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If Peter were a human, he would have gotten a fair arrest, a fair trial, and a chance. But if there was one thing he knew about this entire situation, it was that he wasn't a human.
Not since he was grabbed off the street by a group of government agents and then thrown into a van full.
And bless the New Yorkers...when he started to swing, they cheered for him. They urged him to run and never turn back. They knew him, and wouldn't fall for a story just because they saw it on the news. They were smarter than that and they all trusted Spider-Man.
Spider-Man was the guy helping their elderly across the street. Spider-Man was the guy bringing lost kids back to their parents. Spider-Man was the guy protecting their bodegas from criminals.
They knew him.
Spider-Man wasn't the guy that would intentionally murder thousands of innocent people. He wouldn't even kill guilty people.
Except, the agents didn't care. He was swinging from one building to the next when he was struck with an electrode that sent too much voltage through his body.
He fell from the sky, muscles tight and rigid as the electricity coursed through him. He was tackled and restrained before he even had the chance to move a single limb. He heard people yelling and they tried to fight them, but they were no match. They weren’t going to be able to get Peter out of here. Peter couldn’t even get himself out of it.
They kept tasering him when they wanted to move him because it paralyzed him for a few moments. Peter would have just stayed still at this point to avoid the pain, but once they were in a prison that Peter knew was The Raft, he knew he was in trouble.
Before, years ago, Tony had warned him to stay away from General Ross. But now General Ross was standing right in front of him with a smug smirk on his face. And Tony wasn’t there to save him. Not since he snapped months ago.
“Welcome,” Ross said as two guards dragged Peter towards him.
He was still struggling to get control over his body again after they spent the last half hour tasering him every time he so much as blinked to get him changed into a teal jumpsuit, a straight jacket, and a collar. He learned immediately that the collar shocked his body just like their huge prod did.
“I didn’t do anything wrong!” Peter said, his words sounding slurred.
“Oh, really? We have proof that says otherwise.”
“I deserve a trial and court! And-- a phone call!” Peter insisted. If he could call Happy then he could get out of this. Happy could help him.
“Yes, humans do deserve all of that, but because you’re not human, we don’t have to give you any of that.” Ross’ grin was sickeningly wide.
“What? I am--.”
“You’re a mutant. Mutants are things not humans.” Ross lifted his nose up at him snidely. “You’re dangerous and that’s why we’re keeping you here to complete your sentence.”
Peter’s heart was racing. He didn’t do anything! He didn’t even get a chance to defend himself. “This isn’t fair!”
“Too bad Stark isn’t here to come rescue you, huh?” Ross chuckled and Peter snapped his mouth shut. Tony was a sore spot for Peter, especially these past few days. One mention of his name and he was a sobbing mess. “Bring him to maximum security solitary.”
Peter’s eyes were burning. He wasn’t above begging if that’s what would save him. “No, no, no. Please, sir. Please just let me explain. Please.”
“Sir. I like that. You’re much more respectful than Stark. When I come to pick you up in a few days, you beg just like that, and I’ll let you out to a normal cell.” He waved his hands at the guards. “Until then, have fun.”
“No!” Peter screamed. “Please don’t!” Solitary scared him. Peter wasn’t good at being alone. Especially with his thoughts and in a place like this.
“Boys, make him behave please.”
Then he was shocked and it lasted so long, Peter’s vision went black and his ears were ringing too loudly to hear a thing. When he was able to see and hear around him again, he was in a dark hallway with only a few dim lights on the ceilings. He couldn’t move as they dragged him between them.
They stopped by a latch on the ground, and lifted it up. He wasn’t even being put in a cell, this was just a hole in the ground. Peter mustered all of his strength to beg, “N-No. Please, no!”
They only laughed. “See you later, freak.” And then they tossed Peter in and he couldn’t do anything with that straight jacket on to stop his fall.
Peter watched as the latch above him closed, leaving him in complete darkness.
That was weeks ago. Peter couldn’t really keep track, but it felt like weeks ago. Right? The only thing that didn’t add up was how he hadn’t starved to death or died of dehydration yet. Maybe his powers were doing something to keep him alive?
He missed people. He missed conversation. He missed touch. His body was cramping up from being kept in one position, especially because there was not much room to move around in his little cell anyway.
He would be shocked here and there, for no reason. Maybe the guards were bored somewhere and just kept hitting the button or maybe it was set to go off automatically.
To keep himself from going crazy, he talked. Which, actually, some people might think qualified him as crazy, but he needed something.
“I don’t want to talk to him,” he told Fake Happy, who was sitting next to him. Peter could only just barely see him because of the night vision he had.
“He wants to talk to you, kid.”
“Well, I don’t,” Peter said, petulantly. “I don’t want to talk to him ever again.”
“You can’t ignore him forever.”
“I can.” Fake-Happy sighed, and when Peter glanced back over to where he was sitting, the room was empty.
“Baby, you’re crying…” Fake May said, but she didn’t brush away any of his tears like Real May would.
“I want to get out of here.” He was hungry, thirsty, lonely, in pain...he just wanted to leave. Even sitting in a cell for the rest of his life would be better than this.
"You know you can’t get out of here, baby,” Fake May’s voice was soft even if her words weren’t.
“But--.”
“Just sleep, baby. It’ll be okay if you sleep.”
Peter did, and when he woke up, Fake Tony was there. Peter refused to look at him. Fake Tony didn’t say a word, and Peter wondered if it was because Peter didn’t want to talk to him or if he just didn’t remember what his voice sounded like.
He squeezed his eyes shut and if he had any water to spare, he would have cried.
Peter didn’t know how much later it was, but the next time Happy was back...Peter couldn’t remember if he was fake or not. Peter stared at him intently, trying to see if he was fuzzy around the edges, but he couldn’t tell.
“What’re you staring at, kid?” Fake Happy-- Real Happy? No-- if he were Real Happy, he wouldn’t just be sitting there while Peter was strapped and stuck.
“You,” Peter muttered, his voice weak from how dry his mouth was. “Why’re you just sittin’ there?”
“Protecting you. That’s my job.” Happy’s voice was gruff as it always was...it had to be Real Happy. He looked so real…
“Why didn’t you protect me before this?” Peter asked even though he knew that wasn’t fair.
“I’m gonna get you outta here, kid. I promise.”
Peter blinked and then Happy...Fake-Happy was gone. Peter stared at the spot Happy was only moments ago. “I miss you, Happy…”
“Now I know I’m seeing things,” Peter whispered, staring at Fake Ben.
He smiled and it was the same smile Peter grew up with. He missed it so much. “Sure are, squirt.” And that was Ben’s voice, right down to the thick Queens’ accent.
“But...why?”
“Severe dehydration? Possibly going insane by being alone with nothing other than your thoughts?” Fake Ben shrugged his shoulders, leaning his arms on his elbows as he leaned forward.
Peter shook his head. “Why can I remember you but not Mr. Stark?”
“Only you know that...but then again, I am you. Maybe it’s because you can remember him. Maybe you just don’t want to. I remember you were pretty mad at me for the first year I was gone.”
Peter wished he had the strength to look away. “You left.”
“Not on purpose, Pete. You know I would have never left you and May if I had a choice.”
“I miss you.”
“And you miss Tony too.”
“Yeah...I do.”
“It’ll hurt less one day,” Fake Ben said, and Peter knew all too well he was right. “Promise you that.”
“I don’t want you to leave me.”
“I’m always with you, Pete. You know that.” Fake Ben smiled, and then in the next moment he was gone.
“Come back!” Peter yelled at the empty room. His voice cracked painfully and Fake Ben didn’t listen. He screamed again until his throat was raw and he couldn’t even whimper. Most of the screams weren’t even a word. They were just screams.
He screamed until he couldn't even let another breath, except for a wheeze. He would have been crying if he could have.
But then, only minutes after his screaming stopped, the latch opened. It let in a stream of red blaring lights that burned his eyes. So did the alarm that went with it.
Peter couldn't even use his hands to cover his ears or eyes. He couldn't defend himself from the guard that stuck their arms in and pulled him out.
He whined, deep in his throat, and hoped he didn't sound too weak. But the lights and sounds were too much for his heightened senses.
"It's alright, kid. I've got you."
Peter wasn't sure if his ears were betraying him or it was just another hallucination. But it turned out, he did remember Tony's voice. Because that was Tony's voice.
"Kid, shit-- can you walk?"
Peter opened his eyes to look at Tony, but that's when he knew it was a hallucination. Because the voice might have sounded like Tony, but it didn't belong to Tony. Peter was staring at...himself.
Well, not himself as in Peter but himself as in Spider-Man.
"Spider...Man?" Peter croaked, trying to figure out what the hell kind of tricks his mind was playing on him.
"Yeah, bud. I'm saving Spider-Man as Spider-Man." Tony laughed and Peter stared harder. The laugh seemed so real.
"But…"
Then the mask retracted and that was Tony. Peter's eyes widened. "Mr. Stark?"
He looked tired, and half of his face was as scarred as it was the day he heard his heart stop beating. But he was alive and he was right here. "Yeah, it's me, kiddo."
"But…" He had so many questions, but didn't have the strength to ask them.
"I know...how am I alive? Why? I know, lots of questions." Tony tried fixing his hold on Peter, especially since Peter was completely unable to even move with the straight jacket still on.
Peter looked at his suit. Why was Tony Spider-Man?
Tony followed his gaze and said, "Oh, yeah. Sorry. I couldn't come out as Iron Man or else they'll know Iron Man is still alive. I have plenty of your suits I've been working on, and they are one size fits all so…"
"M's'r St'rk…"
"Yeah, bud. Mr. Stark." Tony's eyes softened. He looked over Peter and at the collar and the jacket. "I'm sorry I let it get this far. I shouldn’t...I saw the news and I came running. I knew Ross had you and we're gonna have to go into hiding until we an prove your innocence, but it's going to be okay."
Peter didn't care about any of that. Not when he was still trying to wrap his head around the fact that Tony was still alive.
"How long were you down there?" Tony brushed his hand through Peter's hair. It didn't seem like a question that Tony wanted Peter to answer. "We'll get you out of this and then we'll get you food and a big glass of water."
"Mmmm…" Peter could only let out a delighted moan as Tony carried him towards their hoped escape.
"Heard you yelling and...God, I was so scared." He leaned forward and pressed his lips against Peter’s forehead.
Well. That was new.
Then they heard footsteps come rushing towards them and Tony's mask covered his face again. "Looks like we gotta go, Spidey."
"When we're out of here…" Peter started to ask, but then took a deep breath to steady his voice before continuing.
"What do you want? Anything."
"Think you could do that again?"
Tony's white eyes on the suit blinked. "What? The kiss?"
"Yeah."
"Of course, bud. Of course. You can thank Morgan for softening me up. I'd do anything for my kids. Even break them out of a maximum security prison and hide them in one of my many, many hideouts."
And then he laughed, even as he was running from a prison full of fully equipped government agents.
Peter rested his head against Tony’s shoulder and smiled up at him. All that time in isolation was worth it, just for this moment.
Mr. Stark was alive.