Chapter Text
The Infinity War, as it had been dubbed later by the media, ended both as dramatically and unexpectedly as it had begun. Looking back, Peter knew that much. There were countless numbers of different stories about what had happened that day in upstate New York, but they all ended with the same cold hard truth. Tony Stark, Iron man himself, had saved them all.
The public had various versions of the story – most of them inaccurate – but Peter had been there, and the truth was always way less dramatic than the rumors. Tony had snapped his fingers and ended the war. Peter had been a good couple dozen feet away, but he had seen the look on Tony’s face. On Iron man’s face. He’d heard the words that left the older man’s mouth. He would never forget that moment. Or the silence that had followed that moment so abruptly that it had left Peter’s ears ringing.
The monster – because that’s what Thanos was – turned to dust, but Peter was only focused on one thing. Tony had fallen back, and he was severely injured, but he was alive when Peter reached him. He pulled off his mask to make sure Mr. Stark would know it was him. “Mr. Stark! Mr. Stark, we won…” he had rambled off, silently pleading for Tony’s life. Tony had looked back at him and given the tiniest smile. He knelt next to him and moved to help, but he froze. He didn’t even know where to start with this. Peter’s hands were shaking as they dropped back to his sides.
“I know, Underoos.”
It had been so quiet Peter probably wouldn’t have heard it without enhanced hearing, but the momentary relief was overwhelming. Pepper had landed next to him, her armor retracting as she kneeled next to Tony. She was crying, but then again, so was Peter. While she spoke to him Peter turned his attention to the infinity stones. Captain America had dropped down next to Peter. He hesitated like Peter had, his hands just barely above where the infinity stones were now practically infused into Tony’s skin. It was a gruesome sight, another one that would be burned into Peter’s memory for the rest of his life.
Captain America took a breath, his eyes trailing up Tony’s nearly unrecognizable arm to his face. Peter followed the captain’s gaze with only a little apprehension. Pepper was as close as she could get to Tony, the tears on her face matching Peters. “I have to take these out Tony.”
Tony’s breathing was labored, and the color was draining from his unburned features. Peter could tell as well as any of them that they didn’t have a lot of time to figure this out. Tony’s voice was surprisingly stern when he spoke, but the trembling was obvious. In a voice hardly louder than a strained whisper, Tony turned his attention to Steve Rogers, “Can’t you wait until they take the arm?” It was a crude attempt at humor that fell short. No matter how many stories Peter heard, none of them ever captured the amount of fear everyone there had been feeling. There weren’t words to describe it.
“I- Tony…” Steve’s face was pained. Peter wanted to say something, anything, that would offer his mentor some comfort, but nothing came to mind. He was afraid to start thinking because he had a feeling it would never end. Too much had happened in what felt like only a few days, and it made Peter nauseous to even entertain the thought, so he simply didn’t. Surprisingly, it was Dr. Strange who had set everything in motion.
“You saved the universe, Tony. Let us save you.” They were surprisingly warm words from someone who was as clinical as Strange, but the sincerity was hard to miss.
Stories the Media usually told wrapped up around that moment. Something along the lines of: ‘and Tony Stark survived, if only barely.’
They never mentioned how Strange had used his weird orange magic to open a portal. They never mentioned how Wanda had levitated Tony as carefully as possible, leading him to a hospital Peter had never been in. They never mentioned how Pepper had grabbed his hand and the four of them stepped through into the real world again. They never knew how reality had hit Peter Parker like a freight train.
…
The sharp sting of reality had only hit him once Pepper had led him into some waiting room after they had taken Tony away on some bed. He’d briefly seen Dr. Cho as she ran past them to look after Tony, but it was one small detail among thousands.
How long they sat in silence Peter had no idea, but it was enough time for his brain to begin processing what had just happened. Before he could stop it, words were tumbling out of his mouth. He wasn’t talking to Pepper, not really, but she was the only person he knew within was seemed like a million miles and now that the questions had entered his head they wouldn’t stop. “What was that? I- How- What did Strange mean by five years had passed? What does that even mean?”
His voice was tight and somewhere deep down he already knew the answer. “Oh Peter,” Pepper spoke with a quite steadiness that Peter clung to like a lifeline. She turned to face him, seeming to come back out of her head like he had. She reached forward and grabbed his hand in a motherly way Peter had never seen her do, but he couldn’t deny needing the comfort. “Honey, it has been five years. It’s 2023.”
She paused to let the words sink in, and immediately Peter felt like he was drowning. 2023? That wasn’t right. It was 2018. He remembered writing the date on his homework last week.
Mr. Stark? I don’t feel so good.
They had been dead for 5 years. Peter wanted to be sick. “I…How? Why?”
“I know it’s a lot. I can’t imagine how it feels. We will figure this out.” Pepper didn’t waver and it was the only thing keeping him sane. She held his hand tightly, her lips suddenly pursed with tension. “There’s something you should know.”
Peters blood went cold. What could there possibly be? He stared at her for a moment, trying to make his brain work past the fog. Then, it hit him like a ton of bricks. “Aunt May! Oh god, I didn’t even think- Is she okay? I have to call her. Oh my god.” Peter pulled his hand away from hers to run it through his hair, the other scrambling for the phone he didn’t have. But then Pepper grabbed both of his hands back, holding them gently.
“Peter.” No. Nonono. He’d heard that tone before. He’d been through this too many times now. “I’m so sorry, but your aunt passed away, honey.”
That couldn’t be right. It couldn’t. There had to be a mistake. Please, please there had to be a mistake. “No…” His voice was wavering with tears and a different kind of panic flooded his system. He moved to pull his hands away, but she held steady. “No… She’s- She can’t. She can’t! Please-” A sob wracked his body, and Pepper pulled him in close and held him tight.
They stayed like that for a long time, Peter crying until the numbness settled in. His thoughts became muddled with the same thought. She couldn’t be gone. She just couldn’t. He knew Pepper wouldn’t lie, but asking her felt worse. For now, all he could do was shake and pray to anyone that would listen that he would wake up, because this couldn’t be real. It just couldn’t.
…
The following week passed in agony. Once he could breathe again, Pepper explained. A car accident. She had gotten in a car accident the day the dusting. She told him that she had found out several weeks later, after Tony had come back from space. She assured him that May was with Ben, and he couldn’t be more grateful for that, but the words didn’t register like they should have. He shut down. Eventually, he let them check him for injuries that had already started healing, then someone had shown him to a hotel room. He’d fallen asleep sobbing.
The following days were spent in that hotel room. He spent most of the time asleep, and the rest of it staring at the wall without seeing it, his head too full of thoughts to even move. Pepper had shown up a few times, but he couldn’t remember what she had said. Someone else brought him food he could barely stand to eat. Everything hurt, two thoughts stuck in his head in a never-ending loop.
May is gone.
There’s no one else left.
In between those thoughts, other worries spiked. What about Ned? What about MJ? What about Mr. Stark? Where was he supposed to go now? Was he going to have to live on the street? There was no end to the thoughts, and his terror grew with every new one.
On the morning of the third day since Thanos, Pepper came to visit. She came in quietly, sitting down next to him and pulling him to lean against her shoulder. “I was able to get May’s will. Do you know someone named Jill Donaldson?”
His stomach sank. That was his mom’s second cousin. He’d met her twice, once at his parents’ funeral and once at Ben’s. Was that who May listed he live with? Would she even take him?
It took a moment to remember that Pepper was waiting for an answer, and he nodded. “Yeah, she’s related to my mom.”
Pepper hummed, propping a StarkPad on her knees and pulling open some kind of document. “Okay, that’s good. That’s who May listed. I was able to get in contact with her, and she said she will be able to come get you this afternoon. Is that okay?”
No. He didn’t know her. She was a stranger, and he didn’t want to leave with her. However, he couldn't tell Pepper that. This was his only option. Well, that or the system, and that was worse. Pepper had already done so much for him. So, he took a steady breath and nodded. “Yeah. Thank you.”
Again, Pepper pulled him close. “Of course, sweetheart.”
All he could feel was dread.