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Fate is a bitch. There is no other way to put it. Peter did not have any more the strength to justify her and see only good in everything because his time on Earth came to an end faster than he expected.
Tony Stark's heart stopped at exactly 6:45 p.m. And Peter has exactly one minute before his heart will stop too.
Fifty-nine seconds.
Peter thinks it's fucking stupid to be brought to life in order to die again a couple of hours later.
Fifty-five seconds.
He doesn't cry anymore. Because in less than a minute he will be gone and if the afterlife theories are correct, Parker will meet Tony on the other side. It helps not to panic.
Fifty seconds.
Stark didn't even know they were soulmates. Peter didn't find the courage to tell him when he was alive. And now he wonders how the billionaire would react.
Forty-five seconds.
Pepper is crying against Tony's lifeless body and Peter feels sorry for her. Because she will have to live in a world without her loved one, and Parker escaped this so well.
Forty seconds.
Peter admits that there is a certain meaning in the almost synchronous death of soulmates. Yes, it brings a shitload of problems and is often very unfair but, in this case, Peter is fine with everything. Yes, death is a pretty good prospect.
Thirty-five seconds.
The Avengers keep a mournful silence. Clint, as a sign of respect and thus expressing his grief, goes down on one knee. Many follow but Parker remains standing. He doesn’t want to waste time on unnecessary body movements, considering that his time is almost gone.
Thirty seconds.
Peter wishes he had time to say goodbye to May. One minute is too damn short - it would be better if he had a day. but on the other hand- why delay the inevitable?
Peter just hopes his aunt will be okay. He would not want to burden her with his death but it wasn’t his decision.
Twenty-five seconds.
Parker finally makes himself move because his time is running out and, hobbling, comes to Stark's body. He bends down to touch the top of Tony’s head with his lips. He does this in case the afterlife doesn’t exist and he would be just gone forever. Some kind of goodbye.
Twenty seconds.
A spider's instinct foresees an imminent demise and starts screaming but what can Peter do? Pepper looks up at him with tear-stained eyes.
Fifteen seconds.
"Take care of my Aunt May, okay?" Peter says, smiling slightly with the corners of his lips. The woman looks blank but Peter has no time to explain. And definitely no strength for it.
Ten seconds.
The Avengers suspected something was wrong. Some rose from their knees, looking worriedly at Parker.
Nine.
Peter takes a few steps back, backing out into the open space. He does not want to fall and hurt someone.
Eight.
"Peter, what are you...?" asks Steve who heard exactly what Parker said to Pepper.
Seven.
Peter shrugs his shoulders.
Six.
“I'm sorry it ends like that,” he says loudly enough to be heard.
Five.
“I’m glad I’ve met you all.”
Four.
“You guys are really cool.”
Three.
“It was great to fight side by side with you.”
Two.
Understanding, mixed with horror, lights up in Wanda's eyes.
One.
“See you on the other side,” Peter smiles because he's ready to die. With luck, the afterlife would be even better than his life on Earth.
Zero.
Peter's heart beats one last time before it goes silent forever. The lifeless body falls to the cold ground.
***
Peter opens his eyes. It takes a couple of seconds for the brain to load the memory file and it dawns on Parker that he's kind of dead.
Um ... okay. Then where is he now?
Peter looks around and realizes that he is standing at the entrance to Stark's workshop. Instead of a Spider-Man suit, he is wearing comfortable jeans and one of his favorite sweatshirts that he lost half of a year ago.
The owner of the workshop himself stands with his back to Peter just a couple of meters away and enthusiastically rummages in some pieces of iron at his desk. Parker holds his breath in shock.
He wouldn’t have been able to remain unnoticed for a long time even if he wanted to. Peter would not be Peter if, thanks to his awkwardness (which, it seems after two deaths hasn't gone anywhere), he had not hooked some iron crap at the entrance. Tony turns immediately.
"Peter?" the man looks surprised and slightly scared.
"Mister Stark?" Parker takes a hesitant step. Then another one. And another one. And then in a second, he shortens the distance between them, hugging Tony. Stark's arms immediately grab Peter in response. "God, it is really you-"
"Kid? What are you doing here? What's happening?" the billionaire still has a lot of questions and his voice is still worried so Parker pulls back slightly to see Tony's face. Stark’s hands on his shoulders clench almost fearfully, showing the man’s reluctance to let go of Peter.
“I came to keep you company,” Parker smiles.
“I don’t… I don’t understand."
“I’m dead, Mr. Stark."
“How- how did it happen?” the billionaire is clearly shocked, and Parker thinks about how to present the truth in such a way that Tony won’t begin to blame himself, but doesn’t have time to formulate a thought. “What trouble did you get yourself into, Peter? I have asked you to take care of yourself so many times.”
Parker frowns and asks the first question that comes to his mind. “How long have you been here?”
Stark blinks in surprise and thinks for a second before answering. “A few weeks, I guess. Not that I counted-”
Of course! Peter barely restrains the urge to slap his forehead. How could he not have guessed? In the afterlife (or wherever they are now) time flows differently. And that's why Tony thinks Peter caught some bullet during his patrol. He couldn’t possibly connect it with his own death.
Parker apparently thinks too long and clearly because Stark asks, looking him in the eyes with concern, “Is everything all right, kid?”
“Yes,” Peter disentangles from the embrace of Tone who still doesn’t want to let him go. He needs some personal space to collect his thoughts and tell Stark the truth. “Yes, now everything is fine. I'm with you.”
“Will you tell me what happened?”
“Time goes wrong here, Mr. Stark,” Parker says instead of answering the question. “Much less time has passed in the real world than here.”
“What do you mean?” the billionaire asks incomprehensibly.
“There, for everyone else-” Peter takes a deep breath. “It's been only one minute.”
There is silence. Peter watches with bated breath as understanding shows in Tony's eyes.
“No,” Stark breathes in shock. “Can’t be.”
“It can.”
“So you are my soulmate?”
“Yes.”
“And you knew?”
“From the very first day,” Parker smiles. “Spider instinct. I never got up the courage to tell you about it.”
“But then it turns out that you died because of me? God, kid, I'm so sorry,” Peter sees that this information causes the billionaire almost physical pain so he immediately hugs him tightly again, burying his nose in the man's shoulder.
“It's okay. No, really, everything is fine.”
“How can you say that? Our bond killed you.”
“Well, yeah but- The most important thing is that you are there. The rest is not important.”
“Peter-”
“I want to be by your side, Mr. Stark,” Parker admits, looking Tony in the eyes. “And, if I need to die to be with you, it's not such a big price.”
Peter smiles, and the billionaire's gaze warms.
“I think it’s time you start calling me just Tony,” the man says, and Parker’s smile widens.
“Okay, Tony,” he says slowly as if tasting Stark's name.
“We now have an eternity for two, huh, kid?" Peter nods, looking really happy, and Tony continues, “You're going to love it here. This place exceeded all my expectations for the afterlife. Should I take you on a tour?"
“Sure!” Parker exclaims. “But maybe you should kiss me first?”
Stark laughs in response, bending down to give Peter their first kiss, and Parker thinks he may have been slightly wrong.
Fate is not such a bitch after all.