⚠️WARNING⚠️

⚠️THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS TORTURE THEMES AND ABUSE, WITH A BIT OF STRONG LANGUAGE⚠️

Also, I don't speak German, I had to used Google Translate, I apologize.

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Six days...

Stephen felt horrible. His heart felt like it was breaking with every second that Tony was gone. He could only imagine what those scumbags were doing to him. To Tony...

Small, innocent, helpless Tony...

"Oh, God..." Stephen sobbed. He could be hurt, and if he was it was likely to be severe. He's out there, alone and afraid, and Stephen can do nothing to help him.

"Oh God, Oh God, Oh God..." Stephen sobbed hard into his hands. Tony needed him, and he needed Tony, badly. Oh, what he would give right now just to hold him, to keep him safe, and above all love him.

"Oh, Tony, where are you?" Stephen asked the open air brokenly. An anxious knock sounded on his bedroom door.

"Stephen, we have locations!" Bruce shouted through the door. Stephen had never moved so fast in his life. He yanked the door open, breathing hard. "Where?!"

"Switzerland, Germany, and Russia. We were in Switzerland before, but HYDRA abandoned it when we crashed through. Seems like they might have decided to come back..."

Stephen and Bruce barreled into the meeting room, where everyone had gathered to discuss a plan of action. Steve stepped forward. "Doctor Strange...We would like you to be one of the group leaders if you don't mind."

"Of course," Stephen breathed, praying that this wasn't a dream or a hallucination.

Steve stood at the front of the room, "Alright, three locations, three teams. I'm taking one of the parties to Germany. Nat, you'll take yours to Russia. Strange, you've got Switzerland. We need to..." Stephen barely had the focus to pay attention as Steve went on.

Please, please, be alive, be safe, Oh God, please!

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Tony wailed hoarsely from his little makeshift bed. It sat on top of a rusted metal table in the middle of a circular room.

He wanted Stephen, and would occasionally call out for him when he was alone.

"Are you completely sure that they won't find him?" Baron Wolfgang von Strucker, head of HYDRA, questioned his accomplice.

"Yes," came the brief reply from Ebony Maw.  

The telepath summoned his spears, piercing the boy's frail body. Tony wailed loud, his blotchy face wet with tears, snot, and blood. His blood...

The poor boy was covered head to toe in bruises, burns, lacerations, and puncture wounds. Tony was in pain, and his wails were even more heart-wrenching. But the two villains grinned evilly, enjoying his cries of pain.

"Sephen! SEPHEN!!" The boy wailed, and Maw pressed the spears in a bit further, causing Tony to scream out in agony. That was their goal, after all. Make him suffer, making the sorcerer suffer in the process, then kill him and return him.

"Let's see how long you last before you give in." Strucker sneered with a wicked grin as he picked up a gleaming dagger.

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Stephen was suited up and riding the Quinn Jet to Switzerland. He felt like he was about to pass out, but also felt his body prepare for a fight. The cloak squeezed him briefly, attempting to comfort him. Stephen sucked in a long breath, steadying his grated nerves.

"We're coming in!" Clint yelled from the front. Stephen hung on to the bar above him as they came in to land.

Alarms blared, and lights flashed. Strucker cursed as he pulled up the video feed from outside the base. He snarled as he saw the Quinn Jet land.

"Sichern Sie den Bereich! Lassen Sie sie nicht in die Nähe kommen!" He barked at his officers. "Töten auf Sicht!"

Soldiers raced out of the room, and Strucker armed himself. "You said they wouldn't find him!" He snarled at Maw. Maw scowled, "They are stubborn, persistent pests, that much is obvious."

Strucker snarled and barreled down the hall. Maw returned his attention to Tony. The boy was heaving with heavy sobs, the pain very slowly subsiding since the spears had retracted. Maw slowly drew closer, raising his hand so the spears collect to get to form just one.

Stephen's whips cracked as he lashed out at the waves of HYDRA soldiers. He honestly didn't care about stealth. These bastards took Tony, and they were going to pay dearly for it. Stephen was the first inside. Barton's voice cracked to life from the comms.

"Strange, you in?!" He sounded panicked, and that immediately was a bad sign. "What happened?" He asked.

"Tony's in there! He's with Ebony Maw, Strange!" Barton shouted at him.

Stephen could have sworn his heart stopped for a few seconds. He bolted down the halls, dismantling HYDRA soldiers as he went, his long legs flying.

"TONY!!!" He screamed, desperately.

Maw had heard him, and he growled as he retraced his spear away from Tony's wet face. The toddler heard him, and cried out for him, "SEPHEN!!!"

Stephen heard him, oh dear sweet God, he heard him. Tony's alive, he needs him.

I NEED HIM!

"TONY?!" He raced into the room, just able to dodge the spear that came flying at him. The cloak zipped away from him, crowding over Tony protectively. Stephen summoned his whips again and clashed with the telepath.

Maw sent his spears and different objects flying, Stephen just barely able to avoid all of it. Stephen would get close only to be forced back.

Maw pinned Stephen to the wall with steel bars, lodging them into the stone. Stephen struggled to no avail.

"Now, I might as well take care of you, before I deal with that sniveling rat." Stephen scowled at the insult to Tony. His expression quickly changed to panic when the rest of the sentence registered.

Stephen struggled and yanked his arm forward and to the side, trying to loosen the bent steel. It wasn't working, and Maw had readied a spear. Aiming for his heart. Maw raised his hand and Stephen squeezed his eyes shut.

Tony let out a piercing wail, and a split second after, Vision fazed through the wall. Using the mind stone, he restrained Maw and freed Stephen.

Stephen summoned his whips, and this time made sure Maw was dead by splitting his head.

Tony wailed again, and Stephen wobbled, knees going weak as he listened to one of the many sounds he'd begged to hear for so long.

Vision steadied him, and the cloak carefully lifted Tony out of his makeshift cot. Bringing him over to them.

Stephen sobbed as the boy was rested in his arms. Tony cried too, burying his face in Stephen's throat. Stephen gripped the toddler tight as he sobbed into his hair. The cloak wrapped around them, holding them up so Vision could guide them out.

"Tony, Tony, my sweet, sweet Tony, thank fuck..." Stephen sobbed. Tony gripped his tunic tighter. Stephen held him as close as possible, he was able to feel Tony's pounding heart against his chest.

"Oh God, Tony, I was so fucking scared I had lost you for good. I was terrified of what they might've done to you. I was terrified and worried sick..." Stephen managed to say between his sobs.

They made it outside, and the others were finishing up. But none of them were focused on that. Vision and the cloak were focused on getting them to the Quinn Jet, Stephen and Tony were solely focused on each other.

Tony wined, "*hic* Se-Sephen *hic*...."

Stephen pulled back enough to press his forehead to Tony's. "I love you, Tony. I love you so fucking much, Tony, I love you..." Stephen rushed out, sobbing harder than before.

By now, Stephen had curled around him, protecting his small, fragile, and beaten body from any more harm. Tony sniffed, snuggling up to Stephen.

Stephen breathed in deeply. He slowly let it out as he stared into the horizon. "Thank you..." He whispered into the air. Those words meant everything.

'Thank you for keeping him safe', 'Thank you for guiding me to him', 'Thank you for saving us', 'Thank you for this, for letting me get to love him'.

Stephen had him again, he got him back. He has Tony in his arms again, and nothing else mattered more to him than keeping him safe.

When they finally got to the Quinn Jet, Stephen stumbled to one of the seats. Focusing on Tony only, and the rhythmic thumping of his small heart.

The others were quick to arrive. Peter rushed over and was about to ask Stephen how Tony was, but Vision held up his hand telling him to let them have their moment and ushered them away.

Stephen finally pulled away and his eyes widened when he observed Tony. "Oh my God, what the hell have they done to you?" He whispered, voice already hoarse from crying.

Tony whimpered as Stephen gently ran his fingers over the injuries. "Oh Tony," Stephen sobbed, "I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry..." He had rested his head against Tony's, completely engulfing the boy in his warmth.

Tony cooed quietly, nuzzling Stephen's face. Stephen could only sob, and he brought up one violently shaking hand to cradle the toddler's head.

"I love you, Tony. I have for a long time now. I love you so much, please, please, I need you..." Stephen sobbed. Tony stared at him for a moment before pressing his small lips to Stephen's nose.

"Wuv oo..." Tony cooed.  Stephen wasn't sure if it was a laugh, a sob, or a mix of both that came out of his mouth.  But he snuggled up with Tony in the cloak.  Keeping the boy as close to him as reality would allow them to.
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When they arrived at the tower, the others were already there. As they landed, Steve and Natasha's groups rushed up to them.

Peter helped steady Stephen as they walked out. "Thank you," Stephen whispered to him. Peter smiled one of his bright smiles, "Of course!"

Steve was the first one to reach him. "You've found him?" Stephen nodded weakly as the cloak lowered slightly to reveal the top half of Tony's face, then after a split second, rose again.

Levi had been protective of the two since they had gotten aboard the jet in Switzerland. It hadn't left them and was very cautious about who approached them.

Tony was brought to the medical wing to be looked after and bandaged up. When that was done, Stephen brought Tony back to their bedroom.

Everything had been either repaired or replaced. The crib once again sat at the foot of the bed, but Stephen ignored it and brought Tony to the bed.

He breathed deeply as Tony snuggled into his chest. "Thank God, you're finally home. I was not going to be returning to myself any time soon. Not until we found you."

Tony babbled in reply, humming delightedly as he nestled into Stephen's chest.

Stephen felt tears coming again, and he wondered how he was still able to cry. "I love you, Tony." He whispered.

"Wuv oo, Sephen." Tony replied sleepily, finally drifting off into a deep, dreamless sleep. He needed it.

Stephen smiled softly, sighing as he closed his eyes.  Following Tony into the depths of sleep.