Mutant Child

10

Tony hated this.

Tony hated the fact that Peter has been silent for over a minute. Now, it has been an hour, and Pete hasn't talked. Peter just watched tv and drawled. Tony has tried to talk to him, but all he got was silence. The boy responded with nothing but a huff of air.

Tony don't know what he did, or even if it's because of him.

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The next morning, breakfast was silent.  All you could hear was people breathing in the air. It was that quiet. "So..." Tony said awkwardly. "Did you have a good nights rest?". No response. "Mmm" Tony hummed. "You okay?".

Peter kept his eyes down and poked his food. "Did I do something?" Tony asked in confusion. Peter gripped his fork more harshly. He kept his eyes on his pancakes  and was to focused on his food, that he didn't know his whole hand was turning red from the pressure and pain. "PETER" he heard Tony yell as the man wrapped his hand, which had the fork, with a paper towel.

The five-year-old looked up at the older man. "Peter, what were you thinking?" Tony asked as he analyzed the tiny hand.

Peter's eyes were glued to the old man sending shivers down Tony's spine. "Kid..." he softly said as he bent down to the kid's sight line. "What's wrong? Your killing me with this silence. Did I do something? If I did, I'm so sorry. But making yourself...bleed...even just a little isn't the way to go...besides I don't want to see you hurt. What's wrong...please tell me."

Peter's eyes drifted to the ground in sadness, anger, and fear. He then mumbled something very quiet. "W-What?" Tony asked.

"I wanted to bleed..." Peter's eyes drifted back to the man in front of him. "...Cause maybe it may fail your experiment...by losing blood..."

Experiment? Did he...Did he actually think Tony Stark was going to experiment on him?

"W-What? Experiment? K-kid, I would never, ever do such a thing" Tony said.

"That's what they all say," Peter said angrily.

"Well, I'm speaking honestly. I would never try or even think of experimenting on you" Tony added.

"Yeah," Peter said sarcastically. "Sure."

Silence re-entered the room. Soon, though, Tony broke the silence. "Who? Who told you I'd even think about experimenting a young kid?" Tony asked. No response. Just a shrug was what he got.

"...Why would you think I would ever do such a thing?" Tony asked.

Still no response. That's when it hit Tony in the head. "Did...Did that teacher of yours tell you that I was going to...experiment on you?" Tony asked. That's when he got more movement than just a shrug of a shoulder. Peter's head shot up from the mention of his teacher. "That's...that's none of your business" Peter whispered.

Usually, Tony would get mad if someone said it's none of his business, but he allowed it from a kid. Well, this specific kid. "Unbelievable" Tony mumbled madly. That teacher actually tried to make Peter hate him. Such a kiddish way to do things.

"Whatever your teacher told you, she's lying. She's frickin lying" Tony said.

"She was always right before..." Peter said.

"What?"

"Every babysitter I had tried to experiment me, but I figured it out cause Mrs.Donlley told me...she saved my life...she was right then, she's probably right now," Peter said.

"Oh...oh...kid, I would never...I never thought of experimenting you. Did I do any of the 'obstacles' your other babysitter do?" Tony asked.

"Well...no," Peter said. "But why would Mrs.Donlley lye?".

"She as hates me since day one, kid. I don't know why, and I honestly don't care. Though, she messed with you...I'm going to have a little chat with her" Tony said.

"So...your not going to experiment on me?" Peter asked.

"No, dear god, no," Tony said.

"Promise?" Peter said holding out his tiny pinky.

Tony smiled softly. "Promise."