When Peter awoke, it was to an argument.
"---not leaving him! Find the damn thing on your own!" his dad shouted, making Peter wince. Apparently they didn't see it, though, as they kept on fighting.
"I'm not asking you to leave, Tony," Steve said placatingly. "I just need your help locating it."
"You want me to give up on finding a cure for my dying son to help you find a missing Hydra experiment?!" Tony scoffed. Peter frowned. Experiment? "Yeah right! I'm not doing it, Cap! Peter needs me!"
"And so do the Avengers!" Steve argued. "Please, Tony, this experiment... It could be another Peter... Do you really want to do that to a person?"
Peter froze.
Tony seethed. "Fuck. You." he hissed. "How dare you! I'm trying to do what's best for my son! As a parent my first duty is to him not to some Hydra experiment that we don't know anything about---"
"There's another experiment?" Peter cut in, giving up on his facade in favor of finding out what the fuck was going on.
Steve and Tony froze, barely concealed horror on their faces as they turned to look at him. It was obvious that this information was not supposed to reach him, making Peter all the more angry. If what they were saying was true---and judging by their frozen expressions, it was---then there was another person out there like him.
Hydra had replaced him.
(It made him feel sickly grateful and Peter felt nausea roar inside his gut.)
"Peter..." Tony said softly, reaching out towards him. Peter flinched away from him, a mild stab of regret hitting him at the pain in Tony's eyes, but he was too angry, too betrayed, to care.
"There's another one?" he asked again, bracing his hands on the bed to push him up. "Hydra kidnapped another kid and..." Peter couldn't even finish the sentence.
Steve winced. "We don't know that, Pete." he said. "We don't know anything. They might not have been... taken. It could be a willing participant."
Peter scoffed. "Yeah, as willing as me, I suppose." he bit out. Tony flinched. "When were you going to tell me?" he asked, changing tactics.
"Tell you?" Tony asked.
Peter turned to face him, a scowl etched into his face. "About the kid? When were you going to tell me that someone else was taken because of me?"
Tony swallowed a weird noise that came from the back of his throat and moved forward. This time, Peter let Tony pull him in for a hug, frustrated tears welling up in his eyes, but Peter refused to let them fall.
"This is not your fault," Tony said fiercely. "Do you understand me, Peter? Not your fault."
"Yes it is!" Peter shouted. "It is my fault! I didn't go back to being their fucking slave so they take another one?!"
"Peter!" Tony cried. "Watch it."
"No!" he yelled. "This is... this is insane! You have to see that! Hydra took someone else! They put them through what I went through---" Tony and Steve flinched at that, a look of pity flashing in their eyes, and it only served to make him even angrier. "---just because I got out! And now, instead of going after them and trying to save them, you're refusing? Because I'm dying? That's bullshit!"
Tony's jaw clenched. "This is not your decision, Peter." he said tersely. Peter grit his teeth. "They can handle this mission just fine without me."
"Obviously they can't, or they wouldn't be asking for your help!" Peter hissed. Steve looked between the two helplessly.
Tony looked at him, an angry frown marring his face. "What is your problem, Peter Benjamin-Edward?" he demanded. "Why are you acting like this?"
"Why am I acting like this?! Why do you think?" Peter cried. "You're going to stay here with me instead of helping someone in need!"
"You are my son! I'm not going to leave you while you're dying, just to help someone who could be a lost cause!" Tony shouted. Peter reared back, hurt flashing across his face before a determined glare replaced it.
"Lost cause?" he parroted. Tony froze, his face paling.
"Wait, shit, I didn't... Peter..."
"What about me?" he asked. Tony wordlessly opened and closed his mouth.
"Peter... I didn't mean..."
"What makes me so different from the new experiment?" he asked. "The only difference is I escaped and they didn't."
"Peter, I'm so so---"
"Am I a lost cause?" he asked. Tony shook his head vehemently. Peter just scoffed. "If anyone is a lost cause, it's me."
Tony sucked in a harsh breath. "Peter---"
"After all, they're alive and breathing." he said coldly. "And I'm a dead man walking."
It was silent after that, Tony staring at Peter helplessly while Peter stared daggers out the window. The tense silence remained for another five minutes---no one willing to break it and risk another tearing blow---until it was interrupted by FRIDAY reminding Peter of his therapist's appointment.
Peter said nothing as he was escorted out of the tower to the car, merely glaring when Tony dared to comment about Peter's health and ponder about bringing Dr. Stacy to meet him instead. He stopped, however, when he saw Peter's venomous stare and relented.
If Peter had to sit in that med bay room one more second, Peter was going to scream.
_____________________________________
Peter was walking into the office when he heard the shouting.
When Happy pulled up outside the building, he had given Peter a concerned glance. Peter merely waved the man off, not really in the mood to talk to anyone lest he lose it, and instead chose to walk out the car door and up to the front doors by himself.
If Happy disagreed with that choice, he kept it to himself.
Peter was proud of his ability to get away with it. Tony must've told Happy about his mood, because the gruff and lovable bodyguard/chauffeur had simply grunted a goodbye to him and drove to a parking spot. Peter hurried inside, knowing that the man would soon enter the building and wait for him in the waiting room until his session was over.
Peter was just about to open the door to Dr. Stacy's office when he heard the angry voice of said doctor through the door.
He didn't mean to eavesdrop.
(He couldn't help it.)
"I know George! I'm asking if you know anything...Okay....well it's already been eight months! I want her back!" Dr. Stacy shouted, her voice sounding unusually desperate. "Please!"
Peter cleared his throat, not wanting to listen in longer than he had to. Dr. Stacy seemed to realize that he was waiting for her, because she quickly said goodbye to whoever was on the other end and opened her doors, a carefully crafted smile resting on her face.
"Peter," she said. "Welcome."
"Hey doc..." Peter said, looking at her before smiling and sitting down on the couch she gestured to. "Everything okay?" he asked.
"Hmm? Oh, yes!" she said quickly, sitting down in her usual spot. "Everything's fine. Sorry about that."
"S'okay," he shrugged. Dr. Stacy frowned.
"You seem troubled," she said. "Do you want to explain why?"
Peter sighed. Therapists. Why are they so damn insightful? "I got into a fight with my dad." he said. Dr. Stacy nodded. "I thought therapy was supposed to stop that from happening."
"Therapy is supposed to help you with your coping mechanisms, not solve all your problems." Dr. Stacy calmly. Peter frowned. "Why don't you explain to me what went on? Why did you fight?"
"I found out that he was going to refuse an Avengers mission so he could stay with me," he said. "And I got mad."
"Why?"
"Why? Because... because it's not right! He shouldn't do that!" he cried. "Someone really needs his help and he won't do it! He's supposed to be a superhero!"
"And you feel betrayed?" she asked. Peter bit his lip but nodded. "Why?"
"Because... he's supposed to help people." he reiterated. "And he won't do it."
"Did you ever think about why he won't do it?" she asked. Peter looked at the ground. "Peter, you're struggling. But so are they."
"I know that!" Peter argued. "But they..."
"What?" Dr. Stacy asked. Peter huffed, curling in on himself, unable to express his confusing emotions. Dr. Stacy sighed sympathetically. "Peter, you have to remember that your parents are just as human as you are. As much as you're struggling, so are they."
"I just don't understand. He could help someone who actually needs it, but instead he's wasting his time with me." Peter said.
Dr. Stacy raised an eyebrow. "Wasting his time?" she asked. Peter shrugged. "Why do you say that?"
"Well, I'm dying." he said bluntly. "I'm dying and there's nothing he can do about it, so why waste his time when he could be doing something meaningful?"
"I'm sure he doesn't think it's a waste of time," Dr. Stacy said. "Spending time with you, it's become all the more precious. Even more so, now that he knows his time with you is limited."
"I just don't..." Peter trailed off. Dr. Stacy hummed before nodding.
"I understand how they feel, you know." she said, causing Peter to look up at her in surprise. "I would give anything to spend more time with my child if I could."
"Your..."
"My daughter actually...she's your age. She was taken from me a few months ago. What I wouldn't give to have her home safe and sound." Dr. Stacy said softly.
Peter swallows the weird lump in his throat. "I'm so sorry." Peter whispers. "That must be so hard."
Dr. Stacy lets out a soft laugh. "It is. I know what the odds are of her coming home after such a long time but...seeing you. Hearing your story. It gives me hope that maybe someday, Gwen will come home too."
"Do you have a picture?" Peter asks. Dr. Stacy nods and shows Peter a picture of Gwen. Peter leaned forward to see the picture of a beautiful girl with cropped blonde hair. She was smiling at the camera, a laugh stretching her smile wide. Her blue eyes twinkled with joy.
Peter swallowed, an overwhelming sadness washing over him for a second, and a thought sprung up into his head unbidden.
What happened to Gwen Stacy?
______________________________________________
"Thank you." Steve said, a smile evident from his voice.
"Shut up." Tony snapped, a scowl resting on his face as he closed the Iron Man faceplate. He shot off after the team, ignoring their speaking in favor of sulking.
After the fight with Peter he'd thrown himself into the algorithm made to find and pinpoint the missing experiment. He refused to admit that he was doing it because of the disappointed look in his son's eyes.
(And the way he flinched away from him. Fuck.)
A hit occurred mere seconds after he finished it and a small part of him felt guilty for ignoring Steve. He could've finished this in minutes and the stupid argument would've never happened.
When they arrived in the abandoned warehouse off fifth, Tony could've scoffed at the clicheness of it all. If Peter were here, he would've made a comment about how predictable Hydra was becoming.
But Peter wasn't here.
And he might never be again.
"Stark! Are you with us?" Clint's voice cut out over Tony's warring thoughts.
"I'm here bird-brain, are you?" he retorted. Clint scoffed and laughed at the same time and Tony was mildly impressed that he could do that.
"He's here, alright." Clint said. "Pay attention, Stark. He's in there. He's wearing some kind of mask... I can't see him clearly. He's wearing some kind of suit..."
"Doesn't matter," Natasha's gruff voice cut him off. "We're here to bring him in. Nothing more."
"Well said for an assassin." Tony joked, forcing himself to ignore his stiff uncomfortableness with his wit and sarcasm. Natasha said nothing and Tony huffed. "What's the play?" he asked.
"He doesn't seem to know we're here," Natasha said with a frown. "I'm not sure how he's related to Peter power-wise, but he doesn't seem to have everything."
"Maybe they changed the serum?" Clint guessed. Natasha hummed in acknowledgement. "What's our move, Cap? Just jump 'im?"
"No. We need to be careful," Steve said. "We don't know how experienced he is. It's important that we don't rush this, we need to be able to bring him in today."
Everyone nodded and Tony slowly peered into the warehouse through a window on the roof. A figure stood in all white, a web pattern decorating the suit in black and a hood covered his masked face. The Missing Experiment.
Tony fell through the roof, miscalculating the weight of his suit on the aged roof. Shit. He landed in a heap on the ground in front of the figure.
"Hey," he said, tilting his head up. "Come here often?"
Well he's nothing if not an improv at heart.
The experiment hissed and threw a kick at him before jumping away from him in an impeccable show of acrobatics. Damn.
"Tony what the fuck!" Clint hissed. "What are you doing?!"
"Dancing asshat." Tony answered, hurling a fist at the graceful figure. It was no good. The experiment dodged perfectly and Tony was quickly getting frustrated.
"Keep doing that, Stark," Natasha's voice called in his ear. "He's untrained."
"He looks pretty trained to me!" Tony called, blasting the spot where he'd just been standing goddamn it!
"He hasn't attacked you, yet." Natasha said. "He's not trained. Distract and tire him out. We'll take care of the rest."
Tony huffed but followed Natasha's advice. He continued to fire at him, and eventually the figure began to slow down, showing that his attempts to exhaust the experiment were successful.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, Natasha slammed to the ground on top of him, knocking him out instantly. The experiment slumped to the floor in a heap of unconsciousness. Tony whistled.
"Remind me never to get on your bad side." he said with a grin, the face plate lifting off of him. Natasha just smirked.
"I don't need to remind you," she said, bending down to haul the lithe figure over her shoulders. "You know better."
_______________________________________________
Bruce stepped out of the interrogation room the experiment had been set in. He was sent to check over his injuries and report anything and everything he could about the experiment's mental state.
A hit from the Black Widow wasn't exactly something one could just walk away from, after all.
"Well?" Steve asked, pushing off of the wall. Bruce held a heavy-set scowl and it made Tony frown. The doctor looked deeply troubled.
"No injuries. Accelerated healing, like Peter." Bruce said. "There's quite a lot of similarities to Peter, actually..."
"What do you mean?" Tony asked.
"Did you notice how small the figure is?" Bruce asked. Tony frowned, thinking back to how easily Natasha had lifted him off the ground. Not that Natasha isn't a strong woman or anything, but to carry a full-grown man...
"How old is he?" Steve asks, stepping forward as realization dawned. Bruce frowns.
"Well first off, she's sixteen." they all rear back in horror. "And I think she's been kidnapped too. She won't speak though." Bruce leads them into the room where a sixteen year old girl with pale blonde hair sits. Her head was bowed and she stared at her clenched hands that rested on the cold metal.
"The only thing she could tell me is that her name is Gwen."