Finding Their Way Home

Chapter Twenty-Three

 "I can't believe we lost them!" Tony raged, kicking at the floor. Steve sighed.

"We should've been more careful," Steve said. "We weren't thinking." Tony nodded, crossing his arms like a petulant child. The masked men that had invaded the tower were gone---escaped. While Tony and the rest of the Avengers had rescued Peter and then taken him to get checked up on by Bruce, they slipped out.

"We needed them." Tony huffed. "It would've been nice to know what they did."

"Don't worry, Tones," Clint said. "We'll get them next time."

Tony fixed him with a determined glare. "Bold of you to assume there's going to be a next time." he said. Clint just let out a laugh.

"Do we know how they managed to get into the tower?" Steve asked, looking angry as he thought about what could've happened.

"They hacked FRIDAY." Tony said, his face screwed up in disgust. It was bad enough that the people who had hurt his son once came back to hurt him again, they also hurt FRIDAY---his virtual daughter. "I fixed it, though. It can never happen again."

Steve nodded, leaning back against the couch. "Does that mean Bucky can come out now?" he asked. Tony threw a glare his way. After the attack on the tower, Tony had instantly blamed Bucky---it was just too much of a coincidence that the tower gets attacked right after the Winter Soldier turns good---and locked him in the Hulk Panic room.

Barnes---the little shit---didn't even argue. Steve, on the other hand, did. He had ranted at Tony for hours, and when that proved futile, he moved on to complain to Pepper. Pepper, while sympathetic to Steve's anger, was too preoccupied with comforting Peter to be helpful.

"Not until he's been interrogated." Tony said stubbornly. Steve clenched his jaw.

"He's not a prisoner, Tony." Steve said harshly. Tony sighed.

"Until I know for sure that he didn't have a hand in the attack---"

"He didn't!"

"---I would be more comfortable if he stayed there." Tony continued, looking at Steve pleadingly. He understood that this was hurting his friend but Tony had just gotten Peter back. He couldn't survive it if he lost him again. "I just need to keep my baby safe. Steve, please understand."

Steve's face softened, and though it was obvious he didn't want to, he nodded. "Okay," he said. "But I want to be there with him. I know you're doing what you need to for your son. But I need to do what I need to for Bucky."

Tony nodded, grateful that Steve was being so understanding.

"Speaking of Peter," Natasha cut in. "How's he holding up?"

Tony looked older just thinking about it. "About as well as he could be," Tony said. "The attack messed him up. I think...I think seeing them there made his mental state worse."

"How so?" Steve asked. Tony collapsed into the couch, dragging his hands through his hair as he let out a weary sigh.

"Barnes mentioned that Peter may have been conditioned," Tony started, swallowing back the bile that rose in the back of his throat as he thought about the process of conditioning his son. His fists shook. "And I think he might be right. I think he might remember everything that happened to him."

"Wouldn't he have told us?" Steve asked. Natasha snorted.

"Peter is one of the most independent teenagers I've ever met." she said. "If Peter does remember what happened to him, he wouldn't tell the adults. He'd think he could handle it on his own."