Chapter Text
“And then Doctor Strange did the twirly spark thing and-“ Peter was cut off with a hug. He was taken aback at first, but quickly melted into the hug (though a bit uncomfortable given he was hugging an iron robotic suit). Nonetheless, he muttered “This... this is nice.” Which causes Tony to smile a little to himself. Damn, did he miss the kid. He quickly kissed him on the cheek, hoping he did it too fast for Peter to make a comment about it. He stayed silent but smiled against Tony’s shoulder.
Peter was still trying to grasp onto reality as Tony pulled away from their hug. Apparently he had been dead for five years? But he didn’t remember any of it.... It just gave Peter a headache trying to wrap his mind around it. All he knew was that they needed the stones. So he rushed back into the battle, but not before he flashed his mentor a smile. “I feel better now,” he said, swinging away.
He retrieved the gauntlet from Black Panther amidst the chaos. It was heavy, but he carried it, swinging along. It made him think, he had the power of the universe in his hands... if Thanos was using it to kill everything, what could Peter do with it? Could he possibly save everyone? He pushed the thought out of his mind, attempting to focus as he was surrounded by creatures.
“Karen, activate instant kill mode,” he said, and he saw the extra legs swinging around madly, slaughtering the creatures that were attacking him.
A Pegasus ride later, Carol Danvers took the gauntlet from Peter, as he was relieved to give it away. It left him to wonder again, but this time his mind took a darker turn.
What if he died today?
What if in this battle... he died? He remembered Tony remarking that if Peter died, that he’d feel like that’s on him. It made his stomach twist, he didn’t like the thought. But then again, if it meant everyone living, would he be able to do it? He then remembered turning to dust, his sense going completely haywire. In a state of panic he collapsed into Tony’s arms, pleading not to die. The prospect still terrified him and that memory was something he wanted to push down. He didn’t want to die, but if it meant saving May, and even Mr.Stark, he would do it.
He just hoped it wouldn’t come to that.
-
He watched intently as Tony faced off against Thanos, unable to look away though he desperately wanted to. Then there was a pang in his gut, telling him to join the fray. But why? He wasn’t strong enough to join alongside Iron Man, the God of Thunder, and America’s greatest defender. He was a kid. All he had was a ridiculous healing factor and some fancy silly string. Yet, his spidey senses were screaming for him to go.
“Go, Parker. And take them,” said a voice beside him. He jumped slightly, realizing it was Doctor Strange who had spoken to him. Peter just nodded, utterly terrified, and forced himself to move forward towards the mad titan.
Thanos was very distracted by everyone else battling him, and Peter quickly ducked around, trying to get a visual on the gauntlet. At one point he caught Tony’s eye (not that he knew it because Tony had a mask on).
“Get away, kid!” Tony basically screamed. “I’m not losing you again,” he said quieter. Of course, Peter had distracted Tony, who got slammed to the ground by Thanos. Peter noticed that the other Avengers has also gotten knocked down.
Shit. This is my fault.
He had to fix it.
Thanos was walking towards Tony, who was struggling to get up. His suit was pretty wrecked and he had scratches all along the exposed parts of his body. He saw Peter still standing and wanted to scream and shout at him to get out of the way, but he stayed silent as to not draw attention to him.
“I told you I was inevitable,” Thanos said slowly, grinning. He raised his hand and snapped. Tony closed his eyes, expecting the worst, but nothing happened. Thanos tried again. Nothing.
“No, he didn’t...” Tony whispered. But oh, he did. Peter held the stones in his hand, and not knowing what else to do he slapped them into the back of his hand, hoping the suit would take them. He immediately shrieked in pain. “Peter!” Tony shouted, forcing himself to stand. Thanos whipped around to see the fifteen year old, welding the stones, struggling to lift his arm.
“H-how did you...?” The Titan stuttered, dumbstruck. Sure, he saw Iron Man possibly doing this, but this was a child. How could he be so easily outsmarted?
“Because I am...” Peter paused, locking eyes with Tony, who was barely standing. Peter knew in his heart that he had to do this for Mr.Stark. For the world. For May. For his parents. For Uncle Ben. “Spider-Man,” he said, finishing his sentence, and exerting just enough energy to snap his fingers.
And just like that, it was over. The ships and aliens started to dust away, just as Peter had five years prior. Thanos sunk to his knees and disintegrated. Tony could hardly watch that, though. He finally was able to run towards Peter, who had collapsed in a heap on the ground.
“Kid, kid, kid!” He said, crouching down and lifting Peter’s head up to lean on his chest. Tony had gotten rid of the remnants of his armor. Peter opened his eyes, almost sleepily.
“W-we won, Mr.Stark,” he mumbled. He was not very coherent. This just sent Tony into more of a state of panic.
“Yeah, Pete, we did win,” he said, tears filling his eyes. “But, kid, you’ve gotta do something for me,” he begged. Peter was struggling to stay conscious, so he nodded ever so slightly. “Peter, you’ve gotta keep being Spider-Man and j-just... stay alive for me, kid.”
Peter could feel his body hard at work, his healing factor kicking in, but would it be enough?
“I-I...” Peter started, but he suddenly went limp in Tony’s arms, his eyes sliding shut.
Tony was now in a full state of panic, feeling for Peter’s pulse.
It was still there.
-
Tony was pacing, back and forth, his mind racing.
“Honey, please sit down, you’re injured,” Pepper said quietly, approaching her husband.
“I can't, I cannot, Pepper,” he snapped. She took a step backwards, and Tony sighed. “I-I’m sorry, it’s just... he’s really stressing me out,” he apologized.
“He’s like a son to you, isn’t he?” Pepper said, turning Tony’s head to face hers.
Truth was, he had never thought about it that way, but yes. Peter was like a son to him, in a way. He thought of the photo that sat in his kitchen of Peter accepting the Stark Internship. How the kid was why he decided to help the avengers.
“Goddammit, Pepper,” Tony whispered, burying his face in his hands. He sat down on a chair outside the hospital room, listening to the beeps of the heart monitor. They were slow, but there.
It had been a week.
“Morgan would love him,” Pepper said, sitting down next to Tony, who lifted his head up at the mention of his daughter’s name.
“Yeah... she would. He’s goofy enough for her, and enthusiastic, too.” Tony remembered the many voicemails Peter had left. “How’s our little girl doing, anyways?” He asked, desperate to change the topic.
“Spunky and bright as always,” Pepper responded, with a small smile. “She keeps asking for you, though. She snuck into your lab the other night, just hoping you’d show up and offer her a popsicle. She fell asleep in your chair.” This made Tony’s heart drop a little. He hadn’t been there for his daughter since he agreed to help the Avengers.
“This whole not being selfish thing kinda sucks ass sometimes,” Tony said, trying to lighten the mood. Pepper only smiled, too tired to laugh fully. Anyone would’ve been too tired to laugh.
Another week went by, and then another. A month later, and Tony still spent some time in the Wakandan hospital every day. Though he did leave at times to visit his wife and daughter. Morgan asked why he was always gone.
“I’m very worried about my friend,” Tony explained to the child.
“It’s the spider guy, right?” She asked, innocent as ever.
“Yeah, Spider-Man. He’s a really nice kid.”
“He saves everyone,” Morgan said, now a bit more somber. She hadn’t fully grasped everything that had happened, but she knew that he wasn’t doing well. Then, she shyly asked, “when he gets better, can you tell him he’s my favorite?” Tony smiled, tears threatening to break through.
“Of course,” he nodded.
Another week. Tony waited outside the room, anxious as ever. His leg was bouncing. Shuri approached him, offering a small smile.
“He is doing a lot better than before, Mister Stark,” she said calmly. “I believe it is his healing ability that has been aiding his recovery,” she elaborated. He only nodded in response, thanking her. He knew Bruce would have been helping if he hadn’t been in his own recovery. He also knew Peter’s Aunt May had been around a lot since she found out what happened to her nephew, but Tony avoided talking to her. For some reason he had this feeling of guilt whenever he saw her. He didn’t want to face that he might’ve been able to save Peter all this trouble if he had just stayed out of the fight. Why did he have to take the stones himself? He was just a kid.
Tony also had been given full permission to enter Peter’s room, but he just couldn’t. He didn’t want to see the kid like that. But on this day, he decided “fuck it, I’m going in.”
He opened the door and was just as disturbed as he expected to be. Peter looked pale and ghostly, extremely malnourished and littered with bruises that should’ve healed hours after he got them. The hand Peter had used to snap was completely black. Tony feared touching it, but he did so regardless just because he had to. The skin was rough and felt charred, but he could still feel a pulse through his wrist. Black lines traced up his arm and eventually ended by his shoulder. Seeing Peter in this state just made Tony more devastated, has he knew it would. He let the tears that were held back spring forth in this moment.
“You’re just a kid, you don’t deserve this,” Tony breathes, wiping the tears from his scruffy face. “It should've been me, you idiot.”
“M-mist... Stark?” Peter mumbled, his eyes still closed. Tony’s head snapped up, the tears stopping immediately.
“Yeah, it’s me kid, it’s me. Tony,” he said, taking Peter’s damaged hand. Why wasn’t the hand wrapped up in gauze? Tony didn’t have enough time to consider this. He felt the fingers close around his hand, though Peter’s eyes remained closed. “Y-you can wake up now, Peter. P-please wake up, kid. I’m worried, your Aunt is worried. Even your little nerd friend has been here once or twice with the apathetic girl. Just... for everyone... wake up, kid,” Tony practically begged the comatose boy. There was no reaction though. Peter’s fingers we still squeezing Tony’s, which trapped Tony from moving in the slightest. No way was he leaving now.
-
May found Tony, slumped over and asleep by Peter’s bedside, grasping onto his injured hand. At first she didn’t notice her nephew’s fingers wrapped around his mentor’s hand, but when she did she wanted to sob. It was something. Progress of some sort. She left the room, not wanting to wake Tony, whom she was eternally grateful for.
Tony woke with a start, still feeling his hand holding Peter’s.
“Shit,” he mumbled, running fingers through his hair. “You’re really stubborn, aren’t you, Peter?” Tony had a ghost of a smile.
“S-Stark, I don... feel so good...” Peter slurred groggily. It sent a pang through Tony’s heart. He could only imagine what Peter was reliving in his head in that moment. “I-I don wanna go,” Peter mumbled again, a little more coherent.
“Peter?” Tony said desperately, his heart aching for the kid.
“I don’t... don’t wanna-“ Peter shot up suddenly, his heart monitor quickening significantly. His eyes were open wide, then he squinted, adjusting to the light. Tony could cry. In fact, he did exactly that. Peter heard the sob escape Tony’s mouth and turned toward him sharply, still pretty unaware of his surroundings. “M-Mr.Stark? What am I...” he looked down at the hand Tony was clutching onto. It was completely black. “How did I...?” Then it all came flooding back. It hit him like a ton of bricks. “W-we won, didn’t we?” Peter whispered.
“Yeah, Peter, we won. You saved us, kid.”