Irondad and Spiderson Time travel fic I wrote at 22:53 Be warned, it's angsty.
During the battle of endgame, Peter is the one to use the gauntlet. Time-travel hijinks ensue.
*EDIT I fixed it! Read here it on ao3*
It lands in front of him, and he just. Grabs it. hellhounds are hot on his heels, so he runs.
There's chaos and death all around him, allies being cut down like bad weeds. Everyone he knows is far away, and he can't find Tony. The gauntlet is in his hands, thrumming with cosmic energy that makes his spider sense scream. He can feel its power. It sets his skin abuzz, and he knows he can stop this.
He slips it on, and he hears someone shout in the distance. He thinks of all the lives that will be taken if Thanos wins, and he refuses to allow it. The Titan sees him, and they both stare at each other. Peter snaps his fingers, and he's immediately consumed by ridiculous amounts of untold power, coursing through his veins like fire.
His mind screams, and he almost can't resist the knee-jerk reaction to tear the gauntlet off.
He grinds his teeth hard and drags his mind back from the depths of the pain and focuses on one single thought. Destroy Thanos and his army.
The air whines and trembles, his heart roaring in his ears like a drum as the essence of the stones wraps around him with incomprehensible power and surges outwards faster than light in a deafening shriek.
He doesn't have to look around to know it worked. He can feel it in the way every atom in his body screams in unison. It feels like he's being shredded on a molecular level.
He distantly notices that the noise has stopped all around him. There's a pressure in his ears, and he vaguely understands that it's his hearing that's gone.
His knees hit the ground, and he's suddenly hit by how tired he is. He can rest now, surely? Now that Thanos is gone. He just needs to catch his breath.
Tony's mind is a whirlwind of determination as he fights with every ounce of strength he has. All his years as Ironman, as an Avenger, are dragged back to the forefront of his mind as the hellish creatures race from Thanos's ship. He sees Pepper and Rhodey handling themselves and some of the anxiety loosens. He focuses on killing every creature he can, fighting his way closer to Thanos so they can finally end this.
The kid's here somewhere, and that knowledge brings the anxiety back tenfold.
Peter hadn't aged a day. He'd almost tripped and fell flat on his face as he stumbled and pulled the kid into his arms.
In that moment, everything was right again. His kid was back, and the world was whole.
When the screeching faceless creatures, he's about to blast, turns to dust in his hand, alarm bells ring in his head. Everyone looks around as Thanos's army disappears, but Tony's eyes are darting around trying to spot a familiar figure in red and blue. The wizard's warning is ringing in his head, and he can't see Peter. Where is he. Where is my kid.
There's a circle of people standing. He spots Rogers, and when he catches the expression on the man's face, he blasts the suit’s engines at full speed. Something is wrong, and the closer he gets, the more he has a sick feeling in his gut that it's the reason why he hasn't seen Peter.
When he sees him. Tony screams. His thoughts are a constant stream of nononono, not by son, not my kid, not Peter.
He steps out of the suit and falls to his knees and Peter-
Peter smiles at him. Tony swallows down the sobs that fight to claw their way out of his throat and smiles back.
God, his face. Half of Peter's face is charred and black. The other half is drained of all color, his normally warm cheeks now a dull grey.
Tony cups the good side of Peter's face with a shaking hand swipes his thumb over his cheek. He can't imagine the pain-Tony swallows thickly and pushes it out of his mind. Peter needs him. He can break down later.
He feels the eyes of the people gathered around them, and he doesn't care if they can see the tears streaming down his face. All he can see is the burnt face of his son, staring through him with vacant eyes.
Carefully, he brushes what curls aren't burnt out of his son's eyes. A sob catches in his throat, and then Pepper is at his side. He sucks in a shaky breath, willing himself to take some of her strength and push through.
Tony tells Peter how proud he is. He tells him about his sister, how much she loves him, and that he's her favorite hero in the whole world.
As Peter wheezes for air, dying before his eyes, he says everything he wishes he'd said sooner. Tony takes Peter's unharmed hand in his and tells him how brave and beautiful and perfect he is.
When Peter opens his mouth and can only manage to let out a croak, he hushes him gently.
"Shh, don't speak. It's okay, Pete". He says, knowing it's the furthest thing possible from okay. "You did it, underoos. We won, we won, Pete-"
He can't. His voice catches, and he can feel himself shattering irreparably. Rhodey clasps his shoulder. It gives him the strength he needs.
Tony leans forward and kisses Peter's head, cradling the back of his head. He carefully pulls him against his chest and starts rocking them back and forth, unable to hold his grief back anymore. He cries in Peter's hair.
Tony almost misses the weak squeeze to his hand. He feels Peter's lips move against his neck, and he strains to hear the shaky whisper.
"Love you, dad."
His heart jumps and bleeds. How long had he dreamt of hearing those words? And now the universe gives him his wish in the most twisted way possible.
"I love you too, Pete. God, I should have said it before. I love you so much. So much, I missed you underoos. Every day." Tony says, hating himself for not having the spine to say it sooner. So much time wasted, dancing around the obvious. Tony fucking loves the kid. And he's about to lose him forever.
Peter gasps. Tony's heart stutters at the wet, agonized sound it makes.
"M-May...tell her...'m 'orry."
Tony swears he'll tell her. He smiles and tells him how proud she'll be of him.
Peter is fading like a candle in the breeze. Tony rocks them, silently begging anyone who will listen not to take him. He's too young, too bright to be taken so soon.
But he knows what Peter needs him to say. So he forces the words he never wanted to speak out of his mouth in what he hopes is an even voice.
"It's okay, Peter. You can rest, kiddo. We'll be okay. You can sleep, bambino. I'm right here. Dad-Dad's got you."
And Peter does. His eyes are so heavy, and when Tony tells him it’s okay, he lets them fall shut. He's just so tired. And Tony's heart is steady and strong enough that he can hear it through the fog in his mind. He can rest like this in his dad's arms.
The last thing he hears is Tony's cracking voice telling him he loved him before everything fades into nothing.
The battlefield is silent with the exception of Tony's hoarse pleading and crying.
"No, no! Please, please, he's just a kid. He's just a fucking kid! Open your eyes, please, Pete, look at me. Look at me, kiddo, I'm right here-I'm here I've got you, just open your eyespleaseplease-Rhodey, god, he can't be dead. He has to go home. He was supposed to come home."
The Avengers watch the tragedy unfolding before then with mournful eyes. The wakandians give their solemn respect. T'challa looks at the boy, so much like his sister and promises to take the tales of his heroic deed back to Wakanda, The Guardians following soon after, vowing to spread the word into the depths of space. Only Nebula stops to hug Tony.
She offers the closest she can to words of comfort. "He would have grown into an exceptional warrior, Stark."
Eventually, Rhodey has to pull Tony off his kid's-his nephew's body.
Tony kicks and screams and cusses, letting out the most gut-wrenching howls as he does.
The heroes still standing on the battlefield look on with somber and pitying looks.
They return to earth, and Tony goes through the motions. He receives a stream of condolences until he mutes his notifications.
He hates it. He wants to scream and break things. Because he doesn't want to win if it's like this.
Peace isn't worth losing my son.
Yet here we are.
The world learns about Peter's sacrifice. They'll never forget that Tony's son saved the world. He'll make sure of it if it's the last thing he does. Morgan will always know how brave her brother was.
The letters and flowers never stop coming, even months after the fact. Tony and Pepper read them together. Every year, the mail comes pouring in. Parents, children, all thanking Peter for his sacrifice, sharing their stories with Tony. It helps. He feels like Peter would be happy to read these, to know how many families he reunited. They put up the drawings they receive in Peter's room. The room he never got to see.
Eventually, years later the pain gets easier to carry. Tony refuses to let his grief destroy him. Peter is gone, but Morgan and Pepper need him.
They raise Morgan with the memories of her brother, Happy and Ned and MJ all stay close in touch, reuniting for holidays and Peter's birthday to reminisce.
Tony will never stop believing it should have been him, but when he sees Morgan, all grown up and off to college, he can't help but be thankful he gets to see it. And sometimes, when they're all together, alive, and well, he swears he can feel Peter with them.
~~~~~~~~~
Countless universes and timelines away, Peter opens his eyes, alive and confused, decidedly not dying in Tony's arms on Titan.
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