The Price of a Life
1. Chapter (The Price of a Life)
How special are you? Who declared you special? A large group of people? The public? Your loved ones? Or yourself?
Why are you special? Why? Did someone special tell you that you are special?
This was also true for Peter, Tony Stark had told him he was special. Peter saw this as a responsibility and tried to move on with his life. Of course, if you could call it moving on. He thought he had gotten used to Tony's absence after Mysterio, but that didn't happen. And 2 months had passed since the incident.
Peter Pete sat on the roof of the school. The concrete was cold, the sky was gray, but Peter felt neither the cold nor the wind. His fingers traced meaningless patterns in the dust and his mind remained on the same place: Tony Stark.
That moment when he watched Tony die was like a knife stuck in his mind. He relived every detail over and over, questioning what he had done and failed to do that day. Why hadn't he been quicker? Why couldn't he change things?
“Peter!” Aunt May called from downstairs. Her voice had the usual warmth, but Peter didn’t have the strength to hear her. He floated down from the roof, trying to keep his feet on the ground. Everything was disconnected: the school, the house, even May’s laughter.
One morning, when the doorbell rang, Peter didn't know what to expect: an elegant envelope with clear, familiar writing on it: Pepper Potts.
For some reason, the young hero was afraid to open the letter at first, and was curious about what was written inside. Finally, he could not resist, he opened the envelope and read it out loud.
Dear Peter,
Writing this letter was probably one of the most difficult decisions of my life. Since we lost Tony, we feel his absence in every moment, but I realized one thing: He was always proud of you. He loved you not just as a student, but as a son, and there was always hope in you. And today, as I write this letter to you, I realize once again how right he chose you.
Peter, I know how hard things have been for you. The loss of Tony was devastating for us as well as for you. But here, as I write to you in these lines, I want to talk not only about the pain but also about your future. I want to continue to live his legacy with you, but what Tony leaves behind is not just a legacy, there is a great responsibility.
This letter is to call upon you with a responsibility. Tony's will requires you to be here with us at the Stark Institute. I know it may be difficult to carry this burden so soon. But we need you as a family member, not just an employee. Tony has always considered you his most valuable asset, and after losing him, my faith in you has never wavered.
I offer you the responsibility of remaining a part of this institution, of this family, and of being the head of the interns. It's not just a job, it's a mission. I will continue to be there for you to carry on Tony's legacy. It's a testament to my confidence in your abilities. We will be with you as you take this step, Peter.
Please accept this letter as a reassurance, not a burden. I am always here for you. For Tony and me, your strength and happiness are more important than anything else.
With love, Pepper Potts
For her, carrying Tony's legacy was too heavy a burden. As if she knew this, May turned to her and asked, "What are you going to do?"
The young man ruffled his hair with his right hand and said, "I don't know." through his teeth.
"Look honey, I didn't mean to influence your decision. But you can't go on like this. Tony trusted you and invited you into the family. Think about it," May said.
Peter nodded and said, “Okay, May. Thanks.”
The first day he just stayed in bed and didn't get out. The second day he took a shower and thought about it for a bit. Could he do it?
Then he decided he didn't want to break Tony's trust in him.
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Peter was already used to working, he met the team the first day, Pepper showed him Tony's room. When Peter couldn't help but cry, Pepper hugged him.
The first week was really hard. Getting used to it, managing it. It was hard. The second week got easier and everything fell into place.
A month later, Pepper invited him to dinner at the lake house and she was going to pick up Happy from her house. The young man got dressed and went to the lake house with Happy.
As soon as he entered the house, Tony's loss was still deep inside him, he felt it more and more each day. No matter which way he looked, he saw traces of Tony in everything. Every corner, every room, every project... Tony's absence seemed to echo back to him throughout the house.
Everything about the house seemed different. Morgan's smile, Tony's stay, Pepper's trust in him… Everything was missing. Peter felt fear and guilt deep down. "Maybe things could be changed," he thought. As that thought echoed in his mind, another thought occurred to him: Could he have changed the past? If things had been just a little different, maybe Tony would still be here.
Of course, this thought was impossible. Tony had done it and he had definitely left.
"Welcome back, honey," Pepper said with a warm smile. Peter greeted her the same way when he saw that the dining table was full. "Pep, that wasn't necessary. Thank you very much," he said politely.
"I'll tell you what, invite Morgan over for dinner and we'll start eating together. I don't know about you, but I'm very hungry," he said.
Peter was about to go up the stairs when he said, "Hey Pep?" He turned around half-heartedly. Pepper had memorized Peter's insults in a month and knew what he was going to ask and said, "Upstairs, second room on the right."
Peter went upstairs, smiling. Everything seemed normal, but Peter realized something was missing. He couldn't hear Tony's voice, not his seriousness or his sharp intelligence. He could feel how deeply everything had changed.
After a while, he headed towards Morgan's room. Inside, Morgan seemed to be drawing, but when he saw Peter, he quickly looked up.
He came running to Peter. The young hero knelt down to Morgan's level. Morgan put his small hands on Peter's face.
“Peter, you look a lot like my father,” Morgan said, a warmth in his eyes. “Only without the beard.”
Peter paused suddenly at these words. He swallowed hard to hide the pain that clouded his eyes. “Really?” he said, his voice shaking a little. The sadness inside him, combined with Morgan’s innocent gaze, conveyed more than a sense of loss. “Do I look like your father?”
Morgan turned his head to Peter, his eyes narrowed in thought. "Yes," he said, "sometimes you're very similar. But sometimes you're different. I mean, it's different inside you. But still, it always feels like the same person."
Peter's eyes began to well up with tears. He thought about it a little more deeply, trying to control his emotions. There was some truth in Morgan's words.
"Let's go downstairs. Pep made us our favorite meals," she said as she walked over to the dining table with Morgan in her arms.
It was a pleasant and incomplete meal. It would have been better if Tony had been there 100%. The next day, Peter set off for work again. He was careful to dress formally when he went to work. He usually preferred fabric trousers, a white shirt, a tie and a vest.
The Stark Institute was as glorious as it had been in the past, but now it held only sorrow for Peter. As he led the interns, he felt Tony's absence every step of the way. It seemed almost impossible to accomplish anything without his voice, his guidance.
That day, that strange spider-sense inside him was whispering to him that something was going to happen. He seemed a little more absent-minded until the officer who came to him called his name.
"Mr. Pete. We need a new warehouse, but the warehouse at the end of the hall can only be opened with Mr. Stark's command. Can you help?" he said.
Peter said, “Okay Dave. You take a break and I’ll check the warehouse, okay?” Dave nodded and walked away as Peter headed toward the warehouse. Every time he went through a hallway, a holographic note flickered on his screen. It was Tony’s voice:
"Time... is a puzzle. What happens if we solve it?" he said.
Peter really missed his voice.
When he arrived in front of the warehouse he said, "Hey Fri, can you open the warehouse?"
“Of course, Peter,” the AI responded.
Peter walked in and found himself in an old laboratory. The lights came on as soon as he said, "Fri, lights at 100%."
Among the dusty devices, a shiny console caught his attention. He went over to it and started examining it. His eyes focused on the lights on the device. It was a time machine. Tony had obviously tested something but hadn't completed it.
Or had completed it. Yes, an experiment that had been completed had failed. People came back, including him, but Mr. Stark was gone.
"Once... just once," he said to himself. Going back to the past was not a piece of cake, but he had to do it; if he went back now, he would never dare to do it again. He put the bracelet on the table on his wrist, and without any planning, he set the date and pressed the button.
He found himself in the middle of the battle. Thanos' soldiers were everywhere, heroes were fighting, chaos and explosions surrounded him. His eyes searched for Tony. There he was, in his armor, commanding the battle.
As Peter tried to reach Tony, he came face to face with the other Peter. Tears welled up in Peter’s eyes as the two Spider-Men stared at each other. “Listen, I don’t have time,” he said urgently. “Mr. Stark is going to die in this fight. Sacrifice yourself if you have to, but don’t let him!”
The other Peter nodded, even though he didn't understand the weight of these words. Peter couldn't stop for a moment longer and pressed the trigger of the time machine.
When he returned to his own time, he pleaded out loud, "Please, please let this work, please."
The first person he saw when he came back was Tony. He was alive. But his right arm was missing. Tony's voice was harsh when Peter hugged him.
“Kid, what do you think you’re doing?!”
“Just let me hug you,” Peter said. Tony didn’t understand what was happening, but he responded to the young man. When Peter started to cry, he said, “Hey, what’s going on, Son?”
“Tony…” Peter said, his voice mixed with shock and sadness. “You… you’re alive?”
Tony turned his previous, stern gaze to Peter. “I’m alive,” he said, but for a moment he couldn’t help but hug Peter, pulling himself closer to him. But then his voice became harsher: “Dude, are you going to tell me what happened?”
Peter looked at Tony with uncertainty in his eyes, then quickly began to explain what had happened. “I… tried time travel,” he said, his voice trembling. “You know… I thought maybe we could change the time we lost. Maybe I could make things different, but then… Then things got out of hand. What if everything I did just led to bigger problems?”
Tony looked at him and tried to understand. "When we lost? Man, we won the war without losing."
Tony's face tightened for a moment, but Peter continued.
“I found this device, the time machine. And… And I wanted to change the past. You died in the war, Tony. I wanted to change it too, and you came back.”
Tony saw fear and regret in Peter’s eyes for a moment, but he remained silent. The anger inside him began to soften slowly at Peter’s regretful gaze. “Peter…” he said, taking a deep breath. “Son, what happens now? Changing the past doesn’t guarantee the whole truth.”
Peter bowed his head, sadness and guilt overwhelming him. “I just… wanted you back,” he said. “If I could change everything, I could bring back everyone we’d lost. But… Uncle Ben, and Nat, and more.”
"Okay, okay, let's calm down. I'm alive right now, right? I lost my arm in the war, so maybe that was one possibility," Tony said.
"I don't know, Mr. Stark. How do we find out?"
Tony thought. "We're going to invite a wizard to our dinner tonight," he said. Peter understood what he meant and looked at Tony gratefully.
"I have no regrets," he said.
Tony hugged him again. Warmly and sincerely. Like a father and son embracing.
“Go and bring May to the lake house, son. She has a right to know everything,” Tony said. Peter ran down to the parking lot, looked at the attendant, and said, “Can we go to my house first and then the lake house?”
As he was getting into the car, he called May and said, "Get ready May, we're invited to dinner at the lake house." May replied excitedly, "I'll get ready right away, honey."
May got in the car and the drive to the lake house began. The drive to the lake house was quiet. Peter tried to suppress his uneasiness as he rode with May. But something didn't feel right.
He didn't understand why it didn't feel right. Mr. Stark was alive. He had done this, and what didn't feel right?
He heard a whisper in his ear:
“A life for a life...”
His spider-sense, that familiar warning that spread through his body and made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end, kicked in. But Peter didn’t have time to react. It all happened so fast, like the world was falling apart around him… The car skidded, and he lost control of the steering wheel. The driver’s eyes were closed, his left hand on his heart.
Peter had blacked out. He had found himself in a void, in darkness. There was still that whispering voice in his mind, but he felt no pain. May's cooling body was next to him. He could not hear another heartbeat in the car except his own.
Everything seemed frozen. The pain was so strong that even her tears had given way to an empty stillness. She felt so helpless that even closing her eyes seemed like a solution. She surrendered herself to the darkness.