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Chapter Text

Tony wishes Peter would just pop out of nowhere, and tackle him in a hug. Part of him still thinks he will. He expects his kid to scream his name and fling himself toward him or sneak up behind him and tap his shoulder, grinning. Tony still hopes he will.
He pictures him flipping in like he always had, landing perfectly, yet still wishing he had done it with better form. The kid was always urging for perfection, mostly to impress Tony, to be like Tony. That was something that Tony thought shouldn’t be hard to accomplish, but Peter thought was impossible.
He’d stand there and with that smile on his face, his bright chocolate brown eyes gleaming, he’d make some sort of pop culture reference or some comment that would make Tony feel better somehow. Peter always made him feel better. Tony still hopes he will.
Tony waited for an hour, still hoping. He feels he’s holding onto false hope.
By hour 2, Tony realizes Peter won’t be back.
It wouldn’t happen.
Pete was gone.
And then the tears come.
When Nebula (that was her name) came back from wherever she had wandered off to and told him that she had found Quill’s ship and that they could get back to Earth, Tony was still crying. One thought made his head raise.
Pepper, he thought, I have to make sure Pepper is ok. My son is gone, please don’t let Pepper be gone too.
Tony doesn’t move from his spot, still staring at the pile of dust, his hand trembling as it rests on some, right where Peter’s shoulder had been. Tears fall down his cheeks and at Nebula’s second request he slowly gets to his feet. She helps him limp away and around the corner. They walk about a half a mile until they reach the ship Tony hasn’t seen in a while. His suit was wasted. He listens to the broken metal clinking and breaking as they stagger forward. Nebula helped him down into a booth and went to the controls. Tony remembered the last time he had been on this ship. He looks at the spot where they had patched up the ground from where Tony had stabbed a knife through the floor as the ship spun out of control. He remembered the wind and the noise, the world spinning, and he remembered grabbing Peter as the kid went tumbling, snagging his arm and clutching him, limp and weak, against his chest. His strong arms encircled his son then, but the memory was like Peter, turning to dust and dissolving away.
“I know how to fly this,” Nebula said, her raspy voice still showing sadness, “We’ll be at Earth in an hour.”
Tony doesn’t respond, he just nods. She puts an awkward hand on his shoulder and then walks away. Tony licks his lips but his throat is hoarse. His voice is practically gone. There’s a knot the size of a soccer ball in his stomach. And there’s a lump in his throat.
He knows that he’s still in shock. Maybe that’s why it doesn’t hurt right now. Maybe that’s why nothing hurts. Maybe that’s why the tears aren’t pouring. He feels numb and empty. His hands are trembling in front of him and he clenches one, turning his palm towards his chest to start repairs. He had to fix something.
“Mr. Stark?
Tony shakes his head, biting his lip, blinking hard, as the memory already haunts him. He clenches his fist harder.
“I- I don’t feel so good.”
Tony sucks in a breath and hits his other hand against the side of the ship before lowering his head. The sharp pain that jolts up his arm focusses him.
Stop, he tells the memory, stop.
He can still see Peter fading to dust in his mind, no matter how hard he tries to close his eyes. He still sees him, locking eyes with Tony, his eyes filled with fear and guilt and panic and sadness and despair.
“Hello sir.”
Tony straightens, pain flaring in his side, which Tony is somehow thankful for. It keeps him grounded, and it makes him feel pain that he thinks he should be experiencing right now. He feels like he’s cheating. It should have been him. It shouldn’t have been Peter.
“FRIDAY!” Tony says with a sigh of relief. His voice sounds beaten and broken, and Tony understands why.
“Sir...I’m s-” FRIDAY rethinks her choice of words, “This is a horrific day.”
Tony nods, choking on his words, “How’s the suit?” His right arm is still moving up and down his chest focussing on repairs. Tony needs to do something. For once, he needs to do something. He had failed. Peter had looked at him to save him, holding him tight and gripping his shoulders, telling Tony do to something because he didn’t want to go. The kid didn’t want to go. Tony didn’t want him to go. And Tony had done nothing. He did nothing. He had said nothing. And what had happened? Peter was gone and it was his fault. It was all his fault.
“Suit is recovering sir. But severe repairs needed when we return to Earth. My scanners are completely dysfunctional sir. As are my communications.”
Tony takes a shuddery breath, his leg shaking as well. He holds his left arm to his chest and closes his eyes, “It’s my fault FRIDAY. It’s on me. ”
“Sir, 4 hours and 51 minutes ago I was sent a message.”
“By whom?” Tony asks.
“Peter’s A.I., Karen.”
Tony freezes. Why would FRIDAY bring this up now? But his curiosity gets the better of him and he says, “Play it.”
“I can’t. It’s not that kind of message. More like a sentence I am told to tell you.”
Tony’s confused, but if it’s from Peter, he wants to hear it. Anything that can make him feel closer to his son, somehow closer to the dust scattering the ground on titian.
The dust he’s leaving behind.
Tony says, “Ok? What is it?”

Tony cups Peter’s neck firmly, locking eyes with him. He doesn’t say anything; his eyes say it all. And Peter knows exactly what he’s saying. He nods. Tony nods back and then gives him a hug. Peter’s scared, he’s not gonna lie, but being in Tony’s arms made him feel safe. He just wished he got to hug him longer. But Tony pulled away and winked, “Gotta go underoos. Be safe. Kick butt- or names as Mantis thinks.”
Peter nods and smiles weakly before Tony blasts off. Peter’s mask encloses over his face and he says, “Karen?”
“Yes Peter?”
Peter doesn’t know what to say. He doesn’t say anything for a while. Then he knows what he was going to tell her.
“Karen, if things go south, tell FRIDAY to tell Tony...tell him it’s not his fault.”

Tony sucks in a breath.
“Tell him it’s not his fault.”
Tony doesn’t know what to say. He puts his head in his hands. Of course Peter would say that. Tony has a feeling the kid knew. He knew something would happen. He knew.
So why didn’t Tony know? Why couldn’t he have stopped it? Why didn’t he say anything? He should have said everything. Or one thing.
Something.
Anything.
Tony puts his head in his hands.
He can’t open his eyes or he sees Peter dissolving right in front of him.
He can’t close them or he hears his son whisper, “I’m sorry.”
But most importantly, he can just see Peter telling him, “It wasn’t your fault. It’s not your fault. Tony don’t think that. Please don’t.”
He knows Peter would have said that if they had had more time. It all happened so fast.
Tony realizes he never said anything. Crap. He never said anything. Oh God…
Peter was holding onto him, begging him not to let him go, telling him he was sorry and Tony never said anything back.
He never said, “I’ve got you kid,” so Peter would choke out one last, “I got you first.”
He never said, “Stay with me Peter,” so Peter would know he was doing his best to keep him calm as his son’s body was being tugged away by the wind.
He never said, “I love you Pete” or “I love you son,” so Peter would know that he did love him and so that Tony could say it one last time. He never got a chance to.
Tony can’t breath. He never even told him he loved him.
Yet after all that, after every mess up, every screw up, every single mistake he made that proved him to be far from the best, the kid still believed in him. Peter had still told Karen:
“Tell Tony it’s not his fault.”

Cap is helped up by Thor. Natasha was by his side, one hand over her mouth and one hand on her stomach like she was going to throw up. Cap sure felt like he would.
“We must regroup. Where is everyone?” Thor asks. His voice is low and sad.
Rocket comes bursting through the treeline, tears in his eyes, “Guys Groot just- holy crap…”
There’s silence as everyone just stares, an awful feeling in each one of them.
“He did it,” Bruce said quietly, breaking the silence.
“This didn’t just happen to Earth right?” Rhodey says, his voice shaking.
“The whole universe,” Thor said, not that that made it better, “Half of it’s gone.”
“But we can fix this,” Rocket said, his voice sounded desperate, “We can fix this right? We have to. They have to come back! They can’t be...gone.”
Cap realized everyone was looking at him and he said, “I don’t know.” He ran a hand through his hair, “I don’t know.” Was there even a way to reverse this? To fix this? Cap couldn’t think of one which only made it hurt more. They were the Avengers- they could fix this right?
“We need to head home, contact Nick Fury, we’ll figure this all out. But right now we need to find T’challa and make sure he can handle things-”
Okoye bursts through the woods, tears streaming down her horrified face, “Captain, captain-” her eyes are wide with fear.
“T’challa?” Cap asks, but he knows the answer.
Okoye bits back a sob, her knees wobbling underneath her. She shakes her head and says softly, “Dust.”
Cap lowers his head, “Who else that we know of? Bucky-” Cap lets the others cut him off; he still can’t believe his best friend is gone and that he turned to dust right in front of him. Bucky’s gun was still there, laying in the grass.
“Wanda,” Bruce says,” And Vision.”
Cap had been laying by the grey limp form of his friend which was still there, unlike the others, which were now scattered around because of the wind. He bites his lip.
“Sam,” Rhodey looks down.
“Groot,” Rocket sniffs.
“What about Peter and Tony?” Rhodes asks. His face falls.
Cap chokes and he makes out, “Let’s just hope they’re…” What does he say? Alive? Not dust? No...Tony can’t be gone. Cap needs him. He’s a leader when Cap isn’t, he keeps the mood up with his sarcasm and wit, and is the spark of rebelliousness that the Avengers need.
Peter...the kid couldn’t be gone- he’s too young, too innocent. If he was- if they both were, that meant Cap would not have gotten to say goodbye…
“And what about Quill and Gamora and Drax and Mantis-” Rocket croaks out.
Cap doesn’t know what to say.
Then there’s silence.
“Okoye, will you be ok?” Cap asks, breaking the eerie quietness.
Okoye straightens, “Yes Captain. Please contact us if you find out anything.”
Cap nods, “Will do. And thank you, for fighting with us. I promise we’ll do our best to fix this.”
She nods, somehow keeping a straight face, putting up a wall to hide her broken and shattered remains.
They’re all broken, they’re all shattered.
He can tell.
He’s broken. He’s shattered. But seeing his team shattered hurts more.
And the worst part is that Cap doesn’t know if he can put this back together. The pieces are scattered in the wind. They’re dust.

“Tony? Tony is that you?”
Tony breathes a sigh of relief, “Cap...thank God.”
“Tony...where are you? Are you ok?”
Tony looks at his watch on his hand, ignoring his trembling fingers, “I’m...I’m alive. We’ll be back to Earth in 30 minutes.” There’s a lump in his throat. He stutters, “I’ll meet you at the compound?”
“Yeah. Yeah. Oh God...Tony-”
“I know. Steve I’ll-” the connection cuts out.
“Steve? Steve!” Tony shouts. He’s gone. Tony grips his left arm that’s throbbing again. The next 30 minutes go by so slowly. All Tony can think about is Peter and Pepper. Don’t let her be gone too, he pleads. When he feels the ship touch down on the ground, Tony’s still shaking. He stands as Nebula comes in, and she gives him a nod. Tony slams his hand on the back hatch and watches as it opens. He steps out, walking slowly down the ramp, breathing deeply. Grey sky meets him, the sun covered my clouds. Chilly air meets him, but Tony can’t tell if he’s shivering or shaking. He staggers out in front of Nebula and sees what’s left of the team coming toward him. His heart mends a bit and shatters at the same time. Steve is in dead center, standing, with a thick beard and tired eyes- a darker suit on, Tony realizes, and he’s missing his usual bright shield. But it’s still Cap. It’s still Steve. And Tony is just glad he’s ok. Cap runs forward and he and Tony embrace. Tony doesn’t care about the stab wound that’s draining his energy. He hugs his best friend hard. Cap pulls away, holding him at shoulder length. They shake hands and he sees tears in Cap’s eyes.
“Rogers,” Tony says, smiling weakly.
“Stark,” Cap says, grinning back. The rest of the team comes up to give Tony hugs. Nat’s crying. Tony’s never seen her cry. No one has seen him cry, or even tear up. However, after they all say hello, they finally do. He tears up because Cap then asks, “Tony, where’s Peter?”
Tony looks up, his breathing becoming faster and he starts to hyperventilate. He shakes his head and Cap’s face falls. Natasha puts a hand over her mouth and goes to hug Tony who steps back, frozen, his mouth a tight line, tears forcing against his eyes. He doesn’t say anything.
Don’t break, he pleads with himself, you don’t break.
He just shakes his head and that’s when Rocket comes shoving through the crowd, “Quill! Mantis! Gamora! Drax! Guys!”
The raccoon skids to a stop and he looks at Tony with bright eyes, looking at the Milano behind Tony. He’s never seen Rocket so desperate as he asks, “Are they still on the ship?”
Tony can’t look at him. He can’t look at anyone.
“Tony where’s-” Rocket says, his voice breaking. He shakes his head and pleads, “No...no, no, no…”
“Rocket I’m sorry…” Tony says his voice breaking.
“Oh God…” Rocket sinks to the ground, holding his head in his hands, “No…”
Tony sucks in a breath, trying not to break. He’s so close to shattering. His heart is torn to shreds and he’s bleeding out. Then he hears a strangled scream from behind them and he pears through the crowd. His vision tunnels.
He sees red hair. Jeans and a white shirt.
One of the people he can’t live without.
His heartbeat speeds up and Tony feels 200 pounds lifted off his shoulders. It’s not that the 200 pounds matter; there’s still 4 million more pounds pushing down. But for that millisecond, some of it goes away. Pepper is in front of him. That’s all that matters.
“Oh my gosh- Tony!” Pepper yells. She runs at him and he pushes past people, running as fast as he can with his limp and the gaping hole in his side. He crashes into her, grabbing her as she surges for him. Tony lets out a rush of words that gumble with hers, pulling her close, his hands in her hair, kissing her, hugging her, never wanting to let go. She kisses him back, crying as he holds her tight.
“I thought…” he says softly, shaking his head, “Pep...I thought…I was so worried that-”
“You didn’t get my messages?” She sobs.
“I have no suit Pepp,” Tony says, and then he sinks against her, whispering, “I have no kid…”
“Peter?” Pepper barely can ask.
And that’s when Tony breaks.
“Oh Tony…oh no..” Pepper understands now. She lets out a gasp to match his, but his is more broken.
“It was my fault,” Tony sobs against her, holding her tight.
Pepper shakes her head sadly, “No it’s not Tony…”
“Yes it is!” He shouts, “This is all my fault...I couldn’t save him. Pepp you don’t know what it’s like-”
“But Tony it’s not your fault,” Pepper says, hugging him harder.
Tony looks up at her with tears in his eyes and shakes his head, grasping her hands that are cupping his cheeks, “You don’t understand Pepper. He died...he turned to dust in my arms.”
Pepper’s eyes widen and she sinks to the ground with Tony who grasps at his side, holding his wound that’s bleeding again, blood coming through his fingers. He falls to the ground, a bloody palm hitting the pavement, dizzy, gasping for breath and Pepper falls with him, “Tony! Tony?”
Soon enough her shrieks get the attention of the team, and now they’re rushing him to the med bay. Tony realizes how many people they’re missing. Rocket’s the only guardian left. Sam, Wanda, Vision, T’challa, Bucky all went…
Not to mention half the universe.
Not to mention Peter.

By 6 o’clock, everything has been sorted out, and by that, he means nothing has been. The world is on fire. Everyone is reeling. They decide nothing can be done today, everyone is too stressed out.
By 9 o’clock, everyone has gone to bed. But Tony is still up. He can’t sleep. He doesn’t think he ever will. He’s pretty sure he’s snapped at everyone. He ignores even Pepper, giving her an apologetic glance. She understands though, like usual, and she nods, kissing him and saying she’s off to bed. He says he’ll join her later, but he doesn’t think he will. Cap is last to see him before he goes off to his room and Tony asks him to tell the team he’s sorry. He never meant to take it out on them. Steve says he’s already been forgiven, and that no one should have gone through what Tony did. It was a nice thing to say, but Tony didn’t really take it to heart. He didn’t really take it to anything. He locks himself in his office. He doesn’t want to talk to anyone. He tells FRIDAY to block all news and then he sinks down in his chair.
By 12 o’clock, Tony has given up staring at the floor and he looks up, his hearing coming back just enough that he can hear a slight beeping from his computer. There’s some alert blinking on the side and Tony looks over. His heart stops.
There’s one lone light flickering above him on the ceiling, but Tony feels like he’s in darkness. Even though his friends are all on the compound, but Tony’s never felt more alone.
His finger slowly moves to the mouse and he sucks in a breath. His hand is trembling and he clenches his fist, taking a shuddery breath before he clicks on the alert.

EMAIL FROM: [email protected]
Subject: Happy Father’s Day Tony

Tony bites his lip so hard he tastes blood. He pushes the button.

Happy Father’s Day Dad.
I’m really lucky to have you and I didn’t know how to tell you other than in a video, so I made one. I hope you like it. Thanks for being there for me and for being my hero. I hope to be just like you one day. I love you dad. I don’t really know what else to say, so I’ll just let you watch the video.
From,
Peter.

Tony’s already crying, but they’re silent tears, running down his cheeks. He takes a shuddery breath and clicks in the video. Music starts playing and there’s a black screen that says Happy Father’s Day. Tony holds his shaking hands to his chest under his chin. The song playing was one of Tony’s old favorites that Peter had found out about: What a Wonderful World.
It starts off with a clip of he and Peter walking together and he reaches over and ruffles Peter’s hair. His kid grins, leaning into Tony, looking up at him with that look of awe and adoration that Tony never understood. Tony sucks in a breath. That’s the first time he’s has seen Peter, aside from the horrid flashbacks, and it hurts. It hurts a lot. Tony’s trembling, tears pushing at his eyes.
Then there’s the camera footage that Peter had at the airport fight. His iphone had been dropped a while back and was filming the tarmac, coincidentally Peter was off to the side, unconscious on the concrete after getting hit. Tony sees himself fly over, hit the ground on a run and drop to his knees by Peter’s limp form across the pavement. He watches, remembering the exact movements as his arms shoot out, catching his kid’s fists and telling Peter that he’s done; their voices muffled from the distance.
Then there’s their ‘alibi video’ to his aunt. Tony remembers that. It was a hug. No one opens the door that way. Peter knew that.
That was one of the first times Tony knew Peter was like a son to him.
There’s camera footage next of the hospital and Tony sees himself yelling, “THAT’S MY SON!” and pushing past the doctor. That scene fades into another one and Tony chokes back a sob. How did he even get that footage? Knowing Peter, he probably hacked something- his kid was a genius. Thinking about it made it hurt even more.
He hears Peter say, “I’m nothing without this suit!”
Then he hears his own voice in the background, “If you’re nothing without this suit, then you shouldn’t have it…”
Then it’s Peter’s voice when he tucks him that time so long ago, “Thanks Dad.”
Tony’s rubbing his face with his hand, holding back tears. He sucks in a breath as the music picks up and he hears their voices in the background.
“I. Can’t. Lose you!...I can’t lose anyone else.”
“And I can’t lose you kid.”
He sees Peter asking, “That was a test right? There’s no one back there?”
And then it cuts to Pepper walking out from a room filled with reporters. Tony just smiles.
There’s a couple of pictures that flash across the screen, some he didn’t even know had been taken, like one of he and Peter passed out on the couch with Star Wars playing in the background, their ice creams on the table. There’s a lot of those, he realizes with a pang. There’s a couple more of the two of them, like the one where they’re both of their suits, one of them eating pretzels at the mall, him helping Peter with his homework, the one taken from the awards ceremony, and some pictures of him with his arm around his son during one of the Avengers hangouts. The music echoes in the room. He’s trembling as he watches this.
Next there’s some footage from Peter’s birthday party and a couple more videos: Peter driving in the new Audi and them working on the suits together. There’s a video of him and Peter throwing a ball across the table at one of the Avengers meetings, grinning like fools and not paying any attention to what Cap is saying. They both try and made each other laugh from across the table. Tony could never win that battle. It ends with a video of Peter in the Iron Spider Suit. His son’s smile lights up the screen and he grins right at the camera, looking down at his suit in awe, back when they were still working on it. He looks up, his face was lit up and he’s jumping in excitement, waving at Tony and smiling, before he webs the camera by accident and the camera falls. There’s laughing in the background. It falls face up and both he and Tony come into view, picking up the phone. Peter’s grinning as Tony puts his arm around him and then the video ends. The music fades and the screen goes black again.
Tony is broken.
He sits with his head in his hands, staring at the black screen. It’s about 5 minutes before FRIDAY breaks the silence.
“I’ve called Pepper Potts sir.”
“No it’s fine-” Tony says.
“Tony?” Pepper says from behind him.
“Darn you FRIDAY,” Tony whispers. He spins in his chair, still crying and he wipes his tears, shaking his head, “I’m fine- I’m fine- pepper…”
“You’re not fine Tony,” Pepper runs over as Tony falls to the floor, off the chair. He hits the ground hard, shaking, hyperventilating, grasping at Pepper’s arms that wrap around him. Not another panic attack...not another one. The words start coming now, like he’s throwing them all up.
“I couldn’t save him Pepper. He told me…” Tony’s voice breaks, “He told me he didn’t want to go and he said he didn’t feel good and he-” Tony takes a gulp of air, “He was hugging me and I didn’t know what to say. He hurt the most Pepper.” He looks at her with bleary eyes, “Did you know that? Everyone else just disappeared but he...he was fighting it. He...it was almost like it hurt and when he’s hurt, I’m hurt and I never said anything- I never...and then he…”
Tony sinks even lower and now Pepper’s crying, holding him, whispering words into his ear that is drowned out by a constant ringing.
“He said he was sorry Pepp,” Tony said in a shattered voice, “He said it like he failed me. He said that...the last thing he said before he…” Tony can’t finish. A minute later he says it again, like he can’t believe it, “He said he was sorry. And then he...just disappeared.”
Pepper sobs quietly in his shoulder, on the cold stone floor.
“This is all my fault,” Tony says. Pepper corrects him, but Tony knows the truth. Peter died because of him. It was his fault.
“It should have been me,” Tony says softly, “Not him. It shouldn’t have been him.”
“Tony-”
“He did nothing wrong. He should have stayed on the bus. But he didn’t. He came. He risked everything. He fought so bravely. And in the end I couldn’t save him. But he said he was sorry Pepper. He said he was sorry.” But Tony knows that in reality, Peter had never failed him.
He had failed Peter. He had failed his son.

Ross shakes his head, sitting down at the table with the rest of the Avengers. Steve takes his place right next to Tony who has bags under his eyes because Cap knows he didn’t sleep. The invincible Iron Man, who’s heart had been enclosed with red and yellow titanium had been broken. Cap gives him a nod, but Tony barely recognizes he’s there. Cap’s face falls.
His heart hurts for his friend. His heart hurts for all his friends. Those who are here...and those who aren’t.
“So,” Ross says.
“Why couldn’t he have disappeared,” Tony whispers suddenly, with no humor in his voice, to Cap who gives him a weak smile in return, even though he thinks Tony’s half serious.
“So we have to talk about-” Ross starts off, setting out some folders.
“You’re a jerk, you know that?” Tony suddenly says.
Cap looks at his friend, who’s tired eyes flash. He sees Tony’s leg shaking under the table, his hands clenched into fists.
“We don’t have time for that Stark,” Ross said angrily.
Cap looks nervously at Stark who’s fuming, his hands trembling with blinding white knuckles.
“We don’t know how to cope with this,” Ross sighs, “The world is demanding a press conference, world wide, for you to explain what happened...to explain what you’re trying to do to fix this.”
“I think the world is demanding a place to put the blame,” Bruce said.
“And with all due respect,” Cap says, continuing his friend’s sentence, “It sounds like you’re blaming us.”
“I am not,” Ross puts up his hands, “But some-”
“Yeah you are,” Tony said. Cap realizes how much more on edge and snappy his friend is without Peter there.
“You are. And I’m really not in the mood to get yelled at right now. We did the best we could, we got Thanos off Earth, stopped his kids from destroying New York, split up our whole team and I, went to an alien planet with my 16 year old son in a flying donut.” Tony was on his feet. Cap didn’t stand and pull him back just yet. Ross needed to hear this.
“We did the best we could Ross,” Tony said, “and we lost. We lost. I watched my son fade to dust in my arms, and my best friends die in front of me. So if the world wants to ask me what happened, I’ll tell them what happened. But don’t you dare try and hurry me up, or have world leaders coming at me or my friends because they did. Their. Job.”
“So you’ll do the conference?” Ross says, ignoring everything else that Tony said.
“Yes,” Tony says.
“No,” Cap corrects. He glares at Ross, “I won’t have anyone pointing fingers, or trying to put the blame on one of us.”
“Are you sure about that? Because Stark seems to have some ideas of whose fault it was,” Ross says, eyeing Stark, “Particularly his own?”
“Ross,” Steve warns.
“No, let the man speak,” Tony says, turning back around.
“I’m just saying that if the Avengers hadn’t broken up, then maybe you all could have worked together and pulled this off,” Ross leans back in his chair, raising his hands, palms up, “And I’m sure something happened on that alien planet that you don’t want to tell us about. Because I can see it in your cold eyes Stark. You know this was your fault.”
“I’m not saying it wasn’t,” Tony says softly, “But if you think that I’m just going to sit around and wait for everything to just magically come back to normal, you’re wrong.” He turns to Ross with fire in his eyes to hide the tears that Cap knows are there, “So you can tell your stupid board that I will do a conference, and I will tell them what happened. But Thanos was bigger than any of us had ever faced. It took all of us to delay him but in the end, we couldn’t stop him. We lost people, everyone lost people, the universe lost people. And my job is to fix this, I know. So don’t tell me how to do my job.”
“So you admit it’s your fault?” Ross asks.
“Get out of my compound,” Tony says softly, his voice dripping with anger.
“Answer the question Stark,” Ross taunts.
“Get. Out.” Tony hisses.
“It’s a yes or no-” Ross says, almost smiling. That’s when Steve breaks.
“That’s enough.” Steve shouts, his eyes flashing. Now he’s on his feet. Tony turns around angrily, biting his lip and closing his eyes, his hands shaking.
“I’m asking him a question!” Ross says, “Someone has to take the blame!”
“No someone doesn’t Ross! What is wrong with you?” Rhodey shouts.
“This was none of our faults,” Steve hisses.
“Then tell me what happened. When the Avengers, failed to save the day, and now are blaming it on what, fate? The world is on fire, and I have to tell them something. And what do I say?”
“You tell them that we’re doing our best,” Steve says.
“Your best?” Ross repeats.
“Is that not good enough for you?” Rockett snarls. He’s been quiet but now he’s pissed, his arms crossed, growling at Ross.
“I need to know what that is,” Ross says, “I’m in the middle here. Don’t kill the messenger.”
“Bull!” Tony shouts, “BULL!”
Ross glares at Tony, “Do you have something to say Stark?”
“I have plenty things to say but I won’t because I don’t want Pet-” Tony freezes. The room is quiet. Steve bites his lip. He remembers all those times when the only thing that kept Tony from lunging across the room and killing Ross or cussing him out was Peter. The fact that his kid, his 16 year old son, was in the room, and that kept Tony calm. It had been a saying that Tony used out of habit, and now that old habit just stabbed him in the back: “Because I don’t want Peter to hear it…”
Everyone looks down. Tony’s shaking, gripping the table hard.
“I want to stay on track,” Ross says rudely. The only thing that stops Cap from punching him is Romanoff who presses her boot against his leg discreetly.
“There is no track now,” Bruce says, “This throws science out the window. We have no idea what happened, and no idea how to fix this. If you have an idea Ross we’re all ears but until then, tell you’re board we’ll keep them posted and get out of our hair.”
Ross shakes his head, “That’s not good enough. Stark, don’t you have some sort of plan, or is your ego too wounded?”
Steve’s eyes flash and Rockett growls. Rhodey grips the table. Bruce shakes his head. Natasha looks ready to kill. Surprisingly, Tony is the only one who doesn’t look angry.
He turns around, his face completely calm, just tired and sad.
“I lost my son Ross,” Tony says, “Did you lose anyone? No. So you don’t know how that feels. But I do. And you don’t know what pain feels like until you have your 16 year old kid turn to dust in your arms. I couldn’t save him then, so I’m dang sure that I’m going to be working my butt off to get him back. If that means no sleeping and no eating, so be it. I’m willing to do that. So don’t ask me if I’m doing my best. Because that’s not a question I need to answer. Until my kid is back in this room, I will always be doing my best.”
“You can get out,” Steve says angrily to Ross, “Now.”
“We’re just talking-” Ross protests.
“Ross, until you can act professionally and not be a child, get out of here. We won’t have you blaming this on any of us, because it wasn’t our fault. We aren’t invincible. You need to realize that. And if you ever try and say any of what you just said again, I will personally get you kicked off the board and don’t think I’m lying,” Rhodey says.
“You can’t do that,” Ross laughs.
“You sure?’ Natasha says, “You really think, at a time like this, that they would rather keep you on the panel versus having us figure this out?”
“Are you blackmailing me?” Ross says, slightly amused.
“I’m telling you to get out. Now I can make you get out too, but I figured you’re sophisticated enough to walk like a normal person?” Cap says through gritted teeth.
Ross’ eyes flick to Stark who’s back is to him.
“Out,” Steve repeats, almost in a hiss he’s so angry. He’s trembling. How dare he try and blame this on Tony!
Ross sighs and pick up his folders and walks out. Tony suddenly leaves the room too, before anyone can say anything.
Cap sits down, “I hate him.”
“We all do,” Nat says. She motions for Tony who was walking briskly down the hallway, “Go talk to him.”
Cap nods, “In a bit. He needs space. He’s already thinking this was his fault. Ross isn’t helping.”
“How are we going to fix this?” Bruce says, wringing his hands.
“I don’t know,” Cap says, “I don’t know.”

Tony has called May and told her that he’s coming over. He thinks she already knows.
He gets there and doesn’t even have to knock on the door. She opens it and tackles him in a hug. Tony bites his lip and hugs her back.
“We should sit down,” he says softly. May puts a hand over her mouth and shakily walks to the couch. Tony sits next to her and looks at her with tears in his eyes.
“I’m so sorry May,” he says quietly.
She breaks down into heartbroken sobs, and Tony can’t help but cry too. He tells her what happened. Everything. Tells her everything. And when he’s done, she sits with her head in her hands. Tony’s heart hurts to see her like this. Peter was her family. Her nephew. All she had. Tony had taken his kid for granted, and he never knew how much he meant to him until he was gone. That hurt. But Tony knew he couldn’t imagine how May was feeling right now.
“May I’m going to fix this,” he says, grabbing her shoulder. He locks eyes with her and takes a breath. His voice is shaky but earnest, “I’m not going to stop until I get him back. I know how much he means to you and you know how much he means to me. I’m not going to stop. I’m going to bring him back,” he promises her.
She looks at him and nods, “I know you will.”
“I’m so sorry May,” He says again, “I- I…”
She shakes her head then, giving him a hug and then she says, “This wasn’t your fault.”
“Yes it was,” he says quietly, but she can’t hear him over her sobs, “Yes it was.”

Peter bolts up, crying out.
“Where am I...what…Tony?”
It’s dark. It’s orange. It’s cold. He’s sitting in a pool of water, but he doesn’t feel wet. He looks around, his hands falling through the inch of water and gripping the smooth floor. It hurts. It burns. Peter feels tears come to his eyes as he wrestles with the pain, a huge migraine hitting him on top of the burning feeling.
Peter looks around fearfully and whispers, “Tony?”
Nothing.
No one.
Just pain.
Just fear.
Just loneliness.
“Dad?” He tries again, his voice weak and desperate.
Nothing.
No one.
There’s no threats here- it’s empty. His mask recedes to his neck and Peter gasps in oxygen, choking he takes it in so fast. He bites back the pain and looks around. There’s a weird archway thing but it’s very far away. Peter doesn’t feel ready to go explore that just yet. He’s too busy touching his legs and chest and arms, making sure he doesn’t fade away again. Maybe that had been the burning feeling. That felt awful. Peter shuddered just remembering what it was like to watch his hands and arms get sucked away with the wind-
Wait, he thought he died...so what was this? Was this heaven? Where is he? What does he remember?
Peter closes his eyes. Think Peter think.
His mind gets sucked into a memory.
“Mr Stark? I don’t feel so good.”
“You’re alright.”
“I don’t want to go, I don’t want to go, sir please, I don’t want to go, I don’t want to go-”
“I’m sorry.”
Peter screams, bolting up, blinking back tears and gripping his arms, hugging himself tight. Tony. Tony! Oh God…
“Dad?” Peter yells, his voice cracking and breaking. It echoes until it fades, getting far enough away. The water reminds him of the ocean. The horizon that looks so flat but goes on forever.
For a second, he doesn’t hear anything.
And then he hears everything.
Peter almost falls backward from the shock.
Millions of voices calling out.
Different names, screams, shouts, sobs. He hears voices yet sees no one. And all the sounds are like they’re underwater. But then they get louder, more clear, more unique. Different languages: English, French, Korean, Polish... Different accents: British, Australian, English-
Annalice!
Kyra!
What’s going on?
No!
Matthew!
Wait!
Stop!
Where-
Millions of names.
Millions of shouts.
Millions of gasps, sobs-
Peter’s shaking, spinning and turning, his breathing getting faster. He clutches his hands over his ears, rocking back and forth, pleading for the yelling to stop, feeling so alone, so scared, so fearful. The shouting and the noise finally stops after it almost gets too loud to bear. His ears are ringing and Peter slowly lowers his hands, trembling, breathing in gasps.
What is this place?
He just wants his dad. He wants to see Tony again.
Peter pulls his legs up to his chest. He lowers his head onto his arms.

Tony sits on the floor of his lab. He’s breathing fast, his ears ringing.
He just wants his son. He wants to see Peter again.
Tony pulls his legs up to his chest. He lowers his head onto his arms.

Chapter Text

Tony didn’t sleep. He went to bed, sure. But didn’t sleep. He lay awake for an hour. And then tried to close his eyes. He barely made it one minute.
“Mr. Stark?”
Tony bolted up, shaking his head. Many of the nightmares he could suffer through, just remembering Peter or something, but not once had he been able to sleep through that one. His son’s voice echoes in his ears and his heart stops. Something in him screams, WAKE UP!, and Tony bolts up. It never finishes. He hopes it never will. Tony rubs his eyes and gets out of bed, careful not to wake Pepper and stumbling down the hallway back into his lab. That’s where he had been ‘resting’ the past 2 nights. It had been 2 days since Thanos snapped. They had cleared up what had happened on either side. Tony and Nebula explained the fight on Titan, Cap explained the battle of Wakanda. Neither side could still fathom what happened. They had failed. Tony needed to do something. He needed to fix this. Ross was right- this was his fault, but he knew he had been honest with the man. He would not stop until he got Peter back. Tony put his arms on his desk and rested his chin on them, taking a deep breath. It was a minute before he drifted asleep.

---

Tony commanded the suit to dive into the water, his glasses showing him the view of the lake, the murky water.
“Come on, come on, where are you kid?” He mutters, sipping some cocktail from a plastic glass.
“There you are Pete,” Tony sucks in a breath. He watches as the suit dives for Peter who’s stuck in his parachute, struggling and trying to breath, kicking and flailing as he sinks deeper in the lake. The Iron Man hands untangle him and grab the kid under the arms before bursting out of the water. Thank God the kid is still breathing. Peter looks up weakly as the suit heads for dry land and he mutters, “Oh...hey…” before his head slumps to his chest in exhaustion.
“Pete?” Tony calls when he’s set him down, “Kid come on, breath. I can’t do resuscitation in this thing-”
Peter coughs up water and sits up. He desperately yanks at the neck of his suit and peels of the mask, gasping. Peter’s eyes meet his through the suit and the kid nods, blinking water out of his eyes and flicking his wet hair.
“I’m ok, I’m ok,” Peter says, climbing to the top of the jungle gym thing so he can sit down. Tony’s suit hovers in the air. He listens as Peter tries to explain what happened. He’s slightly annoyed, but mostly just glad that the kid is ok.
“And then he just, like, swooped down like a monster…” Peter said, wringing out his mask. Water drips to the ground as the kid’s voice cracks while he retells his story, “...and picked me up, and took me up like a thousand feet and just dropped me.” Peter looks up at him, with a curious look in his bright eyes, “How’d you find me? Did you put a tracker in my suit or something?”
Tony almost laughs. But he sees his kid’s legs shaking, and he notices Peter is shivering a bit and he knows how to answer, “I put everything in your suit. Including this heater.”
Steam erupts around the suit and Peter shivers, letting out a sigh of contempt, “Ohhhhhhh. That’s better. Thanks.” His teeth chatter and he flexes his hands.
Tony is glad he’s not actually there with Peter or he would have been a lot softer. But now he raises his voice, “What were you thinking?”
Peter looks up, unphased, “The guy with the wings is the source of the weapons. I gotta take him down.”
Tony almost laughs again, “Take him down now, huh?” He’s impressed with the kid’s spirit and determination, but he also knows his recklessness could get him killed and Stark wasn’t going to let that happen, “Steady Crockett, there are people who handle this sort of thing.”
Tony reaches up to grab another drink, averting his attention but he hears Peter’s excited voice in the back of his head, “The Avengers?”
Distracted by leaving a tip, Tony says, “No... this is a little below...their pay grade.”
“Anyway,” Peter says, waving his hands, “Mr. Stark, you didn’t have to come out here. I had that. I was fine.”
Tony suppresses a smile. The kid most definitely did not have that, and he was nowhere close to fine. He would have drowned and Peter knows it. Tony commands the suit to flip open the mask, revealing the deco suit, “Oh, I’m not...here.”
Peter looks mildly disappointed, yet surprised at the same time.
Tony leans against a statue, “Than God this place has Wi-Fi...or you would be toast right now.” A man offers him a drink on a platter and Tony nods at him, taking a sip, “Thank Ganesh while you’re at it. Cheers.” He rubs the bridge of his nose, “Look, forget the flying vulture guy, please.”
“Why?” Peter insists, putting out his hands in sort of a pleading way.
Tony doesn’t miss a beat and he raises his vice, “Why? Because I said so!” The woman in front of him looks at him weird and Tony bows his head so she can place a lai on him, “Sorry,” he apologizes, “Talking to a teenager.” He turns his attention back to Peter who was staring at the suit, a little confused. Tony realized how much of a dad he had just been. Shoot.
He quickly changes the subject, “Stay close to the ground. Build up your game helping the little people-” Tony remembers one of the messages Peter had sent to Happy that automatically got sent to him, “like that lady that bought you the churro?” He had listened to every single one of those messages. They made him smile even when it was his worst day. He had them all saved too.
“Can’t you just be a friendly…” Tony takes a sip of his drink, well aware of the sigh Peter gave as the kid’s head sank to his chest, “Neighborhood spiderman?” Tony finishes, setting his cup down and starting to the car.
“But I’m ready for more than that now!” Peter insists, practically begging him to believe him.
“No, you’re not,” Tony says firmly, commanding the mask to flip down for emphasis.
“That is not what you thought when I took on Captain America!” Peter points out. Tony recognizes the flare in his voice. It’s the same flare he hears when he talks. And the kid has a point- No. Tony’s not letting him get hurt.
“Trust me kid,” Tony says, “If Cap wanted to lay you out, he would’ve.” Peter looks a little shocked at that but Tony ignores him and moves on, getting in his car, “Listen to me. If you come across these weapons again, call Happy.” He revs the engine.
Peter’s face crumples up and he can’t tell if it’s from what he said or the revving of the engine. The kid asks, “Are you driving?”
Tony shuts the door and says thoughtfully, “You know, it’s never too early to start thinking about college. I got some pull at MIT.” Peter was a genius after all, and all Tony wanted was to see his kid succeed- the kid-the kid succeed.
“End call,” Tony says quickly, and he hears Peter’s voice get cut off.
“No- no I- I don’t need to go to college- Mr. Stark-”
Yeah you do kid, Tony thinks. Yeah you do. You need to succeed. You need to do great things. Because you’re a great kid, and one day you’ll thank me…
Tony’s not going to let him make the same mistakes he had made. He wanted Peter to be better than him. He never understood how the kid always looked up to him. He wasn’t perfect, he made mistakes, and he was about the worst role model anyone could have. Yet the kid still idolized him, and Tony realized how close he was becoming with that kid from Queens who had homework. Homework... (Tony still can’t believe he had said that.)

---

Tony bolted up. He still remembered that talk they had, plain as day. And now Peter was gone.
Tony gets a good hour of rest after that. He won’t exactly call it sleep. How can one sleep in a situation like this? How can he sleep knowing he didn’t do all he could...and that Peter was gone? That his son wasn’t there…
There are silent tears sneaking out of his closed eyes.
It’s not exactly sleep.
But it’s close enough.

Peter’s shaking. Karen is gone. Everyone’s gone. He’s alone.
He pears out into the vast horizon. He’s moved from his old spot. He’s walked for that weird building thing but the more he walks, the farther away it seems. He doesn’t know how long it’s been. He has no way to tell time because the weird orange glow of the sky never sets. Peter is still scared. He hasn’t stopped shaking since he woke up on this deserted ground. The water is no longer noticeable. Peter shivers even though he isn’t cold, sinking to the ground; he had been walking again. He sinks to his knees. Peter’s tired. He’s scared. He’s alone.
He sits in the inch of water and brings his knees to his chest again and lowers his head. It’s a while before he falls into somewhat of a sleep.

---

“Previously on Peter screws the pooch, tell you to stay away from this,” he hears. Peter looks over his shoulder and see’s the Iron Man suit fly over and hover a foot from the ground. Peter looks away again, glaring at the ground that’s far below. He sits on the side of the building, his legs dangling off the edge. His mask is by his side which means his hair is blowing across his face. He’s pissed, his face in an angry frown as he gets an earful from Tony.
“Instead, you hacked a multimillion-dollar suit...so you could sneak around behind my back, doing the one thing I told you not to do,” Tony says angrily.
He sounds mad. Very mad. And Peter admits he’s kind of right. He never really had a dad, but he feels like this is what it would be like having an argument with one if he did.
“Is everyone ok?” He asks softly. He really doesn’t want to fight with Tony.
“No thanks to you,” Tony says.
Peter whips his head around. He’s mad now. He knows he shouldn’t say anything but he can’t help it.
“No thanks to me?” Peter splutters. Who just held an entire ferry together? Who told Tony about these weapons? Who just saved everyone on that ship, AND stopped a weapons deal? Peter jumps off the side and lands on the roof, storming toward Tony, “Those weapons were out there, and I tried to tell you but you didn’t listen. None of this would’ve happened if you had just listened to me!” Peter yells. He backs off, but he had one more thing to say. He remembered last time, when Tony’s mask just flipped open, revealing that Tony was actually halfway around the world.
Peter didn’t really think about what he was saying, he didn’t even think, he just said, “If you even cared, you’d actually be here.”
Just then the Iron Man suit opens up, splitting down the middle and Tony steps out in a black suit. He looked way too professional, even in the way he walked- almost like he planned this. Tony rubs his nose nonchalauntly and holds his left wrist- a nervous gesture that Peter had been picking up on. But Tony was far from nervous. Peter stumbles back in shock, and Tony follows him backward, pointing at Peter, “I did listen, kid. Who do you think called the FBI, huh?” He pointed at Peter again, making a face, “Did you know I was the only one who believed in you? Everyone else said I was crazy to recruit a 14-year-old kid-”
“I’m 15,” Peter cut in softly.
“No, this is where you zip it!” Tony shouted, waving his hand angrily. Tony narrowed his eyes and hissed, “The adult is talking.”
Peter backed down. He knew he was wrong. But still he glared at Tony, who glared right back. Tony won that battle easily, but it had been worth a shot.
Tony’s voice was angry and harsh, but there was a twinge of concern that kept Peter’s hopes up, “What if someone had died tonight? Different story, right? Because that’s on you. And if you died…”

---

Peter flinched self consciously in his sleep. This conversation had a whole new meaning now. Wake up, he thought, wake up Peter. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t wake up. Peter thought at how Tony must be feeling. Probably alone in his lab, head in his hands, with tears running down his cheeks. Tony had told him he was the first person to see him cry. That was pretty big coming from Iron Man. Peter hugs his legs to his chest tighter, half asleep, knowing that Tony would be beating himself up about Peter’s death (if that’s what it was), even though it wasn’t his fault. That hurt. That hurt a lot. But he knew it didn’t hurt as much as it hurt Tony. That makes it hurt even more.

---

Tony shook his head, lowering his voice, shrugged helplessly and pointing to his chest, “And if you died...I feel like that’s on me. I don’t need that on my conscience.”
“Yes sir. I’m sorry-” Peter stuttered, trying to figure out what to say. He had messed up. Bad.
“I’m sorry,” he says sadly.
Tony shakes his head, “Sorry doesn’t cut it.”

---

Peter flinches. How twistedly ironic was it that the last thing Peter had said to Tony was that he was sorry?
Another flinch. And still Peter can’t wake up.

---

Peter looks up sadly at Tony, the billionaire, the genius, his mentor, Iron Man, heck- the closest thing he had to a father. Peter says, “I just wanted to be like you.”
Tony looks down at him in disappointment, “And I wanted you to be better.”
Peter looks down. How can he be better than Iron Man? Tony leaves no time for Peter to think about that. He rubs his nose and then sighs, “It’s not working out, I’m gonna need the suit back.”
Peter freezes and he looks up again, his voice cracking as he gasps, “For how long?”
“Forever,” Tony says grimly.
Peter’s heart stopped. He shakes his head, “No, no-”
“Yeah that’s how it works,” Tony insists.
Peter shakes his head again, reaching for Tony without actually touching him, “Please-”
“Let’s have it,” Tony says, avoiding eye contact with Peter.
“Please, this is all I have, I’m nothing without this suit,” Peter says. He looks into Tony’s eyes and he doesn’t know what he sees. Disappointment, guilt, anger, sadness, confusion, conflict…
Tony purses his lips and then locks eyes with Peter, “If you’re nothing without this suit, then you shouldn’t have it.”
Peter looks down, trying not to cry. Tears are there. There’s a lump in his throat, and a knot in his stomach. But he bites his lip and curls his hands into fists, determined not to break. He can’t make Tony even more disappointed in him. Seeing that look on Mr. Stark’s face hurt more than any punch from a bad guy.
“Okay?” Tony says, before he rubs his head. Peter still won’t look at him as he says, “God, I sound like my dad…” He trails off and that’s when Peter looks up. He’s so angry, his chest heating up, but no matter how mad he is, it doesn’t show in his eyes. Because he’s not mad at Tony. Why would he be? This one was on him. He failed him. Tony had believed in him and he let him down. But now was not the time to be sad. Peter could do that later.
“I-I don’t have any other clothes,” Peter says quietly, choking on his words.
“Okay we’ll sort that out,” Tony says, without missing a beat.
“Can I...swing down?” Peter said after a minute of silence.
Tony sighs, getting back into his suit, “Yeah kid. Go for it.”
Peter grabs his mask so he can hide his tearful eyes and shoves it on. He doesn’t wait for Tony. He jumps off the building and does a flip, spiralling to the bottom and shooting a web at the last second, so close that he skims the ground with his foot. He lets go of the web and lands. He can’t complain at all about the landing- he stuck it perfectly. Peter gets to his feet, breathing shakily. Tony sets down next to him.
They walk without talking to the nearest thrift store and Tony grabs a shirt that says ‘I survived my trip to NYC’ and hello kitty PJ pants. Peter doesn’t think it’s funny. Tony hands the shocked man a 20 and they walk out. He goes into one of those public restrooms and takes a breath. He puts the mask on one last time.
“I’m so sorry Karen,” Peter half sobs when his AI greets him.
“Peter what happened?” She asks nervously.
“I’m-I’m so sorry,” he says sadly, biting his lip, before he yanks off the mask and puts it in the bag. He takes off the suit and his hands are shaking. He quickly shoves it in the bag too and then puts on the shirt and hello kitty pants. He closes the bag and knots it 4 times before he walks out and hands it to Tony. Handing it over, Peter feels like he lost something, like he lost a part of him. Something in his chest was missing. He doesn’t look up.
“Thank you Mr. Parker,” Tony says, clearing his throat. It looked as if it pained him to say that.
Peter turns and is about to walk away when Tony steps out of the suit and catches his arm, “Hey don’t think I forgot about college. I told you I got some pull at MIT-”
“Thanks,” Peter says with a hint of sarcasm, “But I’m good.”
“Pete-” Tony says weakly.
Peter steps back a bit. Tears are coming to his eyes and this time Peter can’t hold them back. But he won’t have Mr. Stark see him break. He won’t disappoint him again.
“Do you need a ride home or-” Tony suggests.
“I’m fine. Goodbye Mr. Stark,” Peter says firmly, before he turns around and walks away. Then he stops and turns around again and looks Iron Man right in the eyes, “I’m not going to stop,” he says, “being Spiderman I mean.” Peter doesn’t know what he meant by that, but Tony seems to understand and Mr. Stark nods, smirking slightly, like he’s amused. That should make Peter mad but it doesn’t.
“I know,” Tony nods, “I know. Take care of yourself kid,” Tony’s eyes crinkle and then he clears his throat and corrects himself, “Mr. Parker.”
Peter walks away and doesn’t look back. Good job Peter, he thinks sadly, Father number 3 out the window. That shocks him. Did he really think of Mr. Stark like a father? He guessed so...

---

Peter's eyes open as the dream ends. His face is scrunched up and tears are running down his cheeks. His breathing is in short sobs. His shoulders heave. But he’s exhausted himself too much to wake up. He won’t exactly call it sleep. How can one sleep in a situation like this? How can he sleep knowing he didn’t do all he could...and that Tony was gone? That his dad wasn’t there…
There are silent tears sneaking out of his closed eyes.
It’s not exactly sleep.
But it’s close enough.

“How much sleep did you get?” Pepper asks as they’re making breakfast. She’s making him eat for the first time in 2 days. Tony hadn’t even stepped foot in the kitchen since they’d been back.
“5 hours,” Tony shrugs. That wasn’t true and they know it.
Rhodey scoffs, “Bull-”
“Language,” Cap interjects.
“Crap, Rogers. Bullcrap. Lay off,” Rhodey says with a slight smirk. Rhodey was right though. Tony barely got a half hour.
Cap pours himself a mug of coffee, “Uh huh, sure.”
Tony allows a slight smile and goes to sit down. Then he freezes. Everyone takes they’re spot, and that only makes the 3 empty chairs stand out better. They hadn’t all sat in here yet, since the snap. Bruce and Thor- who was visiting today, are unsure where to sit. Everyone is silent.
Tony is only looking at the chair next to his spot. It’s empty. But in his mind he can still see Peter there, laughing and talking, falling out of his chair, or drowning his pancakes in syrup.
Tony looks at the team who is a bit shaken. This is the first time they’ve all been together in a while, and being together makes them realize how much they’ve lost. Tony sets his plate down on the counter and mutters, “I’m sorry.”
He gives everyone an apologetic look and then leaves the room. He’s hyperventilating now, the room spinning and Tony realizes he turned down the wrong hallway- the floor is spinning now. It’s getting harder to breath. Tony can’t calm down. He stumbles down the hallway, his feet taking him somewhere like they know exactly where to go. Tony gasps for breath, trying to blink away the dizziness while shaking his head to get the ringing out of his ears. He picks up his speed, turns the corner, walks 10 feet and then crashes through a door, collapses inside, and kicks it shut behind him. Tony sits up, shaking, and puts his head in his hands, breathing in short gasps, trying to tone down the deafening roar in his ears. everything's spinning and there's a ringing in his ears as his chest closes up on him. Another panic attack. He looks up to see where he is and that only makes his breath hitch even more.
He’s in Peter’s room.
Tony tries to slow his breathing. He tries so hard as he leans up against the siding of Peter’s bed. The room is dark, but Tony can still see where everything lies- his books, his shoes, his sweatshirt, his chair, his desk, his pencils, his spiderman action figure and a few other birthday presents scattered over the room. It’s all still here- untouched.
He scoots back up against the bed when his hand brushes something at his side. There’s fabric under the bed. He reaches with shaking hands to find it again, glad to concentrate on something other than his breathing. He can sort of see now as he grips what he was touched and pulls it from underneath the bunk. But when he grabs it, it only makes his heart hurt more.
A red and blue suit made of sweatpants, some red boots, and a cotton vest lays in his shaking hands. Goggles that look impossible to see out of. Tony still thinks he couldn’t see in them. A black spider logo splayed across the front. A sort of innocence in the design and colors. Handmade, but still fierce. Meant for a 16 year old kid. His kid.
It’s Peter’s old suit.
Tony holds it to his chest, closes his eyes, and lowers his head.

Cap rubs his head, “Ross we’ve talked about this. We don’t know where he is, but he’s not on Earth, meaning that the armed forces can’t go after him.”
Ross paces in the kitchen. The Avengers have taken their seats. Cap notices Tony looks tired, but decides not to mention it. Even getting him to sit down next to the empty spot was progress.
“Well then how am I supposed to explain that Thanos is in another dimension or world outside of our galaxy?” Ross snaps.
“What did they think the Battle of New York was?” Tony spits, “A simulation?”
“Everybody on that panel either knows or has a good idea about the other worlds out there,” Bruce nods.
Ross sighs and heads to the table. He starts toward the empty chair next to Tony, because it’s closest and Cap tenses.
“No,” Tony says plainly, putting his hand out over the chair. It looks like he’s trying really hard to keep it from shaking.
Ross stares at him, “For the love of God Stark.”
“He means no,” Cap says again, defending his friend, standing up, “Just take my chair Ross.”
Ross shrugs and goes to sit down. Tony shoots Cap a look of thanks.
“As I was saying, we need to know what you’re planning on doing or have already done,” Ross says.
“It’s been 4 days Ross. We’re all still reeling. Don’t expect us to have this massive plan,” Rhodey says.
“I do,” Tony says.
Everyone turns and looks at him.
“I’ve had 96 hours to think,” Tony says thoughtfully, “I don’t know if it’s possible but I do have some ideas and I’ve started working on some things.”
“Great. Let’s have it,” Ross says.
“No,” Tony said, “Let them know we’re working on something, but I’m keeping it confidential. Everyone in this room only, besides you Ross.”
Ross sighs and leans back in Cap’s chair. Cap is focused on Tony. What had he been working on? Cap knew Tony rarely slept and he often saw him in the lab, isolating himself. Cap knew Tony had put this awful burden on his shoulders: the blame. But what he hadn’t known, is that Tony had actually put something together.
“Alright well it looks like this is done,” Tony claps his hands, “You have your information Ross, you can leave now.”
“You’re a stuck up rich playboy Stark,” Ross says, “You know that?”
“I do,” Tony sniffs, rubbing his nose without a care, leaning back against his seat, “And?”
“Unbelievable. We’re putting our trust in the hands of an immature egotistical renegade who knows nothing of leadership. You’re pathetic,” Ross says, standing up.
He makes it 3 feet before Tony says, “What did you just say to me?”
Uh oh. Cap tensed, ready to jump up and separate them, but with everything Ross had put them through, he was more tempted to just let Tony take care of him.
“You heard me,” Ross says, turning back around.
“You just can’t help yourself can you?” Tony hisses.
“It’s kind of hard when you’re in charge of running the country,” Ross says smugly. Natasha snorts at that.
Tony laughs with no humor, his gaze fierce, “Oh so you’re Ross almighty now?”
Ross shrugs, “Face it Stark, this was your fault.”
“Back off Ross-” Cap warns. He grips the sides of his chair. Bruce is watching angrily. Rocket has a hand on his blaster. Rhodey’s eyes are flicking back and forth. Nebula is watching from the corner, leaning against the wall. Natasha is on edge as well.
“No he’s right,” Tony says, lowering his voice, “and I know that. Which is why I’m doing my best to figure it out so I would appreciate it if you got out of my butt for once and let me do my job.”
“I hate you,” Ross says plainly.
“You say that like it’s supposed to be an insult?” Tony laughs quietly, “But I hate myself too Ross.”
“You should. After all you did,” Ross says, getting in Tony’s face.
Cap starts to stand, “Ross that’s enough.”
Ross ignores him, “After all those people that died because of you?”
“They’re not dead,” Tony said, his voice shaking in fury. He and Ross have squared up. It’s pretty equal, even though Ross is taller than Tony by a few inches, but Tony’s glare is so much more fierce.
“They are dead Tony,” Ross hisses.
“THAT’S ENOUGH-” Cap yells, getting to his feet.
Tony snarls, “Get out. And let me do my job you insignificant little-”
“And it’s your fault,” Ross finishes, his eyes taunting Tony.
Cap was about to football tackle the General, but Tony has already held his hand out to his side and soon an Iron Gauntlet comes zooming in. It attaches itself to Tony’s hand and Tony turns in one fluid motion, the repulsor heating up and he blasts Ross straight in the chest. Ross goes stumbling back, crashing to the floor and sliding to the opposite wall. Tony lowers his hand, breathing hard. Everyone is on their feet, staring in shock.
“Can I have a piece?” Rocket says, cranking his gun.
“No,” Cap says firmly, “Drop it.”
Rocket sighs and lets go of the gun. It clatters to the floor and he kicks it with his foot. “You’ve always got to suck the joy out of everything,” he grumbles.
“Nice shot Tony,” Rhodey grudgingly admits.
“Thanks,” Tony says, still staring at Ross, “It was on stun.”
Cap is the first one to move, but he doesn’t go to help Ross up, instead, he takes his place at Tony’s side. His friends follow suite and soon they’re fanned out next to each other, in a line, staring across the room at Ross who is struggling to get to his feet. He doesn’t look hurt, more surprised than anything.
“I could press charges,” he gasps against the wall.
“But you won’t,” Steve grins.
“I could pay the charges, but besides, your lawyer probably works for me,” Tony scoffs.
“Get out of here Ross,” Steve commands, “before Tony blasts you again,” he says, before he grins, “And I’m not going to stop him.”
“You all are renegades. You’re dangerous,” Ross says, picking up his things and heading for the door.
Steve shrugs, “Maybe. But we fight to protect. I told you Ross, if you get in our way, we’ll fight you too. And we’ll win. You know why? Because you need us. You will always need us,” Steve says firmly.
“Don’t kick the gift horse in the mouth,” Rhodey shrugs.
“Bye Thaddeus!” Tony says firmly.
Ross leaves. A second later the room bursts into a chorus of laughing and shouts. Cap thinks that was the first time Tony had smiled in 4 days.

Cap followed Tony to the lab about 10 minutes later.
“So remember I told you about BARF?” Tony said, walking fast paced down the hallway.
“Yes?” Steve said slowly.
“No,” Tony guessed, opening the door. Steve followed him in and did a double take. Tony was standing in the middle of the room. Steve looks to his left and sees Tony is next to him as well. The Tony to his left looks at him, “It uh, can put memories into some sort of flimsy reality. So we can basically look back in time.”
Steve watches in awe as the other Tony’s hands flick across the ‘fake screen’. Steve looks around the room and sees his Iron Man suits scattered around- then Steve does a double take. The Iron Spider is hooked on the wall, and just as Steve is about to ask the real Tony about it, the other version of him calls out, “You got it Pete?”
Steve watches as Peter bounds in, with his mask half over his face, holding a box filled with some tools.
“Yeah- I got it-” He ends up dropping all of them by the time he gets to Tony who’s laughing.
“Butter fingers,” Tony teases.
“Shut up,” Peter laughs, staring to pick them up, taking off his mask. His bright eyes gleam and he looks at the suit on the wall after they return the equipment to the box, “It’s so cool.”
“I know kid,” Tony says, and he puts his arm around his son.
Tony sniffs beside him and coughs, clearing his throat, walking over to his computer and double clicking really quickly. Steve watches as his friend winces, blinking. His gaze is on his son, who’s smiling under his arm, grinning at the wall where the Iron Spider suit was. Tony gives him one last glance, but then he turns away, back to the computer, and Steve notices his hands are shaking an inch away from the keys.
Steve watches as Peter vanishes, his bright eyes losing their gleam as the hologram fades. The room looks like it’s peeled back, some stuff disappearing, some appearing, and some staying the same.
“So I thought that you know, if we could go back and figure out what we could do better, we might be able to figure out some stuff…” Tony trails off, checking to make sure that the whole vision is gone before turning back around to face Steve.
“That could work,” Steve said slowly.
“Because Thanos is still out there, so maybe he knows how to reverse this. If not I’ll beat it out of him myself I swear to God-” Tony stops himself, “But maybe...my real theory is if we could learn from BARF to have a sort of a...do-over?”
Tony was staring at Steve with a weird look. Cap sighed, rubbing his chin, “But that won’t help us unless we can like go...back...in time- Tony?” Steve asks slowly, realizing Stark was staring at him.
Stark had been nodding, biting his lip, “Yeah see that’s the thing. Might have figured that out?”
“You figured out how to go back in time?” Steve asked, blinking.
“Sort of. More like I found someplace that makes it irrelevant? Both time and space. And all I need to do, is create a portal, and we can hop right through,” Tony said, like it was this easy everyday thing.
“Hop right through?” Cap repeats.
“Yep. It’s called the Quantum Realm. Time and space are irrelevant, every action and angular momentum is quantized,” Tony runs a hand through his hair that’s sticking up and messy and he shakes a pencil in his hand, grabbing some papers and shoving them next to his computer as he leans over it, “There are super surges of energy, everything is made up of unmaterialized molecules, and the mechanical effects are studied in an isolated system,” Tony starts typing, “Low temperatures and distances of 100 nanometers-”
“English,” Cap requests, stopping Tony who was rambling now.
Tony smiles weakly, “Think of a weave. When it’s tight together, it works. But when it’s loose, there are holes and you can slip through and jump around. Basically a person can go so small you can mess with some fundamentals. Like space, or time,” Tony says.
“Thank you,” Cap grins, “So how do we access it?”
“I need a kick starter. Like a match. I need something to strike it so I can capture and recreate the power source. Here’s where my problem comes in,” Tony says, showing him his computer and pushing a few buttons on the wall, “I can capture the energy no problem and recreate it no problem- once we’ve got it, we’re gold. But getting the energy is the problem. I need something to send the signal, the force, the pressure, all the readings come from the surge. And I can’t recreate the energy pulse I need.”
Steve stares at him blankly, “Explain.”
“I need the power to be sent to me from inside the Quantum Realm. Problem is,” Tony bits his glasses, “I don’t know who’s in there. Someone or something, maybe no one even, I don’t know, but the signal needs to come from inside, just some source of power or object to lock onto, I need a spark.” He throws his glasses down on the desk and paces, running his hands through his hair. Steve squints at the model of some tech Tony had been working on, “You did all this in 4 days?”
Tony looks at him, “You’d be surprised how hard I can work if there’s something to work for.”
He rubs a hand over his face, “It’s like I’m not getting anywhere. I’m running in circles.”
“We’ll figure it out Tony,” Cap says.
“But what if we don’t!” Tony yells, snapping all of a sudden. He shoots Steve an apologetic look which Steve instantly smiles at.
“Sorry,” Tony grumbles, “I’m just…” He doesn’t finish. Instead Tony goes to the far wall and slides down to the ground, exhausted. The energy he had before slowly drains and Tony rubs the back of his neck.
Steve sets down the computer and walks over to him, taking a seat on the floor by Tony’s side.
“He was right you know,” Tony says softly, staring at the wall where Steve had seen the spider suit.
“Who?” Steve asked. He was guessing Peter.
“The Green Goblin,” Tony said.
“Who’s that?”
“Norman Osborn? Peter and I had to take care of him. Kid saved him life, but in doing so, Norman was killed by his own blade. I still don’t think the kid is over it,” Tony says, before he sucks in a breath, “Was over it,” he corrects, rubbing his face. His hands were trembling and he curled them into fists, “The last thing Norman said was that we would lose. Eventually. But we would lose. I didn’t believe him. I should have believed him. I should have never let Peter come. I should have fought harder-”
“Tony no-” Steve tries to interject.
“Ross was right,” Tony says, rubbing his nose.
Steve claps his friend’s shoulder, “No, he wasn’t.”
Tony looks at him sadly, “Yes. He was.”
“Tony-” Steve says weakly.
“Steve he asked me to save him,” Tony’s voice broke, “He asked me. He knew what was happening. I had just watched all my friends die in front of me. And then to have him go too...and I never even got to say goodbye…” Tony squeezed his eyes shut, and then opened them, only to look at the ground, “But he trusted me that I would save him. And I failed him. I was holding him when he…” Tony put his head in his hands, “I have to fix this.”
“We will,” Steve promised.
Tony snapped his head head, “Yeah? Well what if we can’t? Ever thought of that?”
Steve had. A lot.
“I’m sorry,” Tony sighed before Steve could respond.
“Don’t be. But this wasn’t your fault Tony. It was all of us, and maybe you know what? Maybe it was none of our faults. Maybe Thanos couldn’t be beaten that time. But now with this...maybe we’ve got a shot,” Cap shrugged.
Tony nodded, “Maybe. Hopefully.”
They sit in silence, except for the whirrs and clicks of the computer.
“Stark?”
“Yeah.”
“When we first came in, that video, or image thing…” Steve stuttered, “You looked away at the end. Why?” Steve asked, “Just curious.”
“It reminds me too much of what happened,” Tony says softly, “And I can’t see that again,” he weakly whispers, “I- I can’t see that again. I see it enough...every night Steve-” Tony shakes his head, rubbing his face, “I always look away. Every time.”
Steve nods.
Silence again.
Just them sitting there, staring at the other side of the room.
“I’m sorry about Bucky,” Tony says suddenly.
Steve purses his lips, feeling that familiar stab that he knows Tony feels as well, “Yeah. Thanks.” He really appreciates that gesture, especially coming from Stark, who’s history with Bucky hadn’t exactly been pleasant. Then Steve looks at Tony and smiles slightly, “We can do this ok?”
“Don’t get soft on me Rogers,” Tony smirks.
“Hey I’m just-” Steve starts to say.
“Shhhh,” Tony says, looking up.
Steve raises an eyebrow, “Hey don’t shush me Stark-”
“No seriously, shut up,” Tony gets to his feet and runs to the other side of the room, “Holy- Steve come here.”
Tony shoves the computer at him and sprints to the corner of the lab, grabbing some weird satellite dishes and cords and plugging them together. He cranks a lever on the machine in the center of the room and grabs the laptop, plugging it in. Steve watches, completely confused, and in awe of how fast Tony’s working, his finger flying across controls Steve hadn’t even noticed were there.
“Turn it up. Laptop. Full volume,” Tony says, biting a screwdriver and playing with some more wires.
“Yep,” Steve says. That, he can do. Tony boosts the signal and finally starts typing. Steve hears static, and then he hears some frequency coming through- it sounds like...words.
“Hello?”
“H-”
“Hel-”
“Doe- co- py?”
“An-one?”
Tony speaks into the speakerphone, “I copy! I repeat, I copy. Who is this?”
“Stark?”
Steve jerks up, giving Tony a surprised look. Tony looks just as confused, “Who is this?”
“It- Scott- it’s- me- Star- k- it’s- me- Lang- Sco- Lan-”
“Scott?” Steve splutters, “Scott Lang? What the heck are you doing?”
“Why the heck is Scott in the Quantum Realm?” Tony asks Steve, “I thought he was dead? Is that where they are?”
“Quan- realm- busine- everyone- Hope- Hank- Janet- were on- comms- now shut- off- can’t- rea- now- stranded- bad- sig- what happened?”
“They probably got snapped,” Tony says sadly, “And now we know that’s where he is, but you were in there before right?”
“Wh-at?”
“Why were you in the Realm?” Tony asks.
“Energy business. Hank Pym-”
Steve nods, “How do we get him out?”
“What’s- going- on?”
Tony grabs his other computer and starts typing furiously, “Stay on the line Scott! We’re getting you out of there ok? Stay on the line! I need to lock onto your signal-” Tony looks around desperately, “Keep him on the line Steve.” Tony runs out of the lab.
“Steve what-”
“Thanos. Snapped. Killed half the population. Turned to dust. Stark’s working to get you back. He needed your signal- incredibly good timing Scott, just stay with us ok?”
“What the- yeah- ok- I’m staying- oh gosh Cassie- get me out o- here guys-”
“Tony!” Steve yells.
“One second!” Tony yells back, “Tell Scott to use up all of the surge he’s got. However he’s contacting us, break it, turn it on and off, do something, just I need a little more to lock- I’m going to try and boost the signal and get a lock, then I’ll pull him out like a magnet.”
Steve repeats what Tony and Scott confirms.
Tony sprints back into the room and drops to the floor, sliding underneath the machine.
“Now!” He yells, his voice muffled.
“Go!” Steve repeats to Scott.
The machine pulses, glowing bright orange, then blue, then green, then red-
There’s a huge bright light in the center and the room is filled with wind.
Then as soon as it turns on, it shuts off. Papers flutter to the ground. Tony peeks out from the bottom of the machine.
“We lost him,” Steve says, holding the laptop, “Is that good or bad?”

Scott blinks, groaning. He clicks off his mask and gasps for air. Are those...birds? Yes! He blinks again, and the pixels fade. He’s flat on his back, staring up at the blue sky. Scott jolts up, ignoring the rushing in his head and he coughs, grabbing his chest. He grips the ground, the beautiful ground. He’s home. Holy crap, Tony did it. He did it.
Scott slowly stands and stumbles a bit, looking around nervously. He catches a glimpse of a street sign and he does a double take. That’s Cassie’s street.
Scott is running, even though he can’t. He makes it halfway down the street before he falls, clutching his head.
“What did you do?”
“Steve?”
“This is no place to die.”
“I am Groot.”
“Something’s happening.”
“Quill?”
“Aw man.”
“It was the only way.”
“I’m sorry.”
“What did it cost?”
“Everything.”
Scott sinks to his knees, squeezing his eyes shut. He knows those voices. Those were his friends. Images flash through his mind, blinding him.
Pain.
Punches.
Blood.
Dust…
Scott gasps, crying out and falling forward onto all fours. He cries out again, gasping and coughing. What the heck was that?
Now he’s up again, forcing himself to forget about the images he saw that are burning the back of his mind and making his spine tingle. He shoves himself up the stairs of Cassie’s house and reaches a trembling hand to hit the doorbell. He sinks to the ground and waits, breathing hard, in so much pain, his chest killing him.
The door opens and he stares up a teenage girl. She stares down at him. He knows those eyes, those beautiful brown eyes. But the girl is taller, and her face is more mature, older, and her hair is pulled back in a ponytail. They stare at each other and then the girl whispers, “Daddy?”
“Dad?!” She shouts, louder this time, before she yanks open the screen door and she shrieks, “DAD?”
“Cassie?” Scott gasps.
The girl drops to her knees, brushing hair behind her ear and she tackles him in a hug. Scott gasps again, hugging his little girl as hard as he can, “Oh thank God, thank God.”
“Where have you been?” She sobs, hitting him weakly with her fists, “Where- have- you been?”
“It’s a long story I was in the Quantum Realm…” Scott says, kissing her.
“It’s been 5 years dad. I thought you were dead!” She sobs into his suit. He holds her head as she cries, trying to register the words.
“5 years?” Scott says breathlessly, “What?”
“People turned to dust, they disappeared, and I thought you did too- and Hank and Hope and Janet never came back and I was scared and I thought you were gone to. For 5 years daddy-” Cassie hugs him harder.
“Cass? What’s-” Paxton comes running towards the door. He stops, seeing Cassie hugging Scott and he blinks, “Lang?”
“Hey Paxt,” Scott says, grinning weakly.
“Maggie!” Paxton yells, kneeling down to give Scott a hug, crashing Cassie between them, “We thought you were dead!”
Maggie, beautiful Maggie, comes jogging in. Her eyes fill with tears and widen in shock when she sees him and she asks, “Scott?”
“Hey Mags,” he whispers. She joins the hug and now they’re all just crying and hugging in a pile on the porch.
5 years?
Right now that doesn’t matter.
All Scott cares about is that his daughter is safe against his chest.

“I’m- I’m Spiderman.”
“I got homework.”
“Alright I’m gonna pretend you didn’t say that.”
“Underoos!”
“You’re done.”
“That’s not a hug I’m just grabbing the door for ya.”
“Why?”
“Because I said so!”
“I’m sorry.”
“Sorry doesn’t cut it.”
“I was just trying to be like you.”
“And I wanted you to be better.”
“THAT’S MY SON!”
“I can’t lose you Pete!”
“It’s me dad, it’s me.”
“What did you do to my kid?”
“Peter, I’m coming.”
“T-tony?”
“I got you kid.”
“Hey man! What’s up Mr. Stark?”
“Kid where’d you come from?”
“Uh, Mr. Stark? I’m being beamed up!”
“Hang on kid!”
“Pete you gotta let go I’m gonna catch you!”
“Mr. Stark it smells like a new car in here!”
“You should not be here.”
“It was such a long way down-”
“And now I gotta hear it.”
“You can’t be friendly neighborhood Spiderman if there’s no neighborhood.”
“Congrats kid, you’re an Avenger now.”
“Don’t encourage him.”
“Don’t touch my kid.”
“NOOOO!”
“TONY!”
“Pete-”
“I got you.”
“I got you first.”
…

“Mr. Stark?”

...

Tony flinches, his brow furrowing as he jolts in bed.
He turns, with wide and fearful eyes, his head snapping to look toward Peter who’s hugging his stomach.
“Tony I- I, I don’t feel so good,” Peter says weakly, looking at him in horror.
Another flinch. Sweat drips down his forehead.
Tony shakes his head, “You’re alright.”
“I don’t...I don’t know what’s happening. I don’t know...I-” Peter staggers forward, and Tony surges for him. Peter’s ankle gives out on him and he falls into Tony’s arms, who catches him. Tony hugs him hard.
The suit flakes up like it does every night. Tony can’t do anything, like he can’t every night.
“I don’t want to go. I don’t want to go- sir please,” Peter sobs in his shoulder, “I don’t want to go, I don’t want to go.”
Tony jolts, gripping his sheets hard. They’re tangled around his legs and he kicks at him, his breathing getting faster, tears coming to his closed eyes.
Peter’s ankle gives out and he lets out a little whimper. Tony can’t keep him upright and pain falres in his side. He crumples as well and together he and Peter fall to the ground. He looks at his kid, crouched over him, his throat choked up. He can’t talk, but he doesn’t know what to say if he could. He can’t breath. Tony doesn’t know what to do. Peter looks so scared, so scared…
Tony is trembling now, muttering, “Pete no- Pete please, I’ve got you kid please don’t-”
“I’m sorry.”
And then Peter looks away. Tony’s just staring in shock at Peter and he grabs his shoulders harder as they crumble beneath him and he’s breathing hard. He’s trying to grip his kid as Peter sinks to the floor, turning to dust.
No, no, no, no, no-
Tony shakes his head, tears falling freely now, kicking his legs and punching his pillow hard. In the back of his mind he hears Pepper crying, “Wake up Tony, wake up!”
But he can’t. He’s shaking, watching helplessly as his son turns to dust.
Watching helplessly like he did every night.
Helplessly like he did on Titan.
Tony can only watch as Peter fades into dust and he falls forward as his son dissolves beneath him completely, his body replaced with grey flakes, his beautiful eyes swirling away, his clenched hands letting go of Tony’s shoulders, his body crumbling into the wind.
“Pete!” Tony bolts up in bed, screaming. He kicks off his sheets and scrambles, his back hitting the bed and he leans against the wall, running a hand through his greying hair. Pepper’s crying too and she scoots up next to him, getting under his arm and crying against his chest. Tony sobs against her, holding her tight, “I’m sorry...I’m sorry Pepper.”
She shakes her head, hugging him hard.

Tony tries to slow his breathing, blinking away tears, shoving his head against the wall.

It’s been 5 years.

And Tony is nowhere close to getting his son back than he was 5 years ago.

People say time heals all wounds.

For Tony, time only made it hurt more.

Authors note: i am so proud i got the time jump right 😱😱haha!!! also now that we're in the future, please take a look at the new fic im writing (but now have completed) called Keep Your Enemies Close... its one of my favorites and best i think so pleaseeeee give that a read and review! Its awesome. Thank you guys <3 and enjoy the rest of endgame :)

Chapter Text

Peter rubs his head with his pencil.
“X is 7, if my math is correct,” Tony states, looking up from the paper he’d been scribbling on, “Which it always is.”
“I got x is 24,” Peter knits his brow. Tony pulls Peter’s paper away from him and Peter takes a look at Tony.
“Where did you go wrong?” Tony asked, skimming the page.
Peter grins and hits him on the shoulder, “Excuse me, Einstein. Your cubed root is 1 off.”
Tony snatched back his paper, “No it’s not.”
“Mhm,” Peter grins, crossing his arms and spinning his chair.
“Well shoot,” Tony huffs. The kid was right.
“It’s okay. You’re still smarter than me,” Peter says, circling his final answer.
“Eh, you’re a brilliant kid Mr. Parker,” Tony spreads his hands.
“Thanks dad,” Peter grins and then goes back to furiously scribbling with his pencil, “If I can get my math done in 5 minutes and do my chem in the morning we can have a solid 3 hours to work on the suits?” Peter suggests hopefully.
“Sounds good kid, well I don’t feel like cooking,” Tony says as he stands, ruffles Peter’s hair and walks to the door, “So I’m getting take out. You want thai?”
“Ummm pizza?” Peter calls back.
“Fair enough,” Tony laughs, “Get your math done Einstein, and if you need help just let me know.”
“I don’t know Tony,” Peter shrugs, “I mean, if you’re gonna mess up a cubed root again-”
“Oh alright,” Tony waves him off.
“Iron Man can’t solve the cubed root of-” Peter mimics a newspaper headline.
“That’s enough from you Parker,” Tony points at him, raising his eyebrows, but he’s grinning.
And now Peter is laughing, and the sound echoes throughout the room as his eyes light up in happiness. He shouts, “I’m joking! I’m joking! I’m sorry!”
“Whatever Pete,” Tony turns away, pretending he’s hurt, but still grinning and now the kid jumps up, still laughing and bounds across the room.
He tackles Tony with a hug and Tony twists so he can hug the laughing teen back. Funny thing- before Peter, Tony hadn’t been much of a hugger. But now he was. He rests his chin on Peter’s head and hugs him, “You’re a brilliant kid you know that Peter?”
Peter nods and Tony ruffles his hair.
“You’re gonna do great things,” Tony promises him.
“But when I go off to college Tony…” Peter trails off.
Tony pulls away and holds his son at arms length, locking eyes with him, “What Pete?”
“I’m going to miss you,” Peter says sadly, “And like what if it’s not the same when I get back or...or…”
Tony knows exactly what the kid was thinking and truth be told he had had similar thoughts.
“Hey,” Tony said firmly, “I’m not losing you, ok Pete? It’s not that I won’t or don’t like to think about it, it’s that I can’t lose you. And I’m not going to.”
Peter hugs him again. His voice is muffled and he asks, “Promise?”
“Promise,” Tony nods.
The vision peels away and Tony closes his eyes as Peter fades. When he opens them he’s back in his lab, still tinkering away. No closer to figuring out what to do than he was 5 years ago.
Tony throws aside his screwdriver that he had been turning in his hands and sighs, running a hand over his face.
“I’m so sorry Pete,” He says to his son.
Tony grips the table and takes a deep breath. The past 5 years have been black and white, a huge contrast to the blinding color that was when Peter had been in his world. Before their fight with Thanos, Tony had wanted to have a kid, but losing Peter made him realize that he had had a kid, and Peter was all he needed really. And just that thought made any thoughts of him hugging any little boy other than Peter like stab to the heart.
Tony stayed in the lab the whole night, working away on things that he could probably never use. He worked through the rest of the night hours, from late at night- 11pm to 10 am.
And it was 10 am when Steve comes bursting in, “Tony! Tony!”
“What-” Tony turns, immediately blinking away some tears and acting nonchalant.
“Hi Tony.” That comes from the person next to him.
“Scott?” Tony chokes, surging forward to give him a hug, “Scotty?! Oh my gosh, I thought we lost you! I thought I lost you! What...wow...gosh Scott I’m so happy you’re ok-”
“No it spit me back out. 5 years man? It was 2 seconds for me,” Scott hugged him back hard.
“2 seconds,” Tony said breathlessly.
“I’ve been one for five years…” Scott rubbed a hand over his head, “I got here as fast as I could after I saw Cassie- is pizza still a thing?”
“Yes Scott,”Tony nodded, smirking a bit.
“What happened? Cassie said stuff about people turning to dust?” Scott said, “Steve tried to explain it but I couldn’t quite wrap my head around it.”
“Thanos? Big purple dude with an infinity gauntlet. We couldn’t stop him. He got all the stones, snapped, and wiped out half the universe. Gone. Just dust in seconds.” Tony bit his lip and gripped his shoulder, “We have a lot to talk about.”
“Wow. So that means Hank and Hope and Janet…” tears came to Scott’s eyes and he hung his head.
“I’m sorry Scott,” Tony said sadly, “We’ve been trying to get them back. We’re close. I’ve just hit a brick wall for the past couple years. Quantum Realm.”
Scott’s eyes lit up, “I can help you out. If anyone else is in there, I can get to them. I know all about the quantum mechanics and all of...that.”
“We don’t want to contact anyone, we want to go in,” Tony says, “There’s something called a time vortex-”
“Oh God no,” Scott shakes his head.
“What do you mean, no?” Tony growls.
Scott winces, “It’s dangerous, and unstable. You could never come back.”
Tony glares at him, “Yeah and if I don’t do something, neither could Peter!”
Scott backs off and he widens his eyes before he puts a hand on Tony’s shoulder, “Oh God. Pete-” He blinks and says sadly, “Tony, I’m so sorry...I didn’t-”
Tony lowers his head.
“How many people…” Scott can’t finish.
“Rocket’s the only guardian left. So Quill, Mantis, Drax, Gamora,” Tony says sadly, “Then Dr. Steven Strange, Sam, Wanda, Vision, Bucky, T’challa, Loki and-” Tony stops, rubbing his nose. Scott knows who the last person is.
Silence.
“I’m sorry Scott,” Tony says suddenly, changing the subject, “I’m sorry I yelled. I’m just...I feel like I’m on the right track and I need you to help me. We’re so close, especially with you here now. If I can control this energy we can find out where Thanos is, where the time vortex is and once all of those pieces are into play we’ll have a plan.” He taps the pencil on the table, “It’s been 5 years Scott, and I’m finally getting somewhere. I’m not giving up now. We need to fix this,” Tony says.
Scott nods, “What can I do?”

Peter and Quill had found Drax, Mantis and Dr. Strange- one after the other. Then Peter found the Falcon- yesterday he thinks, screaming at the faint dot, “Sam?”
“Kid?” he yells back.
Peter nods, sprinting forward. He sees the wings spread and Sam flies forward, taking his goggles off so he could see Peter clearly.
“You’re here…” Sam says breathlessly, grabbing Peter’s arms and holding him tightly.
Peter nods, biting his lip.
“No, not you Pete…” Sam shakes his head in sadness, “You shouldn’t be here-”
Peter feels tears comes to his eyes.
“Who else-” Sam says, putting a hand on Peter’s shoulder, “Who else-”
Today they find Wanda, Bucky and T’challa. Peter had never met T’challa, but he knew that he had helped Bucky and Tony spoke highly of him; Peter trusted him. Then just now they found Groot which was quite a shock, and the teenage tree was currently hugging Quill and looked like he was never letting go. Rocket never showed up though...which either meant he was still out there, or he was one of the people that hadn’t turned to dust.
Dr. Strange no longer had the time stone.
No one knew what to do.
Sam was speaking with T’challa, Wanda, Dr. Strange and Quill. Mantis was speaking with Drax, her arm around her friend. Peter felt rather alone, even though he wasn’t anymore. Whenever he tried to bring something up it was always, “Not now kid.” or “Hold on Peter.” or “Peter tell me in a second.”
Peter was angry. He wasn’t a kid. He was the only one trying to stay positive, as he watched his friends crumble in front of him. Peter was constantly trying to keep everyone happy and hopeful, but even Quill had lost his sense of humor. On the inside, Peter was scared, and lonely, and sad. But he knew that if he showed that, there would be no happiness, no hope left. And he wasn’t about to give up on Tony. He would never give up on Tony. Peter would wait for a million years if it meant he could see his dad again.
He needed time to think. He needed time to figure this all out. Everyone was too busy.
No one noticed when Peter walked off on his own.

Tony typed on his computer and then looked up, “Ok Scott are you ready?”
“Hold on the algorithm is off,” Scott said, furiously working. It had been 4 days since he showed up. They found the truck still on top of the building and with a few modifications, new designs Tony had made, and no sleep, they were ready to test the new tunnel. Tony was tired of waiting. If he ever got Peter back, the first thing he would say to his kid was that he was sorry he took so long.
Tony cranked up the power, his hands shaking. He shoves them in his pockets and cranes his neck to look at Scott, “How do we know if this works?”
“We don’t,” Scott shrugged, “I don’t think.” He flicks the machine on his wrist that Tony made to control his movements through time. The light in the center flickers, then goes bright. It doesn’t flicker anymore but Scott glares at him, “That’s comforting.”
“Don’t drop that,” Tony warned.
“Yeah that would be bad. Also, it better work,” Scott eyes him nervously.
“No promises,” Tony sniffs, winking, “Ready?”
“Nope,” Scott rubs his hands together and tenses, his finger up, hovering over the button on his hand.
“You do your part, I’ll do mine,” Tony assures him, smirking, “I’ve got steady hands.” Of course at that moment, Tony decides to fumble his pencil and drop it on the ground. It clatters and lays still on the floor. He grins, “That doesn’t count.”
“I’m screwed,” Scott grumbles, smiling slightly.
Tony nodded, “Alright. Good luck.”
Scott nods, clicking his mask into place, “I’m ready.”
“On in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Go for it Scotty-” Tony pushes the space bar.
The machine whurs to life and Scott shrinks, jumping into the portal.
Tony waits. And waits.
Nothing happens.
He waits for 10 minutes.
15 minutes.
Nothing.
Tony sighs and blinks. He typed a bit on his computer and then looked up, “Ok Scott are you ready?”
“Hold on the Algorithm is off,” Scott said, furiously working.
Tony cranked up the power, “How do we know if this works?”
“We don’t,” Scott shrugged, “I don’t think.” He flicks the machine on his wrist and the light in the center flickers, then goes bright. Scott glares at him, “That’s comforting.”
“Don’t drop that,” Tony warned.
“Yeah that would be bad. Also it better work,” Scott eyes him nervously.
“No promises,” Tony sniffs, winking, “Ready?”
“Nope.”
“You do your part, I’ll do mine,” Tony assures him, smirking, “I’ve got steady hands.”
Of course at that moment, Tony decides to fumble his pencil and it drops. He watches as it’s about to clatter to the floor.
Then suddenly there’s a rush of air and Scott materializes right below him, gripping the pencil an inch from the ground. Tony stumbles back into the nearest table, slightly annoyed, “Scott what the heck?”
Scott takes of the mask and stares up at Tony, breathing hard, “Don’t drop it again.”
“Again?” Tony asks.
Scott sinks to the ground on his back and blinks. Then he grins, “It worked.”
“It worked?!” Tony yells, helping Scott up off the ground.
“It worked!” Scott said, almost falling into Tony as he stands, “I went in, cranked the watch, put in the time and it was like you’re watching everything happen from a camera,” Scott recalls, blinking. He gulps down water Tony gives him, “And then you...meld with your old self and relive it. I knew you were going to drop the pencil and that’s how I knew we would...figure it out. It’s like deja vu.”
“It worked,” Tony said breathlessly, turning off the machine and running his hands through his hair.
“It worked,” Scott grinned, clapping Tony on the back, “You did it Tony.”
“Not yet,” Tony said, “Not yet. But almost,” he nods, generally hopeful for the first time in weeks, no- years. And he whispered again, “Almost.”

Steve almost lost it when Tony came barging into the room with Scott, whooping like little kids. Scott was in his suit, Tony looked like crap, but he was smiling. Pepper looked up from her book on the couch. Nat was playing pool with Clint who had been staying at the compound for a little over 2 years, ever since his family turned to dust from Thanos’ snap.
Rhodey put down his bowl of cereal. Rocket looked up from a bomb he was fiddling with. Tony looked right at Steve, grinning. Everyone was surprised. No one had seen Tony this happy in years. 5 years to be exact.
“We,” Tony gasped when everyone had his attention.
“Just went back,” Scott continued.
“In time,” Tony finished.
Steve stands, “What does that mean?”
Tony grins, “It means I know how to save everyone.”
It takes a while to get everyone into the lab, but they do it. Tony and Scott talk for about 15 minutes straight, and to be honest, Steve doesn’t get a word of the science they’re explaining, pointing to different parts of the machine, saying big words, and showing models, drawings and millions of papers with math all over it.
“You want to do what?”
Tony nodded quickly, “Sounds crazy, but we did it. Scott and I just proved that we can go back in time and figure it all out. And if we can replicate that, just farther back...all the way back, we’ll get a second chance. And a third chance. We’ll get to do it again, and again, and again, until we get it. Until we win,” Tony finished.
“And you did this?” Steve asks “You-”
“Went back in time yeah,” Tony crosses his arms, nodding happily.
“This is a big deal Tony,” Steve says.
“I know,” Tony nods.
“We need to really think about whether we should do this,” Steve tells him.
“Oh yeah definitely,” Tony nods, waiting a second, before he says, “Let’s do it.”
“Tony,” Steve warns.
“What?” Stark snaps, “Steve don’t go soft on me now.”
“Who said anything about getting soft? I’m saying it’s dangerous,” Steve said calmly.
“Everything’s dangerous. Don’t malign me on dangerous,” Tony said angrily. He backed down at Steve’s angry look and sighed. “Don’t you get it Steve,” Tony asked, “We have a second chance! A chance to make things right!”
“This is the closest we’ve been to getting everyone back. I’m not taking another week to have a debate. I don’t know if we’ll get another chance like this. And I don’t know if it will work. But I’d rather die trying, than live knowing there was a chance to save them...to save him...and I didn’t take it,” Tony said softly.
Steve watches him and realizes he’s right. Tony and Steve both lost someone. For Tony it was Peter, the closest thing he had to a son, and for Steve it was Bucky, his brother, and Sam, his best friend. And Steve knew this was chance to save him, and if didn’t take it, he knew he would never live with himself.
“I think it’s worth a shot,” Scott said honestly.
Steve sighed, and he looked around the room. Everyone was staring at him and Tony.
Steve finally takes a breath, “Ok.”
The room erupts in cheers. Tony tugs Pepper into him and kisses her. The two exchange some words and Steve hears Tony say, “I’m gonna get him back-”
Rhodey goes over and claps Steve on the shoulder.
Tony faces him and puts out his hand, still smiling.
Steve grins and gives him a firm handshake, “Let’s get them back.”
Tony grins, “Let’s get them back.”
He’s never seen his friends so happy in 5 years.

Tony was working late one night, doing some research on brain tension for when they come out of the Quantum Realm. Scott had been pretty tired and he had only gone back in time about 3 minutes. He had to do something to make sure they didn’t die or anything when going back 5 years. He had BARF on, and the normal lab setting was gone, it was instead a living room and in front of him he saw he and Peter watching Star Trek while eating ice cream. Tony had his table and computer in front of him, fiddling away. He could hear Peter’s hushed whispers mimicking the lines and see him throwing popcorn at Tony. It hurt, but it kept him focussed. It hurt, but it reminded Tony that this was his fault and that he needed to fix this. It reminded him that Peter was probably out there somewhere, alone and scared, waiting for Tony to come get him, and Tony wasn’t about to fail his kid twice.
Tony sighed. He was used to the stabbing feeling that was coming up on him. The rush of pain, the ache in his heart, the shaking of his fingers. Tony blinked it away like he did every time.
But this time it wouldn’t go away. He blinked again and then there was searing pain in his chest, like a heart attack. Tony stood, his hands shaking. This hadn’t happened in a long time. A very, very long time. He started to breath faster, his legs shaking as he moves away from the table, shoving his chair away. And then there’s a ringing in his ears, and Tony suddenly gets a splitting headache. He falls to his knees, gripping his ears and squeezing his eyes shut. Not again. Not again. Tony thought it was the kind of panic attacks he had the first year since Peter faded, but no...he realizes this is different. This is different.
Tony gasps, the ringing fading, the pain stopping just as quickly as it had started and he opens his eyes.
“What the…” he says quietly. His lab had always been gone, because BARF was on, but now the living room setting was gone too. It was all orange. Everything. He couldn’t tell what was the sky, or walls, or what...it was just endless orange. Tony moved slightly and felt something weird. He looked down.
He was kneeling in an inch of water.

Peter was walking. He didn’t know where, he just was. Walking aimlessly, trying to clear his head. He realized he was still smiling, an act he had put up for everyone. It was a genuine smile he forced on his face whenever someone talked to him. But no one was here. Peter cut the act. He hung his head and wrung his hands while walking. After a while, he stopped walking and just sat down, putting his knees up to his chest. He slowly lowers his head and rests his forehead on his knees.
“Tony where are you…” he murmurs, blinking back tears.
He promised...Tony had promised wherever Peter was, whatever happened- he would always be there for him and he would always come back for him.
“I can’t do it anymore. I’m tired of waiting...I need to do something,” Peter sobs. He’s talking to Tony if he can hear him, which he probably can’t, “Dad I’m scared. I’m not strong- I’m sorry I’m not being strong. I just...I just want to go home.”
Tony would save him. Peter knew that. He always did. Peter didn’t know how long it had been; there was no way to keep time. But he figured it had been a long time.
“I miss you dad. I miss...watching Star Trek and Star wars and eating ice cream, and saving people and driving with you and going on the roof with you and-” Peter shakes his head, blinking away tears, “And you have to be ok…” Peter sobbed, remembering the blade that had gone right through Tony’s chest. The blade he couldn’t stop.
“And you probably think this is your fault but it’s not Tony- it’s mine- I didn’t do enough, I couldn’t...and I’m sorry. I just miss you so much and I want just 5 minutes to tell you that I’m never leaving you again and that I would give anything to just hug you again and-” Peter looks up into the orange sky, “I love you dad.” Peter chokes on his words and his sob echos a bit. He’s shaking, so scared, so alone in this vast and endless world.
Tony was working tirelessly, he knew that. Maybe it was just taking longer. Or maybe this awful thing that happened just couldn’t be reversed. Maybe Peter would be stuck here forever-
“Pete?” He hears.
Peter scrunches his face up, rubbing his eyes with a balled fist. He missed Tony so much. He was used to hearing his dad call his name. It’s what kept him going. He didn’t just hear his name, but other things Tony said. It was normal now. Peter didn’t think twice about it. Millions of quotes just run through his head, familiar sound in his ears.
“Pete!”
That wasn’t in his head. Peter looks up, straightening. For a second he thought it was Quill or someone, but no, this was another voice- and Peter knows it. He freezes. There’s something or someone behind him. The voice is coming from behind him. Peter slowly uncurls from his self hug and turns his head, his eyes blurry with tears...but despite that he can still see the person approaching him.
Peter whispers, “Tony?”

Tony was walking. He didn’t know where, he just was. Walking aimlessly, trying to figure out what this place was and why he was here. Tony suddenly feels himself falling forward to the water but he never hits it. He’s upright again, like he’s moved somewhere else, but the setting gives away no clues if he had. It’s like one of those rides when you spin, your world turned inside out. Tony blinks, shaking his head when he hears a slight sob from a ways behind him. He turns around and looks, seeing a small figure on the ground, hugging their legs to their chest. Their back is to Tony and on it…
A spider that Tony knows all too well.
He stumbles forward, “Pete?”
No reaction. Tony continues walking. If this is a dream, Tony swears to-
Maybe he didn’t hear him, Tony thinks, his mind whirling.
“Pete!” Tony says, his voice shaking. He stops in his tracks. Waiting. Hoping. Wishing. God please…
The kid straightens and slowly turns his head to look over his shoulder. The boy's curly brown hair falls almost in front of his eyes and his eyebrows knit. The kid mouths, "Tony?" It's the eyes that give it away. They suddenly become so bright and happy, a grin breaking out on the young boy's face.
It’s Peter.
Tony picks up his pace again, staggering forward, “Peter!”
Peter jumps to his feet, scrambling and splashing and runs forward, screaming, “Tony? TONY? DAD!”
Tony lunges for Peter, and Peter lunges for him-
And then Peter goes through him. Tony gasps, looking down, his hands grasping empty air. Tony whirls and Peter is standing there a foot behind him, steadying himself. Peter turns to face him, and almost in tears, looks at his hands and feels his chest, as if he’s making sure he’s not fading away again. Terrible thing was that Tony was thinking the same thing, wondering if he had just let his son slip through his fingers a second time. But Peter wasn’t turning to dust- they just couldn’t touch. Tony reaches for his kid again, wanting nothing more in the world but to hug him. His hand passes right through Peter, and Peter tries again as well, but his hand passes right through Tony.
Tony stares, his heart breaking, “Pete I-”
“Are you real?” Peter asks quietly, gripping his own hand to his chest like he’s afraid of it.
“Yes Pete- yes, it’s me,” Tony assures him. Peter doesn’t look convinced.
“I’m real Pete. I’m real,” Tony pleads with him, “Oh God kid I’ve missed you so much,” Tony says.
“I missed you too,” Peter smiles sadly, looking down at his trembling hands.
“Why can’t we-” Tony and Peter’s hands pass through each other again. It’s the worst moment in the world. He hears his kid bite back a sob, and sees his son is shaking.
“Hey it’s gonna be ok Pete ok?” Tony assures him. Truth be told, he didn’t know if it would be ok. That’s what scared him. He would gladly trade places with Peter in a heartbeat, but he couldn’t. So he had to be supportive, even if it was indefinite. Unfortunately, Peter knew him too well, so he could probably tell that he was indefinite. But Peter didn’t mind. Peter never minded. That was the worst part. Through all the mistakes he made, not once did Peter think low of him. That kid saw through all the bad and looked up to him for the good, believed in him, stood by him, put up with him, connected with him- more than anyone except Pepper did. Tony realizes that he had changed after he met Peter, he had changed a lot. It was a good change.They both sink to the ground. Peter keeps trying to grab Tony’s arm in vain, getting more desperate with each swipe, when he finally gives up, huddled on the ground, wrapping his arms around himself, tears streaming down his cheeks.
And Tony can’t even hug him.

“Peter this is all my fault. I’m so sorry- I’m just glad you’re ok-”
Peter smiles slightly, grinning up at Tony. It’s been a while. He looks at how tired Tony is...how sad...how much greyer his buzz cut has gotten. Even his eyes show the pain that was caused by Peter. This was all his fault.
“Ok, ok- God look at you kid-” Tony reaches out a hand to put on his shoulder and then remembers and lets it fall to his side, “You’re so mature. You’ve grown up…”
“I want to go home,” Peter says quietly.
“I’m coming to get you,” Tony says.
Peter’s face lights up.
“In a way,” Tony says, “Scott and I have mastered time travel. We’re trying to fix this by getting a second chance. We’re going to reverse time really really far back, and try and reverse things.”
“Ok,” Peter nods, smiling, relieved, “Ok. You can do it. I know you.”
“Only took 5 years,” Tony says sadly, “I’m so sorry kid.”
“5 years…” Peter says breathlessly, “May…”
“She’s ok,” Tony says, “Devastated, but ok. You’ll see her again soon, I promise.” Tony rubs a hand over his face, wincing, “This is all my fault Peter and I’m sorry,” Tony says sadly.
“No,” Peter shakes his head violently, “No it’s not.”
“You realize I never said anything right? I should have been there for you. I was selfish- I was so worried about losing you I held you so tight and I never said that I loved you or I got you or anything,” Tony shakes his head, locking eyes with Peter.
Peter takes a breath, “It’s ok. I know.”
“Peter I’m sorry…”
“Stop,” Peter shakes his head, “Don’t say that. Tony I miss you so much-”
“I miss you too kid. So much-” Tony says.
“Tony are you ok? Were you ok?” Peter says softly.
Tony raises his eyebrows, “What do you think kid? My son faded to dust right in front of my eyes because of me and it took me 5 years to even get close to getting him back.”
Peter feels tears come to his eyes and he breaks eye contact, feeling awful. He stares at the water and then mumbles, “If you aren’t eating or sleeping I swear to God,” he warns him.
Tony doesn’t answer.
Peter crosses his arms. Look at this. 5 minutes with Tony and they were already back to their old selves.
Then Tony jolts, “The others, did you find the others?”
Peter nods, staring at the water. He rubs his eyes, “Sam, Bucky, Wanda, Groot and then everyone on Titan.”
He moves his hand toward Tony’s and it just passes through again. He bites his lip. Tony can’t even put his arm around him. Right when he thought he got his dad back, he just disappeared, in a way, again. This wasn’t the reunion he was expecting.
“How did you find them?” Tony asked.
“I found Quill first…” Peter scrunches up his eyebrows, “I just found him...I don’t know. I heard his voice, like stuff he’s said and saw some of the times I was with him, like memories.”
“It’s connections,” Tony says softly, looking down at Peter who’s trying to make sense of what he’s saying, “That’s how I’m here. Quantum Energy and time...Peter, that’s how I’m here. That’s how we can get back- I have to remember that...kid you’re a genius.”
Peter grins at him, a genuine smile, not forced, “I didn’t quite understand that.”
“It’s ok,” Tony laughs.
“And I’m not a genius, I’m gifted, remember?”
Tony goes to shove him with his shoulder, and can’t. Peter lowers his gaze so Tony can’t see the pain in his eyes.
Tony must feel it too and bites his lip, “I miss you so much Peter Parker,” Tony says thoughtfully, smiling down at Peter. At that moment, millions of different instances when Tony has given him that same look flash through Peter’s mind as Tony finishes his sentence, “So much.”
“Me too,” Peter says sadly. He leans backward out of habit to lean against Tony, forgetting for a moment that they can’t touch, when suddenly he hits something. Tony looks down and Peter’s head that’s rested against his shoulder. Peter jolts upright, spinning around. Did he just-?
Tony looks just as surprised. Tony holds out his hand.
“Go for it Peter,” he says, nodding.
Peter moves his hand out shakily and to his despair, it passes through Tony’s. His heart drops and Peter bites his lip. Maybe they imagined it. But he was so sure he felt Tony’s warm chest against him, and he was sure he felt safe again, like the old times. The feeling was still warming him up.
“Try again Pete,” Tony says, “Concentrate. It’s all about the connection. And we’ve got a big one. I love you so much kid.”
“I love you too Tony,” Peter says, his eyes filling with tears.
“Grab my hand Pete,” Tony nods, his voice shaking, “Take my hand underoos-”
Peter furrows his brow and closes his eyes, reaching out toward Tony.

He breaks free of the beam and slams into the side of the ship, starting to climb up the side with his spider abilities. He grips the side hard, “Dad!”
He’s so scared. They’re so high. It’s getting so hard to breath. Where’s Tony?...he wants his dad.
“Give me a little juice FRIDAY,” he hears Tony say to his A.I. from far away. Then Tony spoke to Peter, “Pete you gotta let go. I’m gonna catch you.”
“But you said save the wizard!” Peter protested, looking behind him which was another mistake. His hands were slipping and his head was pounding. His lungs were closing up and Peter sucked air through his mask, reaching up to tear it off. Peter grips the back of it and pulls it up over his head, gasping, his hair blowing over his forehead as he grips the ship with one hand. Peter chokes out, “I—I can’t breathe.”
Tony’s voice sounds like it’s underwater, “We’re too high up. You’re running out of air.”
“Yeah,” Peter gasps, “That...makes...sense…”
“Pete stay awake!”
He can’t...he can’t…
Peter’s fingers slip, his eyes close, and he feels the wind snatch him away.
“No!” Tony yells.
Then he falls, and Peter just thinks, “Catch me dad, catch me.”

Catch me dad, Peter pleads, so close to brushing Tony’s hand.
Catch me.
“Come on Pete,” Tony urges.
Peter keeps his eyes closed, images flashing through his head. He and Tony- every single moment they’ve had all combined within a millisecond.
Catch me, he thinks. Please Tony-

And suddenly there’s a hand grabbing his and Peter opens his eyes in shock, letting out a joyful laugh and Tony pulls him forward. Peter falls into Tony’s embrace and now he’s against Tony’s chest and his dad is hugging him hard, both hands wrapped firm around his back and up to opposite shoulders, never wanting to let go.
Peter sobs, tears falling down his cheeks as he hugs Tony back, who’s now resting his chin on his head. Peter laughs again, a happy laugh that’s choked by a sob, relief flooding through him. 5 years of waiting are finally up. Had it been that long? It feels longer now that he thinks about it. And now Tony is gripping him at arm's length, grinning, ruffling his hair, grasping his shoulders and hugging him again and Peter wants nothing more than to stay like this forever.
He hugs Tony hard.
“I’m coming to get you Peter, ok?” Tony says softly.
“You promise?” Peter pleads.
“I promise,” Tony whispers.
“Ok,” Peter nods quietly.
“I love you more than anything in the world Peter,” Tony says, hugging him hard.
“I love you too dad,” Peter cries, burying his face into Tony’s chest. Tony shudders then, and Peter’s spine tingles. He feels like Tony is being pulled away and they both just grip each other harder. They both know something is happening, and this was all too similar.
Peter bites back a sob, “Tony don’t...don’t go please, I don’t want you to go-”
What a twisted parallel, sadly ironic, because before, Peter had been the one going. There was already a stab in his chest, his heartbeat speeding up. If he held Tony hard enough maybe he could stop him from-
Tony grips him hard, taking a shaky breath, “I’m sorry kid.”
“No- Tony please,” Peter pleads, shaking his head, freaking out, his breathing getting faster.
“It’s gonna be ok? Ok?” Tony says, locking eyes with him, cupping his neck, “I’m coming back for you. I’m gonna fix this. I promise. I need you to be strong Peter. Please-”
“I don’t want you to go,” Peter says, but he steadies his breathing, “Don’t leave me Tony-”
He sees the pain in Tony’s eyes.
“I got you kid,” Tony promises, his voice breaking, cracking with emotion. He ruffles Peter’s hair and locks eyes with him, “I promise-”
Then Peter blinks and he’s gone.
It all happened so fast.
But Peter knows he wasn’t making that up. Tony was here. And everything he said was true. Everything.
Tony was coming back for him.
He was going to go home.
Everything was going to be ok.
His dad loved him.
Peter sits up, steadying his breathing. But tears are still streaming down Peter’s cheeks… because he never got to say it back.
Peter whispers to the empty world that held him captive:
“I got you first.”

“Tony!”
“Tony wake up!”
Tony felt like he wasn’t in his body. He heard a voice but he couldn’t see where it was coming from. He still saw the orange world, but he was switching back and forth. Tony grits his teeth. He didn’t want to leave his kid. He couldn’t even see him but he knew he was there. He had just found Peter and now he was leaving again.
But somehow in the back of his mind he hears Peter.
“Go back to them dad. It’s ok.”
Ok kid, he thinks, ok.
And Tony spirals back into reality.
Tony gasps, on the knees, gripping his chest.
Steve is gripping his shoulders, keeping him upright, steady. Tony would have pitched forward onto all fours if it hadn’t been for Steve’s strong arms.
“Tony you ok?” He asked, “What happened?”
Tony looks up at him and smiles slightly, “I saw Peter.”

“Are you sure that’s what happened?” Steve says, rubbing his chin.
“Yes,” Tony nods, “That’s how it works. They’re in this world, it’s orange, there’s an inch of water, like an endless horizon. But you can reach them through your bond, through your connection.”
“Why you though? What happened?” Scott asks.
Steve had just come by to check on Tony when he sees him on all fours, grasping his chest, his eye squeezed shut. It had been about 3 minutes before Tony came back to him, and by the time he did, his calls had attracted everyone to the lab.
“I don’t know,” Tony shrugged, “I just fell over, there was this searing pain in my head and then I was there. At first we couldn’t touch, but when we did...when we did, it was because of a connection. My mind just thought of when I first found him under the rubble...i don’t know what he thought of but it was enough. It got us through, it got strong enough.”
“What color did you say the world was?” Rhodey asks.
“Orange, why?” Tony says.
“Isn’t that the color of the soul stone?” Rhodey says grimly.
Tony murmurs under his breath.
“Language,” Steve says out of habit, “Suppose you’re right Rhodes. What does that mean?”
“It means we need to fix this. By going back in time.”
Steve rubs his head, “You’re gonna need to explain what we have to do, how we have to do it, and how we aren’t going to screw up our entire world,” Steve says.
“Gladly,” Tony grins, “What did you think you were gonna do? Wing it?”

Chapter Text

“Alright, we ready?” Tony asked.
“Yeah,” Steve said, holding his clipboard.
“Yes,” Thor said in a booming voice. Tony had briefed the guy already the minute he had come back from wherever he was to help them out. Tony wanted him time traveling too. Thor had sadly been teh one to confirm that it wasn't just Earth that had lost half of it's population, but the universe as well. The god looked scared and more solemn, and no one wanted to pry. Knowing that information only made their success more critical.
“I call it BARF. Binary Augmented Retro Framing,” Tony said, “We’ll analyze the fight pattern, take notes, then practice actually fighting it. That way when we go in, we know what punches to block and where to hit, what to do and what not to do,” Tony said. Then he got grim, “And we may lose. The first time is not gonna be the charm. We have to be prepared for going through all that again.”
“We’ll remember going back in time,” Scott explained, “So if we get it wrong, all we do is just reverse it again.”
“And in terms of how many chances we get…” Steve questioned.
Tony shrugs, “As many as we want I’m hoping. It’s gonna be more than we expect.”
“How far are we going back?” Rhodey asked.
Tony rubbed his chin and said, “For starters, just the 5 years, see if we can do things differently and maybe have a different outcome. But if that doesn’t work, we’ll just do time jumps. Keep going further and further until we can fix it.”
“How far back do you plan to go?”
“Worst case,” Tony said, “13 years. New York.”
“We’re going to expose alternate timelines,” Scott summed up.
“Dr. Strange told me he saw over 14 million possible solutions in just one hour. That means there are over 14 million timelines. So every change we make is probably one of those 14 million- heck, he probably even saw what we’re doing right now.”
“How many did we win? Did he say?” Steve asked warily.
Tony gave him a look, “You’re not gonna like the odds.”
“How many?” Steve said again.
Tony sighed, “One.”
“One?” Thor repeated.
“Tony, that’s not good…” Bruce said warily.
Steve sank back in his chair. Clint whistled.
“Yeah,” Tony said, anxious to change the subject, “Ok, next thing. We’ll be using quantum energy to make this work. You’ll each be getting one of these,” Tony held up the strapable wrist device he had made, “I combined the quantum energy with a bit of my nanotech. This is what you will use to go back in time and stuff. If you lose this...you drop out of the time loop and we’re on our own. I don't know what happens. Same thing if you die. I think we can just reverse time, but I’m not entirely sure so I wouldn’t take that chance.”
“This first one will be a trial run,” Scott said, “We’ll see how much we can change with the small things.”
“Then we’ll work up. Go back further and further, and maybe the information we know now can help us.”
“Isn’t that dangerous?” Natasha asked.
“Yes,” Tony said, nodding, “Very. Which is why you can’t tell anyone about this. In the present, and the past, because if you do, it can seriously screw up the future- which is the present right now. It’s confusing.”
“Ok so I’m not the only one whose mind is blown,” Clint assured himself.
“Another thing,” Tony cleared his throat, “Try and say the same things, or at least similar to? We don’t want to mess it up too much, especially the farther back we go.”
“Just stick with us folks and you should be good,” Scott assured everyone. He faked a big smile, “Please pull twice on your harness and keep your hands and feet inside the- sorry. Not a good time?”
“Scott shut up,” Tony smirked.
Scott grinned. He clasped his hands, “Alright let’s get started. Fire up BARF.”
“Scott can I talk to you for a minute?” Tony said, “Before we start? Just some quick technical stuff.”
“Yeah,” Scott said, moving over to the corner, “What’s up?”
Tony made sure the team wasn’t looking and Scott bit his lip, “I have a feeling it’s not technical stuff.”
“Yeah it’s not,” Tony said quickly, “You can’t come.” Tony winced, “Hate to be flat out, but I’ve got to be just straight with you.”
“What? Why not? No, I can help!” Scott said.
“I know you can. And I want you to come. But you can’t. You see, if you go back with us, and we mess up again, we’ll need to time travel. And if you come with us, you’ll never get stuck in the Quantum Realm, you’ll never come in contact with me, I’ll never get you out, and we’ll never figure out time travel to try and fix this again.”
Scott realizes he’s right, Tony can tell by his expression.
“I’m sorry man,” Tony says softly, gripping his arm.
“No- it’s- it’s ok,” Scott rubs his head, “You’re right. If things go South...you’re right.”
“Yeah,” Tony said sadly.
“Well let’s make sure things don’t go south ok?” Scott gave him a forced smile and clapped him on the back, “Let’s get this movie night started.”

“We’re gonna be split,” Tony said at the front, ”Nebula and I will be on Titan when we go back, and you all will be on Wakanda. If I fail on Titan, Thanos will come to you. And you need to be ready. I’ll try and alter a few things with Nebula, I’ll go over a bit with her later. But for right now, we’ll start with Wakanda which is where the majority of you were,” Tony said. Nebula nodded, silent in the corner as usual.
BARF was still confusing, but Steve thinks he got the general gist of it. Tony had explained it as, “A machine that can portray past memories that you can watch from third person form.” Steve got that. He held his breath as the background changed and he was standing in a green field. The others were standing around him. They looked up the hill and saw their old selves ready for battle.
Steve ran through a shortened version of the conversation that went on for 2 and a half hours.
“Rhodey take note of which bombs you could save for later,” Steve directed, “We’ll have T’challa open the barrier at the same time, that worked ok. Thor, a little earlier would be nice.”
Thor nods, “If I can, I will. Etri was a little clingy. But I don't...know if that's the right word. He has no hands now.”
No one commented on that.
They watched the battle between beast and man. It was violent and brutal and Steve hated reliving it.
“Clint, stay hidden, help from the shadows. If it goes well, come on out afterward. If it doesn’t, we’ll have to restart it again so it won’t matter,” Tony said.
Clint nods, “Will do.”
“Someone needs to tell Wanda to stay up top with Vision,” Tony notes.
“No,” Steve said, “That had to happen.”
“She killed Proxima Midnight,” Natasha said, “and hundreds of those beasts. Vision had to get taken.”
Tony mutters under his breath, “Fine.”
“Bruce you need to get to Vision, try to get hulk out again,” Steve points out.
“Yeah,” Bruce nods.
“Steve go right for Vision when you get the call,” Tony notes.
“Yep,” Steve says. He sees himself break out of the tree line and tackle Glaive, yelling at Vision to go. But Steve knew he wouldn’t go, Vision would be the one to finish their enemy off. And he does, stabbing hm right through the heart.
“Bruce, whatever you did, do it again,” Nat calls out, and Steve notices a fireball bouncing across the forcefield with a sort of human like scream. It explodes at the top of the barrier.
“Yep,” Bruce said.
“Everyone, meet up at Cap’s location. Try a different tactic of approach. Work together, don’t go separately. Cap I still don’t know how you were able to hold that glove…” Tony muttered.
“If we can’t get to Wanda and Vision, the stone is taken and Thor is our last hope,” Cap says.
“Thor?” Tony said.
“Yes Stark?” Thor said.
“Please go for the head,” Tony said.

“Tony…” Pepper said, facing Tony to say her painful goodbye.
“I know Pepp, I know, it’s risky, but we have to do this. We have to try.” Tony gives her a hug.
“Be careful ok?” she says, gripping his shoulders, staring right into his eyes.
“Yeah,” he says, his voice breaking a bit, “Pepper if anything happens-”
“I know,” she cuts him off, nodding, blinking away tears, “But you have to try. You’re saving the world...you’re saving all of them.” She looks him over fondly, smiling slightly.
Tony nods, “I’m going to try.”
Pepper nods, her eyes gleaming, “Well are you gonna face Thanos with a jacket and jeans? Put on the suit,” she mocks.
Tony grins and he puts out his hand. The Iron Man repulsor flies in from around and the corner and clamps around his fingers. Nanotech spreads out, concealing his whole body in his new and improved metal suit. He detaches his helmet and gives it to Pepper before he wraps his arms around her waist and swings her around. Tony dips her, kissing her lightly and she holds the helmet loosely in her hands that are around his neck as she kisses him back.
“Don’t do anything stupid,” she says, locking eyes with him again. He had a habit of doing stupid things and she didn’t like it.
“Uhhh, no promises,” Tony grins. She laughs as he straightens, setting her back down. He steadies her and Pepper smirks again, turning the helmet in her hand and flipping her hair over her shoulder with the other.
“How about a kiss for good luck?” Tony says cockily.
Pepper smirks and narrows her eyes. She kisses the helmet instead and then plops it on his head. It molds with the suit and Pepper crosses her arms, smiling slightly, “Come back to me, and then we’ll see about that.”
“FRIDAY did she just-” Tony gasps in fake shock. She knows he’s kidding.
“She did sir,” FRIDAY sounds mildly amused.
“Touche Mrs. Stark,” he said, before he grinned, “I still love the sound of that,” Tony says, “Okay, fine, fine, then one more.” He taps the metal mouth, “Come on Pepp.”
Pepper laughs and leans to kiss the helmet when, at the last second, the nanoparticles recede and he leans forward and kisses her.
“You little-” Pepper laughs, but she doesn’t pull away.
“Genius?” Tony guessed, “Billionaire? Playboy? Philanthropist?”
“Hero,” Pepper corrects. Because that’s what he is.
Tony coughs, raising his eyebrows, “Not quite the word I was thinking of-”
“Well if it was you would be telepathic,” Pepper says.
Tony grins, “Who says I’m not?”
“Me, because you would not like what I just said if you were,” she smirks.
“What- wait, what did you-” Tony says, reaching for her. Pepper hugs him before he can get to her and he wraps his arms around her, taking a deep breath. The mood suddenly shifts to seriousness.
“I will come back,” he says softly, “I will come back to you.”
“I know,” she says softly, closing her eyes and holding him tight. Then she pulls away and taps the arc reactor on his chest, “Go be a hero,” Pepper says, “And go get him back.”
“Yes ma’am,” Tony says softly, before he blasts off down the hall.

Get him back.
Tony walks up the steps he hadn’t been up in 5 years. He gets to the very top and puts his hand on the cold handle. He never opens the door. Not yet. Memories flood back to him.
“Why didn’t we take the elevator?” He remembered Peter groaning.
His own voice rings in his head, “You tired Spiderman?”
“No. Just asking.” He can still see Peter grinning.
Tony takes a deep breath, “Because the elevator can’t take us up here kid.” He opens the door and steps out onto the roof. Tony walks over to the ledge and sits down where he and Peter had sat so long ago. Tony’s smiles to himself and whispers, “I like it up here.”
For a second he almost hears Peter’s happy response, “So do I.”
Tony remembered what he had said, “If you ever need to talk, or if you ever need a place to think or you’re stressed, or something happened or anything, go up here Pete, ok? If I can’t find you or you can’t find me for some reason, go up here. And I’ll know where you are.”
Tony’s left hand is shaking and he rubs it out of habit. He never had a good left arm.
“Well Pete,” Tony said quietly, “I’m here. And I don’t know what to do kid. I messed up. I messed up bad. And you paid the price.” Tony shakes his head, shivering. He pulls his coat closer to his neck, shivering in the night air, “I miss you so much Peter. And if I can’t get you back...I don’t know what I’ll do. You’re the only thing that’s been getting me through these 5 years. And now I’m so close to making things right and getting that second chance, and I realize- I’m not ready. I can’t lose again. I can’t lose you...again.”
His voice rings in his head, and he doesn’t realize how much the old conversation hurt now.
“I don’t plan on losing you Pete. Ever. I’m going to annoy the heck out of you until the day I die, I hope you know that.”
“I know, Dad…”
“I did lose you,” Tony says softly, “I did lose you Pete and I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” Tony flinches as a flashback plays in his head.
“Mr Stark?”
“I don’t want to go-”
“I’m sorry…”
Tony feels tears in his eyes and he curls his hand into a fist and looks up, “But I’m not going to stop until I get you back. I won’t stop. I promise. I’m getting you back Pete, I’m getting you back.”
Tony gets up and takes a breath, “Good...good chat kid. See you soon.” He walks towards the door. Crossing the roof, he remembers Peter saying, “I couldn’t sleep.”
“I know you couldn’t; I had a feeling,” Tony had grinned.
“We’re connected,” Peter had nodded happily.
“Darn right we are,” Tony whispered, “I got you kid.”
Peter wasn’t here to say, “I got you first.”
“He will be,” Tony assured himself, “Get him back Tony. Get him back.”
Get him back.
“Get him back,” Tony whispered to himself. He and Nebula had decided with the team a couple things to try. Stopping Quill from waking Thanos up, trying different methods of fighting, and just fighting with the knowledge of what Thanos would do next. Tony had to avoid that moon, that’s for sure. Tony takes a breath, strapping the wrist device on and turning around to face the team.
“Is everyone ready?” Tony asks, “Make sure your helmets are on, you don’t want any quantum energy messing with your brain. It will knock you out cold,” Tony said.
“Again, don’t break this. Or we may not be able to get you back,” Scott added, tapping the device that was glowing on his wrist.
“Practice run,” Tony says, almost reminding himself, “Act normal.”
“Ready?” Scott says.
Everyone takes their place in front of the portal. Tony has his hand on the lever.
“Is this a bad time to bring up the fact I have to go to the bathroom?” Steve says, trying to lighten the move.
“Yes,” Tony laughs, “Beam us up Scotty,” he says, nodding to Scott who flicks the switch. Tony pushes the button and he lunges for the group as they are all sucked inside the machine.
Tony wakes up spiraling in mid air. It’s a mix of colors and his setting is changing. Steve is next to him, blinking and shaking his head, most likely to clear the dizziness. Tony was almost always flying so the whole flipping and tumbling thing that just happened didn’t bother him.
“Alright you ready?” He calls out, “Does everyone copy?”
Everyone, from different parts in the Realm spoke back to him and Tony sucked in a breath, gripping his wrist device, “Good luck everyone. 3, 2, 1- turn. Let’s do this.”

It’s like when you rewind a tape. Everything starts off slow. Then it gets faster, until it’s a blur of pictures. But certain things stick out, images, voices, words, emotions, all crashing together, spiraling and bouncing in your head. Tony’s ears start to ring and he squeezes his eyes shut for a second, before opening them. He slowly sees things happening around him, brighter and fuzzier, like an unfocussed camera. And Tony is forced into the past.
He quickly stabilizes himself since he’s in midair and sees Thanos, held down by all of his friends. What did he do? What did he do? The gauntlet! He grabbed the gauntlet!
Tony flew down and gripped the gauntlet, yanking it. He looks to his right and almost sobs inside his helmet. Peter. It’s Peter.
Tony forces himself to concentrate and he mimics the words he had said originally, “Parker, help! Get over here. She can’t hold him much longer, let’s go.” Peter immediately ties his web down and sprints over to Tony’s side, and all Tony wants in the world is to hug him, but he knows he can’t. Peter lets out a little yell of determination as he pulls with Tony, the gauntlet sliding off very, very slowly. Why won’t it come off?
“The fingers,” Tony mutters, “We’ve got to open the fingers.”
Peter nods, groaning with effort. Tony feels tears come to his eyes. His kid was back. Peter was here, next to him. But he couldn’t say anything. Not yet.
Just then, Quill flies over and lands, his rocket boots powering down and he does a sort of skip over, a smug grin on his face, “Thought you’d be hard to catch. For the record this is my plan. Not so strong now huh?” He gets up right in the face of Thanos and snarls, “Where’s Gamora?”
Shoot, Tony thinks. He remembers this.
“My...Gamora…” Thanos murmurs.
Quill’s face screws up and he mutters, “No, bull-” His face is tight in angry glare, “Where is she?!”
“He is in anguish,” Mantis says, tears streaming down her cheeks.
“Good,” Quill says angrily, looking back at the titan.
“He...he mourns…” She sobs.
“What does this monster,” Drax gasps, still pulling on his leg, “Have to mourn?”
“Gamora,” Nebula says. Tony jumps. He realized she was behind him. He gives her a nod, and she nods back.
“What?” Quill says breathlessly, turning around.
Nebula repeats what she said the first time, “He took her to Vormir. He came back with the Soul Stone. But she didn’t.”
Tony notices Quill’s hand is shaking, his face full of shock and anger, his glare on the titan. Peter and Tony are still yanking on the glove.
“Come on, come on-” Peter hisses next to him, pulling harder. The kid’s mask recedes and Tony looks this time; he hadn’t before. Peter’s eyes are tearful and he lets out a strangled sob, “Quill wait-” The kid groans in effort, still pulling on the gauntlet.
Tony remembered saying something. He had to say something. He will his mask recedes to his neck, “Quill, cool it right now. Understand? Don’t. Don’t. Don’t engage. We’ve almost got this off!” Tony screams at Quill who is unmoving, staring at the titan. He keeps pulling on the gauntlet, trying to pull harder than he did last time. He didn’t want to hurt his friend. But he would if he had to.
“Tell me she’s lying,” Quill says softly before he raises his voice and yells, “Tell me you didn’t do it!”
“I...had...to…” Thanos breaths out, and Tony almost mimics him.
“No you didn’t,” Quill says quietly, shaking his head, “No you didn’t.”
Peter’s crying, his shoulders heaving, tears streaming down his face and Tony bites his lip. Quil isn’t going to stop. He’s going to break Mantis’ concentration. They’re going to lose.
“Ahhhh!” Quill screams, his eyes flashing and he brings back his arm, “NO YOU DIDN”T!”
“No!” Tony yells and he lets go of the gauntlet and he and Nebula both tackle Quill, the gun hitting Tony on the side of the head. Peter lets out a shriek but Tony’s ok. He loses his footing, but he wills the suit to propel him forward and both he and Quill shoot across the ground, sliding a couple feet forward. All he knows is that Quill is on the ground and he hasn’t hit the titan yet.
Tony wrestles his friend who’s trying to get out from underneath him, grabbing his arm, “Hey! Stop, stop!”
Peter pulls the gauntlet harder to make up for the loss of Tony who’s struggling to retain Quill who’s fighting him off.
“Hey, stop! Stop!” Tony yells at him again as they wrestle.
Peter’s yanking and yanking, desperate now, and he gasps out, “It’s coming, it’s coming, I got it, I got it-”
Quill punches Tony across the face. It’s a weak punch, and he knows Quill held back, but it still makes Tony angry. He brings back his metal fist and hits Quill across the head. Quill slowly loses his fight, still struggling, just weaker. Tony whispers, “Sorry Quill.”
“I got it!” Peter shout and Tony turns and sees the kid give one last yank. He falls backward from the momentum and lands on his butt, holding the golden gauntlet tightly to his chest in awe. He looks up at Tony in shock.
“I got it! Tony, what do I do?” Peter asks nervously.
Tony is about to answer, still holding Quill down with one hand, when he sees the Thanos’ gaze flicker. Nebula sees it too. She pulls out her knife.
“Run,” Tony says, before he raises his voice, “Pete RUN!”
Peter scrambles to his feet fearfully and holds the gauntlet tight, giving Tony one last look before he sprints, and then swings himself away.
“Quill stop!” Tony shouts at his friend, whose face is scrunched up in anger, “We need to-”
Then suddenly Thanos roars and Tony looks up, getting to his feet. The titan grabs Mantis and chucks her off weakly, and kicks Drax in the chest into Nebula who had surged forward. Even without the gauntlet he was strong. 3 of his friends were down in a matter of seconds. Thanos wraps the red vines around his hand and yanks them forward. It’s an aggressive move neither he or Dr. Strange was expecting as the doctor gets grabbed around the throat and thrown to the side like a toy, his head hitting a rock. Quill lets out an angry yell and shoots at the titan, but they barely do any damage but make Thanos stagger and he easily bats Quill aside, crushing one of his fallen guns under his foot. All of that happened within a matter of seconds. Tony squares off against the titan, who gives him an angry, yet curious look as he realizes both of his hands are bare.
“The gauntlet,” Thanos mutters.
“Yeah, you lost something you big purple piece of-” Tony spits.
“Who’s missing?” Thanos wonders out loud.
Tony raises his missile.
Thanos grins, “The spider.” The titan’s expression darkens, “Where is he Stark?”
Tony fires.

Peter scrambles behind a fallen wall in an abandoned ship. Tony had told him to run. He ran. He didn’t stop- he hadn’t stopped. His feet had taken him somewhere pretty far away, swinging and sprinting, faster and faster. There’s silence as he lays there, his back pressed up against a cold metal surface. He takes a deep breath and looks down at the prize in his trembling hands. The gauntlet lays safe in his arms, gleaming even though there’s little light, 4 infinity stones glowing in their spots. Where was Tony? What does he do now? Wait?
Peter sets the gauntlet down and peeks out from behind his hiding place. He hears a noise and he creeps around the other side to see what it is. He sees nothing. Peter makes sure the gauntlet is still there and then he creeps forward even more. There’s a noise ahead of him and Peter sprints to the left, away from the gauntlet to draw whoever came in off track. Then he silently loops around back and pressing his back up against the wall at his hiding spot, the gauntlet still next to him.
Then he hears his voice being called, “Peter! Pete! Kid!”
Peter peeks out from behind the crumpled structure and breathes a sigh of relief, shouting, “Tony!”
Tony is stumbling in, his Iron Man suit looking rather beat up and half gone. The armor is chipping off and his dad is walking with a limp. There’s a weird look in his eyes. Peter lunges for him and hugs him. Tony seems shocked for a second, then hugs him back before he pulls away and locks eyes with Peter, “Where’s the gauntlet?”
“Are you ok?” Peter asks, ignoring him, “Where’s Thanos?”
“The gauntlet Pete, where’s the gauntlet?” Tony snaps at him. Peter’s brow furrows and he straightens, a little shocked. Tony never snapped at him. Then Tony stumbles forward, his ankle buckling and Peter catches him easily, setting him upright, still clutching his arm.
Peter smiles slightly, “I got you.”
“I know,” Tony smiles back.
Peter freezes. He stops walking and Tony turns around to face him.
“I know you do kid,” Tony says, as if trying to assure him. He gives him a warm smile. Peter ducks out from under Tony’s arm and looks at him questionly. He slowly backs away.
Tony frowns, “What’s wrong kid?”
Peter continues to back up. Something isn’t right.
“That’s not the line,” A voice says from behind them. Peter turns around and sees Tony there, with his red and yellow titanium suit gleaming, a glare on his face. That’s his dad.
“It’s ‘I got you first”,” Tony snarls, “Now get away from my son you little-” Tony shoots a missle at the other Tony and it blows up, and Thanos becomes visible when the smoke clears. The titan turns and snarls, much bigger than Peter realized. He glares down at Peter who feels really small all of a sudden.
“Holy-” Peter yelps, scrambling away.
Peter ducks a swipe from the mad titan. The purple fist comes down right where Peter had been, cracking the ground. He turns on his heel and sprints, going for the gauntlet. Peter slides for it, webbing it toward him, grabbing it in his arms and running forward, only for the titan to block his path. Peter spins and runs the other direction, flinging himself higher with a web. He starts to swing toward Tony who had flew forward. Then he feels a strong hand grab his ankle and Peter feels himself get yanked. He’s still gripping his web with one hand, the gauntlet with the other. He looks behind him and Thanos has a purple fist firm around Peter’s leg and he won’t let up. Peter’s hand on his web was slipping as Thanos pulls harder and sweat breaks out on Peter’s forehead. Tony’s shooting forward but Peter knows he’s not going to make it in time. Whatever happened, Thanos couldn’t get the gauntlet. Peter sucks in a breath, brings back his arm and throws that gauntlet as hard as he can towards Tony who catches it mid air, diving to save it.
Then Tony yells, “No! Kid hang on-”
Peter locks eyes with him. Their gaze says everything as Peter’s hand slips. The titan roars in anger and pulls Peter’s leg so hard he swears it could have ripped something out of its socket. He flings him aside and Peter barely hears Tony’s scream of anger as the world spins and he feels himself falling very, very fast. The force cracks his spiderlegs that try to protect his fall and he hits the cold ground hard, tumbling to a stop, out of breath, pain flaring through his body. He coughs, wincing as he goes to get to his feet but he reacts to late. In no time Thanos is already behind him, his arm around Peter’s throat. Peter chokes and struggles, but he’s no match for the titan, who is surprisingly strong even without the gauntlet that Tony is holding.
Tony holds the gauntlet and he’s looking around for them since Peter had fallen behind a fallen part of the ship. He obviously doesn’t see Peter or Thanos yet. Thanos drags Peter forward, making him stumble as they come out from behind the broken structures of the ship.
Peter can’t help it. Tears come to his eyes and he shouts, “Tony!”
Iron Man spins around, finding them immediately. Tony’s eyes meet Peter’s and he doesn’t think he’s ever seen them more fearful.
“Pete-” Tony says weakly.
“Hello Stark,” Thanos says, tightening his arm around Peter’s throat. Peter chokes, letting out a cry of pain against his will. He kicks his legs and struggles to pull the titan’s arm away from his throat.
“Let go of my kid,” Tony snarls back. He looks down at the gauntlet in his hand, and Peter knows exactly what he’s thinking.
“Don’t give it to him Tony!” Peter yells.
“What a hero,” Thanos mutters, looking down at Peter with some sort of twisted respect, “But are you willing to die?”
“NO!” Tony screams, flying forward a bit, “No! No- I’ll give you the gauntlet,” Tony’s voice breaks, “Just let him go.”
Peter’s struggling to breath now. His movements are sluggish.
“He’s just a kid. You’re killing him, please-” Tony tries to reason with the titan who knows full well that his strength is choking Peter. “Let him go!” Tony yells angrily again, “I’ll give you the gauntlet.”
“No,” Peter croaks, “Tony no-”
“The kid’s right Stark. I’m going to say no,” Thanos says, “And do you know why?” The titan raises his other hand and grins, “Because I already have the gauntlet.” Red magic peels back, revealing the golden gauntlet, on Thanos’ hand, the red stone gleaming, “Reality, can be such a shame.”
Tony watches as the gauntlet he was holding crumbled away and with it, his leverage against the titan. Tony looks up in shock. He lands on the ground and walks forward.
“Stay there Stark,” Thanos warns, his voice low and threatening. Tony freezes. Peter’s trembling, still trying to wriggle out of the grip around his throat.
“Please no,” Tony says weakly.
Peter’s shaking, breathing in short gasps, and he can see the gauntlet out of the corner of his eye, gleaming. Peter wills the mask to recede to his neck so he can breath a little better.
“So young,” Thanos says grudgingly. Peter still struggles, hitting at Thanos’ arm.
“Feisty too. He takes after you Stark,” Thanos says, nodding in Tony’s direction.
Tony’s glare is fierce, “Let. Him. Go.”
Thanos brushes his golden thumb over Peter’s hair and Peter winces, gritting his teeth.
The titan nods, “Same features, same fire.”
He tilts Peters head side to side before tilting it back to look at his face despite Peters attempts to shake him off.
Thanos raises his eyebrows, “He’s even got the same eyes. So much strength and courage-”
“Don’t touch him,” Tony hisses.
Peter’s watching, just concentrating on breathing, in short bursts, choking on the minimal air.
“Tony-” Peter chokes out. Tony locks eyes with him, looking very much in pain.
“Are you going to save him Tony? Do you think you could? Like you are going to save them all?” Thanos mocks.
Tony looks like he doesn’t know what to say to that and Thanos grins. He looks down at his gauntlet, “If you would excuse me, I have to find the time stone, and you’re just stalling.”
The gauntlet gleams and Peter sucks in a breath, a tear falling down his cheek as he closes his eyes.
“NO!” Tony yells.
Thanos shakes his head, “I respect you Stark. So I won’t. When I’m done, half of humanity will still exist. If fate chooses you to leave, I hope they remember you. And you, Peter.”
“You’re not going…” Peter chokes, “to get a thank you-”
The titan smirks, “Very much like Stark.”
Peter’s head is drooping lower, from not getting enough oxygen. His knees are buckling. Then suddenly Thanos releases him, and Peter has no energy to stay upright. His eyes close for a split second, going into the back of his head, and he crumples to his knees and then to his side. His head hits the pavement, making him even more dizzy as he lays there, helpless, shaking and taking big gasps for air. He sees Tony run forward and stop a foot from him, a missile pointed right at Thanos’ face.
“Get away from him,” Tony demands through gritted teeth, “Get away right now.”
Thanos smiles, and simply levels the gauntlet at Peter. Tony’s arm dips, shaking.
Peter’s coughing, wincing in pain on the ground, still trying to take in oxygen he had been deprived off. Thanos makes eyes contact with him and Peter weakly raises himself to his elbows. Tony and he get closer to each other.
The titan squares off against Tony, “You’ll lose. And you’ll be to blame. You’re no hero.”
That’s it. Peter snarls and raises his arm with difficulty, bringing his two fingers to his palm. A web hits Thanos in the face and Tony uses that opportunity to shoot a missile at him, blowing him backward. Peter gets to his feet somehow and shoots another web, right at Thanos’ crotch, just to piss him off and he growls as he steps in front of Tony, “You want to say that again?”
Thanos seems mildly amused, brushing the webs off like they’re dust. Tony grabs Peter’s arm and pulls him back, regaining his spot in the front.
“You’re a fighter Peter,” Thanos says, looking past Tony to make eye contact with him. Thanos addresses him directly, ignoring Tony completely as he frowns, “It’s too bad you’re on the wrong side.” The titan straightens, “You and Stark both.” Then he nods, “I’ll see you in the fight.”
The stones glow and Tony instinctively turns and tackles Peter to the ground, turning so he doesn’t take the hit- grabbing him and sheltering him with his body. There’s a blast but Tony’s suit does it’s job well, firing an equal shot to stop Thanos’ beam as the titan sinks back into a portal, leading to where the fight was originally. Tony and Peter tumble from the force of the blast and they come to a stop, sprawled out on the ground.
Tony grabs Peter who is shaking.
“Are you okay? Are you ok?” Tony says, holding Peter tight.
“Yeah,” Peter says, looking up at him in tears, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry- I thought it was it, I didn’t know he had it- I’m sorry Tony. I’m sorry.”
“Pete no-” Tony’s voice breaks, “No. It wasn’t your fault.”
Tony hugs him and Peter hugs him back. Peter doesn’t want to let him go. He feels safe with both of Tony’s arms wrapped around him.
They know they can’t stay there.
But they wish they could.

Steve feels like he’s been thrown in a washing machine. Swirling and swirling and then it just suddenly stops. He’s on the battlefield, staring out into the vast green plain. T’challa is next to him, and Steve’s heart hurts for his friend. But it hurts even more when Steve looks to his right. Bucky is there, gripping his gun and glaring at the barrier. It’s Bucky...
“They’re killing themselves,” Okoye says breathlessly, her expression tight. Her voice snaps Steve out of his pain. Natasha catches his eye and she nods. Steve nods back and then forces himself to stare straight ahead. The first of the beasts make it past the barrier without dying, but there’s a growing dark mob right in the center. Steve takes a breath as the ranks next to him all put up their shields with a battle cry.
“Rhodes save your fire,” Steve reminds him, speaking into the comms.
“Will do Cap,” Rhodes copies.
“You see the teeth on those things?” comes a shout from the comms.
“Alright, back up, Sam,” Rhodey says in the comms, “You’re gonna get your wings singed.”
T’challa sees the entrance blown up as Rhodes makes a pass, dropping only one bomb this time. A smaller fireball explodes at the foot of the dome, and the Wakandan troops take out any remaining ones.
Cap points out the group of beats running along the side. On cue, Rhodey’s voice comes through the comms.
“Cap, if these things circle the perimeter, and get in behind us...there’s nothing between them and Vision.”
Cap knows what he has to say, “Then we better keep ‘em in front of us.” He shares a look with T’challa who nods.
“How do we do that?”
T’challa raises his wrist like he did the last time, “On my signal, open North-West section 17.”
Cap straightens, taking another deep breath.
“On my signal,” T’challa repeats next to him.
“This will be the end of Wakanda,” M’baku says sadly.
“Then it will be the noblest ending in...in history,” Okoye says with effort, choking on her words.
Yes it will be, Cap thinks, unless they win.
T’challa takes a deep breath and puts his hands across his chest, his claws coming out. Cap readies his shield.
Cap yells it with him, “WAKANDA FOREVER!”
Steve sprints down the hill, head to head with T’challa. He dives into the crowd of snarling beasts once again.
Steve whirls and fights, flipping and slashing with his shields, harder than last time, faster than last time, smarter than last time. He punches and kicks, leading beasts into T’challa’s line of fire when he shoots his purple kinetic blasts. He lasts longer, he knows that, and kills more beasts than he had the first time, but even he knows he’s going to get overwhelmed eventually, just like last time.
Again he hears, “How much longer Shuri?” And again he hears, “You might want to pick up the pace!”
Cap flings himself forward, stabbing his shield into two monsters, this time. T’challa pulses with purple energy and 5 of them are immediately blown back from him. He spins and punches on in the throat, not flinching this time as its teeth come so close to his face. Cap whirls again, slashing with his shields, getting on top of one and then rolling off as another lunges forward. An arrow comes out of nowhere as shoots one that’s behind him. He knows that’s Clint, but he doesn’t know where he is. Steve survives for about 10 more minutes than he did last time, taking on some of T’Challa’s beasts so that they both don’t get overwhelmed. But eventually, the inevitable happens. There comes a time when he can’t get up. Cap yells, going for the stomach’s this time, since he’s learned that’s the most vulnerable spots, but the more beasts he kills, the more swarm him, and he finds himself in the same situation as before, pushing a snarling beast away from his face, blocking the swipes from the arms with his shields.
Cap blocks the claw that would have slashed his side like last time.
“Thor come on,” Cap mumbles, still fighting, using the beasts weight to their advantage. He can’t see how Bucky, Bruce, or T’challa are doing.
Just then there’s a familiar rumble and Cap sees the blinding white light through the pile of monsters. It shatters the ground and explodes, throwing even more beasts back than the last time. Steve struggles to his feet and sees T’challa, Bucky, Bruce, and Rhodes have done the same. Cap squints at the colorful rainbow beam that slowly fades away and leaves a burned mark on the ground. 3 people are standing in the light, and Cap knows every single one of them.
Cap grins as Thor walks out, making eye contact with Cap and nodding. A very happy Rocket and Groot at his side, ready for battle.
“You guys are so screwed now!” Bruce shouts happily.
“You’re late!” Steve calls.
Thor’s eyes spark and he’s holding an axe in his hand, practically radiating electricity, “I am right on time Rogers,” he says. He turns to the next wave of beasts approaching. The sky turns dark, lighting crackling through the clouds.
Thor roars and hefts his ask, breaking into a slow jog, “BRING ME THANOS!” The god jumps into the air, everything around him sparking blue and he brings the axe down on the ground, blowing the first 100 beasts backward. The ground trembles and Cap joins him as they launch themselves into battle once again.
Steve finds himself back to back with Thor about 10 minutes later and he finally gets to say hi.
“I hate the haircut,” Steve jokes.
“I don’t like your beard,” Thor grins, guestering to Steve’s chin.
Steve nods and shrugs, “I’m thinking of cutting it.”
“By the way,” Thor gestures to Groot who has stuck a branch through 3 snarling and now dying beasts. The god grins, “this is a friend of mine, Tree.”
Steve grins, “Oh is it now?”
“I am Groot!” Groot says.
“Don’t still know what that means,” Cap says.
“I still do. And you would not like it Rogers,” Thor says.
“Eventually you have to tell me,” Steve grins.
“It’s more fun this way,” Thor decides, before blasting himself up.
“Good talk Thor,” Steve grins.
Cap tackles a beast off of a Wakandan soldier and slashes his shield. He goes for another only to hear a noise behind him. This time Steve doesn’t turn around because he knows what it is. Sure enough, a second later the beast is chucked into the sky. Without looking, Steve yells, “Thanks Groot!” He dives back into battle, leaving the little tree confused on how Steve knew it was him.

Chapter Text

Steve ran faster through the forest. Get to Vision, get to Vision. Bruce’s call already came in, and Steve didn’t hesitate this time, he just ran. The same fireball shot toward the barrier and exploded and he said, “Nice job Bruce. I’m closing in on Vision now-”
He hears commotion in the woods ahead and arrives about a minute before he had last time. Steve bursts out of the woods, breaking through the tree line and tackles the man before he can stab Vision.
They roll, wet leaves flying up as Cap gets to his feet and tells Vision once again to, “Get out of here! Go!”
Cap doesn’t know if Vision will stick around this time, but he hears a groan and a shuffle and figures he is. After a brief fight, Cap allows himself to get brought to the ground and punches the man in the face. The man raises the knife, but Cap sees Vision behind him this time because he’s looking for him.
“It’s gonna hurt,” Cap says to the man who has his knife raised over Cap’s head.
“What’s going to-” he snarls.
On cue Vision thrusts the spear through his chest, lifting him off Cap and throwing him to the side, the blade shooting cleanly through his body.
“That,” Steve rolls and gets to his feet, grabbing Vision before he can even stumble this time and looks at his friend, not wanting to lose him again. He says the old line with a shaking voice, “I told you to go.”
Vision smiles weakly before he looks Steve right in the eyes, “We don’t trade lives Captain.”

Tony and Peter immediately get back into the fight, helping their friends who have been holding their own. Tony wished he could have hugged his kid longer, but they knew they had to get back. Tony notices that Peter fights with more anger now, quicker, harder, faster- even shouting insults at the mad titan as he shoots webs at his face.
Tony whips out his blue sword like last time but instead goes for Thanos’ legs and gives him an uppercut- contrary to what the titan expected. Thanos roars angrily and shoots a purple blast that hits Tony in the chest, but it is clear the hits Tony gave him weakened him a bit more than last time. Tony grips the ground, ripping up rocks as he’s thrown backward and looks up. Thanos shoots a blast at Quill, Nebula and Drax, going for their knees. Quill and Drax get hit, but Nebula knew it was coming and she jumps to avoid it, diving over the purple line and somersaulting. She slides under his next burst because of pure skill before she stands and her hand lashes out, throwing a knife that Thanos has to bat away. Tony goes in for another hit and makes contact. Peter follows suit, kicking Thanos in the knee and swinging himself around. Thanos kicks Nebula in the chest as she tries to attack from the side ands she goes flying. Tony stands from his last hit, and then sees the purple stone glowing at him and thinks, uh oh. He braces but then Peter shoots a web, turning the gauntlet toward him instead. Thanos loses power from the sudden jerk so only a small blast comes out and catches Peter in the shoulder. It’s enough to make the kid cry out in pain as he stumbles back, falling to the ground.
“Pete-” Tony growls.
“I’m fine,” Peter yelps through the coms, “Sorry.”
While Tony is distracting Thanos with some bullets, Pete shoots a web at Thanos and tries to yank his arm back but Thanos breaks the web like it’s made of toilet paper and Peter falls backward again, into a pile of rubble.
Thanos ignores him and turns back toward Tony and puts his fist in the air. He closes it, the power stone gleaming again, and Tony sees the familiar moon being thrown at him.
But this time he’s not letting this stupid piece of rock hit him. He fires up all thrusters and shoots himself to the side, using some new missile tech to explode any rocks near him.
Tony continues to dodge and looks for Peter who’s also weaving himself around in mid air, avoiding falling rocks. The moon still makes contact with the surface, and with it, the impact still comes
“Tony!” Peter yells.
“Go kid!” Tony yells at him, “Help them!”
Quill, Drax and Mantis are free falling, but Nebula is hopping on rocks, holding her own, finding solid ground to get to. Tony’s flying sideways, avoiding more rocks, breathing in short gasps as FRIDAY tells him where to go. The ground is tossed up somehow, the world breaking and flipping and Tony fires through one section of big rocks, avoiding the huge chunk that crushed him last time. He’s maneuvering through the sky, so fast he almost crashes into Dr. Strange who has a force field up and he grabs Tony’s arm, yanking him into the force field and casting a spell to slant the rocks towards Thanos. He shouts, “Go help Peter! I’ll hold him off!”
“You sure?” Tony asks.
“Yes! Go!” Strange pushes him out of the forcefield.
Tony flies, searching, searching.
“FRIDAY locate-”
“Sir GO!” FRIDAY yells urgently.
Tony turns to where his display shows and his heart goes to his throat. He yells, “Peter!”
Had this happened last time?
Peter had done what Tony told him to, he went and helped Quill, Mantis, and Drax. He had them all safely on the ground and he sees his kid fall from the rock he had slid off of and land hard on his stomach, tumbling to a stop by their friends he had just saved. But that’s not what FRIDAY had warned him about. Tony raises his gaze and sees the huge section of rock, almost the size of the moon, fall right on top of him, just as Peter looks up. There’s no way he could catch that- the kid would be crushed!
Tony dove forward, spiraling out of the sky.

Peter’s exhausted, but he’s gotten all 3 down safely in one pile, all next to each other, a foot off the ground because of webs. Peter swings back and forth, knocking away any falling rocks before he himself himself, trying and failing to stop himself from falling flat on his stomach. Peter tries to roll with it, and fails, instead crushing himself into the hard rock and sliding to a stop right at the feet of his three unconscious friends. He groans and gets to his feet before he hears Karen scream in his ears.
“Peter above you!”
Peter barely has time to look before he sees a huge slab of a building crashing down on them. There’s no time to move everyone and even if he could, there’s no way he could carry all of them-
Peter doesn’t know what else to do but try and catch it. He puts up his hands and braces, the spider legs spreading out around him. When he first feels the slab make contact with his hands, Peter almost blacks out- that’s how heavy it is. He almost falls down, letting the rock crush them all, but he somehow stays standing. Peter yells in pain and grits his teeth, willing the mask to recede so he can breathe properly. He lets out another yell as it slowly pushes him further to the ground. His feet make cracks. Peter blinks, trying to clear his dizziness. It’s so close to touching Quill whom Peter is stopping the rock from crushing. Peter lets out another scream, his legs trembling, his body ready to buckle and he’s shaking. He squeezes his eyes shut.
It’s too similar...way to similar-
His mind goes back to the building he was trapped under.
“Hello?! Please! Hey! I’m down here! I’m stuck- I can’t move, I can’t-”
Peter lets out a cry and forces the memory away. Peter had to do this. He lets out another yell as his arms burn, but takes a breath, still trembling. The spider legs threaten to crack under the weight.
“Come on Peter,” he mumbles, his head swimming. He feels like he’s on fire. It burns! It hurts, oh God it hurts...
“Come on Peter,” he says again, shaking under the weight, “Come on Spiderman…” His arms feel like they’re being shredded and Peter’s chest hurts with every breath he takes. He blinks, trying to focus and slowly tries to raise himself, his legs screaming in pain.
And then suddenly he sees a flash of hot rod red and yellow as a blurry figure, blurry from the pain, slides under the rock and stands next to him.
“I got you kid,” someone says and a little weight lifts off his shoulders.
Peter blinks spots away and says, “I got you...first.”
Tony’s there, using some boosters to push up with Peter, before pushing up himself.
“Tony I can’t-” Peter bites his lip hard, his arms shaking.
“You can kid. Give me a bit more Pete ok? Just a bit more-”
“What the-?” Quill wakes up groggily and immediately blinks, assessing the situation, and finds Peter and Tony mere feet away from him, the big rock so close to crushing all of them.
Tony says, “Pete can’t hold this long. Get Mantis and Drax out- don’t come back for us, I’ll get Peter-”
“Tony you need to get out-” Peter says weakly, his mask peeling away revealing his scrunched up face, beaded with sweat, hair sticking to his forehead and a cut lip. He can taste the blood.
Tony shakes his head, “I’m not leaving you kid! Quill, go!”
“Yep,” Quill says, dragging Mantis and Drax out from under the rock. As soon as he’s out, Tony turns to Peter. They both know Peter’s the one holding most of the weight, even with the boosters.
“Peter I need you to give me all you’ve got ok kid?” Tony yells at Peter who’s slowly losing his grip on the rock. Drenched in sweat and shaking, Peter nods. Tony positions himself next to Peter and as one, they all push up, Tony’s blasters doing their job perfectly, blasting up the rock on one side. The minute there’s an opening Peter’s spider legs sink back into his suit and Tony grabs him, shooting towards the opening. They make it out and the rock crashes down behind them, the impact pitching them forward, like it had back at te HYDRA compound so long ago.
This time Tony doesn’t let Peter go and he holds him to his chest, making sure his suit is the thing that takes the hits on the ground. They slide to a stop and Peter blinks in the sunlight, dizzy and exhausted.
Quill runs over, “You guys ok?”
“I think so,” Tony says, setting Peter to the ground, “You ok kid?”
“Yeah,” Peter says weakly, gripping Tony’s arms as he gasps, “I can’t- see straight. It burns…”
“I’ve got you,” Tony says softly.
Peter blinks away dust that’s flown into his eyes and squints to see Tony correctly, “I...got you first.”
“Yeah he’s done,” Tony says, standing up, “Quill keep Peter here. I’m gonna go finish off Barney.”
“Who’s Barney?” Quill asks.
Tony ignores him.
‘No, no-” Peter tries to get up, “I’m fine, I’m fine I can help-”
“Peter no,” Tony pushes him gently back down, “You have kid. I need you to stay out of this one.”
“Tony-” Peter says weakly, but his strength is leaving him. Is vision is pixeling. He doesn’t have the strength to push off Tony and Tony knows it. Peter gasps on the ground, blinking, his curls soaked in sweat stuck over his eyes.
“You’re... impossible,” Peter says weakly to Tony.
“Love you kid,” Tony winks, before he nods at Quill and blasts off again.

Tony slams his fist and knee onto the ground, a perfect landing and he straightens, facing off against the titan. Quill had Peter, and Mantis and Drax lay unconscious next to him. Tony didn’t see Nebula. He hoped she was ok. Dr. Strange had taken some big hits and Tony sees him unconscious, his head bleeding, a long, long ways away. Tony was on his own.
“You throw another moon at me,” Tony swears, “And I’m gonna lose it.” He liked that line too much to get rid of it.
“Tony Stark,” Thanos greets him with a smile, “How’s Peter doing?”
Tony snarls at that, and he knows Thanos can tell even though his helmet covers his face.
“I want to ask you Stark,” Thanos says, like they’re having a casual talk, “what are you fighting for?” The titan narrows his eyes, “You fight for a world that hates you half the time, and tolerates you the other half. They don’t see you as a hero, they see you as a threat. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking,” Thanos says, raising the gauntlet. The orange stone gleans, “lately, and turns out you’re not the only one cursed with knowledge.”
Tony shakes his head and snarls, “My only curse is you.” This time 1 triangle shaped explosive fly out of the back of his suit, heading right for Thanos. Instead it dips forward at the last second on Tony’s command and hits the ground in front of Thanos, the ground exploding up. Thanos stumbles back, blinded by the dust and Tony makes the move he had made last time, just earlier. He flies at the titan, bringing his leg across his body and smacking it into Thano’s arm. It clams around the gauntlet and locks it to the ground. Tony twists, letting out a yell of anger, before he wills his arm to build up with some nano tech and he slams it across the titan’s face. Thanos’ head whips to the side and the titan brings his finger up to brush a tiny cut on the side of his face. A small smear is on his finger. He looks at Tony mockingly and mutters, “All that for-”
This time Tony doesn’t wait for him to finish his sentence, and he brings his other arm around, slamming it into Thanos’ chest so hard the gauntlet on his arm breaks off and the titan goes flying back.
“A drop of blood?” Tony hisses.
The titan snarls and shoots a blast of purple that Tony blocks with a shield, but knows it won’t hold. He diverts the blast early, learning from last time, and dives at Thanos’ chest with a rock booster. He hits him and flips off like last time, landing perfectly.
Thanos, angry now, lumbers forward but Tony’s ready and he hits him in the chest with two metal fists, throwing him backward into a rock. Thanos reacts just as fast as he did last time, but Tony knows it’s coming. The hand reaches for his helmet and Tony ducks, hitting Thanos’ hand away and giving him an uppercut to the chin. Thanos swings his arm and Tony doesn’t know to block that because it’s a desperate and unexpected swing. It catches him in the shoulder, and when he’s reeling, Thanos grips him by the helmet and punches him hard in the chest. Tony tries to get up but now Thanos has a foot on his back and he kicks him forward. Tony hits the ground again and flips on his stomach, firing up his rocket boosters to propel himself away. The fist that would have hit him in the face slams into the ground. Tony levels himself in the air and shoots missiles at Thanos, making a pass and hitting the titan in the face. He makes another pass, when suddenly Thanos’ hand lies out and grabs him by the helmet. The purple gem is gleaming and Tony can’t really fight against the pure strength the power stone. Tony expected and he feels the titan’s hand grip his head and yank his mask off. Tony’s display disappears and he looks up in shock, his face exposed. Another helmet has already covered his head, and he knows the fist is coming. He blocks the first couple, and then feels himself lifted up off the ground. He can’t breathe, his head spinning, hearing metal breaking and groaning as he forces his limbs to move. Tony kicks his feet, trying to loosen the grasp, but he can’t see what’s going on- but he knows what’s going to happen. Tony braces for the fist that hits him in the chest and Tony forces his stabilizers to work over time so he doesn’t hit the ground full force. He staggers and regains his balance, half of his helmet ripped off. He shoots two beams right at Thanos who blocks it with his gauntlet. Tony makes the beams harsher trying different angles, but Thanos just walks forward It seems there’s some sort of force field around him and that would be explained by the glow of the purple stone. Thanos gets so close to Tony he could take a swing. Tony sees the fist coming and he steps to the side. His fist hits Tony in the shoulder instead, causing him to stumble. Thanos brings his arm forward and Tony blocks it just like last time, cross armed, gritting his teeth, still in total panic. He shoves the titan’s arm away and throws a fake punch before he blasts the titan’s leg instead. He and Thanos make eye contact, glaring, hateful, dazed and hurting. Thanos is on one knee and Tony wills half of the armor to go to his right hand, bringing that up in a curving arc toward Thanos’ head. The titan blocks that, as Tony wanted him too. The other half of his armor had gone to his left hand and Tony drives that forward, plunging it into Thanos’ chest plate. For a second, both of them are shocked. The titan looks down at the blade that’s protruding from his chest. Blood drips down his armor. It’s a small knife, but it’s deep. Tony’s breathing hard, half of his suit almost gone, but he’s staring down at the titan who’s breathing is raspy.
Thanos falls onto the ground, on all fours, gasping, holding a trembling purple hand to the wound. Tony just watches, breathing hard.
“Have to admit Stark,” Thanos coughs, “You were so close-”
The titan stands, his expression of pain twisting into an evil smile as he gets to his feet, the purple stone glowing on the gauntlet. Tony can’t move. Not that he’s frozen in fear or anything like that but he physically can’t move.
Tony jerks, shaking, struggling in the invisible grip, sweat beading on his forehead. Thanos starts forward, a small blade gleaming in his hand- the one that Tony had faked the jab with. Tony can’t move. He grits his teeth, “You gonna just stand there and look pretty?”
Thanos smiles and jabs forward. Tony knows the blade is coming and he feels it pierce his skin, watching as the blade sinks into his side.
“NOOOOO!” He hears a scream from a ways away, and he knows with a sharp pang, that it’s Peter. It’s his son’s voice cracking and breaking, but still audible. Then the pain comes, not as bad as last time, but still bad. Tony lets out a yell, writhing, his knees buckling but the grip won’t let him sink to the ground. Thanos unclenches his fist, which releases the invisible hold and he mercilessly bats Tony to the side. Tony falls to the ground, smacking his head hard, as Thanos pulls out the knife out of his own chest with a hiss of pain and flicks it away.
Tony can’t breath. He looks down at the wound, not as bad as last time, but still there. He had failed.
“TONY!” He hears Peter yell.
Tony can’t- tears come to his eyes. His vision is so bright. He crawls backward, hitting a rock, trying to send a missile towards Thanos, but the titan bats it back towards him and Tony has to practically fall out of the way, trying to cover his head. Rocks still come crashing down, and Tony has little suit left to protect him from the hits. He groans and pushes himself up against a rock, bleeding from a dozen cuts and gripping his side that’s turning his hands dark red. He stares into the titan’s smug eyes and gulp down air, pain choking any words he could say.
“As I said, you have my respect Stark,” Thanos says, staring down at Tony, “And I hope they remember you,” Thanos says, and he actually sounds sincere. Tony sees Dr. Strange stumbling forward and he hisses, “No. Strange no. I know what you want to do, and no-” Tony gulps, choking on blood, “Half of humanity will die- Strange please, wait- NO-”

Peter gets to his feet and searches for Tony. He finds him, across the battlefield and his heart stops. He hears something behind him and doesn’t turn. Get to Tony. Get to Tony. That purple jerk hurt his dad. Suddenly the breath is knocked out of him and he’s tackled to the ground by Quill who had caught up to him with his rocket boots and now Quill has grabbed him wrestling him down, shouting, “No Pete-”
“Get off!” Peter sobs, trying to push him away. That’s Tony letting out small cries of pain that Peter can hear. That’s his dad.
“That’s Tony,” Peter sobs, fighting off Quill, “That’s my dad-”
Quill won’t let up, holding Peter’s waist, “Pete stop- it’s Thanos you don’t understand- he’ll kill you-”
“He didn’t before!” Peter shouts in anger, still thrashing, and he watches through bleary eyes that are filled with tears.
“Please Peter-” Quill pleads but Peter barely hears him.
He sees Tony fight Thanos as Quill drags him behind a pile of rubble, still maintaining a firm grip on Peter’s arm, but allowing him to watch because he wants to see too. Peter cranes his neck, pissed he’s so far away, which only made him feel worse that he couldn’t do anything. He watches as Tony whips out a knife and makes an arc downward that Thanos blocks, but in a flash, Tony’s other arm thrusts forward, stabbing a knife into Thanos’ chest. For a second, Peter’s shocked. It all had happened so fast, Peter didn’t realize what Tony had done. At least until Thanos fell forward, gripping his chest.
There’s silence.
“He did it,” Quill says quietly.
The titan falls on all fours, and Tony stares, just as much in shock as Thanos is. But then the titan looks up, and Peter can see his grin from there. Quill’s grip on him tightens either out of protection or fear.
Suddenly Thanos is getting to his feet, gripping the other knife and Tony isn’t moving. He’s not moving- Tony move- TONY MOVE-
And Thanos stabs the knife into Tony’s side.
Peter grips his own stomach, almost feels like he’s been stabbed himself as he goes limp against Quill yelling, “NOOOOO!”
His scream is heartbroken and his voice cracks in horror. Tears stream down his face as he gasps for breath, “TONY!” Peter screams, sobbing and pushing against Quill who’s holding him firmly.
“Quill let go- please let go- no- NO! TONY!” Peter cries.
Tony stumbles back, shooting an explosive from what’s left of his suit but Thanos bats the missle back at him, causing Peter to let out a strangled yell of anger. Peter’s crying, but they’re angry tears- lines of fire down his cheeks. Quill’s face is tight and in shock, but his grip is still firm on Peter’s arms.
Peter sees Thanos talking to Tony, and the titan levels the gauntlet and Peter can’t breathe again. The stones gleam and Peter mummers, “No, no, no-”
Not Tony. Anyone but Tony. He can’t. Peter is ready to punch Quill in the face. Can he make it there in time? Can he lunge in front and take the blast? He would. For Tony he would. But he can’t seem to make his mind think fast enough or his legs to move because the stone is glowing even brighter now and Peter still hasn’t broken away. Tony slumps against the rock, his gaze on Thanos and Peter’s freaking out, in total panic, pure fear radiating through his body. One word goes through his head over and over and over and over:
No, no, no, no, no, no, no-

“Stop.”
Tony curses, still struggling to breathe.
“Spare his life,” the wizard says, “And I will give you the stone.”
“No. Listen to me, Strange-” Tony says. Thanos shoots a blast at him, hitting him straight in chest. Tony doubles over in pain, the wind knocked out of him. The blow was clearly not meant to kill- only to silence. He gets to his elbows, trying to speak, but for right now, his voice is useless, tackled by pain.
“No tricks,” Thanos asks, almost threateningly.
Tony’s breathing hard, watching. He groans, gasping in pain but he manages to choke out, “Don’t-”
But the doctor has lifted his hand and pulled the stone out of thin air, holding the space around glowing gem like it’s surrounded by an invisible force.
“No- no- NO! NO!” Tony rasps, trying to struggle forward.
Strange closes his eyes, wincing, as he lets it go and it flies forward on its own accord. Thanos lets it move right into his hand before he brings it toward the gauntlet. Tony watches in horror as the stone clicks in place, right on the thumb, and the ground trembles. Thanos lets out a roar, the stones gleaming. When he stops he grins in satisfaction.
“One to go,” Thanos says breathlessly.
No. He had failed. He had failed again.
Tony’s head jerks to the side as he hears Peter let out a yell of anger and his kid jolts away from Quill who had lowered his guard in shock. Tony forgot about this. Peter’s like a blur, surging forward, looking ready to murder the titan.
“No, Peter no-” Tony groans, “PETER STOP!”
Tony’s panicked, but he can’t move, paralyzed with pain, still struggling to breath. Thanos seems a lot bigger now, especially up against his kid, who shoots webs at Thanos in an attempt to distract him before jumping up in a big arc, ready to pummel the titan with his fists. But just like last time, the titan grabs Peter’s wrist and yanks him down effortlessly. Tony winces, a sharp pang in his stomach that rivals the stab wound from the sound Peter makes when his back slams into the ground. Peter lets out a strangled scream, writhing in the grip of the titan and then Thanos raises him. Tony shoots another weak missile that hits Thanos directly in the face, but with 5 infinity stones, it hardly does any damage. He looks at the gauntlet almost mocking Tony’s weak attempt and debating whether or not to return the favor, which makes Peter let out another yell.
“Don’t you dare-” Peter shrieks in vain. His son struggles, his mask receding to his neck so Thanos can see his glare and his angry tears as he’s held in place, his feet firm on the ground, pulling against Thanos’ hold.
Peter hisses, “I’m gonna kill you! I’ll kill you!”
Thanos watches, slightly amused as Peter struggles, holding him like he’s a toy. His son is sobbing, kicking his legs and punching with his free hand. Thanos is staring at Tony who’s shaking his head, pleading almost. He won’t kill him. He won’t. But he’s already let him live once.
Tony struggles to sit up and he coughs, “No-”
“He has heart. And recklessness. Like I said, he’s like you Stark. I like him,” Thanos admits grudgingly.
”Let my son go,” Tony gasps out, shaking. He has no other words for the mad titan, “Let him GO!”
Thanos grins and Tony knows what’s gonna happen.
“No-” Tony chokes.
Thanos lifts Peter up more and punches him right in the chest, at the same time letting go of his arm. Peter lets out a strangled yell of pain, going flying, hitting the ground hard and tumbling to a stop somewhere out of sight.
Tony lets out a low growl that turns into a whimper as pain tackles his voice. He says the same thing as last time because it’s the only thing that comes to mind, “You’ll pay for that.”
“I will?” the titan asks cockily, as if he knows. Tony sucks in a sob at that.
“I hope we meet again Stark. You have my respects,” Thanos says sincerely, before he closes his fist and gets sucked into a portal, just as the ground erupts at the spot where he was. Quill lands, staggering with both guns raised, dazed but angry.
“Where’d he go?” Quill screams, looking around, “Where is he?”
Tony can’t breath and he raises his arm shakily, trying to patch up the armor around the wound.
“Pete-” Tony chokes, his hands trembling as he looks around in fear, “Pete-”
“Did we just lose?” Quill asks Mantis, Drax, and the blue lady who have limped towards them.
“Yes we lost,” Tony snaps, “Peter!” Tony yells. Dr. Strange slumps against the ground next to him, a nasty cut on his head. Tony bites his lip so hard as he grips his side, trying to stand, struggling to get to his feet so he can run to his son. And now there’s a hand on his shoulder, helping him to his feet. It’s the wizard who puts his hand out, gripping Tony. Tony grabs his arm and looks up, gasping and gurgling blood, and he says quietly, “Strange...I told you not to do that…”
Doctor Strange purses his lips and says the same response that sends shivers down Tony’s spine.
“We’re in the endgame now.”

Steve speaks into his coms, “Everyone on my position. We have incoming.”
“Cap?” Bruce speaks with the same fear that he had 5 years ago, “That’s him.”
Steve sees a familiar blue portal that has haunted his dreams open up in the middle of the beautiful green forest. Out steps a giant, an omen of death and destruction, armor covering his purple skin, his left hand covered in a yellow gauntlet. 5 stones glow from it. Meaning he had gotten the time stone from Strange. Gosh Cap hopes Tony was ok. There’s one spot missing. The spot is for Vision’s stone. Steve was not going to let him get it.
“Eyes up. Stay sharp.” Steve says firmly. He turns to Wanda, and makes eye contact with her. She nods. He nods back and then acknowledges Vision as well.
“You guys need to get out of here. I don’t know how long we can hold him off,” Steve says sadly. There was no way that Vision was going to live through this. They had to destroy the stone or Thanos would get it. Steve can’t bear to look him in the eye. He leads the team forward, away from Wanda and Vision.
Time seems to go in slow motion. Bruce stays back, waiting for Thanos to get distracted, then striking, but his hits had no effect. Sam stayed flying in circles, picking off shots. Bucky stayed back, his machine gun jerking with every shot he took. Okoye whirled with her spear. Natasha slid, slashing her long knives against his legs, but no blood was split. Groot concentrated on blocked pulses of energy Thanos made with the gauntlet, the teenage tree extending his branches and smacking Thanos in the face. T’challa was caught mid swipe and slammed into the ground. Rhodey stayed on the ground this time, taking shot from within the forest, shooting missles whenever Thanos’ back was turned, but it was like tiny pebbles against the titan. Cap went in whirling with his shields, but nothing had an effect.
“Together,” Cap hissed into his comms.
All at once they attacked, Bruce pounding Thanos with his fists while Groot shoved his arms beneath the soil, branches encasing Thanos. At the same time, Rhodey and Sam let loose all their fire, Bucky took shots at Thanos’ face, Natasha and Okoye drove their weapons at Thanos’ chest, T’challa let off a kinetic blast from the back, knocking Thanos forward into Cap’s waiting fist that smacked him across the face.
Cap thought they were winning.
Until the titan roared and closed his fists, blowing every single one of them back. Cap hit the ground and tumbled, but got to his feet, dizzy, but still standing. Not many people were as quick to get up, and Thanos forced them into the ground in their moment of weakness before turning to Cap. He was the only one standing in the way.
Screw it. Steve ran full tilt at Thanos. The gauntlet came down just like he knew it would and again Steve caught it, letting out a yell. But he knew the fist was coming as it almost made contact with his head but Steve’s arm snapped up, gripping Thanos’ hand before it could, pushing back as hard as he was able to.
Thanos seems completely shocked as he tried to shake Cap off but couldn’t. Thanos stares at him, before Steve grits his teeth, his eyes filled with fury. He lets out a long yell, gripping both of the titan’s massive arms. He saw Thanos’ fist starting to close. Steve pushed as hard as he could against the cold metal fingers, glaring at Thanos will all the hate and anger he could- all the hate and anger that was bottled up for 5 years.
Thanos snarled, and no matter how hard Steve tried…
...the fist still closed.
Steve was blown backward, smacking his head hard against the ground.
That’s when everything went black.

Wanda sobbed as the stone exploded. Thanos had just made contact with Steve’s head. Cap went flying, and didn’t get up. Vision was slumped behind her, motionless on the ground and she watches as Thanos walks towards her.
“You’re too late,” she sobs, red magic sparking from her fingertips, “You’ve lost.”
“My child...I understand your pain,” Thanos said, as if he was talking to his daughter.
“You could never,” Wanda hissed, shooting a red beam that Thanos easily blocks.
“Now is not time to mourn,” Thanos said softly. Wanda blinks as Thanos looks at his gauntlet, almost admiring it. The green stone glows and Thanos looks sadly at Wanda.
“No there is no time at all,” Thanos says, moving his hand in a circle. She sees Vision get raised behind her, the pieces of the stone forging together again.
“NO!” Wanda screams, but suddenly she can’t move. She pulses with red energy but it just circles her, unable to get past a small perimeter. Thanos moves forward and grabs Vision by the throat, digging his fingers into his forehead as he lifts his broken body off the ground. Vision makes a choking sound as his forehead caves in, wires sparking, and Thanos rips the stone out of his head. Vision’s eyes gloss over grey and the dark color creeps over his whole body, all the way to his toes, leaving him colorless. Thanos drops him and he falls, his blank eyes staring at Wanda who watches in horror. She lets out a scream, releasing all the energy she can self consciously. The small bubble around her shatters and she falls to her knees, sobbing. The world shakes, a big blast coming up, charging the ground around her. Thanos barely stumbles back.
Wanda’s crying, and she falls to Vision’s side, and holds him away from the monster, shooting a red beam at Thanos who easily blocks it, but doesn’t strike back.
“I’m sorry child,” Thanos says.
Wanda’s seething, and she increases her beam’s power, to the point where it’s blinding. He sends it spiraling back to her, and it hits her right in the chest, blowing her backward into the ground, her head rolling to the side. Wanda closes her eyes, everything going back, staring into Vision’s blank gaze as he lays limp beside her.

Thor roars from the sky, a few second early- he knows. With a loud yell he brings the axe back just as Thanos sees him and lets it fly, this time joining it with a bolt of lightning. He can’t see, but by the time he hits the ground, the dust has cleared. He looks up and sees Thanos very much alive, holding the axe handle. He had caught the axe. Thor steps forward. Thanos lets the axe fall and grins at Thor.
He whispers, “You weren’t the only one looking into the past.”
Thanos brings the gauntlet up and Thor summons another blast of lighting but it’s too late. Thanos has snapped.
Thor snarls as the lighting strikes and he bends down and grabs the axe, swinging it into Thanos’ gut. Thanos yells in pain, and starts to push it back toward Thor but now Rogers is at his side, shoving the other end of the axe. Thor blasts Thanos with lighting as they both wedge the axe into Thanos’ gut. There’s a satisfying crunch as it digs deeper sinks through chestplate and armor, sinks through the strength of the power stone. Thanos’ eyes go wide as Thor and Steve snarl at his pain. He’s breathing hard, but in a raspy voice he chokes out, “You’ll never win.”
but then he stumbles back and the stones glow. About to sink into a portal, his body gets sucked back, and Thor and Steve fall forward, the axe hitting the ground with purple stains on the sharp blade. It’s smoking, as was the gauntlet that glowed with a last bit of power when Thanos was sucked away.

Steve’s face is bloodied and his gaze is unfocussed, his hair messed up and dirty with leaves, but he’s breathing hard and staring at the axe that lays on the charred grass. They had wounded Thanos, but not before he did the unthinkable. Actually it was thinkable- he had thought it before.
“Steve?” He hears. Steve turns, biting his lip.
“Buck no-” He chokes out, before falling back on his elbows as his friend crumbles to dust. Silence in the woods.
“What do we do?” Thor asks.
“We failed,” Steve says quietly, “We have to try again.”

Tony shakes his head, “No- no-”
“Mr. Stark?” Tony hears. He turns, with wide and fearful eyes, his head snapping to look toward Peter who’s hugging his stomach. Not again. Not again. They failed, they failed. He needed to go, he needed to turn back time, call everyone back to repeat. But he couldn’t. Because if he did, Peter would be alone in this timeline, alone when he faded...and Tony needed to make things right. He couldn’t leave his kid when he needed him most.
“Tony I- I, I don’t feel so good,” Peter says weakly, looking at him in horror.
Tony shakes his head, “You’re alright.” He realizes he said the same words as the first time, out of habit. But Peter wasn’t alright.
“I don’t...I don’t know what’s happening. I don’t know...I-” Peter staggers forward, and Tony surges for him. Peter’s ankle gives out on him and he falls into Tony’s arms, who catches him like last time, already shaking. Tony’s in shock, hugging him hard, shoving the pain in his side deep down. He looks down at his son’s back, his suit is already flaking, cracking, breaking off into dust and getting dragged away by the wind, just like last time. It’s sucking his son from his embrace and Tony feels tears come to his eyes as he stumbles with Pete, holding him tighter.
“I don’t want to go. I don’t want to go- sir please,” Peter sobs in his shoulder, “I don’t want to go, I don’t want to go.”
Peter’s ankle gives out and he lets out a little whimper. But this time, Tony wills all of his energy to set Peter down lightly, so that they’re both on their knees. He didn’t want him in any more pain than he already was. Tony’s holding him tight and he forces himself to speak. Fix it Tony. This won’t be like last time. Say something. He pulls Peter at arms length for a second and grips his kid by the shoulders, looking right into the tearstained face and scared, brown eyes. Pleading eyes. Innocent eyes. The eyes of a young hero that Tony couldn’t save, yet again.
“Peter, Peter listen to me,” Tony says, already tearing up, shaking just like Peter is as he tries to convince his kid, “It’s gonna be ok. Ok? It’s gonna be ok. I’ve got you kid. I’ve got you-”
“I've got you first- Tony Im scared,” Peter sobs, shaking his head and gulping down sobs, holding him even tighter, “Don’t let me go. Please, Tony please-”
“Never kid. I’ll never…never Peter...” Tony trails off. He can’t breath. Peter looks so scared, so scared…This can’t be happening. Not again. Tony can’t let it happen a second time
Again the flashbacks come. His life with Peter flashes before his eyes, going from when he first met the kid- that scared little teenager from Queens who had homework, to the kid who stowed away on a spaceship and was so brave and so innocent and so pure and...fading right in front of Tony’s eyes. He remembers making Peter smile and laugh, he remembered the many nights of Star Wars or Trek with ice cream, when ‘the kid’ turned to ‘my kid’ and ‘my kid’ turned to ‘son’. He remembered every single father son moment they had, every time he had protected Peter, and every time Peter had protected him. He had seen him fade once, he couldn’t afford to see it again. After all, Tony fixed things. He fixed things. He thought he had fixed this, but turns out he was wrong. Why couldn’t he fix this? Why couldn’t he stop this horrible thing from happening again? Not Peter, Tony begged. Not again. Please not Pete. Please…
There’s a lump in Tony’s throat and a massive knot in his stomach. His side doesn’t even hurt anymore or maybe that’s just because he can’t feel it. He’s too much in shock, gripping his son tight. Peter buries his face into Tony’s shirt that’s visible through the broken armor and he sobs,
“Tony…”
“I love you Pete,” Tony chokes out, “I love you so much.”
“I love you too,” Peter sobs, burying his face into Tony’s shirt.
“I got you Pete. I got you. It’s gonna be ok,” Tony says, tears streaming down his cheeks.
“I got you first,” Peter whispers.
Tony holds him tight against his chest, never wanting to let go, but he can already feel the dust on Peter’s suit, his son’s body fading within his arms.
“I’m sorry,” Peter says quietly.
The one time Tony’s voice fails him is then. He can’t speak then he just shakes his head, gritting his teeth, scrunching his eyes up so tight as he hugs Peter hard, weak on his knees. He grips Peter’s shoulders harder as they crumble beneath him. Tony’s breathing starts to speed up and his heartbeat quickens, his throat closing, that awful rushing feeling in his head, and the stab in his heart. This was no dream.
No, no, no, no, no-
Say something Tony! Save him!
Tony can’t say anything. He choked on his words.
Not Pete...oh God-
Tony can only hug his son helplessly as Peter turns to dust in his arms. Tony hugs his kid as hard as he can, and for a second, Peter gives him a squeeze back and then his arms go limp. Tony shakes his head, “No- Pete no, Peter please stay with me-” But when Tony opens his eyes…
He’s hugging dust.

Nebula watches the awful thing happen for yet a second time. She watches as the brave boy, the young hero, barely 17, fall into the arms of his father. Last time, Tony had been in too much of a shock other than his original unconvincing statement, “You’re alright.”
Peter sobbed, “I don’t want to go-” As Tony held him. But Peter’s back ankle gave out and Nebula waited to hear the crash as they both fell to the ground. This time though, Tony knew what to expect and he grabbed his kid, lowering them softly to the ground this time, which was both painful and took intensive effort- she could tell. Peter hugged him hard, shaking his head, tears in his eyes as he spoke to his dad.
Tony said, “I love you Pete, I love you so much.”
This time, they exchanged a few words before she knew the time had come. The kid hugs Tony hard, one last time, before his hands unclench from their grips on Tony’s shoulders. Peter closes his eyes. She can only watch as he fades, his body slowly crumbling away, turning into dust that’s immediately scattered by the wind. Tony crumples to the ground, hugging nothing. He lets his arms fall to sides, with tears in his eyes. Peter’s gone. Nebula bites her lip.
She hadn’t really known Peter. But he was young and innocent. And a hero. Over the past 5 years she had gotten to know Tony, who was rather similar to her, for many reasons. Pain being one of them. And although she hadn’t known Peter, she knew how much the kid meant to Tony and she saw how his death tore Iron Man apart. And for a good reason.
Just the way the kid had spoke...the way he looked at Tony to save him…
She notices Tony looks at his hands again, as if waiting for them to turn to dust, maybe even wanting them to...before he sadly brushes himself off, flakes off dust falling to the ground right in front of him as and sinks further. She watches as Tony grips his shaking left hand and pulls it against his chest, gripping it hard as if trying to cause more pain to ground himself. It was a habit she had seen only get worse over the past years. Tony’s left arm had always been bad, but sometimes she thinks he’s grateful for the pain, because in his mind, she knows he thinks he deserves it. She knows what that’s like. Pain is an old friend.
She watches as he bites his lip so hard he probably tastes blood, but she knows it doesn’t rival his current pain.
She watches as he takes a shuddery breath, looking down, weak and defeated, closing his eyes.
“He did it,” she says sadly, “Tony we’ll...we’ll try again. We’ll stop him.”
Tony doesn’t answer. He’s looking down at his arms that had once held his son. He reaches for the dust with shaking hands, but doesn’t actually touch it.
Nebula walks over and puts a hand on his shoulder, “Tony,”
“Yeah, I know,” he says quietly, and his voice is broken.
The dial on her wrist flashes and she flips the switch. Tony flips his too with a trembling hand.
“We’ll stop him next time,” Nebula says, but in her mind, she knows they won’t. Maybe they never will. She and Tony click the button behind their ear which encloses a helmet over their heads and then twist the watch. She watches as the world shrinks in front of her.
Then Nebula and Tony sink into the Quantum realm, leaving the now deserted orange battlefield behind them. Well, deserted except for the dust that’s scattered by the wind.

Chapter Text

Tony feels the familiar surge. He sees the flashing of colors. He’s on the ground in some place, and it’s definitely the Quantum Realm. The surroundings were constantly changing, and Tony can barely focus until Nebula appears next to him. Now he has something to ground himself in this ever-changing world. Slowly everyone shows up, morphing into existence in this vast space. Tony does a head count. Thor and Rocket hadn’t showed up yet. There’s silence for a bit, and he hears some sniffs that are tried to be kept quiet for sake of composure. He sees faces firm and stiff, but he knows they hide pain and horror. Tony looks at his friends, mostly at Steve, who looks deflated.
“Well,” Tony says quietly, “We knew it wouldn’t work the first time.”
“Yeah,” Steve says, equally as quiet. Steve is about to talk when suddenly there’s a high pitched ringing in Tony’s head. Tony blinks, wincing, hoping it would just go away. He looks around, noticing he’s the only one who’s hearing it. Everyone else is listening to Steve. Tony tries to blink it away but suddenly it’s so loud he grabs his ears, pushing his palms against his temples, his eyes going wide, his legs buckling beneath him. He lets out a small cry, his chest burning, his mind feeling like it’s been ripped apart. Steve’s hands are on his shoulders and he hears his friend’s voice shouting his name. He sees blobs as everyone crowds around him. Tony’s breathing hard, unable to calm down. He can’t see now- it’s white- it’s so many colors-
Tony squeezes his eyes shut, barely feeling Steve’s grip on his shoulders now. He can’t breathe, he can’t think, he can’t hear; he’s overwhelmed by white noise, the high pitched ringing in his ears, and the burning feeling in his chest.
Tony feels like he’s been suddenly yanked to a halt, even though his mind had been going a million miles an hour. It corresponds with a voice. A voice that rings out throughout all the pain, causing it all to stop, like a record. A whisper.
“Tony...”
And Tony opens his eyes.

Peter had been talking with Quill, trying to convince him that it wasn’t his fault. A few people had wandered toward them and now refused to leave, too scared to be on their own again. Peter couldn’t blame them- some of the avengers were here. One of them though, would not leave Peter’s side. A blonde haired kid with blue eyes and freckles...one that Peter knew all too well. Brady had stumbled in about a day ago, if that’s how long it was. Peter had been the first one to spot him.
“Brady?” Peter yelled.
The kid had turned, his blonde hair a mess, tears streaming down his cheeks, but Peter could still see those blue eyes that looked up to him. He sprinted for him and caught the kid up in his arms, hugging him tightly.
“Are you ok?” Peter had asked him, holding him at arm’s length.
Brady nodded, rubbing his eyes with his fists, “I want my dad. Where’s my mom and dad?” he sobbed to him.
“They’re ok Brady,” Peter assured him, realizing that Brady didn’t understand that he was the one who was missing, not his parents.
“I need you to stay by Quill,” Peter said now to the kid, who hadn’t left his side. Brady nodded and went to stand by Quill who put his arm around him with a smile and tried to make him happier. More and more people were appearing every day. It was getting harder for the Avengers to have private talks. Peter went off to try and calm some people down, going to the edge of the big crowd and flipping his mask up. He ran a hand over his face and blinked a couple of times, took a few deep breaths, forced on a fake smile, then put the mask back on, knowing he couldn’t take it off while there were people around. Peter returned to work: explaining, comforting, answering questions, doing flips etc. Anything to keep his mind off of how long it had been since he saw Tony. Anything to hide the real pain he was feeling. Then Bucky called him over and pointed to a blob in the distance. A new person had somehow found them. Peter looked and nodded. He started walking towards it, the slosh of water at his feet becoming normal now- Peter didn’t mind it. It helped if they met the person away from the craziness. It was a smoother transition than being thrust into a crowded group after days of solitude. And they found Peter was best at calming people down.
Peter walked, closer and closer, not realizing how long he had been walking until he no longer could see the individual people he had left behind when he turned around to look behind him- more like a smudge in the orange horizon. Peter took a breath.
“Hello? Can you hear me?” He called out to the person standing in the distance, near the temple structure. The person’s back was turned. It was a big dude whoever it was.
“Hello!” Peter called again, “Hi, I’m Spiderman-”
“I know who you are Peter,” a voice said. Peter recognized it. He turned to run, to warn, to fight- but couldn’t. The man turned around, a lot bigger that Peter realized. Flakes of red fluttered away and disappeared. The old form, a simple deception was gone, and the real person stood in his place. The giant was closer too.
Peter was ready to bolt or to yell out a warning to his friends. He must have tensed, because the titan picked up on it.
“Yell and they all die,” Thanos said simply, leaning against the column. There was a flickering gauntlet on his hand, burnt and melted.
Peter shut his mouth, breathing hard. He gulped down his fear and replaced it with anger. He hissed, “What do you want?”
“I’ve been wounded,” Thanos said, looking down at his chest, “But with every victory there comes a price.”
“A price of half the universe,” Peter choked. He hated the tone Thanos was using, as if they were friends. This man was his enemy. Peter was itching to strike, but he knew he had to be patient.
“A small price to pay for salvation,” Thanos said.
“You’re insane,” Peter spat.
“I’m driven,” Thanos corrected him, “I was the only one willing to act on what must be done. What had to be done. Do you know how much better off the world will be now?”
“No,” Peter shook his head, “You’ve caused pain and sadness. It’s a worse place because of what you did.”
“For now,” Thanos said thoughtfully.
“So is that why you came here? To gloat?” Peter said bravely.
“I came to talk,” Thanos said.
“To who?” Peter asked, curious.
Thanos met his gaze, “To you. I see something in you, same as I saw in Gamora.”
“You killed Gamora,” Peter said, his voice full of hatred.
“And it was the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” Thanos said sincerely, “But she is still alive. Her soul is here. In this realm. Not quite dead, as she was a sacrifice. I truly loved her. There’s a certain connection that keeps her tied to this unstable reality. The same connection, that same love that put her in here in the first place,” Thanos’ gaze snapped back to focus, as if he realized he was going off on a tangent.
“I know exactly where this is going and Im not joining you,” Peter said angrily his voice breaking. All he saw was Thanos sinking Tony’s knife straight through his chest. Peter squeezes his eyes shut, trembling and his voice breaks, “You hurt my dad.”
“I respect Stark, he is a worthy-”
“That’s your problem,” Peter said angrily, “you treat people like they are things, pawns in your little chess game. Like you’re above them and they should be happy to die for you- but they’re not pawns, they’re human lives. They’re innocent people who have friends, families, lives. And you take that away from them in a split second. People would rather go hungry being with the people they love then living perfect lives without them. You don’t give a crap about anyone, you’re a murderer and a mad man and I wish Tony killed you-”
Thanos pulses with the gauntlet and Peter goes flying, smacking his head into the column and hitting the ground hard. Before he can react he’s flipped again and Peter slams into the ground, crying out in pain. He blinks dizziness away, biting back a cry of pain as he gets to his elbows.
“You could have done amazing things Peter,” Thanos said, walking towards him. Peter tries to stand but this time it’s the power stone that flickers and keeps him in place. Peter’s shaking, struggling against the iron grip. Fear sends a chill down Peter’s spine. He’s never been so helpless before. The grip that forced on his knees without the ability to move reminds him way to much of the building he had been crushed under. There was no way he could fight off the power of an infinity stone though. With a low pang, Peter realizes he’s in a similar position that Tony had been so long ago- and Thanos had stabbed him. Peter’s shaking. Is Thanos going to stab him? Could he die here? Was he already dead? You couldn’t die again could you? Peter was still struggling, his muscles tense, his eyes wide. Thanos goes right up to Peter, standing silently for a second as if to taunt him, and then lowers himself to his level by crouching. Thanos locks eyes with him and grips Peter’s chin. He slowly shakes his head, “By my side, you could have done amazing things.”
“I’ll never join you,” Peter snarls, struggling.
“I see something in you Peter,” Thanos urges, “An amazing spirit, a fire, just like Stark’s-”
“Shut up,” Peter seethed.
Thanos pushes him backward and sighs, unclenching his fist. Peter’s released and he hits the ground, immediately jumping to his feet, glad to be free.
Thanos shakes his head again at him, as if pitying him. Peter forced his tone to be firm.
“You stay away from my friends,” Peter warns.
Thanos never said he was going for the innocent people, or Peter’s friends, but his smile said otherwise.
“What are you going to do?” Thanos said, almost mockingly.
“I’ll fight,” Peter snarled.
“Stark isn’t here to save you Peter,” Thanos says.
That hurts. Peter narrows his eyes and shoots a web, catching Thanos’ neck and yanking it forward into his waiting fist. The titan stumbles back. Peter kicks him in the chest and does a backflip. He lands perfectly and looks up, “I can take care of myself.”
Thanos smiles and closes his fist. Peter braces for the blow, when he realizes that it’s not the power stone that’s gleaming, but Vision’s. Its the mind stone that attacks him this time. Peter makes eye contact with Thanos, and then the memories hit.

Tony cuffed to the table by Rumlow, screaming Peter’s name. Rumple punched him again and again- and Peter couldn't move. He was frozen in this memory, forced to only watch. Tony’s screams echoed in his ears as they became more desperate and louder..
This wasn’t a memory...Peter realizes, it was his fears. The stone was messing with his mind.
Thanos is watching Peter crumple to his knees, hands over his ears, trying to block out Tony’s yells. He squeezes his eyes shut tight, shaking his head violently, trying not to give in to the vision’s he was being shown. Then, after several more minutes of torture, it changed.
Tony found him in that awful dark room, unconscious. Tony grabbed Peter in his arms and yelled his name, shaking him until he woke up, the awful poisonous gas still in Peter’s mouth. He could taste it. And then he realizing he wasn’t the only one who was hurt; he saw the stab wound in his chest, a hole in the flickering arc reactor.

“You don’t learn Peter. I’m not a person you want to have as an enemy,” the Goblin warned.
“I never learn,”
“Then maybe Stark will,” The goblin laughed.
Peter snarled, “Leave him alone.”
“No. I will hurt him worse than I hurt you, and maybe, if I’m in the mood, I’ll kill him.”
“No.”
“Yes Peter. And since you’ve pissed me off, I’ll make it nice and slow.”

“Stop,” Peter said quietly. His mask receded to his neck, sweat beading on his forehead, plastering his bangs to his face. He was gasping and shaking, his movements sending water spraying everywhere.

Peter remembered his nightmare, when the blade went through Tony’s chest and he fell, the Green Goblin dancing around him, taunting him. Peter pulled Tony into his chest, trying to stop the blood that just kept coming- pooling on the floor while Tony let out cries of pain and choked gurgles. The Boblins laugh echoed in his ears.

“Stop!” Peter said louder, tears falling down his cheeks, squeezing his eyes shut as if that would help cut off the images in his head.

He saw Tony getting hit by the moon- and the sound it made when it slammed into the ground sent a shock down his spine.

Now he turned and there was Thanos stabbing Tony, the blade piercing his stomach and coming straight through, dripping with Iron Man’s blood. He heard his own strangled scream of anger as Thanos forced the knife deeper and deeper despite Tony’s weakened state and his attempts to back away.

And finally-
“Mr. Stark?”
Peter looked at Tony’s face. He saw the sheer horror. What had Peters death done to him? It wasn’t his fault. But the guilt and fear was unmistakable on Tony’s face as he reached out to grab his son.

“STOP!” Peter yelled, falling backward, drenched in sweat and shaking, writhing on the ground, water splashing. He shook, covering his head with his hands and whimpering.
Through his hands he saw that Titans expression. Thanos looked rather shocked, either by the images, or that Peter was able to pull away, or both.
Peter couldn’t help but let out another whimper as he lay still trembling. The stone had showed him his worst fear: Tony getting hurt. And Peter not being able to do anything.

Thanos closed his fist again before Peter could plead and he squeezed his eyes shut. It started up again. Every single one was on replay in his mind, ending with the thud as he collapsed into Tony’s arms before they restarted. With every stab, with every cry of pain Tony let out, Peter thrashed, pounding his fists against the water as if it was somehow holding him captive. He couldn’t think it was so disorienting. Peter felt tears streaming down his cheeks as he writhed on the ground.
“Stop it,” he coughed out weakly.
It stopped.
Peter trembled as the last of the horror ran through him, sending a shudder down his spine as he gasped on the cold, wet, ground. Peter was shaking and he squeezed his eyes shut. He didn’t care that Thanos was probably watching, his gaze probably taunting. He ducked his head into his chest and wrapped his arms around himself, breathing hard. Peter let out a broken whisper through his choked sobs, “Tony…”

Tony awoke. Orange. Everything was orange. He was standing in an inch of water.
Oh God, Peter. Within a millisecond, Tony knows where he is. And he knows why he’s there. Peter. That voice he had heard, was definitely Peter’s. Tony’s mind whirled and his heartbeat sped up when he replayed in in his head. That voice had been scared, broken, hurt. Tony whispers, “Pete-” and suddenly got a shiver down his spine. He turns and sees the structure, almost like a temple, with someone on the ground in the middle of it. Tony doesn’t think, he just blasts himself over using his thrusters. It’s Peter alright. It’s his kid. Tony dives for him, just so relieved to see him, especially after watching him turn to dust again. Peter’s breathing hard, shaking on his side and Tony grabs his kid’s arms. Peter’s first immediately lashes out and Tony barely dodges it; it glances the side of his helmet, knocking his chin away. Tony shakes away the sting and grabs Peters wrist before he grabs the other one that had whipped around for the side hook.
“Pete!” Tony says, “Peter! Hey, kid- hey it’s me.”
Peters cries of, “get away from me- stop it- wait- no-“, finally slow and he locks eyes with Tony.
“Tony,” Peter sobs. The kid bolts up into Tony’s arms, hugging him tight, “Are you ok, are you ok?”
“I’m fine Peter,” Tony assures him, a little confused. Peter looks at him and then clenches and unclenches his hand. His gaze then shifts to the bottom edge of Tony’s mask where he had hit him and Tony puts his hand over his sons and shakes his head.
“I’m sorry,” Peter says weakly.
“Don’t be. Now what’s going on Peter? God you look awful- what happened- who-“
Peter seems to realize something and although he looks shocked and relieved to see him, his happy expression soon turns fearful as he tries to speak while gulping down air. Tony tries to soothe him as he grabs his kid, helping him to his feet and into another hug asking, “Pete, Peter what’s wrong, what happened, who did this-”
“Tony,” Peter sucks in a breath.
“No-” Peter chokes out, looking over Tony’s shoulder, trying to pull him back. He steps in front of him, speaking to the empty air, “You're not going to hurt him. You want to hurt someone, hurt me. not him though. Please- hurt me!”
Tony hated that. A lot. He immediately yanked Peter back behind him and stood his ground. There was no way he was letting his kid get in front of him again. Tony looks and freezes, flakes of red peeling away to reveal a titan towering over them. Thanos stands there and Tony backs Peter up as they take a single step backward.
“Stark?” Thanos said, and it was almost a question.
“That’s me,” Tony snarls, “Next time you want to talk to me, you call. Flip phone? iPhone? I don’t care. But don’t lay a purple finger on my kid,” Tony snarls, keeping a firm arm out in front of Peter, “Because I’ll kill you I swear. I’ll kill you dead.”
“I didn’t touch him,” Thanos said, smiling. The bruise forming on Peter’s jaw says otherwise, but Thanos already has continued, “We talked. Then I got into his mind.”
Peter grips Tony's arm tighter at that and Tony glares, trembling with anger, “What did you do?”
Peter’s shaking already and Thanos closes his fist and Peter lets out a slight whimper, clutching his temples and shaking his head.
“Wait- what are you doing- stop it!”
Peter sinks to his knees as Tony can only watch. Then Peters head snaps up and he lets out a strangled cry of anger, glaring at the titan and screaming at him.
“Stop it! Stop it!”
Peter gaze shifts to Tony and he grabs him, his gaze on his stomach.
“Pete I’m fine,” tony says, confused.
“Not in his eyes,” Thanos grins, “Right now you’re bleeding out. And he can’t save you.”
Tony doesn’t know exactly what he’s doing but that purple jerk is hurting his kid. Tony can’t take Peters yells anymore and he whips around to face the titan and screams, “STOP!”
Thanos obeys.
Peter’s trembling as Tony hauls him to his feet and holds him against his chest. Tony notices how nervous he looks, more of the gauntlet than Thanos, sweat beading his forehead, his eyes wide and fearful, half covered by his hair as he shakes against the Iron Man armor.
“You do that to my kid one more time and I swear to God I will lose my crap,” Tony hisses.
“I got to relive his nightmares,” Thanos said, before he shrugs like it’s no big deal, “Surprisingly, they’re mostly about you. Oh and Stark I’ve been meaning to talk to-”
“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t blast you right now,” Tony hissed through gritted teeth.
“Oh, I’m not...here,” Thanos sighed before he grinned.
“Reality can be disappointing Stark. I had hoped you would have learned that by now. Apparently not.”
“Listen here you ugly piece of-” Tony started but Thanos cut him off.
“If you’re trying to win, it’s impossible,” Thanos said matter-of-factly.
Tony got in his face, only stepping back because Peter tugged on his shoulder, “I’ve had the whole world tell me that saving my son is impossible. And I’ve just said watch me do it anyway. I’m not resting until you pay for what you did,” Tony said, shaking in fury, “You’re a murderer.”
“I never meant to kill Peter,” Thanos said quietly. “Actually I would like it very much if he wasn’t dead.” The worst part was that Thanos sounded sincere.
Tony muttered under his breath, glad Cap wasn’t here.
“He would be a kean ally. He’s got many qualities that I admire. And for that, I respect him. Which is why I spared his life,” Thanos was saying, looking directly at Peter who had somehow squared up and was standing almost in front of Tony now, the fiercest glare in his eyes Tony had ever seen. He quickly got even with Peter and pulled him slightly back.
“I had no control over the stone’s wishes however. It was random genocide,” Thanos said.
“So you admit it was genocide?” Tony asked angrily.
Thanos ignores him, “At my side, he could have done great things.” The titan shifts his footing.
“We talked about it,” Thanos assured Tony.
“And the verdict was?” Tony hissed.
“There’s only one side I’ll stand at. And it’s not yours,” Peter snarled at the titan, at the same time, stepping closer to Tony.
Thanos put up his hand, guestering to Peter, “He turned me down.” Thanos’ expression darkened at that.
Tony felt a burst of pride for his son. But that pride turned to pain because he knew whenever he was sucked back into reality, Peter wouldn’t be there.
Why not? Because Thanos has murdered him.
“Mr. Stark?”
Tony forced himself out of a living nightmare, blinking. His expression must of shown his change of heart because Thanos nodded thoughtfully at him.
“I feel your pain Stark. I’ve lost more than you know,” Thanos said, and he actually seemed sad. Very, very, very sad. He looks to a spot off to the left, right in the center of the temple, as if remembering something.
“You will never know how it feels to have your son crumble to dust in your arms,” Tony spits at him, “I’ve been through that twice, I can’t-”
“Twice?” Thanos asked suddenly.
Tony froze.
“You are clever Stark,” Thanos said.
“No-” Tony started, but Thanos sucked himself into a portal and was gone. Tony muttered the same thing he had shouted when he slammed into the building. This time Cap wasn’t here to say language.
Tony turns around and catches Peter who had stumbled into him and Tony forces his kid to stand up straight, hating how much that had felt like when Peter had faded.
“Pete, you ok?” Tony asked, hugging him hard.
“Yeah... I’m- I’m fine,” Peter said, but he was still shaking. He blinked really fast and seemingly forced his fingers to uncurl around Tony’s arms.
“What did he to do you?” Tony asked softly, not being able to hide the twinge of anger in his voice. The titan hurt his kid. Peter was not ok.
Peter shook his head, “Messed with my mind. It’s fine.”
“No it’s not fine,” Tony said angrily, “What did you see?”
“I- I don’t want to talk about it,” Peter said softly.
“Ok...ok kid. How did he even get here?” Tony hissed, looming around again to make sure Thanos was truly gone.
Peter took a shaky breath and it was clear he didn’t know the answer because he changed the subject, “Did it work? You going back in time- did it work?”
“No,” Tony said sadly, “but I’m trying again. I won’t stop Peter. I won’t stop until I get you back.”
“I know,” Peter said softly.
Tony felt his mind waking up, that pull in the small of his back and he hugged Peter hard, wrapping his arms around his kid, “I don’t know how you got me here, but you did. If you ever need me- do it again. I love you so much Peter.”
“I love you too,” Peter says, his voice slightly muffled. His kid’s still shaking and Tony hugs him harder, straightening his son’s messy hair before he whispers, “I promised I wouldn’t lose you kid. I’m not losing you.”
“I know,” Peter said, nodding.
“I’ll get you back Pete- I’ll get you back. I don’t care how long it takes. I’ll get you back,” Tony said, holding Peter at arms length. He felt his mind switching, being sucked into reality. His vision was going blurry.
“I know you will,” Peter smiled at him.
“I’ve always got you kid,” Tony said, ruffling Peter’s hair.
“I got you first,” Peter smiled.
And that’s when Tony allowed his mind to get sucked away.

Cap was shaking Tony’s limp shoulders.
“Tony come back to me- Tony!” He yelled, “No…” He checked for a pulse and couldn’t find one. He looked for chest movement and didn’t see any. He listening for breathing and didn’t hear any.
“Tony!” Steve yelled at his friend. He couldn’t lose him. He didn’t know what he was doing. He needed Tony-
Then there was a splutter and Tony jerked up, gasping, blinking-
“Please tell me nobody kissed me,” Tony said breathlessly.
Steve grinned and helped him up slowly with the help of Rhodes, “You ok? What happened?”
Just then Thor touches down, morphing into existence, his eyes sparking dangerously. He blinks and immediately starts yelling, “He caught the axe! I aimed higher- he caught the axe! He knows. He told me I wasn’t the only one looking back in time-”
“That’s impossible, how could he know?” Steve was in awe.
“He knows because of me,” Tony said. Steve looked at him in shock.
“Just now, I was sucked into the Quantum Realm. Thanos was somehow there, unhurt, with the gauntlet, doing something to Peter’s mind. The kid was just trying to protect our friends and I found him shaking and soaked in sweat on his side under that temple thing I drew.”
Steve remembered that.
“I slipped up, and said that Peter died in my arms ‘twice’ and either his small brain figured it out from just that, or he read my mind while I was talking to him. Can the stone do that?” Tony asked.
No one knew. It was possible, Steve guessed.
“What else did he say?” Steve said, anxious to avoid his friend feeling guilty for something that wasn’t his fault.
Tony rubbed his neck, “He said he lost something, something very special I’m guessing Gamora- that’s why he wanted to recruit Peter-”
“Peter?” Clint spluttered.
“And what did the kid say?” Steve asked.
Tony smirked, “No. I’m guessing that’s why Thanos messed with his mind. He made his nightmares a reality...I can still hear him screaming-” Tony trailed off, biting his lips and clenching his hands to keep them from shaking.
“I’m gonna kill him,” Steve hissed. Peter was innocent, he was just a kid from Queens. Yet even in death the titan was torturing him.
“I think we all will,” Rhodey agreed.
“Well we won’t be able to if we don’t come up with another plan,” Steve said.
“Gamora,” Nebula said. Everyone looked at her. She turned to Tony, “You remember what Mantis said- that he mourned. Hardest thing he’s ever done.”
“He killed Gamora,” Rocket said quietly.
Steve rubbed his chin, “So what, we try and stop Gamora from being killed?”
“How did he kill her?”
“That will stop him from getting the soul stone.”
“Once we have it, what do we do with it?”
“Is getting it an advantage?”
“If he only loves Gamora maybe we should get her instead and then eat the heck out of here.”
“Where’s the soul stone?” Steve asked, reigning everyone back in.
“Vormir,” Nebula said, “The stone’s on Vomir.”
“Where the heck is Vormir?”
“Guys I’ve been thinking,” Bruce said suddenly. Everyone looked.
“This works both ways, correct? Time and space?”
“Haven’t tried going forward in time,” Tony said, rubbing a hand over his face, “But maybe?”
“We aren’t going to win in the couple hours we keep going back. Tony you said Dr. Strange said it: we’re in the endgame now. You go back to the basics in chess. Maybe he was trying to tell you something. Start from the beginning?”
“What are you getting at Bruce?” Steve asked.
“Well I mean, when did this all start?” Bruce asked.
“Battle of New York,” Tony breathed, “6 years ago- Bruce you think we should go back 6 years?”
“I’m saying eventually we may need to. We’ll try a few things here and there for now, but I’m saying if this isn’t working, we may need to travel further back.”
“I agree,” Thor said.
“So we try to fix it here for right now,” Rocket said, trying to summarize, “Blow some different things up, and if it doesn’t work we scratch the whole thing and go back another 6 years? I don’t even know you guys then! Heck, I didn’t even know Quill or anybody, except Groot.”
Steve rubs his neck, “That’s a problem.”
“We’ll figure it out,” Tony said, “For now…”
“We try again,” Steve sighed. And again and again. Until they win.

They had lost count.
They had lost hope.
They had lost strength.
Time and time again they fought.
Thanos still won.
Dust scattered the ground once again, and again, and again.

Steve had to watch his brother crumble to dust, more times then he could count.

Rocket had to hear Groot call him dad more times than he ever wanted to.

Rhodey got to Sam this time, and had to watch his best friend fade faster than ever.

And Tony...Tony had it worst. Tony had to hold his kid as Peter turned to dust in his arms, ending with the same line every time:

“I’m sorry.”

“We’re missing something,” Tony said to the group that had gathered in the Quantum Realm.
He was tired of this. He was tired of losing. He was tired of not being able to save the kid he loved so much.
“I say we go for it,” Steve said. Everyone knew what he was talking about.
Tony looked at him, “It’s risky.”
“I actually don’t think it is,” Bruce said, “I’ve been reading the molecular energy in this realm and it’s every unstable. With that power, and your devices Tony, I think we can access different timelines very, very easily and .”
“So you’re saying that…” Rhodey trailed off, “I’m not even going to try Bruce. You lost me.”
Bruce nodded, dumbing it down a bit, “I’m saying that if we have to, it’s possible to go back in time, and then jump to different timelines, so we can always go back to the original.”
Tony could barely remember the original.
Steve raised an eyebrows and asked, “Do you think that would work?”
“Well this sure isn’t,” Natasha said quietly.
Tony takes a deep breath, “Then I guess we’ll try it.”

Chapter Text

“Nick you’ve got to stop the nuke!”
“He can’t.”
“I’ve done it before, I’ll do it again.”
“And then Shawarma after?”
“And then shawarma after.”

Tony was shaking as he carried the nuke into the wormhole again.
Sweat beaded on his forehead, his grasp slipping on the sides of the weapon. His arms were burning, and he was using all of his strength to push the nuke up now.
It happened just like last time.
Tony went through the hole, into darkness, his eyes darting left and right, his grip failing.
His suit spluttered out on him, leaving him in darkness.
Tony forced his fingers to peel away from the weapon, let go, and fall.
He did somersaults in the air, falling out of the wormhole just before it closed, his suit dead, his eyes closing, his heartbeat abnormal. And then everything went black.
But Tony was still thinking.
He has saved New York again.
And just like last time, he knew he would have nightmares.
He would have scars.

“Please tell me nobody kissed me.”
“We won.”
“This isn’t over yet.”

“It must be important, if you’ve risked this much...if you’re trusting me.”
Tony nods grimly, “You’re darn right.”
“You’re telling the truth,” Loki says, almost shocked.
“Of course I am,” Tony crouches by Loki’s side. The god’s hands are tied behind his back and he is sitting on the floor. The rest of the Avengers are crowded around him.
“Loki listen to me. The world is in danger,” Thor said, “You need to tell us how to stop him.”
Loki looked up, “Since you were honest. I’ll be honest. So I will say this once. You can’t stop him.” Everyone hung their heads, letting that sink in. But the god of mischief had one more thing to say. "You can't. But I know someone who can. But she has to come to you." "How do you know all this?" Thor demanded. Loki winked at his brother, "I promised the sun would shine on us again brother. I have my ways."

“We have the scepter,” Tony said, speaking with the rest of the team, “Which means we have the mind stone.”
“And we have the tesseract, which is the space stone,” Steve says.
“Soul Stone is still on Vormir,” Natasha said.
“Rocket’s trying to get the power stone, again,” Bruce added.
“What’s left?” Steve asked.
“Time stone,” Loki said, “But even I don’t know where it lies.”
“It’s with a man called Steven Strange. He’s a doctor, but I don’t think he’s Doctor Strange yet, so that’s not helpful.”
“Reality stone,” Tony said.
“That’s with the collector,” Thor says, “On Knowhere.”
“So we know where all the stones are. Thanos doesn’t. That’s an advantage,” Tony points out.
Then suddenly there’s a huge ringing in Tony’s ears. He looks around, and sees others hear it as well. That hadn’t happened before. Tony stumbles into the table, gripping the sides. He falls to his knees and when he looks up, he’s not in New York. He’s not on Earth. He’s in the Quantum Realm. Steve helps him to his feet. Tony looks around and sees everyone, not just the people with him in New York.
“What the heck just happened?”
“Who pushed it?”
“Did you turn your dial?”
“I didn’t turn mine.”
“Then who did?!” Tony yelled to silence everyone, “Who?”
No one raised their hands, or said anything. They looked just as shocked as Tony felt.
Then a voice said, “I did. I brought you all back.”
Tony turns around and sees a woman, standing in a suit that looked a lot like Cap’s, just brighter. Her eyes glowed and her hair was swirling in light, but she let those die down and her soft blue eyes locking with Tony’s. Blonde hair fell over her shoulders. He had never seen her before, and he had no clue how she got into the Quantum Realm.
“You did huh?” He asks.
“And who the heck are you?”
“My name is Carol Danvers,” she said firmly, “and I received a distress signal from a man named Nick Fury?”
“Nick’s dead,” Tony said sadly.
“Oh,” the woman looked taken back, “Oh, I’m so sorry.”
“Not dead. Just...dust. Along with half the universe,” Tony corrected himself.
Carol straightened at that. She pursed her lips and then whispered, “So the time has come.”
“What?” Steve asked.
Carol looked up, “The signal he sent me was meant for one thing and one thing only. It was for me to come when you needed me most. For when something terrible happened. It could only be used once. And I see Nick used it at the right time.”
Then she bit her lip, “I’m sorry I didn’t come faster. I was a couple trillion galaxies away.”
“Trillion galaxies-” Rocket choked.
“How are you here?” Buce suddenly asked, “It’s impossible. Did you have some sort of Quantum shifter or portal?”
“There is a lot that cannot be explained by science. And explaining would take time that we don’t have. We need to move,” the woman said.
“We were moving,” Tony said angrily, “And then you took us out of the timeline.”
“Because that time line will never work,” she said simply, “Only one will.”
“How do you know that?” Tony raised an eyebrow.
“Like I said, there’s a lot that can’t be explained. I’m here to help, I can assure you,” she promised.
“So, Carol Danvers?” Tony made sure he got her name right, “You are here to help us defeat Thanos.”
“I’m here to help you do what’s right,” Carol said, “To end this war. And to win. To bring back the people you’ve lost.”
“Good enough for me,” Clint said.
“Where do we start?” Tony asked.

Peter was talking with Quill when he saw the crowd. He slowly motioned to get Star Lord’s attention.
“Quill,” he said softly. People were walking toward them and they didn’t look happy. Quill put his hand out in front of Peter and said, “Stay behind me.”
“Is there a problem?” Quill said.
“Yeah there is,” one of the men said, probably the leader, “We’ve been in here far too long. We want out. And you need to get us out.”
“What are you talking about dude? We’re stuck in here too,” Quill said uneasily.
“Get us out of here,” the man snarled.
“We all want to go home.”
“Yeah and so do I douchebag and we’re trying,” Quill scoffed. He put up his hands, “Look, I could try and explain but most likely your pea brain wouldn’t comprehend-”
Peter’s spidey senses tingled right before the man took a swing at Quill. Peter called out a warning. Quill easily ducked and punched back, hitting the man straight in the face. Peter webbed him up from behind Quill and the man struggled on the ground, webs locking his hands at his sides. He splashed in the inch of water.
“You think you can take all of us?”
Another man took the first man’s place.
“Peter, get back,” Quill said firmly.
Peter didn’t budge. Another man went for Quill and Peter webbed him before he could hit him. Peter’s hand went up to web another one when a hand grabbed his wrist. It came from behind- it was two people actually, each one of them grabbing an arm. Peter twisted and jerked, yelling, “QUILL!”
Star Lord turned and that’s when the men swarmed them.
Peter yelled, kicking and punching, but whenever he took down one man, 2 more appeared in his place. They wrestled him to the ground and started punching. Peter tried to block the hits- he tried so hard, but eventually there were enough people to hold him down and with every punch Peter got weaker. He gasped for breath, water splashing everywhere.
“Pete-” he heard Quill’s strangled yells. They both knew they could take these people, but should they? They were innocent, just corrupted due to time in isolation. They were scared and they didn’t know what they were doing. Peter was dragged deeper into the growing mob, taking the hits, unsure what to do, whether he should fight back. He could heal, these people couldn’t. What would happen if he lashed out? Could someone die here because of him?
Then there was a big ringing, a high pitch that made everyone stop and grab their ears, especially Peter with his enhanced hearing. Peter was on the ground, in the water, shaking and gasping, squeezing his eyes shut from the pain. The yells stopped. There was silence except for slight murmurs and water ripples from people shifting their weight uneasily.
“Pete- where is he-” That was Quill.
“Here, I’m- here-” Peter choked out.
“Move!” Quill demanded, “Get away from him.”
Quill pushed through the crowd and his eyes found Peter. He was holding a charged blaster. He reached and grabbed Peter’s hand, yanking him up and holding him tight. He held Peter at his side, still gripping the gun. Then he and Peter backed up towards the middle of the circle where Falcon, Bucky and Wanda had appeared. Wanda’s hands were surrounded by red energy and he was pretty sure she was the one who had caused the crowd to calm.
“What’s wrong with you people?” Quill screamed to the mob, “We got turned to dust just like you! You think that we have any idea where we are? Or what we’re doing? You just hurt a 16 year old kid! For what?”
Peter’s nose was bleeding and he wiped it, half of the spider armor on his mask peeled away. It was regenerating, but the men could see his face and they looked shocked at how young he was. Many of them looked ashamed.
“Look I know you’re scared,” Sam said, “and frankly, we are to, but we don’t know how to get out of here. We don’t know what happened. We need you all to stay calm and wait. And stop the violence. It’s not doing anyone any good.”
“The last thing we need is people dying in here, when the people out there, are trying to get us out alive,” Wanda said angrily.
“And if anyone touches this kid again, I will personally deal with them,” Quill threatens, his arm still protectively around Peter.
“Excuse us,” Wanda says firmly, walking toward the mob. When they were uneasy she flashed her eyes red and snarled, “Move.”
Without hesitation, the crowd splits, making them a path.
“You ok?” Quill asks.
Peter nods, wincing at the bruises he knows he has and wiping blood from his nose when they were far enough away that he could remove his mask, “I’m fine. I just didn’t know what to do. They were just innocent...they’re scared. I didn’t want to hurt anyone. I only hurt bad guys. They were just...people.”
“You’re a good kid Peter, and the world isn’t so good sometimes. That can complicate things,” Sam says sadly.
“Yeah,” Peter breathed. There was silence.
Then he said, “We are gonna get out of here right?”
“Yeah kid,” Quill nodded, “it just takes time. I know they’re doing the best they can.”
“They’re a team,” Sam said, “Cap and Tony and the others. They fought in New York and Sokovia, they work together, it’s what they do. They’ll get the job done.”

“This is never going to work.”
“I appreciate the honesty Bruce but we- I- really can’t handle a pessimistic right now!” Tony yelled.
“But it’s not going to work,” Bruce groaned, putting his head in his hands.
“What are you, a broken record?” Tony grumbled, “It’s gonna work.”
“The hot chick said it’s gonna work,” Rocket said, powering up his gun, “It’s gonna work.”
“The Doctor said it himself. Right before he died he told me it’s the only way. We thought that meant go back to the beginning, the basics, but it doesn’t. And we know that now. We know everything has to happen the same exact way. With that in mind we have a plan and let’s go over it one more time team,” Tony said, his hands running furiously among the buttons on the ship.
“I will go save Gamora,” Nebula said.
“We’ll hold off the beasts again on Wakanda and get the reality stone with Scott,” Steve said, clicking his shield into place on his arm, “Use the time stone to give it to you earlier, passing it off in the quantum realm.”
Cap decided to bring out the old spangly America suit. Afterall, this was a big shot. Their only shot.
“Scott!” Tony yelled, “Scott! Get in here!”
Scott came running in with half of his suit on. Tony was relieved to have him back. Carol had somehow pulled him into the quantum realm and although Tony would never admit it, he knew that he would not have been able to do all these calculations himself.
“Let’s go, let’s go,” Tony said, waving him along.
“I don’t see your suit,” Scott grumbled.
Tony sighed and put out his hand. The Iron Man armor burst through the door and formed around his body. Tony raised his eyebrows, “You were saying?”
Scott rolled his eyes, “You sure that head fits into that helmet Stark?”
“They’re nanoparticles Scott I can expand them,” Tony called.
“God help us,” Scott muttered.
“Ok and,” Tony waved his hand, urging the team to continue the plan.
“Tony gets the time stone and reality stone. Thor you know what to do with Rocket,” Steve said.
“The rabbit and I shall not fail,” Thor said.
“Rabbit?” Rocket scoffed.
“And Bruce?” Tony asks.
“Yeah,” the guy had zoned out and his head snapped up. He looked nervous.
“Smash,” Tony teased.
Bruce scowled, “Tony not funny. You know how I feel about that-”
“Kidding! Kidding I swear Bruce, you know I would never. Ever.”
“Yeah sure.”
“Anyway, you’ll go with Vision to help Shuri remove the time stone. Wanda needs to go help out with the fight so that man that tries to get in there? He’s all yours Bruce. Kick his-” Tony said.
“Language. Thor brings it back to here,” Steve sums up, cutting Tony off with a slight smile, “and we can reveal the actual reality and go into the soul stone and bring everybody out. Then Carol comes into play and-”
“I’ll handle Thanos,” the woman nods, “It’s time to end this.”
“We kill Thanos with the gauntlet- Carol are you sure you can take its power?”
“I’m sure,” Carol nodded, “It’s energy source is equal to mine, I should be able to contain it.”
“And if you can’t?” Tony asked.
“Well then I’m dying to save billions. There’s no better way to go out,” she said smoothly.
Everyone nodded.
Cap continued after a minute of silence, summing everything up, “Finally, Wanda, you destroy the stones.”
“Well we made a list and we checked it twice. Thanos has been naughty I say it’s time we go kill this son of a guy,” Tony said. He looked around the room proudly, “Avengers?” He took a breath before he smirked.
“Let’s go save the world.”

Tony landed the ship and Cap went with the others over to the ramp. He was nervous. Nervous they would fail, but he had made it clear, win or lose, they’d do it together. He gripped his shield hard.
“Steve!” Tony called him back and Cap turned to look at his friend.
The two shook hands and Tony sighed, “Be...careful. Don’t die, ok?”
There was a caring tone in Tony’s voice and Cap appreciated it. He realized how much Stark meant to him, how close of a friend he was, and had always been, even through their fallouts.
“You too Tony,” Cap said.
“Well, good talk,” Tony clasped his hands, “I’ll see you Cap.”
“Good luck,” Steve said.
“I’m gonna need it,” Tony said under his breath. He gave Cap one last salute and locked eyes with him. Cap gave him a firm nod and then walked down the ramp. Tony made sure the team was on the ground before he took off again. Cap watched the ship leave and hoped it wasn’t the last time he saw the billionaire. He couldn’t afford to lose a brother and a best friend.

The remaining crew landed in a field in the middle of nowhere about 30 minutes later to split again. Thor and Rocket walked out of the ship.
“You know what to do,” Tony nodded.
“I shall see you again Stark,” Thor said, nodding to the man.
“Yeah,” Tony said, kicking the grass, “but hey, so you went from flowing gold locks to a buzz cut. When you get back are you gonna have a mohawk?”
“We can talk about my hairstyle another time,” Thor said holding back a smile, “Right now we need to go.”
Rocket hefted his gun at his side, “Tony when you see Thanos...kick his butt.”
“Will do rabbit,” Tony winked.
Thor lifted his hammer, and the clouds darkened. Lightning crackled.
“Rabbit- hey-” Rocket said.
Then a huge beam of bright colors hit the ground engulfing them both. Lightning coursed through his body and in a flash they were gone.

When it dissipated they were gone, and a symbol of ancient circles was burned into the grass.
“No regards to lawn maintenance,” Tony tisked. He walked back into the ship.
Tony didn’t know how Nebula was going to get to Vormir, but he trusted her when she said she had connections. He breached the atmosphere of Earth and got far enough away from his home planet before he slowed the ship so Nebula could go into the pod.
“You know what you’re doing?” He asked.
“Yes,” she assured him, “Good luck Tony.”
“Thanks,” he said. He had grown fond of Nebula, mostly because he had been stuck on a spaceship with her after the snap. It wasn’t what you would call quality bonding time, but it had brought them rather close.
“You too,” Tony said as the pod shut. Nebula detached it from the ship and then she was gone, leaving Tony alone.

3 hours later...
“You’ve gotten better with that thing,” Nebula said, nodding to the arrow at the man’s side.
“Thanks. It took a lot of practice. And limbs-”
“How fast is this ship?” Nebula asked suddenly, cutting him off.
“It can go as fast as you want sweetheart.”
“Don’t call me that,” Nebula hissed.
“Sorry. So, uh, what are we doing this for? You still want revenge on that guy who made you a machine? Or did you get that nice hat I suggested?” Kraglin asked, smiling again.
“I need your ship,” Nebula said, shooting him a look for his comment.
“Sure thing. Where are you headed?” Kraglin asked, already grabbing the coms to make an announcement.
“Vormir,” Nebula said firmly.

When they landed on Titan, Tony didn’t know what to expect. He couldn’t really do anything until he was signaled to come get the reality stone. He was itching to see Peter. He hadn’t. In a very long time. Too long. Tony landed the ship behind one of the rocks. He walks forward and sees his friends in front of him. Tony blinks back tears, closing the mask over his face and walking toward them. Tony’s slightly confused, as none of the guardians are alarmed by his sudden presence. Tony then remembers why. He had gone behind the rubble to check the planet for heat signatures with FRIDAY. The Quantum Realm was full of unanswered questions that Tony would never know all the answers to.
“What did the guy say when he walked into the bar?” A voice spoke. It made Tony freeze.
“I don’t know,” That was Quill, but Tony didn’t care about him right now.
“Well you have to guess,” Peter said, laughing.
Tony found his voice, “Ouch.”
Peter turned and groaned, “Tony, really?”
“Sorry kid,” Tony said with tears in his eyes beneath the mask. Gosh, it was good to see Peter again. The kid’s suit was gleaming- as were his eyes: alive, bright, and happy. It made Tony’s day to see him that energized, and unhurt.
“That’s the dumbest joke I’ve ever heard,” Quill laughed.
“I don’t get it,” Drax said.
Peter then proceeded to explain his joke to Drax, like he did last time. Tony talked with Quill like he did last time, but was secretly watching his kid out of the corner of his eye since he already knew the plan Quill was suggesting. Peter was ok. He was here. Tony had another chance to protect him, to save him. He wasn’t going to let him get hurt again, but deep down, Tony knew he had to let things happen. He had gone through the BARF of this fight a million times. If he could stop that purple jerk from hurting his kid every single time, he would, but he knew he couldn’t. He had to watch Peter get slammed into the ground, watch him get backhanded, watch him get thrown aside. It would kill Tony, like a cold fist squeezing his heart, but if it meant saving Peter was the outcome, Tony could somewhat live with himself. Carol had said that Dr. Strange was right, that it had to be done the way it originally was. The reason being that it was the only way- the only way to win.

NIVADELEAR:
Thor spoke calmly, “Etri, I know you swore to yourself never to repeat your actions, but I need you to make it again.”
“Thor no-” Etri said weakly.
“Yo, fella, if god man says make another glove, make another glove,” Rocket sighed.
“I am Groot.”
“Hey that’s not nice.”

WAKANDA:
T’Challa signaled his troops, “Engage all defenses, prepare for an assault.”
“Are you sure this will work Captain?” Wanda asked.
Natasha, Rhodey, Bruce, and Cap exchanged glances.
“It has to,” Cap says softly, staring out the window, “Because we’re out of options. And I don’t know what I’m going to do if it doesn’t.”

Just like that he was gone. Sunk back into his portal of blue after he went over to the edge and stared over the side, tears falling down his cheeks. She had never seen him cry. He disappeared, and Gamora stood, looking at the person who took the titan’s place behind him. Her sister surged for her and hugged her. Gamora blinked, hugging Nebula back, a little shocked to see her in the first place, but also the fact that she was hugging her.
“What are you doing here?” Gamora asked, pulling away, “What just happened? He ignored me. It was like I didn’t exist. And then he left- what did you do?”
“He was going to kill you,” Nebula said softly.
“How do you know that-” Gamora asked.
“A soul for a soul right? Right over the edge,” Nebula said, looking at the hooded figure that had been silent this whole time.
“Yes,” the man said.
Gamora’s eyes widened, “Why?”
“Because he loves you. And only you,” came the voice.
Gamora shook her head, “He loves no one. Nothing.”
“Except you,” Nebula said.
Gamora blinked, snow falling, wind tousling her hair. She finally bit her lip, “And to get this stone he must sacrifice someone he loves, which is me.”
Nebula didn’t answer.
“You have to kill me,” Gamora said softly. Only the wind responded.
Nebula finally shook her head, “I can’t-”
“Everyone will die,” Gamora said, “I can’t have my life stand in the way of that.”
She took out her knife and with trembling fingers, gave it to her sister.
“I can’t do it by myself,” she said sadly, “Tell Quill I love him. Please-”
Nebula said, “No-”
“You must Nebula! Please. There’s no other way,” Gamora said miserably.
“We have a plan-” Nebula spoke weakly.
“So does he! People will die if he gets the stone,” Gamora yelled.
She folded Nebula’s hand over the knife and brought it up to her chest.
“Do it,” she pleaded, “Please…”
Nebula gripped the knife and Gamora was surprised to see tears in her eyes. The cold made her shiver. She was already trembling, unsure of what she was doing. She didn’t want to die, but she knew that her life versus the lives of billions was no contest. Everything seemed sharper despite her blurry vision. There was silence on the cliffside. The man with the hood simply watched. Is this what he did every time? Watched as people tried to die, to kill their loved ones in attempt to attain the unattainable.
“Do it,” Gamora said quietly, blinking once, letting one tear fall, before she nodded.
Nebula shook her head slowly, fingering the knife, gripping and ungripping.
Gamora sucked in a breath as Nebula pulled back the knife- and then threw it into the snow.
The blade sunk beneath the white layer, gleaming in the light from the silver clouds.
Gamora looked up in horror and disbelief.
“I’m not killing my sister for no reason,” Nebula said firmly.
“No reason?” Gamora asks.
“You’ll see,” Nebula promises her, “Kraglin, and then you have to go back to Titan.”
“Why?” Ganora catches her sister’s arm. She’s making no sense.
“We have a plan,” Nebula smiles.
“Then let me help,” Gamora insists.
“You can’t,” Nebula winces, before she smirks, “Because you’re dead.”
“I’m what?” Gamora says.
“Long story,” Nebula says.
“But we still need to get the stone.”
“We have that covered. We need to talk to Peter though.”
“Peter!” Gamora said.
“No, not your Peter. Peter Parker.”

“Is he under? Don’t let up!”
Mantis is shaking and she cries, “Be quick! He is very strong.”
Tony flies over and starts yanking the gauntlet. His helmet’s eyes lock with Peter’s and he nods, motioning his kid over, “Parker help! Get over here. She can’t hold him much longer. Let’s go.”
Peter ties his web does and runs over, helping Tony pull. Peter lets out a determined yell as he pulls, and with their combined strength, Tony can feel the gauntlet slowly slide towards them.
“We’ve got to open his fingers to get it off,” Tony says to Peter, unable to hide the miserable tone in his voice. He knows what’s next. Sure enough, Quill flies over and lands, his rocket boots powering down and he does a sort of skip over, a smug grin on his face.
“Thought you’d be hard to catch. For the record this is my plan. Not so strong now huh?” He gets up right in the face of Thanos and snarls, “Where’s Gamora?”
“My...Gamora…” Thanos murmurs.
Quill’s face screws up and he mutters, “No, bull-” His face is tight in angry glare, “Where is she?!”
Tony sees Mantis sniffle on top of Thanos and he doesn’t need to look up to know she’s crying.
“He is in anguish,” Mantis says, tears streaming down her cheeks.
“Good,” Quill says angrily, looking back at the titan.
“He...he mourns…” She sobs.
“What does this monster,” Drax gasps, still pulling on his leg, “Have to mourn?”
“Gamora,” Nebula lies. Tony nods at her. It must have worked. She was here wasn’t she?
“What?” Quill says breathlessly, turning around.
Nebula’s face has no emotion. Her voice is low and raspy, “He took her to Vormir. He came back with the Soul Stone. But she didn’t.”
Everyone looks shocked and Tony continues to pull the gauntlet, biting his lip. Peter looks at him, and he sees tears in the kid’s eyes. Seeing his kid that sad, and unable to console him, or tell him it was all a lie- it killed Tony. He turned his attention to Quill who has turned, his face full of shock and anger, his glare on the titan.
“Come on, come on-” Peter hisses next to him and Tony watches sadly and proudly as his kid strains, anger making him yank the glove harder.
Tony grits his teeth and matches Peter’s strength and slowly feels the gauntlet sliding, even though he knows it won’t actually do any good.
“Quill wait-” Peter warns.
Tony secretly thanks the kid for his cue and wills his mask to recede to his neck. He licks his lips and forces fear and anger to create an edge to his voice, “Okay Quill, you gotta cool it right now. You understand? Don’t. Don’t. Don’t engage. We’ve almost got this off!”
Quill who is unmoving, staring at the titan. “Tell me she’s lying,” Quill says softly before he raises his voice and yells, “Tell me you didn’t do it!”
“I...had...to…” Thanos breaths out.
“No you didn’t,” Quill says quietly, shaking his head, “No you didn’t.” Tears come to his eyes, and his voice sounded like someone had just shattered his heart. In reality, Thanos did.
“Ahhhh!” Quill screams, his eyes flashing and he brings back his arm, “NO YOU DIDN”T!”
Oh God.
Tony flinches as he does, with each hit he flinches. Quill smashes the gun down, once, twice, screaming in anger. Tony bites his lip, knowing he has to wait a bit longer. Mantis cries out in pain as Quill hits her hand and Thanos’ face with his gun on the third hit. He hits Thanos again, right in the face, screaming inaudible things, just heartbroken, shattered, angry, sad screams that only make Peter cry harder next to him. That’s enough.
“Quill!” Tony shouts, diving forward and grabbing his arm, “Hey! Stop, stop!”
He sees Peter pulling the gauntlet harder to make up for the loss of Tony, who’s struggling to retain Quill who’s fighting him off. Tony sees something on the gauntlet and the red stone shudders. Then Quill smacks him across the face with his gun and Tony has to divert his attention.
“Hey, stop! Stop!” Tony yells at him, heartbroken to see his friend like this, especially when he knows none of it is true.
“It’s coming, it’s coming, I got it, I got it-” he hears Peter yell and Tony balls his fists, wincing. On cue, there’s a roar from the titan and Tony looks over his shoulder in time to see Thanos tense and he throw back his head, hitting Mantis in the face. Just as Peter gets the gauntlet off the titan’s head turns towards his kid and the stupid purple fingers grab the edge of it, yanking it away from Peter who falls hard on his back, sliding a few feet. Thanos reaches up and hurls Mantis off. Tony watches Peter scramble to his feet, yelping, “Oh God,” as he swings to catch her.
With a snarl he goes for the titan that hurt his friends. Tony attacks with a blue zapping nanoparticle sword but he knows he can’t even make contact with the titan who catches his arm and headbutts him. Tony flails, skittering against the ground before he slides to a stop, looking up. It hurts to know what’s going to happen and not do anything about it. He had to allow himself to fail, when he know he could win this fight. He had to allow himself to get hurt, even though he knows he could prevent the pain. But not the ultimate pain, Tony reminds himself. He could prevent the little things, but loosing his son... that hurt more than anything in the world and Tony was not going to let that happen again. He would take all the pain in the world if it meant Peter was safe. Quill, Nebula, and Drax all rush at Thanos, up from a previous fall. Thanos shoots a blast with the power stone, and Tony locks eyes with Nebula who gives a small wince before the purple blow knocks them off their feet. The 3 lie on the ground unconscious and Tony gulps down horror. A cry of warning is strangled in Tony’s throat as he sees Peter throw himself forward in anger at the titan and simply get blasted backward when the beam catches the kid in the shoulder. Peter hits the ground hard and looks up at what Tony’s looking at. Thanos’ hand was up and in a fist, throwing the moon towards Tony. He knows he has to let it hit. He know he can’t dodge it. Tony grits his teeth, prepared to fire up his thrusters when he hears Peter’s strangled yell. The moon drops out of the sky and rocks are dropping down from out of the sky. Peter’s yell is tinged with fear but his voice is strong.
“Tony!”
“Go kid!” Tony yells against his will, “Help them!” His boosters fire up as he dodges the flying rocks. Tony flies up, muting himself on the comms so he can let out a angry yell.
“Crap!” Tony shouts as he allows the moon to smack into him. Tony winces, squeezing his eyes shut as he pummelts to the ground, trapped underneath the moon. The scream from the comms hurts more than the actual impact, crushing Tony against the rocky bed.
“NO!”
“DAD!”

Quill looks at the kid who had just finished telling his story.
“Are you sure that’s what she said?” he asked.
Peter nodded vigorously, “It’s all about the connection. If we do this, they can get the soul stone.”
“So how do we get him here?” Sam asked.
“He’s not exactly hanging out,” Wanda pointed out.
“Bait,” Bucky said, staring past Quill at the kid who weakly smiled.
“Yep,” Peter nodded.
“What does he mean bait?” Mantis asked, her wide eyes growing even wider.
“Ah,” Drax breathed. The plan formed in his head. Quill finally knew where this was going. Everyone shifted uncomfortably, except for Peter, who should have been the most nervous.
“No,” Quill shook his head at Peter.
“It’s the only way it’s gonna work Quill. We lure him here. Find Gamora’s spirit. And swap their souls.”
“It’s a long shot,” Sam pointed out.
“It’s saving the universe Falc, it’s not gonna be easy,” Peter said.
“Alright Spider kid, you sure you want to do this?” Quill said.
“It’s the only way,” Peter shrugged, “So yeah.”

“You should have told me.”
“I couldn’t,”

After getting out of the rubble, Tony slams his fist and knee onto the ground. It’s a perfect landing and he straightens, facing off against the titan.
“You throw another moon at me,” Tony swears, “and I’m gonna lose it.”
“Stark,” Thanos greets him with the same evil smile.
“You know me?” Tony asks, biting his lip.
“I do,” the titan nods, “You’re not the only one cursed with knowledge.”
Tony shakes his head and snarls, “My only curse is you.”
“All that for a drop of blood.”
Oh God-
Tony sees the blade come forward and he looks at it in fear, watching helplessly. He knows how it’s going to feel, but that doesn’t make it any less painful. It all happens so fast and Tony sucks in a breath as the blade comes forward. It sinks into his side and Tony feels it go all the way through his stomach and come out the other end. Just a little longer. A little longer.
“NOOOOO!” It’s his son’s voice cracking and breaking, but still audible. And that’s what keeps Tony going.
This is where he changes it.
“You think you’ve won,” Tony says softly, spitting out blood as he falls limp against the rock, shoving himself away from the titan.
“Stark, you can’t beat me,” Thanos says.
“I can try,” Tony said, getting to his feet and willing his Iron Man armor to spread around him- at least what’s left.
“It’s suicide,” Thanos smiles.
“I don’t care,” Tony says angrily, glaring at the titan as a thin helmet comes down over his head, “You killed my son.”

Scott holds the orb in his hand, floating through the Quantum Realm. He blinks, shaking his head to clear the dizziness. Cap morphs out of nothingness and Scott’s relieved to see he still has the necklace around his head.
“I just snatched it!” he laughs catching the orb in his hand.
“Thank Rocket, otherwise you would have been toast when you touched it,” the other man says, gripping the necklace.
“Did you talk to the Dr.?”
“Yes. This is the one.”
“When will Thanos find out?” Scott gasps, everything still spinning.
“I don’t know.We have to hurry. I doubt we have a lot of time,” Cap doesn’t waste any time, and turns his dial.
“I hate this,” Scott grumbles. He closes his eyes, gripping the orb tight, and again turns the dial on his wrist.

“I thought I lost you,” the woman said.
“But you didn’t,” the man responded, kissing her lightly.

Wanda sees Thanos walking toward her and she lets out a yell, pointing one of her hands at him and letting a stream loose. He puts up a shield but her force still blows him back a few feet, ripping up the ground. She keeps up the energy in both streams, arms outstretched. Thanos is slowly making his way toward her, shoving against her red energy. Wanda looks back at Vision who’s smiling at her, hiding the pain for her, encouraging her. He nods as much as he can but his eyes say it all.
“It’s alright,” he says breathlessly. She can’t hear him over the sound of the energy shooting from her palms, the groans of the titan who’s getting closer and her own tears. Wanda takes a breath, crying out, squeezing her eyes shut for a second, strengthening her stream, her hand trembling.
“It’s alright,” Vision says again.
Wanda’s crying, tears sliding freely down her cheeks as she holds her breath, her lower lip trembling, her fingers outstretched to deliver the final blow.
Then in a flash someone has appeared in front of her, taking the hits from Thanos. It’s a woman, with blinding yellow eyes, shimmering blonde hair, like fire, her whole body gleaming. Wanda releases her stream from Thanos, her hand falling at her side in shock. There’s an explosion of light as the woman’s beams that are the brightest light Wanda has ever seen come out of her wrists and push back against the power of the titan and the stone’s power.
“Get him out of here!” the woman yells, turning to look at her, “Go! Now!”
Wanda shakes her head to focus and immediately obeyed, releasing Vision from the stream and hooking him with red energy, boosting them both into the sky.

Carol continues the blast as Thanos yells in anger. She sees each of the stones heat up, one by one. Out of the corner of her eye she sees Thor there, with the gauntlet, and she sends him a look. There’s a sudden intensity from the blast and she flies backward, hitting a tree full force.
“What are you?” Thanos snarls, and there is fear in her voice.
“Your worst enemy,” Carol spits.

“I’m still confused.”
“We all are,”
“There are some things about the Quantum Realm that can never be explained.”
“Carol said that,”
“Carol…”

Thanos fights, he fights like he has all his life. To accomplish his task. To win. He has almost all the stones, and when he finally gets the last one, and clicks it in place, the pain that surges through him doesn’t even hurt. He arches his back, feeling the power and easily blocks the axe that is thrown at him. Smiling, Thanos brings his fingers together.
And snaps.
This time he doesn’t wait. He sees Thor and Steve Rogers driving the axe forward. They both don’t make it.
He’s already gone.
And then everything goes black.
For only a little while.

One hour ago:
He takes off the necklace, only to have one replace it.
“I knew you’d figure it out.”
“Let’s hope this works.”
“Good luck Cap.”
“Thank you Doctor.”
“I’ll see you on the other side.
---
Thanos crushes the necklace in his hands and Dr. Strange resists a smile.
“A fake,” the titan spits.
“A trickster,” Dr. Strange corrects.

Tony was whirling, looking for him, where was that-
Thanos appears again in front of him, with a weakened gauntlet.
“I did it,” Thanos says.
It’s true. Mantis, Drax and Quill have already turned to dust. Dr. Strange locks eyes with Tony and nods at him. Tony purses his lips, biting back the pain. He disappears too.
“Tony?” Peter says weakly. Tony turns around and stumbles forward, talking as he does so.
“It’s ok Pete- it’s ok, trust me- you’re gonna be ok-” Tony says, his voice breaking; nothing could prepare him for this. This was his doing, this had to happen. Peter had to go through this useless, unmeaningful pain for no reason.
“Forgive me Pete. When you get back? You gotta forgive me.”
“Tony what are you talking about- I don’t feel good, I don’t know what’s happening-”
Tony catches him and stares directly in his eyes as Peter shakes, “Trust me on this one. It’s gonna be ok. I promise. I love you kid. Don’t be mad at me. It’s not your fault.”
“Tony help me-” Peter pleads, gripping his shoulders.
“I can’t kid, not yet. Please, Peter trust me. Look at me kid, trust me.” He lifts Peter’s chin to lock eyes with him, cupping his neck, “I love you more than anything,” Tony says firmly, “I need you to trust me. You’re gonna be ok.”
Peter slows his breathing and nods with wide eyes, “O-ok. I tr- trust you. I love you dad.”
“I-I love you too kid. You’re gonna be ok. I’ll see you soon. I’ve got you.” Tony hated lying that he’d see him soon. God he’d miss him. He’d miss him so much.
“I got you first,” Peter says, seemingly choking on a sob. He buries himself into Tony’s embrace.
“I’m not letting anything happen to you. I can’t let it,” Tony said softly, “Peter it’s gonna be ok,” He said again.
“I know,” Peter said, hugging him tight.
“Pete?”Tony asks quietly, already feeling his kid fading in his arms and just wishing he had 5 more minutes.
“Yeah,” Peter says, squeezing his eyes shut and clenching Tony’s shoulders as hard as he can.
“I’m sorry kid. I’m so sorry,” Tony says, crying.
“What-” Peter looks up to question but then he fades, his beautiful eyes swirling away into dust, leaving Tony hugging the wind.

“I’m sorry.”
“I never want to hear that again, understand?”

“Reality is a funny thing. It changes things around, flips stories and memories,” the man with the cape said.
“What actually happened?” his brother asked.

Thanos pulls back the gauntlet and clenches his fist, unleashing a stream that crashes into her again, breaking up her beam that she pulses back. It hits her full in the chest and Carol collapses to her knees, faking defeat.
In reality she was sneaking around behind him to grab the stone from Shuri. Wanda landed behind them, hugging Vision and crying. Bruce was ready next to them, with Cap who had surrendered his necklace and Scott who had obviously gotten the tone out of the orb. Carol slipped the gauntlet on and the simulation broke, peeling away as red dust. When Thanos realized Carol was no longer in front of him he turned. The Avengers had fanned out beside her and her eyes flashed.
“Tag. You’re it,” she snarled, closing her fist, “Come and get me.”
And then she sank into a portal, along with the Avengers, Thanos close behind.

Chapter Text

Tony took the hits. If that was the only way to win, that’s what he would do. Take the hits. That's what he's always done, hasn't he? In New York he was the one who destroyed the worm hole. In Sokovia, he was the one who blew up the city, and on Titan, he had been the one who got his friends and his son turned to dust. So Tony would gladly take all the pain in the world if it meant reversing his wrongs. He didn't think Thanos knew how willing he was to die as Tony slammed into a rock, his head smacking back.
“You can’t defeat me,” Thanos said.
“I know,” Tony said weakly, blood trickling down his jaw.
Thanos smirked at that, as if thinking he had won, but that wasn't the case.
Tony grinned, breathing hard.
“But she can.”
There's a rip in reality and Carol slams into the ground, the world lighting up and the ground trembling as she slammed into the earth one on knee, holding the gauntlet. It's stones gleam in they're slots and Tony has to grin. The red dust curls away as Thanos watches his gauntlet dissolve in his hands.
"Reality can be such a shame," Tony says cockily, biting back tears. It's his turn now.
Tony turns to Carol, ready to accept death, ready to catch the gauntlet that Carol is supposed to throw. They had decided it would be him. He would be the one to die.
Tony holds out his hands, ready to catch it. Accepting his fate.
Carol smiles at him, but never throws it.

FFFFWUMP.
Tony opens his eyes. He’s in the Quantum Realm. Carol is in front of him.
“What are you doing?” he asks.
“You’ve taught me something Tony," she says, nervously playing with a strand of her blonde hair, a nervous habit he would not expect to see from someone so powerful. She coked her head slightly, and spoke slowly, as if she was choosing each word one by one.
"Your world has taught me something. You all love each other so much. I saw you hugging Peter, telling him it was going to be ok, and I realized he can’t lose you. They can't lose you.”
Tony's heart drops. He shakes his head, laughing nervously. Laughing was his coping mechanism, but his throat his dry and all he can manage is a harsh chuckle with no humor behind it, “What are you talking about- Carol no, this was the plan.”
“You have people who need you Tony. Do you want to see what would happen?” Carol reaches out and her cold fingers touch Tony’s temple before he could step back.
He recoils, but not after seeing Peter’s crumpled form over Tony’s body, holding him to his chest and sobbing.
Peter looking at the gravestone of Tony Stark with the words “I am Iron Man” engraved on it.
Pepper wearing all black and crying.
Rhodey sitting with his head in his hands.
Cap saying a speech at what looks to be his funeral, where hundreds of thousands of people stand with bowed heads.
But the worst one of all, just Peter crying in his room with his Iron Man helmet tight against his chest.
Tony lets out a gasped, stumbling back. He looks up at Carol with wide eyes that are filled with tears, his heart going a million miles a minute.
Carol's gaze was warm and calm, and she smiled weakly, “It breaks him Tony. It breaks them all."
"Carol..." he whispers.
She shrugs, nodding to herself, "Me, I’m a symbol. You, you’re a leader.”
“I can’t let you do this,” Tony said softly, “it should be me.”
“You have to let me do this,” Carol said. “I need to do this. Tell Peter it was worth it. Tell him for me ok? I'm sorry Tony.”
“Carol wait-”
"NO!"

Carol clenches her fist. A stream is let off, slamming into Thanos. Carol screams, but it’s lost in the sound of the infinity stones breaking as Wanda, who is next to her, releases her own stream on the gauntlet. Thor lifts his axe, and then shoots a bolt of lighting at Thanos.
Tony forces himself to function and he raises his arm, letting out a yell as he fires up his repulsor with all the energy he has left, feeling nanoparticles scurrying up from his boost and legs to fill the Iron Man gauntlet. With with tears in his eyes, and shoots it at Thanos’ back.
Cap runs at Thanos with his shield and shoves the edge into his chest, slicing through Thanos’ lifeline and holding him steady. Rhodey and Natasha are there shooting their guns at Thanos’ sides.The ground trembles.

It was a good way to die, Carol decides, dying to save others.
She nods at Tony and then closes her eyes.
For a second she can’t see anything, just a white light as she feels the gauntlet explode, shredding her arm into dust. Then she feels nothing at all.

Cap falls backward after the blast, struggling to stay conscious. Images from the past day flash through his head.
Getting the reality stone with Scott, taking the time stone from Dr. Strange.
They headed back to Wakanda, where they were ready with Carol and the replica gauntlet made my Etri and brought by Thor.
They made everything happen the same way, by changing reality, Thanos had thought he snapped.
Thanos had thought he won, but he had been playing into their hands. Dr. Strange was right. Everything had to happen the same way.
And it did.
Everyone turned to dust.
But they had brought Thanos back to his home planet to deliver the final blow.
Cap had secretly offered to be the one to do it. To be the one to die. He felt responsible.
Carol responded in saying that Tony had said the same thing, then she promised she knew what to do.
He didn’t know what she meant.
Now he understood, with tears streaming down his cheeks. She had said she had found a way to take it. But she hadn't.
Carol had known all along she couldn’t take the heat.
But she knew no one else could. She sacrificed herself to save them.
And that’s when Steve woke up.

“So you’ve rethought my proposition Peter?”
“Yes,” Peter said, his hands clenched behind his back so Thanos wouldn’t see them.
He walked slowly toward the gazebo and to his surprise, Thanos followed him.
“You’ll make a great ally in battle Peter, I’m glad you came to your senses,” Thanos admits grudgingly.
“Me too,” Peter grits his teeth, keeping his mask up because he knows the gaze he’s giving will give away everything.
“I just want to get out. I’m too young to die. The Earth can change, it will evolve, it will be better off. I just need to get out. And if you can help me do that, I’ll join you.”
“I can,” Thanos said, holding out his gauntlet. The stones gleamed.
Peter turned, his eyes watering beneath the mask. Just then Quill comes rushing at Thanos from the side.
“No!” Peter yells. Quill stabs his blade downward and it makes contact with the gauntlet, right on the soul stone.
“That was for Gamora,” he snarls.
“Quill what did you do?” Peter shrieks, tackling Quill back. They roll and Peter stands, scrambling back and putting out his wrist to fire a web. Thanos is suddenly next to him and he grabs Peter by the throat and lifts him, “I knew you would betray me.”
“Stop! He had nothing to do with it!” Quill spits from the ground on his side.
Peter’s squirming, in desperate need of air and he shakes his head, “No- I didn’t.”
Thanos nods and sets Peter down before he dissolves and reappears 5 feet away.
“Reality is a shame. You of all people should know that,” Thanos says to Quill. Then Peter’s friend’s attack from either side, Mantis dropping from above. But each time they attack, Thanos materializes, standing a foot away and he lets out a massive blast then decks every single one of them, proving their efforts futile and useless. Peter bites his lip as his friends lay weak and beaten on the floor, gasping for breath and bleeding.
Thanos puts a hand on Peter’s shoulder and Peter forces himself not to flinch at the touch. He grips the knife that Quill had slipped him while they rolled. As far as Thanos knew he was defenseless.
He was shaking and Thanos’ hand squeezes his arm, “Don’t be afraid Peter.”
“Peter how could you,” Quill sobs.
“Don’t listen to them. Your eyes have been opened.”
“We were your friends,” Sam says, glaring at Peter harsher than he ever has.
Peter lowers his head and flinches as Thanos knocks Falcon down with a purple blast.
“Let’s go home Peter,” Thanos says, putting the gauntlet out over Peter’s shoulder as the stones gleam. Peter closes his eyes and then makes his move, yelling, “QUILL NOW!”
He stabs the knife downward into the gauntlet, hitting the infinity stone flat on. Quill shoves his hand into the water and closes his eyes. The knife stays stuck in the stone and Thanos hits Peter across the face but he doesn’t fall. His mask is shattered off and Peter cries out, his knees wobbling from the force of the hit, his face now bruised and bloodied. Blood drips down his forehead but he glares the titan right in the eyes.
“That was for Tony.”
“And you will never see him again,” Thanos hisses back, grasping Peter’s wrist, yanking the knife out of the stone and plunging it forward.
It never hits. Wanda is on her feet, her hands extended, stopping the knife from sinking into Peter’s side. But her part in the plan is coming soon and Peter looks at her.
“Do it,” he mouths. She shakes her head, tears coming to her eyes and Peter yells, “DO IT!”
Quill breathes, “Gamora.”
Everyone turns as they see a little girl walking toward them.
Wanda screams and let’s the beam stop, instead aiming it toward the stone.
Peter watches as the blade sinks into his side and he can’t breath. At first he can’t feel the pain, he just watches the knife slid in like water. So smoothly. And then the pain comes, like fire and Peter buckles to his knees, his mouth open, although no scream comes out.
Wanda keeps up the stream and Thanos let’s Peter drop; he’s staring intently at his daughter.
“It’s time for you to own up to the bad you’ve done,” she said sadly.
“No little one, not yet,” Thanos says.
“Yes,” she says, nodding, “Now.”
Thanos looks down at Peter, and his eyes seem so sad.
"We could have..." he whispers.
"No,"Peter chokes, coughing up blood, "I would do it again," he snarls.
Thanos looks back at Gamora and a tear falls down his cheek.
Quill lunges forward and grabs Peter, dragging back, and then shoots Thanos in the face. Sam, up again launches himself forward and starts to light Thanos up, along with Bucky who had circled behind the titan. Groot keeps him in place with his roots and Mantis has her hand along one, making Thanos feel drowsy. Wanda makes the stream harder and T’Challa goes over to the gauntlet and pulls. Thanos turns to swat him away but now Dr. Strange has lashed a rope around his other hand and is pulling.
“Pete stay with me,” Quill says, trying to stop the bleeding as he holds a weak Peter to his chest, “Come on, you need to stay awake. Tony’s waiting for you. He needs to see you. Pete don’t you want to see Tony?”
“Tony…” Peter mumbles.
“Yeah Tony,” Quill says.
Peter can barely see, but he hears the yell and he hears Quill clutch him tighter as his world erupts in a brilliant orange light. When it clears, the titan and Gamora are gone.
Peter looks at the stab wound as people crowd around him.
“Did it work?” Bucky asks.
Wanda’s breathing hard, a cut on the side of her head, “The stone is destroyed. They’re both gone.”
“Drax?” Mantis says. Everyone looks at her. Peter’s vision is fuzzy, but he sees her turning to dust.
“Mantis no-” Draw reaches for her but now he’s gone too.
“What’s happening?” Wanda says, but then she’s no longer there.
Soon it’s only Peter and Quill left and suddenly Quill has a look on his face, and he gulps.
“No, Quill please-” Peter pleads weakly, "Please don't leave me..."
“Kid…” His hand fades into dust. Peter drops to the ground as Quill turns to dust beneath him.
Peter curls up, in too much pain to scream. He sees his suit flaking. He tries to smack away the dust, shove it off him. Not again. This only happens in dreams, it wasn’t actually supposed to happen. There was too must dust. There was too much pain. Too much panic. Too much fear.
“TONY!” he screams with a weak throat.
No no no -

Steve goes over and helps Tony up.
“What happened?” Tony asks.
“We won,” Steve says, repeating the old phrase.
Tony gets shakily to his feet, gripping his side, and then hugs him hard. They’re both overwhelmed.
Then Tony tenses and taps Cap on the shoulder softly, “I think there’s someone here to see you.”
Cap pulls away from their embrace and turns around. He’s floored.
“Buck?” he says softly.

Vision sees Wanda in the distance. He blinks, making sure he’s not dreaming.
Then he runs at her, and he doesn’t stop until she’s in his arms.

Quill opens his eyes and finds himself on Titan. He looks and sees Tony and Cap, who’s hugging Bucky, along with some of their other friends. There are 2 ships behind them and Rocket jumps out of one, seeing him and sprinting forward. Quill kneels and Rocket hugs him. He’s surprised to see tears in the raccoon’s eyes.
“Just...from the dust…” Rocket says when he pulls away, “And well I can’t say that now, shoot-”
“It’s ok,” Quill laughs, hugging him again.
“It’s good to have you back...captain,” he says softly.
Quill smiles. Then he looks up and sees Nebula come out of the next ship. But he’s focused on the person behind her.
“Gamora?” he whispers.
She runs at him. Quill walks briskly, catching her in his arms, kissing her, his hand in her hair, holding her close. She's laughing through her tears as she presses her forehead against his.
"I love you, more than anything," she says softly.
"I love you too," he says back. He kisses her again and she wraps her arms around him.
"There is an unspoken thing," she decides.
"About time," he laughs, and spins her around, never wanting to let go again.

“You must sacrifice someone you love,” Gamora reminded, “I can’t kill you Nebula.”
“Not sacrifice,” Nebula said
Gamora shook her head, “A soul for a soul.”
“Yes,” Nebula said.
“Who’s soul?”
Nebula looked up, “Thanos.”

Tony’s got a smile on his face as he greets all of his friends. But he's constantly scanning the horizen, waiting, praying, hoping.
Panic has him gripped tight, and Tony doesn't think he's blinked yet.
Then he sees someone in the distance.
This person takes longer to materialize.
And when they do they crumple, sending a glare from the red and blue suit being reflected off the sun.
Tony’s heart speeds up and he sucks in a breath and then yells louder than he has in his life.
“PETER!”
The boy looks up and scrambles shakily to his feet.
Tony starts forward, at first a walk, then a jog, and he hears the faint yell, “Tony!”
And Tony breaks into a run.
"Peter!" he screams again.
"Tony! Tony! Tony!" The kid's chanting it over and over as they run at each other. Tony pushes back the pain and grabs the limping kid in his arms.
Peter’s crying as he crumples against Tony's chest, his arms wrapping around him in an Iron grip. Tony holds him so tight, his hand in his hair, rubbing it through his curls and hugging him harder than he ever had and ever will. It had been too long. It had been way too long.
“I’m so sorry,” Tony sobs, “I’m so sorry.”
"Don't say that," Peter says through his tears.
"Oh God Pete, I thought I lost you," Tony says, closing his eyes and just falling to the ground, Peter pressed against his chest, Tony protectively hovering over him, protecting him, never wanting the kid to leave his side ever again. They just stay that way, holding each other, and Tony has never been more calm in his life, even though his heart is beating a million miles an hour, he's calm, and he's happy. Peter melts into his embrace and Tony holds him tight, resting his chin on his kid's head as he holds him, his hand in Peter's dark curls.
“Hey Tony, it's ok,” Peter says happily,his voice muffled from Tony's chest, “I’m back.”
“Parker,” Tony laughs, unable to say anything else.
"Stark," Peter says back.
"Peter," Tony grins, crying.
"Anthony," Peter whispers before he breaks into a laughing fit.
Tony lets out a loud laugh, "Say that again and I swear to God..."
"I'm sorry," Peter laughs.
They both freeze.
There’s a lump in Tony’s throat and a massive knot in his stomach. His side doesn’t even hurt anymore or maybe that’s just because he can’t feel it. He’s too much in shock, gripping his son tight. Peter locks eyes with him, tears forming in his son’s gaze and his mouth tries to form words. Tony barely hears the last thing Peter says.
“I’m sorry.”
And then Peter looks away.
Tony doesn’t register the words, he can barely hear him, He’s just staring in shock at Peter and he grabs his shoulders harder as they crumble beneath him and he’s breathing hard.
No, no, no, no, no-
Say something Tony! Save him!
Tony can’t say anything. He choked on his words.
Not Pete...oh God-
Tony can only watch helplessly as Peter turns to dust and he falls forward as his son dissolves beneath him, his body replaced with dust, his beautiful eyes swirling away, his clenched hands letting go of Tony’s shoulders, his suit crumbling into the wind-
Peter jerks away, holding Tony by the shoulders, "Hey, no, no, look at me."
Tony raises his gaze, trying not to have a panic attack. He nods weakly, holding Peter's arms tightly. He was supposed to be the one protecting Peter, not the other way around.
"I'm not going anywhere," Peter promises, "I'm right here. I promise."
"Don't ever say I'm sorry to me again," Tony says weakly, trying and failing to conjure up a laugh, "Come here."
He tugs Peter forward and the kid falls into his embrace, nodding violently, "I won't. I promise I won't."
Tony holds him tight, hugging him again, until he finally feels Peter flinching.
He looks down in shock and sees his jacket and running pants that he had put on so long ago are covered in blood. He figured it was from the stab wound, even though his suit had done a pretty good job patching it up. It takes a second for Tony to realize it’s not his blood. It’s Peter’s.
“You’re bleeding!” Tony yells, his voice breaking.
“Yeah,” Peter winces, and the kid suddenly looks so drained. He nods weakly, falling against Tony’s chest in exhaustion, letting out an awful gasp, “Got stabbed.”
“Stabbed?!” Tony splutters.
“Yeah,” Peter says sleepily and Tony realized how bad Peter looks. He's shaking, his hands covered in blood. His hair is swept over his forehead, wet from sweat, but Tony doesn't care. Tony holds his son in his lap and Peter falls forward. Tony shakes his head.
"No, Peter, come on," he gently grips Peter's shoulders and hauls him upright, panic setting in.
“Peter, stay awake,” Tony demands, “Dangit, stay awake. Stay with me, you’re gonna be ok. I’m not gonna lose you again.”
“Promise,” Peter murmurs in pain.
“I promise kid, I promise,” Tony says, holding him against his chest. He picks Peter up with one arm under his legs and one around his back.
"Hey we're...twining now..." Peter says weakly pointing to his side. “Twinsies,” he grins a bit, his eyes slowly closing.
"Shut up Parker," Tony demands.
"Yes sir," Peter murmurs and Tony's chest heats up. Tony limps back to the group that’s already running forward to help get him on the ship. Cap tries to take Peter from Tony's grasp but he doesn't let him. So Cap then just helps support Tony until they've got Peter on board the Milano. The kid looks over at Tony and smiles weakly, his eyes scrunched up in pain. He mutters, "I got you." Tony brushes a hand over Peter's head and smiles back, "I got you first." And not once does Tony leave Peter's side.
Not once.
And not ever again.

Chapter Text

Peter coughed on the cot, wincing in pain as Wanda stitched up the gaping hole in Peter's side. Peter had insisted that Tony be healed first because Peter had the regeneration power but Tony wouldn't have it. Right now Peter was gripping Tony's hand, slightly guilty about his iron hold. If Tony was in any pain, which Peter knew he was, he didn't show it, instead he stayed right by Peter's side, muttering encouragement and soothing words.
He brushed a hand over Peter's curls and smiled, "You're gonna be ok Pete."
"I know," Peter muttered sleepily.

Quill was sitting in the pilots seat, Gamora perched on the step holding his arm. He leaned over and kissed her, just making sure she was still there. Rocket slid into his seat and looked behind him.
"Groot put that stupid game away I swear to God," he grumbled.
Drax was sharpening his knife and he looked rather contempt, Mantis was giggling as ever so often she would place her hand on his back and Drax's head was droop asleep and then shoot back up as she recoiled. Quill had to smirk, but he also knew it was all fun and games before Drax sliced his head off with his blade. Quill looked around at his family, and there was a lump in his throat.
"I'm really glad to see you guys," Quill said suddenly, making everyone in the cockpit turn and look at him. Sure, he had been in the soul realm with most of them but it wasn't the same. They were all really here, and back, and everything was going to be ok.
"Me too," Gamora said, and Quill laced his hand with hers on the side of the seat, the back of his palm resting on the smooth side.
"I didn't have to listen to your yappin' though," Rocket grumbled.
Quill grinned, knowing the racoon was kidding.
"I am Groot," the tree said stubbornly.
"Yeah yeah you missed your game, we're here too ya know," Rocket said.
Groot game him a thumbs up and then went back to his video game. Rocket rolled his eyes and shook his head, but there was a certain kindness in his gaze he hadn't seen before. Mantis and Drax had taken their spots in the cockpit and Gamora slowly pulled away to take her own seat.
"It's like it never happened," Drax said suddenly.
The Guardians sat there silently. Quill closed his eyes and one tear trickled out. He cleared his throat deeply and said, "But it did."
The horrors of the past hung over them like a dark cloud. It would leave eventually, and everyone would be back to their happy selves-Quill knew that. But for now it was here to say, reminding them of what had happened. That would never go away.

They all sat in the main area of the Milano, just staring. Someone, don't know who, laughed. Then sent chuckles down the line, stone faces breaking into smiles and people clasping their long lost friend's on the back. They all sat there, until Cap decided to bring up the question no one wanted to ask.
"What was it like?"
Those who had been in the Soul Stone shook their heads. Peter was finally the one who spoke and all heads turned to him.
"I had a feeling. Deep down, like rising water. I fought it, I fought it so hard-" he swallowed down a lump in his throat, moving closer to Tony who put his arm over his shoulders. That seemed to give Peter strength to continue.
"But it happened anyway. Everything faded away and I woke up on the ground in an inch of water feeling like my whole body was on fire. It burnt so bad. But it went away. There was no one there, I was alone for a couple days I guess," Peter murmured softly.
"No food, no water, how long were you down there?" Bruce marveled.
"Time is different there," Quill said slowly, "I don't know how long it was."
"We could use our powers," Wanda said, "That's what let us defeat Thanos."
"Never got hungry though, which is odd, especially for Buck here who eats 24/7," Sam pointed, getting punched in the arm by a metal fist. He groaned through his laughter.
"Don't look at me," Cap laughed as Sam moved his gaze over, "You poked the bear."
"How did you...ya know, win?" Peter suddenly asked, "Was it the time travel?"
Tony looked down into the teenagers eyes that suddenly seemed glazed over with interest.
Tony hugs him, simultaneously pulling the kid closer. He locks eyes with Cap and raises an eyebrow, "I guess we'll have to start at the beginning."

They talked for about an hour. Starting from when Tony had to come home alone on the Milano.
Then finding Scott in the Quantum Realm and losing signal.
How he had come out in a second but in reality 5 years had passed.
Many people tried to explain the time travel thing, but really on TChalla grasped the concept.
“I’m still confused,” Mantis admitted quietly.
Quill stiffled a laugh, “We all are,”
“There are some things about the Quantum Realm that can never be explained," Tony said softly. He remembered who had spoken those words to him.
Steve remembered to. He hung his head, “Carol said that,”
“Who- who's Carol?" Peter stuttered.
"She saved my life kid, she saved all of our lives," Tony said.
They then went on to explain how they had gone back in time to New York. How Tony had carried the nuke once again through the wormhole.
"What did Loki mean Thor?" Cap suddenly interrupted.
Thor was lost in thought. He finally looked up, "He said the sun will- what's a snake doing in here?"
Quill, the calm and collected person he is, jumps out of his seat and leaps backward, completely flooring a table and Drax who was sitting atop it.
Sure enough, there was a snake slithering across the floor of the ship.
Peter squints and leans forward, all the while Tony tries to pull him back muttering threats of grounding.
Thor bends down to grab it, like any normal person would do and then everyone suddenly jumps as a man stands in it's place courtesy of a quick flash.
"Bleh! It's me!"
Loki pulls out a small knife and stabs it into Thor's side. The god stumbles back, picking out the knife like it was a toothpick and looking up in shock.
"Really Loki?" Tony shakes his head.
"That's Loki?" Peter squeaked.
Thor stands, ignoring the wound in his side, his mouth wide open, his eyes wide with shock and surprisingly filling with tears.
"You never should fall for the same prank twice brother," Loki winked before Thor pulled him into a huge embrace.
"I told you, the sun will shine on us again. Did you not believe me?"
"He snapped your neck in front of me," Thor said quietly, "Or was that all for show?"
There was a moment of hesitation. The audience let the brother have their moment, eager for what Thor would do to either option Loki had in responding with.
"All for show," Loki winced.
Thor pulled away and punched him across the face.
"So it wasn't really you?" He demanded.
Loki laughed, flexing his jaw and rubbing the side of his face, all the while moving black greasy hair away from his eyes, "Hologram."
Thor punched him again and Loki stumbled into a table, still laughing even though the punch from the god of thunder looked like it hurt a lot.
Thor then pulled Loki into a hug again, this one more true and meaningful. Loki finally conceded to hugging him back with an annoyed sigh that sounded very fake. He hugged his brother and Thor grabbed his shoulder as they pulled apart, "Never do it again."
"No promises," Loki said finally, "Well hello everyone. I know most of you. Banner...looking good."
"Puny god," Bruce said without breaking a stare.
"Yeah well that's expected," Loki said, turning, "Stark. Still hate me?"
Tony shrugged, "You're getting to tolerable."
Loki nodded, "Fair enough. And this...is this your son?" Loki was looking directly at Peter who blushed at that.
"Yes," Tony said before Peter could babble.
"I'm Peter," Peter said, "You blew up New York."
It was such an obvious, true, but hilarious thing to say and it got people snickering. Loki smiled at him.
"That's in the past young one. You are a Stark- Clint! No hard feelings?"
"Hard feelings," Clint smiled sarcastically.
"Well this is one big family reunion," Sam said, "Should we continue with story time?"
"I suppose so," Wanda shrugged.
"Get to the part where Thor blows up a bunch of people," Rocket says, "I love that axe."
“It is a beautiful weapon of battle," Thor admitted.
"Can we get back to the Quantumn Realm?" Peter asked excitedly. He looked like when he got home he was going to be pestering Tony to let him go in and work with it for new suit capabilities for teh next month. Not that Tony was ever going to let him out of his sight again.
"Young spider, reality is a funny thing. It changes things around, flips stories and memories,” Thor said, "I'm sure we all have different experiences."
“What actually happened?” his brother asked, "It's not like we have to be somewhere right?"

And so they continue. Wanda and Vision are sitting rather close and when it comes around to the discussion on Vision's stone being blown up, Wanda entwines her fingers with his.
“I thought I lost you,” she said quietly, looking up into his yellow beautiful eyes. So full of color. She would never let him wear grey ever again.
“But you didn’t,” the man responded, kissing her lightly.
"I hurt you," she then said. The world stopped for a moment and he rested his chin on the top of her head, pulling her closer into his warm chest.
"I only feel you."

"So Carol...stopped the blast and took Thanos back to Titan. Where you crossed realities, meaning one had to fade?" Peter summed up.
"Yeah, see the kid's got it," Bruce snapped.
Quill leaned back in his chair, "I was just about to say that."
"No you weren't Quill, shut up," Rocket muttered.
Quill rolled his eyes, popping some weird looking chips into his mouth.
"The plan was for me to take it," Tony said quietly, "I was the one who was supposed to die."
Sllence.
"That's why you said sorry," Peter then said. He was staring at Tony with a warm gaze, that was twinged with fear. He gently leaned into Tony and said, “You should have told me.”
“I couldn’t,” Tony shook his head, ruffling Peter's hair, "I couldn't kid."
Peter hung his head, "I should have done more. I’m sorry.”
Tony flinched and glared at him. Peter immediately shrank back, recalling his mistake and wrapped his arms around the man until he calmed down.
Tony spoke through gritted teeth but gave the kid a firm hug back, “I never want to hear that again, understand?”
"Yep," Peter squeaked.
"I spoke with Carol too, but she didn't let me take it. She said she found a way to control it. But she knew she couldn't," Steve said, nodding sadly at Tony.
Tony nodded back, and looked a little guilty, "Carol and I had a deal behind your back actually. But she saw how good of a team we all were and said she had to be the one to take the hit. So she sacrificed herself,and I - I couldn't stop her. She never threw it, sucked me into the Quantum Realm for a good 2 minutes, said she was sorry and before I knew what was happening I was back out and she lit him up."
"She knew all along," Dr. Strange suddenly said. He hadn't talked much since he came back, but there was a mysterious glint in his eyes, "She was never going to give it to you or Steve for that matter."
"And how the heck do you know?" Tony said.
"Stark I saw over 14 million possible outcomes. This was the one that succeeded. She never gave it to you. You couldn't have changed it," he said simply.
"Wait you knew?" Steve said, "You knew all of this was happening."
"Why else would I give the Time Stone to you and Scott?" he raised an eyebrow.
"Um, because you're nice?" Scott called out.
Dr. Strange gave him a look.
"Telling you would unlock the other million options that were failures so no, I had to play along," he said, as if that cleared everything up.
"Wow, anyway," Rocket said in a sharp whine. Then he smacked Quill's hand, "Dude enough with the chips. You're already putting on-"
"For the Love of God," Quill snarled, "I'll kill you. I will."
Gamora placed her hand on his arm and leaned down to whisper in his ear, "Go at him."
Quill grinned, "You just wait you little rabbit."
"Starprince,"Rocket hissed back.
"I am Groot," Groot shouted.
"Woah!" Thor and the Guardians shouted in unison.
"Cap do the honors," Tony grinned.
"Language," Steve said happily.
"You're one to be talking Mr. Stank," Rhodey grinned.
"So about that new knee brace prototype," Tony joked.
Everyone grinned.
There was no more pain.
There was no more fear.
There was just friends and family. Together at last.

Carol closed her eyes, a tear trickling down her cheek.
"What have you done?" Thanos snarled.
"I've trapped you," Carol said proudly, "In the thing you tried to control. But you can't control everything. You're power hungry. And now you're stuck in here. With me. The woman who destroyed you."
Thanos, who was towering over her, brought down his fist and she crossed her arms, her body heating up and sending off a full blast that knocked him backward, water spraying up on all side. Her suit shone bright, her eyes a blaze, her hair billowing in fire.
"Who...are you?" Thanos wheezed.
"I'm Carol Danvers," she said proudly, holding back a sob, power making her body tingle.
"And so we are both stuck in here," Thanos snarled, "Do you not regret a thing?"
"I would do it all again," she snarled.
"For the glory?" Thanos spit.
"No," she said truthfully. She remembered Tony and Peter hugging when they first were reunited. Peter and Gamora sharing a kiss and Nebula hugging her sister. Bucky and Steve embracing tightly, clasped in each other's arms, tears pricking at their eyes.
"For them," she said quietly.
"For them."