PETER's POV
This feels so fucking weird, I thought, as my consciousness pieced itself together. My body hadn't returned yet, but I could feel this strange burning pain - something I had only felt at one other point in my life. Thinking hard, straining my thoughts, I remembered Titan
Mr. Stark, I don't feel so good.
In an instant, the feeling of his body attempting to knit itself back together as it unraveled like a piece of cloth returned. It was painful - excruciating to be honest - but, altogether preferable than the abyss in which I was floating in before. Tentatively, I opened an eye, wincing as the reddish yellow light pierced my brain. Before, it was all darkness.
"Parker, get up!" A voice in front of me yelled. "UP!"
Groaning, I stood, eyes still recovering from the sudden burst of light. "What's happening? Where's Mr. Stark?" I asked, looking around me. I spotted the antennae girl and the guy with the leather jacket that went all berserk when we were fighting Thanos. Oh yeah, I'm in space. Thanos. Purple dude with the weird-ass glove thing with the rocks. I remember now. I jerked around, "Where's Mr. Stark? And the blue girl?"
The man came forward, the last of his red cape piecing itself together. "Strange?" I asked. He nodded in response.
"Up kid. It's been five years. They need us," and with that, he turned on his heel, cape swooshing behind him, and marched over to check on the others.
"What the hell?" I murmured. "Karen?" I asked, hopeful, but receiving nothing in response. Oh yeah, AIs don't work in space. I made a beeline for Strange, "what do you mean it's been five years? What's going on? Where is everyone else."
Strange sighed and soon I was on the receiving end of yet another "Adult is exasperated with Peter" look. I watched as he placed his left two fingers up and began to draw a circle with his right hand. Suddenly, a bunch of sparks appeared in the air, forming a circle, which acted as a window into a large room. A short asian man stopped and stared at the portal in shock. "Strange? What the hell-"
"Wong, we don't have time. I need you to get the rest of the Masters and head to the Avengers Compound. We have one last fight," Strange ordered. The man - Wong - nodded and turned to the other people behind him, who'd clearly overheard the message. "Get everyone you know, all the heroes. Round them up." He paused before adding, "Five years is a long time to go without seeing a friendly face." The portal quickly disappeared, but not before catching Wong's smile.
The green and red guy shook his head, "What do you mean it's been five years?" He turned to the human looking guy, "Quill? I am confused."
"Not the only one, Drax," Quill said. He turned to the antannae girl, "Mantis? What do you feel?"
The woman closed her eyes, and her antennae glowed white. I stood there, not sure what I was supposed to do. I just really wanna find Mr. Stark.
"I feel ... a great deal of shock. And happiness. Balance," she whispered, her voice shaking with emotion. "Something good has happened," she added with a grin.
"Alright, gather around. We need a plan," Strange said, and I immediately felt a tug in my stomach. Something wasn't completely right. "Something's happening," I muttered, hand scrunching up my hair. "We need to find the others."
"They're on Earth" Strange said, "but they aren't alone. Thanos and his army are there," he explained.
"How do you-," Drax began, but Strange cut him off.
"I told you. I viewed all the outcomes I could, and there was one, one where we win," Strange replied slowly.
"That's why you gave away the stone," I said, the events of the battle quickly coming back to me. "So ... it's really been five years since we fought Thanos?" I asked, hesitantly. As much as all this superheroing stuff was great, I'd never come across this scenario in all the simulations Mr. Stark and Rhodey had dreamt up for me to complete. Strange nodded in response and my stomach dropped. "Mr. Stark is gonna kill me," I groaned, and Strange merely avoided my eye, as he turned back to the group.
Quill spoke quickly, "If wizard-guy here is right, then we need to get back to Earth as fast as we can."
"The ship's are destroyed," Drax said, pointing at the mass of crumbling metal. It must have been five years because there is no way that the ship was that damaged when we landed, I thought.
I turned to Strange, "know how to apparate?" I asked, nervously.
The man rolled his eyes, and ignored me. God, that is so like Mr. Stark. "I'm likely wrong, but is there anyone else around here besides us?" he asked. I quickly shot a web at the tallest part of the decaying ship and swung myself onto it, peering down below. "No, it's just us!"
Strange nodded, and I watched as he placed his left two fingers up and began to draw a circle with his right hand, creating another sparkly, golden portal. Strange went first, floating through, his cape billowing out behind him. I watched as the others went ahead, before shooting another web and swinging through it.
Fuck.
As I swung through, my stomach dropped slightly. This mass of fire, ash flying in the air, the dark purple and blue skies - this was Earth? I stuck a landing on a large piece of concrete, the nanites pulling back from my face. In front of us, just over a large empty field stood Thanos, and behind him were hoards of aliens, and large spaceships. This is New York all over again, I thought, looking at the large whale-like ships moving across the sky. I scanned the area around me, and watched as more and more people poured out of portals. Several hundred wizard people came barging through a couple on my right, and I could hear the chants of the Wakandan army. I watched as another portal opened, and a woman riding a pure white pegasus appeared. This is so fucking cool! Just then, there was a loud bang on my left, and the ruins of the collapsed compound began to shift. I backed away slightly and watched as a large man emerged. "Ant-guy!" I yelled, earning myself confused looks from the few people around me. Ant-guy opened his fist and dropped the Hulk, Rhodey and what looked like a racoon wielding a gun on the ground. I heard a loud whoosh and watched in awe as a silver version of Tony's suit dropped in front of me. The figure stood and turned to the face me, the faceplate revealing Pepper Potts. I smiled at her, before continuing my scan of the grounds and off to the left of Captain America, I spotted Tony's signature red and gold Bleeding Edge armour. I quickly shot a web, attempting to make my way towards him over the large army. I dropped to Cap's right, waiting for orders as the people behind build ranks.
I waited for orders with bated breath, as my mask reappeared over my face. "Hello Peter," a female voice said in my ear. "God, Karen. You have no idea how much I missed you," I replied, feeling relieved as the knots in my stomach released slightly. They returned a mili-second later when I saw the outriders charging towards us.
"AVENGERS!" Cap cried from my left, his face blackened with soot. I watched as Thor's hammer quickly flew back towards the group, and into his palm. "Assemble."
Thor let out a war cry - quickly drowned out by the cries of the other armies - as he led the charge. I swing upward, attaching a web to Pepper's suit and swinging forward, propelling myself with those flying above me as I made my way towards the fore, where Tony was flying, and leapt over him, shooting a web and pulling viciously on one of the larger beasts heading towards him.
"Holy shit, Karen are you seeing this?" I yelled, kicking and punching some of the outriders as I swung by. "This is like Lord of the Rings, Two Towers, when they fight in Helm's Deep? Oh god, imagine the score Zimmer could make for this. It would be called "Portals." What do you think?" I asked, spewing more and more word-vomit.
"I agree Peter, it would be wonderful," Karen replied politely. "Should I hook up your comms to everyone else?"
"Yes please," Peter replied, realizing he'd forgotten to ask. Mr. Stark usually took care of that anytime they were working together. He learned that their systems would automatically link up whenever they were both suited up, and Peter could overhear all the chatter going through Tony's HUD.
As he battled, he spotted Pepper and Mr. Stark fighting back to back, shooting repulsor blasts. "That is so badass," I murmured, catching an outrider's fist and judeo flipping him before webbing him to the ground. Pepper flew off towards the left, where the girl with the unicorn was flying around, cutting into the larger space-whales with armours, and watching them fall. My spidey sense tingled, and I turned back to where Tony was, and watched as he fought off several outriders with his lasers and repulser beams. The armour was holding up quite nicely, better than it did on Titan anyway, which I found surprising. It must have gone through some advancements, but Tony wouldn't have - oh year it'd been five years.
I fought my way towards Mr. Stark, who was quickly becoming overrun by Cull Obsidian, the same creature we had fought in the garden in New York. Obsidian knocked Tony off balance and into the rubble behind him, leaving him disoriented. The nanites on Tony's suit began to morph into large guns, as Obsidian advanced. With a thwip, I managed to catch his hands and pull them back, tugging enough for him to fall backwards, and get trampled on by the ant guy. Sorry, not sorry dude. That's what you get for being a dick.
I ran over to where Mr. Stark was lying, breathing heavily. Please be okay, please be okay, I thought as he raised his arm. I grasped it and pulled him up, my mask retracting around my face, barely containing my excitement. I hadn't seen him and I really just wanted to know that he was okay, and I wanted him to know I was okay. "Hey- oh, holy cow, you will not believe what's been going on," I began, before launching into my story, before stopping. "What's all that in your hair?" I asked, cocking an eyebrow.
Tony, who'd been staring at Peter with a mixture of shock, relief and pure love was quickly shaken out of his reverie. "Oh, its just gray hair," he said, trying to sound as dismissive as possible, but failing. God, he'd missed him.
"Oh, that's okay. Happens to everybody," I replied, grinning, as I went back to my story. "Do you remember when we were in space? And I got all dusty?" I continued, as Tony watched, his eyes filling with tears as he attempted not to burst. "And, I must've passed out 'cause I woke up and you were gone. But Doctor Strange was there -"
Tony watched as Peter continued to speak, he never used to shut up.
" - and he was like 'c'mon it's been five years, they need us' and he started doin' that yellow sparkly thing that he does on his own -" I explained, mimicking Strange like me and Tony did as they killed time on the spaceship. I noticed Mr. Stark moving closer, and a second later, I found myself wrapped in the older man's arms, in what could only be described as a hug. "What are you doing?" I asked, quickly hugging him back. I felt the man sigh, and relax the tension gone. He pulled me tighter and placed a small kiss on the side of my head.
"Huh, this is nice," I replied, patting Mr. Stark on the back and closing my eyes, forgetting the sounds of the battle raging around us. I was home. "How'd you -" but Mr. Stark cut me off quickly.
"Bruce. We made a new gauntlet. He had to do it - exposure to radiation and all that - he can heal the best. He snapped you all back into existence," Tony said quickly, catching the kid up to speed on how he pulled a Jesus Christ.
"So, what've I missed in five years?" I asked, my arms still wrapped tightly around Mr. Stark - who, strangely enough, hadn't forced me to let go like he used to.
"Not much Pete, I got married to Pep, I have a daughter - Morgan," Tony replied, sounding quite pleased and relieved that Peter seemed calm at the moment. Everytime he'd passed a milestone in his life, he imagined what it would be like to share it with Peter. When he was married, the kid would have been standing behind him and Rhodey. When he had Morgan, the kid would have been one of the first to hold her. "She reminds me of you," he added in a voice barely above a whisper, knowing Peter would hear it.
"The quiet life - it makes you happy," Peter whispered back. Suddenly, a loud bang to their left alerted them to the incoming squad of outriders. "On it, Mr Stark," I replied, swinging off, as my mask reappeared over my face.
Tony watched the kid swing away and back into the battle, his mask re-materializing over his shocked face. "Peter! I just got you back," Tony cried.
I heard him, the pain in his voice, but I kept swinging forward, knowing that if I let Mr. Stark hug me one more time, I wouldn't want to leave his arms. I'd cry and ask to go home.
"We need some help," someone said over the radio. "T-Challa has the gauntlet." I quickly glanced around and spotted a man in a Panther suit being pulled upwards by the weird Voldemort looking motherfucker from the space donut. His clawed gloves were wrapped firmly around a gauntlet that looked like a large version of an Iron man one, except it contained six shining gems. I recognized it instantly as being a new version of the one Thanos was wearing when he attacked us on Titan. I swung over as quickly as I could, "I GOT IT!" I yelled over the comms and shot a web at the glove, the panther man swinging it up to me. I pulled it into my arms and quickly landed atop one of the larger creatures. Several of the outriders ran towards me and in a moment I said the three words I swore I never would. "Activate Instant Kill," I said, and the suit's eyes quickly narrowed into red circles and the mechanized spider legs sprouted from the housing unit on my back, skewering the nearest creatures. I held the glove tightly in my hand, as I quickly became overrun by Thanos' minions.
"I got this, I got this," I repeated over and over, reminding myself of how I'd made it out when Toomes had dropped the building on me. But more and more of the outriders appeared, swarming, making it harder to breathe and move. One of them began to tug at the gauntlet and I yelled over the comms. "Help, somebody help!"
"Hey Queens," Cap said. "Head's up!" he threw the hammer, and I heard it whiz by. I shot a web and felt myself being pulled out of the clusterfuck of aliens and into the air, able to breathe again. I tried to move over to the handle, but one of the lasers cut the web, and I began freefalling through the air. I felt another tug on my still-outstretched arm and looked up at Pepper. "I got you, kid. Hang on!" she tossed me into the air and towards the dark-haired woman on the pegasus. The glove slipped from my hand but was quickly caught by two of the arms on the back of the suit. I managed to stick a haphazard landing, perching myself on the back of the horse. The dark haired woman turned and gave me a smile. "Hi, I'm Peter, nice to meet you - OH MY GOD!" I yelled, as the animal swooped down without any warning.
She steered the pegasus to the side but the lasers must have had a targeting system because I found myself hurtling through the air once more, furiously grasping for the glove which had slipped out of the suit's arms. I wrapped my arms around it, as my body was slammed back down onto the ground. I began running but another laser shot the ground near me, the blast throwing me back and into a large piece of concrete. The glove, which had slipped from my grasp once more, lay by my head, which was ringing from the noise. The lasers shot faster and faster, the ground quaking beneath me. Shit, this is how I'm gonna die. I don't wanna die. I don't wanna go. Not again. Not back to the dark. I thought, my eyes shut and arms wrapped around me.
Suddenly, the ground stopped shaking. I opened my eyes slightly, and watched as they redirected themselves, firing at something in the sky.
"FRIDAY, what are they firin' at?" I heard Mr. Stark ask.
"Something just entered the upper atmosphere," FRIDAY replied, some urgency in her voice.
Fuck me, there's another one? I thought savagely, grabbing the gauntlet and backing myself up against the concrete. I felt blood pouring out of my nose and the side of my head felt cold - I was definitely bleeding there, too. I watched with mild horror as a ball of energy flew towards Thanos' large ship, taking all of the laser's hits without any sign of stopping. Please be on our side, please be on our side, I murmured.
The comet-energy thing flew through the ship once, before turning sharply and doing so again, causing the lasers to disengage and the ship to blow up. The figure stopped, floating above the ship, which fell to the ground, continuing to burn. I could make out a figure, which looked human, at the centre of the light.
"That's some Big Dick Energy," I heard a woman with a thick Wakandan accent say through the comms, and I couldn't agree more.
"Danvers, we need an assist here," Cap said, and soon, the ball of energy dropped in front of me, the glow around it fading slightly until I could make out the form of a young woman with short blonde hair staring down at me.
"Hi, I'm ... Peter Parker," I said, trying to sound super non-chalant even though I was both scared shitless and impressed by the woman in front of me.
"Hey Peter Parker, you got somethin' for me?" she replied with a small smile.
I stood shakily, as I watched Thanos' army begin to run towards us, and I willingly passed her the glove. "I don't know how you're gonna get through all that," I said, sounding positively disheartened and tired.
"Don't worry," said a voice. Peter turned and watched as the Scarlet Witch descended on the woman's right. "She's got help," a Wakandan woman with a shaved head and spear added. The woman on the pegasus landed behind them, while Pepper landed infront of Peter. Another Wakandan girl with braids - around my age - reloaded her arms, which were encased in huge mechanized gauntlets. Behind her was the antenna lady, a blue lady who looked part-robot, and a green lady with two long knives. Suddenly, as if appearing from nowhere, came another woman with a ponytail. I collapsed onto the concrete behind me, and watched as they calmly walked towards Thanos' army, and began to fight.
The woman, Danvers, Mr Rogers had called her, began to run before bursting into energy and flying through Thanos' army, cutting through everything in her way. I quickly stood up, shook my head, and used my last burst of energy to join them. I reactivated instant kill, and began to fight alongside Pepper, who led the way as we helped clear the path for Danvers. I watched as she, the Wakandan girl with the wrist gauntlets and the lady with the wasp-looking wings fired at Thanos, keeping him occupied while Danvers flew towards the trunk of the ugly brown van where the portal was.
Thanos, however, recovered quickly enough to watch Danvers fly past. He threw his large spear-sword thing and it hit the portal, the blast forcing Danvers back, the gauntlet flying out of her hands, and landing in the middle of the battle. I swung my way over quickly as I could, and spotted Mr. Stark running towards Thanos, who had his eyes on the glove. Mr Stark threw himself at the titan, knocking him off course, but he recovered quickly, grabbing Tony and flinging him into the debris. Just then Thor and Steve appeared, one with a hammer and the other with an axe. The pair managed to hold Thanos for a moment, but he was able to toss them aside too. He turned and punched Mr. Rogers in the face. Get the gauntlet, a voice inside my head whispered.
I shot a web and pulled the gauntlet towards me, while the Titan's back was turned. Moving back, the glove tucked tightly in my arms, I stared out over the battlefield. Chaos erupted around me.
"Kid- Pete, give me the glove," Mr. Stark said, suddenly appearing in front of me. Thanos began to charge, but the nanites on Tony's back formed a huge repulser, which shot a steady beam at the man. It was then joined by Rhodey and Pepper's repulsors, the Scarlet Witch's energy beams, the wasp lady's repulsor, and captain america and thor's lightening blasts. "C'mon Pete, we don't have anymore time. This needs to end now. Give it to me!" he ordered, his eyes wide in fear. The only time I'd seen that look on his face was when we were on Titan, and I was being dusted.
FLASHBACK
Peter was sitting at the table in the tower, working on some Cal, his hand sitting in the now-empty bowl of fruit Mr. Stark often left out for him. He hadn't seen Mr. Stark in a couple days - he and Rhodey were in Washington, trying to get pardons for the Rogue Avengers as well as working on amending the more problematic aspects of the Sokovia Accords. "Hey Peter, how are you?" she asked, shaking me out of my review.
"Oh, I'm good. Just working. Yourself?" I asked.
"Not bad," she replied, grabbing some leftover lasagna and heating it up for herself. I opened my mouth, about to ask her to do the same for me when she said: "Don't worry kid, I'll heat yours up too," she said, without turning around.
"Man, Mr. Stark is so lucky," I said, making her laugh. Pepper turned and leant on the table, the light from the windows catching her engagement ring. "How's the wedding planning going?" I probed. I was trying to help Pepper as best as I could, figuring it would be a good way for the two of us to get to know each other more - plus I was photographing the wedding. Pepper had noticed many of my photos and had bought me a new camera to help me really work on my skills. Art was the first common ground she and I had discovered we shared.
"It's going pretty well," Pepper began, trailing off.
"My spidey senses tell me there's a but coming along."
Pepper nodded, "It's just - I never thought we'd make it to the altar. Tony and I. We've been through so much and I'm just waiting for the other shoe to drop," she sighed.
Sensing the seriousness of the conversation at hand, I closed my calc book - subtly letting Pepper know she had my undivided attention. "What do you mean?"
"Peter, God, you're so young and you're out there every night. You know how risky this life is. And Tony. Every time he leaves, I -I'm afraid that he won't come back," she admitted, tears rolling down her cheeks. I quickly made my way to her, tissues in hand. She took them gratefully, wiping her face as I rubbed circles on her back. "When he started out - I told him. I told him "Tony you're going to get yourself killed." And that I didn't want to be part of it. And now I am. And I know, if it were between Tony and the world, he'd give himself up - no question," she sobbed.
"I know how you feel too," I whispered back, giving her a hug. "I worry about him, too. I also understand why he's doing it - because someone has to be strong enough to do it. But you can't let that stop you from letting yourself be happy," I paused, hoping I wasn't overstepping boundaries. "He loves you the most, Pepper. If you asked, he'd stop suiting up, but he'd fee guilty about it. And you understand how important this is to him. And he trusts you not to give him an ultimatum like that. And you gotta trust that he will come back. He will always come back to you. I'll make sure of it" I promised.
Pepper gave me a watery smile, and we were both shocked out of our conversation by the loud beeps of the oven.
"No!" I yelled back at Mr. Stark, who's outstretched arm fell to his side. "I'm not letting you do this. I promised."
"Kid, stop being an idiot and give me the fucking glove," Mr. Stark replied angrily.
"I can't let you do this. You have a wife, a kid, a life. I'm not letting you throw that away" I said, turning the glove towards myself. It began to shrink till it was about the side of my hand. I needed to be the one who ended this.
Mr. Stark looked horrified, as he started at me. "For fuck's sake Peter! I just got you back. I'm not letting you die." Tony looked off to Peter's left, and a second later, he fell on his knees, begging in front of Peter. "I'm not letting my kid die again!" he cried, tears on his face, his eyes still on the left of Peter. "Not again. I can't do it again."
"I'm not asking you to let me die, I'm asking you to let yourself live," I said. "It's my choice, and I will always choose my family." I slid the glove onto my hand, and heard Thanos roar. I felt the power of the Infinity Stones surging through my body, every fibre of my being was on fire - was filled with power. My eyes were screwed up, the energy bursts around me becoming more and more blinding to my heightened senses. I tried to speak, my mouth moving but unsure if the words were coming out or not. I closed my eyes and the voice in my head (which sounded a lot like Mr. Stark) spoke: Okay Peter, focus. We're dusting Thanos and his army. All the bad guys, kid. Get rid of them.
I snapped my fingers, and felt a surge of power flow out of my hand and into the universe.
TONY'S POV
Fuck, that purple bastard was strong. I heaved myself up, my entire body aching from the numerous body slams I had dealt with. It had been a long day. I spotted Cap and Thor trying to sedate Thanos, but failing as Peter shot a web and pulled the gauntlet towards himself - fuck this day was about to get longer. Get the gauntlet - end this, I thought, making my way towards Peter, while the Titan's back was turned.
"Kid- Pete, give me the glove," I said. Behind, I heard Thanos charge, and felt the ground shake with each of his steps, but FRIDAY was already on it, the nanites on my back morphing into a huge repulser, which shot a steady beam at the Titan. It was then joined by Rhodey and Pepper's repulsors, Wanda's energy beams, the Wasp's repulsor, and Cap and Thor's lightening blasts. I turned back to the kid, getting frustrated with his stubbornness. "C'mon Pete, we don't have anymore time. This needs to end now. Give it to me!" I ordered, trying to channel the same energy I had all those years ago during the Ferry incident. Inside, I was being ripped apart, fear clawing at my already frail heart. The kid had to listen to me. He has to. Kids - they listen to their parents, and Peter always listened to me. He had no reason not to.
"No!" Peter yelled back, looking at me dead the eyes.
The fuck? My outstretched arm fell to my side. "Kid, stop being an idiot and give me the fucking glove," I replied, growing furious. The others could only hold off the dickhead for so long, and we needed a win. This was the win - at least, I think it is. Only one person would know. I began searching for Strange around us and spotted the man and his red cape flailing about just behind Peter. He was fighting a couple of outriders, and I knew if I moved away, Peter would put the gauntlet on.
"I can't let you do this. You have a wife, a kid, a life. I'm not letting you throw that away" Peter said, turning the glove towards myself. It began to shrink till it was about the side of my hand. I needed to be the one who ended this.
That's not why I told you that, dipshit! I thought savagely, the kid rendering me speechless for a moment. "For fuck's sake Peter! I just got you back. I'm not letting you die!" I yelled back. This caught Strange's attention and he turned to me, our eyes meeting over Peter's left shoulder. The man give me a look, and silently, he raised a finger. One. Oh. Oh god no! No, no, no, no, no. This isn't a victory. This isn't a win, I thought. God, why can't I be happy? Just once in my life, let me hold my family in my arms and breathe. And rest. God, I can't lose my kid. Not again. I fell to my knees, hands folded, begging Peter - my kid - not to do this. "I'm not letting my kid die again!" I cried, tears falling freely from my face. "Not again. I can't do it again," I wept.
"I'm not asking you to let me die, I'm asking you to let yourself live," Peter said. "It's my choice, and I will always choose my family" and with that, Peter slid the glove on his hand, and behind me I heard Thanos roar in anger. The enegry from the stones swarmed around Peter's body, crackling much like lightening did around Thor. The nanites were slowly frying, peeling away from his body, unable to move fluidly. Peter's eyes were screwed up in what I could only assume was pain as the energy bursts became more and more blinding. "I'M SORRY!" Peter yelled, before snapping his fingers, releasing a wave of energy from himself and into the universe.
I was thrown back and my head hit the ground behind me. "Concussion detected," FRIDAY said, but I ignored her, crawling towards where Peter lay. I wailed, releasing the grief I had bottled up for five years upon the Earth, letting it roll off of me like the energy from the glove. The battlefield had grown silent, the fighting futile as Thanos and his army began to disintegrate. Slowly, everyone had began to gravitate towards us. "No, no, no, no, Peter!" I said between sobs. I pulled the kid into my lap, cradling him just as I did all those years ago on Titan, except this was much worse. On Titan, Peter was responsive, able to speak before he vanished completely. The newly-revived Peter laying in my lap, however, had brown eyes that moved slowly, staring up at me. The entire right side of his upper body and face were burned up, bleeding, as some of the nanites had become embedded in his skin. "Stay with me kid, you stay with me, alright? We won, kid. We won, Peter. You did it, you did it. You saved us," I said, my heart aching. "You have to see May again. She misses you. God- she really misses you. You have - you have to meet Morgan too, okay? She needs you," my voice cracked, "she needs her brother. And - and Happy, He'd like to see you, too. You need to meet the Avengers, Pete. You're gonna love them." I stopped, attempting to pull myself together despite my body shaking as I cried. "Don't go Pete. I need you. Please, don't go. You're not allowed to leave me, okay? Not again! Promise me? Look at me Peter," I whispered, my tears falling onto Peter's face.
The kid's eyes, which had been staring off to the side, locked onto mine. His mouth opened slightly and he muttered something. "T'ny."
"Yeah, that's my name kid," I said, smiling through my tears. "Karen? Vitals?" I said, hand resting on the Iron Spider emblem on Peter's chest.
"C-t-al. V-ita-ls -ail-ng" came the AI's garbled response. Critical, Vitals Failing.
"T'ny?" Peter whispered again.
"Yeah kid?" I replied.
"N' s'ry" he whispered.
I sniffed, "Of course you're not sorry. You did nothing wrong. God, Peter, you did everything right. You were the best one, the best of all of us," I said, crying furiously at this point. Pepper and Rhodey sat next to me, both resting a hand on my back and the other on Peter.
"Thank you," Pepper said. "You wonderful child." Thank you, thank you for keeping him safe, she thought, thinking of Tony - who was still breathing - beside her.
"You - you deserved better than what you got," Rhodey whispered. "Goddamnit kid, you were too good for this world."
I placed a small kiss on the boy's forehead. "I love you three thousand," I murmured, staring in Peter's brown eyes, devoid of their usual love, kindness and curiosity.
"Stark," came Strange's voice from somewhere behind him. "This was the only way," he said solemnly, staring at Peter's lifeless body.
My blood began to boil. "Was it? Was it?" I asked angrily. I turned and looked up to face Strange, who was trying his hardest to look me in the eyes. "This was the only way? This was a win? I lost Peter!" I screamed at the man, causing him to look down, ashamed. I stood up, letting Pepper hold Peter for me. "I lost my son! Again! How is that a win? How is it that the entire fate of the universe was placed on the back of a child? MY KID!" I yelled, causing the others to back up as well, their eyes downcast. I felt Rhodey place a hand on my shoulder, pulling me into him. "I just got him back," I sobbed.
"I know Tony, I know," Rhodey replied, rubbing my back, a tear falling down his face.
"It should have been me," I said. "Parents... parents shouldn't bury their kids," I whispered, as Rhodey held me tighter.
"I don't think you'll have to," Strange said quietly.
"What the fuck?" Quill said, staring past me and at the ground.
I immediately whirled around and spotted Pepper, who'd stood up, leaving Peter on the ground. "What's going on?" I said.
"His hand, Tony. His hand," Pepper whispered, her eyes growing wide.
I looked down and spotted the gauntlet in Peter's hand. Which was ... moving? The kid's hand was moving. Wait, no the kid was moving. He's moving. He's - he's standing up. And moving. And breathing. Peter drew himself up to his full height and looked straight at me, his shimmering brown eyes meeting my shocked ones. "Peter?"
The kid looked confused for a second, his face contorting in pain before relaxing again. "Mr. Stark? Miss Potts? Rhodey? What happened?" Peter asked. I ignored him, rushing forward and enveloping the kid in a tight hug, which Peter reciprocated. He's back, thank God, he's back. You're never leaving me again, Peter. Never again. I squeezed the kid tighter, like I was trying to push him into the hole in my heart, where he belonged.
Everyone else behind me stood still, shocked at Peter's apparent rebirth (for the second time). Peter shook his head and rubbed his gauntlet clad-finger along his temple, "this is gonna be a different kinda hangover, huh?" he whispered into my ear, and for the first time in five years, my heart was full and I could breathe again.
This is from a Third Person POV
Naturally, a win of this kind deserved a celebration of sorts, and with the Avenger's Compound being, y'know destroyed by a major alien invasion, the Tower was the next best bet to house everyone. Tony hadn't set foot in the building in almost five years, and was quite surprised to see it was still being maintained. He kept one hand on Peter and the other on Pepper as Strange, Wong and the other sorcerers created a large enough portal to send them through. "It hasn't changed," Tony whispered, looking around at the large labs, completely empty.
"I couldn't bring myself to change it," Pepper admitted. "I remember how torn up you were all those years ago, when you wanted to tear it down. You couldn't do it either," she added, turning to Tony.
"Where's -" Tony began but Pepper nodded and spoke quickly, "Happy's with her. He'll be bringing her around in a couple hours."
"She's okay?" Tony asked, concerned for Morgan, feeling a little guilty for forgetting about her in his worry for Peter.
Pepper nodded, "yeah. She knew you were working with your friends on a big problem. I just told her you needed my help for the last part."
Tony kissed her in thanks, before turning to Peter, who was wringing his hands nervously and scanning the room as if he were on high alert. Tony - along with some of the others - noticed the kid was still wearing the gauntlet, which seemed to have powered down, the stones glowing ever so slightly.
"You okay, Pete? You're still wearing the glove," Tony asked. Peter nodded silently, clearly not listening, continuing to look around, and suddenly Tony understood. "May?" he asked, and the kid quickly turned to face him, nodding.
"Yeah," he said breathlessly. "I'm sorry, I just need to know if she's okay."
Tony considered his next words carefully. "It was hard for her, those five years."
Peter, who'd been fidgeting non-stop since his revival, stilled. "Oh god," he whispered looking positively horrified. "I left her alone for five years? Fuck. She's gonna kill me."
Tony wrapped an arm around Peter's shoulder, pulling him closer to him. "We're about to find out," he said with a small laugh as the elevator doors slid open, revealing May, who's eyes widened the moment she spotted Peter.
"Peter!" she cried, running towards him. Tony felt his arm fall to his side as Peter ran to his Aunt, the pair crashing into a hug, both weeping inconsolably. "Oh, my baby. You're okay, you're okay now," May cried, her hand resting in Peter's hair as she rubbed his back.
"May - I'm so so sorry," Peter sobbed. "I shouldn't've gone. I didn't mean to leave. I didn't wanna go."
"I know sweetie, I know," May said, patting him on the back. "But you're safe now," she said, resting her chin on his shoulder, her eyes meeting Tony's. "Thank you" she mouthed to him, and Tony nodded, smiling. May let go of Peter, her hands resting on his shoulders, "you're not leaving the house till you're fifty, okay?"
Peter laughed, "that sounds pretty good, actually."
"For once, I agree," Tony replied with a nod, ignoring the worry in his heart as he teared his eyes away from Peter. "So, everyone!" Tony said, turning to the room, which was brimming with people. "Find a room, have a shower, and get ready because we have a lot to celebrate."
Peter went to the room he usually used when he stayed at the tower, surprised to see that in spite of his name being left on the door, the room was devoid of all of his things. Pepper, who was heading to the room she and Tony would use stopped, resting a hand on Peter's shoulder. "We didn't throw out your stuff, if that's what you're thinking," she said with a small smile. Peter nodded, thinking they probably gave everything to May for keeps. "We moved your room into our house," Pepper continued.
Peter turned to her, surprised. "Really?" he asked.
Pepper nodded, walking Peter into the room and sitting down on the bed with him. "It was hard in the beginning, for everyone. But Tony - he was up all hours of the night, unable to sleep. He would come in here and work," Pepper said looking around the room, remembering how completely destroyed the man was when he'd finally returned from Titan. "He worked so hard, trying to figure out how to get you back, but when we had Morgan, he was finally able to let go bit by bit, but never completely. He never forgot you. When we decided to move to the cabin, he wanted to make you a room, just in case."
Peter nodded, biting his lip in an effort not to cry. "I didn't know it hurt him that bad," Peter whispered.
"You were his kid, Peter. He just didn't know it," Pepper replied softly, giving him a hug. "And now you're back," she said standing up and heading out of the room. "I'll drop off some clothes for you," she said, just like she would when Peter would stay at the tower or compound all those years ago.
He nodded gratefully, "thank you Pepper, for everything."
"Thank you for keeping him safe," Pepper replied with a small smile as she shut the door.
Peter stood up and tapped the spider emblem on his iron spider suit, the nanites retracting into the housing unit and leaving him in his usual suit. He took off that suit as best he could, the iron gauntlet still on his hand. He pried at it gently, and found the gauntlet slipping off his arm with ease. He gently placed it on the bed, before heading into the washroom, smirking: I haven't showered in five years.
He changed into the clothes Pepper had left on his bed - a pair of sweatpants and Tony's old Black Sabbath shirt - the one he'd often steal while staying with the pair. Peter was about to leave the room when something caught his eye. The gauntlet sat on the bed, and Peter could almost swear that he felt it looking at him. Apprehensively, he crossed his room and picked up the gauntlet inspecting it, when suddenly, the nanites began to spread, attaching it to his arm once more. He started to tug at the gauntlet but it refused to move. Okay, that's weird, he thought, heading back out to the common room, where everyone was currently milling about. He managed to find Tony and Thor, the pair smiling as they reminisced on the last time they had hosted a party like this.
"at least we won't be interrupted by any murderous robots," Thor said with a small smile, looking at Tony, who rolled his eyes.
"That was one time, Point Break, let it go," he replied defensively, as Peter walked towards him. "Doing okay kid?" he asked, his eyes suddenly growing soft.
"Yeah, I think so," he said with a small smile. "I, uh, thought I should give this back," Peter said, holding his arm out towards Tony.
"Oh, so now you wanna give it to me," Tony smiled, ruffling Peter's hair as he stared the gauntlet. "Did you shower with the gauntlet on kid?" Tony asked after a moment, trying not to laugh.
Peter rolled his eyes. "No, I took it off, and I picked it up off my bed to give to you, but the nanites just reformed over my arm." He lowered his voice slightly, "I think it's sentient," he whispered. "I could feel it looking at me."
Tony's face morphed into one of curiosity and he began to look at the gauntlet some more, before noticing it didn't look damaged like Thanos' gauntlet had when he used the stones. "Kid, let me see your arm," he said. Peter showed him his right arm, which looked perfectly fine if you ignored the fact that his forearm was still encased in the gauntlet. "Bruce, come here!" Tony yelled, and Peter watched in surprise as the Hulk marched through the crowd (which parted easily for him) and joined Peter, Tony, and Thor.
"Oh my god, it's Bruce Banner and the Hulk. This is the best day ever," Peter said quickly, his eyes lighting up as he reached forward to shake Bruce's hand. "Can I just say that this is an absolute honour? Like, you're THE Bruce Banner! I read all of your papers, and I have to say, you're a genius!" Peter gushed, causing Bruce to blush.
"Thank you Mr. Parker," Bruce replied, smiling and turning to Tony. "You weren't lying."
"I told you the kid was a fan," Tony replied, with a smile.
"You told him about me?" Peter squeaked, turning to Tony as well, who nodded.
"Yeah, I had to tell him about that time you god drunk and tried to synthesize a new compound that would create new tissue and ended up quarantining the both of us in the lab for two days," Tony replied with a glint in his eyes.
"Oh my god, I'm so embarrassing," Peter whispered, growing red.
Tony laughed, clapping Peter on the back. "Now, Bruce, how're you healing?" Tony asked, peering at the man, who's right side was still heavily scarred from his use of the gauntlet.
"Eh, I'm healing, but it's taking a while," he explained, looking at his arm. "Usually I don't get injured, but when I do, I heal relatively quickly."
Peter shook his head, "I don't understand. I used the glove and it healed me."
"It tore you apart first, young spider," Thor replied, and Tony tensed, not wanting to remember another traumatizing point of his life.
"Isn't there anyone here that could, y'know, heal you?" Peter asked, looking at all the people in the crowd.
Tony considered this. "I mean, Wakanda has the most advanced technology, so we could ask T'Challa. I'm sure he wouldn't mind helping us," Tony explained. "I'll talk to him later tonight."
Peter nodded thoughtfully, before turning back to Thor, "You look different from the last time I saw you. Granted, that was years ago, but still." Peter's ears picked up a strange whirring sound, and he zoned in on Thor's eyes, one of which was a different colour than the other. "What happened to your eye?"
Thor was surprised. He'd grown so used to the mechanized eye he'd taken from the rabbit. "I uh lost it when I was fighting my sister."
Peter nodded, "I guess you miss a lot in five years, huh."
"Oh, this happened before Thanos," Thor explained, offering Peter the stool next to him, which the kid took gratefully. "You see, after our fight here on Earth against Ultron, I went scouring the universe for the Infinity Stones, and in my search I found the nine realms in chaos..." Peter's eyes widened and soon everyone around them became entranced in Thor's story. May came to a stop by Peter, letting the kid rest his head on her shoulder as he listened. "... and then Hela cut out my eye, which while incredibly rude, was just what I needed to give me the clarity I'd been seeking since I lost Mjolnir. I managed to tap into my powers." Peter nodded, as if this were the most normal and relatable thing. "... And then, as we were heading towards Earth, we were brought to a stop by Thanos's ship," Thor grew slightly quiet, "he slaughtered all my people, including Loki in front of me."
Peter rested a hand on Thor's arm, "I''m sorry. I understand how that feels." Peter found his gauntlet-laden hand clench on the table top.
"The sun will shine on us again, brother," a voice said behind them. Suddenly there was a shimmer of gold and Loki appeared, followed by a slew of confused and scared Asgardians, further adding to the bodies in the room.
"Brother!" Thor cried, launching himself at Loki and hugging him fiercely. "How?" he asked, turning to look at all the people in the room. He spotted Heimdell a few feet away and tore towards the man, throwing an arm around him and bringing him towards the others, his eyes filled with tears of joy.
"For once, I'm just as clueless as you are," Loki smirked. "I just - appeared."
"This wasn't your magic?" Thor asked, sounding perplexed.
"Nope," Loki replied, turning to Peter. "But I have a shrewd idea as to what - or who - may be involved," he said, nodding to Peter, and eyeing the gauntlet with interest. Everyone turned to look at the glove, noticing the stones glowing more powerfully than before, similar to when Peter had snapped. "The youngling hasn't been driven to madness, I see," he said, taking a seat next to Peter, staring at the kid with mild interest.
"What do you mean?" Tony asked, looking between the two.
Loki turned to Tony and grinned. "Man of Iron, I thought you were the smartest of these mortals," he said teasingly. Tony ignored him and gestured for Loki to continue. "The stones are the remnants of an ancient and powerful being who split their powers up, each power encased in a stone. No being has ever had the strength and nobility to wield them multiple times without injury - until now, that is," he said, gesturing towards Peter. "They become part of the person, forming a sort of bond with them. The individual vows to protect the gems, and the gems protect the individual in return. The person can use them to do as they wish, as long as what they wish is percieved as good by the user, hence why the child was able to bring myself and the rest of these Asgardians back."
"The kid can wish people back from the dead? Huh," Tony said, trying to not sound shocked. "I need a drink," he said, sighing, rubbing a forefinger to his temple.
"Wait," Thor said, turning to Peter. "You brought Loki back? How?"
"I- I don't know," Peter replied honestly, his face growing red from all the attention. "I was listening to your story and you said Loki died, I remember thinking I'd like to meet him." He turned to Loki, "do you think you can get this off of me?" he asked. "You seem to know a lot about it."
Loki considered this for a moment, reflecting on his time using the mind stone on Earth. "You need to use your head, your consciousness and use that to convince the glove to come off. You have to believe with all your being that you want it off. Using these stones, it's a mental process, and those who aren't fit to wield them find it mentally taxing." Loki paused, "I know I did," he added, thinking of New York all those years ago.
Thor placed a hand on Loki's shoulder. "It is of no consequence, Brother. You have made up for your mistakes."
Loki smiled, "thank you."
Peter nodded, considering Loki's words before closing his eyes. Okay, I want this glove off. I want it off. Please come off. He opened his eyes and gently tugged at the glove, which moved off his hand easily. Peter sighed, smiling as he set the glove on the bar, where it was promptly picked up and locked away by Tony.
"How do you feel?" Carol asked, staring at Peter with mild concern.
"A lot better," Peter replied honestly. "It feels like a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders."
Peter soon found himself sitting on the large sofa in the common room, surrounded by the ladies of the galaxy, all of whom were asking Peter about his powers. "I can't believe I'm meeting Spiderman," Shuri said, "this is the best day ever."
"Are you kidding me?" Peter exclaimed, "You reloaded your arms like Henry Cavill in Mission Impossible," he mimed the action. "That's some BDE if I've ever seen it."
Some of the older women exchanged looks. "What's BDE?" Mantis asked, sounding intrigued.
"It stands for 'Big Dick Energy'" Shuri explained, while Peter nodded.
"It's being confident without being cocky," Peter added, "Like Ms. Captain Danvers. She has Big Dick Energy. Actually" he said, turning to all the women, "You all have it."
"It's just Carol, Peter," she said with a grin. "And what you did out there? That was Supernova Dick Energy."
Peter grew red and and mumbled a small, barely audible "thank you."
Okoye shook her head and leaned forward so she could see Peter. "No, young man. You single-handedly saved the entire universe. It's nothing to be shy of. It was an honour to fight in battle with you."
Peter nodded, "Uh- thanks. It's pretty awesome to be working with you guys as well. You guys should make your own team. Like the Avengers, but more badass."
"I HEARD THAT!" Tony yelled from somewhere in the crowd, much to everyone else laughter.
"So, how did you get your powers?" Shuri asked, turning to Peter, who was sitting next to her. "Did you create some sticky gloves and shoes or something?"
Peter shook his head, "No. I got bit by a spider and I got powers."
"I knew an A'skavaiiran who got bit by these things known as spiders, he just developed a bad infection," Gamora said tonelessly, from where she was sitting with Nebula.
Peter and Shuri exchanged a look before nodding. "Ah, yeah. Statistically, that's pretty normal, but I've never been known for being an average in these cases," he replied.
Suddenly, Tony appeared behind Peter, tapping the kid on the shoulder. "C'mon, there's someone here I want you to meet," he said, moving out of the way as Peter somersaulted over the sofa. The pair cut their way through the crowd until they were by the elevator, watching as the LED lit up, indicating that the elevator was moving towards them.
The large doors slid open and Peter watched as a young girl sprinted out, and into Tony's arms. "Daddy!" she cried, wrapping her arms around Tony's neck as he rubbed her back.
"Hey Morguuna! Were you behaving for Happy?" Tony asked, looking at the young girl with sparkling eyes.
She nodded emphatically. "Yeah I was!"
"She made a really big mess in the kitchen Tony, but that's not my problem," Happy grumbled. He spotted Peter watching the exchange between Tony and Morgan, and smiled, clapping the kid on the back. "Hey kid," he said, his hand resting on Peter's shoulder.
"Hi Happy. Didja miss me?" Peter asked, grinning at the man. He too had some grey in his hair and looked positively tired. Peter had always been sure that he'd be the one to wear Happy down, and realized that the man had spent five years looking after another, much younger kid who had Tony's stubborness.
Happy looked back at the kid, his eyes welling ever so slightly. "Yeah, a little" he said giving the kid a brief hug. He quickly wiped his eyes and nodded to Tony, before moving away - most likely to find Pepper.
Peter turned back to Tony and Morgan, who was looking at Peter curiously. Tony smiled, "Morgan, this is -"
"Daddy its Peter!" she yelled excitedly, her eyes widening like Tony's would whenever he was happy. She let go of Tony and reached out to Peter, who quickly took her. "My dad tells me stories about you all the time!"
"He does?" Peter asked, looking over Morgan's head at Tony, who rolled his eyes.
"Not all the time, she's just exaggerating," Tony replied, tickling Morgan's foot.
She laughed, and quickly turned back to Tony, "No I'm not!" She quickly looked back at Peter, "he said you're his favourite superhero."
"Really? Spiderman is his favourite superhero?" Peter asked, sounding surprised. He turned to look at Tony, but the man had already been dragged aside by Hank Pym.
"No, not Spiderman," Morgan replied, sounding annoyed. "Peter."
Peter's stomach dropped slightly as he looked at her. "Oh," he said, his eyes welling up with tears.
Morgan placed her hands on his cheeks and tilted her head, "Why're you crying? Are you sad?"
Peter shook his head, "No, I'm just happy to be back," he replied, sniffing slightly. "So," he said, making his way over to an unoccupied armchair and sitting Morgan on his lap. "What other stories did your dad tell you about me?"
Morgan tapped her chin thoughtfully. "He told me about that one time you thought someone was stealing your stuff, so you hid a camera in your room and forgot about it, and you called the police on yourself."
Peter grew slightly red, "Okay, so only the embarrassing stories then?" he asked, to which Morgan nodded, giggling. "Well, I think we should be fair, right?" he asked Morgan, who nodded, her eyes wide. "So you wanna hear embarrassing stories about your dad?"
Morgan nodded, and Peter launched into the story about the time Tony got his head stuck in a helmet when they were testing out the nanite armour.
Slowly, the party began to wind down, and Peter leaned back on the sofa, careful not to wake Morgan who'd fallen asleep laughing as Peter told her about the time Tony had forgotten to turn the oven off when he was baking cookies and ended up evacuating everyone from the Tower.
"She asleep?" Pepper asked, bending down to stroke Morgan's hair.
"Yeah," Peter replied, seeming someone tired - it had been a long day.
Pepper took Morgan, trying not to wake her up, but it was no use - she was a light sleeper like her father. "Mommy? Where's Peter?"
"I'm right here, Mo" Peter replied, giving a small wave.
Morgan rubbed her eyes, "Oh. Can my brother tuck me in?" she asked, and Peter felt another jolt in his stomach.
Peter looked up at Pepper and Tony, who'd just appeared, and asked "Can I?" The pair nodded, and Morgan quickly moved back into Peter's arms.
"Take her to our room," Pepper said, and Peter nodded, moving through the hallway and opening the door with his free hand. He pulled back the sheets, tucking Morgan in the middle of the bed, so she wouldn't fall out.
"Night Morgan," Peter said, planting a kiss on her forehead.
"Night Peter," she said with a smile, her eyes closing slowly. Peter made his way to the door, and if it wasn't for his super-hearing he would have missed her words: "I love you 3000."
"I love you 3000, too," Peter said, as he closed the door and headed back to the common room, where Pepper, Tony and some of the others were still milling about. "She loves me 3000," Peter said to the pair, who exchanged a look.
Pepper rolled her eyes, "I'm still in the 1000s and I birthed her."
Tony smirked, "Don't take it personally Pep. I'm sure you'll break into the 2000s by next year."
"If it makes you feel any better, I love you 3000," Peter said to Pepper as she stood up to head to bed.
She stopped and wrapped her arms around Peter, placing a kiss on the top of his head. "I love you too, Peter," she said, staring down at him with a smile, glad that he was back.
Tony watched as she headed off before turning to Peter. "Wow. She only loves you two," he said teasingly.
Peter rolled his eyes and fell back into the sofa, as May approached him. "Heading back home or staying here?" she asked, sitting on the arms of the chair.
Peter ruffled his hair, turning to face Tony. "D'you mind if I stay over, Mr. Stark?"
"Not at all," Tony replied quickly, glad that the kid wasn't heading home just yet. The thought of him leaving his sight, or being even the smallest distance away was paralyzing.
May nodded, "Is it okay if I stay here too?" she asked Tony, who agreed quickly. "I just can't, y'know?"
"I know," Tony replied, the pair looking down at Peter who'd fallen asleep in that short span of time, head lolling back on the sofa.
May moved one of Peter's curls from his face, her eyes welling with tears as she stood up from where she was perched and gave Tony a hug. "Thank you. Thank you for bringing my baby back to me."
Tony hugged her back, "I'd do it a thousand times."
May nodded and soon, she too was off, trying to find an unoccupied room, before settling for Peter's.
Tony was the last person still awake, the events of the day still reeling in his mind. The battle. Creating the gauntlet. Going back in time. Had that all happened in one day? In 24 hours? God, the days seemed to have blurred together. He poured himself a glass of water and was about to head towards his bedroom when he heard a soft whimper. Pausing, he turned back to the common room, and spotted Peter, his breathing ragged and uneven, his chest rising and falling rapidly. Shit, he's having a nightmare, Tony thought. Immediately, his reflexes for these kind of events (which had been dormant for five years) kicked into work, and he quickly made his way over, placing one hand on Peter's cheek and the other on the kid's shoulder. "Peter? Wake up, okay? It's just a dream, you're safe now."
Peter's eyes flew open, looking around wildly before falling on Tony. "Oh, Mr. Stark, hey."
"Hey kid," Tony replied, helping Peter sit up as he moved to sit beside him. "You alright?"
Peter nodded, helping himself to the water in Tony's hand. "Sorry, parched."
Tony rolled his eyes and continued to rub Peter's back. "What was it about?"
Peter drained the glass, and began to trace his finger around the rim. "Everything that's happened. God, it's been a long day."
"It's been a long five years, Pete," Tony murmured, before he could stop himself.
Peter shook his head in disbelief. "I still can't believe it. Five years? I was gone for five years - it's just - it's a lot to get used to. I kinda get what Captain America must have felt when he came out the ice."
Tony nodded, never considering how messed up it would be to realize the entire world - the people you love - just moved on without you. "I know, kid. I know."
Sighing, Peter spoke quietly. "I felt it, when I was being dusted." Tony turned to look at Peter so quickly, he cricked his neck. "It hurt - like a lot. And it was the same, when I was coming back. Like every single piece of me was fusing together. And then the fight - and being scared when I saw you heading towards the gauntlet. God, I was so scared."
"Peter-" Tony began, but the kid cut him off.
"I'm sorry, but I couldn't let you do it. I just-" the kid paused, his voice cracking "I couldn't. It would have killed you."
"You don't know that," Tony interrupted, but Peter nodded.
"I do," he said, turning to look at Tony, his eyes filled with tears. "Do you remember what Dr. Strange said? There was 14, 000, 605 and we only one once. In that moment, when I was holding the gauntlet and you were telling me to give it back, I-" Peter hiccuped and Tony quickly wrapped his arms around the boy.
"Peter," Tony said, not realizing he was crying as well.
"When I snapped my fingers I saw it," Peter said, and Tony shook his head, confused.
FLASHBACK TO PETER IN THE SOUL STONE
I opened my eyes and looked around me. All I could see was red and yellow, like a sunset, stretching into the beyond. "Hello?" I called. "Can anyone hear me?"
"Peter Benjamin Parker," a voice said, echoing as though it were speaking from all sides.
"That's me," I replied, "and you are?"
"I am" the voice responded.
Peter nodded, rocking on his heels, "that's... informative." He paused, "Where am I?"
"The space where all things meet," the voice replied.
"Uh-huh," Peter said, looking around. "And why am I here?"
"You," the voice explained, "wielded the gauntlet to protect your family, your universe. There is no greater honour. This space, this is where heroes come to rest."
Peter's mouth dropped slightly, "I'm in heaven?"
"In a manner of speaking," the voice replied.
Peter nodded, feeling as if the air had been knocked out of him. "So, I'm dead."
"Yes," the voice answered, "and no."
Peter whistled, "that clears things up."
"You can go back, if you choose to. Or you can finally rest," the voice offered. The air in front of Peter shimmered and he was met by three figures; his parents and Uncle Ben. "The choice is yours, Peter" they spoke in unison.
Peter stood still, shocked. "Mom? Dad? Ben? What are you guys doing here?"
"We're here to take you on, if that is your wish" they replied.
Peter shook his head, still shocked. "I - uh, I don't know what to do." He closed is eyes, thinking of something that would help him decide. "If you can do the things I can, but you don't. And then the bad things happen-"
"They happen because of you," they responded in unison, nodding.
Peter let a tear fall down his cheek. "I need to go back. I have to. They still need me. My family - they need me."
"Are we not your family?" the voices asked.
Peter smiled, moving towards them and reaching out, his hands passing through the figures as though they were mist. "You are, but I don't quite think I'm ready to see you yet. I still have a lot of responsibilities to the rest of my family." He smiled at the figures, which vanished just as quickly as they'd appeared.
"You continue to fight, and in a worthy manner," the voices said. "It is an honour to be wielded by you," the voice said and then everything went white.
"You died," Tony said, after Peter had explained what he'd seen in the stones.
"Kind of? They were sort of unclear about that," Peter replied, rubbing his forehead.
Tony considered his next words, "did - are you glad you came back?" he asked, unsure if he'd be prepared for the answer.
Peter sighed, a heavy sigh, one that Tony knew was a result of carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders. "I am. A small part of me wanted to be selfish and stay, but I couldn't. I couldn't leave you and May and Ned and Pepper and MJ and now Morgan." Peter smiled as he said her name, "she told me Peter was your favourite superhero."
Tony's grip on Peter's shoulder tightened slightly. "Yeah, you are," he said, looking at Peter through his tears. "God, it's been so hard without you, you know? I - I couldn't breathe when you left. It was like all the air had gone out of my lungs and they were in a vice. And when I got back, and the others went to go kill Thanos, and he said he destroyed the stones - it killed me. If it wasn't for Pepper, and Rhodey and Morgan and Happy and May - I don't think I would've ever gotten over it."
Peter nodded, "It wasn't ever on you anyway - my dying. It's not your fault. And it never will be. We're in this together and sometimes it means we might not come out of it together, but that doesn't mean the fight is over" Peter explained. "It may have taken you five years, but you managed to bring everyone back. This couldn't have happened without you."
Tony shook his head, "No Peter. I did this for you." Peter's heart stopped, as Tony continued. "I had finally moved past it and then Cap, Nat and Scott showed up at my door rambling about the Quantum Realm - and at that point I'd already exhausted every form of time travel that I could think of. I'd already thought of the Quantum Realm and shot their idea down. I lost you but I had Morgan, I had my second chance." Peter nodded, "but then I saw that photograph of the internship that you gave me, and I realized that if I could have Morgan and have you, god that would be amazing. I did this for you. So I could have it all. It was selfish," Tony said, finally admitting what he'd been feeling throughout the day as people thanked him one by one.
Peter shook his head, "No. You did it because you cared." Peter wrapped his arms around Tony. "That's why I didn't give you the gauntlet. I wanted to keep you safe," the kid's voice came, muffled by Tony's chest.
Tony pulled Peter in closer, "I love you kid."
"I love you too, Tony" Peter replied.
And for once, everything was good.