Tony watched from across the battlefield, as he was fighting off some of Thano’s army, Peter, his kid who he just got back, clutching the Infinity Gauntlet to his chest as he ran. Tony was trying to make his way to him, but he was surrounded. He just watched, while simultaneously, fighting off the Outriders currently attacking him. Thanos was closing in on Peter and he could tell the kid knew there was nowhere to run. Nowhere where Thanos or his goons couldn’t get to him.
Peter turned around, Tony wanted to scream RUN!, but the words died in his throat as the kid turned his head and looked Tony directly in the eyes. It was like the boy was boring two holes right into Tony’s mask, in order to make eye contact. “Thank you for everything Mr. Stark, I’m sorry.” He saw the kid’s lips move and he heard his voice, which was full of sorrow and acceptance, through the coms.
He watched, still trying to fight off the attacks on him, as Peter slipped on the Gauntlet. Everything became so clear at that moment. Tony fought with new vigor, trying to get to him, as Peter looked back to Thanos, who was now so close he was almost towering over the boy. As soon as Thanos was in reach he tried to tear the Gauntlet away, but right before he did Peter raised up his arm, one lone tear ran down his face, and he snapped. Everything after that felt like it was in slow motion. As Peter’s fingers met Tony shouted out an agonizing, “Nooooo!” but it was too late.
As he was distracted one of the Outsiders jumped on him knocking him down. It was about to use its insanely sharp claws to rip apart his suit when it suddenly turned to dust. All of them did, they just blew away with the wind. He looked around to see all of Thanos’s army doing the same. The kid did it. He thought, but his happiness quickly turned to dread. He quickly got to his feet as he looked for the kid, his kid. Peter was on his knees and Thanos was still standing over him. He was looking around to see his army disintegrate in front of his eyes.
Tony started running to the two, and while he did Thanos too started to flake away. By the time he made it Thano’s was gone, just dust in the wind. “Peter!” Peter did not turn his head or respond. Tony fell to his knees in front of the kid, mirroring him. He flipped his face plate up and nearly flinched back from the site.
The boy’s arm was still in the gauntlet, but what was showing was burnt charred flesh, and near the top black veins stretched up the kid's shoulder, neck, and head. His hair on that side burnt off. His suit was also gone from his arm to part of his chest, the jagged ends black and burnt. The smell of burnt flesh was nauseating and terrifying. But what had Tony even more horrified were the kid’s eyes.
Peter’s eyes were always full of life. They gleamed when he spoke about science and Star Wars. They shined when he was working in the lab. They sparkled when he talked about the scary girl, MJ, in his class. And they glowed when he sp;ome to him, like Tony had hung the stars. They were always brighter than the sun. Even when he was sad and they shimmered with tears they were still alive. But not now. Now Peter’s eyes were hollow empty voids. There was no spark of light. There was no glimpse of a glimmer. There was no Peter in them.
“Peter?” He said again, his voice shaking. Peter once again said nothing, just stared at, no stared through Tony with dead eyes.
Tony felt a woosh of air right by him and jumped at the voice now beside him, “We have to get the Gauntlet off his arm!” It was Captain Marvel. She immediately grasped the glove yanking it off of Peter's arm making the boy tilt forward. Peter didn’t try to catch himself, he just fell forward into Tony limply.
Tony caught him being as careful as he could of the injury that seemed to consume almost half of Peter’s body. “Pete, please say something. Kid, don’t do this to me.” Peter said nothing, his forehead resting on the older man’s chest. Tony let out a sob, “Peter, you can’t leave me; not again. I can’t go through that again!” He sobbed. “I did this for you, this was supposed to be your second chance kid! How could you do this?! Why did you do this?!” He shouted like he was angry. He was angry at everyone but Peter, but he couldn’t hold his anger at the Universe in. “Why couldn’t it have been me, you should have let me do it Peter! Anyone, anyone but you!” He was too frantic, worried, and scared to feel bad for his words. Of course, he didn't wish this on anyone, but least of all Peter.
He turned Peter over gently, “Come on Pete, please look at me. You need to look at me!” He pleaded, but the kid just stared up blankly, not blinking. He puts two fingers on Peter’s pulse point on his neck after the nanobots release his hand from the suit. There is no movement, nothing. “No,” he said breathlessly, “You can’t leave me Peter.” he whispered in a tearful voice, but then a determined look appeared on his face, “I forbid you from dying kid!” He laid Peter on the ground, everyone had gathered around them but said nothing as Tony broke down over the broken boy. They looked on with sorrow and regret.
Tony put his hands on Peter’s chest, half of which was still warm bordering on hot from the burns. He started compressions as tears streamed down his face and landed on Peter’s still body. “You don’t get to do this to me kid! You’re not allowed to die!” He continued compressions as he yelled. The others watched on with horror and conflict. One or two went to stop him, but others held them back as they knew Tony needed to do this. Either it wouldn’t work and Tony might finally accept that Peter is gone or, by some miracle, it would work and Peter would be okay, well not okay, but alive. “I invented Time Travel for you, you are not allowed to give up now!” He leaned down and gave Peter two rescue breaths and continued on the compression. “I regretted every time I raised my voice at you! Every time I didn’t believe in you! You need to come back so I can finally apologize! I need you to come back so I can say the one thing I never got to say before you died; the one thing my stupid pride had me refusing to say!!” He still didn’t say it, and he’ll only say it if the kid takes another breath. Not if, when. He gives the boy another two rescue breaths and then replaces his hands again on the kid’s chest. “You're supposed to live Pete! You're supposed to meet your sister Morgan! See May again! See your scary girlfriend again and your best friend who I always call Ted to see your eyes roll amusedly, even though I know his name is Ned!!” He never stops CPR even as he screams everything he missed, everything he didn’t get to see, and everything he never got to say. “You're supposed to graduate High School where I sit in the audience and cry and then deny it later!!” His arms are getting tired, but he doesn’t care, nothing matters but his kid. “You're supposed to grow up and take over Stark Industries! You’ve got all of that ahead of you and I’m not letting you throw it all away!!” Another two rescue breaths and then more compressions. He feels the kid’s ribs crack under the pressure, which makes him want to throw up, but he still doesn’t stop. He keeps pushing down rhythmically trying to get Peter’s heart beating again. “Come on Kid, I can’t do this again! I can’t lose you again! Please don’t leave me; not again!” With another forceful compression Peter gasps, his dry eyes blinking and tears filling them almost automatically.
Tony lets out a misplaced laugh as Peter’s chest moves under his hands by itself. He gathers his mangled kid in his arms and keeps crying, but now in relief. Everyone around them looks at the two in shock. No one actually believed Peter would come back. No one believed anyone but Thanos or the Hulk could survive a snap, but as always Peter proved them wrong. Peter has shown how strong he is time and time again and now is no different. “Peter, Peter, Peter.” it’s the only word coming out of Tony's mouth, the only word going through his head. It was one word, but there was so much behind it.
Peter groaned in pain and was still limp in Tony’s arms. “I know Peter I know. We're going to get you help.” Peter says nothing, just brings his uninjured hand up shakily. Tony is holding the kid on top of his knees, one hand holding up his back. He uses the free hand, which he retracts from the suit, to grasp Peter’s. Peter grasps back but it’s weak, but still, he grasps back proving he’s alive. “Stay strong for me kid, I need you to hang in there until help arrives. I will not watch you die a third time, you understand?” He’s looking down at Peter, his tears that are still streaming down his cheeks drip and land on the boy’s burnt pain-filled face, mixing with the kid’s own tears. Peter says nothing but gives Tony’s hand a minuscule squeeze. Another out-of-place laugh bubbles up Tony’s throat and out his mouth. His kid is here, his kid is alive. There would be a long long road to recovery for both of them. Both physically and mentally. But Peter was alive and in that moment, that's all that mattered. He stares into Peter's huge brown eyes, which are filled with pain and agony, but also life. He finally utters the one thing he regretted never saying to his kid before he got dusted and then died right in front of his eyes. “I love you Peter.”