Sam sighed, arms crossed as he stood leaning against the wall in the corridor. Tony, Bruce and Steve were watching Peter through the office window as he texted on the couch, Lego spread around him from his and Sam's session.

"He's doing better. He doesn't feel the need to store up water but he still keeps one drink bottle with him wherever he goes."

Steve saw the bottle sitting right beside Peter on the couch, squished between Peters thigh and the side of the sofa.

Sam continued. "It's progress but he said he still looks for exits and escape routes out of any room he goes in. He doesn't want to be trapped again and I think it's developed fully into claustrophobia."

Tony nodded, tone worried and low. "He won't let anyone close his bedroom door at night. He made Friday promise to always keep it open."

Bruce shrugged. "He's getting better with food though. He put on another ten pounds."

Sam pushed away from the wall, scratching the back of his head anxiously. "There's another thing. I'm a little concerned that he's still not convinced Toomes is gone. He's trying to let it go but I know he still feels as though Toomes is going to come back. He's paranoid, it's not good for him and he doesn't feel safe."

He paused, watching the three men carefully, fearing their reactions. "I think we should tell him the truth about Toomes."

Steve spun around, frowning and rejecting the idea the same instant that Tony agreed to it.

"Good, someone else agrees."

"No."

Steve turned to Tony, a restless energy coming off him. "Are you serious? This is not what he needs!"

Tony flung a hand out, pointing to the kid on the couch in the other room. "Not what he needs? He's scared all the time! He thinks that monster is coming back for him! He should know the truth!"

Steve shook his head, resolute as he crossed his arms and turned back to the window. "You weren't there when it happened, Tony. It's not something I'm proud of and it's definitely not something I want Peter knowing about."

Sam looked between the two, feeling the tension, and held up a hand before Tony could say anything else. "Fine. He doesn't have to know exactly what happened, he doesn't need details. We can just tell him that Toomes died trying to fight his way out."

Steve's voice was low, carrying the full weight of his authority. "I said no, Sam."

Sam deflated, stepping back. "Okay. I'll figure out something else. Anyway, he's okay for school. Small steps at first, maybe a few classes at a time but he's okay."

Steve nodded. "Good." And turned to leave, walking away from the conversation and the men watching him.

…..

Peter scrubbed a towel over his head, watching himself in the mirror as it made his hair stick up at all angles.

"You like your new haircut?"

Bucky leant in the doorway, smiling. Peter shrugged. "I guess."

The soldier ran a hand through his long locks, teasing. "It's not as nice as mine of course, but it suits you."

Peter smiled and combed his hair back into place with his fingers. "Thanks."

Peter was finally going back to school. It was terrifying of course but he was excited about getting his life back to normal. His hair had been cut and he and Ned were going to go together.

Everyone at school thought he had been in a car wreck and his teachers, thankfully, had agreed with May and Tony, that Peter should be eased back into school.

Tony came bustling into the bathroom, brand new backpack in hand, worrying about everything at once. "Okay, I talked to your teachers and we've agreed that you'll only be going to your afternoon classes. You don't have to worry if you're behind on school work, we'll catch you up slowly. Ned will be with you the whole time and if you feel like its too much just call me and I'll come get you, okay?"

Peter nodded and pulled at the hem of his sweater. "Thanks. I'll be okay."

He tried to hide how nervous he was, not wanting to make Tony's own anxieties worse.

It was a big step for Peter but it was hard on his mentor too. After losing the kid and then fighting so hard to get him back Tony was more than a little reluctant to let him out of his sight.

Frantic thoughts kept invading his mind, telling him not to let him go, that it was too risky, and he silently reminded himself that Peter could lift Steve over his head without breaking a sweat. He'd be fine.

Bucky noticed his discomfort and nudged his arm with an elbow, voice dipping low so Peter wouldn't hear.

"Nat and I can watch the school if you want. No one will see us, we'll keep an eye on him."

Tony watched as Peter smiled down at his phone, texting Ned a bunch of emojis as Tony shook his head.

"Thanks but I need to let him do this. He's not even my kid, I can't be helicopter parenting him. Thanks though, Buck. Really, I appreciate it."

Tony wasn't the only one worried about Peter. Ned fussed and mother-henned like he was Peter's actual mother.

"Did you have breakfast? I bought some extra lunch in case you needed more and I bought an extra water bottle. I told MJ that you were coming and a bit nervous and she promised that she would punch anyone in the face that got too close. I don't know if that's helpful or not but it's how she shows she cares so-"

Peter let out a laugh and patted his best friends shoulder where they waited in Tony's garage for Happy to bring the car around. "Dude, I'm fine. It's okay, it's just school."

Ned nodded, forehead creasing as he looked down at his shoes, hands worrying at his bag straps.

Peter leant down to try and catch his eyes, voice comforting. "Are you nervous?"

Ned's head sprang up, eyes wide. "Yes! I'm kind of freaking out dude! What if something happens and I don't know what to do? What if people ask too many questions?"

Peter pressed his lips together and leaned over to the sports car parked nearby. He dipped down and gripped the bottom of the car with one hand, lifting the side of the vehicle a foot off the ground with ease.

Ned stared, mouth falling open.

Peter smiled and put the car back down. "I think I'll be okay. Bruce said I'm all healed up and ready to go to school and I know the whole...PTSD thing is still there but I talked to Sam about it and he said I was okay to go to some classes."

Ned sighed, relieved. "Okay, good. Sorry for worrying so much but dude, the last few months have been really hard. For everyone."

Peter would always feel bad that the people around him were so affected by what had happened and he hated that his pain made others hurt. But it was also just a sign that he had lots of people that loved him so much that his pain was their own. And it also meant he didn't have to shoulder it alone.

He gave Ned a reassuring smile and held his arms out for a hug. "I know. Thanks for being here."

Ned smiled, happily accepting the hug, his voice muffled against his friend's shoulder. "Of course."

"I know this is a tender moment but if you two hug for any longer you're going to be late."

Happy's voice wasn't as grumpy as it usually was and Peter released Ned, smiling at the driver. "Sorry Hap, thanks for driving us."

Happy grumbled, but Peter knew it was half-hearted. "Don't call me that."

…

Peters' heart fluttered in his chest, making him feeling nauseous as he and Ned stepped out of the car and out onto the curb outside his school. He gripped his bag straps tight enough to turn his knuckles white, anxiety running through him so fast and intense it was as if he'd been electrocuted.

He may have acted as though it were no big deal but damn it was scary to go back to his old life after having left it for so long.

Ned shut the car door behind them and Peter flinched hard. He blinked, trying to calm down as Ned's hand found his shoulder.

"You okay? We can go home if you want."

Peter shook his head, swallowing and taking a breath. "No. I can lift cars and fight aliens, I can go to school."

Ned guided him forward. "Yeah, you're Spider-Man, you can do anything."

Peter had been in some scary situations before and he'd never been that great at socialising, but walking into school to have everyone stare at you was something else.

Their eyes were wide, roaming over him and searching for clues of what happened, any evidence of the apparent car accident they'd be told about. He ducked his head, staring at the floor and trying not to curl into himself when a voice came over the noise, annoyed and loud.

"What? You guys have never seen a Peter before? Stop staring!"

Ned's hand rubbed comfortingly over Peters' shoulder as he kept his head down, MJ's voice was quieter as she came to stand in front of him.

"You okay? You're in one piece that's good."

Peter didn't know what to say and didn't look up but he saw Ned and MJ exchange a look before she spoke again.

"We have maths next, we should go. And you should know I'm not going to go easy on you in decathlon practice. We had to sub in Flash and he just isn't as good at physics as you. Or anything as you."

Peter peeked up at her, seeing her face held the same annoyance it usually did. She didn't look like she was pitying him, in fact, she looked rather unimpressed. Good old MJ.

He gave her a small smile. "I got hit by a car, I didn't get my brain removed. I'll be fine for the decathlon. I've been studying at home."

Ned smiled, noting that Peter joking about his fake accident was a good sign and he pushed his friend forward to head to class.

"Yeah, come on MJ. He's not stupid. He even did all his homework like a nerd instead of using his accident as an excuse to get out of it."

Thank god he had his friends to ground him. Their jokes made it easier on him.

Class was easy, people got bored and stopped staring and Peter felt like his old self. It was good.

He sat in his seat, doodling in his book as the teacher droned on about something Tony had already taught him and he felt okay again. Really okay, like he was the same old Peter he had been before Toomes.

Until it happened.

He was eating lunch, ignoring the way Ned was watching him and then all of a sudden everyone's eyes were back on him.

A whole cafeteria full of faces stared at him, shock dropping their jaws and making their eyes wide. They whispered and pointed at him, even the teachers milling around were staring.

MJ was looking down at her phone as Peter's heart began hammering in his chest but this time when she looked up at him, there was fear in her eyes. She was pale, staring at him with the same shock and pity as everyone else.

Her voice was thin and shaky. "God, Peter. You said it was a car accident."

Fear drove through his chest like a knife, or something bigger, more like a lance, shoving through him and ripping him to shreds. She knew. They all knew.

Ned reached over and tore her phone from her hand but he froze when he saw what was on the screen.

It was a breaking news report, the video playing when Ned tapped it, sound tinny from the crappy phone.

"A local teenager was kidnapped and tortured by Adrian Toomes for more than a month before he was finally rescued. Peter Parker is reported to be alive and recovering but will not release any statements to the public. We have received a video from the rescue, however, it is disturbing and viewer discretion is advised."

A blurry image appeared as footage played, footage that Peter had no memory of.

It was taken outside the prison, police rushing around in the background as the video focussed on a gurney that was being pulled towards an ambulance. Tony and Bruce ran alongside it, talking to the medics that were pulling it, and strapped to the bed, looking barely alive, was Peter.

There was a shock blanket covering most of him but even from the distance the video was taken from, you could see how skeletal and sickly he was. There was blood stained through his hair and over what little of his face could be seen. There was a tube coming from his mouth, the blue bite block covering much of his face.

Tony was holding his limp hand and talking to Peter as they loaded him into the ambulance, and the newscaster's voice came again.

"The Avengers lead the rescue and apprehended Toomes. We have approached them about the incident but they refuse to comment."

The video changed to a shaky image of Tony, looking pissed as he shoved past reporters to try and get to his building's door. "If any of you go near him or his friends and family I will personally see to it that you never see sunlight again. He's a kid and he's trying to recover. Now get the fuck off my lawn." He aimed his reactor beam at them and they scattered, video cutting there.

Peter couldn't breathe. The news reporters voice warping in his ears as his head spun.

"We did, however, visit Toomes' daughter."

Ned let out a breath, words shaky with emotion. "Oh god, Liz."

The video showed her trying to push past a crowd of reporters, tears streaming down her face as people screamed at her, pushing microphones towards her face.

Their questions overlapped each other, voices too loud.

"Liz, what do you have to say on your father's behalf?"

"You were classmates with Peter. Were you close? Have you visited him while he recovers?"

Her face was twisted in grief as she turned to scream at them, voice choked with sobs.

"I didn't know!"

Her eyes found the camera and she spoke directly into it, tears dripping from her chin as her lip wobbled. She looked so scared. "I'm so sorry, Peter."

Peter couldn't hear anything else after that, his heart pounding too hard against his ribs, drowning out all other sounds.

Ned's eyes were full of tears as he looked up at him, phone forgotten, and his mouth moved but Peter couldn't hear the words.

Everyone was still staring at him. They all knew. What was he going to do? How was he ever going to escape it?

Peters breaths were already coming fast enough to make his head spin, but then he realised something.

Liz knew. She would hate her father for what he did. And Toomes wouldn't let him live for that.

Peters' feet hit the floor with a thump his ears didn't register, as he shot to his feet and turned, sprinting out of the room.

He couldn't breathe, couldn't escape. Toomes was coming for him.

He ran as fast as his legs could carry him, body trembling and chest heaving as he tried to draw in a decent breath. It felt as if his ears were blocked, the only sound hissing and crashing like the ocean.

His instincts told him to run, to hide, to get away before Toomes found and killed him, and he did just that, pumping his legs faster without any notice for how they ached and burned.

He didn't know where he was going, or how long he'd been running before something came up behind him. It was huge and fast and he screamed as its arms came around him from behind.

His spidey senses screamed at him, telling him he was in danger and he knew who it was. Toomes. It had to be.

His heart beat so fast and hard he felt as if it could explode right from his chest, and he struggled against the strong arms, pummeling the thing with his shaking fists as he begged Toomes to let him go.

The hold didn't give, and the arms pulled him back, hands gripping Peters' wrists and pinning his flailing limbs to his chest. Tears fell down his cheeks as he sucked in ragged gasps between his screams but all at once his hearing returned and all he heard was Tony.

"Peter, stop! I got you, you're safe! Stop fighting me!"

Peter's legs fell out from under him as he slumped, exhausted, against Tony's chest. The Avenger caught him easily and lowered them both to the ground, his Iron-Man suit whirring quietly as it adjusted.

Peter gasped, turning in Tony's hold to see his worried face. "T-Tony?"

He shook all over, shivering so hard he looked as if he were in shock, as Tony turned him, releasing the boy's arms and allowing him to see him.

"I'm here, Peter. You're safe, it's okay."

The teenager let out a sob and launched himself forward into Tony's arms, his own wrapping around Tony's neck as he hugged him.

"They all know! It was on the news, everyone knows!"

Tony hugged him back, hand coming up to bury his fingers in the hair at the back of the kids head. "I know. I'm so sorry. I don't know how they found out. I tried to keep it quiet as long as I could. I had my lawyers all over it ever since those idiot reporters came to me weeks ago."

Peter buried his face in his mentor's neck, not even noticing when Tony slipped his arm under Peters' knees and lifted him from the ground.

He sobbed, breaths still coming too fast. "Toomes is going to see it. He's going to kill me for making Liz hate him."

Tony's hands tensed where he held him before he shook his head and held Peter tighter. "No. No, he's not coming near you. I promise, Peter."

Peter shivered, hands squeezing on Tony's armour, holding tight as Tony looked down at him, speaking close to Peters' ear but directing his words to someone else.

"Yeah, I got him. He's shaking so bad and he's breathing way too fast but he's safe."

If Peter's gasps hadn't been so loud he would have been able to hear Steve's voice through Tony's coms. "Thank god you found him. Happy's handling the school and Peppers dealing with the news stations and reporters. I'll tell Bruce and Sam to meet you in the med bay."

Peter was light headed and the world swirled around him as Tony lifted him away, flying back to the compound.

Bruce, Sam and Cap were all waiting for him as they arrived and Tony set the kid down on the hospital bed.

Peter was still crying, unable to calm down, and Tony stepped out of his suit, sending it flying away as Sam tried to talk to the scared teenager.

"Peter, I know you're overwhelmed right now but I need you to try and focus. Use those calming techniques we talked about."

Bruce wrapped a blanket around Peters' shoulders as he shook his head, words smeared into moans by his sobs.

"I can't. I can't breathe. My chest is too tight. It hurts." His hands found his chest and clawed at his sweater, desperate to make the pain stop.

Sam took Peters hands in his and squeezed, tugging gently on them until Peter looked at him. "Yes, you can. You're okay and we're all right here. You're going to look at me and we're going to count together. Just focus on the numbers, going backwards from one hundred. Understand?"

Peter squeezed Sams hands back, nodding as his teeth chattered.

"100, 99, 98, come on, Peter. Count with me."

Peter tried, pushing the numbers past his wobbling lip as he concentrated on Sams warm brown eyes and the soft squeeze of his hands.

It took fifty-seven numbers for Peters breaths to calm and by a hundred he had almost stopped crying. He slumped, exhausted as he and Sam finally got to one.

Sam leant forward, letting go of Peters' hands to hug him instead, Peter gripping onto him tight and sinking into his embrace.

Sam's voice was soothing and calm as he held Peter against his chest, large palms rubbing over the teenagers back.

"You're okay. Everything's alright."

Tony watched the scene with his knuckles pressed to his mouth. He was going to kill whoever leaked the police report and video. He'd go after anyone that hurt his kid.

Steve noticed his expression and tugged on his arm, pulling him out of the room.

He didn't get a chance to say anything before Tony was pacing, hands running through his hair as he fumed.

"I'm going to have those reporters fired. The whole damn station can go down!"

Steve sighed. "Tony-"

The man took no notice, turning to him with a glare. "They had footage! There's no way they should have that! And they released his name! He's a minor, Steve! They can't do that!"

Steve held up his hands to try and calm his teammate down, eyebrows raised. "I know, Tony. We'll handle it. Right now you need to calm down."

Tony hung his head, covering his eyes with a hand as his voice shook. "He's been through enough. He didn't need this. It's going to put him back and undo everything he and Sam have been working on."

Steve looked back to where Peter was falling asleep in Sam's arms, looking so small under the blanket wrapped around him.

"I know. I'm angry about it too."

Tony lifted his face, clenching his jaw as unshed tears shone in his eyes. "Dammit, I can't lose it like this. He needs me."

Steve knew how he felt and offered a respite from his responsibility. "It's been a long few months. I think you're entitled to a few tantrums, especially after today. Come on let's take a break."

Tony took one last look at the kid, wrapped up in Sams capable arms, with Bruce hovering nearby should he need him. Peter was safe for now.

"Okay. Thanks, Steve."

…

Peter's head pounded as he woke, a leftover remnant of his panic attack. It stabbed through his eyes and made his jaw ache.

"Peter? You waking up?"

The teenager groaned softly, rolling onto his back where he'd been lying on his side and he felt fingers squeeze his own.

The voice belonged to Sam, who'd dutifully stayed with him while he slept to make sure the nightmares stayed away.

He didn't open his eyes, the low light coming through his eyelids already too much and he buried his face in his pillow instead.

Sam sighed. "Migraine huh? Friday, adjust room to Peter migraine settings, please."

The light sank away, a welcome relief, and Sam's hand slipped from Peters.

He almost wanted to ask him to stay, not wanting to be alone after that difficult morning but he didn't know how long Sam had already been sitting with him and he didn't want to be even more of a bother than he usually was.

A tiny, half-hearted whimper fell from Peters' mouth and he felt Sam's footsteps falter, pausing.

"I can stay if you want. You don't have to be alone if you don't want to."

Peter pressed his face further into his pillow, pulling his limbs towards his chest and curling into a ball. He hated being so vulnerable, so needy. But...being alone meant his thoughts were too loud and he'd have no one to chase them away.

He wanted Sam to hold his hand, or Steve and Bucky to guard the door and protect him, or Tony's hand rubbing over his back like he did to calm him down from nightmares.

The bed dipped, a hand finding his shoulder and Sam's voice was closer, soft and reassuring.

"How about we put your headphones on and you can come hang out with everyone. They'd love to see you."

Peter nodded and sat up, shoulders hunched around his shoulders as the change in position made his head throb.

Sam pulled the headphones Tony made from a drawer and carefully slipped them on over Peters' ears.

The relief was instant. All noise was eliminated and the padding around his ears vibrated softly, sending signals into his pressure points to relieve the pain.

His shoulders relaxed and his tense muscles all melted like jelly. Damn, he loved Tony's inventions.

Peter finally opened his eyes, relieved to find the dimmed lights didn't hurt his eyes. Sam smiled at him and stood, leading the way to the living room to find the others.

Friday dimmed lights for them as they went, ensuring Peter wouldn't be overstimulated, and he saw Tony throw his hands up at the light change. He looked irritated, mouth moving as he presumably grumbled about not being able to see the food he was cutting up, but it all melted into a smile when he saw the reason for the dimmed settings.

He dropped the knife on the bench and wiped his hands before hurrying over and taking Peters arms in his hold, leaning down to meet the kid's eyes better.

"Are you okay? You scared me." Peter watched his mouth move, not hearing anything but understanding the words and nodded, pointing to his headphones as he whispered back.

"I'm okay. Thanks for making these for me."

Tony smiled again but the concern didn't leave his eyes as he pulled Peter in for a hug.

Peter felt safe there against Tony's warm chest, arms wrapped protectively around him and he curled his arms to his chest, huddled in his mentors hold. Tony's hands rubbed over his back, rubbing circles over his shoulder blades, just how Peter had wanted in his room.

He could feel the vibrations of Tony's voice from his chest as he spoke to someone above Peters' head before his arms loosened around him and he leant down again.

Peter watched his mouth moving, deciphering the words without sound. "Come sit down."

He led him over to the bench, sitting him down before bringing his chopping board over so he could finish up lunch without leaving the kid.

Peter watched his hands move, easily cutting carrots and tomatoes and adding them to a simmering pot. The rhythmic movement and warm sweet scent filling the kitchen helped to chase away the anxiety, and he found himself relaxing, enjoying the quiet moment in the kitchen.

That was until something buzzed, vibrating and sending a shock down Peters' spine. He jumped, muscles immediately tensed again.

Tony looked over at him, frowning in concern.

The buzz came again and Peter looked towards where it was coming from. Buzz.

It was his phone on the counter. Buzz.

Tony followed his eyes and noticed it, picking it up and frowning at the screen. He must have been getting a lot of messages. Probably from nosey people that wanted to know about the story on the news. Tony glared at the phone, fingers squeezing around it until they were white before he took a deep breath and turned it off.

The buzzing stopped and Tony tossed the phone down.

But Peter still felt on edge. He felt safe in the compound but really, he wasn't completely safe there. People could still get to him, the reporters had tried to and he hadn't known. Toomes could come and he wouldn't know until it was too late.

Peter tapped the side of his headphones, decreasing the sound dampeners so that it wasn't total silence. He could hear little things, enough to be aware but not enough to hurt his head just yet.

Something moved out of the corner of his eye and he flinched again, hands leaping in front of him to ward off whatever it was.

It was a curtain, blown inwards by the wind. Stupid.

Still, it was an opening, a vulnerability. He stood and went to close the window and then closed the curtains too.

He could feel Tony's eyes on him as he walked through the kitchen to the living room, shutting all the curtains tight. When he went back to his seat Tony was watching him with a curious expression.

Peter lifted a hand, curling his fingers into a child's mime of a gun, pointing it to the window and making the appropriate sound effect. His eyes were huge and serious and Tony frowned, slowly shaking his head.

"No, Peter."

Peter looked away, shoulders tensed again up near his ears. He needed to stay alert, no more relaxing and feeling safe. He needed to keep an eye out in case Toomes tried anything. He would, he had to, after seeing the news and what Liz had been like. She wasn't supposed to know, no one was.

He didn't even want to think about how hard it was for May, or for Ned who he left at school, alone to deal with the fallout. God, MJ was going to be so mad at him for lying to her.

He'd never live it down. He'd always be the victim. Well, this victim wasn't going to let anyone get the drop on him. He would stay alert.

He knew Sam would tell him to focus on the good things and let the whole Toomes coming back to kill thing go, but the fear of being watched and prayed on crawled under his skin and burned him up like a fever.

Tony was watching him, still frowning but Peter didn't have time to pretend he was fine. His mind was busy racing through all the ways Toomes could get inside, or get to him, and he needed to protect himself.

The curtains were closed, no way to use a sniper, and everyone knew the compound had state of the art security and he could shut the building down in an instant if he had to. Toomes could go after his family, but Tony had already said he was going to have someone watching them in case the reporters wanted to try and take statements again.

Footsteps vibrated the floor and Peter spun seeing Steve walking through the kitchen harmlessly. He needed to get a handle on himself and calm down, focus.

He made a small list in his head.

Stay alert. Don't let your guard down. Don't go to sleep until you know you're safe. Don't leave the compound.

His head didn't hurt so bad anymore and he carefully slipped his headphones off, careful not to make any loud noises that could bring the migraine back. He'd need all his senses if he wanted to stay safe.

Of course, in his need to stay safe, he disregarded Tony and the other Avengers as a threat and tuned them out, so he didn't notice them talking to each other about him until it was too late.

They came up behind him, slow and wary, watching him as if he were a scared animal that could bolt at any moment.

Tony's hands found the tops of his arms and pulled him towards him, away from the curtains he'd carefully shut.

"Peter, what are you doing?"

Sam and Steve were watching him and he knew he sounded crazy but he barely cared anymore.

"I'm making sure no one can get to us."

Steve's gaze flickered between Sams and Peters faces as he tentatively spoke, words hesitant as if he didn't really want an answer to his question.

"You mean Toomes?"

Peter nodded, not understanding why they weren't as worried as him. Did they really think Toomes wouldn't try to get back at him?

"Yes."

Tony's hands tightened on his arms and his voice cracked. He sounded so desperate and so tired. "God, Peter how many times have we talked about this? When are you going to believe that you're safe? I thought you were getting better?"

Peter shook his hands off, taking a step back as his heart rate picked up. He was getting angry.

"Don't talk to me like I'm stupid, Tony. You're the ones that are being crazy! Toomes is going to get back at me for Liz finding out! I can't just sit here and pretend that he's going to be fine with it!"

Tony closed his eyes, shaking his head as he let out something akin to a sob. "God, I can't do this again. Steve, we have to tell him."

Peter frowned at that, watching the three faces in front of him as Steve clenched his hands into fists and Sam sighed.

Steve's voice was hard. "No. He shouldn't see something like that, Tony. It's disgusting and traumatising-"

Tony threw his hands up, voice rising in anger. "He's already traumatised! This has to end!"

Peter didn't know what they were talking about as he watched Sam try to get a word in between them. But his hearing began picking something else up, tuning out their argument to hear better.

It was a song, a beat, a familiar pattern. And then words came and Peters' heart began hammering in his chest, far too fast.

"Open air for you to breathe in."

Peters breath started to come in pants, ripped from his lungs before the oxygen could get to his brain and his head spun as the words kept coming, just like they had in his cell.

"I'll share my covers if you wanna sleep

I guess we're both pretty lucky"

Peters' hands began to shake as a sharp jolt of fear speared through his chest, adrenaline spiking.

"In a world of disaster

I got more good than I asked for

I'll take this high day any day of the week"

Peter wasn't in control anymore. There was no strength within him, no calm, no plan. A shaky whisper fell from his mouth before he could form a single coherent thought.

"He's here."

Sam's voice was distant, overshadowed by Peters own harsh drags of air and he barely registered the words.

"Peter? You're hyperventilating."

Peter backed away from the direction of the music, the beat drifting from a room down the hallway. His stumbling feet took him backwards until his back was pressed against the wall.

"He found me. I'm going to die."

His knees gave out and three pairs of hands jerked forward, his name shouted in concern as he fell to the floor.

The song was unforgettable, engraved in his brain and linked directly to his nightmares. It was the same damn song that Toomes had played over and over in Peters cell and it was playing again, here, where he was supposed to be safe.

Peter scooted backwards, pressing his back hard against the wall and bringing his hands up to his ears as tears came fast. "Make it stop! Please!"

Toomes was taunting him, making sure he knew he was coming, playing with his prey before he killed it.

Sam knelt down in front of the teenager as Peter sobbed, trembling all over and barely getting a breath in.

"Peter, whats wrong?"

Peter couldn't move, fear paralysing him. The music brought him back to that cell and trapped him there, making him feel as weak and vulnerable as he had been then.

He dug his fingers into the skin behind his ears, the pain pushing away the memory just for a moment as he tried to get enough air to respond to Sam.

"You have to help me! Please, he's here!"

Warm blood made his fingers slip against his ears and Steve came forward and grabbed his wrists, pulling them away from his head. "Peter, stop!"

Peter kicked out, trying to pull his hands back. They needed to protect him, they needed to stop Toomes.

Tony watched as Peter screamed, slamming his head back against the wall as he begged for them to save him.

It was the music, it had to be. Tony had only seen Peter behave this way in the footage from the cell. He found his voice, barely managing to raise it over Peters keening cries.

"Friday! Stop that music!"

The music shut off but Peter's wails didn't let up. They were torn from his throat, making his voice sound rough and broken and Tony couldn't take it anymore.

"Peter, Tomes is dead!"

Steve turned to him, shocked. "Tony!"

A tear fell down Tony's cheek and he shook his head. "We can't keep doing this, Steve. He has to know."

Peters eyes were squeezed shut and he continued to pull against Steves hold on his wrists. He shook his head, sobs warping his voice. "No. You're lying. He's here."

Tony knelt, taking one of Peters' hands in his and squeezing his fingers until Peter opened his eyes and looked at him.

"It's true, I promise. He died trying to escape when we rescued you."

Peter's teeth chattered from the intensity of his fear and he squeezed Tony's hand back, tears leaving trails down his skin.

"No."

Tony insisted, pulling his screen from his back pocket. "Yes. Friday, bring up the footage from Peters rescue."

The screen lit up with a video from the prison's security cameras. Peter's breath halted in his chest at the sight of Toomes there. He was smiling, the look on his face sick and twisted as he pointed an alien-made gun at The three Avengers in front of him. Sam was in the doorway behind him so he couldn't escape but holding his position as Toomes sneered at Steve.

"I'll get back out and I'll come after him or I'll send someone else after him. Your bug-boy will never be safe as long as I'm alive."

Steve was scowling. "Shut up, Toomes. Come quietly and we won't have to tell your daughter about what you've done."

The fire and fury in Toomes' eyes grew ever hotter and he flicked a switch on the side of his gun, a hum rumbling from it as he charged the weapon.

"Don't you bring her into this."

Sam looked disgusted. "You're the one that started hurting kids, not us."

Toomes' eyes were dark but the smile came back, voice smug. "Are you sure you even want little Pedro back? He's nothing now. I broke him."

He was proud of himself and taking great joy from the pained looks on the Avengers' faces.

Natasha sounded as deadly as she ever had. "I'm going to kill you."

The coms came to life, just loud enough for Toomes to hear the fear in Rhodey's voice.

"We found Peter but its bad. We need medics here. Have you taken Toomes down yet?"

Steve kept his voice quiet as he answered, eyes still trained on Toomes. "Working on it."

That cruel smile grew on the face of the bastard in front of them, finding pleasure in their pain.

"You can't save him, it's too late."

Steve was losing his patience. "Shut up!"

Toomes only laughed harder, and Bucky clenched his teeth as he tried to hold himself back from ripping the madman apart with his bare hands.

"You should have seen him squirm when I went in there. He tried to escape, but only the one time. I made him regret it."

Sam felt the heat of anger burn through him and his finger pressed a little harder on the trigger, wanting so badly to just shoot him and get it over with. "You a sick son of a bitch."

He didn't stop. "I hit him over and over again."

Steve's voice was loud in the small space, and Peter watched the footage on the phone, frozen as he watched the scene play out. "Get on the ground, Toomes!"

Toomes' voice rose ever louder, teeth baring as he spit the words out. "I HIT HIM UNTIL HE WAS BEGGING ME TO STOP AND I JUST KEPT ON GOING! THERE'S NOTHING LEFT FOR YOU TO SAVE!"

Steve jerked his shield forward in a threat. "I said shut up!"

Toomes wouldn't let up and it was becoming clear he wouldn't stop until he got what he wanted. The Avengers around him wanted so badly to just kill him and end it but their mission was to bring him to justice, not carry out an execution.

Toomes jerked forward, pointing his gun at Steve's face. "I'm not going to stop until that little shit is in the ground! And I'm going to make you watch!"

Rhodey's voice came through the coms once more, kicking up everyone's anxiety tenfold.

"Guys, Peter isn't breathing! We need those medics in here now!"

They were running out of time.

Bruce's voice came next, out of breath and frantic. "He's going to die! Take care of Toomes and get the medics in!"

Toomes heard it and smiled again, voice dipping lower as he revelled in the anguish and panic he was causing.

"I'm not going to come easy. I'm going to draw this out until that kid dies under your friend's hands. He isn't leaving that cell alive."

Something in Steve's brain snapped, a realisation clicking into place like a slide in a projector, making everything clear.

Their mission wasn't to arrest Toomes, it was to save Peter. Toomes was giving them a choice, save the kid or let him die. Toomes' death was the justice they sought.

Rhodey yelled through the coms again and Natasha seemed to come to the same realisation as Steve. She fired a bullet straight through Toomes' kneecap, sending him crumpling to the floor with a scream.

The alien gun was lifted, aiming towards the Avenger but Steve got to him first, slamming his shield down with all the rage burning through him.

Toomes' neck snapped under the blow and he fell to the cold concrete, dead before he hit the floor.

Steve regarded the body with cold, uncaring eyes and lifted his hand to his coms.

"We got Toomes. Coming to you now."

The video ended and Steve's hands slipped from Peters limp wrists as the teenager slumped against the wall.

Something in Peter finally calmed. It was as if there was an ocean inside of him that had been there since he was taken. It had been rough and rising, drowning him every second that he tried to relax, reminding him his nightmare would never end. But finally, after months of taking in water, of drowning, it was still. His head was quiet and his feet were planted firmly on dry land.

He was so still, breaths coming in slow pulls, shivering ceased. His voice was scarcely a whisper. "It's over."

Tony nodded and leant forward, slipping his hands under Peters' arms and lifting him, pulling him to his lap. Peter was almost limp, plaint in Tony's hands as he was pulled to that strong chest and wrapped up in his protective arms.

Peter's head tucked under Tony's chin as the man spoke to him, voice soft. "You're safe, Peter. You don't have to fight anymore."

The kid finally believed him, words falling, relieved, from Peters' mouth. "You saved me."

There was no more fighting, no more fear. It was done.

(AN: Thank you so so so much for everyone that read and followed this stroy and everyone that commented and supported me through it! I really hope that you enjoyed it and I look forward to getting into my next story!)