Starker - Superior Tony, Controlling Peter
A summer fling, Tony thinks, is just what he needs.
Sunlight streaks through the air, the air conditioning blasts cool gusts of wind onto flustered, heated, dripping skin.
Extremesis glints like gold in the summer light, his eyes like glass, and the people of New York are even less likely to meet his eye.
When he glides into his lab, his little ants scuttle into position, and Bucky salutes him in greeting, ever the soldier.
âGood morning, Sir.â Bucky nods, arm glinting, veins blue.
Is it morning? The heat is stifling. Summer tinges the sky with a late day hue. Tony slips off his sunglasses, smiles at his scared little recruits. âMorning, Bucky. Howâd my little bees do last night?â
There are so many secrets still to human DNA. So many different configurations of Extremesis updates. His worker bees, his little ants, his little army of scientists that scuttle about his labs are- well, slaves is a term thrown around. Tony doesnât like that. Theyâre his little helpers, his little bees.
They stand, trembling in line. Eyes smudged with dark rings from another all-nighter. He finds Peter, small, compact, beautiful, sun-kissed (how odd, Tony thinks; amused, has the boy been catching sunlight in his skin? Wandering outside? How quaint. How very Peter).
âAnderson success rate: 13%.â Bucky reads off the list. Anderson flinches. Tony tuts.
âWell now, thatâs hardly promising. What was it last week?â
â15%.â Bucky says dryly.
Tony shakes his head. âThat wonât do, will it?â
The guards come in, take Mr Anderson away for punishment.
The other recruits shake in the sunlight.
The other success rates vary but never impress him. How well Extremsis will mesh is a matter of science and guesswork, a pinch of luck, and-
âParker success rate: 88%.â
The recruits seem to hiss in awe and jealousy and Peter bows his head.
â88%.â He rejoices loudly, voice making them flinch. He claps, delighted. âMy Peter, my prized Peter, 88%. See? It is possible. My precious Peter, he never lets me down.â Tony glides over to him, puts a large, dark hand on Peterâs slender neck. The boy swallows, Tony feels it, but he doesnât flinch.
Tony smudges his thumb across that Adamâs apple. Wants to inhale the boy.
âClever little angel,â Tony croons. âPixie of the lab, Peter, weaving your magic again, hm?â He noses at the sharp jaw, Peter smells like suncream. Smells like dandelions.
âRiley success rate-â
âBucky.â Tony growls, voice so cutting that Bucky pales, âIâm not finished praising Peter. Am I not allowed a moment to bask?â
Bucky takes a breath. âOf course, Sir. Iâm sorry.â
âGood. Peter here is a fine example for the rest of you. Look at him.â Tony forces his fingers under Peterâs chin, makes him look up. The summer brown eyes are full of slyness. Danger. Insubordination. It makes Tonyâs blood sing. He drags his fingers over those plush, wet lips. âWell done, Peter. Youâll be rewarded.â
A summer fling, Tony thinks, seeing Peter woven in the blankets of Tonyâs immense bed.
Heâll keep Peter for the summer.
The days cool, and so too should Tonyâs affections, but they donât. Peter flips the glass slide under the microscope, makes a note, and Tony watches.
Itâs overcast outside. Grey clouds. Leaveless trees.
Peter works up here, in Tonyâs private lab.
Summer is over. Fall is here.
âCome here, Peter.â Tony orders, trying to figure it all out.
Peter looks at him, huge brown eyes through lab goggles, and turns away. âIâm working.â A moment. Tacked on. Cheap. âSir.â
Infuriating. Insufferable. âWhatâll it take then, poppet? Come sit on my lap.â
Peter sniffs delicately, resumes working.
Anyone else would be dead. Anyone else would never take such liberties.
But itâs because of Peter that the next Extremesis update is ready to launch. Because of Peter that Tonyâs own core is self-sustaining.
If Peter loathes him as a God, he shouldnât keep bringing gifts to Tonyâs altar.
âPeter.â Blue crackles around him. âCome here.â
Peter gives him a long side-look. âSummer is over, Mr Stark.â He says. âWill you be sending me downstairs?â
No. Tony feels like a caged up lion. Wants to growl, wants to roar, he canât figure out if Peter is an antelope or a Panther, curled up in the leafless trees, waiting to pounce.
He canât leave Peter Parker in Fall. Not when his eyes match the amber leaves, not when he moves his hips with Tonyâs, not when Bucky reads:
Extremesis is being used by a record number of people.
Bucky tosses Peter onto the floor at Tonyâs feet.
The boy looks up at Tony, split lip, snowflakes on his lashes, shackles on his wrists.
âHe was trying to leave the tower, Sir.â Bucky says.
Tony sighs, running his fingers through Peterâs hair. âHe has permission, Barnes. Did he not show you his pass?â He turns to Peter then, lifts his eyebrows, âDid you show Mr Barnes your pass, sweetheart?â
Peter grunts, wheezes, like heâs been punched. Tony frowns. âTried to. ButâŚâ he shows Tony his shackled wrists.
Tony slices them them with his fingers. Peter gets to his feet.
âWith Peter, Barnes, give him the benefit of the doubt.â
Tony can recognise a cliff edge. As he sits on the edge of the bed and watches Peter dab at his lip and tuck himself into a winter coat, Tony knows he is standing at the cliff edge.
Itâs winter. Peter wears ugly scarves and drinks hot chocolate and tucks his cold feet into Tonyâs knees.
If Tony doesnât leave him now-
âHere.â Peter hums, passing a well-wrapped box over. Itâs tied with a silver bow.
Tony stares at it, uncomprehendingly for a moment.
His storeroom is full of presents for Peter.
Theyâre cufflinks. Designed like little double-helixes. There are blips in the DNA-
âIs that Extremesis?â He marvels, plucking one out and holding it up to the light.
âA molecular representation.â Peter confirms. âI know cufflinks arenât that unique, but what do you get the man who has everything?â
He does have everything. With Peter here, still decorated with the remnants of New York snow, he will have a Christmas with everything. A winter with everything.
Heâll back away from the cliff edge in Spring.
Peter cleans dust off the TV in Spring.
Heâs wearing hideous flannel and no shoes, Tonyâs underwear, love bites on his neck.
Heâs no worker bee. Tony can admit that. Peter is something else. Hisin a different sense. In a sense that doesnât mean possession. Property. Peter is his- like he is Peterâs.
Is Peter a Panther? Does Tony control him? Does Peter love him? Fear him? Plan to kill him?
Peter meets his eyes. Tony remembers the boy he used to touch in line down at the lab.
Such pride. In seeing one of his possessions do so well. What is that now? Four seasons later? Itâs love.
Tony wants him. Would do anything for him. Heâs tumbled off the cliff. He wonders if Peter knows-
âI want you to use Extremesis for good.â Peter says, smiling. âI want you to be Iron Man. Not Superior. I want you to be a hero.â
âI donât want a god.â
It stings. Tony snarls. Heâs a lion-
âI want you to save people. I want you to be a hero, come back here and take me. I want the people of the world to love you. Not fear you. I want you to stop hurting them and start saving them.â
Tony laughs, but heâs afraid. Trembling. âYouâre in the wrong business, sweetheart-â
âYouâll enjoy it. You love being worshipped, let it be for goodness.â
âI already have worship-â
âTony.â Peter smiles, summer, fall, winter, spring, âI wasnât asking.â
Tony goes to kiss him, but Peter turns away.
âFor every life you save, the more of me is yours.â Peter promises.
Peterâs love is a gift. A reward. Tony risks his life to feel the rush of Peterâs affections on him once he returns. Peter is intoxicating, a drug, a rush- this must be what itâs like for those who had become addicted to the diluted Exteremesis.
Tony would do anything to get more of him.
And there are always people to be saved, and Peter always rewards him.
He becomes a hero, on an invisible leash, and Tony doesnât notice when Bucky says:
âSir, may I have the weekend off?â
And Peter says, âOf course, Bucky. See you Monday.â
When the lab turns its attentions to research and development, away from nano-tech and control, when the weapons division closes down, Tony lets it wash over him.
He has another summer, another fall, another winter and another spring with Peter.
For that, he would do anything.