An-Like Tony Peter can't be handed things and Tony notices

TW-Mentions of abuse

--------------------------

Of course, the team noticed when the shy innocent little Peter Parker shook his hand and curled his hands into fists whenever someone tried to hand him something. Making an excuse for why they shouldn't give it to him, or why he couldn't take it in his hands. But more then anyone else Tony noticed it. Because he was the same, only Peter and Pepper could hand him things, although that was only when Peter could hold things. Now that he thought about it the only things he'd ever seen Peter hold were his phone, a pen or pencil or utensils, or on the odd occasion tools. Any other time he would wince whenever he picked something up, or when he put gloves on, which was very inconvenient or his lack of thermoregulation.

Tony also noticed on the odd occasion Peter's hand weren't curled up into fists they were riddled in scares. Hot white like lighting, and dark red and pink, skin indented and disfigured. Tony almost cried when he realized that he had never seen Peter in pain, even when he had a knife sticking out of his side like he was used to that pain. Peter barely ever used his hands for things, instead, he opted for using his elbows to open doors like his hands were wet after using the bathroom. Or closing doors and cupboard with his hips and feet.

Peter was happy enough, but there were some worrying things that Tony could remember from his own childhood. Everyone noticed it, but not as much as Tony. The first time it happened it was in the lounge room, Peter had been doing his homework.

"Ah shit, I left my textbook in my backpack," Peter said, looking up at his backpack and narrowing his eyes at it, staring at it longingly, he was obviously very comfortable. Steve smirked and stood up and got it, walking back over to Peter with it. He didn't miss the flash of fear that was present in Peter's eyes for a moment.

"Here, you look comfy," Steve said, gesturing with the backpack, Peter cringed.

"Just, just put it there for me," Peter said nervously, Steve rose an eyebrow, that was almost two feet away from him.

"But I could put it next to you-" Steve stopped when Peter shook his head.

"No, just put it there," Peter said firmly, Steve rose an eyebrow but complied. Peter waited for Steve to walk away more he moved forward on his knees and pulled it toward him. He hastily pulled his textbook out and opened it. Tony narrowed his eyes when he saw that when Peter traced the page his finger hovered over the page.

The next time it happened Tony and Peter were in the lab fixing Mark 82, Bruce was lazily watching from the couch on the far side of the lab. Tony looked up and realised he needed a smaller sized screwdriver.

"Can you pass me the smaller skew driver, Pete?" Tony asked, looking up when Peter pushed over the whole packet of screwdrivers by the tips of his fingers, "I only needed the smaller on Pete." Tony said, opening the packet. Peter turned his head, curling and uncurling his fingers. That was the first time Tony saw the scar and his mouth dropped open. Peter quickly curling his fingers again, hiding the scars, hurriedly turning away from Tony and going back to his own screwing. He then noticed that Peter always brought in his own tools, and always refused to use Tony's.

"I don't like how they feel in my hands." He said quietly, Tony shrugged and nodded, picking up the small screwdriver. That was when it all clicked, and he wanted to make that hurt go away for Peter so bad, he wanted it more then he'd ever wanted anything in his whole life.

When it happened next it was with Thor and Loki, they had arrived from Asgard bearing gifts. Loki had gotten a small blue and red rose for Peter, who smiled at him gratefully. When Loki thrust out his hand to give it to him he paled, taking a deep breath.

"I um, I can't take it from you." He said quietly, looking down at the floor, Loki scoffed.

"Nonsense young Peter, it was no trouble at all," Loki said, thrusting the flower forward again, Peter flinched violently. This time everyone noticed.

"It's not that, I really appreciate it and I love it. But I can't physically take it from you. I can't hold things." He explained nervously.

"Are your hands hurt? I am happy to heal them." Loki said worriedly, Peter shook his head.

"No, I just, I can't have someone hand me things, or I can't hold certain things unless I'm used to it, or I can't hand people things," Peter said nervously. Loki rose an eyebrow and placed the rose down on the counter, summoning a piece of thin paper to wrap the flower in and pushed it toward Peter, who looked up at him.

"Does that help?" Loki asked, Peter smiled a little, carefully picking up the rose.

"Thank you, it's beautiful." He said quietly, Loki smiled.

"It was not a problem." He said. Loki nodded and floated toward Natasha for a custom dagger. The team watched as Peter stared at the rose before carefully wrapping the paper around the rose petals, touching them through the paper. No one mentioned it, but they were worried and scared for him. A few years back when the team had started living at the compound TOny had the same problem, and it was explained and solved, and they knew Peter was going through the same things.

When it happened next it was an accident, Bucky was rushing to get the bubbling pasta out of the water and thrust the empty bowl into the nearest persons hands, which just so happened to be Peter. Peter panicked and quickly put the bowl on the counter next to him, accidentally crushing it. Bucky cringed before grabbing a new bowl and continuing what he was doing. Peter muttered sorry's and such as he quickly got the dustpan out form the cupboard, cleaning up the mess he'd made. The team made sure they didn't hand him things anymore. Peter was complicated, sometimes he was closed off and refused to share things, other times he would spill his guts.

But they all noticed that he never talked about things from before age eight. Of course, most of the team couldn't remember much from that time, but it wasn't like it was a blank space in their history. With Peter, it seemed like he didn't come into existence until age nine. Tony did some digging and frowned when FRIDAY stopped him.

"I'm sorry Sir, but I cannot allow you access to this file." She said evenly, Tony blinked in surprise.

"Why's that? Is it bugged or something?" Tony asked, FRIDAY was silent for a moment.

"It is against my protocols to tell you, but as I am worried about Peter's wellbeing I am telling you. Peter has made it so no one in the compound can access his family history." FRIDAY said, TOny rose an eyebrow.

"OK, is there a way around the protocol?" Tony asked, FRIDAY was silent for another moment.

"Are you worried about Peter's personal wellbeing?" FRIDAY asked, TOny nodded.

"If I wasn't I wouldn't be trying to look into his past," Tony said like it was obvious. FRIDAY didn't say anything as the files started loading, along with the hundreds of news articles.

'Richard and Mary Parker: Tried and convicted of child abuse, die in plane crash not long after sentencing.'

Tony's face lost all colour, and his eyes widened. Oh god, Peter was like him. He couldn't help but let out the hot wet tears slipping out of his eyes and down his cheeks. He needed to know everything.

The next day when Peter came to the tower the next day Tony sat next to him, he'd already told the team what he was going to do and warned them there might be some intense crying. Tony picked up one of the pencils strewn across the coffee table, grinning when Peter didn't spare a glance. Tony took the pencil Peter was holding and thrust the other pencil into his grip. Peter dropped it onto the table like it was fire. Tony picked the pencil back up and thurst it towards Peter who's eyes were widened in fear.

"Take it, kid, I'm not gonna hurt you," Tony said gently, Peter shook his head.

"How do I know that?" Peter said cautiously, Tony swore he could hear a pin drop. He could feel his heart slowly splintering.

"Because I went through the same thing," Tony said quietly, opening his hands to show Peter the deep scars. Peter blinked down at his hand and then looked back up at his face.

"How did you?" Peter asked softly, Tony smiled bitterly.

"My father was a horrible man, you need to understand that. He always said that Stark's weren't weak and they didn't feel pain. If I am reading the signs right then you went through the same things I did." Tony always gently, Peter nodded, putting his hands flat on the table. Palms down against the cold table.

"What were the signs?" Peter asked, Tony sighed.

"I first noticed it when I met you, when I tried to hand you the pen and you had May take it and hand it to you. Nothing much happened after that, but then a couple of weeks ago when Steve tried to hand you your backpack and you made him put it two feet away from you. You waited until he sat back down to pull it towards you." Tony paused to look at Peter's face. Peter's face was blank and emotionless, but Tony could see the tears in his eyes.

"Then in the labs when I asked for the screwdriver you pushed the whole pack towards me with your fingertips, and you said you didn't like how they felt. Then I noticed you only held things that were room temperature or smooth, things that don't dig into tour skin. You have special pencils and pens too.

"Then with Loki and the flower, you said you couldn't take things or hold things, but it was ok once Loki wrapped the flower in tissue paper. You would touch the petals without pulling the tissue paper over them first. And then a few days ago when Bucky handed you the bowl you panicked and slammed it down on the counter." Tony said, Peter nodded blankly.

"When you say that you went through the same thing what do you think I went through?" Peter asked nervously.

"That when you were little, your parents made you take things, they'd be burning or really really cold, or sometimes glass. And they wouldn't let you put it down until you stopped crying, and they wouldn't stop doing it until you didn't react at all." Tony said, Peter nodded.

"They never stopped actually. They started doing it when I was three and didn't stop until my uncle Ben walked into the house." Peter said stiffly.

"Peter can I see the scars?" Tony asked, Peter shook his head fast, "I promise I'm not mad or angry, I just want to see." Peter looked up at him with a pained expression. He took him a sharp breath before flipping his hand over, offering them to Tony. Tony covered his mouth with his hand. Of course, he'd seen the scars, but not this close, not in this detail, not so real.

"Peter I'm so sorry," Tony whispered, Peter shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut.

"Not your fault," Peter said firmly.

"If I tell you what Howard did will you tell me what your parents did?" Tony asked, flipping his hands so his palms were facing up like Peter's. Peter looked him in the eyes before nodding.

"He used to make me put my hands out, and take what he was offering. If I refused he'd threaten to put it in my mouth. Sometimes it would be a piece of metal under a blowtorch or a melted piece of metal. The first time he did it I started crying, of course, I was five. I asked him if I could put it down, but he said that I didn't get to put it down until I stopped crying. So I stopped crying. Every time he would say that Stark's don't feel pain. Stark's don't cry." Tony said simply, tracing the scars. Peter nodded.

"It punishment for me. Whenever I did something wrong. But it was only if I touched things or took them without permission. I wasn't allowed to touch things at all. I hadn't picked up a pencil until I was nine when I started real school, they homeschooled me so they could control me." Peter said stiffly, stiff in his seat.

"Sometimes they would use knives and make me hold them in a fist. Or glass, or cooking utensils. They had a lab in the basement, they had all these chemicals. I hated it down there. They had all these acids, they soak a cloth in them, or coat something in them and make me hold them." Peter gulped, his Adam's apple bobbing. Tony nodded encouragingly for him to continue.

"When it stopped they said I might never get feeling back in my hands or be able to move then fully. But I did, but not fully." Peter presses a finger into one of the scars. He looked into Tony's eyes and then back down at the scar.

"This one was the day Ben found out. His hand slipped and he pressed the knife down. They always made me put my hands on a desk or a counter, so when Ben pushed him the knife pressed in." Peter said quietly, it was like his voice was devoid of emotion and feeling.

"Jesus Christ." Tony breathed, Peter nodded, a small smile on his face. Peter nodded.

"I'm ok now though. No flashbacks or association, I just can't hold things or take things from people yet. But I'm better. I'm almost sixteen and it doesn't rule my life anymore." Peter said with a smile.

"And that's great. Are you seeing anyone?" Tony asked, Peter nodded.

"I've been seeing a phycologist since I was nine. She knows I'm spiderman too, she helps a lot." Peter said, nodding his head.

"We'll get you through this Pete." Tony said, Peter sniffed letting the tears slip out of his eyes.

"I know." He said, he looked back up at Tony, "Can you hand me that pencil?" Tony rose an eyebrow as he picked up the pencil and lifted the pencil up, Peter gulped and looked him in the eyes as he took it.

"You'll be ok."