Tony huddled against the wall of the prison, shaking. Not just from the cold, but from seeing Peter. The teenager was skin and bones, but that wasn't the worst of it. He had cowered away, flinching as though he would be hurt again. And the worst part was that Peter hadn't even recognized his mentor.
"I'm so sorry, Pete. I'm so sorry." He mumbled those words over and over again in a mindless litany.
Another scream echoed through the building, and Tony's heart shattered. The boy had been through so much, so much pain, losing his family, and becoming a vigilante. And now this.
Tony curled up in a ball, and tried to ignore the screams, not because he didn't care, oh no. He cared more than he knew. But because each one broke his heart a little more.
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The boy was dragged to his cell and left. The pain burned through his body, and with each wave his sobs grew.
"Please, please someone, anyone help me please I can't do this please." He didn't know who he was crying out to.
He had a vague memory of someone saying that they cared. But it was just that.
A memory.
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Tony woke up from his uneasy sleep when the door opened, admitting Timothy.
His sneer was obvious as he watched Tony. "If I didn't know it would hurt you, I would let you see the boy. After all, he is broken. So, so broken."
Tony threw as much loathing into his tone as he could. "Give me back my son."
Timothy chuckled. "I think I will. What better way to cause you pain?"
He left, and several minutes later Peter was shoved inside.
"Peter? Pete..." the boy's limp, lifeless body crumpled on the ground.
Tony knelt beside him, checking his pulse. "Please, Pete. Open your eyes. I need to see if you're okay."
The boy stirred, then shot up, scrambling away from Tony, his voice rising in panic. "Please don't hurt me, please..." his back slammed into the wall, and he stopped moving, his frantic gaze on Tony, who still hadn't moved. "You're not one of them." He murmured slowly.
Tony shook his head, heart breaking once again. "No. I'm not. It's okay, I would never hurt you."
The boy took a deep breath. "Do I know you?"
Tony sat down. "Yeah, you- yeah. Yeah. You know me."