An-An old enemy comes back into Peter's life, one Steven 'Skip' Wescott
TW-Graphic mentions of sexual assault, rape (warning I cried while writing this)
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"Care to explain what you're doing in my tower officers?" Tony asked, the team were gathered around him, Peter was standing next to Tony.
"We are looking for one Peter Parker-Stark?" The female officer said gently, Peter raised a hand.
"That's me." He said shakily, out of his suit he'd never interacted with the police before.
"We need you to come down to the station hun, you're involved in a high-class case." She said, looking him in the eyes.
"Is Peter in trouble?" Pepper asked worriedly, she didn't think of Peter as the type of kid to get in trouble.
"No ma'am, we've come across some disturbing evidence that involves Peter." She said, the other officer was cringing hard.
"Can you tell us what it is?" Tony asked.
"I'm afraid not sir, we can't discuss it with anyone other than Peter." She said regretfully, Tony nodded, stepping back.
"Son, are you familiar with the name Steven Wescott?" The other officer said, Peter's breathe was caught in his throat, tears gathering in the corners of his eyes. He nodded mutely.
"Son, I'm sorry but I need a verbal confirmation." He said regretfully.
"Yes, I know him." Peter croaked, Pepper and Tony exchanged worried and confused glances.
"Is it alright if we ask you a few questions and show you some things? We can stay here if you'd like, I have everything we need here." The lady said, Peter looked toward Tony, who nodded.
"I'd like to stay here," Peter said quietly.
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When the three came out of his bedroom Peter was wiping his nose frantically, tears streaming down his face, his whole body shaking. Tony rushed forward worriedly.
"Are you ok? Are you hurt?" Tony asked, Peter shook his head.
"I'm not ok, but I will be. I just need a hug." Peter said shakily, refusing to meet Tony's eyes. Tony hummed as he wrapped his arms around Peter's shoulders. Peter was only just taller than him, he'd hit a growth spurt when he turned eighteen and shot up. He was nineteen now, but he was still oddly childlike. One Peter and Tony separated themselves the two officers addressed Tony and Pepper.
"Peter has asked us not to reveal why, but he is being called to a court hearing in three weeks time. Peter will need a lawyer, we will give them everything they need to proceed with the case. I would like to clarify that Peter is in no way at fault, nor is he at risk of imprisonment." The woman officer.
"Why can't we know whats going on?" Pepper asked.
"Peter is an adult in the eyes of the law, he can choose whether or not he wants his part in the case to be confidential. He has chosen that until the day of the trial to remain anonymous, and we are legally bound to this request and cannot share the nature of this case with anyone but his representative or him." The second said, Pepper and Tony nodded.
"Is that all?" Tony asked, his arm around Peter's shoulder.
"Yes, we will say in contact with Peter via phone. Have a wonderful rest of your day." He said, his partner followed him into the elevator. Peter looked up at the team finally.
"I can't tell you anything, because I'm not ready. But I want you to be there for me at the trial." Peter said quietly, wiping away the tear stains.
"We'll be there kid," Steve said gently.
"All of us." Natasha added.
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After many sleepless nights, screaming and crying, Peter finally had his prepared statement, as well as gathering evidence. He was sitting next to his lawyer, he had to give it to her, she was amazing. Tony and Pepper had taken him out for a suit fitting, so he was sitting in a crisp blazer that matched his slacks, clean white button-down and matching blue tie to his blazer. THe whole team were in formal where, sitting in the audience. The whole trial was going to be filmed and released. When Skip got on the stand he had nothing to say, he said what he did was within his rights. Peter cringed when they read out the allegations, there was a lot.
"We now call Peter Parker-Stark to the stand." Peter's head shot up, with an encouraging smile from his lawyer; Megan, he stood up shakily and made his way to the stand. After the oath, he felt his hands start shaking wildly.
"Can you tell us how old you were when you met Steven Westcott?" Megan asked.
"Eleven ma'am." He said, Megan nodded.
"Can you explain the circumstances of your meeting?" She asked.
"I was in the local library to write a book report, he offered to help me." He answered.
"Did Steven want you to pay him for this tutoring?" Megan asked.
"No, he said that as long as we were friend I didn't have to pay him." Peter said.
"Do you think this aided in gaining your trust?" Megan asked, staring Peter in the eyes.
"Yes, my guardians were struggling for income, and him not wanting me to pay him for help made me trust him, and feel safe with him." Peter said, looking down into his hands as he spoke.
"Can you tell who your guardians at the time were?" She asked, walking closer.
"Benjamin Peker and May Parker." Peter said.
"Can you explain to the court why you were placed in their care and why you are no longer in their care?" She asked.
"My parents, Mary and Richard Parker died in a plane crash when I was five. My uncle was shot in a robbery when I was thirteen, and my aunt May died of a heart attack when I was sixteen." Peter said.
"I call evidence lot 322 A t the stand." Megan said, she paused to look at Peter, who nodded, "The series of photos are some of over eighty photographs, the jury has been provided with a copy of each photograph. They are polaroids that are dated, timed, and have a written description of the events happening in them, written by one Steven Westcott." Megan turned away from the jury to click the projector on. She slides the physical copies of the shown polaroids to Peter who picked them up.
Staring back at himself was twelve year old Peter Parker. Some of them he was naked, some of them he was half-clothed, or in ripped clothing.
"Could you please identify the person on these photos?" Megan asked, Peter nodded.
"It's me. In the photos." He said quietly.
"Can you tell the court how these photos make you feel?" Megan asked gently.
"Scared, sad, angry, weak, dirty, ashamed," Peter said, taking a long pause between each word. Megan nodded, standing right in front of the podium.
"How do you know it's you?" Megan asked, Peter pushed forward one of the photos, she clicked so the photo was showing on the screen. He was on his back in the photo, naked from the waist down, covered in Skip's semen.
"Because I have the same scar on my leg, I got it when I was eight on, a fishing trip with my uncle Ben." Peter said quietly. Megan nodded.
"I now call Evidence 322 B to the stand," Megan said, the screen flickered and it showed Peter in his boxers int eh police station for evidence gathering.
"Can you please explain what is happening in the photograph?" Megan asked, Peter nodded.
"That's me at the police station. When I told the officers it was me in the photos they needed to get more evidence, so they took photos of the scar on my leg that matched the polaroids." Peter said looking down at his lap. Megan clicked the remote again, showing the two photos side by side.
"Although the scar is slightly lighter it is the same scar, placement and texture-wise. If more evidence is required we have more. However, Peter has prepared a written statement." Megan said, she lead him back to his podium where he was previously sat, he cleared his throat before stepping up to the microphone.
"When I met Steven Wescott, or Skip as he had me call him, he was kind, trustworthy, caring and compassionate. He made me feel grown-up and safe, when someone asked me who my best friend was I would say Skip. In retrospect, a child calling an adult their best friend was suspect because that's all I was. A child. I cried when I failed a test, I did stupid things to impress girls, I still built Lego, I still called spending the night with my bet friends sleep overs, I still couldn't stay more than two nights away from home. My voice hadn't dropped, I hadn't had my first kiss, I hadn't graduated middle school, but Steven Westcott took everything from me.
"He took restful nights sleep from me, he took intimacy away from me, he took feeling the comforting squeeze of someone hugging me away. He took my first kiss, he took my virginity, he took my innocence, he took my child-like wonder away, he took unreasoned happiness away from me. He took my childhood from me, because he forced me to grow up, he forced me to do things no child should." Peter could feel the tears streaming down his face, he ignored them, he needed to, he needed to get this out. He took a deep breath, blinking away the blurriness.
"The first day we met he helped me with my book report, I even got an A+. Soon he was helping me with my maths homework, my science homework, my English essays, and then he was helping me with every signal test and assignment. I revered him, he was smart, he helped me, and he made me feel successful. Then he offered to babysit me for free. I was a troublesome kid, always getting into things I shouldn't and hurting myself in ways that didn't make sense. My aunt and uncle jumped at the chance of someone looking after me without wanted to be paid.
"I was twelve when he started babysitting me, he was still the same Skip. He let me stay up late and eat ice cream while watching cartoons, he let me go on the computer and play video games, he didn't make my shower before bed like all my other baby sitters. So I trusted him when he said I should take my clothes off whenever he came over. He called it a game, I would take my clothes off when my aunt and uncle left and I'd hide from him until he found me, and then I would rush to put my clothes on before May and Ben came back home. I had to not get caught, it was all part of a game.
"That's when he started taking the photos, he called them trophies, and he said he'd keep them safe. Then the game started getting more complex, with strange rules and rewards. The first rule was that I always had to sit on his lap, the second that I couldn't tell anyone about the game, and the third that I had to let him touch me however he wanted. It was innocent at first, petting my hair, holding my hands, but then I didn't like it anymore. He started hurting me when I didn't follow the rules, pulling my hair, hitting me, slapping me, pinching me. I told him that what he was doing hurt, and that I didn't like it." Peter sniffed, wiping his nose.
"He said that I would like it and that if I didn't let him do it he would hurt me. At first, he made me pleasure him, his my hands, and my mouth. But then he started touching me, penetrating me with his fingers, kissing and licking me, leaving marks everywhere. And then one night I kicked him in the crotch to get away from him, and he finally used his penis to penetrate me. It hurt so much that I couldn't walk the next day, he just told my aunt and uncle that I fell down the stairs and hurt my bum, and they believed him. He only took photos whenever he ejaculated, but sometimes he would do things to me for hours without stopping or finishing.
"He only stopped when my voice dropped when I was thirteen. He said he didn't have time to help me with school or babysit me. By then I was old enough that my aunt and uncle trusted me alone at home, I begged them to never let anyone babysit me again. It wasn't until I was taking sex ed in high school that what I found out what he was doing was wrong. I decided to keep it to myself, telling myself that I could handle it and that I would be ok." Peter paused to wipe his face again.
"But I wasn't ok then and I'm not ok now. I wake up from nightmares screaming and crying and my family don't understand because I couldn't tell them. They are sitting in the stands hearing me talk about this, and they never knew a thing. I can't forget the way his rough hands felt on my skin, or the heat of his breath on my neck, or the sound of his voice and his laugh. I can't do things like normal kids my age can, I developed separation anxiety because of the trauma. I can't go a few hours without being with my parents, and I panic when I can't find them. I'm nineteen and I feel like a toddler. I suffered because of his pleasure.
"There is not a moment where I don't wish I had never gone to the library for that book report, and just stayed home and taken the failing grade. If one thing had been different maybe I wouldn't be here. But I want you to know Skip, that you didn't break me, I'm getting better, I can hug people now, I can hold hands with who I want, I can remember without having a flashback. Because you don't own me, you never did, and you never will." With that Peter folded his papers and stepped off of the podium, the judge nodded in his direction.
"The jury will now deliberate, a recess is granted." The judge said, Peter collapsed into his chair, holding his head in his hands. The papers were crumpling in his hands, Megan was rubbing his back, handing him a tissue. He took it, wiping his face clean, straightening his tie and shirt. Peter curled his hand into a fist around the tissue, pressing his knuckles into his eyes.
"You did good Peter. He'll be put away for a long time." She said gently, Peter nodded, wiping away the tears again, "Your family is looking this way, do you want to talk to them?" Peter looked up at her, shaking his head no.
"Okay, I'm going to go talk to your mum and dad. Are you ok here by yourself?" She asked gently, Peter nodded, putting his face back in his hands. Megan nodded and stood up, walking away. Peter was finally left alone to his thoughts, the ugly smile Skip had on his face while Peter was questioned and when he read out his statement was haunting him. He wanted nothing more than to punch it off his face. He had changed, he was older now, Skip had gotten quite a few facial scars. Peter had changed to, he didn't have glasses anymore, he was stronger and taller.
When someone sat next to him he jumped, his head shooting up to look at them. It was just Bucky, Peter looked away from him. All the feelings of fear, shame and anger coming crashing down on him.
"I know Megan said that you didn't want to talk to us, but we wanted to let you know that we still love you, no matter what. You don't have to be ashamed or scared anymore, because we will be here with you for the rest of your life." Bucky said, he stood up, making the chair creak, Peter looked up at him, watching him go. When Megan sat back down he straightened his back.
"Order in the court!" The judge shouted, everyone sat back in their places, Peter watched anxiously at the Jury member stood up in front of the microphone.
"The Jury finds Steven Westcott Guilty of over 90 accounts of sexual assault and our 60 accounts of rape and sexual abuse. Over 80 counts of child pornography. Mr Steven Wescott is sentenced to three lifetimes in prison, with no chance of Parol or bail. Thank you." They said, Peter's face broke into a wide smile, tears slipping out of his eyes again, the court started clapping, giving a standing ovation. Peter stood up shakily, watching as Skip was led off in chains. Megan crushed him in a hug, which he quickly returned.
"Thank you." He whispered into her shoulder, crying freely.
"It was my pleasure, Peter." SHe said, she was crying too, they'd worked hard on this case, and it all paid off. Peter turned, his eyes quickly found his parents. The room quickly cleared, multiple people, offering him congratulations and personal stories. Megan gave him a pat on the back and soft smile. Peter turned to his family finally, walking shakily toward them. Pepper had been crying, her mascara and foundation running down her neck. They had all been crying, even Tony.
"I'm so proud of you," Tony whispered, surging forward to hug Peter fiercely, who just chuckled into his shoulder, crying harder now.
"I was so scared," Peter said, clutching Tony's blazer.
"You were so brave sweetheart, so so brave," Pepper said, joining the hug.
"I'm so sorry I never told you," Peter whispered. Tony pulled back, fire burning in his eyes as he looked Peter in the eyes.
"Don't you dare apologise! You are the bravest, strongest boy I have ever known, and I feel honoured to call you my son." Tony said, Peter nodded, grinning at him. Pepper reached forward and loosened Peter's tie for him.
"How do you want to celebrate?" She said gently, Peter chuckled wetly.
"Lots of hugs, Star Wars and pyjamas." peter said, Pepper nodded.
"We can make that happen."