Helpless

3: Blood, Heat And Tears

A/N: 100 reads? i don't deserve this, thank you :)
Sorry, I uploaded this to the other three sites hours and hours ago but wattpad wasn't working so it's a bit late, my bad! Anyway...

Water.

Is he drowning?

Wait, never mind, he can breathe again.

Tony blinks away his fatigue and opens his eyes to see Peter doing a similar thing, both of them now awake and drenched.

"Oh, hey, Scowl, I'm awake this time..." Peter mumbles, "So awake. I've never been more entranced by a guy in gear..."

Scowl raises an eyebrow and glances between them before just accepting it. "I see."

"How about some small talk? How's the weather? Maybe let us know which city we're in?" Tony adds, ignoring the dull ache in his arm. "How are things at home? Are the kids well?"

Scowl smiles at that. "The kids might be alright but the parents-" he walks towards Tony and cracks his knuckles- "well, the parents better watch their backs."

"Are you referring to me? I can't even feel my back, never mind watch it. And who exactly have I given birth to then? My assistant didn't inform me of my apparent pregnancy, should I fire her? Or perhaps reconsider my understanding of biology?"

He's rambling, he knows he is. If they ever get out of here, he'll never be able to scold Peter for spewing out words at ninety miles per hour again without being called a hypocrite.

"Are you telling me that he-" Scowl points to Peter- "isn't your kid?"

Tony inhales sharply, then glances at Peter. But Peter is suddenly very interested in his nails, avoiding any chance of eye contact, so Tony says nothing, slowly nodding his head a little and hoping it won't land them in even more trouble.

Scowl shrugs. "Very well then. Let the game begin."

"Hold on, what is this game?" Tony asks, "Don't you have to tell us the rules and stuff?"

"Not if he's not your kid," Scowl replies with a sly smirk.

He's torn. He knows that admitting he cares for his son- his intern, admitting he cared for his intern means they can use that against them even more but he doesn't want to throw them into any kind of game with nothing. He's so torn that he says nothing, even when Peter's head snaps up, clearly sensing something Tony can't.

And then Tony smells it: heat.

"What are you doing? Are you burning something?" Tony asks instantly, straining to try and see.

"Oh, don't you worry about it," Scowl says as he re-emerges from the shadows he's walked into while Tony was mentally arguing with himself.

"What's the aim?" Peter asks, his voice a little rough. Scowl turns to him and must whisper something because Peter nods, adding, "He's just my boss."

"Yeah, exactly, what are we playing for?" Tony asks, unable to figure out why that comment had hurt him so much when coming from Peter's mouth.

Scowl sighs and gestures to the shadows, from which a new man appears, wearing a name-tag of all things. Conner - which is his name according to the piece of plastic stuck to his lab coat - stands beside Peter and rests an arm on his elbow. "Food."

Just at the mention, Peter's stomach rumbles and Tony can feel the pull of hunger in his own mind. For him, it's not even a choice, he'd give the food to Peter in a heartbeat because his increased metabolism means he genuinely needs it more to survive.