Chapter Text
Peter popped back into existence in the middle of a warzone. He stopped for a moment, trying to orient himself with what was going on. For the longest time, he’d been trapped in a dark nothingness with all the others who’d been Snapped during the fight with Thanos. He’d managed to speak to Dr. Strange during his time in the abyss who’d explained what was going to happen. He knew he’d taken a risk asking the wizard what was going on, but he needed to know if they were ever going to make it back. So when they popped into existence again, Peter knew what he had to do. He saw Tony sliding the gauntlet on his arm and shot a web, yanking it away from him. Tony stopped, shocked. It was just enough time for one of Thanos’s goons to tackle Tony backward, wounding him. Peter turned, horrified. The idea had been to keep Tony from getting hurt! Shaking it off, he took in a breath and slid it onto his own arm, wincing at the blast of power that shot through him. The blast of power caused an explosion, sending Peter flying. He could hear yelling as the other Avengers searched for him, but he was too weak to call out. The world was fading to black before Peter could stop it.
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Peter came to, the dark, cold air chilling him to the bone. He shivered, rolling over and getting to his knees. His arm was on fire and the pain radiating down his side wasn’t much better. He stood carefully, testing his stability. His suit was damaged beyond repair. There was no sense in trying to activate Karen. He grabbed a branch from the ground, using it as a walking stick. Where am I? He wondered, looking around. The battlefield where they’d fought had seemed to have erased itself. In its place were trees and hopefully the compound not too far in the distance. Peter trekked through the woods, his strength waning as he went along. He stumbled and fell against a tree, panting.
Sinking down, Peter took stock of his injuries. His entire right side was burned, the gauntlet having nearly destroyed him. His arm was hopeless, and he wasn’t entirely sure how it was still attached. Blood was seeping from the wound, making him lightheaded. He rested his head against the tree, taking in a breath. He tore off what was left of the sleeve, tying it around the remainder of his shoulder. This is gonna suck… he thought, bracing himself. There was no way his arm was going to heal, and he knew with how he was feeling, it was just making him sicker. He prodded the arm, trying to feel for the bones. A quick feel of the arm told him all he needed to know. The bones in his arm were shattered. No wonder it hurt so bad. Testing one of the webshooters, he tied webbing above and below the location he’d chosen. It should leave him enough for a new arm, if Tony could build him one. He grabbed the pocket knife he kept in the suit. Mr. Stark would get a kick out of that. He mused. A superhero with the abilities he had and here he was, carrying a pocket knife in case he needed it for something.Like what? What would I even use it for? Cut my webbing in a pinch? He asked himself. “Or in this case, to cut your own arm off.” He sighed, verbalizing it out loud for the first time. He swallowed hard and made the first cut. Even with the damage to his arm, it still hurt intensely.
Peter’s hand shook as he worked, his stomach twisting into knots. With one final slice, he was through. The arm fell to the ground with a thud and Peter dropped the pocket knife. He turned to the side and threw up in the grass, barely able to keep himself conscious. Ah man, I just cut off my own arm! Ah jeez… Peter’s thoughts raced as he tried to get to his feet. He stumbled and fell, taking in a breath. “C’mon Peter, you can do this.” He encouraged himself. He got up, using the stick for stability. He took a few shaky steps, making his way through the woods.
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“He’s around here somewhere!” Tony called out over comms.
“You sure his suit’s not just broken, Tones?” Rhodey replied, scanning the trees again. “The kid took the full front of that blast, not to mention he was the one wearing th – ” He was cut off by Tony.
“I KNOW WHAT HE WAS!” Tony barked. “Sorry,” he sighed. “I’m sorry, Rhodey, you didn’t deserve that. I’m just stressed.”
“I know. We’ll find him.” He replied.
“Both of you, quiet! I see something!” Sam called out. Tony landed next to Sam, who was clutching something in his hand. “Oh god…” he gasped. “Is that…?”
Tony paled, stumbling back. “That’s – that’s his arm. That’s the kid’s arm!” He cried. The three men stared at each other quietly, knowing what it meant. Peter was losing blood, and fairly quickly. He wasn’t going to make it much longer on his own. Tony swallowed back the bile in his throat, switching to the comms again. “Nat, Clint, come in.”
“We read you, Tony. What’s going on?” Natasha responded.
“You and Barton are two of the best at tracking um, blood. I – I need you to search for any signs of blood and follow it. Peter’s…he’s hurt really bad.” Tony explained, barely holding it together. Natasha looked towards Clint, his expression echoing her own. They knew they had to move fast or Peter might not come back alive. They took off, Clint in the trees and Natasha on the ground. Natasha stopped suddenly, spotting a red-clad foot next to a rock. She hurried over, eyes widening at the sight before her.
She knelt down next to Peter, checking for a pulse. It was weak and thready, but it was there. “Peter? Can you hear me? It’s Nat. C’mon bud, wake up for me.” She coaxed, moving the kid into a sitting position. Peter groaned sluggishly, barely able to open his eyes. Nat reached into her bag, grateful Tony had made them all take supplies in case they found him. She pulled out a water bottle, opening it and putting it to the kid’s lips. He drank a little before coughing uncontrollably.
“N-Nat…?” He whispered. “The stones…take the stones…” He reached into his suit, pulling the stones from the pocket Tony had implemented. He handed them to Natasha before passing out again.
Natasha looked up, catching sight of Clint now beside her. “Damn.” He frowned. “He’s in bad shape. Do you think the gauntlet did that to his arm?” She shook her head.
“There’s webbing on the arm where it’s severed. I think he cut it off himself. He told me once that he carried a pocket knife on him.” She explained. Clint knelt down next to Peter and picked him up carefully. Natasha gathered the stones and the supplies and followed behind him. “Tony, we’ve got him. Get to the Quinjet. He’s in bad shape.” The two spies hurried back to the plane, setting Peter on the cot. Clint went to work, hooking an IV up to Peter’s remaining hand. He headed to the front of the plane, leaving Natasha with Peter. She placed a blanket over him, stroking his hair softly.
“Люли, люли, люленьки,
Где вы, где вы, гуленьки?
Прилетайте на кровать,
Начинайте ворковать.
Люли, люли, люленьки,
Прилетели гуленьки.
Сели в изголовьице -
Спи-ка на здоровьице.
Стали гули ворковать -
Стала доча засыпать.”
She sang softly, hoping it would soothe the boy. Natasha didn’t remember much from her days in Russia, but she still remembered one of the nursery rhymes. Tony, Rhodey and Sam entered the plane, Tony immediately stepping out of his armor and rushing to Peter. He stopped, taking in the sight before him. Peter looked so small on the cot, his face bruised and burned from the blast. Half of his hair had been singed and there were pieces of his mask stuck to it. He made sure to take note to give the kid a haircut after the worst of it was over. He sank down next to Peter, taking his hand. “Hey buddy…” He smiled softly. “You’re so brave. You saved everyone. We’re gonna make sure you feel better, okay? I promise.”
Natasha turned, pulling the stones from her bag. “Tony, Peter gave me these. What do you notice?”
“The soul stone and mind stone are missing.” He stated, noting the remaining stones. “What happened to them?”
“I’m back. Gamora is back. Vision is back. I think… I think Peter did it somehow. His wish, whatever it was, it brought everyone back. Not just those Thanos snapped. Thor said Loki contacted him as well and he went back to check the state of their homeworld. Tony, whatever Peter did, it’s incredible and far beyond what we dreamed of doing. This kid is amazing.” She gushed.
Tony smiled softly. “Yeah, he sure is.”