Pain Will Always Come Back to Haunt You

(Anti)Social Butterfly

"What do you have so far?" Peter asks Ned as he carefully climbs through the bedroom window. Ned is sitting at his desk typing rapidly on his keyboard with precise movements.

"Well the first thing that came up was what happened to him in Afghanistan," he answers, getting straight down to business. "It's the kinda stuff we already know: Tony Stark was doing a weapons demonstration, got blown up, had to get an electromagnet to keep the shrapnel from getting to his heart, was tortured for three months, then broke out after building the Mark I." It'd be surprising if anyone hadn't heard that story. No one knows the exact details, but everyone knows Iron Man's origin story. Of course, Peter knows the incident is most likely where the majority of Tony's PTSD first came from. "But," Ned continues, "I did find something about his dad, Howard Stark, being...not the nicest person. There's barely anything about it, but what's here isn't very encouraging." He drags a tab onto the screen. It's a short article containing a quote from Tony about his father.

"'My father was absent from most of my childhood. When I did see him, he was a cold, calculating asshole. When we talked, it was always yelling and arguments. Hard to miss someone like that.' -Tony Stark"

Tony didn't have a great support system to begin with and then he lost his parents when he was young. Peter can...empathize with that, but he was lucky to have parents he knows cared about him. Tony, on the other hand, had a father who barely talked to him. Maybe...that's why he's afraid of getting emotionally attached to anyone?

"Next trauma inducing event was when he was in Afghanistan and his car got blown up. The shrapnel almost killed him and the only reason he lived is because those jerks tried to make him build a weapon or something. But..." Ned pauses, only making Peter more anxious.

"But?" Peter urges. Instead of answering, Ned simply tilts his computer screen towards Peter for him to read.

"Tony Stark, CEO of Stark International, has been rescued after he went missing three months ago prior to his trip to Afghanistan. Pictures have been taken of Stark exiting an Air Force jet, with a sling on his arm, while being guided by his close friend Colonel James Rhodes. He had apparently refused a stretcher from paramedics on standby. An official statement has been made by the billionaire himself in a press conference, only mere hours following his return:

'I saw young Americans killed by the very weapons I created to defend them and protect them. And I saw that I had become part of a system that is comfortable with zero-accountability.'

At the time, Stark had the press sitting down, but they all stood when Stark made a shocking announcement:

'I had my eyes opened. I came to realize that I have more offer this world than just making things that blow up. And that is why, effective immediately, I'm shutting down the weapons manufacturing division of Stark International. Until such a time, as I can decide what the future of this company will be, what direction it should take, the one that I'm comfortable with and is consistent with the highest good for this country and the world.'

Obadiah Stane, Stark's longtime business partner and family friend, then chose to take over the press conference in Stark's place."

What happened in Afghanistan completely made Tony do a one-eighty with his company. Peter kind of knew what happened, but the details were never released, not that he'd ever want to release the details of him being tortured for three months either. He shivers at the thought of releasing the details of what happened Homecoming night.

"Yeah...and we all kinda know what happened next," Ned says regrettably. Peter slowly nods.

"Obadiah tried to kill Mr. Stark because of it," he mutters. Okay, that's probably where Mr. Stark got the other half of his trust issues. Ned takes a deep breath before switching tabs.