#Non-consensual drug use

[aziraphales-library]

Hi! I’d love to recomend “What doesn't kills me, makes me more insanely in love with You” by GreediLadyFoxie if it hasn’t been recommended already.

I was wondering if you folks had anymore fics with grillt either being poisoned/ using drugs/being drugged for angsty reasons (ideally a happy ending but I’m not fussy) thank you so much for all you do for the fandom :)

Here are some angsty fics featuring poison/drugging. Mind the tags!...

Beacon by EdosianOrchids901 (M)

Taken captive by humans, Crowley manages to get a message out. Aziraphale rushes to the rescue, but Crowley has been poisoned by holiness. Will Aziraphale be able to save his beloved?

Dans les Bras d'un Démon by bleuberry (E)

After the failed Apocalypse, Crowley and Aziraphale are living together peacefully. Until, old enemies return again to exact revenge a second time. Or, Crowley is drugged with a demonic enhancer and feelings are confessed. But, first a chase.

Sacrificial Lamb by ShesAKillerQueen98 (M)

Crowley finds himself in a very dangerous situation when he's captured by a religious cult. Without access to his powers, his only hope is that Aziraphale hears his pleas in time.

Paradigm Shift (Or, What it Means to Heal a Demon) by rattatatosk (T)

Aziraphale stared down at the demon's limp body, wringing his hands as he desperately tried to figure out what to do. No, that wasn't quite right. He knew what to do: he needed to heal Crawly. The question was, how? Everyone knew you couldn't heal demons with divine light. Or-- well. He supposed that wasn't quite right, either. No one knew it, because no one would have ever bothered to try it. He was an angel; they didn't heal demons, they smited them. But he couldn't-- he couldn't just leave Crawly like this, helpless and alone. He had to do something. If he didn't, no one else would. And yet the question remained-- how?

Choices by Most_Loved_Tragedy (E)

Two years after the failed apocalypse, Crowley and Aziraphale think they're free. Free to love, free to get married and move into their cottage in the South Downs. But Heaven and Hastur aren't exactly ready to move on.

And the one you mentioned...

What doesn't kills me, makes me more insanely in love with You by GreediLadyFoxie (M)

A.K.A. five times Crowley took a poison (for fun) and one time he really thought he would end his life forever

- Mod D

[henrysglock]

High Existence and ZeroSpace: The First Shadow and NINA May Be Massive, Immersive Drug Trips

The blurb in last Friday's video from TFS sounded familiar, but I couldn't place it. I found a lot of sites quoting The Alchemist about the universe conspiring to give you what you truly want (which is similar and it's probably what I was thinking of when this blurb registered as familiar), but I couldn't find this exact quote:

Well...not at first, anyway. I decided to stick every word I could make out here ^ into my search bar...and I found where the blurb comes from:

This blog post is quite literally the only source I could find for it, and the whole damn thing is directly lifted.

Right off the bat, the site fucking jump-scared me:

And it doesn't end there. Let's dive in, because this rabbit hole is a trip unto itself...no MDMA​ ​required.

1. The Fucking Website...#1 (HighExistence.com)

High Existence is a sort of drug-induced-spiritual-trip centered self-help site.

It's got blog posts and podcasts and all that jazz. Here are some of the highlights:

Wow! That was...a lot. A lot of words from the word show, too:

Wholeness, heroes, ancient aliens, prisons of politeness, and the fucking Shire, too, I guess. Why not?

(An Aside: I've included the VR in here too because of the sheer similarities between Henry's experience with the Shadow in VR, El's experience in NINA, and The First Shadow in general.)

Like fuck it, why not keep going, these posts date back to at least 2017:

And don't let me start in on that Creel boy and Faust...

[Jason voice] "[Eddie] made a deal with the devil and now he has his powers!" (Also we get it, one of them is neurotic and the other is psychotic. I've been saying this since like...forever)

Of course, all that insanity aside, the Russian base arc has just...an insane amount of ST4 and TFS stuff packed into it in general:

(And this isn't even all of it. I know others [cough] Stav Heroesbyler [cough] have covered it even more...but bro it is THERE)

But most importantly for the NINA arc:

Three things: Dialogue doubling (there's the one I showed, plus a) Robin yelling "Wipeout!" at Steve which has the pipeline -> "Wipeout!" at Rink-O-Mania -> 002-005 bullying El in a very similar manner and b) Steve's "that's amazing" line about the water fountain -> "This is amazing!" not only from Alice irt the Creel house but also from Mike irt Will's painting on their way to save El from NINA. Again, these are just a few of MANY instances), makeup doubling with the bloodshot eyes, and my beloved: set/prop doubling.

I love that beautiful framing on the nearly-identical square clocks. I have so much to say about that clock, but specifically:

The clocks being set 9 minutes apart, which happens to be the exact length of time from the end of Vecna's voiceover in 4.07 to the start of the fight sequence in 4.07 (aka the length of One's frozen-clock monologue).

Not only that, but the clock isn't even right. It says it's 3:55, but it's definitely not 3:55 AM (see: movie theater scene) but it's also not 3:55 PM:

(And why do we have a clock in an elevator anyway? That's the real question. That thang only exists to deliver subtext, baby! It exists to connect the two scenes further!)

Anyway, as you all likely noticed, this site mostly deals in psychedelics, stimulants, and empathogens.

link

Hell, you could even pull One's bit on the ecosystem into it, since he's describing connections between beings that are being disturbed/destroyed by humanity.

Anyway, the site tends to center specifically on DMT and MDMA...so let's talk about those:

MDMA & DMT An aside: Interesting to me that psychosis here can be counteracted with sedatives. Makes me wonder if whatever happened in 1979 could have been halted if they'd just tranq'd One. Hm.

First off: Did I read that right? Piggy-backing? Damn, son. 4.09, The Piggyback, is pictured in that paragraph. So is Brenner's candy bit with the children -> "candy flipping" vs LSD use in Brenner's lab.

Second: Ah, how nice. Intravenous/injectable. Just like how El is constantly being shot up with...something...to enter NINA.

Now, nearly all psychedelics can induce psychosis, but especially so if they're combined with other psychoactive substances and/or if the user has a history of psychosis (either themselves or in their family).

However, MDMA specifically has been posited as a treatment for PTSD and retrograde/traumagenic amnesia:

link Like...wow. Okay, I guess!

tl;dr: One seems to have been tripping fucking balls during the monologue. Literally every fucking version of him. El likely is as well. Funny how that works. Was any of that real? [smash cut to the way blood pours down the walls and the dead children dance around in the VR version of NINA] And either way, Henry in TFS isn't far behind with his hallucinogenic moments.

The connection? Whatever the hell is going on in Hawkins Labs...and symptoms of drug use.

I was not expecting to get this much out of a single rabbit hole. But...that's life with this show, isn't it? And this is only Part 1.

2. The Fucking Website...#2 (Futurism.com)

The guy who made that original post that TFS lifted the blurb from (Jordan Lejuwaan) runs a couple different websites. The most interesting one is Futurism, which is basically an online version of the Weekly Watcher:

It won't let me filter by date, but it seems to have been founded in 2017, stemming from an infographic subreddit. (Now, it says it's a trustworthy news source, and maybe it is, but... Do your own assessment of that. I'm not your mother, yknow?)

Jordan Lejuwaan was also involved in something far more interesting irt Stranger Things...

3. Zero Space

Jordan co-founded an immersive, interactive theater experience called ZeroSpace back in 2018. As we all know, TFS was just in the beginning phase of its creation around this time.

So...This was like a brick to the skull:

"Alice in Wonderland" (don't get me started: rabbit fuckery, DRUGS!!!!!, clocks/being later, Alice Creel, Fringe connections (Through The Looking Glass and What Walter Found There being the episode about the pocket universe where 20 years passed in 5 days...and also wherein we find out about him hiding away an Observer child that he will later time travel with to save the world from the Observer takeover...erasing himself from time/the timeline by doing so...there is SO much) not to mention the "one pill makes you larger/smaller" vs teen El and baby El...it's too much to try and fit in this post), "ALIENS AND LASERS", "stretch the perceived reality of the sense", "art, actors and your own mind converge to prompt MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS" (which was a common complaint about TFS: it leaves people with more questions than answers).

("See you on the other side" being an in-show line from Henry in the lab to Patty in the void, but this image is ripped directly from the same promo video that the High Existence blurb appears in.)

Here's a little taste of what ZeroSpace is like, but I suggest going to the actual page to see it in action:

It's heavily heavily reminiscent of TFS, even just in the content warnings...

Not to mention the actual show content SFX:

However, the goal of TFS isn't to stretch our senses. We're just watching. We are not the volunteer seeing the other side.

For most of the show, that person is Henry (except the first 5 mins, when it's Cptn. Brenner and his crew literally experiencing the other side). Henry is doing the experiencing. He's the one breaking the fourth wall by picking at/breaking the sets, the one running through the audience and leaving out the theater doors (only to end up right back on stage just like El in the Rainbow Room in 4.05).

With each bit of info I find out adjacent to the play, the more convinced I am that this is some secret third boy's experience in a NINA-like simulation.

Overall—

a) TFS most likely isn't wholly real, and it seems very likely that it's the same kind of simulation as NINA.

b) El was probably drugged up with some kind of empathogenic psychedelic going into NINA, likely with the goal of setting her up to form emotional connections quickly and deeply only to rip that deep connection away in order to bolster her abilities.

c) NINA is not, then, wholly based in truth. Parts of NINA (staring at the bullying from 002-005) may have been generated from El's memories of the outside world.

d) With NINA and TFS seeming so similar, I wouldn't be shocked if parts of it are just one massive empathogen trip (staring at how quickly Henry and Patty bond, similarly to how quickly Henry and El bond in NINA).

e) Whoever is in NINA with teen El is also tripping balls, most likely, and may have gone off the rails in that regard. However, that's in a simulation...hard to assign guilt or blame for things done in a fictional/unreal world.

f) Whoever was with baby El in 1979 may have been in a similar situation "moving chess pieces"-style instead. Read: drugged in order to put him in a situation where he would bolster El's latent abilities...and it went wrong (see also: Walter Bishop's orchestrated/fake massacre meant to bolster Olivia's latent abilities.)

g) Richard Brenner having been the head of narcotics makes me question which Brenner we're seeing at any given time: Martin, or Richard?

[guardian-of-da-gay]

The Caravan

Read on Ao3

For Whumptober 2024 Prompt 12: Starvation

tw for starvation, betrayal, non-consensual drug use, trafficking

Knuckles had been a small child when he left his village for the last time.  In his young mind the best thing to do was bring as much of his people’s food stores with him as he could carry.  Even then, he had a superior strength so this was quite a lot.  Unfortunately, his arms were small.  Eventually he had to pare down.  But then he had the reverse problem.  He’d left behind too much.  Luckily foraging had been one of his chores since he could walk and he had some practice with hunting.  Unluckily, he did not have practice providing entirely for himself.  He hadn’t realized how much he relied on his tribe until he lost them.

The less he ate, the more his strength waned.  His hunting suffered and then his foraging too.  Weak arms wouldn’t pull him through the trees.  Tired eyes missed shoots on the ground.  Occasionally he’d turn over a log and find a mouthful of insects.  But it wasn’t enough.

Soon he could feel the shape of his bones under his fur.  He had to stop often to rest.  He tried to be brave and push through, but his legs would start to shake.  More than once they fell out from under him.  He tried to eat some unfamiliar berries once and spent the next two days curled under a bush unable to move for the pain in his belly.

He feared he would die before finding the Master Emerald.

Then he found the caravan.

His tribe had warned him against outsiders.  They would lie to you, throw you in a cage, and sell you.  Knuckles trusted his people, so he did not trust outsiders.  Instead of revealing himself to the caravan, he stole from their food scraps.

It was mostly vegetable peels, but it was more than he’d had in days.  He gorged on the whole pail and was delighted to find a few stray bones at the bottom.  He was sucking the last tiny morsels of meat off of one when he was caught.

He tried to get away.  He got sick instead.

When the strangers grabbed him, he thought for sure that he would be lied to, thrown in a cage, and sold.

They gave him more food instead.  And a place by their campfire.  They tried speaking to him, but he didn’t know the language.  They spoke among each other while the one who had found him ladled warm broth into a bowl.  She gave him a little and watched him close.  When he was not sick again, she gave him a little more.

Eventually, she decided he had had enough and led him into one of their wagons.  It rained that night, but Knuckles slept soundly on the floor, a roof over his head for the first time since he left his home.

Knuckles stayed with them for many days.  Everytime he thought he should leave he would be offered more food and the memory of clawing hunger would keep him there.  It was fine, he rationalized.  He wasn’t giving up on his search for the Master Emerald.  When they came to a village where he might find more information about the Emerald or Longclaw’s apprentice’s whereabouts, then he would leave.

His temporary tribe was strange to him.  One day he would know them as ‘possums’, but at the time he only knew that they weren’t echidnas.  They had no quills or spurs.  Their tails were long and naked.  And they had large, fleshy appendages on their heads that he eventually learned were ears.

While their appearances were strange, much of their lives were not.  Their days were filled with travel and work, gathering food and supplies.  The men whittled and hunted and the women weaved and cooked.  The children did chores and were just obedient enough to avoid trouble.  At night they would all eat together and sing songs or tell stories that Knuckles did not understand.

The similarities between the possums and his people was both a comfort and a source of pain.  Being around caravan made him realize how starved he was for a tribe.  He used his strength to help the men and beamed under their praising tones.  He joined the games of the other children.  He didn’t speak their language, but chasing and hiding and digging and building forts from sticks required no words.

Every morning he spent with the women, under the tutelage of the possum woman who had found him.  She brought him along to help her with chores.  He was the only child eager to work.  It was familiar.  He’d helped with chores in his old tribe.  And it gave him a chance to learn things.

Knuckles was especially hungry to learn about what wild foods he could eat.  He would go foraging with his mentor and always took care to note what was edible and where such things could be found.  He was determined to never again let himself get in the state he had been in when he first arrived at the caravan.

It wasn’t just foraging that Knuckles learned about.  As they worked, he devoured as much of the language as he could.  He learned ‘yes’ and ‘no’, ‘breakfast’, ‘lunch’, and ‘dinner’.  The possum woman would poke his bony sides and he came to understand ‘too skinny’ and ‘eat more’.  Come here.  Go there.  Pick this up, carry that, set it down, hand it to me.  Line them up.  Like this.  Good.  Let’s eat!

In the early days with the caravan, the possum woman managed his food.  First he was offered broth, then smashed fruits, then whole, soft foods.  She limited him often at first, but he quickly learned that no matter what his stomach thought, if he gorged himself, he would be sick.  With her guidance, he was gradually able to return to eating normally.  Maybe even more than that.

Knuckles’ belly was always full and he was proud each time he heard the tribe speak a word and knew it.  Some words he didn’t know but heard often.  Something was ‘close’.  They were getting ‘closer’.  He didn’t know what it meant, but he knew the caravan was passing more and more strangers.  Knuckles learned there were lots of different kinds of not-echidna people.

One night it seemed there were more strangers on the road than ever.  There were even other caravans.  They all set up their own camps.  The pack of children he’d joined all wanted to explore and see the other non-echidnas.  But his companion drew him away and out of sight.  He didn’t understand why, but he trusted her.  She had proven that she knew what was best. She was kind and she fed him.

That night she gave him a hearty soup.  Unlike that first night, he was allowed as much as he wanted.  With his belly so full and warm, Knuckles nodded off right there at the fire.

He woke in a cage.

He was in a village of some sort, but not like the one he came from.  Wooden buildings towered around them on all sides.  He was surrounded by cages full of wild creatures that brayed and squawked and clucked.  The smell of their waste was one of many overwhelming odors to fill the air and their noise was only matched by the sounds of the people.  

There were so many of them.  Some hurried about carrying boxes and baskets full of fruits or fabrics.  Others wandered down the rows of cages, talking and laughing and yelling, eating food as they went and pointing out the creatures around them.  They pointed at him the most.

His friend stood beside his cage.  She reached between the bars and pinched his side where his ribs used to show.  Knuckles was too shocked and confused to do anything.  She looked up at a stranger who stood over Knuckles.  The stranger walked around the cage and stared at him.  He nodded and dug in his clothes.  A second, larger stranger knelt and picked Knuckles up, cage and all.

Knuckles looked around wildly as he was carried away.  The stranger counted gold disks into his friend’s hand.  It was then he realized: He had been lied to.  Thrown in a cage.  Sold.

That was the first time he was betrayed.

[aqua-dan]

Summary:

The mansion is aglow with lights, casting a warm shimmer that dances across the walls, while the air is thick with the scent of nostalgia. Garth laughs at Barry's story, feeling his mind begin to spin between the alcohol on his tongue and the warmth radiating from the fireplace. A small spark of worry alights in his stomach, but he pushes it away and continues to drink. Barry has always been a good friend. He's safe here… he thinks.

Fandom: Aquaman (Comics)

Rating: Explicit

Relationships: Garth/Barry Blaine

Characters: Garth (DCU), Barry Blaine (DCU), Mentioned Arthur Curry (DCU)

Additional tags: Date Rape Drug/Roofies, Alcohol, Passing Out, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Rape/Non-con Elements, Angst, Hurt No Comfort, Guilt From Sexual Assualt, comic book nonsense, Whumptober 2024, "I can't think straight", Christmas fic

Words: 4,308

[25centsoda]

Whumptober 2024 - Day 29

Summary:

Shmi named them Skywalker for a reason. It comes in handy during ground missions, but it's not enough to save him when Vader shows up... Day 29: FATIGUE Labyrinth | Burnout | “Who said you could rest?”

[balshumetsbaragouin]

Valentine's Core Exchange Gift: Hybrid Affinity

I can finally talk about this! I am excited to have been able to take part in the first Valentine's Core Exchange. My giftee for this event is the amazing @nursal1060writes! I hope you enjoy your gift! Only the first chapter will be posted on AO3, this week, but they get the Full Monty in DMs. Thanks @valentines-core-exchange for connecting us!

Link: Hybrid Affinity Rating: Mature Characters: Danny Fenton, Vlad Masters Relationship: Danny & Vlad(Badger Cereal) Warnings: Implied/Referenced Torture, Past Torture, Torture, Psychological Torture, Medical Experimentation, Medical Torture, Non-Consensual Drug Use Chapter Word Count: 2,577 Story Word Total: 20k

Summary:

A momentary lapse of attention, a weapon's blast grounding him, an agent's boot heading towards his jaw…

Danny has been the 'primary research subject' of the Area 23 facility for the past three weeks. Since he was captured, he's had no contact with the outside world, and no chance of escape. After complaining about a lack of conversational partners, his heated cage finds a second occupant: Vlad Plasmius.

With his last chance at escape captured with him, Danny's hope dwindled until he heard the other halfa promise he had a plan. The only problem: He doesn't trust Vlad.

Have a sneak peek at the story below the cut!

The gun at the back of his head pressed deeper into the base of his skull. “I’m moving.”

“Not fast enough, ghost.” The agent tapped the spot right over his brain stem, “Keep dragging your feet, and I’ll save the government the expense of containing you.” The hiss of the pneumatic doors ahead of them sent tingles over his skin. The air on the other side smelled like the ecto-suppressant they pumped inside, burnt acrid chemicals, and days old sweat. 

“I’m floating; you see me floating forward, right?” He stopped just on the other side of the barrier, long enough for the scan, and moved again when the light flashed green above the entrance. The hum of the ghost shield grated his ear drums as it scrapped over his skin. “No need to be so hostile.” The door clicked shut behind him, the agent no longer bothering to threaten him once he reached the inside of The Oven. “Whatever.” Danny floated the rest of the way into the heated metal box and tried to decide which wall he’d sizzle on for the next few hours. He’d favored the one facing the door when he’d first arrived, but the heating element sat closer to the surface. The sadists running this circle of hell designed it that way. Their scientists were probably measuring how long he’d put up with more pain to feel ‘secure’ or something. 

He hovered in the middle of the room, eyeing the coolest wall, with an ache building up in his core. He decided to split the difference and sat against one of the walls perpendicular to the door. A low hiss filled the room as he sank down to the floor and leaned back. “You know, you don’t have to BBQ me. I’d be happy to answer questions without being spit-roasted.” The agents on the other side of the monitoring equipment couldn’t hear him. He’d made a show of cursing and insulting them the first… however long, until he was hoarse. They’d only told him they didn’t receive audio after he couldn’t speak. They said, ‘we’re not interested in any lies you ghost vermin want to tell’ and sneered down at him like he’d become a bug that learned to speak. They did monitor his energy levels, though. When he’d attempted an ecto-ray, a whole host of guns popped out of some panels in the ceiling and hosed him down with molten misery. The liquid didn’t start hot, not like the walls, but as soon as it touched him…

He rubbed at the spots along his forearms that got the worst of the spray. The jumpsuit still laid odd over those spots, like the ectoplasm underneath refused to come back all the way. He poked around the area, feeling the way the latex enmeshed with the healed flesh under it. Other areas stuck because he was slicked down with sweat, but here it felt glued down into the muscles. He leaned forward and frowned down at the half-melted state of his boots. The soles of his feet and the back of him always took the worst of it whenever he was back in the cage. Still, it was better than being in the labs. The blazing temperatures and grating silence granted a peace that left him when they wanted to stick tubes down his throat or needles into his skin. “I could even convince myself this is pleasant if I couldn’t smell that burning ectoplasm.”

[kimium]

Chapters: 11/? Summary:

Canon Divergence. University AU. Mafia AU.

“Let’s leave. We’re not sticking around here,” Yuu said as they began to walk through the tall grass. If they were lucky, they’d run into someone that was willing to help and not ask many questions.

“Well, well what do we have here?”

Yuu jumped, a scream bursting from their lips. Grim squirmed out of their arms and floated in mid air, his ear flames bursting brighter. Standing in front of them was a man wearing the most ornate outfit Yuu had ever seen outside of cosplay inside an anime convention. Clearly going for a steam-punk like style crossed with opera, Yuu couldn’t tear their eyes away from the birdlike mask or the feathers adorning the long cloak with ends that looked like bird wings.

“Goodness gracious!” the man exclaimed, a little too cheerful. “You’re not from this world.”

In where Yuu is summoned to a strange new dimension (by an occult) and will find their way home (and solving the mystery to why they were summoned in the first place) through the power of accidentally befriending the local organized crime fractions. (Or Yuu is accidentally the most powerful person in this world through the power of Friendship.)

~

I am SO excited to share this latest chapter with you! I have been planning for this chapter for MONTHS. Finally, it’s written! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do! Please make sure you read my tags and author’s note as I’ve updated some tags and gave some warnings!

Anyways, I hope you enjoy this fic! Please let me know!!!

[garbria]

Hi, I would like to request "kidnapping" with bby Cor from bthb if possible ❤️

underlined is requested, crossed off is completed

Here you go, my dear! Kidnapping with bby Cor!

Cor runs into trouble during a party he attends with Regis.

[lynlee494]

The final chapter is now out! It is 1994 and James Barnes has been out of Hydra’s grasp for several months. Barnes is just trying to stay ahead of Hydra, and is at an event to take out an exposed Hydra commander to help with this.

Seeing the young Tony Stark at the event shakes Barnes's loose grip on his own mind however, and Barnes's attention is suddenly split between the past and now - and between his need to remain hidden and his desire to reclaim part of the Bucky he remembers.

Meanwhile, Tony Stark has been avoiding as many responsibilities as possible in the three years since his parents died - but tonight is the first step into entering Stark Industries as the CEO.

Instead Tony's greatest strength is dampened and he finds himself suddenly at the mercy of those around him, and to top it off he begins to worry for his sanity when he finds himself wanting to help a hallucination of Bucky Barnes. **Formally known as Somewhere Between Life and Death

[usagi-s2]

Dad for one fic rec!

False Sympathy by SilveRanger

summary: Izuku's father Hisashi and uncle Yoichi are leaders of their own respected mafias. Unfortunately, they both take a very big interest in parenting Izuku.

[caleism-1]

Kim Rok Soo woke to darkness and strange voices, when he finally could opened his eyes fully and received memories of the new body he was in. He knew one thing; he had to escape this household.

His only opportunity was at the ball, he had to make a deal with the crown prince, to be saved from his father.

[guardian-of-da-gay]

Night Guard

Read on Ao3

For Whumptober 2024 Prompt 8: Sleep Deprivation

tw for PTSD, insomnia, childhood trauma, mentioned non-consensual drug use

Logically Tom knew that meeting with Knuckles’ therapist wasn’t supposed to feel like going to the principal's office.  Doctor Sherman had said when he first met them that he wasn’t there to cast judgment over them, he was there to lead Knuckles’ support team, which included them.  Still, there were many times when Tom left the doctor’s office feeling like he was getting a bad grade in parenting.

That’s what it had felt like today.

Maddie and Tom were called in after Knuckles finished his session.  Doctor Sherman never told them the specifics of what he and Knuckles talked about, but he would give them a heads up if Knuckles had ‘homework’ that they might notice or need to help with.  Sometimes he’d give them homework too.  And sometimes he’d reveal that Knuckles wasn’t just ‘weird’, he was legitimately, clinically mentally ill.

Since he first came to live with them, they’d gotten used to Knuckles roaming the halls at strange hours of the night.  Sometimes he’d even leave the house.  Tom had convinced himself not to worry about it.  It wasn’t like with Sonic, where he was running out looking to find trouble.  Knuckles was just patrolling.  The worst he might find would be wild animals and he could more than handle himself against them… In fact they’d had to have several conversations about hunting licenses and limited freezer space to convince him to stop bringing his nocturnal run-ins home with him.

And while Tom and Maddie had more control over Knuckles now than they used to, it was really just because he liked them enough to allow them to set boundaries.  ‘No patrols’ wasn’t a hill they were looking to die on.  They’d definitely never worried that it was anything other than what it was.  It was just a weird Knuckles habit.

Except apparently it was a Symptom.  Specifically ‘hypervigilance’.  Because Knuckles had post-traumatic stress disorder.

Which, duh.  Hindsight was twenty-twenty.  They’d clocked Sonic’s separation anxiety and Tails’ social anxiety because they were so obviously anxious in those situations.  Knuckles’ constant training, tendency to attack any stranger near the house, and multiple late-night perimeter patrols didn’t look like anxiety.  Not like how the other two showed theirs.

Knuckles insisted he was fine, of course.  He wasn’t scared of anything!  Head Healer Sherman asked him to continue logging his patrols (this was how Tom found out that Knuckles had been logging them as part of his therapy homework).  The healer seemed to think that Knuckles would struggle to reduce his patrols to half the amount–Knuckles would prove him wrong!  He would go on no patrols tonight, just to prove how not scared he was!

‘Head Healer’ Sherman said that the most important thing was to push his limits without overextending himself.  But that Knuckles should definitely try to get some rest.  The way he said it bordered on worried.  Which was when Tom realized he didn’t know how much Knuckles slept.

That just added to the feelings of guilt as they left the office.

Still feeling the gnaw of shame, he slept lightly that night.  Lightly enough to hear the telltale thump of the attic steps lowering.

Tom had gotten used to hearing Knuckles’ footsteps in the night.  The thought had him feeling guilty once more.  It seemed so obvious now that that wasn’t normal.  He knew that showing you what was and wasn’t healthy was what doctors were for, but he wished he could’ve seen it on his own.  Maybe he could have done something earlier.

In the course of one day, Knuckles had broken down a school wall, crushed a kid’s arm, got suspended, and exploded their car.  (Their third car demolition in two years.)  But the worst part of the day had been when Knuckles had a panic attack.  And yeah, Tom knew the one who had the worst of that was Knuckles.  But watching his big, tough kid fall to pieces with him powerless to help was its own brand of agony.

Tom would do anything to avoid any of them living that moment over again.  Getting out of bed at 3am was a small price.

He left the lights off so he wouldn’t wake Maddie and crept out of the room.  The hallway was dark but the floor below was illuminated by moonlight across the floor.  He could see Knuckles’ outline standing at the bottom of the stairs.

Tom walked quietly, but Knuckles didn’t seem surprised when he finally turned to look up at him.

“Hey,” Tom said softly as he sat beside his eldest, leaving a little room between them.  “Just… hanging out of the stairs tonight?”

“I said that I would not patrol the perimeter tonight,” Knuckles said.  “So I will stand watch instead.”

Tom nodded and hummed like he was considering this.  Really he was considering how best to convince Knuckles to go back to bed.  He remembered how Doctor Sherman had told Knuckles to get some rest.  Tom knew the doctor couldn’t tell him everything, but Tom almost wished he could see these patrol logs.  Instead he asked:

“When did you last get eight hours of sleep?”

“Eight hours?”  Knuckles turned to him and even in the lowlight Tom could make out his confusion.

“Uh… how about six hours?”

“Consecutively?”

Oof.  “You know… Doctor Sherman did tell you to go get some rest.  Maybe that should be the challenge you tackle tonight.”

Knuckles turned away.  “Someone must keep watch.”

“I could keep watch?”  He didn’t know if he could actually pull an all-nighter anymore, but Tom was willing to stay up a bit if it meant Knuckles would get some sleep.

“I mean no offense Tom, but I am not only physically stronger, but have better vision, hearing, and sense of smell than you.  Also I am beginning to suspect you cannot sense electricity.”

Tom turned to stare at Knuckles’ profile.  “You can sense electricity?”  Was this an echidna thing or… a mental illness thing?

“I can sense that you left the light on in the garage,” Knuckles said by way of response.  His nose scrunched as he spoke, though he didn’t look angry.

“Seriously?”

“Yes,” he rubbed his nose with one big mitt.  “The twitchy one over the door.”

“You mean the flickery one?”

“To me it feels twitchy.”  His nose twitched as though to emphasize.

Tom still wasn’t sure if this was a real thing or not.  But Knuckles had never had delusions.  Maybe his superpowered alien echidna son could sense electricity.  Stranger things had happened.

“Does it bother you?” Tom asked.

“The twitching?”

“The electricity.”

Knuckles merely shrugged.  “It is not as bad as some of the other places I’ve been.  There it felt like the pins and the needles.  Here it is like… the crickets.  They make noise, but it’s not terrible.”

Silence fell between them and Tom noticed that he could hear the crickets.  Crickets and frogs and night birds and all sorts of creatures.  He’d long gotten used to the sounds of the forest.  The ‘twitching’ electricity probably didn’t bother Knuckles that much.  But still…

Tom stood.  “I’m gonna go turn the light off.”  The ‘twitching’ probably wasn’t all that was keeping Knuckles up, but if it would help at all, then Tom would try it.

He flicked on the porch light and let himself out.

Knuckles followed.  “I will go with you,” he said.  “But this does not count as patrolling the perimeter.”

Tom frowned.  This sounded like another loophole.  Was Knuckles going with him just another instance of hypervigilance?

The two of them walked down the front steps to the driveway, then headed around the side of the house to where the garage sat.  Tom kept eyeing Knuckles as they went.  He was used to Knuckles scanning around himself, looking for danger.  But now it wasn’t a ‘quirk’.

Tom had always heard the phrase that ‘crazy people don’t know they’re crazy’ but nobody said anything about the sane people around them also not being able to tell they were crazy.  Everything Knuckles did made perfect sense to him, so Tom hadn’t questioned it.  He cringed to think of how, in Knuckles’ very first appointment, he’d tried to tell the therapist that Knuckles ‘wasn’t a threat to others!  Well, not unless he thinks they’re a threat to him…. Which is almost everyone.  But we’re working on it!’  Like Knuckles was on par with Ozzie, barking at the mailman.

Now he watched the way Knuckles kept looking around, like there were invisible threats around every corner, and felt like he’d let his kid down.

“What do you think will happen if you weren’t on guard?”  Tom asked.  How did Knuckles’ mind work?  

Knuckles’ eyes and quills flared red and Tom stopped, shocked.  The echidna banged his fists together, sending red sparks flying.  “Back off!”  He barked so loud that Tom jumped.

Was he having another panic attack?!

Knuckles bolted toward the garage and then suddenly stopped.  Tom got a second surprise: a huge black shadow peeled away from the garage and loped away into the trees.  Knuckles’ quills stopped glowing.  Tom could still see Knuckles’ silhouette burned into the back of his lids.

His oldest turned to him, looking quite unimpressed.  “If I were not on guard, you would have been eaten by a bear.”

Right.  Fair.  But also:  “I probably wouldn’t get eaten by a black bear,” he said.  “Probably not even a brown bear.  Bears aren’t that big of a concern…”  They usually ran away from people, Tom and Knuckles must have just surprised this one.  “I think you could rest easy inside, knowing the bears are outside.  No need to stay up standing guard, you know?”

That said, Tom’s head was definitely on a swivel now.  Which was ironic because Knuckles was actually laser-focused on the spot where the bear disappeared.

“Anything can happen when you are asleep,” Knuckles said.  “I have avoided it whenever possible for most of my life.  I am not sure I could force myself to sleep even if I wanted to.”

Tom let himself in through the garage’s side door.  Sure enough, the light was on inside.  It flickered once before he hit the switch and the room went dark.  “Maybe Doc–Head Healer Sherman–could give you—” what did Knuckles call meds? “--a remedy?  To help you sleep.”

“I do not want to sleep though,” Knuckles said as he followed Tom back toward the house.

“I know, but you need to.  And if you can’t–”

“I must be able to wake up when I need to,” Knuckles said firmly.  “I have to be in fighting condition in a moment’s notice or else I could wake up captured by an enemy.  Or worse.”

Tom was about to asked what was worse than waking up imprisoned, but Knuckles answered first:

“I was sleep poisoned the first time I killed someone.”

Oh.  Tom sometimes forgot–or liked to forget–that Knuckles had a body count.  But them ignoring this stuff and acting like Knuckles was a weird, but otherwise normal kid, was probably another stone on the path to Knuckles having his breakdown so… he engaged:  “How did sleep meds cause you to kill someone?”

They rounded the house and started up the front steps.

“I was under attack, but my mind was clouded and my body did not act as I commanded.  I defended myself, but used too much strength.”

Tom pretended to scan the side yard for bears but really he was just trying to hide his expression.  He’d seen Knuckles crush stone with ease.  It was easy to forget when he was giving you a joint-cracking handshake, but that was Knuckles being gentle!  What could he do to a person if he didn’t control that strength?  And then Tom wondered: how was Doctor Sherman going to help Knuckles get over his hyper vigilance when Knuckles had to be vigilant every time he touched something more fragile than stone?

He realized he’d been quiet too long.  “I’m sorry,” he said, both for the long pause and for what happened.  “That sounds… traumatic.”

“…It is not my best memory.  But not my worst either.”

Tom let Knuckles enter the house before him, once again hiding his expression.  If that wasn’t Knuckles’ worst memory, he wasn’t sure he wanted to know what was.  Knuckles didn’t volunteer it and Tom didn’t pry.  He wanted to get Knuckles to share more with him, but he’d already gotten him to share more than Tom bargained for.

Maybe he should ask Doctor Sherman how he should react when Knuckles dropped these little trauma bombs?

Knuckles turned at the bottom of the steps.  He faced the front door and crossed his arms.  It looked almost like a parade rest.  Tom realized his eldest didn’t intend to go back to bed now.

“Maybe you could try to get some sleep,” Tom suggested.

“I think you should get some sleep,” Knuckles said.  “I can withstand far greater sleep deprivation than you.”

Tom shook his head. “How about this?  I’ll go to bed when you do.”

Tom couldn’t see in the dark as well as their resident echidna warrior, but he could sense Knuckles’ frown.  “I will not be going to sleep for a while, yet,” he said.  “I am not tired.”

Tom was, but he sat down on the steps beside Knuckles anyway.

They sat for a long time in silence.  Knuckles didn’t move an inch the whole time.  Tom meanwhile was wondering if sitting had been the best choice.  Seeing the bear had given him a hit of adrenaline, but now his body was hungry for rest.  How could he get Knuckles to feel like going to bed?  He wished he’d asked Doctor Sherman.  That was the kind of question a dad who wasn’t getting an F in parenting would ask.

Maybe Knuckles needed to forget about the bad stuff that Tom had unknowingly dredged up.

“What’s the best sleep you ever had?”  Tom asked.

“What?”  Knuckles finally moved to look at him.

Tom shrugged sleepily and readjusted, resting his arms on his knees and leaning against the railing.  “Just curious.  What’s a time when you slept really well?  For me it was after the first time we battled Robotnik.  Sonic and I went on a pretty long journey together and I wasn’t used to all that danger.  I passed out hard.  Woke up feeling great.”  Even though his house had been destroyed.  It was almost a yearly event at this point.  “How about you?”

Knuckles tipped his head to the side, contemplating.  And contemplating… And contemplating.

Tom actually thought he wasn’t going to answer.  His eyelids were getting heavier and heavier and his tired brain was running out of excuses to keep them open.

Then Knuckles started talking.  The words came haltingly at first, but grew more confident the longer he spoke.  “Once… When I was very, very small.  I had been ill.  I was nearly well again, but they made me stay at the healer’s hut one more night.”

He paused a long moment, gathering his words, or trying to remember, Tom didn’t know.  “It was raining… There were pots around the hut to catch water leaking through the roof.”  He spoke as though he’d only just remembered.

Tom smiled to himself.  His eyes had gone and shut themselves without his permission.  “That sounds cozy,” he mumbled.

“The healer was making medicine,” Knuckles continued.  “She had water boiling over the fire and she was crushing herbs together.  The whole room smelled like tea.”

Tom’s chin dipped and he jerked up, then sagged back down.  Oh dear, he was going to lose this fight, wasn’t he?  Was Knuckles sleepy at least?

Knuckles yawned as if in answer.  “Father was with me.  He worried after me…  Not unlike you do now…”  He said this last part so quietly that Tom wasn’t sure it wasn’t a dozy dream.  “I slept in his arms.  It was the first true sleep I had had in days.”

Tom remembered that feeling.  Falling asleep and being carried to bed by his dad.  Having a nightmare and sleeping between his parents.  He wished they could give that to Knuckles too.  Make him feel that safe in their home.

A gentle hand found his shoulder and Tom startled awake.  It was brighter than he expected and he scrunched his eyes closed immediately.

“Hey,” Maddie said softly.  “You okay?”

“M’fine,” Tom said, squinting his eyes open.  Oh.

It was morning.

He looked up at Maddie who couldn’t seem to decide if she was amused or not.  “Were you down here all night?”  She asked.

Tom rubbed his eyes.  “I came to check on Knuckles… Guess I fell asleep instead.”  Darn it.  He looked beside him to see Knuckles sitting on the step.

“Knuckles?”  Maddie asked.  “Did you get any sleep last night?”

Knuckles stared down at his shoes.  He seemed almost ashamed.  “No,” he said.

Tom’s shoulders sagged.  He and Maddie shared a look.  He didn’t want to say that Knuckles’ first night of no patrolling had been a failure, but it definitely hadn’t been a success.

Maybe Doctor Sherman wouldn’t pass judgment on Tom, but Tom would pass it on himself.  Somehow, someway, he had to figure out how to make one of the strongest people on the planet feel safe.

[firealder2005]

Whumpcember 2022 Day. 23 STUMBLING

Anywho, non-con drug use!

AO3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/43652038

Enjoy!

```

The world wobbled in and out of focus.

Luke rapidly blinked, shaking his head a little, as he tried to make sense of his dizzying surroundings.

He hardly remembered how he got here, let alone where he was.

The last thing he remembered was…was…

Luke let out a frustrated sound as his fuzzy mind failed to retrieve the memory.

The blonde slowly turned onto his stomach, feeling the surprisingly warm floor beneath him, and hoisted himself off the ground with his hands, sitting on his knees as the world spun once more, making him squeeze his eyes shut from the pain.

For Force’s sake, what had happened?

Warily, he opened his eyes, relieved when the world - or, well, the room - wasn’t spinning anymore.

As much.

He sat back on his heels and carefully stood up, finally inspecting the area around him.

The room was well-lit, though there were no windows, and there was nothing in it besides himself. Frowning, Luke spotted the door, and began to walk towards it, but his legs gave out and he stumbled, doubling over to recover his balance.

He shook his head, then instantly regretted it as his head started pounding again and he hissed in pain.

Gritting his teeth, he straightened back up, slightly staggering as he swayed, but managed to fumble his way to the door, gripping its handle tightly, only to find it locked.

Luke slammed a hand against the door, letting out a frustrated yell, before sliding back down to his knees, forehead pressed against the door, as his head throbbed and his vision blurred. Luke pressed his head down against his knees, breathing heavily, as shivers wracked his body.

What’s happening to me ? Was the last thought he had before he blacked out.

“This is all your fault, isn’t it?!” Leia angrily yelled.

In hindsight, maybe yelling at a know mass murderer who was also a Sith Lord when he was now able to use the Force to the fullest extent isn’t the best idea, but Leia was angry .

Clearly, Luke hadn’t been taken by the Empire, since Vader had been as caught off-guard as she had been.

Question was, who was the culprit, and why did they take Luke?

“Tell me, princess,” Vader snarled. “How is it my fault when you were the one holding us up with your ridiculous questions?”

“Oh, so now it’s my fault , huh?!” Leia fired back. “Maybe if you hadn’t chased us down here, this wouldn’t have happened!”

Vader shook a finger at her, and Leia had half a mind to do the same - with a different finger, that is.

Then that half a mind became full, and she smirked as Vader clenched his hands into fists.

“This is getting us nowhere.” Vader said through gritted teeth. “As much as I despise your presence, if you wish to rescue Luke, we must… cooperate. ”

Leia raised an eyebrow. “That sounded painful. You sure you have the capacity for that?”

A crackling came from the vocoder that sounded roughly like an angry groan.

It probably was.

“Well, you have any ideas on who could have taken him?” Leia let a little snark enter her voice, hoping to at least irritate Vader some more.

If she did, he didn’t show it.

Unfortunate.

“I have my suspicions,” Vader replied, crossing his arms. “I have enemies who would wish to undermine me by bringing Luke to the Emperor themselves.”

Leia glared at him. “Isn’t that what you want to do too? Turn and twist him into becoming like you?” she couldn’t exactly look down her nose at Vader, but she gave it her best shot.

Vader’s mask slowly turned to her. “You know nothing of what I want.”

That didn’t sound reassuring.

Yes, Luke was Vader’s son, but that didn’t mean anything - not if Vader wanted to use his own son for personal gain.

And something told Leia that was part of the reason why Vader was so desperate to get his hands on Luke again.

Leia mimicked Vader’s stance, crossing her arms, and challenging stared at him. “Well, who are the most likely suspects then?”

“I’ve already figured the culprit out.” Vader sounded smug that he knew something she didn’t.

They stared at each other.

“Well…?” Leia taunted. “Have you, or have you not?”

Vader growled, but conceited.

“The leader of the crime syndicate Black Sun,” he announced. “Xizor. He’s been after my position in the Empire for a long time, and has shown…unnatural interest in my pursuit of Luke.” the Sith placed his hands on his belt. “I am… suspicious , about his motives in this. He usually isn’t as obvious - those men who took Luke bore the Black Sun symbol. He wants me to find him - and Luke is stuck in the middle.”

Leia stared at him.

“So yes, it is your fault.”

[adgaea]

HI! Part two of my Refuge series based within the TSSM universe has been posted on A03.

Summary: What will happen when Tombstone goes after Peter? 

TWs: broken bones, blood and injury, blood, loss of tooth/teeth, guns, violence, non-consensual drug use, kidnapping

Disclaimer: I do not own anything!

Story under the cut and on A03!

Montana huffed as he did his best to calm himself. He didn't take kindly to anyone threatening the kid, and now his own boss had made a major threat towards the kid. He wasn't quite sure how to proceed, but he knew that it'd have to be done carefully. He entered the Group chat on his phone and sent a message for an emergency meeting at Ock's lair later that night. He didn't want them all crowding in his apartment while May and Peter were still staying there.

~~~~~~

Peter hugged Harry before leaving to meet Montana. Normally, he'd just walk, but with how crazy things had been, it would be better to have Montana pick him up. Peter took note that Montana was tense as they drove back to his apartment building.

Peter cautiously questioned "I take it that your meeting didn't really go well?"

Montana grimaced and responded without looking at Peter "Nope."

Peter didn't pry further, but he did wonder what had put his uncle on edge.

~~~~~~

Late at night, Montana left the apartment quietly.

It was quite easy to make it to Ock's lair. He was solemn faced as he entered the lair. Ock was quick to greet him, but did not yet ask any questions. It only took a little while longer for the whole gang to appear.

Quentin appeared to be the most worried as he took a seat by Montana.

Once everyone had focused on him, Montana began.

"As some of you know, I had a meeting with my boss Tombstone this past afternoon. It didn't go very well, as he accused me of not doing my job and proceeded to threaten Peter's life. I'd say that we could take them out of the city again, but we can't keep uprooting the Parker's lives every time a new threat comes around. We need to handle this differently, and Tombstone's not as direct of a threat as Osborn was. I have no doubt that Tombstone has spies watching Peter though." Montana said as the others showed varying degrees of surprise or exasperation.

Adrian rolled his eyes "Is it really worth it to protect his child if he keeps getting himself into so many messes?!"

Ock spoke "Of course it's worth it, Adrian. The boy is highly intelligent, and of much use to us. You know that, otherwise you would not have helped defeat the Goblin."

Adrian huffed and stood down.

O'Hirn said "One of us can always try to tag along with the kid. Sandman and I can try to schedule more tutoring schedules so he stays busy outside of school or patrol and he'd be with one of us most of the time."

Montana replied "That wouldn't work full-time, but it would help. I know there's no way to stop Tombstone from watching Peter, but so long as one of us is always around the kid, he'll be fine. We need to make a schedule for who'll stick around the kid each day."

Dan spoke "well, none of have really strict work schedules, so we'll probably just have to do it day by day."

Ock spoke "Precisely. I will also keep a closer eye on the surveillance system of his school. I know that the Enforcers likely have a job tomorrow, and I am going to be busy. Anyone free for a shift protecting the child tomorrow?"

Quentin spoke "I'll do it. Tomorrow's my day off at work. Plus, I can actually blend in and act as a substitute teacher and keep an eye on him all day. TInk helped me with my photostatic veil idea, so I can use tomorrow as a test run."

Montana nodded and said "Thanks, Quentin. Keep us updated if you spot anything suspicious."

The group meeting soon dissolved, all in agreeance that Peter must be protected.

~~~~~~

Tinkerer stood tall as he was escorted to Tombstone's office. He was unsure of what the meeting would be about.

He raised an eyebrow as Tombstone motioned for him to sit.

Tinkerer did as requested and Tombstone spoke "Tell me everything you know about Peter Parker."

Tinkerer furrowed his brow and said "He's quite intelligent, and as you know, he's been working in my workshop for a little while. He's improved upon the equipment that the Enforcers use and has helped me work on a few other projects. I know as much as Hammerhead has likely already told you."

Tombstone nodded and said "I figured, but I also need to know about his interactions with the Enforcers."

Tinkerer grimaced and said "Why such an interest? The kid has no dreams of working for us full-time."

Tombstone's eyes flashed with anger as he said "It is not your place to question my motives."

Tinkerer was not cowed as he said "It is my place to question you when you seem to have taken an interest in the kid."

Tombstone hummed and pursed his lips.

He then said "I see that Parker has gained your favor now as well. Just remember who your boss is, Mason. You either answer to me, or you will lose funding."

Tinkerer huffed and said "Fine. I will not answer any more of your questions. I don't need your funding. I just stayed on with you because you needed those suits for the Enforcers. You can find someone else to do that or they can hire me personally. I don't answer to anyone but myself."

Tombstone gritted his teeth and angrily ordered "Get out then!"

Tinkerer calmly stood and walked to the door. As one of the lackey's opened the door for him, he looked back at Tombstone and said "I suggest that you be careful. Peter Parker has many people who care about him, and you would be treading dangerous waters if you intend to mess with him."

He could hear Tombstone's aggravated growling as he left the room and shut the door behind him. He calmly left Tombstone's hideout and headed for his own apartment. He had to update everyone on the group chat that Quentin had added him to.

~~~~~~

Peter sighed as he finally returned to school with Harry. His arm luckily didn't have to be in a cast any longer either. Luckily, Gwen and MJ policed the crowd of students that tried getting to them to ask questions. Peter was not really looking forward to the next week. He had quite a bit of work to make-up for his classes and now more was going to be added.

Luckily, nothing new had been added in his English class, as there was a substitute for the day. He didn't recognize their name or appearance, but their tone and the way they moved seemed familiar. The guy also seemed to be super passionate about the topic of the work they'd been given to complete while the teacher was out for the next week with the flu.

All the other classes seemed to pile on the homework though. He even had an essay to work on for his advanced biology course. He wouldn't have time to hang out with his friends or uncles for  a while. He considered himself to be good at school, and none of the assignments were really hard, but they would still be time consuming.

The day luckily came to an end after his chemistry lab. It had been an odd day purely because random classmates would occasionally come up to him and ask about his disappearance before Gwen or MJ could stop them. Peter was kind of flattered that they had practically made it their mission to keep other students from hounding him with questions that he didn't really want to answer.

He went to his locker to grab a couple of things and met Harry outside of the school. Gwen and MJ had already left.

Harry questioned "Did you want to hang out or work on our mathematics homework?"

Peter replied "Sure. We can either go to your place or Montana's place."

Harry then glanced behind Peter and smiled as he called out "Hey Quentin!"

Peter turned and smiled.

Quentin spoke "Hey guys! You two need a ride? I was in the area so I figured that I could pick you both up after school."

Harry answered "Yeah! That'd be great! Pete, can we go to your place?"

Peter nodded as they walked to Quentin's car.

Quentin smiled and said "Good! To Montana's we go!"

Peter smiled fondly.

~~~~~~

Quentin smiled in relief as Peter didn't seem suspicious of him. Peter had stared at him a few times during his English period, but luckily didn't seem to know that it was him. The photostatic veil that he and Tinkerer had made worked splendidly. Quentin had to admit though, it had been kind of fun substituting.

He knew that the normal teacher would be out for the rest of the week, so he went ahead and signed up to be the substitute for the rest of the week. He wasn't getting paid as much as his usual job, but at least he'd still get paid while using his false identity. He'd just take the next week off from his normal work.

They arrived at Montana's building soon and Quentin spoke "Go on up, kid. I'll be up there in a few minutes."

Peter soon left and Quentin got his phone out. He whistled as he sat in his car and opened the group chat to inform everyone that he had the in school surveillance of Peter covered for the week, but that someone else would have to pick him up after school.

~~~~~~

Peter and Harry finished their work fairly quickly and had enough time to relax before Harry wanted to return to his home. They luckily avoided talking about anything concerning the fact that Peter would be inheriting the Osborn fortune. Quentin soon had the honor of taking Harry home.

~~~~~~

Peter yawned as the day went by slowly. Once it was late enough, he'd gone out and patrolled a little bit, and unfortunately stayed up so late that he only got a couple of hours of sleep. Both May and Montana had reprimanded him for staying out so late, but it had been worth it. Granted, it probably wasn't the greatest choice, considering the fact that he couldn't stop nodding off in the middle of his classes.

He yawned as he leaned his head against his hand while trying to pay attention. Luckily, the bell soon rang, and it was the lunch period.

Peter just laid his head on the table and started snoring.

Gwen, MJ, and Harry shared a concerned glance as Harry said "He must have stayed up too late when studying last night."

Harry then glanced at a frowning Gwen. She'd have an earful for Peter later. She and Harry both knew that Peter was tired because he'd been out so late last night because of his Spider-Man duties.

All three of the friends were surprised as Peter's head suddenly popped up and his eyes were wide open.

Gwen could tell that Peter had suddenly become tense. Harry soon caught on and MJ noticed his change in demeanor.

Soon, Peter could feel the eyes of many students on him, and it was even worse than when he'd come back a few days ago. He tuned into many conversations around him and he heard many whispers of his name and the fact that he'd inherited the Osborn fortune and everything. Peter bit his lip. Someone broke the NDA and let all of the information out. Peter knew that there was going to be trouble.

Gwen and Harry shared a look as the intercom sounded "Peter Parker to the Principal's office."

Peter quickly got up and left for the office. He really needed to get out of the school before any reports could show up to harass he and his friends.

The other three friends shared looks of worry for Peter as they too could hear some of the conversations going around the cafeteria.

~~~~~~

Peter was greeted by both May and Montana as he arrived at the office. He'd already been checked out for the day.

Montana spoke "I'm sure that you may have already heard, but someone broke the NDA. We wanted to come and get you before any press could ambush you after school."

Peter steeled his jaw and nodded as Montana and May stood beside him while they walked out. Luckily, the press was not at the school.

The trip back to Montana's apartment was quick. The midday news was on and playing as they entered the apartment, and Peter was greeted with a picture of himself on the screen and a banner revealing that he was the heir to the Osborn fortune. All he could do was sit on the couch and hold his head in his hands as May rubbed a hand on his back in comfort.

Montana, however, was angry. He'd find whomever had broken the NDA and ensure that they paid for releasing the confidential information.

~~~~~~

Peter ended up having to take a day off from school, as reporters had been trying to contact him again. They'd also been trying to contact Harry for questions, but luckily, Harry was used to dealing with the press, so he gave no comments. Peter felt horrible about the entire situation, but there wasn't much that he could do. Harry had met him at Montana's after school to give him any homework he had missed and told him that thing would blow over eventually.

Peter wasn't quite sure if that would ever happen.

~~~~~~

"Boss, I don't think that going after the kid's going to end well. Not to mention the kid was the main benefactor of the estate when Osborn was killed." Hammerhead said as Tombstone raised an eyebrow.

"If you wish to remain in my employment Hammerhead, I suggest that you not question my actions or orders. I know what I am doing, and I do not need or want to explain my reasons to you."

Hammerhead grimaced and said "Alright. It'll be done. I'll make sure that one of our guys is on the security team at the kid's school."

Tombstone nodded and replied "You are dismissed."

Hammerhead soon took his leave while thinking that his boss's plan wasn't going to lead to anything good.

~~~~~~

As Peter expected, things were different when he returned to school a couple of days later. He would have waited longer, but he wasn't going to let the actions of the press control his life. He'd just try to take a note from Harry and express the fact that he didn't want to comment. Plus, it helped that they couldn't be too persistent, as he was still a minor.

Honestly, he could handle the reporters. The reporters were no where near as annoying as many of his fellow classmates who continued trying to ask him questions or be his friend. He hated the additional attention, and had no idea how Harry had dealt with that for most of his life. Though, he did have more of an understanding of why Harry could be so standoffish sometimes, and definitely understood why it was harder for Harry to trust people. You could never know if someone was truly trying to be your friend sometimes. Peter was just glad that Harry knew that he, Gwen, and MJ were his actual friends.

Not to mention it was kind of uncomfortable that the security around Midtown had increased since Reporters had been seen outside of the school. Peter could also tell that his uncles were worried about him. He was getting texts from them more than usual as they worried for him.

Peter was slightly zoned out as he munched on his lunch.

He only zoned back in when Gwen laid a hand on his shoulder and asked "Are you alright?"

Peter smiled lightly and responded "I'm fine, Gwen. Man, Harry, I don't know how you ever dealt with this kind of thing."

Harry shrugged and said "I lived with Norman Osborn for many years. Dealing with reporters and 'fake friends' was nothing compared to always being seen as a disappointment by him no matter what I did."

Peter was slightly surprised as someone sat their hand on his shoulder. He grimaced as he turned slightly and noticed that it was one of Flash's friends whom he couldn't even remember the name of. His spider sense was up a little, but he knew this guy wasn't an actual threat, just an annoyance.

"Hey, Parker! Here's an invite to my party! It's at my house tomorrow!" the guy said as Peter shrugged his hand off.

Peter said "No thanks. I'm not a party person."

The guy then frowned and said "Aw, come on Parker! It'll be fun!"

MJ spoke up "He said no. Quit bothering us."

The guy rolled his eyes and said "Really Parker, you're going to have a girl speak for you? Just come to the party. You can even bring these other losers with you. You're already on your way to being the most popular guy in the school because of how much you've been in the news, and you being at my party would be great for my own popularity!"

Peter stood up and huffed as he said "I already said no, and please don't talk about my friends that way."

Peter went to turn and leave, and the guy grabbed his arm. Peter turned around and glared at the offending hand that was gripping his arm.

The guy spoke "Just come, Parker! I'll even say please if I have to. I really need something to boost my reputation after I got a speeding ticket last week and my girl dumped me!"

Peter shook his head and wrenched his arm out of the guy's grip as his other friends stood up and practically pushed the guy away. Peter groaned. He could feel a sensory overload coming on. His head was hurting.

He grimaced as Gwen gently touched his shoulder. She looked at him and noticed that he'd flinched slightly. She went to say something, but Peter spoke "I'm going to go outside for a little bit. Sensory overload."

Gwen nodded and watched as Peter left. Harry wanted to follow Peter, but MJ said "Leave him be, Harry. He's overwhelmed."

Gwen nodded and said "He'll be alright. We'll check on him if he doesn't come back in before the bell rings. He'll have to come back in here though. He left his phone and bag at our table."

~~~~~~

"Agent 1187 reporting. I have eyes on the boy. I am leaving my post from within the school to follow the boy. I will radio further information in when it is clear for Mr. H. to come." the Agent reported as he followed Peter to behind the school's gymnasium.

Agent 1187 watched as the boy finally stopped and stood against the wall. The boy was hyperventilating and had his eyes closed. It was the perfect time to strike. Agent 1187 made their move.

~~~~~~

Peter was uncomfortable as he leaned against one of the gymnasium walls. His sensory overload had only gotten worse as he left the cafeteria. He closed his eyes for a little bit and held his hands over his face. He could tell that he was hyperventilating, but he couldn't do anything but ride the overload out. Not to mention it was annoying how his sensory overloads always set off his spider sense.

He was unprepared when he felt someone grab his arm, and his eyes shot open. Before he could turn around, a needle was shoved into his neck and he was pulled against someone as he tried to cry out, but his mouth was covered. He tried to pull himself out of the person's grip, but he was so tired and still aching from the sensory overload.

He made small noises of discomfort as he was gagged and blindfolded. He was feeling horrible. He soon lost his battle to remain conscious.

~~~~~~

Gwen and Harry went together to check on Peter. They knew that he'd likely gone behind the gym. When they got there, he wasn't there.

Harry said "Where could he be? He left his stuff at the lunch table, and he wouldn't just leave the school. I'll check the restroom and you check the halls in the five minutes of lunch we've got left?"

Gwen nodded and said "Yeah."

The two searched, but by the time the bell rang, Peter wasn't back or found anywhere close to the cafeteria.

They knew that something had to be wrong. Peter wouldn't just leave his stuff behind, especially not his phone.

They met MJ back at the table and she grimaced as she questioned "No sign of him at all?"

Harry and Gwen both nodded a negative.

MJ nodded and said "Okay, let's go to the office. They likely won't be much help, but we've at least got to tell them that there's a missing student."

It did not take them long to get to the office and speak with the principle.

The principle furrowed their brow and said "I'll have security check on a few things."

The three waited at the office outside of the principle's office while the head of security came in with a sheepish look. The guy headed into the principle's office and closed the door. The three friends shared a worried look as Gwen leaned closer to the door and listened in.

She heard the security officer say "One of my men has gone missing from their post, and none of the others have seen Mr. Parker. I'm sorry, but I think that my staff has failed to do their job. We need to go on lockdown and get the police here."

Gwen leaned back and bit her lip as she whispered to MJ and Harry that Peter was most definitely missing along with one of the security staff missing form their post.

Harry quickly got his phone out and started texting Quentin about the situation. None of the uncles were going to like this at all.

~~~~~~

Peter groaned as the blindfold and gag were taken off of his face. He had only just started to stir. He soon noticed that he was tied to a chair, his hands tied behind the back of the chair. He had a massive headache and his spider sense was still going off, but he wasn't having a sensory overload anymore. He was surprised when he looked forward to see that his kidnapper just so happened to have brought him to Tombstone.

Tombstone said "So, Peter Parker, what makes you so special that my Enforcers aren't doing their jobs? Is it because you're so obviously not suited to be a criminal even though you won't hesitate to make technology for them? What makes you so endearing to them? Why are you so important in the grand scheme of things? I know you're not biologically related to any of them, so what makes you special to them?"

Peter just bit his lip and looked away without saying anything.

Tombstone sighed and said "Answer me, boy."

Peter grimaced and looked directly at Tombstone, but refrained from answering. Tombstone looked to the side and made a small hand motion. Peter grunted as his head was knocked to the side by a punch. He could have avoided it, but he didn't want this guy even having a hint that eh wasn't a normal human.

Peter grimaced as he tasted blood. He could feel a little bit of it dribble down his chin. A tooth must have been knocked out. He spit out some of the blood as he flexed his hands behind his back.

He glared at Tombstone as the man raised an eyebrow.

Tombstone hummed as he said "Impressive. You don't even seem to be phased. That will not last very long though, unless you choose to answer me now, boy."

Peter said nothing as he stared at Tombstone. Things were about to get a little more painful.

~~~~~~

Montana was furious as he and Quentin got to the school. May had stayed behind at the apartment in case the police were to come by. Tinkerer had come over to stay with her while he went down to the school with Quentin. Montana knew that the others, including Dan and Ox, would be meeting at Ock's place to see if they could track down where Peter had been taken through Ock's cameras.

He didn't bother to even listen to the security people as he barged past them and into the school that was no longer locked down once they'd figured out that there was not a threat to any of the other students. Quentin followed close behind. Montana headed directly for the office. He knew where it was because he'd picked Peter up from there a couple of times.

He stalked in there and paused as he saw Harry, Gwen, and MJ.  Quentin walked past him and Harry stood up. Quentin hugged him and said "Hey, kid. We're working on trying to find Peter. I hear that you three are being kept here for a little bit because police want you to answer a few questions."

Harry nodded and Montana spoke "Well they can't keep you here, and they likely won't be any help. Unless they force you to stay here, you guys can go or come with Quentin and I. The students have been released for the day because of Peter's disappearance."

Gwen spoke "I'm coming with you two. I already texted my dad and said that I was going to be with Harry and MJ for a little while to study."

Harry and MJ both nodded in agreeance.

Montana nodded and then said "Alright then, I parked close. We'll take my vehicle to Ock's place."

The principle came out and said "Wait, Mr. Brice! You can't take them with you!"

Montana gritted his teeth and looked back as he said "I'm not taking them with me. They're following me. They have permission from the school to leave without the need of a guardian signing them out."

He then turned away as the principle continued trying to get his attention. He once again shoved past security people, who weren't really good at their jobs, and everyone got into his vehicle."

MJ sat beside Gwen and said "So, I'm guessing that Ock refers to Otto Octavius. How did Peter even get involved with this bunch of people that he now calls uncles?"

Harry shook his head and said "That doesn't really matter. All that matters is that Peter trusts them, so we should too."

MJ raised an eyebrow, but nodded.

~~~~~~

Peter's breathing was erratic as his head was held up by one of Tombstone's goons standing behind him. Blood was running into his eyes as he stared back at Tombstone. He'd lost another tooth, his nose was broken, and he'd been hit so many times that he'd be surprised if he had any unbruised skin left. Not to mention, it was getting harder for him to see between the blood getting in his eyes and the swelling from all of the hits.

Tombstone curled his fists as he said "Your refusal to speak is rather annoying, boy."

Tombstone looked up and motioned to one of his men "Again, but this time, break some bones."

Peter cringed as his head was dropped. He couldn't keep a scream from being released as his left kneecap was broken.

~~~~~~

Hammerhead grimaced as he stood outside of Tombstone's office. He couldn't help but feel that his boss's actions just weren't right. Don't get him wrong, he's a criminal, but there was no sense in beating a kid like that just to get some answers and threaten the Enforcers. He really felt bad for picking the kid up in his limo after Agent 1187 knocked the kid out.

Honestly, it was kind of impressive how well the kid was doing though. The kid hadn't said a word at all yet. There had been plenty noises of pain coming from Tombstone's office, but the kid hadn't spilled anything.

Hammerhead cringed as the kid suddenly screamed. He couldn't take it anymore. He had to contact Montana.

~~~~~~

Montana was pacing as Ock scanned his cameras. Tinkerer had even joined them to try and search through the footage.They had gotten footage that the kid had been put into an unmarked and unlicensed limo, so they were fairly certain that the kid was going to be taken to Tombstone. Only, they weren't sure which of Tombstone's bases they would have taken the kid to, and they couldn't afford to raid the wrong base.

Ock combed through the footage for hours, but nothing seemed to be working. The limo just disappeared from any footage once it gets close to the outer city limits.

Montana's pacing and Ock's arguing with Quentin and the Vulture did nothing to help calm the three teens that had come along with Montana and Quentin.

Gwen was aggravated as the three monitoring the cameras continued bickering over something stupid concerning the proper way to go through the footage.

Gwen stood and whistled loudly.

She spoke once everyone's eyes were on her "Okay. Everyone needs to cool it or stop arguing over things that won't help track down where Peter was taken. Since some of you have flight capabilities, why don't you try to go out and patrol and see if you can track down anyone who may have pertinent information. Mr. Brice, do you know if Peter had any other electronics on him that could have been tracked?"

Montana just shook his head. The kid's phone was still with them, so there wasn't really a way to track the kid's location that way.

Toomes grimaced and nodded as he said "Very well, Miss Stacy. I don't like taking orders very much, but you have a level head, and it does make sense to do so."

Toomes soon left the room.

Quentin just looked sheepish as he said "Sorry guys, I'm just worried. I'll send some of my gremlins out to search. Tink's already sent some of his drones out, but none of them have detected anything yet, and they don't go beyond city limits yet, so they're not helping much. I think that my gremlins can go quite a way's away from the city though, so they might help until we get a concrete location."

Dan nodded at Quentin's statement and said "Maybe we should just make our way through the bases that we know Tombstone has out there, Montana. He already knows that we'd do anything to get the kid back. He's going to expect us to retaliate anyway."

Montana grimaced and said "It's too risky to go in blindly to a random base of his. I don't want to risk that he'll move Peter around if we raid the wrong base."

Dan sighed and said "Montana, we've got to do it. We'll find the kid either way, and we can't let him stay in Tombstone's hands for very long. We both know that Tombstone does whatever he wants to do in order to get what he wants, and right now he wants something from Peter. We've got to risk it."

Montana nodded and said "Okay. We'll suit up and go. You three kids stay here and help Ock watch the cameras."

None of the teens looked thrilled about sitting and waiting, but they knew that they'd just get in the way if they went with the Enforcers to try and find Peter.

Montana spoke again "Quentin, be ready to tail us and act as backup. We should be able to do it ourselves, but we need to be ready just in case."

He then went to leave the room, but then his phone rang. Montana looked at his phone and grimaced as he recognized the number. Hammerhead was calling him.

He put the phone on speaker and threateningly said "Where's my kid, Hammerhead."

Hammerhead spoke "We're at the base about forty miles west outside of the city. Hurry, Shocker. Tombstone's hurting the kid, and I just don't condone that. I'll back you up when you get here."

Montana practically growled as he said "We'll be there soon. Don't think that just because you're helping right now, you won't face out wrath eventually. You still had a part in getting the kid to Tombstone."

Hammerhead just sighed over the line and hung up. They had an exact location now, presuming that Hammerhead was being truthful. Based upon the resignation and worry in the guy's voice though, Hammerhead was not lying.

Montana spoke again "Flint, O'Hirn, Quentin, you're with us. Quentin, you'll get Peter out of there and the rest of us will handle things. Tink, please hand me some of your enhanced restraint cuffs. It's time to wage war on Tombstone."

The Enforcers were soon suited up and ready to go with the others. They had a kid to get back.

~~~~~~

Peter was clenching his fists hard as he did his best to hold back his tears even though it was hurting his arm. He felt awful. His arm was broken again, and both of his kneecaps were in bad shape. This would take quite a while to recover from.

Tombstone spoke "I don't know how you handle this physical violence so well, but let's move on. Since that's not working, how about we move on to threatening those you love. You answer me or else that aunt of yous will face some consequences of your refusal to answer me."

Peter growled as he hissed out "Don't you dare go after her!"

Tombstone laughed and said "So, he finally speaks. How far do I have to go to get you to answer my questions though. Should I bring her in?"

Peter responded "Never. I'll tell you that I view the Enforcers as my uncles. What more do you need to know? Why am I so interesting to you?"

Tombstone growled and yelled angrily "You are a threat to my business, and I will not allow threats to remain within my midst!"

Before Peter could reply, the door behind him was opened and one of the lackeys reported that the base was being attacked.

Peter smiled painfully. He knew that his uncles had come, and Tombstone was doomed.

~~~~~~

Hammerhead let the Enforcers and company into the base. He said nothing as O'Hirn and Flint went a separate way and started destroying things.

He led the way to Tombstone's office. It was quite easy for him to just push the lackeys aside, as they were too wimpy to fire at him and definitely couldn't defeat the Enforcers. Not to mention, all of their guys seemed to be horrible shots. Hammerhead really had to reevaluate who he was hiring.

He was equipped with his own strength plus a couple of guns he stole from the lackeys along with his own gun. It was not going to be easy to take the Big Man down.

~~~~~~

Montana was furious as he entered Tombstone's office and saw that he was standing behind the chair in which Peter was tied to, and gripping the back of the kid's neck.

Tombstone looked at the group gathered around the entrance and said "Hmm. Hammerhead, I see that you have betrayed me to the Enforcers. That will be remembered once this fight is over. Meanwhile, my Enforcers tear my base apart just to get to this boy. Tell me, Shocker, what is so important about this boy?"

Shocker growled as he said "We already had this discussion, Lincoln. Release my kid."

Tombstone laughed and said "Why would I do that, Shocker. If I get rid of this whelp, you'll go back to doing your job properly."

Dan spoke "You're crazy if you think we'll ever work for you again after you hurt the kid."

Tombstone spoke "Snapping his neck will be easy. It'd be done before you could ever make a move towards me."

Tombstone was startled as a voice sounded from behind him "Not before me though."

Tombstone was then bombarded with some of Quentin's gremlins as Quentin laid a punch on Tombstone's face. Peter was no longer in Tombstone's grip. Dan quickly ran towards the chair and untied Peter and picked him up while Quentin was distracting Tombstone.

Montana spoke "Mysterio, move."

Quentin quickly moved back towards where Dan had carried Peter towards the door and took Peter in his own arms while Montana launched an attack on Tombstone.

Peter didn't complain as Quentin took him away from the fight.

Montana spoke "You know, after tonight, you ain't going to be the big man of crime anymore. You harmed one of my family, and NO ONE gets away with that, crime boss or not."

Tombstone just threw off another gremlin that had been trying to chew on his arm and gritted his teeth. He looked towards Montana and said "You really think that you can beat me! There's a reason that I've been the Big Man of Crime for so long. You can't beat me. You're lucky that I'm not killing you right now."

Montana shot at him with his gauntlets, and Tombstone dodged it easily.

Tombstone spoke "Pathetic attempt, Shocker."

Tombstone then grunted as he was hit from the side by Dan and knocked into Ox who punched him.

Tombstone growled as he spit out a tooth.

He then quickly drew his gun and started shooting. Montana was grazed on his right shoulder and Dan ran straight at Tombstone.

Things were about to get a lot more heated.

~~~~~

Quentin grimaced as he took in Peter's appearance while getting the heck out of Tombstone's base. The kid looked awful. Not to mention the kid was out. He wondered if it was from blood loss or something else. He could tell that the kid had multiple broken bones along with some severe bruising. It made him hope that the others were giving Tombstone the beating he deserved.

Luckily, their transportation was equipped with good first aid supplies. Quentin was glad that he was familiar with first aid, though he hated that it was the kid who had helped him become so familiar with how to perform the proper first aid. He started cleaning the cuts and wounds that he could while attempting to stabilize the breaks. They had to get the kid to Ock's fast. He'd know how to set the bones right since he had all of the proper medical equipment in his hidden laboratory. Kind of freaky, considering the lab was there for sinister reasons until Ock figured out that the kid was Spider-Man, but at least it could still come in handy.

He was honestly surprised, but grateful, that the kid didn't have any gunshot wounds, considering how much Tombstone liked his guns.

~~~~~~

Montana punched Tombstone after discarding the busted gauntlet that Tombstone had hit when fighting him. Montana was also quite pleased that he was the first to draw some of Tombstone's blood. After his punch, the brute fell back and spit out a tooth as blood ran down his chin.

Tombstone snarled at him and went to shoot at him again, but had run out of ammunition when he'd tried to gun Ox down only minutes ago. Ox had easily dodged most of the bullets, and the others had been caught by his awesome armor that was bulletproof thanks to some improvements done by peter and the Tinkerer. If only Montana had used the new bulletproof armor, then he wouldn't have a graze on his shoulder.

Montana got the firearm away from Tombstone and threw it across the room where Ox crushed it easily.

They were prepared when Tombstone pulled out another hidden gun. Montana sent a blast towards hm and knocked the man back into the wall which caused him to lose his grip on the gun. Dan was able to pull it away as well and Ox crushed it as Montana fought Tombstone hand to hand. Tombstone may be vicious, but nothing was going to stop Montana from making the man pay for hurting the kid.

The two continued to fight and eventually passed into the hallway, where Tombstone tripped over a fallen lackey. Before he could even try and get up again, he was held down by Hammerhead's foot.

Hammerhead spoke as he took in Tombstone's furious glare "I suggest that you stay down unless you want to die by their hands soon, because for that kid, they'll fight to the death. I warned you not to go after the kid, but you didn't listen. It's time for a new Big Man of Crime to take over and actually listen to their workers."

Tombstone snarled as he said "Even if I'm put in prison, I will be able to get myself out. I have enough money and a good reputation within the community."

Dan glanced down at Tombstone and stared him in the eyes with disgust as he said "You forget, Tombstone, that the Enforcers keep their own records of missions they go on for you. We served our time for some of those things and got out, but you were never caught because we covered your tracks because you secretly got us out. You forget that we keep proof of everything we do. we don't leave a paper trail, but we do keep records. You can thank the Tinkerer for never trusting you enough to not keep our own records once we first got our suits made by him. You will go to jail, and your reputation has been ruined. Proof of what transpired today with the kid will also get out. Your money won't be enough to keep you out of prison, Tombstone. Just be lucky that we're giving you a chance to live. Your hide may be close to impenetrable, but there are other ways to kill you. So even if you ever think of getting out or coming after us or the kid again, don't be surprised to find something rather dangerous in your drink, because we will be watching you."

Tombstone just snarled as Hammerhead moved to the side as Ox came and restrained Tombstone. They were so glad that Tink had sent them out with enhanced cuffs.

Dan could tell that Montana was still tense and ready to kill Tombstone as they started to leave.

Dan laid a hand on Montana's shoulder and said "Why don't you go check on Flint and O'Hirn?"

Montana recognized that it was a distraction tactic, but he didn't care. He nodded and left towards the direction where he could hear screaming from some of Tombstone's people. He knew that if he were to spend five more minutes within the immediate vicinity of Tombstone, the albino man wouldn't be living for much longer. Impenetrable skin or not, he'd find a way to kill the man. After all, he had hit hard enough to knock a couple of the guy's teeth out earlier.

~~~~~~

It didn't take Montana long to find Flint and O'Hirn. He couldn't help but be a little bit pleased as he took in all of the damage to Tombstone's property.

O'Hirn and Flint were both relieved when Montana told them that they had restrained Tombstone and gotten the kid out of the place. They had been there to cause damage, and boy did they do their job.

They soon headed out of the base and to their transportation. Luckily, Hammerhead was going to transport Tombstone to law enforcement with his own limo. Dan had reluctantly volunteered to go with Hammerhead to be sure that Tombstone was taken in.

Montana was really worried as soon as he got to their vehicle and noticed that Quentin was just cradling the kid in the middle seat while whispering reassurances wile Ox was looking on with worry.

Ox's eyes were teary as he said "Fawn hurt bad."

Montana steeled his jaw and got in the driver's seat as everyone else piled in.

Quentin spoke "We need to get him to Ock quickly. His pulse is off and he's sweaty. He passed out as I was taking him out of here. I don't think that the drugs they gave him ever fully ore off. Should Peter even be affected by drugs like this?"

Montana grimaced and answered as he hightailed it on the highway "I don't know how it works. I know that regular cold medicine works for him if taken in higher doses, and so does ibuprofen if taken in a large amount, but I don't know how normal doses of a tranquilizer woudl affect him."

Quentin hummed and held peter closer. The kid wasn't looking good at all.

~~~~~~

All at Ock's base were prepared when the posse of uncles got back. Vulture had radioed ahead from where he had followed them by air once they got back within city limits. Gwen couldn't help but gasp in fear when she saw Peter's condition though. He looked like he was on death's doorstep.

Gwen only stopped staring when MJ sat a hand on her shoulder and smiled softly.

She said "He's Peter. I know that he looks horrible right now, but if we know Peter, we know that he'll recover and bounce back better than ever."

Gwen nodded, but she couldn't help but worry. Harry seemed to be in about the same boat as he stood outside of the medical lab that Quentin had taken Peter into. The three teens watched as Montana and Quentin helped Ock treat the worst of Peter's wounds. They knew that Peter had multiple broken bones, and they were kind of glad that Peter was not conscious as the bones were set.

They only looked away for a brief moment when Dan came in with May. May stood at the window and leaned against Dan after looking in and seeing how hurt Peter was. She was teary as she curled her hands into fists. She knew that this wasn't a Spider-Man incident. She never had any thoughts that anyone would go after Peter Parker the civilian. Dan held her close as he steeled his jaw.

Eventually, only Montana remained in the medical area while the others poured out.

Ock spoke "I have taken a couple of blood samples, but I did find evidence that Peter was injected with something more recently than when he was drugged when he was taken. That would likely be why he had not regained consciousness. He had a broken knee and a broken arm along with severe bruising across his torso, head, and legs. He is also missing a tooth. His heart beat was erratic when he arrived and he was diaphoretic, but I have treated him to the best of my ability, as it is not recommended that he visit a doctor unused to dealing with human mutates, and I may not be a medical doctor, but I have the knowledge needed to help him medically. I have administered a proper dose of pain medication. His condition had been stabilized."

Everyone let out a collective sigh of relief that Peter had been stabilized.

Eventually, Ock's tests were completed, and it was confirmed that Peter had been overdosed with a tranquilizer shortly before the Enforcers had arrived at Tombstone's office to rescue him. It was also relieving that Ock had been able to combat the adverse effects of the tranquilizer, though it had not been a relief to know that Tombstone had likely tried to kill the kid via an overdose. With luck, Peter would be awake sometime soon.

Though, Ock had failed to notice that he had mentioned Peter's mutation in front of a few who were not yet in the know that Peter was Spider-Man.

Flint, O'Hirn, and Vulture were quite curious about what Ock meant by Peter being a human mutate.

~~~~~~

Peter groaned as he reawakened. He still felt horrible, but based upon his lessened spider sense, he was back in a safe place.

He opened his eyes and was greeted by the sight of his uncle Montana dozing in a chair beside the uncomfortable medical bed. May was dozing in another chair on the other side of the medical bed. He wondered what exactly had gone on after he'd passed out from the second tranquilizer that Tombstone had injected him with.

Montana soon stirred and noticed that Peter was awake. He leaned forward with a smile.

He whispered "Hey, kid. How are you feeling."

Peter replied "Not great, but at least the swelling's gone down and I can see properly again. It's also nice to not have blood in my eyes anymore."

Montana cringed but said "Do you need more pain meds? It's been a while since Ock gave you any."

Peter sighed and replied "I would not be adverse to it. Man, I'm aching and hurting all over."

Montana got up and said "I'll go get Ock."

Peter nodded and soon Montana had left and come back with Ock, who had a proper dose of medicine prepared. Peter hadn't even noticed that he had an IV connected until Ock injected the medication through it.

Peter questioned "What all happened after I was drugged again by Tombstone? I remember you guys coming into his office, but nothing after."

Montana spoke "We took Tombstone down, and he's imprisoned with no chance of getting out."

Peter sighed in relief.

He also cringed as he realized that he had disappeared from the school when he was supposed to meet back with his friends in the cafeteria.

He questioned "How are my friends?"

Montana answered "They're good. They only left a little while ago. They were worried about you too. You also don't have to worry about school for a little while. They'll be closed for the next couple of days while they reevaluate their security team and get a better security system installed since it was one of them who initially drugged and kidnapped you."

Peter nodded and yawned.

He sleepily replied "Thanks for coming to get me out of there."

As Peter drifted off, the last thing he heard before falling asleep was Montana's soft words "I'll always come for you, kid. Always."

~~~~~~

Hammerhead smirked as he entered one of the Big Man's bases after the news broke out that Tombstone had been incarcerated. Now that Tombstone was gone, it seemed that the power all deferred to him. None of the lackeys made a move against him, and someone had to take on the title now that Tombstone was in prison. He made his way to Tombstone's old office and went in. He sat in the chair that used to be Tombstone's favorite and reclined slightly. Yeah, he could get used to being the new Big Man of Crime.

[galaxymagitech]

5:30 AM

Characters: Tim Drake, Dick Grayson, Bruce Wayne, Conner Kent

Summary: Tim is captured by a former Joker goon who is desperate to prove a point. He’s rescued, but something still seems…off. And time is swiftly running out.

[friendlylifecherry]

Chapters: 3/? Fandom: Super Dangan Ronpa 2, Dangan Ronpa Series Rating: Explicit Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Soda Kazuichi/Tanaka Gundham, Soda Kazuichi & Soda Kazuichi's Father, Soda Kazuichi's Father/Soda Kazuichi's Mother Characters: Soda Kazuichi, Soda Kazuichi's Father, Soda Kazuichi's Mother Additional Tags: Thriller, Yandere, Kidnapping, Drug Use, Needles, Everyone Needs A Hug, Attempted Murder, Assault, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Delusions, Non-Consensual Drug Use Series: Part 5 of Tumblr Ask Series Summary:

This was written over the course of 2 years through private asks on Tumblr between CrazyNekoChan and I

Concept: It's been just Kazuichi and his dad for pretty much Kazuichi's whole life. Turns out, there's a reason for that.