I'm smiling next to you - A Marvel Fic

0 - Nobody's putting up a fight

A/N; Chapter title from Hells Bells by AC/DC.

2004

"...and it is said that Tony Stark, owner of Stark Industries, has adopted a young boy from Queens. He and his CEO, Pepper Potts, were spotted at an orphanage two days ago, walking out with a boy in between them. Who is this mysterious kid? Could it all just be a stunt for publicity? Find out after the break."

Peter watched as his new father raised a remote control and shut down the TV. He was sitting on the couch next to him, his hands in his lap. He hadn't said anything for the last two days except for the occasional 'thank you's when he was handed his food or something. At just six years old the boy had lost four parents already, and no one could blame him on being a bit cautious with his new one.

He was old enough to understand that yes, this man had adopted him and could potentially give him a forever home, but he was too young to understand that the possibility for a forever home with Tony made him a target for every enemy that were out to get the billionaire. Might be good he was too young to understand that.

The man scooted over to where Peter was sitting, carefully putting a hand on the younger's shoulder. The boy couldn't help but lean into the touch.

Tony smiled softly. "Hey kiddo. I don't know if I'm going to be the best parent for you. And I don't know if this will all work out. I'm willing to give this all a shot, but only if you want to too." After a moment of hesitation, he added "Do you?"

The little boy mumbled something akin to "yeah" and leaned further against Tony. It caused the smile to widen on the man's face. Maybe Pepper was right about her idea after all.

2006

His heart beat a million miles an hour as he saw his son displayed on the video recording. The kid looked beaten, marks all over his face and body that weren't supposed to be there. It made the blood in Tony's veins boil with rage.

This couldn't be happening, he thought as he pulled at his hair and desperately tried to breathe. Peter was just a kid, only eight years old, he shouldn't go through anything like this. The worse thing was, the kid got into that situation because of him.

A sob escaped his lips as he fell onto his knees on the ground. He should have just left Peter in that orphanage, where he would have had a rough but safe life, away from him and all his enemies. He should have left the kid there to go on with his life, just like he had done all those years before.

More sobs racked through his body. It was all his fault, for getting attached. For (dare he say it) loving this little boy that had come into his life.

He didn't know how much time passed whilst he sat there, crying his heart out for his son that was somewhere in great danger, when his AI interrupted his stream of miserable thoughts.

"Sir, you have a new message. It seems to be from the same person who sent you the earlier video."

Tony was already scrambling up. His heart, which had slowed down, started beating again just as feverishly as before. With shaking hands he tapped on the hologram in front of him, opening another video. Then his heart stopped.

It was Peter again, the little boy now laying strapped down on a table instead of in a chair. His wrists as well as his ankles were wounded from the struggling he did against the restraints, and blood coated the steel table. He was screaming like crazy, his screams interrupted by sobs before he started again.

The video went on for another twenty minutes, in which Peter just lay there, screaming his lungs out. Tony watched through all twenty of those minutes, his own lungs having seemingly forgotten how to work.

Then the man did the only thing his mind thought was possible at the moment. He screamed.