.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

[WORD COUNT: 3400!]
Please read rant at the end of chapter! 💞

'Your stronger than you even know'
— Sam Tinnesz

Hours had passed and Peter had done nothing to contribute to the ongoing scenario playing out in front of him. He'd spent the past exactly five hours and thirty-seven minutes with his head in his hands, eyes locked on the table in front of him with his ass plastered in one the seats and had barely moved. He didn't know whether his body was in shock or just purely starting to give out on him, and Tony could see it playing right before his eyes.

The room had remained quiet, and after Tony slowly watched Peter crumble he moved the conversation and ongoing debate elsewhere for the teen to clear his mind, not that that's what Peter was even remotely thinking about. His mind was full to the top, chest clogged with anxiety just thinking about you. Coming to think of it you were all he ever thought about these days.

Peter didn't even move his vision when the door opened, heck he barely heard it. But somewhere in his subconscious mind, he knew he was no longer alone in the room. Of course, it was Tony coming to check in on his recruit, who had become more or less part of the furniture over the past few months, slowly breaching a year. As much as he was baffled, his demeanour and ego always deteriorated when it came to Peter. There was just something about that face that brought out the softness in Tony, no matter the situation. This girl, you, whoever you were, clearly meant something to Peter, so much it was driving him crazy.

"Kid," Tony coughed, voice rumbling through the quiet room. Peter finally looked up, hands snatching away from his face and placing them down on the table, "you alright?"

"What? Oh, uh, yeah... M' f-fine"

"It's getting late, Happy can drive you home-"

"No, no, please I'd rather stay here" Peter was quick to subside the suggestion, being at home with May right now was one of the last places he wanted to be. He'd already dropped her a message before leaving her on silent, as he knew he'd only be swarmed with calls and messages from her, but he'd told her where she was and only prayed she'd sleep peacefully.

"There isn't a lot we can do whether you're here or not, you know that right?" Tony tilted his brow lightly, folding his arms as he perched himself on the corner of the table, leg swinging gently as he stared down at the teenager, "C' mon, I'm sure May would want you home safe, too"

"Jee, you really that desperate to get rid of me?" Peter smiled lightly, bringing some of the worries off of Tony's chest.

"You know that's not what I meant" Tony sighed, unfolding his arms and placing one hand down on the table, "you think you're ready to talk yet?"

Peter took a deep breath before nodding. He knew, somewhere, as much as it was going to hurt and confuse him trying to recall and recite everything bad that had happened over the past couple days, it could maybe push this investigation on and get you out from wherever you were being kept hidden. Tony nodded, moving off of the table and pulling up one of the chairs at the side of Peter, slowly sinking down as he looked at the teen. Peter was much paler than he usually was, and the glow in his eye had died a little. That and adding to the fact he was able to sit still for once, usually, he was bounding out of his seat like he'd tripped and fallen on an adrenaline needle.

"It started a couple of days ago when I was outgoing to get some stuff for Y/N-"

"That's her name, right?"

"Y-yeah, uh, anyway, I was outgoing to get some stuff for her because she... Had an... Accident at home-"

"All your video files get sent to me kid, I know what happened"

"Oh my god please tell me you're kidding"

"No, proceed"

Peter swallowed, trying to calm the blushing in his cheeks as the embarrassment almost killed him, "Wh-well anyways, something happened with my suit and I ended up landing on this rooftop right? So, I was just gonna swing off when I heard Ned, of all people, and it was like really early in the morning so he was the last person I was expecting to be in an alleyway of all places? So, I went down and snooped around and saw him talking to Kyle"

"The kid who's got Y/N?" Tony gestured over to the holographic screen.

"Y-yeah, yeah him, so that made me even more confused. I tried to listen in and got so much as something to do with serum? A-and the Osborn company" Tony's eyes fluttered a little, turning his head away from the teenager, "after then I just left because I almost got caught"

"Did you say Osborn as in Norman Osborn?"

"Well, I don't really know any other Osborn's if I'm perfectly honest, Mr Stark... But isn't Norman, like... Dead?" Peter sighed, watching as his mentor's eyes faltered, hand approaching his chin before rubbing his face harshly, "Is everything okay, sir?"

"Yeah, uh... Yeah, yeah just-" Tony stood up, the chair legs screeching across the flooring harshly, "have you told anyone else about this?"

"N-no" Peter shook his head, confusion filling his chest as he watched Tony begin to jitter, mumbling incoherent words to himself as he paced around the room.

"What did it look like? The serum?"

Peter thought back to the morning, trying to re-picture the scenario in his head, "D-uh, it was green, I think? In a black sort of hand luggage case thingy-"

"Shit" Tony groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose tightly.

"Mr Stark can you please explain to me what's going on, why are you so stressed?" Peter raised his voice, standing up knocking the chair back slightly. Tony closed his eyes as he took a deep breath, teeth gnawing into his bottom lip.

"If that thing is what I think it is then Y/N has seriously got it coming"

"What the heck is that supposed to mean?!"

"The serum, i-i-i-it's like an injection, right? Y-you take it and it wipes your memory completely. If Kyle or whoever has Y/N uses that thing on her she'll forget her entire existence" Tony waved his arms around frantically, eyes averting down to the floor.

"How do you know?"

"Because I helped create it!" Tony yelled, arms outstretching. Peter's jaw fell slack lightly, opening his mouth to speak but no words came out, "I was desperate and Norman took insight to my intelligence, said if I helped him he'd give me some workspace while I built up my company. I... I never actually thought he'd go threw with it"

"Well if Norman's dead then how do we know for sure that that's what he's planning on doing?" Peter questioned, desperate to leave some hope in the conversation for everyone's sake.

"Norman wouldn't just give up, he would have handed it down to Harry"

"You know Harry Osborn?"

"Well of course I do, he's my colleague's son" Tony groaned, "smart little bastard, too"

"Then what do you suggest we do? We have to think of something!" Peter was joining in on the raised voice level, the panic beginning to set into his bones as the time ticked away.

"We've got seven hours, we can think of something"

A loud, harsh jolt spurred you awake, mind in a haze as your tired eyes fluttered open. There was a cold ache in your jaw, a sour taste on your tongue and vile thoughts running through your head. Yet finally, there was some light in the darkroom. The moonlight had surpassed from the middle of the room and was now on the wall beside you, just out of your reach.

"Wakey, wakey, sunshine" Harry's voice boomed through the cold room, making your skin shudder and heart drop. It was the same feeling of hearing the same sound as your morning alarm ring, your body going into panic before realising you were already awake and didn't have to get up. You groaned as you tugged on the chains, the wound in your wrist stinging as it connected with the cold, rusty metal.

"Tsk, you've made quite a mess" he tutted, moving your wrist out of the way to get the perfect view of the wall behind you, "now haven't you?"

"For fuck sake, Harry" you groaned, resting your head against the wall as you looked up to his pale face with tired eyes, "give it a rest, would you?"

"No can do, pretty girl, we have a big day and it starts now" he shrugged, pulling a key from his pocket and releasing your wrist from the cuff. Your arm dropped numbly, smacking your side as it dropped with full force. You were too tired to even attempt to get up and run as your other hand met your side, eagerly rubbing the sore marks around your wrists. The blood had trailed all the way down your arm and onto your shirt where your wrists had bled and you were surer than before that your cut was quickly becoming infected from the rusty metal.

"On your feet" you were pulled up harshly and onto your weak legs with Harry's thinning patience and being pulled towards the exit before you could even re-gain your balance.

"So, whatcha' gonna do now? Shove my head in a bucket and make me give a blood offering?" You snarked yet another jigsaw reference, a smirk approaching your lips before Harry jolted you harshly, almost knocking you over.

"Pipe down" he ordered. You rolled your eyes in response, not quite finished yet, "So, you and Kyle, huh? What are you like Batman and Robin now?"

Harry remained quiet as he turned a corner, "oh no wait, they're heroes" you chuckled, "how silly of me-"

"I said shut up!" Harry yelled, using the arm he had grasped to push against your own neck as he pinned you up against the closest wall. Your breath hitched in your throat as you caught sight of his eyes in the dim lighting. They were much darker than before, the lilac green turning a dirty shade and there was no more emotion than anger flashing across them.

"You know you sure as hell make me wonder what the fuck puberty did to you" you swallowed, edging on your tiptoes as he pushed you're further up against the wall, "you're acting like some kind of psychopath, you know that right? And for what? I'm not here because of Peter" your voice quivered as you felt the walls of your throat closing in, the skin of your wrist-twisting as he tightened his grip, "you n' Pete have been friends for years, if it was about Peter he'd be the one up against the wall"

"You're too smart for your own good"

"I'm not smart I'm just stating facts out of confusion and curiosity, I wanna know why I'm really here. I get it with Kyle because fuck did we go upside down, but you... Why you?"

"Okay fine, this has nothing to do with you in the foreground," Harry sighed, releasing the pressure only slightly enough for you to re-gain a correct breathing pattern at the least, "it's complicated and you wouldn't understand but all you need to know is that if I can't have Tony Stark as my starter then I'll have you instead. This has everything and nothing to do with yourself and Peter, I'm here for the main course so once I get it you can go, leave and never speak to me again if that's what you want. But I'll sacrifice everything and anything to get to what I want right now"

"And let me guess that's the billionaire who helped you through the majority of your adolescence after your father was killed, funded most of your college fees and even offered you a place to stay when you were evicted out of your own home. That guy?" you sighed, squeezing your jaw together tightly.

"Like I said, you wouldn't understand" he finished, and before you could get another word in you were back walking down the hallway, a gentle cough leaving your lips.

The walk wasn't long enough and soon you were being brought through two main doors which lead to what looked like an evil masterminds lab. The room was filled with other men working, non of which you recognised accept the Osborn logo on their lab jackets or shirts. You allowed your eyes to wander around the room before you were taken up some steps and towards a viewing balcony. Your eyes fell to the ground floor where a large machine sat, one of which you oddly recognised. You'd never seen the real thing, but you'd seen the odd blueprint, the name still unknown but the figure rang a bell.

The contraption was large, a chain hanging down from the centre which was connected to a yellow building crane. The body of the crane was connected to a track that led down towards the main doors which touched the floor to the ceiling, and you presumed they would lead out over the city.

"Lemme guess, I'm going in that thing?" you pointed down towards the ground floor where the machine sat.

"Too right you are Miss Leeds," Harry said calmly, gesturing over a man from the side. Your hands were brought behind your back before being cuffed, nothing out of the ordinary to say the situation you were in. Harry gestured for you to walk in front of him which you did with great ease, the panic releasing from your chest. This was all a little too cliche for your liking, so much you found it almost comical that such a thing was happening.

You hopped up onto the platform and gladly stood yourself next to the chain with a smile on your face. Harry had to admit, he would have preferred it if you were screaming and making this a little more easy for him, but the fact that you had no idea what was coming gave him a little hope. You ducked under the chain as he lifted it for you, moving your arms as he wrapped it around your waist. It was like being bolted down into your seat on a rollercoaster.

"Tighter, I might be able to break out of that" you gestured down to the chains around your arms. Harry gave you a stern look before tightening the chains with a jolt, making you stumble in your step, "much better, thank you" you nodded.

You stood and waisted patiently, a yawn leaving your lips as your feet were bolted together along with a handful of bricks being strung onto each ankle, your arms being tied tighter behind your back and the chains flowing from your waist up to your shoulders.

"If your planning on dropping me somewhere, those bricks might not be heavy enough. Try a bomb next time" you smiled, nodding your head sarcastically. The irritation was only growing in Harry as everything he had done so far wasn't even making you budge, you were fearless. He was pretty sure he could throw a butcher knife at you and you'd shrug.

"I get the feeling this is all a little amusing to you, Y/N?" Harry folded his arms, gesturing a man in the courtyard over to you. You looked back, seeing the hunched man carrying a wash rag, gently lifting your arm and washing away the bloodstains.

"I wouldn't say amusing, but it's definitely keeping me occupied. I didn't exactly have anything planned for this weekend so I guess being captured and being made the damsel in distress was a perfect way to kill time" you smiled sweetly, slightly tilting your head at Harry's clear frustration. He shook his head, pinching his nose tightly.

"Alright, if you're so smart what do you concoct will happen within the next few hours?" Harry questioned, rubbing his eyes harshly.

"Well in a few hours I'll be taken down there," you gestured with your head down to the main doors, "where I'll be held over some part of the city and be made to scream for help and then when the time comes you'll make the great attempt to either kill me or Peter. Seriously, did you pull this out of a comic book?" you deadpanned. Harry's eyes lifted and to your surpirise, he smiled.

"Is that all, miss?" he smirked, dropping his hands down into his pockets and taking a slow step towards you.

"If you'd like me to go further into the insight of which one of us I think will be killed in this situation and the future on from those options you could have just said"

Harry shook his head as he rolled his eyes, pulling a roll of tape from his pocket. You watched as he unravelled the sticky strip and tore off a piece before shoving it onto your lips, sealing them shut.

"I don't think that will be necessary, now if you get tired you'll be hanging here for the next," he looked down to check his watch, "several hours so just drop your feet and you'll swing there for a while. Just, try not to get the chain wrapped around your neck, wouldn't want you dead before the show's even started" he smirked, before pushing the roll of tape into his pocket and turning his back to face you. "Back to work!"

Your heart thundered in your chest as you watched him walk away. No matter how confident you were on the outside, it was taking a lot longer than you predicted to shadow on the inside. Back in the room, you had more confidence that this was going to blow over pretty quick, but now that things were actually happening you couldn't be so sure. Your head turned to look down the track towards the steal doorways, praying silently that where-ever the crane would take you, Peter would be underneath it with his arms open ready to catch you when you fell.

Because you knew sure as hell you'd be falling out of those chains as soon as you were hovering.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

Aah thank you so much for reading!

OKAY, rant time!

So, as you all may know something pretty serious has happened recently with the whole Spider-Man role in the MCU. I have already had a rant about this on my conversation page so I won't bore you with me repeating the same words. Although me saying that now I will probably find a way to mention it again.

Above all, just because Spidey is leaving the MCU doesn't mean that Sony call also take away our stories! Spidey, for me, will always remain in the MCU. The relationship he built with Happy and Tony didn't just mean nothing and I refuse to push it away. I did not shed tears of sadness when they were reunited on the battlefield for it to all just have been a lie, I did not pout when Happy and Peter were reunited in the Netherlands and I refuse to believe I cried for nothing when Tony made Peter an Avenger. Moments like these cannot just be pushed away because some company fell out over an agreement.

It's all about money and it sure is a shame. I feel for Tom because he is already showing signs of how upset he is and my heart aches to even think about how he must be feeling. He didn't praise over this character for nineteen years of his life for it to just be taken away from him because some people had an argument. They are crushing a mans hopes and dreams because they cannot come to side with each-other. If that isn't selfish, I am not sure what is.

We stand by you Tom, each and every one of us.

We will not let you do down without a fight.