Finding Their Way Home

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Peter stared up at Tony pleadingly, his hazel eyes wide with fear. Tony looked at his son and back at Barnes before he sighed, the rage washing out of his body and in it's place was the dreaded hurt.

"You're right." he said softly, his voice breaking. "He didn't do it."

Tony could see the relief echo in his son's eyes, and he knew he'd made the right choice. He leaned down and pulled Peter into a tight embrace, grateful for the hug he received in return. The tight grip grounded him and Tony forced himself to breathe deeply before he let go.

He then looked back at Barnes who was sitting on the ground, his face destroyed and his eyes empty. He felt a small pang of guilt in the bottom of his stomach but he pushed it down in favor of finding Steve who'd been hurt during the fight.

Steve was standing up, any injury he may have received wasn't obvious, and was looking at Tony with a sickeningly sappy look on his face. Tony fought back the urge to growl. "Don't you dare Capsicle." he hissed.

Steve just laughed. "I always knew you had a heart, Tony Stark."

"Shut up." Tony said before looking back down at Barnes. "What's wrong with him? He was so focused on killing me a second ago."

"His orders have been revoked." Peter said. Tony frowned and looked at his son in confusion.

"What are you talking about?" Tony asked.

"His order was to kill me," Peter said, and Tony felt his entire body stiffen and he didn't stop himself from reaching forward and dragging his son in for a protective hug. "But when you attacked him, his order was put on hold until he defeated you."

"So why is he just sitting there?" Tony asked. "I'm not trying to hurt him anymore. And he's not trying to hurt you anymore so why...?"

"Because the Doctor is gone."

Peter and Tony whipped their heads around simultaneously at Natasha's words. And sure enough, the corner in which the Doctor and Aunt May had been sitting was empty. Tony felt rage flow through him once more, this time for a completely different reason.

That man---Dr. Zemo---had kidnapped his son, his baby boy, when he was a toddler. This man had ordered Barnes to kill his parents. This man had tortured his son and was the single reason why Tony and his entire family suffered for twelve years.

"I'm going after him." Tony growled.

"Me too." Peter said, stepping forward. Tony frowned and looked back at his son, his eyes racking his body up and down for injuries.

Peter was standing stiffly, favoring his right side. The stark blue finger-prints on his throat attested to his hoarse voice, but his wheezing breath was definitely due to the broken ribs he clearly had. His arm was bent at an awkward position and it made Tony's jaw clench as he thought about how high his pain tolerance must be to stand up and act like nothing is wrong with him.

(He was going to be mother-henned so hard when they got home.)

"No." Tony said firmly. "You're not coming."

Peer's jaw dropped and Tony braced himself for the explosion that was inevitably coming. "What do you mean 'I'm not coming'?!" he cried. "That's my aunt! He was my Doctor! It's my fight!"

"And you've already fought it!" Tony yelled. "You snuck out without telling anyone where you were going, putting yourself in so much danger! You would've died if we hadn't shown up!" And that was the most terrifying part.

Tony's traitorous mind instantly brought up the image of Peter being strangled to death by the Winter Soldier. He had looked so small and defenseless and it instantly made Tony's protective instincts spike. He couldn't risk losing Peter. Not after he finally got him back.