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stefciastark · 3 years

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Soul World ~ Webpril Day 3

A/N: Just a heads up, major character death to follow in this one-shot. Here is my response to the day 3 prompt: Soul World. My brain could only come up with this depressing scenario, so I apologise in advance for any sadness that may ensue! I think I ruined my own night be writing this, but worry not! There will be non-depressing IronDad coming tomorrow in part 3 of my 'Peter in the Mines' storyline :) Once again, written in a bit of a hurry at 2am (gotta love study getting in the way of every waking moment), so apologies for any small mistakes throughout. Without further ado, prepare the tissues x

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Tony was tense. That much Peter could see. The harsh lines on his face spoke volumes to the deep unease that saturated his every movement and every hypervigilant shift of Tony’s eyes.

Peter couldn’t explain the level of creepy that this place was. When they arrived on Vormir, Peter was first struck by its strange sense of beauty; hues of pink, purple, and red dancing through the sky, all dwarfed by the biggest solar eclipse Peter had ever seen. The atmosphere was thick and suffocating, like being thirty feet underwater yet still dry and saturated with oxygen. He supposed those comparisons contradicted each other, but in all honesty made a weird kind of sense.

“Hey Mr Stark, do you know where we’re going?” Peter glanced around at all the nothing that surrounded them.

“My guess would be those two giant rocks that look like the gates of hell.”

True enough, far up in the distance on the peak of a tall mountain – the only mountain in sight – were two pillars. Peter agreed with Tony’s brief assessment; they really did give off an air rife with unease.

“Alright, turn around kid, we’re taking the shortcut.” Tony gestured with a twirling motion for Peter to face away from him and hooked his arms under Peter’s. As Peter’s back made contact with Tony’s chest plate, he almost had the air squeezed out of him as micro-magnets in each suit secured Peter’s position. Mr Stark really did think of everything.

Even though Peter’s suit was designed by Tony, and even though he could swing from buildings and was in no way insecure of his powers compared to the other Avengers, being hoisted upwards thousands of feet into the air and propelled forwards with exhilarating force was an experience Peter couldn’t quite get comfortable with. He knew he was safe and yet it all felt so out of control, so when they landed at the top of the mountain surrounded by what looked like medieval ruins or what Peter thought looked like something out of Skyrim (he had to explain to Tony what that was), he thanked the ground profusely for simply being there.

“I’m going to go in, get the stone and come out, ok? Just wait here and tell me if anything…alive shows up.”

Peter watched as Tony headed towards the cliff face, and in blatant disregard of Tony’s request – not that Tony wasn’t used to it by now - did a small half-jog half-run to catch up. Peter was met with a stern look from his mentor followed by an exasperated sigh. “Sorry Mr Stark, this place gives me the creeps, I just wanna help us leave sooner.”

“Yeah, okay, fine whatever, just make sure you don-”

Whatever Tony was going to say was cut off. Peter was met with a metal clad arm protectively splayed across his chest, Tony guiding him so that he stood slightly behind.

Looking over Tony’s right shoulder, Peter saw a hooded figure emerging from the shadows. As the light revealed more of the individual’s features, Peter was taken aback by the bright red skin and skull-like appearance before him.

“Welcome, Anthony, son of Howard. Peter, son of Richard,” the strange man’s voice was raspy, as if it had been long unused.

“Sorry, Darth Maul, but we have business here, so if you’d excuse us.” Tony moved to step around and resume looking for the Stone’s whereabouts but froze once more as the man probed.

“Wait, was that a Star Wars reference?” Peter wasn’t sure whether or not to be proud. Either way, his comment was left unacknowledged.

“Is it the Soul Stone you seek?”

Tony had now positioned himself directly in front of the figure, staring straight into his eyes, probing for answers. “What do you know about the Soul Stone?”

“A lifetime ago, I, too, sought the stones. I had even held one in my hand. But it cast me out, banished me here, guiding others to a treasure I can not possess.”

“My heart bleeds for you.”

“What you seek lies in front of you. As does what you fear.”

“Look, enough with the riddles, we’re on a tight schedule here.” Peter saw Tony becoming more agitated, tension rippling just under the surface. This place was making Peter uneasy, too. He couldn’t quite shake the feeling that although there was no immediate danger, they weren’t safe either.

“The Soul Stone holds a special place amongst the Infinity Stones. To ensure that whoever possesses it understands its power, the Stone demands a sacrifice.”

“What kind of sacrifice?” Tony and the red-faced man turned to Peter, who had broken his silence once more.

“In order to take the stone, you must lose that which you love. A soul for a soul.”

A heavy quiet descended upon them. Then, Peter met Tony’s eyes, and in that moment they both knew they had simultaneously come to the same realisation. When Thanos held the Soul Stone in his gauntlet on Titan all those years ago, Gamora had not returned with him. A soul for a soul.

Tony took off, resolve and sadness in his eyes as he looked at Peter before his mask re-materialised. Altering his trajectory for the cliff edge, Tony froze, hovering momentarily over the colossal drop onto the stone below.

There was no way in hell Peter was going to let Tony sacrifice himself for the Stone. Peter was just a kid from Queens, and Tony was Tony. Tony was a pioneer of their time, and one of the world’s biggest heroes and legacies. To Peter, there was simply no other option. To Peter, his own life wasn’t worth half of Mr Stark’s. Using the small window of opportunity where Tony remained unmoving midair, Peter aimed his webs for Tony’s legs, and after they met their target, yanked down and back hard.

The Iron Man suit harshly met with the ground beneath them, and even though Peter knew the suit was hardy, he still winced internally at the sound of scraping metal. “Sorry Mr Stark, but I can’t let you do that.”

With a low groan, Tony pushed himself back up, fear and adrenaline making his mind race. Quickly filing through all his options, he opted for a well-placed missile to Peter’s left that send him flying along the cliff’s periphery. Whatever it takes.

Catapulting himself once more, Tony only used the blasters in a short burst to give him the momentum he needed to send himself over the edge to begin his descent, and gravity would do the rest. He’d lived his life, and he’d be damned if Peter lost his life too early protecting one of Earth’s jaded defenders. It just simply wasn’t his time, and Tony didn’t think he could live with himself if he lost the kid.

Peter shook his head rapidly to clear the smoke – both mental and literal – from his head. He pulled his mask over his head and tossed it to the side, the cool air on his face bringing him back to the present and flooding his lungs with rich oxygen. His right web shooter was sending out faint sparks, and Peter figured it must have been damaged from the blast. Crap. Testing his luck to see if there was any chance it still worked, he was disappointed but not surprised when nothing shot out in response to his efforts. His heart nearly stopped when Tony was nowhere immediately in sight, until he heard an echo of the tell-tale sound of the suit’s blasters.

Pumping his arms and legs as fast as he could, he made his way to the edge, and lowered himself down to where he was hanging over the side. Letting himself slide down another twenty feet, he cemented his grip into the rock face, and – just in time – aimed his left web shooters at where Tony was now falling.

Tony’s eyes were closed, not wanting to see the ground rush up to meet him, wanting instead to finish saying his goodbyes to Pepper, to the team who had become like a family, and to Peter, who had become his adopted son. Even though he had looked Death in the eyes before, this time there was an overwhelming sense of finality about it. And Tony was ready. He had succeeded in marrying the woman of his dreams, having one – no, two – incredible children in his life, and leaving a legacy behind he could be proud of.

Tony had only just begun to feel his stomach drop as he fell when he was harshly jerked back once more. Opening his eyes, he was met with the sight of long white webbing extending from his right shoulder to where Peter was stuck to the cliff face, right arm tense and trembling from the magnitude of the momentum he had to stop, and the new addition of weight he had to support. Tony knew he couldn’t hold on forever.

“Tony, please.” Peter felt his face become wet with the tears that now streamed down his face. He had never known his father, and while Tony had started as his mentor, he was now family and the father he never had. And he was now faced with the crushing reality that he was about to lose the only father figure he’d ever gotten a chance to know.

The suit’s mask receded. Tony wanted to look at Peter one last time. It broke his heart to already see the grief and loss that plagued the boy’s features. No, not a boy. Peter’s all grown up now. Tony smiled to himself, and thanked the universe that he got the privilege to see that small nerdy boy from Queens grow into the strong, heroic man who would one day change the world.

“You’ll be alright,” Tony said, nothing but sincerity in his words. He knew Peter would be okay.

“I can’t do this without you, I ca -”

“Yes, you can. I’m so, so proud of you Peter. More than you’ll ever know. Look after Morgan and Pepper for me, will you? Tell them I love them. Tell them I’m okay.” The sad smile on Tony’s face slowly faded from his expression. It was time to go. “Love you, Pete.”

The suit began to de-materialise, and the point of contact Peter’s webs had had now faded away. Peter watched in horror, unable to form words through the tightness in his throat as he saw Tony fall. Turning his head into the crook of his arm, he didn’t want to see the moment he hit the ground but flinched as he heard the dull thud moments later, and then all was silent.

The clouds parted over the pillars, bright blue light manifesting in a crescendo above him before it all went dark.

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As he came to, it took Peter’s mind a while to understand that what had just happened wasn’t only a terrible dream. Small tremors rattled their way under his skin, but the cold wind and frigid pool of water he lay in didn’t bother him anymore.

Numbly, he forced himself to his knees, and began to unclench his left fist, hoping and praying that there wouldn’t be anything there and that his hands would be empty. That Tony would be returning to consciousness in the water next to him, groaning and complaining but warm and alive and that he would tell Peter that they’d find another way. As Peter’s fingers unfurled, what started as a faint yellow glow grew brighter until the water below his hand looked like its own small sun.

The silence was broken by a choked sob forced from Peter’s throat as he clutched the Soul Stone to his chest.

A/N: I'm so sorry for this depressing one-shot, but thankfully that prompt is now out of the way and hopefully we'll be on to greener pastures prompt-wise for the rest of the week (at least I hope haha). Please let me know what you think, and part 3 of The Mines will be up tomorrow xx

#webpril day 3 #webpril 2021 #irondad fanfiction #major character death #marvel #mcu fanfiction #peter parker fanfiction #tony stark fanfiction #whump writing #emotional h/c #h/c fanfiction #angst #fanfiction #alternate universe #writing prompt #writing challenge #my fanfic writing

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mshermia · 3 years

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What’s In Your Heart - Webpril 03: Soul World

summary:

Peter had been dodging Tony for weeks now. A few months after the world was saved, Tony wasn't sure what he had done but every time they had scheduled a day at the lake house, Peter found a new excuse to cancel.

Or, Peter struggles with the aftermath of the Snap.

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"What the hell is wrong with my cooking?" Pepper had spun around, not too far off from that metaphorical steam coming out of her ears.

Tony was on thin ice. On very thin ice. No matter how much his awesome brain had been praised left and right over the past decades, it sure was failing him now.

"Nothing is wrong with it. And while I personally love your lentil and chicken sausage stew, I'm not sure the kid has the pallet to appreciate your hard work, honey," he rambled, trying not to stumble over his words. "Plus we're out of kale."

Pepper shrugged up her arms in bewilderment. "How are we out of kale? I just bought some yesterday!"

"Erm..." Tony quickly moved away from her, fiddling with the tab and a jug for a bit to hide the cringe on his face. "I think Madame Secretary fed it to the chickens instead of the lettuce leaves." Tony ignored Pepper's groan of annoyance and pressed on back to the topic at hand. "So, I was thinking I can just order in Thai food when he gets here. You know how the kid loves Thai food."

With a deep breath, she rubbed two fingers over the crease between her eyebrows. "When will he be here?"

"Sometime after lunch," Tony said quickly, adding a quieter, "I think".

"So, we're not entirely sure if he'll be here," Pepper clarified, her arms crossed in front of her. "Again."

"He'll be here," Tony waved her off. "He'll be here."

By 5 o'clock, Tony was bent over his workbench in the basement. Elbows perched on the tabletop and head balanced between both hands, he was staring at nothing in particular, wondering what he'd done wrong. He'd been down there for a while when Pepper's soft steps echoed off the walls as she came down the stairs. Tony didn't bother to move, didn't even bother to pretend that he had been doing anything but mope over the fact that Peter had not shown up. One hand tangled in his hair, the other cradling his face, Pepper pulled him close, his head dipping against her chest.

"Did he message you?"

"No..." Tony mumbled against the fabric of her shirt. It wouldn't be long now though. The kid had not been shy for excuses whenever he had canceled lab time.

"Did you guys have a fight?"

Tony turned his head to the side, wrecking his brain and not for the first time. Had they had a fight? Had he done something wrong?

Things had been perfectly fine right after that last showdown. Well, fine might not be the best word. Tony hadn't been fine, physically at least, but Peter had stuck by his side, never far off when Tony would wake up from a procedure. Every time he had found the kid next to his bed, Tony had been elated. 5 years of agony without him and then, there he was like he had never been gone.

Things had been fine and Tony had no idea where he had gone wrong.

"Maybe it's nothing you have done, hm? It has to be a shock for all of them. Coming back to a world that's so different than what they remembered."

"Yeah," Tony mumbled. "Maybe..."

Just then, his phone lit up with a received message. Pressing his eyes shut, he turned his face back towards Pepper. He didn't need to see it. He had gotten that message too many times already.

It was always the same. Whenever they had finally set a new date, there was something that had come up. Homework. Decathlon practice running long. A late patrol, he needed rest from. May had asked him to stay after all.

"He says that he has a project for school that he's had to finish today and he's not quite done yet and that it'll be too late to come over afterwards," Pepper read out loud for him.

Schoolwork. On a Saturday.

She ruffled her hand through Tony's hair and pressed a kiss on top of his head. "I can still make some stew?"

Tony grimaced against her. "I don't like it with no kale."

With a soft laugh, she pressed another kiss to his head, then untangled Tony's arms from her waist. "Well, me and your daughter will be up there waiting for when you're done feeling sorry for yourself, okay?"

"Funny," Tony grunted, slumping against the top of his workbench again. Pepper was halfway up the stairs when he called out to her. "Is it me? Am I... am I expecting too much after... after everything? Maybe it was all just in my head?"

"Babe, I think I'm the wrong person to ask all that." She tilted her head with a sigh. "Just talk to Peter."

Tony leaned back in his chair, eyes on his fingers toying with the nanites on his right hand. Sure, talking was his area of expertise. Feelings, not so much.

It had been a long time since Tony had been to the city. Even with all the years, he had lived in Manhattan, that lake house had been terribly easy to get used to. The glare of the streetlights of Queens was definitely something Tony could live without. His fingers drummed on the steering wheel as he squinted up at the apartment building.

This was a horrible idea.

Tony straightened the sleeves of his jacket as the elevator doors opened onto the floor of Peter and May's apartment. He hadn't felt this awkward ringing at someone's door since his first date in college and back then his biggest worry had been if his fake ID was convincing enough. He brushed his knuckles against the apartment door softly first, then a little hard before he stepped back a little. As the door flew open, it was neither Peter nor May who stood in the frame.

Happy, dresses in boxer shorts and a white t-shirt, was the last person Tony had expected to run into at the Parker's apartment.

"Erm..." Tony blinked a couple of times, his mouth gaping just a bit too wide for his standards.

"Tony! What..." Happy's eyes had grown round and big, his complexion paling as he tugged down the hem of his shirt a little further. "What... what are you doing here?"

"Yeah," Tony mumbled. "Yeah, me... I'm the surprise."

Happy's mouth clapped shut. He retreated a little further into the apartment but there was no convenient place for him to hide.

"Do you need more change?" May called from somewhere within the apartment.

"Er, no..." Happy stammered, his voice pitched far too high. "It's... er...." He cringed at Tony, clearly unsure what to say. "All good here."

Tony rubbed a hand over his face. "I just want to talk to Peter."

"Peter?" Happy's shoulders lost a little of their tension. "Peter's not here."

"What?" Whatever awkward energy had been pulsing through Tony before went flat at once. "He was supposed to come to the lake house today and then sent me a messaged to cancel."

Happy frowned. "He did?" His hand shot up and scratched the back of his neck. "May said he's spending the night at Ned's."

"Oh." That stung. Tony couldn't deny it.

"Come on, give the kid a break," Happy sighed. "Listen, I know you missed him and you did all... all that stuff for him, but he needs some time for his friends, too. Don't be an ass about it."

Tony's heart gave an unpleasant squeeze. "Excuse me?"

"Hey..." Happy pulled his hands up, giving him a look like he didn't want to fight. "I'm just saying. He's been out there with you every other day. He's 17. He needs to live a little." A hot flush rose on Happy's face. "I mean like... do some... some teenage stuff."

Stunned, Tony stared up at him. Just as he was working past his confusion enough to get out a mumble 'What the fuck are you talking about?' did the elevator doors open once again.

"Oh, thank god," Happy groaned holding out money for the delivery driver to take. "Listen Tony, I'd really appreciate it if you could keep all this..." He vaguely gestured at himself and the apartment. "...to yourself. May wants to wait for the right moment to tell him, so, please just, you know..."

"Right," Tony breathed. "I'll... er..." He pointed back at the elevator where the delivery man had already disappeared again. "I guess I'll head home then."

With an awkward little wave, balancing the take-out, Happy closed the door leaving Tony alone in the quiet hallway. His heart was beating harder and faster with every passing second, dread spreading through his veins.

"FRI," he muttered. The nanites in his right hand illuminated at the sound of his voice. "Find Peter. Now."

It was only thanks to how fast FRIDAY found him, that Tony managed to calm himself enough to take the car instead of commanding the suit to encase him. Well, that and the fact that Peter was less than 15 minutes drive away from the Parker's apartment.

Mount Olivet Cemetery was quiet. The gates had been closed, visiting hours for the public long over. It left Tony with few options but to suit up after all once he was out of sight of the main gate and then hover over the high fence. He walked the rest of the way guided by FRIDAY until he found Peter sitting in the grass.

He didn't look up at Tony but didn't hesitate to speak when he had walked up behind him. "What are you doing here?"

Tony crossed his arms, carefully to keep his own bruised ego in check. "I went to your place because I thought that maybe we should talk about why you're avoiding me. Of course, then I heard that you're at Ned's and I thought cool, I wonder how the kid's friend is living it up. Was expecting a little something different, not gonna lie. Needs better lighting. Also, I'm quite a fan of this thing called central heating."

"That's hilarious," Peter mumbled.

With a sigh, Tony dropped his arms. He walked up the last couple of steps to Peter and sat down in the grass next to him. The October air was not quite frosty yet but far from comfortable.

"What's going on?"

Peter shrugged. "What do you think?"

"Well, I was hoping you'd lie to your Aunt and me about a secret party schedule or a teenage romance you wanted to keep quiet."

The quiet brooding, the way Peter stared ahead, not baited at all was so unlike him.

"You know, don't you?" Tony kept his eyes on him. "About Happy?"

Peter's chin was resting on his pulled-up knees, eyes staring ahead at the gravestone of Ben Parker.

"Kid?" There were goosebumps on Tony's skin, but now was not the time to freak out.

"Yeah." He hesitated for a moment, then added, "May invites him over when she thinks I'm at your place. Or at Ned's."

"And then you come here instead?"

"Sometimes," Peter whispered.

Tony pressed his eyes shut, battling the rising resentment that Peter would rather sit here alone than to come to him, only to hate himself for making it about himself.

"What's going on, buddy?"

Peter huffed out a breath. "You wouldn't understand."

Both of his hands braced against the wet grass underneath him, Tony swallowed the testy remark that was burning on his tongue. "You're a smart kid. I'm sure you'll find a way to explain."

"Yeah? Well, maybe I'm not as smart as you thought. Maybe I'm not—" Peter pursed his lips, gave his head a little shake.

"You're right," Tony nodded. "Maybe I don't know what it's like. It was just you and May and now you come back and this all seems to have happened too fast and—"

"That's not..." He shook his head again, this time a little more forceful. "It's not that. She's... she's happy and I want that. She deserves that."

"Pete, I'm sure they just don't want to overwhelm you. If you talk to her and—"

"Just drop it," he hissed. "This isn't your problem."

Tony bit the inside of his lip, painfully hard at that. His eyes had snapped away, now squinting down at his own chest, watching it rise and fall with the deep breaths he sucked in, hoping to calm the temper that was blazing up inside him.

"Maybe..." Tony blew out another low breath, determined to keep the edge out of his voice. "Maybe the fact that I'm here and asking should tell you that I'm rather willing to make this my problem, Pete."

For the first time, the kid's head moved just enough that he could squint in Tony's direction. After a moment of hesitation, his eyes flickered back to the grass in front of Ben Parker's headstone. "You're happy now." Peter pressed his lips flat with a little shake of his head. "You don't need this. It's not fair to you."

"No, buddy, what's not fair is you being out here lying to us about where you are. After everything." Tony sucked in a deep breath. "After 5 years of missing you."

Peter hid his face behind his hands and just when Tony thought he had gone too far, pushed too much, the kid's arms dropped drown to his knees. "If I tell you, you can't say anything to May."

"Pete—"

"You have to promise me." At last, he looked right at him, eyes pleading. "She can't know."

Tony held his stare, hoping that maybe it would be enough for Peter to yield, but he didn't falter for even a moment. Tony inclined his head at him, banking on the terms changing after he knew what was going in.

"Alright then."

For a moment, Peter didn't move at all. Then he slung his arms around his legs, pulling them a little closer to his chest like it would help to hold onto his composure when he would speak. Only, he didn't speak. He stared into thin air, lips trembling but not a single word rolled off his tongue.

"Pete?"

As if pulled from a dream, his head snapped in Tony's direction, his eyes swimming with tears.

"I saw... I saw Ben," Peter whispered. "I... Just for a moment. Or..." He narrowed his eyes a little in thought. "Or I thought it was just a moment but now... I'm not so sure anymore. Maybe... maybe it was longer."

"You mean..." Tony swallowed hard, nerves fluttering in his stomach. "After. When you were gone?"

Peter nodded, a first tear dropping off his lashes.

It wasn't surprising. In fact, it was quite in line with what Tony had thought this might be about. Stories of those who had been dusted seeing dead loved ones had sparked up soon after those lost during the Snap had returned.

A trip to heaven for the fallen, was what the tabloids had coined it. A nice sentiment for some, Tony was sure, but they didn't know what he knew. They didn't know about the Stones.

Tony moved a little closer. One hand on the back of Peter's head, his thumb brushed through the kid's hair. "It's normal to miss him, bud. You think May doesn't still—"

"It's not..." Peter shook his head, causing Tony's hand to fall down to his shoulder instead. "It's... I can't explain. You wouldn't understand."

The inside of Tony's lip was sore where his teeth had been grazing and biting, giving an outlet to his own nerves. "I do, buddy. I understand. It's..." He blew out some air, centering himself. "It's unreal. Beyond words, beyond explaining. I... Honestly, I thought it might have been a reaction to the anesthetics at first before I— Well, anyway..."

Peter had sat up at that, his eyes red, eyebrows drawn together. His eyes flickered over Tony's face, studying him while his jaw moved like he was gritting his teeth.

Tony squeezed his shoulder. "All I mean is that all this, magic tricks and... and Infinity Stones, their effects, it's not logical. It's not something we understand yet. Maybe we will one day. If you want to..." Tony shrugged. "We could try and figure out the energy structure of—"

"You saw something?" Peter whispered.

Tony swallowed hard, fighting his instincts to look away, to reach for his glasses, something to shield the uncertainty that had been plaguing him for the past few months.

Peter's eyebrows twitched. "When you... did you see something? When you... did the thing?"

"Did the thing?" He dipped his head at Peter, trying for some humor. Inappropriate, outrageous, the cliché he was supposed to embody.

"When you... when you snapped the gauntlet. When you died..." Peter sucked in a shaky breath, his eyes never leaving Tony's face. "You saw something then?"

Tony swallowed hard. "I didn't die, kid."

"You... you were gone. The arc it was—"

"The nano housing unit's structural integrity was destroyed by the stones. I didn't die, buddy. I— Hey..." Tony moved a little closer, his arm now wrapped around Peter's shoulder. His other hand cupped the kid's face. Peter's breathing had become uneven, panicked almost. "It's okay, kid. Just breathe. It's all good. I'm right here."

Peter nodded like he wanted to believe him, hot tears running down his cheeks onto Tony's hand. He might have tried to hide his tears from Tony before, but now that didn't seem to matter anymore. Just like it hadn't mattered after that last battle. Tony would never forget the fear on Peter's face on the battlefield that day. The way he had been curled up in a chair next to his hospital bed. It was the stuff his nightmares were made off, causing the kid that kind of pain, only second to those memories from Titan.

No, the kid was way past hiding his tears. His eyes were glued to Tony's face. Calmly, Tony mimicked for Peter to breathe in, hold the air, then breathe out. It wasn't like Peter didn't know what to do. This wasn't their first rodeo. Over the years, they'd been here more often than Tony really cared to admit.

They sat there for a while as Peter's heartbeat slowed, as his tears dried, his eyes a little more focused. It took effort for Tony to keep a light smile on his face as he looked right at Peter, not to pull away now. It took effort not to lie to the kid's face like he had been lying to himself, avoiding the trauma, the toll that day had taken on him.

"I do know, buddy. I... I did see it. Or at least I... I guess it was likely the same."

"You saw someone?"

"Yeah," Tony breathed. "My mom."

Peter's eyes widened. "Your... your mom?"

"Yeah." Tony nodded, trying not to think of her face now. "It was just a short flash. She didn't say anything. Just stood here and I... Come here, buddy." Tony pulled him close enough to wrap both arms around him. "I'm not sure, but I think it was the Soul Stone. The orange glow. Did you see that?"

Peter nodded against his chest and Tony hummed in agreement.

"Yeah, must have been that one. I think it just lets you see the people you love, the ones that are already gone. You know, what's in your heart."

Peter's hand shot up but not in time to stifle the sobs that bubbled out of him, deep and agonizing. It caught Tony by surprise. The only thing he could think of was to pull Peter a little tighter against him, mumbling soothing words, trying to calm him down.

"It's okay to miss them, bud. It's okay." When he kept his voice low, it was less likely to shake or worse, break.

"But I didn't... I didn't see them... My mom and dad." He shuffled in Tony's arms. "I loved them. I... I swear. I just... it was all so fast and I... I didn't know. I just didn't think and—"

"Oh buddy, shh. That's not... Maybe..." Tony blew out a breath, cursing himself. His chin was resting on top of Peter's head, his eyes burning for the kid. "Maybe it doesn't work like that, hm? Maybe it's not who you love. And maybe it's just one person, hm? I only saw one person."

"But Ned he... he saw his dad and... and all his grandparents and then..." Peter sucked in a few breaths, his voice muffled against Tony's chest. "He asked me if I saw my parents, too, and I... I lied. I said I did but— You can't tell May, please."

Tony pressed his eyes shut, his heart breaking for the pain the kid had been harboring.

"I swear, I love them," Peter mumbled. "I do. I don't... I don't know why... why they weren't there, why I didn't think, why—"

"Oh buddy, no, no, no. Come here...." Tony grabbed him by both his shoulders, maneuvering him in a way that Peter could look at him. "Hey, look at me for a moment. How old were you, hm? When they died?"

"I..." he frowned, fingers brushing away his tears. "Like... like 4..."

"Do you even remember what they looked like? I don't mean from pictures just... memories of them?"

Peter's eyes filled with more tears his chin trembling.

"Hey, no, I don't... Pete, it's not your fault if you don't, okay? You were so tiny. Just think how tiny Morgan is. If I had—" His lips slammed shut as he pushed the thought out of his mind. "Maybe it has nothing to do with what's in your heart, okay? Maybe it's all up here, hm? What you remember?" He tapped Peter's temple a couple of times, not looking away from him. "We just don't know. But I promise you, it's nothing you did wrong, okay?"

There was reluctance from Peter as he huffed and pressed his face back against Tony's chest.

One hand in his hair, Tony gave it a ruffle then softly tapped a finger against the back of Peter's head. "I know that big brain of yours is trying to rationalize everything that happened, but you gotta trust me with this, kid. This is not on you. I promise. I'm sure if love would have been enough you would have seen them."

Peter didn't say anything, he only held onto Tony, hands balled up in his jacket. The wet grass, the chilly October night, all of that didn't matter anymore. Tony would sit through a lot worse if it could take some of the pain away.

He still had his chin resting in Peter's hair. The kid had calmed down, his breathing even now, the sobs had subsided. Just when Tony was starting to wonder if he had fallen asleep did Peter's stomach give a rumbled that must have echoed through all of Queens.

"Wow! I think I'm gonna have to call animal control and warn them, just in case they get a bunch of calls for a starving wild animal running loose in Queens."

Peter snorted. "Don't be an ass, Tony..." The tiny giggle the kid had let slip, gave Tony hope, but it was forgotten just as fast. With a heavy sigh, Peter shook his head, his voice muffled in Tony's shirt. "You think it's too late? To drive out to the lake house tonight?"

His hand was still in Peter's hair, brushing back and forth through the strands. "Not if you stay till Monday..."

Peter's chest vibrated with another laugh.

"Fine," Tony sighed extensively. "Sunday night then?" He craned his neck a bit, trying to get a glimpse of Peter's reaction. "Only if you want to, buddy."

"I do," Peter nodded. "I do want to."

By the time they had left the city, Peter was curled up on the passenger seat, eyes closed. He looked peaceful like that, at ease.

Tony blew out a quiet sigh as his eyes went back to the dark road. There was no point in pretending like things would be all dandy now. It wouldn't as simple as this, to have one talk and voila, trauma gone. No, this would take time but that was okay.

Time, they had.

#webpril #webpril 2021 #webpril 2021 day 3 #Soul World #tony stark lives #Tony Stark #peter parker fanfiction #IRON DAD AND SPIDER SON #iron dad fanfiction #iron dad #spiderman #happy hogan #pepper potts #May Parker #cw: grief #hurt/comfort

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anarchyduck · 3 years

Text

In Another World

Day Three: Soul World

I’m two days behind now, sobs

AO3

----------------------- “Mr. Stark?”

“I don’t feel so good.”

“I don’t want to go. Please, please-”

“I’m sorry.”

Peter Parker wakes to the sound of his alarm going off.

Blindly, he reaches out from beneath the blankets, groping around on the side table until he finds his phone and shuts it off. His hand retreats and he groans, turning his face to bury it into his pillow. Maybe if he’s lucky, he can sneak in just a few more minutes of sleep…

“Peter!” May calls and knocks on his bedroom door. “Get up or you won’t have time for breakfast.”

So much for more sleep.

Peter groans as he drags himself out of bed. Everything feels weird, like he’s slept too long and forgot what day it is. He rubs the sleep from his eyes as he stumbles around to find clothes, dragging a t-shirt off the floor to wear. The wrinkles will drive May nuts so he grabs a hoodie to wear over it.

He wanders through his morning routine with still that nagging feeling that something isn’t quite right. Something is missing or he forgot something. A test? Blind panic hits him hard as he scrambles to remember. No. No test. Peter relaxes and manages to finish brushing his teeth before another crisis hits.

“Coffee is ready.” May announces from the kitchen. Peter can smell toast (slightly burnt, the strawberry jam jar is open) and rich hazelnut coffee, the scent filling the apartment.

It takes him a second to remember. May doesn’t drink hazelnut coffee.

“Hon, have you seen my-oh never mind.”

That voice. Peter knows that voice. It’s unmistakable. He could be suffering from amnesia and still recognize that voice.

Heart pounding, he turns the corner from the hallway to the kitchen and-

“Uncle Ben?”

Ben Parker looks up and flashes one of his half grins at Peter. “Morning. See you haven’t combed your hair again.” He pockets his car keys and ventures into the kitchen for coffee.

Peter trails after, stunned but unable to explain why. Of course it’s Ben. Why wouldn’t Ben be here?

“Oh, Peter…” May appears in front of him, tsking under her breath as she attempts to tame his wild bedhead. “Did you at least brush your teeth? Honestly, you and Ben are absolutely hope- Peter? Honey, what’s wrong?”

Peter’s eyes burn, his chest tight with some unexplained emotion. “H-Huh?” he blinks, focusing on May as she looks at him with concern.

“Are you hurt? Headache?” May lays her palm on his forehead and cups his cheeks. “You didn’t get hurt last night did you?”

Peter’s brows draw together. “L-Last night?”

“While on patrol?” May steps back to give him a proper look over. Searching for hidden wounds or bruises he failed to disclose.

Patrol. Patrol. Oh. Patrol. Spider-Man.

But wait, then that means-

“Maybe I ought to take you to the gym sometime.” Ben says as he pours coffee into his thermos. “Teach you some old boxing techniques and how to fight properly.” He stirs in some sugar and creamer. “Stark’s fancy gizmos can’t save you from dodging a real punch, you know.”

Well there’s a lot to unpack there. Peter can’t keep from staring at his uncle. His mind scrambles to keep up, to put the pieces back into place. It all seems right and yet, he feels something is off. It’s right but it isn’t.

“Peter?” May is still standing in front of him, worrying. She brushes curls from his face. “Maybe you should stay home today, just in case.”

“No, no I’m fine May. Really.” Peter reassures, even managing a small smile. “Think I slept weird or had crazy dreams, that’s all.”

“The boy is fine, May.” Ben says then looks at Peter, “Grab some grub for the road, kiddo. I’ll drop you off.”

Peter falls into routine, grabbing a piece of toast and protein bar (one Tony made up for him, he recognizes the packaging). “Bye May!” he calls out as he follows his uncle out of the apartment.

-----------------------

He can’t shake the weirdness. It clings to him like a second coat. He also can’t stop stealing glances at his uncle. There’s a little voice in his head that says it isn’t right, that Ben shouldn’t be here. Yet here he is in the flesh. Driving him to school.

“So you didn’t sneak out last night?” Ben asks, breaking through Peter’s thoughts. They stop at a red light, sun shining through a break in the clouds.

Peter shakes his head. “No. Promise.” he says.

Ben hums and nods. His hair looks a little grayer than Peter expects. Which is weird because what else did he expect? For Ben’s hair to not be grayer? Grayer compared to what? “You’re going to the Tower today, right? After school?”

Peter nods. “Yeah. Mr. Stark wants my help making some gear for Natasha.”

“Black Widow, huh?” Ben lightly whistles. “Boy, if I were only twenty years younger.”

“Ben!” Peter laughs.

“I’m just saying! She seems like a mighty fine woman.”

“She can be super scary sometimes. Moves even quieter than I do.” A memory flashes in Peter’s mind, of being in the tower with the other Avengers. Training with Nat, hanging out in the kitchen while Steve cooked, sitting down to the table to enjoy a meal together. They play like scenes from a movie reel and he feels strangely detached from it.

His chest tightens with strange emotion again. He closes his eyes as they begin to burn. His other senses take over. The smell of Ben’s aftershave and cologne. The way the brakes squeak when they stop at another red light. They’re in Ben’s car and he wonders how it could be possible. They got rid of Ben’s car after… after…

-----------------------

“Dude I can’t believe you get to work on Avenger gear!” Ned whispers loudly.

"It's only cool the first time." Peter says. He shoves books into his locker, ignoring the crumpled up papers at the bottom that continue being squished and crinkled. "The novelty wears off after the fiftieth Widow Bite."

"Whatever man, it's still awesome."

Peter stands at his open locker for a moment, staring at it's interior as he tries to think of what textbook he needs for his next class. What is his next class…

"Oh, did you ask your aunt and uncle if you can come over this weekend?" Ned asks.

Aunt and uncle. Aunt and uncle. Why is that phrasing so weird?

"Pete? Did you hear me?"

Why can't he shake that feeling that something isn't right?

"What's up losers?" Michelle's voice snaps him out of his thoughts and Peter quickly shuts his locker before she can see the mess. "Decathlon's been canceled for the day. Harrington is out sick."

"Oh." Is all Peter can say to that. Come to think of it, several teachers are out today. How weird. "Maybe it's the flu."

Michelle shrugs her shoulders. "Yeah maybe." She says. A group of upperclassmen pass by the trio, giggling and talking loudly enough to draw Peter's attention. Michelle narrows her eyes slightly and she asks, "Have you guys noticed anything weird?"

Ned shakes his head. "No. Like what?"

"Don't know yet." Michelle replies cryptically. "Something just feels off today."

The back of Peter's neck itches and tingles, and he reaches back to rub the spot. If MJ notices something then maybe there is more going on. "Maybe you slept wrong?" He suggests lamely.

Michelle gives him a look then scoffs. "Yeah, slept wrong. Sure."

The warning bell rings in the half empty hallway.

-----------------------

Peter walks out of Avengers Tower to find his uncle's beige Toyota Corolla waiting for him. It surprises him to see it then he wonders why it should. Ben always picks him up after lab time at the Tower.

"Hey Petey!" Ben greets as Peter slides into the passenger seat. "Have a good time?"

"Yeah," Peter replies as he puts on his seatbelt. "We got a lot of work done." Now if only he could remember exactly what that work was. He remembers Ned and MJ at school, being picked up by Happy and then working with Mr. Stark. What did they work on? He can't remember. The entire event is a blur.

"You aunt is suggesting Thai for dinner tonight." Ben says as they get on the road.

"Sounds good." Peter replies, not really listening. Why can't he remember lab time? He can see Tony's face, plain as day, so why can't he remember what they did? Is he getting sick? Come to think of it, he can’t remember Happy picking him up from school. An old memory plays instead, something he knows already happened in the past but definitely didn’t happen today. It feels more like he’s watching an event play out rather than being part of it.

"Uncle Ben? Do you ever feel like you're missing something?" Peter asks finally.

"Like what?"

"Like," Peter sighs as he struggles to explain without sounding crazy. "Like you know something is off? Like something isn't… right?"

Ben hums and doesn't respond. The car rolls to a stop at a red light, silence stretching to the point of being unbearable. When Peter finally looks at his uncle, he finds the old man staring at him with an unreadable expression.

"You're very smart, Peter." He says. "You've always been smart, you know? Even when you were little."

The tightness in Peter's chest worsens. The back of his neck tingles. "Uncle Ben?" He asks with uncertainty. Something isn’t right.

"We had hoped you wouldn't notice." Ben continues.

Peter frowns

“What-”

Peter blinks and, when his eyes open, he's no longer in the car.

He's back at the apartment, sitting on the couch. Star Wars: A New Hope plays on the TV and a bowl of warm popcorn sits on the coffee table before him. The light above the stove is on in the kitchen and he can see the pale blue light from the nightlight in the hallway. The apartment is quiet. He can’t sense May.

"This was your dad's favorite too." Ben says beside him. “We saw it in the theaters when it came out.”

Peter takes a shuddering breath and swallows past the lump in his throat. "Am I dead?"

"Yes and no." Ben pops some popcorn into his mouth.

"But you…" Peter's voice catches in his throat, tears burning his eyes. "You're…"

"Dead." Ben nods solemnly. “Yes.”

It hits him harder than it should. A flashback to a dark night, a mugging gone wrong, and Ben laying on the concrete covered in blood. Peter pleaded with him, begged him to stay, to hold on, that help was coming. But Ben died anyway. Peter went home with blood on his hands.

“I’m so sorry, Ben.” Peter says with a strangled sob. “I-I didn’t want you to die. I didn’t know… I didn’t mean…”

“Shh,” Ben shushes and Peter feels himself pulled forward, his face buried against soft cotton that smells like wood and leather. A scent that brought comfort when Peter was scared, that taught him how to hold his fist, who gave him wisdom even when he didn’t understand the meaning of it.

Ben’s voice rumbles deep in his chest as he continues holding the sobbing boy. “I’m so proud of you, Peter. Always have been. Just look at all the good you’ve done with your life. And I know, your parents are proud of you too.”

Peter sobs freely against Ben’s chest, clinging to him tightly. If it hurts, Ben doesn’t say anything. He continues holding him, rocking with him gently like he used to when Peter was small. He cries until he can’t and, even after the tears dry up, he doesn’t pull away. He doesn’t notice the movie is no longer playing or the bright orange that takes the apartment’s place.

Ben sighs then. “We don’t have much longer.” he says.

Peter lifts his head, eyes red and tears marking his face. “What do you mean?” he asks. A childish fear takes him and he holds Ben’s shirt. “I don’t want you to go. Please, Ben, stay. Stay with me and May.”

Ben’s hand lands on his shoulder, squeezes it as he meets Peter’s gaze. Despite the tears in his eyes, Ben smiles. “We’ll be together again. I love you, Peter.”

Peter sniffles and he puts his hand over Ben’s. “Love you too, Uncle Ben.” He manages a tearful smile. “I’ll make you proud. I promise.”

Ben’s smile widens as the yellow-orange light brightens around them, surrounding them in it’s glow. Peter keeps his eyes open as long as he can until it becomes too bright, until the brightness forces him to close his eyes.

-----------------------

Peter Parker wakes to the orange skies of Titan.

#webpril 2021 day 3 #peter parker #ben parker #may parker #aunt may #ned leeds #michelle jones #mj #spiderman #mcu #duckie's writing

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babydagger28 · 3 years

Text

Here comes the angst

This Can't Be It

Peter Parker finally got his hug, too bad his body was crumbling, and he couldn't feel it.

#webpril 2021 day 3 #webpril 2021 #peter parker #peter parker fanfiction

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ao3-whump-recs · 3 years

Link

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types, Iron Man (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Peter Parker & Pepper Potts, Peter Parker & Pepper Potts & Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe) & Tony Stark, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark Characters: Peter Parker, Spider-Man, Tony Stark, Iron Man, Pepper Potts, Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe) Additional Tags: Whump, Peter Parker Whump, Poor Peter Parker, Headaches & Migraines, Panic Attacks, Anxiety, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker Gets a Hug, Precious Peter Parker, Peter Parker is a Mess, Hurt Peter Parker, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, dad tony stark, Tony Stark is Good With Kids, Parent Pepper Potts, Parent Tony Stark, Pepper Potts Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Awesome Pepper Potts, Precious Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Adorable Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Kid Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Sickfic, Sick Peter Parker, Domestic Fluff, Fluffy, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Post-Spider-Man: Far From Home, Webpril 2021, webpril day 3: alt. 6: panic attack, IronDad and SpiderSon Series: Part 3 of Webpril 2021 Summary:

Tony looks at him with a worried frown as he hands him a plate with a sandwich and a side of chips. He reaches a hand up and brushes a few stray curls off of Peter’s aching forehead. “You don’t look too good, Pete,” he says.

“I don’t feel that great,” Peter admits, not having the energy to pretend that he is.

“How’s your head feeling?”

“Hurts,” Peter mumbles miserably.

“Hmm,” Tony hums, as he braces his hand against Peter’s forehead.

Peter lets his eyes slip shut as he leans into his cool hand, bringing only a small amount of relief to his pounding head. He almost wants to cry when Tony takes his hand away.

“You do feel a little warm. I wouldn’t have had you slaving away out there in the sun if I’d known you didn’t feel good, Pete.”

“It wasn’t this bad earlier. I think I’m just tired or my brain is fried,”

Peter experiences a bad migraine while he’s staying up at the cabin and Tony helps him through it.

#ao3 #fanfic #fanfic rec #whump #whump fic #whump rec #peter parker whump #sickfic #irondad #hurt comfort #sick peter parker #spiderson

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webpril · 3 years

Text

MASTERLIST

I’ll be updating this as the month goes! (stories below the cut)

DAY ONE (1): Field Trip

Full Circle by MsHermia

Ferry Rides, Panic Attacks, and Cheeseburgers by marvelous-writer

Peter Parker’s Day Off by universemarvel

Webpril Day One: Field Trip by stefciastark

Pre-Field Trip Jitters by anarchyduck

Webpril Day 1: Field Trip by zanderljones

Webpril Day One by thedumbestavenger

Webpril Day One by babydagger28

Chapter 1: Field Trip by sdottkrames

Webpril Day 1: Field Trip by iron-niffler (drawing)

DAY TWO (2): “I don’t want to go”

“I don’t want to go” ~ Webpril Day 2 by stefciastark

Get Out of Jail Free Card by anarchyduck

The Big Day by babydagger28

I don’t want to go by zanderljones

Webpril Day 2: I don’t want to go by iron-niffler

I don’t want to go by thedumbestavenger

This can’t be it by babydagger28

Not Fine by MsHermia

DAY THREE (3): Soul World

Soul World by zanderljones

Into the Soul World by thedumbestavenger

What’s In Your Heart by MsHermia

soul world by @lockedupinalittleroom

DAY FOUR (4): STUCK UNDER A BUILDING

Not My First Time by thedumbestavenger

Stuck Under a Building by zanderljones

Occupational Hazard by MsHermia

Déjà Vu by babydagger28

Trapped by @iron-niffler

DAY FIVE (5): MIT

Recommendation Letter by babydagger28

Mit ~ Webpril Day 5 by stefciastark

Day Five: MIT by zanderljones

The Sunny Parts by time-to-cause-chaos

Great (MIT) Expectations by MsHermia

DAY SIX (6): SCARS

Scars by zanderljones

Scars ~ Webpril Day 6 by stefciastark

A Different Future by thedumbestavenger

Not Fine by MsHermia

Can You Even Scar? by babydagger28

DAY SEVEN (7): METAL ARM

Metal Arm ~ Webpril Day 7 by stefciastark

Day 7: Metal Arm by zanderljones

What Are You? 12? by babydagger28

1 AM Meeting by anarchyduck

Metal Arm by @iron-niffler

DAY EIGHT (8): WORTHY

Worthy ~ Webpril Day 8 by stefciastark

Day 8: Worthy by zanderljones

I Can’t Rule (I Have School) by babydagger28

Worthy by @iron-niffler

DAY NINE (9): GENIUS, BILLIONAIRE, PLAYBOY, PHILANTHROPIST, FATHER

Day 9: Genius, Billionaire, Playboy, Philanthropist, Father by zanderljones

Genius, Billionaire, Playboy, Philanthropist, Father ~ Webpril Day 9 by stefciastark

Genius, Billionaire, Father by @iron-niffler

DAY TEN (10): HYDRA

Hydra by @zanderljones

Hydra by @iron-niffler

DAY ELEVEN (11): VINES

Weird Language by @babydagger28

Look At All Those Chickens! by @iron-niffler

Vines by @stefciastark

DAY TWELVE (12): IDENTITY REVEAL

Say Goodbye (To The Old You) by @babydagger28

“The Truth Is... I am Spiderman” by @iron-niffler (drawing)

Meet Cute by @mshermia

Identity Reveal by @zanderljones

DAY THIRTEEN (13): DISNEYLAND

Disneyland by @stefciastark

Snickers Secret by @babydagger28

Disneyland by @iron-niffler

DAY FOURTEEN (14): PETER SNAPS

Peter Snaps by @stefciastark

Fourteen Million Six Hundred And Six by @anarchyduck

In Good Hands by @babydagger28

Peter Snaps by @iron-niffler

DAY FIFTEEN (15): ENDGAME FIXIT

Endgame Fixit by @stefciastark

Endgame Fixit by @babydagger28

Endgame Fixit by @iron-niffler

DAY SIXTEEN (16): SWAPPED

Swapped by @zanderljones

Good Old Freaky Friday Situation by @babydagger28

Swapped by @iron-niffler

DAY SEVENTEEN (17): LOKI

Loki by @zanderljones

Brownies? by @babydagger28

Loki by @iron-niffler

DAY EIGHTEEN (18): 12 HOURS LEFT TO LIVE

DAY NINETEEN (19): DOESN’T DUST

Doesn’t Dust by @zanderljones

DAY TWENTY (20): DEADPOOL

Deadpool by @zanderljones

DAY TWENTY-ONE (21): BIRTHDAY

Birthday by @stefciastark

Birthday by @zanderljones

DAY TWENTY-TWO (22): ORPHAN!PETER

Orphan!Peter by @zanderljones

DAY TWENTY-THREE (23): TIME TRAVEL

Time Travel by @stefciastark

DAY TWENTY-FOUR (24): PTSD

PTSD by @stefciastark

DAY TWENTY-FIVE (25): “I JUST REALLY MISS HIM

Really Miss Him by @stefciastark

I just really miss him by @zanderljones

DAY TWENTY-SIX (26): MUTANT

Mutant by @stefciastark

DAY TWENTY-SEVEN (27): SICK!PETER

Brain Soup by @anarchyduck

Sickness by @stefciastark

Sick!Peter by @zanderljones

DAY TWENTY-EIGHT (28): HEIR TO STARK INDUSTRIES

Heir to Stark Industries by @stefciastark

Heir to Stark Industries by @zanderljones

DAY TWENTY-NINE (29): HOMELESS

DAY THIRTY (30): "I’M SORRY. I PROMISE-”

"I'm sorry. I promise-" ~Webpril Day 30 by @stefciastark

“I’m sorry. I promise-” by @zanderljones

ALT ONE (1): MJ

MJ ~ stefciastark (day 10)

ALT TWO (2): MORGAN

I’m Your Brother by thedumbestavenger (day 5)

ALT THREE (3): HALLUCINATIONS

Hallucinations by @stefciastark (Day 19)

ALT FOUR (4): PAPARAZZI

Paparazzi by @stefciastark (Day 16)

Paparazzi by @zanderljones (Day 11)

ALT FIVE (5): “PLEASE! I-”

“Please! I-” by @stefciastark (Day 20)

“Please! I-” by @zanderljones (Day 29)

ALT SIX (6): PANIC ATTACK

Panic Attack by @zanderljones (Day 23)

Panic Attack by @stefciastark (Day 22)

ALT SEVEN (7): CAPTURED

Captured by @stefciastark (Day 17)

DAY EIGHT (8): ADOPTED BY THE AVENGERS

Adopted By the Avengers by @stefciastark (Day 29)

Adopted by the Avengers by @zanderljones (Day 24)

ALT NINE (9): DE-AGED

Maybe Diapers? by babydagger28 (day 9)

Peas in a Pod by @anarchyduck

De-Aged by @iron-niffler (Day 6)

ALT TEN (10): BioGrandpa!Steve AU

Family Roots by anarchyduck

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sdottkrames · 3 years

Text

Webpril Masterlist

Chapter 1: Fieldtrip

Chapter 2: I Don’t Wanna Go

Chapter 3: MJ

Chapter 4: Stuck Under a Building

Chapter 5: MIT

Chapter 6: Scars

Chapter 7: Worthy

Chapter 8: Metal Arms

Chapter 9: Genius, Billionaire, Playboy....Father

Chapter 10: Hydra

Chapter 11: Vines

Chapter 12: Identity Reveal

Chapter 13: Disney World

Chapter 14: “I’m sorry, I Promise-”

Chapter 15: Endgame Fix It Fic

Chapter 16: Swapped

Chapter 17: 12 Hours Left to Live

Chapter 18: Loki

Chapter 19: Doesn’t Dust

Chapter 20: Paparazzi

Chapter 21: Birthday

Chapter 22: Orphan!Peter

Chapter 23: Adopted By The Avengers

Chapter 24: “I Just Really Miss Him”

Chapter 25: Sick!Peter

Chapter 26: “Please, I-”

Chapter 27: De-Aged

Chapter 28: Heir to Stark Industries

Chapter 29: Time Travel

Chapter 30: Morgan

@webpril thanks again for making this wonderful event 🥰 April was a crazy month, but I loved getting to write every day. I look forward to doing it again next year!

#wepril 2021 #mine #this is over a week late but life happens lol #this was so fun!

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hailxhydra · 4 years

Note

Can you please post the prompts to webpril before April 1st? That way we can write ahead?

Actually, starting on Sunday, March 28, I’m going to be posting previews of the prompts if people want to start working ahead of time? So the first 3 days of Webpril will be open to everyone early (since I am posting one per day)!

I’m going to post the real prompt list on March 31st, so participants have one catch-up day or to get ahead.

P.S. I’ll be posting all the updates on the official webpril blog!

#ask hailxhydra #webpril

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myarmsaretoolong · 6 months

Text

20 questions (for fanfic writers)

cheers for the tag @sarah-sandwich <3

1. how many works do you have on ao3?

57.

2. what's your total ao3 word count?

412,260

3. what fandoms do you write for?

mcu but mostly just irondad, though i stopped writing that for a bit when a small (large) marauders obsession hit so now i write both depending on the fic im working on. also taken a side step into parkner recently

4. top five fics by kudos:

A Different Future - peter snaps one-shot

Futures are Made to be Broken - more in depth follow up to peter snaps one shot

The Best Day of Harley's Life (and the worst of Peter's) - classic field trip fic only harley is like the tourguide and makes it his mission to ruin peter's day. not actually parkner but for sure the beginning of my growing love for harley

Not my First Time - part of webpril challenge one-shot, tony and peter are stuck under a building, conversation ensue

Where Do You Think You're Going - urrrmmmm good question. its a whumptober one-shot so peter must get beat up. pretty sure its by quentin beck and his drones, lets assume tony finds him and saves the day (its less than 2000 words i could read it and find out but im lazy)

5. do you respond to comments?

i do my best!

6. what is the fic your wrote with the angstiest ending?

ermmm *checks notes* Is This It? springs to mind first. you know the deleted scene of tony snapping and seeing morgan? well in this one he sees peter, only peter is a good few years older and has sorted his life out a bit. its sad obvi, but also kind of happy? the end lines are sad sad though :( so either that or 01/11/81 (if you're a marauders fan you already know that date) which basically very closely follows remus throughout the entire day after james and lily are killed etc. its very angsty all the way through, mary is a sweetheart, and at the end he's left all alone...

7. what's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

most tbh. im going to say Past, Present, Yet to Come because that's my baby. (peter is the ghost of christmas present, tony is scrooge, only its like the ryan reynolds film spirited, very good)

8. do you get hate on fics?

nope! (and please dont :) )

9. do you write smut?

nah

10. craziest crossover:

well ive only ever written one and it was mcu/glee and there's a reason i never finished it (nor am linking it [insert skull emoji])

11. have you ever had a fic stolen?

not that ive noticed

12. have you ever had a fic translated?

nope!

13. have you ever co-written a fic before?

nope! im a solitary kinda guy

14. all time favourite ship?

what a question... wolfstar is a classic, ineffable husbands are precious to me, doctor/rose is nostalgic... i can't pick favourites

15. what's a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

besides all of them? all of them.

no but really there are so many and i have this problem of thinking of idea -> getting excited -> writing beginning -> not knowing where to take it -> get excited by new idea -> repeat. im working on it though and do genuinely plan to finish them all

16. what are your writing strengths?

yknow i honestly think my general writing is at a pretty good level. defo room for improvement but there always it, int there? id say that's a general strength, but specifically i think im goooood at making things angsty. and i love doing it so win win

17. what are your writing weaknesses?

well... finishing anything. plotting out full stories is a big problem. (though ive recently started a notebook for random ideas for fics and its helping) um... tbh i can struggle with everything from time to time. i think getting characters voices right can be hard cos i often find people saying things they would never say and having to go back and and put them straight. er,,, action can be next to impossible if The Vision isn't there.

18. thoughts on dialogue in another language?

i dont have many. if its a language i cant read i just skim past and sometimes read an end note translation but if there's too much im just going to go with the flow

19. first fandom you wrote in?

mcu

20. favourite fic you've written?

again, Past, Present, Yet to Come is my babygirl. love him to pieces. can i say fics ive not finished yet? because parkner hunger games au and marauders doccy who are fire and one day will see the light of day (and get names)

tagging @winter-turtle @helloliriels erm ive forgotten everyone who has ever existed... @ anyone who i followed in the boopening who writes and @ anyone who just wants to (no pressure at all obvi)

#tag game #irondad #marauders

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stefciastark · 3 years

Text

Vines

Rating: T

Characters/Themes: Tony & Peter (Irondad), Steve Rogers, Clint Barton, Nick Fury

Genre: H/C

Words: ~1600 and counting

A/N: Originally made for Day 11 of Webpril (a little late, whoops), I have also published this into a separate fic. If you'd like to stay up to date with how this pans out for chapter 2-3, you'll find that on my AO3 or FFN on the 'Standalone Fic' links below :) x

~Read it on AO3 | Webpril | Standalone Fic

~Read it on FFN | Webpril | Standalone Fic

Peter had never thought he’d be afraid of plants. Alright, maybe poison ivy and rhubarb, but not vines of all things. He also never thought he’d see the day when plants came to life...well okay, plants were already alive, but sentient was a whole other can of worms that Peter wished was never opened.

“Remind me to add a herbicide feature to the suits next time,” Tony chimed in over the comms. Peter couldn’t see his whereabouts, a cloud of smoke barring his view. It seemed like no matter how many explosives or sheer blunt force they sunk into these things, they were getting nowhere.

“New York is struggling with the trees as is, Tony, I don’t think we need you nuking the last patch of grass in Central Park,” Clint fired back.

“Look, can we talk about saving the forests later? I could use some more hands on deck here.” Steve was about a block and a half away from the rest of the team, having appointed himself to ‘perimeter’ duty but had soon been confronted with a writhing mass of vines that sprouted from the ground like heads sprouted from a Hydra.

Steve’s request was met by an enthusiastic “coming!” from Peter, who promptly proceeded to assume the role of a modern George of the Jungle, but instead the jungle was made of concrete, and the vines were...well the vines were vines.

Peter locked on to the small speck of blue weaving in between a forest of green, and proceeded to deploy the four mechanical arms that erupted from the back of the Iron Spider. Each arm seemed to operate on Karen’s schedule, but Peter couldn’t complain; the AI had faster reactions than Peter ever would, and if he thought about that too much it scared him.

As each metal appendage slashed and carved its way through the thick stems, thick sap oozed out like blood, but as soon as the incisions appeared, they were gone, replaced by cell membranes that were multiplying way too fast.

“Uh, guys? This isn’t working…”

“You’re telling me,” Clint grumbled, feeling more useless than ever. It didn’t matter if his arrows were covered in acid, produced flames, or were laced with electricity - the outcome was still the same. As soon as Clint came to that realisation, he had perched himself on the balcony of a nearby highrise, not wanting to risk being caught amongst the chaos. There was many a time he wished he weren’t as human. Moreso, he wished he weren’t as fragile.

“Hold on, I’ve got this.” Tony rounded the corner of the sidestreet nearest to Peter and moments later as the suit brushed past Steve, a long thin pike that exploded out from a Tylenol sized capsule dug into the ground right next to one of the vines besides Peter.

Within less than a second, Peter felt a shudder beneath the ground, followed by a geyser of dirt. The vine writhed for a moment before falling limp with a heavy thud. It suddenly looked so much smaller, no longer resembling a gigantic green tube man from outside the local car dealership.

“Well that wasn’t so bad.”

Peter groaned internally, not needing his Spidey Sense to tell him that those would be Tony’s famous last words.

The vine began convulsing, and Peter was reminded of the nurses from Silent Hill. For a moment he wished they were; then he wouldn’t have to deal with something at least half the size of his apartment building.

Rising once more to its full stature, half a dozen smaller vines broke out from the soil beneath it. Now it really resembled a Hydra.

Tony registered simultaneously the resurrection-including-birth and his position that put him at the epicentre of it all. Firing all repulsors at maximum capacity, he took off aiming vaguely for Hawkeye’s vantage point on the balcony.

That would’ve been the plan.

One of the smaller vines had snaked its way around the suit’s foot, up the ankle, and began to relentlessly squeeze. Sparks were beginning to fly out of Tony’s right foot repulsor before sputtering and going dark, and in that brief window where full-flight momentum had been compromised, the vine arched back.

Peter watched with mild panic as Tony whipped into the ground with the vine still stubbornly attached. He knew the suit could handle a lot, but what he never knew - and he was fairly sure Tony didn’t really know either - was if the suit was going to be able to come back to the workshop in one piece, preferably with Tony in one piece in it. And speaking of the workshop, after the dust cleared Peter’s heart sunk as he took in the scuffs and the scattered uneven plates that normally fit together like a puzzle. Of course, with all of their recent calls to action over the last few days and most of the other suits undergoing major upgrades and testing during an almost two month long quiet period - which turns out was a major oversight - the only suitable suit candidate was already semi out of commission.

Tony’s communications stuttered back online, jarred momentarily by the impact, and a low groan filtered over the comms.

“Tony, you alright?” Steve was almost 300-feet away, jumping back in after spending an frustratingly inordinate amount of time trying to pull an answer out of S.H.I.E.L.D who had sent a few airborne vehicles to try and scan and triangulate.

“Just. Peachy.” Each word was punctuated by a forceful attempt to remove the vine’s grip from the suit. Tony didn’t want to admit it out loud, but the strength at which it was constricting was starting to hurt. A lot. He really didn’t want to think about how much pressure the baby vine had to be exerting for him to feel it beneath the suit. He was suddenly a lot more alarmed about the larger vines.

S.H.I.E.L.D used that moment to broadcast, Nick Fury’s voice filtering over the present team’s radios. “I see we might have a bit of a weed problem. I would’ve thought gardening was a bit below the Avengers’ paygrade.”

“Just tell us how to get rid of these things, they’re giving me the creeps.” Clint broke his silence, his time surveying the convulsing vines of chaos in Central Park not bringing him any answers.

Fury was all business now. “This thing’s set up camp over by the boat house to your north. Scans picked up a large form that looks like a bulb about 32-feet below the surface. Find it, kill it, and we can all go home.”

“Roger that,” Steve replied, shifting his shield to sit more securely. “Tony, are you rea -”

“I’m gonna need a bit. As kinky as being tied up would be in any other situation…” Tony never quite finished his thought, turning off his radio as the vine constricted once more and he gritted his teeth against the crushing pressure. More of the baby vines had seemed to smell the nearby prey and had turned their attention to his figure lying supine on the ground.

Peter winced, hearing the (almost) disguised strain in Tony’s voice. The parent vine didn’t seem to care about his mentor anymore, and if it had eyes, Peter was sure they’d be twinkling in a lazy kind of sadistic pleasure. It had minions to do its dirty work now.

“Alright Queens, you and I have got this.” Steve looked at Peter and nodded. Clint had one arrow left and that method of attack had so far proven incredibly useless. Except…

Peter swung his way up to the balcony Clint was occupying near the East Green section of Central Park. “Hey, can I have your last boom arrow? Maybe it’ll work, but I’ve got a plan.”

Clint raised an eyebrow, loathe to give over his last projectile and cementing how inessential he had begun to feel. Pressing his lips together, he reached behind him and pulled out his last arrow. “Just press this bit in the middle of the arrowhead, okay? After that you’ve got about five seconds before you need to get the hell out.”

“Cool, got it. Arrowhead, five seconds, run. Thanks!” And as soon as Peter had appeared, he had started his commute back towards Steve.

Tony was lying incredibly still. He discovered that if he barely twitched a muscle - which these abominations could somehow tell beneath a layer of armour - the rate at which the squeezing increased slowed down.

“Today would be great.” Tony turned his head towards Steve, who had just shifted his attention to Peter who had arrived with an arrow in hand. Steve at once understood the plan.

“Hold tight, Tony.” Steve’s voice dripped with an authority that Tony found profoundly irritating but Peter found comforting.

“Not going anywhere, Cap.”

Steve took off at a sprint next to Peter, who was using the surrounding trees and lamp posts as targets for his webs. The closer they got to the epicentre of it all, the more concentrated the vines were. What started as sporadically placed vegetation now looked more like a dense jungle.

Peter landed softly on the grass as Steve slowed to a jog. Looking up, they were confronted with a writhing mass that looked more like a Kraken than it did a plant.

As they deliberated their next course of action, Peter’s blood ran cold as over the radio he heard Tony’s agonised scream.

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mshermia · 3 years

Text

Not Fine - Webpril day 6: Scars

summary: Peter struggles to accept how different things between the Avengers are after the Un-Snapping. As much as everyone else seems to have moved on from what tore the group apart, Peter is not ready to forgive and forget.

read on AO3

Chapter 1

###

Chapter 2

It was quiet for a Thursday afternoon. Even with the mid-November weather mild and sunny, there weren't many people out on the streets. Truth be told, that was exactly how Peter liked it. He had his hoodie pulled up shielding his face while he watched life go on from the rooftops of Queens.

He had been lying low for more than 3 months now. Sometimes, there were the small things that his senses picked up, helpful stuff he could do for people like a kid that lost his parents. Heavy grocery bags that had to be carried across the street. Anything he wouldn't need his suit for.

That, he wouldn't risk. Too many people knew his face now. Too many people could expose him and put May in danger. Ned and MJ. Maybe even Tony. No, Peter had to lay low. That had been one of the reasons why he had spent so much time upstate at Tony's new house. It removed the temptation. Out there in the woods in Tony's basement, his senses weren't tingling, calling for him to be more useful.

Well, that had worked well until two weeks ago. Until the event at the new Compound Tony had made him go to. He hadn't been able to hold back any longer. The senses he had been suppressing for months had been screaming at him to jump so he had.

If only, he had never gone to the stupid event.

He hadn't seen Tony in almost two weeks. Not since he had bolted. It had been stupid and impulsive but Peter hadn't been able to help it. He couldn't stay there with these people looking at him for another minute.

Goosebumps erupted on his arms. Frowning, he leaned a little forward-looking down into the street. Maybe it was just the memory of that day, of Rogers' hands on Tony that made his senses chime up.

No. When the hair on his neck stood up, there was no doubt. Slowly, he rose to his feet, tugging the sleeves of his hoodie a little further down to make sure that his web-shooters were well hidden.

"Hello, Peter."

He turned fast towards the voice. Rogers stood in the middle of the rooftop, right next to the stairway. Peter's pulse was throbbing in his ears. He was such a fool, should have never gone out without the suit.

Rogers' hands were in the air, his head inclined towards him. "I'm just here to talk..."

"I don't want to talk to you," Peter hissed.

"Yeah," he nodded. "And that's exactly why I think we should."

Peter had his arm still stretched out in Rogers' direction, trying to keep him away. "What's wrong with you?"

Roger's sighed, his shoulders slagging a little. "You don't have to be scared of me, Peter."

"Scared of you." He huffed out a dry laugh. "You think I'm scared of you? The last time we went toe-to-toe I was 14 and I almost beat you even then." He tried to keep his breathing in check, but his heart was racing. "I've only gotten stronger since then."

"I don't want to fight you." Rogers shook his head. "We're on the same team."

"No, we're not," Peter breathed.

His eyes narrowed, before his head moved up and down in a series of tiny nods, inching a little closer to where Peter was standing. "Right, because you're on Tony's team."

He didn't say it in a condescending tone, or any tone at all, really. Just a factual statement. Still, it spurred on Peter's irritation like a hot poker.

"I'll always be on Tony's team," he hissed.

Another step from Rogers had Peter retreat a little further toward the ledge behind him.

"That's my team too, Peter." As another show of surrender, Roger's arms were spread wide, the lines on his face deepening. "I understand how difficult it is to wake up and find things to be different from how they were before. Believe me, I'm the expert when it comes to that. But there's nothing anyone can do about that." Rogers tiled his head to the side, eyebrows knitted together in a display of concern. "Things are different. A lot happened while you were gone and we had to go through some deep shit together. I would never tell you not to look out for Tony. He's very lucky to have you in his corner, but we moved on. You can't be mad at him for that surely?"

"Moved on..." Peter shook his head. "That's really convenient for you, hm?"

Rogers' frown only deepened. "I think it's convenient for all of us, to be honest. We could only bring everyone back together. We could defeat Thanos only together, as a team. Mistakes were made. We know now what it took to win."

"Yeah," Peter huffed out a laugh. "I wonder how many of us didn't already know that before."

His shoulders pulled back, standing a little taller, Rogers studied him. "What do you want me to do, Peter? Do you want to have it out? Punch me in the face to get it out of your system?"

His heart gave a painful squeeze at the notion. At the very idea of his fist connecting with the sharp lines of Rogers' face. "I'm not gonna punch you," Peter growled, his breathing heavy.

"Then what? What can I do that will be enough?"

Peter's breathing hitched. He took another step back, even closer to the edge of the building.

Nothing.

He hadn't realized it until now, but there truly was nothing Rogers could do for Peter to ever trust him. He made his priorities clear, what was important to him. Who he would protect when push came to shove and Mr. Stark hadn't been good enough for him. How would Peter ever be?

"Peter, wait—"

Before Rogers could grab him, Peter had taken the last step, falling - maybe a little further than he should have. Reveling in the rush before he engaged the web-shooters and got the hell out of there.

The Compound still gave Tony the creeps. I just looked so similar, basically the same as it had a few months ago. Almost like nothing had happened at all, no battle, no Thanos. Inside, things got even weirder. It was eerie to walk through the hallways and see them bustling with life. Not like it had before the un-Snapping or even the initial Snap. No, there was so much going on, Tony could easily pretend that it was still 2015 as people walked by and greeted him on his way to his lab.

The lab. Not his anymore. Bruce's in fact.

"Ah, there's the doc that I've been looking for," Tony called out as he stepped into the room.

"Tony! Hello, hi! Come on in..." Bruce waved him over, then shook his head. "Not like you need an invitation of course. I mean it's your lab and all, always will be. Thank you again for the opportunity—"

"At easy, buddy." Tony held up his arms to stop him. "I'm just here to help. I have a PO box for fan mail."

Bruce laughed and waved him closer to the workbench. Working with Bruce had always come easy to him. They understood each other on a level that was different from the other Avengers. From anyone really except the kid. Tony pressed his eyes shut for a moment before he blinked, trying to focus on the piece of hardware in his hands again.

Peter had been avoiding him for almost two weeks now. It was the longest Tony had gone without seeing him since they had brought everyone back. It brought up memories that Tony didn't particularly want to remember.

He had screwed up. He should have listened. Peter had been absolutely clear that he hadn't wanted to go.

This could have all be avoided if he would have just paid better attention. Now, the shit had hit the fan and Tony didn't even know where to begin to smooth things over. The panic on Peter's face, that had been too real.

He should have paid more attention.

"Sir, Captain Rogers is here to see you."

Tony hissed a painful curse through his teeth after his hand slipped and he hit his knuckles on the edge of the workbench.

Bruce, who had ignored his mishap, simply blinked up toward the ceiling. "So, FRIDAY's back?"

His knuckles pressed against his lips, Tony cringed. "Just for today's field trip. Let him in, FRI."

Rogers had his eyebrows raised as he walked up to them. "So, FRIDAY's back?"

Refusing the urge to roll his eyes up at her, Tony dropped his hand. "You know how cranky I get without an assistant."

"Yeah, about that. Listen..." Rogers' face was uncharacteristically unreadable. "I went to see Peter yesterday."

"You went—" Tony almost swallowed his tongue. "You did what?"

Rogers tilted his head at him like Tony was the one being unreasonable. "I went to see him because I thought if we just talked—"

"Jeezes, Rogers. Didn't I specifically tell you to stay out of it?"

"And how am I supposed to do that? I'm supposed to be in charge of this team. How can I do that if we can't—"

"I told you!" Tony pointed towards the lawn outside the building. "We stood right out there and I told you that the kid needs space. That he needs time. That I needed you to back off!"

"Yeah, well that's what I gave you once before," Rogers hissed back. "I gave you all the space you wanted. I'm not making that mistake again."

"Oh please, that's hardly the same, Steve. It's been two weeks not--"

"We're vulnerable as a team, Tony." Steve's shoulders sagged with a sigh. "Listen, I understand, okay. Peter's yours, but he's also Spider-Man. He's also going to be an Avenger, but--"

"Excuse me," Tony crossed his arms. "Going to be? Do I have to re-tell the story where the kid fought Thanos on--"

"No." Steve held a hand out to stop him. "I'm not trying to diminish his bravery and his sacrifice. But if he wants to be part of this team, we need to come to an understanding."

Tony gnawed on the inside of his lip. Unfortunately, the Capsicle had a point. Their feud had already cost them enough. It was over with. They had needed to move on to win, to bring everyone back and they couldn't fall back into old patterns now.

"Maybe you were right that he needed some space from me," Rogers admitted begrudgingly. "But then you need to go and talk to him. He trusts you, Tony."

His face scrunched up, Tony's eyes shot over at Bruce.

"It's fine, Tony." Bruce waved him off. "I understand you want to take care of your kid. You do that. I'll just be here, okay? When you got some time?"

He grimaced apologetically. "I'll be back when I can."

With a short nod at Rogers, Tony walked out of the lab. He had a trip to the city to make.

When he showed up in Queens, May let him into the apartment. The kid wasn't home.

"He's been out a lot. I mean, after the... you know." She sighed. "I do think that getting back to his old routine, that's good for him. Getting back out there and feeling useful."

"Right," Tony breathed.

Peter hadn't spent as much as a minute out there in the suit. Not since the last battle. But that wasn't something May needed to worry about, not yet.

"I'm off to work in like 10 minutes, but you're welcome to wait for him," May said while she was collecting things like her phone, keys, and glasses from different places around the apartment.

"I would actually," Tony said. "If you don't mind."

"Not at all," she waved off the idea that it could bother her. "Just help yourself to whatever you find edible in the kitchen."

"I'm good, May. Thanks."

She was cheerful enough when she left and Tony did his best to plaster a smile on his face so she wouldn't get suspicious. If May still thought that Peter went out there in the suit, he hadn't shared whatever was bothering him and Tony wouldn't risk maneuvering himself even further on the kid's bad side by setting May onto his trail.

Instead, he got himself a few cookies from the kitchen, a glass of water and made his way to Peter's room. The great thing about retirement, he had all the time in the world to just sit this one out. Even if the kid somehow sensed that Tony was waiting for him, he wouldn't stay out all night. The nights were getting a little chilly for that and Tony knew for a fact that Peter still wasn't wearing his suit when he went out there.

Turned out, Peter didn't sense him. In fact, he almost doubled over in surprise when Tony spoke up as Peter was sliding the window to his room shut.

"Little late to be out there without your parachute."

"Fuck's sake..." One of his hands was stretched out toward Tony, the web-shooter armed and ready. The other was clutching his heart after he had recognized Tony just before he had fired his first web. "Have you ever heard of knocking?"

"Er, I did knock," Tony pointed out. "In fact, that's the very strategy I used to get in here."

Peter scrunched up his nose before he pulled his hoodie over his head and flung it onto the bed. "May let you in?"

"Yeah, you know if you want to strategically avoid me, you should at least clue her in enough not to let me through the door like that."

"I'm not strategically avoiding you." The top of Peter's ears were pink, so were his cheeks, either from the cold or from the bold-faced lie he just told. Maybe a little bit of both.

"I heard you had another visitor."

The kid's arms were crossed tightly across his chest where he stood across the room as far away from Tony as possible. "What's it to you?"

"What's it to me?" Tony's eyebrows shot up. "Okay, time out. Could you at least fill me in at what point of all of this I became the bad guy?"

Peter blew out a long breath, eyes on the floor. "You're not the bad guy."

"Really? Cause I could have sworn that you didn't just avoid seeing my face you also dodged my calls and didn't respond to my txts for the past two weeks."

Peter groaned."It's not about you, okay?"

"No." Tony blew out a sigh. "It's about Rogers."

Arms still tightly held in front of his body, Peter leaned against the wall. He was doing what he could to avoid Tony's eyes but there was nothing he could do to hide the truth written so clearly on his face.

"Pete, you know I love you for your spirit, but..." Tony pursed his lips, watching as the kid hid away from him with every passing word. "It's time to just let this go."

The words shot out of him like he had been waiting to say it for two weeks straight. "Well, I don't want to let this go."

"Pete...."

"No. No, I'm not okay with this." He pointed towards the window like he was pointing to the bunker in Siberia. "He left you to die!"

"Buddy, that was 7 years ago... I moved on. I had to."

"I don't care if it was 70 years ago!" His voice was shaking with emotion. "He was okay with you dying out there."

Tony blew out a breath, trying to reign in his own emotions. "Pete, I think you're being a little dramatic."

"Yeah? Dramatic?" Peter huffed out a humorless laugh. "Well, why don't you take off your shirt and say that again?"

Tony's mouth popped open in shock. "Wh-what?"

He pointed at him, his eyes glassy. "I've seen the scars, Tony."

Slowly, Tony's hand rose to his chest, clasping onto the fabric of his shirt. He had been so careful. He had always been careful to keep those hidden for almost a decade now.

Peter's face was red with fury. "You think I could ever trust anyone who did that to you?"

"But..." Tony shook his head, letting go of his shirt like it was burning metal. "Steve didn't do that."

Like someone had turned up the thermostat, the color on Peter's face deepened. "Why are you lying for him?"

"I'm not, I..." Going for the worst course of action, Tony pulled up his shirt. "You mean these?"

Peter backed up a few steps, eyes wide, a couple of tears falling from his lashes onto his own shirt while he refused to blink.

"Jeezes, kid..." Tony dropped the hem of the shirt and ran the hand that had been holding it up over his face instead. "Rogers didn't do that. It's from the arc. When... when I had them take it out."

"But, no..." Peter's eyes were still fixed on the spot of his chest, now covered by his shirt again. "No, I saw the suit," he mumbled. "I saw it. He... he struck you right there. Right on your chest where..." Peter's hand shot up, covering his mouth, as he spun away.

With a few hurried steps, Tony was across the room. Clasping Peter by the shoulders, he turned him back around, back towards him. It was all the kid needed to latch onto him, his arms tightly wrapped around him, like he had to make sure that Tony was still there.

"I'm fine now, buddy. It..." Tony pressed his eyes shut. Rogers sure had left a few scars on him but Tomy had been through worse than that. "It was a shit time and... and I should have never gotten you involved in that mess. It wasn't fair to you."

Peter shook his head. "Stop saying that it's your fault. It's not your fault."

"Shh, it's okay." He held him closely pressed against his chest like that would wipe away the memories, all of this was bringing up.

It had been a shit time after Siberia. He had been hurt, his body bruised but not as badly as his soul. Still, it was nothing compared to the pain that the friction in the team had cost him.

"I get that this is hard for you, buddy. Believe me, I get that. That pain you're holding onto." Tony swallowed hard, holding onto the kid a little tighter. "The thing is, I had to let it go because if I hadn't, you wouldn't be here. I had to trust him to help me bring you back and without him, you wouldn't be here right now."

Peter shook his head against Tony's chest, but only a stifled sob bubbled out of him.

"Maybe, if I hadn't held onto all that bullshit for so long, I would have never lost you in the first place." Tony blew out a breath and let go of Peter just enough to look into his red-rimmed eyes. "If you want to be an Avenger, then you need to move past this. You don't have to like it, but you'll have to work with them."

"How? What if... they all know who I am. They all know May, where I live. What if they tell people? What if--"

"Then we'll deal with it when the time comes."

Peter shook his head, eyes still swimming with tears. "I can't... I can't do it. I'll never trust him."

"Okay..." Tony swallowed hard. "Okay, then... well, you trust me though, right?"

Peter gave him a look like he was being insulting.

"So, if I came back to the team—"

"What? No..."

Tony shook his head. "If I came out of retirement, then you could trust me. Trust that I'll keep you safe. That someone on the team has you back."

Peter's hands had been clinging to his shirt, but he let go now. "No, Tony, I don't want that."

"Well, I don't really see any other option. You're unhappy with the situation. So I'm rectifying the situation."

Peter pushed himself away from him. "Fine," he snapped. "I got it, okay? I'll make it work."

"Buddy..."

"No, you don't have to blackmail me." He stalked away, out of the room towards the kitchen. "I get it. I'll... I'll move on. Work... work past this."

Tony was right on his heels. "Okay, stop. Come back here."

His back turned to Tony, Peter pulled open the fridge, staring into it like the solution to all his problems might be hidden between the butter and the cheese slices.

"Pete, I need you to be safe on the team, but I also need the team to be strong so all of us will stay safe."

"I get it, okay?" He slammed the fridge shut but didn't turn around, now staring at the pictures pinned on the outside of it. "I'll make it work."

"Can you maybe look at me?"

With a huff, Peter turned to face him, his eyes still red. "You're not coming out of retirement."

"Okay then." Tony frowned at him. He wouldn't deny that it had been a threat, but it hadn't been an empty one. He'd do what would be necessary to keep his family safe. Peter included. "I'll reserve the option to change my mind if you're struggling."

"I won't be."

Tony pointed a finger at him. "Not telling me about how much of a struggle it is for you is not an option."

Peter snorted. He turned his head away, the corners of his mouth twitching with some resemblance of humor.

"Sometimes I hate you, you know that?"

Eyes still on his kid, Tony studied him. "I wouldn't be doing a great job with all the mentoring if that wasn't true."

Peter shook his head, his smile growing a little wider until he swallowed hard. The smile disappeared and he was looking directly at Tony. "I hate this. I hate what they did. Rogers. All of them. I'll never forgive them."

In acknowledgment, Tony inclined his head in a soft nod. "That's not what I'm asking, bud. This isn't about forgiveness."

"Right. We're just..." He blinked a few times, eyes squinting to the side. "We're just moving on."

"Not 'just'..." Tony shook his head. "I'm not asking you to just flip a switch, Pete."

"Right," he breathed, looking back and forth between Tony and the wall, teeth gnawing on his lower lip like he was actually considering this at last.

"We'll just take it one day at a time," Tony offered. "I'll still be here for you."

"Here but just..." Peter hesitated, eying him suspiciously. "...just not too close to the action."

"As close to the action as you need me to be."

Peter dropped his arms to his side, no humor in his expression whatsoever. "Where I need you is back in the woods."

"Alright." Tony held up his hands in defeat. "As long as you know that I'm still here for you."

"I do. I know." He shuffled back and for on his feet. "It's okay. I can do it. I think. Move on."

His eyes were still red, the tears not quite dried on his cheeks. But as Tony studied him, there was honesty on his face, a true intention to try.

He narrowed his eyes on him, ready to test that newfound commitment. "We could start by moving on to the Compound right now? Where Bruce is waiting for some help with his nanotech project?"

"Nanotech at the Compound?" Peter scrunched up his nose. "Only if there's dinner."

Tony clutched his heart in affronted shock. "When did I ever not feed you?" He dropped his arms and waved Peter a little closer. "Come here, buddy."

Peter didn't hesitate. He stepped into Tony's arms, clinging to him tightly.

No... Tony pressed his eyes shut. Maybe the scars ran too deep for there to ever be true forgiveness. But that didn't mean they couldn't move on.

###

Thanks for reading :)

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