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All Peter remembers is being shot while saving Jean. So when he wakes to see Tony Stark at his bedside, he has few questions. Starting with:
“Am I dead?”
Tony chuckles. “Not yet, kiddo. But what the hell is up with that accent?”
Peter rolls his eyes. “I’ve lived in New York all my life.”
Tony huffs, amused. “Right. Guess I forgot.”
Peter shakes his head, a tiny grin on his face.
Then Peter starts to move, wincing and groaning, making Tony move towards him in a hurry.
“Careful there, kid. You were shot.”
Peter just looked at him; he looked the same as the last time he saw him.
“How are you here? Why are you here, Mr. Stark?”
“Why do you think I am here, kid? You got hurt.”
Peter nodded.
Tony was always protective, maybe too overprotective.
“But how do you remember me? I made everyone forget.”
Tony chuckles softly at Peter's confused face.
“Well, I am not really here, kid. You’re dreaming.”
Peter looks at Tony, taken aback slightly, before smiling at him
“Well, I am glad you're here, Mr Stark”
Tony softly grabs Peter's hand, startling Peter.
“You sure you're not real?”
Peter mumbles , “Becuase I wish I wasn’t right now.”
“Now why the hell would you say that?”
“Because no one knows me and no one loves me,” Peter replies.
Tony sighed. “I love you, underoos.”
Peter tears up. “I miss you, Dad.”
Tony froze, cocking a brow in confusion. “Dad?”
“Sorry...I just…I’m not good at being vulnerable with people a-and I didn’t have a father—well, I did, but only until I was six—s-so after I met you, you became the father that I always wished I had, trusting me with our missions, letting me fight by your side. Y-You’re just so important to me, and I don’t know how to keep living without you.”
Tony chuckles, his brown eyes glossy. “I knew from the start you were made for this, kiddo. So yeah, of course I trusted you and fought for you and with you. And I miss you too, kid. So much. But I know you can live without me; you’ve been doing it. And you have fought too hard to give up now.”
“Nobody remembers me, nobody. Not the Avengers, not Ned, my best friend, not even MJ, who is the woman I love most in the world, and she told me that she doesn't love me. How could I not want to let go, Dad?”
Tony looks at his kid, his heart—arc reactor—breaking at the sight of his son so disheveled and broken.
“Don't say that, kid.”
Peter shook his head. “It's true. Nobody I love remembers me. My Aunt May is dead, Dad. I have got nobody. You're dead; I can't even visit you. Pepper doesn't remember me. Nobody remembers Peter Parker, only Spider-Man.”
Tony smirks. “I don't think, that’s true kid. Why don't you give Ted a visit?”
Peter scrunches his face, confused. ‘Why would I do that? He doesn't remember me.”
Tony scoffs, amused. “I think it'll be different this time, kid.”
Peter raises his brow. “How could you possibly know that?”
“I know everything, underoos. I am Iron Man.”
Peter laughs for the first time in a while, a real, genuine laugh.
“I really miss you, Mr Stark.”
Tony smiles, moving on to bed still holding Peter's hand. “I miss you too, kid.”
Tony smiles. “You know, kid, I told Morgan all about her idiot big brother, so even if Pep might not remember, Morgan does.”
Peter tears up as his smile widens. “Really?”
Tony nods, grinning. “Yeah, kid.”
“But why?” Peter asks, his voice cracking.
“Because I love you, Pete. You were my first kid. I lost you, and I was crushed. The only reason I was able to save the world was because of you. I love you, and Morgan deserved to know about her strong big brother, and maybe someday she will “
Peter can no longer hold it in and completely broke down, Tony immediately holding onto him as he cries.
“I got you, kid, I gotcha.”
Peter cries for who knows how long—time is a little weird right now—Tony holding him the whole time.
Once Peter was breathing normally again and had stopped crying, Tony released him and sat back in the chair, looking Peter deep in the eyes.
“You have to wake up now, kid. The world needs Peter Parker and the world needs Spider-Man.”
Peter nodded, his Adam’s Apple bobbing. “But do they really even need me anymore?”
“Kid, the world needs Peter Parker and Spider-Man; you've got to wake up,” Tony repeated, more seriously this time.
Peter remained silent, taking in Tony's words, just staring at the older man.
Tony pointed a finger at him with a smile, standing up out of the chair to hug him. “I love you, 3000 kid, never forget that.”
Peter smiled upon remembering Tony saying that to Morgan.
“I love you too, Dad,” Peter said, cuddling into Tony one last time as Tony kissed Peter's curls for the last time, both closing their eyes and falling asleep holding on to each other.
When Peter woke next, he struggled to breathe, but then he quickly regained his breath and looked in the corner of the room and saw the Punisher passed out asleep on a chair.
Then Peter looked to the left side, hoping to see Tony. Then he remembered that Tony was dead.
“It was just a dream,” he thought, tearing up, looking up at the ceiling.
“I miss you, Dad,” he mumbled to himself, hoping Frank didn’t hear him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As Jean is sitting on the bus, a smile spreads across her face because her plan worked. Peter found Ned and has his best friend back.
Now all she has to do is find MJ, and then Peter will have his people again.
Since she can’t have her sister back, she can at least give Peter his world back.
Her big brother deserved that.