held captive, but with his last appearance as Nor being in December of last year, it could be anywhere up to seven months. A statement has not been released on the matter yet."
The pictures disappeared from the screen showing the well lit studio before the man spoke.
"Tony Stark was seen rushing to the police station and presumably leaving with Peter Parker, it has been reported that Peter has been refusing to talk to anyone other than Mr. Stark. Further updates on the story will be released tonight at 8."
The tv flicked off as Peter hit the power button on the controls.
His face was everywhere, on every news channel, all around the country.
He really wasn't a fan of it, and he didn't realize how big the story got while he was gone.
"Pepper says they're on their way up," Tony said as he walked into the large living room with a cup of coffee. They were at the apartment on Park Avenue, private security were working double time to keep out the media vultures.
The thought reminded him of his unfinished business in the city. He was definitely eager to get back to work as Spider-man once everything settled down.
Suddenly the elevator doors opened to reveal a worried looking Ned and MJ, with Pepper standing behind them.
"Peter!" They both yelled.
MJ was the first to move, she practically bolted out of the elevator as she nearly tackled him with a hug. Ned immediately followed.
"Peter, don't you ever fucking do that again, I'm going to murder you if you ever do," MJ said trying to act tough as tears obviously streamed down her face.
Peter let out a small laugh as he pulled each of them closer.
Not only was Peter safe now, but more importantly, so were his friends. The shear relief that May could no longer hold their lives over his head was overwhelming.
"God, please don't do that again, dude. I wasn't sure if we'd see you again," Ned choked out.
"You know, you still owe me a stupid explanation," MJ said as she halfheartedly punched Peter's shoulder as she pulled away to rub the tears off her face.
Peter could stop another small laugh from escaping, "I know."
Both of Peter's friends looked at him wide eyed.
"Peter you can talk!?" Yelled Ned.
MJ was just laughing in disbelief, but there was anger in her eyes, "She made you stay quiet didn't she," MJ was suddenly hugging him again.
"Yeah... I'm sorry, there so much I wanted to tell you... That I need to tell you," He whispered. "That's... That's why I called you here," Peter lightly tightened his grip on both his friends. "I'm so tired of the lies and secrets, I need to tell you everything," He started sniffing, "God, there's so much I need to say."
"Just tell us, Peter," Ned whispered.
"You know we've been listening, we've always been willing to listen," MJ whimpered. It was strange seeing her so vulnerable and open, compared to the usual calm and collected persona she held.
Peter swallowed, he needed to tell them everything. Not just Ned and MJ, but he wanted Pepper and Mr. Stark to hear it to.
Like he admitted before, he was tired of all the toxic lies and secrets he'd been forced to hold over the years all because of Aunt May. Currently it was the only thing keeping him completely free of her, but not anymore.
"It started with the fire," Peter began.
The story continued as he explained the events of that evening.
He told then how he watched May approach his Uncle Ben from behind then strangled him with some kind of thin wire. The man struggle but it was to late, they ended up knocking the candles of the newly lit birthday cake onto the window curtains. Peter watched in fear as the flames grew out of control and Ben's last breath was one filled with smoke.
He told them how May stood in the doorway with her threats and promises, how he had to follow one rule to leave alive.
He told them about the closet, the cold showers, the harsh words, and ridiculous standard he had to constantly keep. Otherwise it would lead to only more troubles.
Peter told on and on and on, eventually leading to the most recent events.
The worst of them all.
The drug running, the fights... the little girl.
He told them everything.
No more lies, no more secrets, just the solid heartbreaking truth.
It was barely a third of the way through when his weak voice gave out and he reverted to sign that was translated with the wristbands and phone Tony gave him.
By the end of it all he was sobbing into the shoulders of his friends, they could barely believed the horrors they heard, but they accepted every word as truth anyways.
At some point everyone moved into the living room.
Peter sat in the middle of Ned and MJ while Tony and Pepper sat on the coffee table directly in front of them.
It took nearly three hours to finish.
Despite feeling completely and utterly exhausted, he never felt lighter. The weight of the world was eased off his chest and willingly shouldered by the friends and soon to be new family that surrounded him.
In those hours walls were broken.
Even as his friends left to go home, MJ had a new appreciation for Tony after seeing him shed a few tears for Peter.
Everything was a blur after that, mental exhaustion took hold and Peter was soon passed out.
But even if he couldn't clearly remember the few moments after, he would never forget those three hours for the rest of his life.
Something inside him broke that day, just like on the day of the fire. It was just as painful and excruciating, but sometimes you had to re-break bones if you ever wanted to give them a chance to heal properly.
[A/N: Oh god, I'm gonna be honest, this one almost made me cry when I wrote it. But I wanted to say I was really really proud of that last line.]