Work Text:
Up, down.
Up, down.
The Winter Spider is in his cell, having just come back from a chair session. His body felt like it was on fire, and his brain felt like mush.
Up, down.
He couldn’t slack off. Slacking off meant he was less effective on mission. It meant he would be replaced.
He was the backup. The one made in case the Winter Soldier needed replacing.
Up, down.
He was irreplaceable. Enhanced strength, healing, and senses, along with spider-like abilities and the ability to sense danger, he was the ultimate soldier.
They could not replicate him. They had no clue how his spider powers came to be.
So they trained him. Made him, molded him into what they needed him to be.
He was a tool, a weapon made to bring them their world peace.
He was virtually untouchable when in stealth mode
Up,-
He stopped as a familiar sound reached his ear.
Footsteps.
He stood up, and waited.
His room’s ( read: cell ) door slid open, one of his five handlers stood there, a stern expression in place.
“Встань и возьми Паука, у тебя важная миссия.”
“Приказы, сэр?”
His handler smirked.
“Вы должны проникнуть в башню Старка и заразить эту надоедливую ПЯТНИЦУ вирусом, который позволит нам получить доступ ко всем их файлам.”
“Когда я уйду?”
“Через час будьте готовы.”
“да сэр”
“Я верю в тебя, Зимний Паук, не облажайся.”
After his handler left, two men escorted him to the armory. His assassin garbs were kinda simple.
A full black suit, a bullet proof vest over it, the vest had knives attached to it, his boots were steel toed combat boots, and he had a M249 Paratrooper slung over his back. If he had a favorite part, it would be the web shooter, or his black mask.
“Готовый?”
“Да сэр”
He was aware of what was about to happen. He was going to be led to the chair, they would wipe him and activate the trigger words.
“Lie down Spider. “
He complied.
The machine held him down, and the shocks began, his body convulsed.
Spider; paku
His mind began to burn.
Hatred; Грешник
He wanted it to stop.
Wolf; Replacement
Widow; nine.
Wolf Spider; winter
War; civil.
Longing: ночь
Homecoming
With one last convulsion, the machine set him free.
“Spider?”
“Ready to replace . “
_____________
Tony Stark was having a good day.
None of the interns were there, there was no crime in need of the Avengers.
Most of the team save it himself Steve and Barnes, we’re out on missions.
So he was able to work in the lab almost the entire day.
He made several good improvements to his suit, and FRIDAY.
So yeah, a pretty good day.
Sir, an unauthorized individual is making his way to my core.
Shit.
“Pull up the footage. “
The footage showed a black figure. A familiar red logo blurred.
HYDRA.
Shit.
“Activate protocol nine. “
An alarm went off, and one of his suits came to him.
The flight down to FRIDAY’S core took a minimum of 2 minutes.
But they were the longest two minutes of his life.
When he got down there, he instantly began to look for the HYDRA agent.
When he found him the assassin was standing in front of the core.
His repulser was set to stun.
The assassin turned around.
And his beam hit the chest.
___________
Spider dreamed, it was odd when he did, but he did.
He never told Hydra in fear they would wipe him again.
But he often dreamt of a red-haired woman, and soft Russian lullabies.
The last few nights, he had been dreaming of gunshots, and the woman screaming “Питер!”
He often wondered if it was his gun going off.
So when he had been hit with a beam of energy, he welcomed the darkness.
He was never allowed to recast long after the chair session.
__________
Natasha was aware of many things.
Like her and Barnes' friendship.
It was odd to say the least.
“ It’s fucking creepy that what it is-“ said Stark once.
But they also knew something the others did not. Like their joined history.
____________
Natasha had met Bucky when he was the Asset. They had been brought in for a project, it involved Natasha getting pregnant with The Winter Soldier’s genes.
(They were forced. This was not consented by either party.)
And Peter came into existence nine months later. She was told he would leave her in her possession until they saw fit to remove him from her.
So that’s what happened, to the project overseers, he was the asset, the child, or it. To her he was Peter.
He had her eyes, and his hair and facial structure.
He was brilliant too, learning to walk and talk before the age of one.
And when he came of three, they removed her from him, she screamed and fought to keep him, they had shot her in a specific spot that made her go unconscious.
But not before she heard the shout of “Мама!”
_____________
When she saw him again. The Asse- no Bucky.
She avoided him, he brought up old wounds, wounds she thought she had healed of, but only scabbed over.
But every time she saw him, there was a question in his eyes.
“ What happened to our kid?”
She wished she knew.
How she wished.
___________
“I’m sorry. “
It was the first word spoken to her by Barnes.
“ It was not your fault. “
“But I still am.”
She rolled her eyes
“His name was Peter. “
“Huh?”
“Our boy, he was Peter. “
“Oh.”
“He had your hair and facial structure. “
“Heh”
“But he had my eyes, so I think I have the win. “
“You wish. … Hey Nat, what happened to him? Did he-“
“No, he was three, and they took him.”
Barnes nearly broke the counter when he heard that.
Because while they had hurt her Peter, the had hurt Barnes Peter too.
___________
Steve softly sighed as he stared at the kid in front of him.
He was the only one who could do it. Bucky was a no go due to the Trigger words. Tony had to try and figure out what the heck some of the agents were strung up with, and where it came from.
And Bruce figure the Hydra agent would just try to provoke him.
“Hey, I'm here to ask some questions. “
The agent ignored him, instead preferring to tug at vibranium cuffs around his wrists.
“They won’t break. “
“Neither will I “
Steve felt his stomach drop that was the voice of someone incredibly young, the slight crack, everything pointed towards a fucking child soldier.
“May I take off your mask. “
The boy simply shrugged.
He took it off.
And felt the anger sizzling right beneath his skin. Because it was a fucking child.
______________
Natasha got a notification that said a Hydra agent had broke in and she was needed for interrogation.
So when she walked into Starla’s lab, she was not expecting to hear Steve yelling:
“It’s a FUCKING CHILD!”
Beg her pardon, what?
“Language, “ Stark jokes.
“Who’s a child?”
They both startled at her presence.
“The Hydra agent is a teenager, probably not older than 15, but no younger than 13. Male, and most likely in a similar state to Bucky. “
Natasha nodded along.
“I’ll take you to the -“
Boss now might be a good time to inform you, the Hydra Agent my has escaped his vibranium cuffs, and taken down several agents, and is making a beeline for the common area.
“What the-“
____________
The Winter Spider was using the knowledge that he had to escape.
The commons area was the closest, and it had windows!
So that’s where he would go.
He was aware the trigger words had worn off, so he would most likely be confined to his cell for a few days.
But hey! Windows!
His vision went tunnel as he raced for them, only for the spider sense to go off , he skidded to a stop, and took three steps backwards. A blur passed in front of him, and he swiftly identified it as the Winter Soldier.
The man faced him, and his eyes went wide.
“Peter?
“Предатель”
“Как я предатель, если меня заставили присоединиться?”
The Winter Spider didn’t answer, just lunged forward. The man didn’t seem to want to hurt him, but he seemed to be fighting to pin him.
“Успокойся.Успокойся.Питер.”
He seems to puncture each word with an attempted grab.
Who was Peter?
Why did he keep calling him that?
Then his senses tingled again, and he dodged a bullet, literally
He turned and faced the source.
A woman with fiery red hair seems to glow with the light. Her green eyes were wide with heartbreak.
“Питер?”
“Who the hell is Peter?”
His ear piece crackled and his commanding officer demanded where he was.
He scowled before breaking through a window.
He used his web shooters to escape the Avenger. When he looked back, the Red haired woman was staring at him with heartbreak in her eyes.
Peter forced down the guilt and recognition, and made his way to the extraction point.
His body was numb as he boarded the small jet.
Why did it hurt this bad?
____________
Natasha didn’t move for the longest time.
She had seen him.
Her Peter.
She recognized him, but
“ Who the hell is Peter?”
Her eyes misted over with tears.
“Earth to Nat!”
She snapped her tearful glare up to Tony.
“What Stark?”
“Care to explain who that was?”
She looked over at Barnes. Before grunting.
“Are you telling them or I?”
He nodded before clearing his throat.
“When I was the Winter Soldier, I met Nat, we were selected for a project, to make the perfect soldier, which means they made us do, you know…”
“Oh.”
“But I thought-“
“They made sure afterwards that I could not have kids. “
“Anyhow, Nat gave birth, and named the boy Peter. “
“They took him from me, and I had no idea that he was still alive. “
“So, how are we gonna get him back?”
The question came from Bruce.
Natasha looked at him surprised.
“I mean, he is your kid, so how are we gonna get him away from Hydra and somewhere he can recover?”
“I put a tracker on him, it’s untraceable, and unnoticeable. “
“For once, your tracker has better work.” Bucky threatened
Natasha grinned. “Alright, let’s go.”
___________
The Winter Spider sat in the chair as they examined him. It was like this after every mission. But this time…
“Who’s Peter? And why were they calling me that?”
“It’s a common name, plus you look like Peter. “
“The red head, I know her.”
“She is the Black Widow, your next target. “
“No, I knew her! She, she knew me”
The scientist look at the commanding officer of the base, who grunted “Wipe im’”
The scientist all nodded, and Peter was forced back into the chair, and strapped down. His cheats began to rise and fall rapidly, and his heart picked up, the mouth guard was placed in his mouth. The main part began lowering, and he closed his eyes, the shocks started and he screamed.
____________
Bucky trailed after Steve as they walked the halls of the Hydra base.
They had split up, Bruce and Nat together, Iron Man alone, and him and Steve.
They had already taken out a bunch of guards. They were just looking for his kid now.
King T’Challa had said that the Wakandian’s would gladly help this poor kid.
“Bucky, can you tell me something?”
“Sure Stevie.”
“Were you really Winter Soldier when you and Nat-“
“Yes Steve, you know I would never willingly do that to anyone. “
Steve winced.
“Sorry” he muttered.
They came across a room, and Bucky froze, there in the center of the room, was the chair. The damn chair that ripped everything from him.
That had ripped everything from his son.
Bucky lost it.
He began to destroy the damn chair. Ripping it to shreds, making it nothing but a pile of metal and wires.
“Bucky are you-“
“M’ fine. “
“Whatever you say.”
___________
The Spider awoke when he was tossed on the cold floor of his cell. The door sealed behind the guards.
A soft grunt escaped his mouth as he tried to get up. His limbs felt like jello, and he couldn’t think straight.
So like a small child he crawled to a wall, and tried to get up.
Key word, tried.
He managed to get to a corner, and sit down, curling into the fetal position. It was too cold, not being able to thermoregulate it was a pain.
He heard gunshots, he saw red, everything he was too much. Darkness seeped into the corners of his vision and slowly began to take over, the Spider knew he wasn’t dying, his body was just exhausted. So he let the darkness take over.
Not before a light was shined on him.
“Peter?”
__________
Natasha was with Bruce, who had just shifted out of Hulk, and they had met up with Stark who was cutting through a thick door with two unconscious Hydra troopers behind him.
“Stark?”
“Tracker leads here. “
Bucky and Steve rounded the corner, and they walked towards them.
Nat merely nodded, and Stark broke through the door. Whipping out her Flashlight, she shone it around the far room, before landing on a shivering figure in the corner.
“Peter?”
“Friday says he is suffering from hypothermia, and the overshocking of his nerve systems.”
Natasha growled slowly, before brushing some of the hair in his face out of it with her hand. He was pale, and his cheeks were flushed, his breath was coming soft and fast.
Bucky gently moved her before picking him up bridal style.
“Let’s get you out of here buddy. “
Peter didn’t respond. But he did shift closer to the heat source known as James “Bucky” Barnes.
SHIELD had shown up to pick up the trash.
She nodded at Fury before joining with the rest of the team on the quinjet.
She had a son to look after now.
____________
Bucky looked down at Peter, he looked so small, barely tall enough to be considered 14.
His eyes were sunken, and he looked tired, even in sleep. Nat was right, he had his facial structure and hair.
Even as Bruce moved about him, Peter remained in a deep sleep, only really twitching when Bruce tested his reflexes.
Nat settled beside him, and began to card a hand through the mass of curly brown hair.
She looked ahead of them and stared at a wall.
Her eyes looked so sad.
And Bucky could relate.
He had woken up after the whole ordeal, and was filled with guilt. He had just done that to someone.
He had left and displayed a possibility of knowing something he shouldn’t. He got himself wiped to forget.
His toxic train of thought was cut off when Peter began to shiver.
Nope, nada, nine, no.
Peter was still down with hypothermia, he could not be cold.
“Hey Stark, you got a blanket or something?”
“Sure thing Buckaroo, it should be in a compartment below your feet. “
Bucky moved his feet so Nat could grab the blanket. Making sure not to jostle him too much, they wrapped him up, Peter did not wake up, just seemed to settle deeper into the blanket.
Bucky smiled slightly and let himself fall asleep.
_____________
Two days Later.
_____________
Winter Spider woke up warm for a change, warm and in clean clothes.
So almost instantly he knew he was somewhere other than Hydra. His mind was still fogged over from the chair session. But that didn’t stop the feeling of someone running their fingers through his hair, and a soft voice singing something in Russian. Or the warm presence beside him.
Where was he?
He allowed a single eye to crack open, only to snap it shut when fluorescent lights and white walls greeted his vision. He let out an involuntary hiss, the hand and voice paused, and the warm presence vanished. Winter opened his eye when the lights dimmed. He sat up and rested his right arm on his elbow.
“Доброе утро Питер”
His eyes snapped to the voice, it was soft, warm and most importantly to Winter Spider, familiar, it gave him something to grasp.
A red haired- no the red-haired woman stood there, she looked happy, her stance was open, and easy to read.
Why was she being so open with him?
“Брюс сказал, что ты не должен был проснуться до следующей недели.”
He hummed and found himself speaking.
“Многие меня недооценивают.”
The woman looked pleasantly surprised .
She sat on the edge of his bed, running another hand through his hair.
“Я полагаю, вы не узнаете меня.”
Winter Spider allowed his brow to furrow.
(Natasha thought it made him look like a confused puppy. )
“Есть, только не знаю откуда.”
_____________
“Есть, только не знаю откуда.”
Natasha felt her heart skip a beat, so he did know her.
“Мне нужно, чтобы вы ответили на несколько вопросов.”
Peter looked at her. His eyes scanned her form.
He nodded
“Do you have any enhanced abilities?” She switched to English.
“I have the super soldier serum, added onto that I got the ability to heal faster, enhanced senses, stick to walls, and sense when danger is coming towards me. “
Natasha was surprised. And angry how badly had he been experimented on?
“Alright, do you know if you have trigger words?”
She noticed that he tended up and gave a shaky nod.
She handed him a sheet of paper and pencil.
“Can you write them down?”
Peter took a few minutes. When he handed the sheet to her, there were about 14 words.
Spider; paku
Hatred; Грешник
Wolf; Replacement
Widow; nine.
Wolf Spider; winter
War; civil.
Longing: ночь
Homecoming.
She nodded before turning back to her kid.
“We are going to help you Peter, that I promise,маленький паук”
As she left, she didn’t see the flash of recognition in Peter’s eyes.
____________
маленький паук
Someone had called him that before.
“They are never going to hurt you my маленький паук”
Whose voice was that?
“You are the only good thing that has happened to me since I arrived here маленький паук”
That was the Black Widow’s voice.
“You are adorable маленький паук”
No that was, that was his mother’s voice.
That meant-
A clear image came to his head.
A woman, whose fiery red hair and sparkling green eyes he knew for the first three years of his life.
“Holy shit.”
_____________
Bucky watched as Natasha handed a list of words, trigger words, to the Wakandians.
When T’Challa went to take it, she tightened her grip.
“I’m trusting you T’Challa. “
“I don’t plan on failing. “
Bucky chuckled.
Shortly after they arrived, T’Challa was contacted about freeing another Hydra victim, with similar circumstances to his.
T’Challa was more than willing to agree.
He just needs the trigger words, so he could begin the process.
They would have to wait until Peter had recovered enough.
_________________
Winter Spide-Peter, he liked the name Peter, it was simple and easy to say. Was having a crisis. He was also hungry but the crisis took priority.
Hydra told him his parents were dead. He had been told they were killed for disobedience.
So why was the Black Widow looking at him with such a motherly look.
He could hardly imagine her giving up a child without a fight.
“Hey Peter, hope you’re hungry. “
Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.
Or she in this case.
His head swiveled toward the door. Natasha stood there, a tray of food in hand, and it smelled heavenly. His stomach gave a traitorous growl,and he nodded.
She chuckled and walked towards his bed, placing down the tray, Peter noted that the utensils were plastic, the soft kind that would bend before they could pierce skin.
But he had FOOD!!!!!
Actual food!
Not the crime against humanity that Hydra gave him to eat.
No this tray held a soup with noodles and chicken, and warm bread.
Peter had never had such food, he had been robbed.
So he did the logical thing and ate it slowly, savoring every bit, because holy heck it was delicious!
“Hungry are we?”
Peter shrugged and turned his focus to the bread.
“Thank you” he muttered around the warm bread.
“Welcome, wow you finished that fast!”
She was correct Peter had eaten quite quickly, despite his mentally telling himself to eat slowly.
They settled into a semi-comfortable silence. With Peter sneaking glances every now and then to get a good look at her face. Burn it into his memory.
Just in case.
“You good Peter?”
“Why?”
“Hm?”
“I’ve killed people, some things that can get me a death penalty. “
“Because Hydra made you did it, after the whole Civil War deal, the world’s eyes opend to the face that you were victims too, you had been used by Hydra. “She paused tears gathered in her eyes “Tortured and molded, the world knows that you are innocent. “
Peter knew that he was crying.
“Well I’m a mess. “ Natasha sniffled slightly.
Peter stiffened slightly.
“Geez I’m a mess маленький паук.”
Peter took a shaky inhale before exhaling.
Maybe he should.
“When you called me little spider, it helped me remember something. “
Natasha’s eyes locked onto Peter’s face, tear having dried, but. Fresh ones threatening to spill out.
“What do you?”
“It’s simple phrases, and a kinda blurry face, you knew me, before this whole thing.And I want to know more, so do you think you could help me?. “
Natasha looked at him, so many different emotions flooded through her, confusion, sadness, and a painful flare of hope.
She pulled her son into a side hug.
“I would love to. “
___________
“You should talk to him.”
“What am I supposed to tell him!? Hey I’m the guy that helped make you?”
Natasha snorted lightly. Bucky was pacing. She was right. He did need to speak with Peter.
“No need to start with that ,start with small talk, he’s really like a small lost puppy. “
“Really?”
“She’s right”
“Tony?”
“Bold of you to assume Friday didn’t record everything. Buckaroo, he is really just a lost puppy. On that note, Friday?”
Yes sir?
“Change Confused and Traumatized Spy’s name to Confused and Traumatized spy puppo.”
On it sir
“ Fine . “
“Good besides, it’s your turn to take breakfast to the kid. “
“You planned this!”
“Maybe.”
__________
Bucky walked into the room, Peter was wide awake, his eyes locked onto Bucky.
“Hello Winter Soldier. Is that my breakfast?”
Bucky shivered slightly at the sudden recall to what he was in the kid’s eye.
“Yep sure is, but could you please not call me that?”
“Why not?” He asked, accepting the meal.
“Because that’s who Hydra made me, I prefer to go by James, Barnes, Bucky or, in Stark’s Case, Buckaroo. “
“Alright Barnes. “
“Hey kid?”
“Yes Mr. Barnes ?”
“You don’t have to be what Hydra made you, you can be someone else. “
“Hm.”
“What do you like to go by?”
“Umm Peter is good I guess. “
“Sure kid. “
__________
“So?”
“I have only talked to him for thirty minutes, but if anything were to happen to him, I would murder Hydra then give him all the love and effection he needs. “
“Mood!” Clint chirped from the vents.
“See, it wasn't so bad. “
“Maybe for you, he knows that he knew you, but when are you going to tell him you helped make him?”
“Bucky!”
___________
Peter woke up with a start and a shiver.
Sweat rolled down his back in bullets, and his breathing was uneven, making it hard for him to get much oxygen into his hypothermia lungs.
Also it was pretty damn cold.
“Um , hello?”
How may I assist you Confused and Traumatized Spy puppo?
“Umm can you please get Miss. Natasha?”
Yes, I can get Scary Russian Spy Lady.
“Thanks. “
_____________
Miss Romanoff?
“What is Friday?”
Confused and Traumatized Spy puppo requires your assistance.
Natasha paused, and turned toward Peter cell, already walking.
“What's going on?”
He appears to be experiencing a panic attack, and his body temperature is dangerously low.
Natasha sped up.
“Got it. “
___________
Peter was having a not so great time. First and foremost he was fucking cold. And secondly he was panicking.
His own words rung in his head.
“I’ve killed people, some things that can get me a death penalty”
He began to spiral. Did he deserve to I’ve? He had cut many people's lives short. Why should he be alive when he had killed-
“Peter, I need you to calm down. “
Peter felt a warm presence beside him, it was soothing, the voice was also quite soothing.
“Peter, маленький паук, can you-“
Peter didn’t know what clicked inside him, but he hugged the voice. He felt arms wrap around him, he slowly came out of the panic attack.
His heart still thumped in his chest, and his lung still felt like they were going to implode.
He vaguely heard a soft Russian lullaby being sung, and a hand carding through his hair.
He pulled away from the warm embrace.
“Peter, are you okay?”
“…it’s fuckin’ cold. “
“It’s not that bad-“
“I can’t thermoregulate.”
“You can't do what?”
“Thermoregulate, it’s a fancy way of saying keep my body temperature where it needs to be in warmer or colder environments, hence why by past assassin guards were often multiple layers thick. “
“Got it, it would explain why you always lean towards the nearest source of heat. “
“Hmm. “
Peter was still leaning on Natasha’s shoulder still, he was still in a perpetual state of exhaustion, so he didn’t have the energy to move.
Natasha smiled lightly. He was just a lost puppy.
“… can you sing?”
Natasha was startled by the question but nodded lightly, her own head leaning on Peter’s.
So she opened her mouth and sang.
__________
Steve walked throughout the hall, looking for Natasha.
“Hey Friday?”
Yes Capsicle?
“Where is Natasha?”
Scary Russian Spy Lady went to Confused and Traumatized Spy puppo’s cell last night after he began to experience a panic attack, and fell asleep.
Steve’s eyebrows shot up, and he went in the direction of Peter’s cell.
The door slid open, and it granted Steve the most precious sight he had even been blessed to see.
Peter was curled slightly into Nat’s side, his head rested on her shoulder, Nat had a hand on his head, and her own head rested on Peter’s.
Steve whipped out his phone and took several hundred blackmail pictures.
Yeah Peter would be okay.