the irony of tony solving time travel to bring peter back and still running out of time with him

me at 3am explaining to my stuffed animals the importance of tony saying “i lost the kid” to steve, and how it’s the first thing he’s said to him since their fight, and it’s not an apology, or a surprised greeting, but him simply saying “i lost the kid.” steve doesn’t even KNOW peter, but he was so important to tony that it had to be the first thing steve knew is that this kid is now GONE. it’s making me want to eat my own fingers i’m going crazy

i figure out how to do those cool little tiktok edits😩😩 as a swiftie and an iron dad stan i made this

my first proclamation into mcu hell: currently peter is living in the condensed version of a fake reality that wanda has so kindly gifted to him, where none of his dads are dead and he lives happily with his boyfriend ned and his girlfriend mj.

it’s 2021 and i’m bringing unhinged madness back to this blog. i’ve decided i’m 14 again. catch me giving y’all the most left-feild nonsensical headcanons and theories. welcome to hell

first date

read on ao3?

imagine not posting for a year only to come back with this for no reason lmao hey guys 

~

The mission was over and done within the hour, and that should have been the first sign that something was wrong. There was an ache in Tony’s chest; a mix of anticipation and anxiety, but he chose to ignore it. That was the second sign. 

“Hey, Pete, come with me,” Tony said, motioning for Spiderman to follow. “I just want to do a quick sweep down that block.” He waved towards it absentmindedly. 

“On it!” 

He’s in a good mood today, and it makes Tony smirk. Peter’s a genuinely happy kid, but he’s also seventeen, and if Tony knows anything about seventeen year olds, it’s that their mood swings are unpredictable. So when Peter doesn’t give him any attitude, the ache in his chest dissipates, and a bit of relief replaces it. They made their way down through the street, fixing lampposts and flipping cars and helping pedestrians. (Why people still wanted to live in New York City he didn’t know. It was clearly one of the most susceptible cities for alien attacks.)

All the while, Peter was kind and quiet for the younger kid’s sake, and put on a more mature facade for the adults. It made Tony’s heart swell, though he would never admit it. 

“You’re chipper today, young Skywalker,” Tony joked. “What’s up?” 

“Chipper is a weird word,” Peter said, but there was a laugh in his words as well. “Does something have to be “up” for me to be in a good mood?” 

“Yes, because last week you snapped at me for asking if you wanted pizza for dinner.” 

“I was tired!” he argued. 

“You were being moody.” 

Peter thought about this for a moment. “Fair.” 

“So, really, what’s going on?” Tony was genuinely curious. “Is it about MJ?”

“What? No,” he said, and Tony could hear the embarrassment in his voice. “No, it’s not about MJ.” 

“I think you’re lying to me,” said Tony. “I can tell when you lie to me.” 

“That’s creepy, Mr.Stark.”

“Maybe,” he said. “C’mon, spit it out.” He nudged Peter in the shoulder. 

“I have a date tonight, alright? Is that what you wanted to hear?” He whispered it as if she would hear him, which only made Tony laugh. “At seven. Right after this.”

“God, finally. I thought you’d never ask her out.” 

They rounded the corner, finding themselves alone and away from the crowds. The alleyway was clear. (That really should have been sign number three.)

“Whatever.” Peter crossed his arms. “I don’t know. I’m excited.” 

“Yeah, I’ll bet,” Tony smiled. “What’s the plan? Dinner and a show? A little Lady and the Tramp action? Or maybe--”

“Stop talking.” 

“There’s the attitude--”

“No, stop talking.” Peter was rigid. He was sensing something, and the ache in Tony’s chest bombarded him. 

Tony blinks. He blinks, and it’s chaos. 

ain’t no sunshine

read on a03? 

hi i love sam wilson with my whole heart

~

“I wasn’t expecting Spider-Man to be so...baby faced.”

Peter was losing, and he was losing bad.

It was an easier mission than normal. He’s been through some rough battles before.

But even though it was about a year after the Aftermath, and he had gone on many Avengers missions after, he was still getting used to being without Tony Stark.

Rhodey always had his back, Strange always was there when he was stuck, Sam Wilson always knew just what to say, but none of them were Tony.

They didn’t have his wording, his intellect. They didn’t have the way he knew Peter, could tell his little mannerisms and knew just when he was in trouble.

So now, Peter laid pinned to the ground, gritting his teeth as the resurfaced Hydra member mocked him. He had short circuited his Iron Spider suit, revealing Peter’s pale and sweaty face.

“Get. Off.” Peter gritted his teeth even harder, as he attempted to free himself. But the man just pushed harder.

“A fighter, are we?” A knee to his chest. A punch. Another punch. There’s a broken nose, for sure.

There was no way to call for backup with his suit dead. The others were far off, attempting to blow up the Hydra base. And Peter? Peter was keeping watch.

And then, just then, the explosion.

The noise was loud, louder for Peter, and loud enough that the member stayed still just a moment. Peter saw his chance.

He kicked the man in the gut, using his knees to dig into his ribs and flip him over. Peter did this often. It was his best tactic in these situations, the best way to get the upper hand.

But something felt off. His senses pricked at the back of his neck; his brain buzzing slightly.

And that’s when a knife gets driven into his chest.

Peter sputtered, looking down at his enemy, who was grinning like a madman beneath him.

Peter was kicked off, watching as his blood mixed into the dirt.

“Where’s your hero now?”

And suddenly, the knife is ripped out. Peter screams.

“What-What the fuck?” Peter scolded.

The Hydra man stood up slowly. “Spider-Man has been compromised.” He spoke into his headset.

“So have we. Retreat.” The voice on the other end replied.

“Guess our little spider got washed out by the rain.”

Suddenly, he disappears into the shadows of the night, leaving Peter alone. Alone. Alone. Alone.

would anyone care to hmu with some prompts?

bees fight; bees sting; watch them die (and you can’t do a thing)

welcome to my fix it/ happy ending time

read on ao3?

~

Peter had been going to funerals all his life.

The first one was his grandfather, when he was the ripe age of three. He doesn’t quite remember it, he doesn’t even remember missing the man. He just remembered his father and his uncle being sad, and poor little toddler Peter didn’t know why. There were times later in his life when Ben or his father would take him to see the grave, planted right next to his late grandmother’s. He felt Ben’s greif, but never his own.

The next was one that stung him in his chest from time to time--his parents. Seven years old, young enough to not remember it all, but old enough to remember what was important. If anything, he remembers the night they died clearer.

Everything was fine. Nothing was wrong. He loved spending time at his aunt and uncle’s. It was a night filled with Star Wars marathons and baking cookies. Aunt May was even letting him stay up until 10:00. But the knot that was planted in his stomach the moment Ben picked up the phone...let’s just say he could never forget the way his uncle’s face fell. The way he paled, the way his voice came out cracked.

“Pete,” said Ben, slowly, calmly. “Something bad happened.”

Aunt May was at his shoulder. “But everything will be okay, baby.”

“What? What happened?” But he could tell what was going to be said.

“Oh, Peter...mom and dad aren’t coming back.”

May dressed Peter in his own little suit, and Peter only remembered moving through the motions. Distant cousins and relatives came up and shook his hand, but all Peter could see was the double caskets, both parents slack and unmoving. He remembered he forgot to say goodbye. Forgot to say I love you. He was to busy getting all his legos together to show his uncle.

But he remembers, strikingly, the way that he tucked the tiny Iron Man figure his mother gifted him once into his coat pocket. He rubbed it between his fingers, feeling the cool metal slide in between them. Safety. This was his safety.

Uncle Ben had leaned down in front of him, his nose as red as Peter’s.

“You doing okay, kiddo?”

Peter shook his head. “Nuh-uh.”

Ben winced in sympathy. “Oh, I know, Peter.”

But eventually it gets easier, the days don’t seem so long and he never forgets a goodbye or an I love you. He goes back to school, he eats his vegetables and he still builds his legos.

Ben takes him to a Stark Expo for his eighth birthday, one of the first times he gets close to death.

And Iron Man saves him.

That year, Iron Man become more than a superhero for him.

That is, until he was fourteen.

It was cold, too cold for March. The wind was biting, unforgiving, and oh-so fitting of the day.

He had run off into the streets, angry and emotional. Honestly, Peter couldn’t remember why. It was probably a mix of Flash and his new found powers and school and everything a teenager felt.

But God, did he wish he hadn’t ran.

Ben went out looking for him, because he was Ben and he loved Peter.

Sometimes, even now, Peter could still feel the cold on his skin.

“Peter! You have to take a breath--”

“It’s too much--too much--”

And Ben put his hands on Peter’s shoulders, lowering his chin to meet Peter’s eyes. “Everything is going to be okay, but I need you too--”

And then the bang. The blood; the way his eyes widened. The way the grip on Peter’s shoulder tightened as Ben crumpled, and Ben was supposed to crumble--he was Ben Parker. He was strong and tall and was never hurt.

Peter remembered the sirens, the shadows running, the scared look in Ben’s eyes.

And he was gone, before Peter could even say a goodbye. Police separated him from his uncle, and before anyone could question him, Peter ran again. Back to his apartment, where his aunt stood in the middle of more police, more authority and neighbors and noise. But his aunt was there.

And she hugged him and held on tight, as his brain exploded.

The funeral was worse.

The cold didn’t disappear, but the knot in his stomach returned. The thought of yourfaultyourfaultyourfault stayed with him the whole time, never leaving as they lowered his uncle, his rock, into the ground. That’s the moment he realized he was never coming back.

“Peter.” May was trying to talk to him. “Peter, please look at me.”

But he couldn’t, because all he saw was the hurt.

That night, Peter took out the old Iron Man figure. A symbol of everything he was trying to be. He was far too old for superheros. But he ran his fingers across the metal, like he did when he was eight.

He was no hero. He couldn’t even save his uncle, his father.

Where was Iron Man when you needed him?

He threw the figure across his room, and for the first time, he cried. He sobbed into his pillows and he threw more, like clothes and trinkets, and knocked over the lego sets that him and Ben and Ned had spent so long doing.

May came in eventually, calmly, like approaching a wild animal.

And Peter broke. His knees crumpled, and the cries became sobs. May just held him on the floor, soothed him, patted his hair, whispered I love you’s into his ears.

“You’re not supposed to be a hero, baby. You’re just a boy.”

~

Tony Stark’s funeral is the worst of all.

It’s warm, the bugs were out, including the bees. Wasps. That stung the attendees even though everyone pretended not to care.

Peter had slipped the Iron Man figure into his pocket again, hoping no one would notice. This was for him, not for the others.

At least he got to say his goodbye. He got the I love you message across. He was grateful for that.

Little Morgan Stark was a spitting image of her father. She didn’t look sad. More confused than anything.

And as Peter sat on the porch swing, watching the bees fly around Pepper’s yellow hair and the flowers that surrounded the area, she approached him.

“You’re Pete.” That’s the first thing she says to him. And it’s no question to her, she knows exactly what she’s saying.

Peter, somehow, cracked a smile. “I am. You know me?”

“Daddy has pictures of you. He showed me.” She clumsily got up onto the swing, grabbing for Peter’s hand to help her up. She had a good mix of both her father and mother’s spirit, unstoppable and headstrong. He could see it all over. “He said you’re a superhero.”

“Superhero, huh?” Peter prompted.

Morgan nodded sharply. “Spider-Man. He told me bedtime stories.”

She laid her head on his shoulder, and Peter could feel the tears prick his eyes.

“He had pictures of me?”

She nodded. “He told me you were my brother. Just a different Mommy and Daddy.”

The knot in his stomach got a bit smaller. He didn’t notice it as much. The tears falling from his eyes were a mix of both happy and sad, as this small girl with her father’s big brown eyes laid safely and content next to him.

She was his new safety.

“I loved your Dad very much.” Peter said through tears.

“He loves you, I think. He called you a little shit. He calls me that too.”

And now Peter was laughing. “And that means he loves us?”

Morgan nodded again. “That’s what Uncle Rhodey said.”

Peter moved for the first time, taking the little girl in his arms. She didn’t squirm away, in fact, she looked like she wanted him to. She placed her small little hands on his face, looking him right in the eyes.

“Why are you crying, Pete?” She asked, tilting her head. Looking just like Tony.

“You remind me of him,” he whispers. Breathe. In. Out.

She doesn’t seem to hear him, or if she does, it doesn’t matter. She wipes his tears away, like it’s magic and she cured him of all sadness.

“Daddy says it’s okay to cry,” she whispered back. “He said you were smart.”

They subject change caught him off guard. “He did?”

“Yep. Super duper smart. Smart like him and Mommy.”

“I don’t think there’s anyone as smart as your Mommy.” Peter chuckled.

“And Auntie May came to see me sometimes.”

“She did?” Peter didn’t know that. He looked up to see May and Pepper conversing, watching their kids from afar. He found courage to offer a light smile.

“Yeah. Her and Mommy drink grown-up stuff and talked about you. Sometimes it made Daddy sad.”

She nuzzled her head into Peter’s neck, hugging him.

“What are you doing?” Peter wasn’t complaining, it was just unexpected.

“Hugging you. Daddy said when he got you back you’d get all the best hugs.”

“He did?” Peter’s voice cracked.

She doesn’t respond, so he reaches his hands up and curls her in close.

Safety. Safety. Safety.

burn up with the water, the floods are on the plains

read on ao3?

~

It’s probably the dumbest photo he’s ever taken. The certificate was upside down, the bunny ear were way off, and both of their faces were goofy as ever.

So, obviously he had it framed.

It feels heavy when he picks it up. Like it hold more than just a plastic frame.

Peter was dead. He’s been dead for a good while now. But he couldn’t get past it. There were times, when he closed his eyes and tried to sleep, where the frightened boy’s last words would replay slowly in his ears. Where he would have to get up and wash his hands because he could feel the dust on them.

He couldn’t move on, and he hated it. It was more than just the fate of the world. It was Peter, it was all Peter.

“Tony.” Pepper’s voice enters the room softly. She looked beautiful as ever, hair up and wispy.

Tony kind of had to get over it soon, considering he had a kid of his own on the way.

(He was my own kid—)

“Hey, Pep. How you feeling?” He asks.

She smiles softly. “Like crap. Nothing new.”

She comes over and wraps her arms around his torso. It’s nice to feel her safe in his arms. There were so many moments up there in the empty of space, when he thought he’d never feel this feeling again. It was one of those times that lately he’s been able to find light in the dark.

“Tony, I have news,” she said, still within the hug.

“And what’s that?”

He felt her breath on his neck. “It’s a boy. The baby is a boy.”

Tony feels his stomach flare. “We’re having a boy?”

Pepper nods. “Just thought you could use some good news today.”

Tony smiles. “Thank you for telling me.”

And there they stood, arm in arm, in the quiet of the kitchen.

Steve Rogers was downstairs. He wasn’t his enemy. Not even if he was pretentious as ever, he was the good guy. He lost too.

Clint seemed the most distraught. He lost, and he lost badly. He didn’t have to say it, you could just tell. The only one who seemed to know anything about it was Nat, and even she seemed distant.

But they were working on it. Slowly, bit by bit, they were coming back together.

And now, with Carol Danvers at their side, there wasn’t time to fail.

“Hey.” Pepper’s voice was light. “What are you thinking about?”

Tony thinks for a moment. “Baby names.”

“Baby names?” Pepper says with a laugh. “Can I hear them?”

“They’re kinda embarrassing. If I’m honest.” Tony replies.

“They can’t be that bad.”

“Well...I think they should have some importance to you, and all of mine are centered around me-”

“Lets name him Peter.” She interrupts.

Tony stops dead in tracks, because it’s the one thing he didn’t think she would say.

“Pep,” he cracks out. “You sure?”

She takes his face in her hands. They’re soft and delicate and warm against the cold of his face.

She doesn’t look happy. No one looks happy, exactly. Not when there’s still a bit of dust coating everything; not when there were children’s graves and memorials were littered around the cities.

But she looked content and oh so beautiful, and in that moment, there’s a small fleeting hope that things could stay that way.

“I’m positive. I...I like the name.” She resounds.

Tony smiles back at her sadly, gently turning back to pick up the picture frame. He strokes the side slowly with his thumb. “I want him here. With us.”

Pepper seems to understand. She nods and she puts a hand on it too. Peter and her had gotten closer as the months went on. May and her were friends. They went out for brunch together. They did normal mom things.

But now? May was home, alone, wallowing in all that was gone.

“We should go to May. She deserves to know.” Pepper whispers, setting the picture down for him.

Tony clears his throat. “Agreed. I-I feel bad for not going before.”

“Don’t be,” she replies. “I went there a few days before you came back. She...she wanted to be alone.”

Tony nods and tries to hide the fact that he starting to cry. There was that awfully sad feeling stuck in his throat again.

“Hey,” a new voice appears. Happy. “Want me to drive?”

Happy had a look on his face that didn’t often come out. It was low and sad, bags under his eyes making him seem much,much, older. He missed Peter too. Everyone who had ever met him did.

“Sure, Hap. May might want to see you to.” Pepper supplies.

And with forced smiles, the three made their way to Queens.

~

The Parker residence was one of the only apartments in the complex that was still occupied. The only one on the entire floor with someone in it. But with a loss so great, things like rent and real estate weren’t of great importance.

So as Tony made his way down the dirty hallway, with Pepper and Happy right behind him, he can’t help but think...this is not worth Thanos’s plan. It never thought it was a good plan. He absolutely did not want it to happen. But the damage was so great that it was a shock to him. Thanos wasn’t an illogical being. He had a reason.

(It was such a stupid reason.)

So why was the cost illogical? It didn’t make sense. What did make sense? That Thanos was pure, lawful, unforgiving evil. And Tony wasn’t in the mood to deal with it anymore.

Tony knocks slowly on the door.

“May? It’s-It’s Tony.”

There’s russling behind the door before it opens slowly.

May Parker stood there in the doorway. She looked skinnier than ever, like there were days where she didn’t eat. The bags under eyes looked more like bruises. Her clothes were wrinkled and baggy. And yet, she still had a deep, dark, fire in her eyes.

“You’re alive,” is all she says. Tony slowly nods his head, taking Pepper’s hand in his.

“You doing alright?” Pepper asks her, reaching out her other hand. May takes it slowly, shaking slightly as her fingers curl into Pepper’s.

“I’m-I’m getting there,” she laments. “Do you guys want to come in?”

She backs up to lead the way, showing off the mostly empty apartment. Everything is clean, super clean, like it was all she ever did.

Tony watches as Pepper takes May in her arms, not unlike the way she did to him earlier. Happy stands solemnly and awkwardly in front of the closed door, while Tony finds himself with his hands stuffed in his pockets, looking distantly at the other pictures that the nearby shelf entails.

“You’ve been eating?” Pepper questions almost silently, hopeful the other men couldn’t hear. May nods slowly, and at Pepper’s raised eyebrow, she supplies: “I had some cereal this morning, I promise.”

Pepper gives her a small smile, taking both of May’s hand in hers.

“I’ve got some exciting news,” Pepper announces.

May tilts her head and returns the tiny smiles. “What is it?”

“We’re having a boy.”

May’s face broke into a mixture of excitement and pride, and Tony can see the tears form in her eyes.

“A boy?” She echoes through tears.

“You are?” Happy chirps from his place. Tony whips around to Happy, forgetting the didn’t tell him. The sides of his lips twist up just a little bit, but the grin was really all in his eyes.

“Yeah, he’s a boy. And…” Pepper put May’s hand on her stomach. “We wanted to name him Peter.”

May slowly lifts her head to meet Pepper’s eyes, a look of disbelief flashing all over her face.

Pepper beams. “Only if you consent to it, of course.”

“Consent?” May laughs. “Of course I consent!”

Tony decides to break in. “Well, that’s real good. Because you’re his godmother.”

It’s a spur of the moment decision, yet Pepper looks at him with agreement. May’s mouth opens slightly in surprise, but closes only seconds after. She looks like she’s about to sob, but she cuts it off with a smile.

Pepper wipes away the tears softly. Tony feels a pang of remorse for the woman strike his heart. She was young than him, but not by very much. She didn’t deserve to lose as much as she did. First the Parker’s, then her husband, and now...her son. Sure, nephew by law, but that was her son.

May takes a strangled breath and pulls herself together. “This is cause for celebration. Pep, come to the kitchen with me? I’ve got some cheese and crackers somewhere…”

The women’s chatter fades as Tony moves back towards Happy. He has a look on his face that Tony couldn’t quite place.

“What’s up , Hap?”

Happy looks up at him and sighs. “Nothing, nothing. It’s just sad. I guess.”

“I know,” Tony chokes. Goddamn lump in his throat. He swallows it down, along with the tears. He hates being on the verge of tears so often. He knows he’s no different from anyone else.

He makes another decision. “Hap, you want to be his godfather?”

Happy’s eyes winden. “Well, absolutely, Boss, but what about Rhodey?”

Tony had actually thought that one through. “Plan was to name him Peter Rhodes. I think that should suffice for Rhodey. And it sounds cooler than Peter James.”

Happy grins back at him. Tony claps him on the back as the ladies come back, arms full of food and a couple bottles of wine.

(And some iced tea for Pepper. She ain’t about to risk anything.)

So as Tony engaged with his found family members, drinking and eating and acting as if the air wasn’t still thick with dust and grief, the lump in his throat disappears.

Peter was dead. He knew that. He accepted that. But there was no accepting defeat.

There was a chance to win. A small one, yes. Maybe it wouldn’t even work. But there was enough hope in him that he couldn’t see a lose.

He saw them winning.

Whatever it takes.

peter, coming back from the dead: i can’t believe im back!! how is opportunity, the mars rover, doing??

tony, with tears in his eyes: peter, buddy, there’s something i gotta tell you—

local dying boys are afraid of death, featuring: their father figures:(

this is for you @jackklinelovesstarwars :)

you taught me the courage of stars before you left

another one??? another one?????

~

There’s a boy on the screen. He’s handsome—in the teenager kind of way—and with soft brown eyes. But he looked young, too young to be showing up on the screen.

And why he was even on this screen, Steve didn’t know. It was made by FRIDAY for those in contact with...the Avengers? Or at least whatever they make up now.

So why is there a kid here?

Peter Parker

Missing

So not confirmed dead. Good. Whoever the kid was, he was definitely a kid, and going missing was better than...going.

But who—

“That’s Peter.” Rhodey’s voice startles him. Steve turns sharply on his heel to look the other man in the eye. He looks exhausted. Who wasn’t? But Steve guessed that having your best friend lost in space did a number on you.

“Who is he?” Steve asked. Rhodey shows somewhat of a smile before tapping on the screen again to show multiple pictures of the Peter kid. A better look showed him being very young, sixteen at most. There were a couple candids of him laughing, a few videos of him talking, but multiple with Tony in them.

And honestly? Steve had never seen Tony happier.

“The two of them…” Rhodey begins. “They had something. Did them both good. They had a cute little mentor/mentee thing going.”

When Rhodey senses Steve doesn’t really understand, he sighs and continues.

“Peter was a good kid. A genius. I wouldn’t be surprised if someone combined you and Tony’s dna to make him.” Rhodey chuckled a bit sadly. Steve returned with a smile.

“A reckless genius with a hero complex?” Steve inquired.

“Exactly.” Rhodey paused and the smile faltered. “Kid lost his parents really young. Lived with his aunt and uncle...until he was about 14. His uncle was shot one night.”

“Shot?” Steve asked with wide eyes. Rhodey nodded.

“Right in front of him. In some Queens alleyway. Tony says he still blames himself.” Rhodey’s voice was wispy.

And then it hit Steve.

“Is he Spider-Man?” Everything would make more sense if he was. Rhodey sighed before nodding.

“Before you go off on Tony for bringing a kid into this, he didn’t know until it was too late. The kid would have done it anyway. The day Ben Parker died changed him.”

“How old?”

“He would have turned 17 in August.” Rhodey’s voice caught in his throat a bit.

“Would have?” Steve wondered mournfully. Rhodey didn’t respond, instead changed the screen slowly to a different picture, this time of one of Peter and Tony both passed out at their respective lab stations, and by the look on Rhodey’s face, Steve figured he took it.

“Neither of them have great self preservation skills. The kid can go days without sleeping and doesn’t even realize. Tony says he gets nightmares a lot.”

“Nightmares?” Rhodey nodded again.

“It’s complicated. Peter got a building, sorta, uh, dropped on him. By his homecoming date’s dad.”

“He what?” Steve exclaimed. “A building?”

“Again, complicated. Kid just hasn’t really come back from it.”

“Not sure that’s a thing you can come back from.” Steve concluded, and Rhodey gave him a hum in response. Something faltered in Rhodey’s demeanor suddenly.

“Pepper got a message from Tony. He’s...we don’t know where he really is. We’ve got an idea but…”

Steve hated this feeling. He thought he had gotten somewhat over it (half the world dying isn’t something you completely get over), despite him missing Bucky late at night. When it’s too dark to see and his last words echo in his dreams.

He’s lost a lot of friends, too many friends.

And suddenly he realized, he couldn’t really afford to lose another. Despite everything that happened between him and Iron Man.

“His oxygen runs out tomorrow morning.” Rhodey’s voice truly broke for the first time. “Or maybe it already has, we don’t know when the message sent.”

“Jesus, Rhodes. We can’t lose him too.”

“You’re right.” Pepper’s voice spoke definitely from the doorway. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying, her hair a bit frizzled. “I haven’t been planning this wedding for a year for nothing.”

“Hey Pep.” Rhodey said softly. “How you holding up?”

“Been better.” She was a wreck, and rightfully so.

Steve begrudgingly rememberers the conversation he overheard last night.

“I can’t raise my kid without him, Rhodey. I just can’t!”

“We’ll find him, Pep. I promise.”

“Why didn’t I... tell him?”

“Pep, how could you have known?”

He had forgotten she was pregnant for a moment...and he doesn’t want Tony’s child to grow up without him either.

“We’ll get him back.” Steve says with shaky confidence, which earns him a grateful look in her eyes. Her eyes then trail to the screen, and more tears fall.

“Oh God.” She whispers. “Peter—he wasn’t—he wasn’t in the video.”

“Pep…” Rhodey seemed to have realized something as well.

“What? Should he have been?” Steve said, trying to read their faces.

“Yes. God, yes he should.” Pepper cried, hastily wiping fresh tears away.

“Steve,” Rhodey turned and faced Steve. “Peter went up with Tony.”

“Against Tony’s will.” Pepper supplied with a fond eye roll. “Rhodey...you know what that means.”

Steve did too.

Peter was dead.

He went up and didn’t come back down.

“What are we going to tell May?” Rhodey asked after a moment.

“What can we tell her?” Pepper replied tearfully.

“Is May his aunt?” Steve asked quietly. Pepper nodded.

“Basically his mother. Peter...Peter was all she had left.”

And then no one talks.

“I can go tell her. If you want.” Steve offers.

“No, it should be me,” Pepper said. “I’m her friend. And he was her baby.” She subconsciously rubbed her stomach. That’s her baby.

“I hate this.” Rhodey’s voice choked again, summing up just about everything Steve was thinking.

Buck, wherever you are, take care of the kid. Of Peter.

~

It’s the middle of the night when Carol Danvers comes to them and tells she can get them to Tony. Steve doesn’t hesitate when she makes them a portal to jump right through. There’s light for a moment before he sees the ship. He knows he’s followed by Rhodey and Bruce, but he’s the first one to see Tony. He’s obviously broken. Starving and pale, with tears evident down his cheeks.

“Tony!” Steve has to admit he missed the man. Tony doesn’t wait, he runs into Steve with minimal energy, but wraps his arms around him.

“Who’d you lose?” Steve already knows.

Tony takes a deep shaky breath.

“I lost my kid.” He sounds older.

And Steve doesn’t respond out loud, instead he kept the grip on the man he once thought was his enemy.

Rhodey follows suit, and when Steve lets go, Tony goes right into Rhodey’s arms.

I’m getting my friends back. I’m getting Sam, Wanda, all the Wakandans...Bucky. Especially Bucky.

And I’m getting Peter back. For Tony.

I can’t wait to meet this kid.