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Tony's heart sank as they turned to dust. As they faded his eyes landed on Peter he was still there. He was fine. Thank the gods his child was fine. He held him as the others faded around him. He didn’t care.
“Mr. Stark? I don’t feel so good.” Panic ran through him, no, no, no. Not Peter. Anyone but Peter.
“You’re alright.” He didn’t know who he was trying to convince; they both knew that wasn’t true.
“I- I don’t- don’t know what’s happening. What's happening?” He stumbled and Tony caught him. Peter wrapped his arms around the older man holding onto him tightly. “I- I don’t wanna go. I don’t wanna go. Stark please. Please, I don't wanna go.” He sounded close to tears and Tony could feel his own burning in the back of his eyes. He could feel how slowly but surely Peter was turning into dust in his arms. He moved them so Peter was lying down and for a moment they were just staring at each other. There were so many things they wanted to say but no time left.
“I’m sorry” Peter's voice was barely above a whisper and then he was gone. He was nothing but dust in the wind. Tony couldn’t do anything but stare at the space where his son had been only moments prior. He sat up staring at his hands before hugging them to his chest. He could feel Nebula's eyes on him as he just sat there in silence.
“He did it.” He didn’t answer her. There was nothing to be said. She sat down beside him letting the silence stretch between them. Tony closed his eyes and let the tears fall. There was no point in holding them back. He cried harder than ever before, harder than when he found out that his mother was dead. An ear piercing scream could be heard. At first he wondered who that was before realising that it was him. He was the one wailing and yet he couldn’t bring himself to care. No one but Nebula was there to hear him anyway. He cried for what felt like hours he screamed until he was physically unable to. With his voice almost gone all he could do was rock back and forth whispering to anyone who would listen as tears continued to roll down his cheeks.
“My boy, my son. Peter.” He whispered it like a mantra, like it was the only thing keeping him sane. It was typical. He shouldn’t be surprised. Everyone he loved ended up dying in the end. Leaving him alone.
He didn’t know how he managed to get onto the spaceship and he had never thought he would make it home. Not that there was a home anymore. His son was gone. When Carol saved them he cried not out of relife or happiness but out of rage and annoyance. Why couldn’t the universe just let him die already? He didn’t want to be there any longer. When Pepper hugged him there was nothing, he felt nothing. He knew that she knew that Peter was gone the second she saw him. She hugged him tighter and he just let her not hugging her back, he was too tired. Too empty.
— — —
As time passed and the world recovered from being forced into imbalance Tony and Pepper had a daughter. Morgan. She was lovely and Tony loved her of course he did but there was nothing that could fill the hole Peter had left in his soul and heart.
Morgan didn’t know who the boy in the pictures were but they were strewn all over the house and whenever dad looked at them he stopped smiling. Morgan had asked both of her parents who the boy was and dads only response had been.
“A superhero.” Morgan had looked at him as she tilted her head to the side with a smile and asked;
“Like you daddy?” Dad had just stared at her for a moment and at first she thought dad was going to cry but instead he smiled softly at her squatting down to ruffle her hair before replying.
“Better, he was the best there ever was.” Morgan was smart for her age and had immediately registered her dads use of ‘was’ so after that she stopped asking. That is until one day when she got bored and decided to look at dads lab. It was a garage but dad used it as a lab. It was bigger inside than it looked and cleaner than she thought it would be. She looked around in the different drawers she could reach. She could see the iron man suit on one wall on the one beside it though it was another suit. It was blue and red with black lines and a spider. It was too small to belong to his dad. It looked like it would fit a child too big for her though. He walked closer and there on the wall beside the suit was a picture of a boy in the suit, he was smiling brightly. It was the same boy that was in the pictures inside. She looked at the suit and picture in awe. She couldn’t help but feel like he was more important than her parents told her. So she asked uncle Rhodey instead the next time he visited. Her parents had left them alone so they could go on a short weekend vacation. She waited for them to leave before turning to look at him innocently.
“Uncle Rhodey?” The man looked at her with a smile.
“Yea kid?” She only hesitated for a moment.
“Do I have a big brother?” She saw her uncle's face fall at that. He stared at her for a long time looking like he didn’t know what to say so Morgan continued. “It’s just there are several pictures of dad with the same boy and then there is a suit in the garage with a picture of the boy next to it. When I asked who he was, dad just said ‘a superhero’.” Rhodey kept looking at her in silence as she fidgeted.
“Yes,” She looked up, eyes sparkling.
“Really?!” Her uncle sighed before nodding. He grabbed her hand and led them to the couch. He sat down and pulled her into his lap.
“You can’t tell your parents I told you this but. The boy's name was Peter Parker and he was your dads intern.” Morgan nodded so he kept going. “Your dad and Peter were close while legally and biologically he wasn’t your dads son. I know they saw each other as dad and son.” Morgan nodded along.
“What happened to him, how did he die?” Her uncle blinked and then turned to look at her in shock. He knew kids were supposed to be blunt but he was more questioning how she knew he was gone.
“How do you know he’s gone?” Morgan tilted her head as she smiled slightly.
“Dad said he WAS the best” Rhodey smiled slightly at that.
“He really was the best of us. He didn’t die. Have your parents told you about how people faded?” She nodded so he continued. “Your brother was one of the people who tried to stop the person doing so people disappeared but it wasn’t enough he was too strong and Peter didn’t make it back.” Morgan nodded sadly but that's what she got for asking. She’d know the story would end sadly but she had to know. She couldn’t bear the thought of growing up not knowing about her older brother. For the rest of the weekend she was unusually quiet but in her room she was making a suit of her own. A tribute to her older brother whom she’d never get to meet. A week later it was done and as she ran downstairs to show it to her parents there was a group of people in the living room. People she knew who they were but whom she had never met.
Scot was the first to notice her and gasped at the sight of her causing the others to follow his line of sight. Her dad spotted her third and his eyes widened at the sight of her.
“Morgan?” There was a sadness in his voice she’d never heard before. It made her second guess her surprise. “What are you doing kid?” Morgan hesitated and then pulled the mask off. There was uncertainty in her eyes as she spoke.
“I just wanted to be like you and big brother.” She watched as her dads face crumbled and as his eyes filled with tears.
“No.” It was loud and clear. She couldn’t argue with that but he continued. “Morgan, listen to me carefully. I need you to promise me that you will never. Ever. Become a superhero.” Morgan studied him for a moment before nodding whispering and ‘okay’. “Good, good. Why don’t you go play?” Morgan sighed but left.
Later that night way past her bedtime she snuck down to the living room where her dad was. He was staring at a hologram of something. She had no idea what it was but it was something. Her dad didn’t notice her and her mom walked in giving him a look.
“I figured it out.” Mom looked at him in confusion so he continued. “Time travel” He gestured to the hologram.
“I knew you would. For Peter.” Morgan held her breath, her parents never spoke of her brother.
“Pep I should stay, I have you and Morgan.” Her mom smiled at him softly
“Yea but you won’t because even if you love me and Morgan you love Peter equally and I know you’d go to the ends of the earth for the two of us. I’m not expecting you to do anything less for Pete. Certainly not seeing as I know you and how ruined you were after he faded.” Both of them were crying as they sat in silence.
“I screamed until my throat was bleeding” It was an admission that had both Morgan and her mom realing. “I have no memory of getting onto the spaceship or of the days before Carol saved us. Just the unbearable grief and the taste of blood. The smell of ash and the feeling of him turning to dust in my arms. The fear in his eyes and voice as he begged for me to do something, anything for him to not disappear. Pepper I wanted to die. I wanted to take his place. He didn’t deserve that, he was just a boy.”
“Tony there is nothing you could have done and it’s important to me that you know that. You don’t need to justify anything, he was your, our, son in everything but blood. Go, get him back Tony. You’ll never forgive yourself if you don’t.”
“Will you and Morgan be okay?” Her mom smiled and nodded.
“Yea, we will but I think it’s time Morgan gets to meet her big brother.” With that they moved and Morgan hurried to her bed so she could pretend to be asleep. They stood and just watched her for a moment. Then dad kissed her head and whispered;
“I love you 3000”
When Morgan woke up the next morning dad was already gone, mom said he had some work he had to do but she knew that was far from true. She was going to get to see her brother soon.
— — —
The only thing Tony could think of as he snapped his fingers were ‘for Morgan and Peter’ then everything turned black.
The next thing he heard was the steady beeping of a heart monitor. The first thing he saw was his family in the room. Peter and Morgan were on the other bed in the room curled around each other. Pepper was sitting in what had to be a really uncomfortable plastic chair at his side holding his hand. Rody was at his other side and was scrolling on his phone.
Tony smiled a real full smile and for the first time in five years he knew that everything was going to be okay. He was finally home.