Chapter Text
"...and I...am...IronMan."
With a deep breath, Tony snapped his fingers and let the world go white.
****************************
Peter was having a blast, honestly. Really, he was. When you ignore the blasting loud agony of war, and take away the pain and the blood and the screams, being an Avenger is a lot of fun.
Peter had come back from the soul stone, kicked some serious ass, and gotten a much-needed hug from Mr. Stark.
Unfortunately, his lucky streak didnt last long. Only after surrendering the Infinity Stones to the beautifully terrifying blonde lady did Peter realize how much pain he was in.
His eyes were swelling shut, blood leaking from both of his nostrils as well as a few gashes on his face. His chest ached as air struggled to reach his lungs. The iron spider suit, however, was able to sufficiently protect his torso, arms, and legs.
Peter knew this was a horrible time to give in to his exhaustion, but everyone else seemed to be handling things just fine.
Peter's rational mind was in pieces. SLEEP, his conscience screamed.
He'd felt like he'd had enough adrenaline to carry him for weeks, but now his body felt like a bag of bricks.
The kid tried to hold himself up, he really did. He had no control over himself as he crashed into the dirt with a soft thud.
He couldn't move. He fought to keep his eyes open. He felt a sluggish demon trying to crawl through his heart and force him under the ocean of unconsciousness.
Around him, agony raged on. Soldiers of Earthly, magical, and alien origins slaughtering one another.
Peter felt the ground rumble with every footstep. He heard ever body that hit the ground. He smelled blood and tears. Every scream or war cry that punctured the air would split his head open.
"KID, LOOK OUT!!" Someone, maybe Sam, screamed. "GET UP!"
Peter only had enough energy to turn his head and see a mass of black hurdling itself towards him. An ugly monster the size of a van, snarling and baring its foot-long teeth, was barreling directly in Peter's direction.
Oh, God. Peter thought. The monster was nearing him, and Peter hadn't moved an inch.
Sam, who Peter was now sure was the one to scream the warning, was trying to fend off three beasts single handedly. There was no way for anyone to get to the kid before the hellish behemoth ripped him to shreds.
The creature was now around forty feet away from the young avenger.
Thirty.
Twenty.
Ten.
Five.
Peter squeezed his eyes shut, hoping that everything would be gone when he opened them. Hoping he would wake up in May's arms. Hell, he hoped he would wake up in his parents arms and realize that he was still only five years old.
Peter felt nothing; no impact, no teeth or claws peircing his body. Nothing.
The screams, the sounds of bodies hitting the floor, the war cries... They all seemed to fade away into silence.
Peter opened his eyes.
Inches away from his face, a cloud of ashen dust danced in the air.
The monster was dust.
Dust.
Dust? Just like Titan. Just like Starlord, Drax, Mantis, Dr. Strange... reduced to swirls of flakey ashes.
But this time, the good guys stay.
Sam Wilson, wingsuit heavily damaged, limped to where Peter was splayed out.
"You'd better be alive, pipsqueak." He grumbled. Peter shakily raised his hand up. Sam grasped it and pulled Peter to his feet. Immediately, Peter wobbled and collapsed once again. "Hey," Sam said sharply as he tried to catch Peter.
"We won?" Peter gasped, holding on to Sam's arms as his knees crashed to the ground. Sam smiled as he tried to hold Peter up, his legs almost buckling as well. "We did it. We won! W-we won. We-" His breath runs out.
Sam laughs. He tried once more to pull the teenager up. Peter sways and heavily leans on Sam, but hes upright.
"Where's Mr. Stark?" Peter asks, breathless.
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Tony was motionless, eyes stuck on a fixed point somewhere straight ahead. The right side of his face and body were gray, ashen, and cracked. The Infinity Stones still glowed from their place on Tony's right gauntlet.
"M-Mr. Stark?" A voice quivered.
Tony didn't move, but he saw Peter kneel down so their eyes could meet.
"Can you hear me?"
Tony remained as he was: silent, motionless.
"We won," Peter squeaked. "W-we won, Mr. Stark. We won."
The hero still sat without any inclination of life in his body.
The child, beginning to lose hope, felt tears spill over his eyes. "Mr. Stark. G-god...I'm sorry. Tony," He was pulled away. The strong metal hands of War Machine were gentle on his shoulders.
Pepper, in her Rescue armor, threw her helmet to the ground. She softly knelt in front of her husband, right where Peter was sitting seconds earlier.
"Hey," she smiled. Her voice was warm and gentle.
"Hey, Pep." Tony's barely audible croak was lost to most ears.
"F.R.I.D.A.Y.?" Pepper's golden voice barely broke, and you woundn't have noticed if you weren't really listening.
The AI's answer was low and quiet, but still heard.
"Boss seems to be in shock. He will survive and should be back to normal health with days of rest and consumption of fluids."