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High pitched screams broke through the dark of the night.
Peter’s eyes flew open, going from a deep sleep to completely awake and pumping with adrenaline. For a moment, he heard nothing. As he sat in the dark of the guest room and waited, he wondered if he’d just dreamt the sound that had woken him. When he heard muffled sobs from down the hall, he knew it wasn’t a dream.
Without a second thought, he kicked back his covers and quickly left the room, the floorboards creaking beneath his feet as he fast-walked down the hallway to where he knew he was needed.
The door at the end of the hallway was already open, and as he poked his head in, he could hear Pepper’s gentle voice soothe over the sobs, “It’s okay, sweetheart, mommy’s here!”
The sight of a distressed Morgan Stark sitting in her bed, her small body trembling as she clung to her mother made Peter’s heart sink. Pepper sat on the edge of her bed, holding her daughter close. She glanced up at Peter as he stepped into the room, their tired eyes meeting in the dimly lit room, as he sat on the other side of the small girl.
“Hey, Morgan…” She turned her tear-stained face towards him before reaching out to him, crawling into his lap.
Without another word, Pepper smiled softly and kissed both of them each on the head before leaving the room. She knew Peter could take it from there; he always did. When it came to skinned knees, tummy aches, or mean kids at school, Morgan would go to her mother without thought. But chasing away the nightmares was a job for her “brother.” The young girl just seemed to have the instinct that Peter had had his fair share of waking up in cold sweats.
Once her sobs had calmed down, she pulled her face from his chest and scrubbed at her eyes with her fist. “Do you wanna talk about it, bug?”
“I miss Daddy…” she hoarsely whispered. There was no need to go into more detail. Peter felt his body tense for a second. It had only been a few months since their final battle with Thanos, and any mention of Tony Stark still made Peter want to burst into tears himself.
Taking hold of Morgan’s hand and letting her squeeze his in her surprisingly strong grip, his eyes drifted to the family photo that sat on Morgan’s beside table. Behind the glass of the frame was a smiling Morgan sitting between her proud parents on the porch of their lakeside home. He bit his lip as he forced himself to look at the face of his mentor.
Iron Man. The man who had given his life to save the world.
To save Peter.
There was a part of him that envied Morgan. She didn’t have the memories of the battlefield burned into her mind. She didn’t have to watch as Tony took his last breath or as his Arc Reactor faded out. They never let her see how badly damaged Tony’s body was; why let that be her last image of him?
“Peter?” Her voice pulled him from his thoughts, tears beginning to dry.
“Hmm?”
“Does daddy know we miss him?”
He forced a watery smile as he laid her back down and tucked the blanket up to her chin. “I’m sure he does. I’m sure he misses us too. But you know he’ll always be with us, right? Right here…” He placed his own hand on his chest. She mirrored his action, placing her small hand on her own chest.
“…and here…”
He nodded, reaching to switch off her lamp. “Try to get back to sleep. I love you.” He gently kissed her forehead before standing up to leave.
Just before he shut the door, he heard her whisper to the photo, “Goodnight, Daddy…me and Petey love you 3000…”
He was thankful the darkness prevented her from seeing the tears that fell down his own cheeks as he closed her door.
He found Pepper in the kitchen, sitting at the table next to May who had woken up to all the noise. Each woman had a steaming mug of hot chocolate, with a third waiting for him. “We’re out of marshmallows…I think you ate up the last ones the other night.”
“’S okay.” He sat down on the other side of his aunt, who lovingly reached out to tussle his hair, before she went back to her conversation with Pepper.
Peter sipped his drink, not paying attention to what they were saying, but allowing the sounds of their voices to relax his nerves. May, knowing what losing a husband was like, had been a strong source of comfort for Pepper during and after Tony’s funeral, the two of them becoming fast friends, leading to May and Peter often spending the weekend at the lake house. They always found things to talk about.
His eyes wandered to the stairs, hoping that Morgan had been able to get back to sleep. Her nightmares about losing her father were becoming fewer and fewer, but he knew she’d have to grow up with a huge part of her missing.
“You alright, baby?” May’s voice broke through his wandering mind. He looked up at the two women before him who wore concerned expressions.
“Huh? Yeah. I’m okay.” He sipped his cocoa as May moved her chair slightly closer to him and took his free hand.
“Sweetie, you know you don’t have to hide what you’re feeling from us…”
He cut her off. “I know, and I’m telling you. I’m fine. I’m just…worried about Morgan, that’s all!”
May shook her head slightly. “You should be worrying about you, Peter.”
The teen stared down into his cooling drink, the light brown liquid swirling around. He could feel their gaze on him, loaded with concern. “…she needs me…she needs me to be strong for her…”
Pepper placed a hand on his shoulder. “She knows that this is hurting you. Yet, she looks to you, just like she does to me, even though I’m hurting too. You’re her big brother, Peter. The fact that you’re there for her is more than enough.”
Stiffly, he nodded once, not fully believing her. He finished his drink in silence, thanked Pepper for it, and then went back up to his room.
Settling back into bed, he turned to face the other side of the room, where on his desk sat the photo of him and Tony, holding his intern certificate upside-down. Swallowing against the lump in his throat, he let his eyes shut.
Peter glanced around, his spidey sense tingling as he realized he was standing in the devastation of the battlefield, completely alone.
“Hello…?” he called out, unsure of the response he’d get. “Anyone…anyone here?”
That’s when a voice that he never thought he’d hear again called out to him. “Hey, kid. Over here!”
His head snapped up to see none other than Tony Stark, sitting on the ground against a pile of rubble, just as he had been when he died. Only now, he was very much alive, and looked a few years younger, his hair less grey. He was also missing his suit, and instead was wearing a sport coat over a dress shirt with slacks. Taking a step closer, he could see a slight bruise under his mentor’s right eye. He was also munching on a piece of what looked to be his Aunt’s walnut loaf.
“Tony?” Peter’s voice was strained as he took another step towards the hero, who nodded.
“The one and only!”
“But…but you’re supposed to be…”
“I know, Underoos. And I am. But, ah, I figured it was time to pay you a little visit.”
Peter’s face fell, absorbing his words. “So…I’m dreaming.”
Tony half-smiled, looking the teen up and down. “Why else would you be out here in nothing but your street clothes?”
“What? I’m not wearing my street-” Peter looked down at himself, expecting to see his Iron Spider suit. Instead, he was in a dark blue hoodie, jeans, and a white t-shirt that mapped out the anatomy of a pizza. “Oh…”
Tony nodded, pushing himself to his feet, spitting out what was in his mouth and tossing the rest of the walnut loaf over his shoulder. “So, Aunt Hottie can’t even cook in your dreams, huh?”
Peter chuckled, shaking his head, taking in the sight of the man before him. “I…I never thought I’d see you again, Tony. Everyone misses you. Morgan… and I…we miss you…3000!”
His mentor smiled widely, his eyes tearing at the words. “Right back at ya, kid!”
Peter’s mind blanked. There were so many things he wanted to say to him, but they all seemed to vanish at once. Well, no, not all of them.
With his face to the ground, he whispered, “I’m sorry I can’t be strong enough for her…”
Tony sighed. “Kid, being strong doesn’t mean you don’t feel or show what you’re feeling. That was something I never learned until after all the drugs and booze. So I want you to know that now, ya know, before you hit college and start making dumb choices!” Peter smiled at that, and Tony went on. “And the fact that you do your brotherly duties, like helping her with school work, chasing away the bad dreams, or suffering through yet another round of the Pretty, Pretty Princess game just shows how strong you truly are!”
The teen lifted his head up. “That’s basically what Pepper was saying…”
“And you should listen to her. Not because she can be scary when contradicted, but because she’s always right.”
They both shared a laugh, before Peter swallowed again, meeting Tony’s eyes, asking, “Why did you do it?”
The smile slowly melted from Tony’s face. “There was no other way. There are some things on the timeline we simply cannot change. They have to happen, and the world continues spinning. I believe that nerdy show you had me watch, ya know…uhh… Doctor What; it said something about that, calling it ‘fixed points’ in the timeline?”
The teen barked a laugh. “I think you mean, Doctor Who, Tony.”
“Hey, we’re in your head, Pete. I think that’s on you!” He ruffled his hair. “The point is, you have to keep going. I would’ve loved nothing more than to watch Morgan grow up, grow old with Pep…and…”
“…and see me?” Peter offered.
Tony placed a hand on his mentee’s shoulder, meeting his gaze. “…yes. But I’m gone. You can have a wonderful life, even without me by your side. A wise man once told me to not waste my life. Pete, promise me you won’t waste yours.”
The sight of Tony blurred as Peter’s eyes filled with tears. “I…I won’t let you down, sir. I’ll live. I’ll live for us both!”
“And that’s all I can ask for. Now, I think it’s time for me to head out. You’re gonna wake up in a moment.” He wrapped his arms around the teen, squeezing him tightly; a move that was immediately reciprocated. Peter’s heart swelled; this felt so warm, so real. His vision began to blur again, only this time Tony began to fade away, slowly vanishing from his grasp. “I’m proud of you, Peter…and I love you…”
And the world went dark.
Back in his bed, Peter’s eyes fluttered open. There were more tears drying on his cheeks, but these were different. These went with the smile on his face and the warmth in his heart. He looked at the photo once more and whispered, “I love you too, Tony…” before drifting back to sleep.