Chapter Text
“You just can’t understand what you just did, right?!” Tony Stark shouted at Peter Quill. “He killed Gamora! I don't care about anything else, he killed her!” Peter shouted back. Quill looked close to tears as his friends around him cringed. Mantis, as she introduced herself, was actually crying.
“Mr. Stark, something is happening.” Peter spoke loudly over the arguing of the other Peter and his mentor. “What? What’s wrong?” Tony asked, his voice full of worry. He walked, or more like wobbled to Peter who started to look around, trying to desperately find something wrong. “He is right.” Mantis told the Guardians who looked at them weird. Dr. Strange looked at him with an unreadable expression.
“I think we lost, Mr. Stark.” Peter said quietly, still searching with his eyes. Then he found it. “Fuck.” Peter Quill whispered as he turned to dust, Drax followed. “Goodbye,” Mantis smiled sadly at them. Nebula spun around, watching them turn to dust.
Tony took a breath in. “Peter,” The boy in question fell towards his mentor, hugging him. “I’m sorry Mr. Stark.” Tony looked more confused than he was ever in his life, and clutched the boy in his arms.
Then.
Peter was left with nothing on his hands but dust. He looked down at them, as if he was seeing blood on his hands, blood that he caused. He turned to look up just in time to catch Strange’s eyes, and then the wizard turned to dust too. Peter spun around to see every one of the Guardians that was with them to dust too. Only the blue lady stayed, though she looked like she wished to turn into ash too.
Peter’s eyes were wide, as he turned to face the blue lady. “I think we just lost.” he told her, and her eyes teared up, even though her face turned stony. “Thanos succeeded.” she said. Peter stumbled, catching himself on a rock beside him as he went to his knees. “Mr. Stark is gone.” he whispered, and then thought about all of the people that might be gone too. His aunt. Ned. MJ.
His eyes shone brightly with tears that Peter let fall, and the blue lady hesitantly walked to him. “We should get you home. The ship is damaged, but it should be able to get us to Terra.” she spoke, but Peter didn’t really care. He didn’t know who he was returning to. He let the blue lady pick him up, and help him on the ship. He turned around halfway to the ship, and ran for Mr. Stark's helmet that he threw once he started fighting with the other Peter.
The blue lady watched as he walked inside. And in return, he watched as she looked around, trying to find damage, or maybe food, he didn’t really know, but she returned and told him to strap in. She sat in the captain’s seat and started the ship. Peter didn’t really pay attention, because in his mind was everyone that was lost. God, what if he returned and there was no one? What if he’s all alone again?
Seventeen and alone.
Peter sobbed until he fell asleep.
At some point, the blue lady realized that he didn’t really remember her name, so she re-introduced herself. Her name was Nebula. He introduced himself too.
They didn’t talk much the first two or three days, aside from when they shared food. He then later began to tell her stories from school, his patrol and everything he could think of, just so that it wouldn't be quiet in the large ship.
In return, Nebula, although hesitantly, began to tell him stories from her childhood. They were sad and scary, but at least he had somebody to talk to. It was sometimes around the seventh or eighth day that Peter had a panic attack, because he was staring at his hands for too long and saw the dust and grime on his hands, and he was reminded that the dust was Mr. Stark.
He began to panic a lot more when he realized that the dust was all over him. Nebula didn’t really know how to calm him down, so he did it himself, by remembering that people out there, left all alone, need Spiderman. They need someone to show them that they can move on and that everything will be good again and that they’re not alone. They need hope. Peter is willing to do that for them.
Once they lived through day eleven, Peter began to lose hope himself. They weren’t any closer to Earth. Their food was running low. Peter’s metabolism hit him hard, and Nebula knew. She gave him her share of food, and he took it with shame. Two days later, he tried to leave a message on the helmet that once belonged to his mentor.
“Hi, it's me again. We’re on day thirteen , I think. Time is really hard to tell in space. I don’t know if we’ll make it to Earth, but if we don’t, please someone find Pepper, if she’s still there, and tell her how sorry I am. He should be the one here, he should be in my place, hoping to get home and he's not. He’s dead. It should have been me. God, I really wish it had been me. I don’t know who’s left for me. I don’t know if I have anyone left. If I do, I'm really sorry. I am.” Peter turned off the recording. He stood up, shakily and walked to the cockpit where Nebula was sitting in the captain's seat. He sat next to her.
She turned to face him, her face less stony than it was almost two weeks ago. Then she turned her face to the front, and nudged him to look too. In the open space full of nothing, there was a blonde woman with a grim expression. She asked; ‘Earth?’ and Peter released a breath and nodded his head desperately. “What did she say?” Nebula asked, and Peter realized that she didn’t have his enhanced senses, and therefore no super hearing. “She’s taking us to Earth. I think.” Peter replied, still watching the woman who flew below their ship.
It began to move fastly and Peter laughed. He laughed, and then his ribs started to hurt so he stopped. “Looks like we’ll survive this one, Nebs.” he told his blue lady who smiled at him. “Looks like it, Parker.”
Peter almost cried when he saw the compound getting closer to them, and ran towards the exit where he waited till they landed. Nebula followed him. There were people waiting for them outside. Nebula helped him down and he almost cried when he saw Pepper and Happy. He hugged them both, once he ran to them with the strenght he had left in him. “I’m so sorry.” He kept repeating until he was sobbing it, falling on his knees as Nebula rushed to help him up, but Pepper was faster. She knelt down and hugged him harder. “It’s okay, you’re okay.” she said while she cried too.
Some time later, Happy picked both of them off the ground and walked them inside. He called a medic who hooked Peter up to some infusion and liquid medication. He then took Nebula to another room and Peter was too tired to hear in on what they're saying. Probably speaking about how much they all fucked up.
He told the medics he wished to stay with Pepper. “I’m really sorry, Miss Potts. I don’t know how it happened.” He told her. “It’s okay Peter. I’m sorry too. May, she, she’s gone too. I tried to find her around the third day you didn’t return. Your apartment was sold, but I kept all of your stuff.” Pepper said, wiping her tears with her sleeve.
Peter looked at his hands, and then quickly looked away when he blinked and saw dust and blood. “I had a feeling. Miss Potts, I don't know what to do now.” he blinked away the tears. “Don’t call me that, call me Pepper. I know that you just got back, and I don't want to replace May, but I could adopt you?” she asked quietly and hesitantly. Her eyes teared up again and she sniffled.
“I don’t want that pity, Miss, I mean, Pepper.” Pepper smiled a sad smile. “It’s not pity. I also don’t want to be alone, Peter. I don’t know how much you know of me, but I don't really have a family. You’re the only one I have left of him, and I really don’t want to be alone.” Pepper replied. Peter started to feel like shit, because he was feeling bad for himself, and he didn’t realize that she lost everyone too.
“I guess we can make a family of two.” he said after a minute of quiet. “Three. Before To- before Tony left for space, he was talking about a weird dream he had. Where I'd been pregnant. Turns out that his dream was right. I’m pregnant.” Pepper said. Peter gaped a little, but Pepper laughed. “I finally told someone. It's been eating me up, I didn't want to tell Happy or Rhodey first, so congrats Pete, you're about to be a brother.” Peter smiled at the fact that she didn't even hesitate to call him the brother of the baby.
“Family of three then,” he corrected himself and Pepper took his hand, and he had to remind himself that he showered just moments ago and that his hands are clean, but he smiled at her, and she at him.