Chapter 6
"We have the stones. We can get him back!" Harley yelled out as they stood on the dock. Just them, just Sam, Peter, Harley, Lila, Shuri, Loki even stood at a distance. He and Bucky were only ever mission buddies. They fought well together but didn't know each other too personally.
"He's gone." Lila's voice broke in the middle of the sentence and she let free another sob.
"It was supposed to be me," Sam said looking out onto the water trying not to let any more tears fall. He felt arms wrap around his waist and he looked down to find Peter, one of his surrogate kids. He lifted his arm wrapped it around Peter's shoulders holding him close.
"We have to get them back. Everyone. Bucky, he sacrificed his life to get them back." Peter said looking at everyone. No one said anything but he was right. They had to get everyone back. For Bucky.
"He'd want us to go on." The pain hit Sam so hard saying it but the statement was true.
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Peter, Shuri, Bruce, and Harley all put their heads down and did the work they needed to finish this. Made a gauntlet, put the stones on it and everyone was soon gathered around looking at the finished product.
They all stood in silence knowing the exact question that hung in the air. Who would do it? There aren't as many enhanced beings as there used to be in this compound. Really only a couple each one of them was willing. Everyone knew the sacrifice was much less than the gain from it.
"I'll do it," Peter whispered out but it was so quiet that everyone heard him.
Everyone disagreed, they all protested, Harley got between him and the gauntlet so did Sam. He just wanted to win. He wanted so badly not to have failed his family. Harley saw the look in his eye and gave him a sad smile.
Harley let his hand rest on Peter's face staring him down as Peter tried to look away. Tried to get out of his hold. He most definitely could if he truly wanted to but eventually he stopped and looked at Harley.
"You didn't fail. You killing yourself trying to fix something that wasn't your fault, that isn't going to make it right." Harley's hand moved to the back of Peter's neck and he pulled the other boy into a hug. Forehead to shoulder they both whispered, barely audible, 'I love you's into each other's ears.
"I will," Loki said but Peter immediately stopped him by getting between him and the gauntlet.
"No way in hell," Peter said but Loki just smiled fondly putting a hand on Peter's cheek.
"Let me do a good thing for once, Spiderling." Peter shook his head but then another voice cut in.
"I have to." Bruce stepped up and everyone looked over at him unsure of what to say. "The radiation is mostly gamma. That's what courses through my veins." Bruce was their only option that might survive.
It was decided.
While it was happening no one noticed that Nebula wasn't there.
Everyone was focused on Bruce. They went over what he needed to do and nodded. Everyone got suited up ready to take a blow if necessary.
"Friday do me a favour and seal us in," Harley said after his helmet closed over his head.
"Yes, boss." Then the whole compound shut its reinforced doors.
Bruce pulled on the glove and he looked like he was dying. They asked if he was okay, if he could do this. As he went to snap Peter's senses went crazy and not because of the infinity stones. Everything went white before he could say anything.
Peter froze but no one noticed at the moment. Bruce fell to the ground and the gauntlet was kicked away. Harley cooled Bruce's injured arm as the doors and windows around the compound reopened. Lila's phone buzzed on the table contact name showing her fathers. Scott went to the window and smiled at the birds outside.
Peter's senses were making him go crazy.
"Guys, guys something's not right!" Peter yelled out and Bruce went wide-eyed at the ceiling before the whole compound was taken out.
The next thing Peter knew was his ears were ringing and he was in pain. He looked around completely ready to fight whatever the fuck just flattened his home. Peter stood grunting in pain. It all hurt as Rhodey came through the coms needing help.
"Harley?! Shuri?! Lila?! Sam?! Anyone?!" Peter yelled not just into the coms but into the now underground destroyed hallways, they used to rome.
"Thanos! Shit, it's his army fuck!" Lila yelled into the coms.
Peter was on edge and he wished to beat this fuckers ass. He needed to make sure his family was okay. He needed them to be okay first for the love of God. So he ran trying to find a way out. Trying to find anyone.
Eventually, he found Harley and Shuri. The woman they knew stood on the edge of some debris staring out at Thanos who stood many meters away just waiting. Peter knew he needed to kill these guys if he had any hope of his family being okay.
"Where are the stones?" He asked but they didn't know at this moment Shuri just motioned to the ruble they stood over.
The three of them tapped a few things on themselves suiting up properly. Peter didn't put his mask on but his Spider-Man armor glowed red and gold. He wanted Thanos to see his face. Harley did the same, no helmet just the center of his iron armor glowing. Ready to fight. Shuri's claws extended purple shifting over her panther armor.
Then they made their way over toward the purple asshole who'd taken their friends the first time. This time they intended to make sure he didn't even get near the stones. They wouldn't fail this time. They couldn't fail this time. Not again.
"You could not live with your own failure. Where did that bring you? Back to me." He said as they approached him. "I thought by eliminating half of life, the other half would thrive." They started to circle him but he seemed unbothered. "But you've shown me, that's impossible. And as long as there are those that remember what was, there will always be those that are unable to accept what can be. They will resist." He said eyes dark moving to Peter who tilted his head anger the only emotion on his face.
"Yeah, we're all kinds of stubborn," Peter said as Shuri and Harley stopped equal distances away from each other. They were in a circle around Thanos ready to attack.
"I'm thankful because now, I know what I must do. I will shred this universe down to its last atom." He stood. "And then, with the stones you've collected for me, create a new one." He took his helmet from upon his weapon and slid it onto his head. "Teeming with life, that knows not what it has lost but only what it has been given." He yanked his double-sided weapon from where he had stuck it into the ground. "A grateful universe." Shuri's suit electrified itself her eyes seeming to glow the same purple.
"Born out of blood." Harley countered as Thanos stared him down.
"They'll never know it was. Because you won't be alive to tell them."
With that, the four fought with no mercy only there to kill. Only there to rid the other of the world. They'd win, they had to this time.
Under the ground Bruce, Rocket, and Sam were drowning ready for their end just hoping, believing, the others could do this without them. Little did they know a very small savior was coming toward them. Through a different tunnel, Lila and Scott raced away with the gauntlet under Lila's arm.
They blew up everything they could while Scott tried his hardest to get his belt working again. Then of course Lila got hit and Scott got knocked out by a totally different Nebula. Not their Nebula. Their Nebula was better, nicer, kinda.
Lila pulled Scott away before watching the scene unfold. Their Nebula was okay, she killed the other with past Gamora. Lila got her hands on the gauntlet again just as Scott yelled "yatzy!" pointing to his belt.
Above, Peter did a nice slingshot maneuver with his webs dodging the very sharp sword. He webbed the alien up hoping this would work before he could cut Peter's webs.
"Harley!" The man shot a sort of electrified blast out of his left hand making the webs pretty much taser the alien, then he blasted him again. Shuri pushed a force out of her suit, it surrounded Thanos and she squeezed her hand together making it squeeze him.
Of course, he got free, stupid titan, cutting Peter's webs grabbing him by them, and throwing him toward Shuri. He then moved after Harley who tried his hardest shooting and blocking but god it wasn't enough. Peter pulled the alien from him but Harley still didn't move.
He couldn't pay attention to that right now. His arms from his back sprouted and he pulled a hardened web that was in the shape of a double-edged sword from his side seeming to appear out of nowhere. It was much smaller than Thanos' sword but it was better than nothing.
Peter and Thanos fought. Peter tried so hard he would not give up, never. He tried but he was only human. His limp body flew across the battle field but he didn't stay down. Hell no. He ignored Thanos and his stupid idea that he was going to win. No way in hell Peter would let them win.
He wasn't going to back down. Not even when Thanos' army showed up. No, he stood half a broken web sword, two out of four legs on his back ripped from his suit. He fought the pain all over his body and limped his way closer, slowly.
"Hey, kid? You read me, kid?" He froze at the static in his ears mixed with a voice he never thought he'd hear again. "Behind you underoos." He almost cried, tears probably mixed in with the dirt and blood anyways.
He turned to find a golden sparkling portal. Out walked Okoye and T'Challa. More portals opened as he let a relieved breath leave him. He smiled almost crying out as Doctor Strange opened a portal and Tony walked out. Many, many more portals opened. The Wakanda army walked out along with scorers and many other heroes he hadn't seen in five whole years. Then Harley and Shuri were next to him.
Pepper landed in a suit Mantis hopping off of her back. Loki appeared with green glowing eyes, power seeming to surround him, Vision had flown him in ready to fight as well. Perfect timing as Scott and Cassie burst through the surface of the rubble holding Bruce, Sam, Rocket, Lila, Gamora, and Nebula.
Peter stared back out at the army on the other side of the battlefield. Harley and Shuri made contact with him and he gave them both a smile. Harley rolled his eyes knowing exactly what he was going to say.
"Avengers!" He yelled out, "Assemble!" The army's charged toward each other ready to kill.
All Peter was trying to do was take out all aliens on Thanos' side as he could. Then he saw flashes of gold and red. He raced toward it taking down every alien that got in his way and then some. He pulled the alien off Tony and Cassie crushed it beneath her giant foot.
After that, he smiled pulling Tony to his feet. Tears ran down his blood and dirt-covered face once again. He got Tony back. They were back.
"Hey, hey so much has happened, you will not believe what's been going on. I need to tell you everything, obviously not now, that wouldn't be very ideal—“ Peter said rambling on but Tony's eyes just got watery and he put his hands on Peter's shoulders.
"You're so much older? What are you twenty?" Tony's hand moved to Peter's face dirty metal ran across his chin. Oh yeah, he had forgotten to shave this morning with everything going on.
"Next month I’m twenty-one." Peter smiled but it dropped more tears rushing down his face. "Missed you so much T—Tony." The man just smiled pulling him in for a hug. Peter let out a small sob into his shoulder. "Five years." He sobbed and Tony squeezed him tighter.
"I know, sorry bud." Peter didn't get to ask what he was sorry for as multiple aliens moved to destroy them.
Lila was running as fast and as far as she could.
"Where do I go, Pete?!" She yelled dodging as best she could as she went. Mutters came over the coms from the ones who'd been dusted. Cap, Tony, Thor, Clint, and more but she was talking to Peter not them.
"Get the stones as far away as possible Li!" Peter came over the coms.
"We need to get them back where they came from." Bruce's voice also sounded through them.
"We don't got another quantum tunnel, Banner!" Harley all of a sudden came through.
"Harley?"
"Not the time Tony!" Pepper demanded. Too many voices.
"That wasn't our only time machine!" Cassie sounded through the coms shrinking down and pressing a button on her hip.
It was heard from miles. That stupid van, of course, it survived. Harley sounded through the coms again asking if anyone saw an ugly brown van. The location was shared and orders were yelled through the coms at Lila who was currently hiding under some rubble.
"Shut up! I don't take orders from any of you! I take orders from Peter." Lila said to which the coms went silent.
"Sorry to break it to you but Pete has been the ring leader of these devil children for a whopping five years." Sam chuckled through the coms and Peter smiled as he put a piece of sharp broken metal through an alien's heart.
"Scott how long to get that thing running?" Peter asked through the coms.
"Depends on the damage, I estimate ten minutes," Scott said as Hope grew beside him hand on his shoulder.
"You get it going," Peter said,
"We'll get the stones to you. In the meantime, we play Thanos keep away." Harley said smiling as he took down a giant alien.
They did as the young adults said. Keep away. It bounced from one person to the next trying to get it to the van but trying to keep it away from Thanos. Peter got it when he saw Wanda about to kill Thanos. If only rain fire didn't exist.
The scorers put up shields to stop from getting hit. Peter put on instant kill but got he only had two out of four legs. He yelled over the coms for help and his savior was there.
"I got you, Parker!" Peter threw a web to his boyfriend as he flew overhead to which Harley twisted it around his wrist holding on as best he could. Unfortunately, it was cut by fire coming from above.
"Don't worry I got you Petey." Pepper's voice made him much calmer. Then he was thrown toward a woman riding a pegasus. He was hit by the fire from above his last two spider legs breaking to catch his fall.
He hugged the gauntlet and tried to hold his head hoping not to get hit. It was everywhere there wasn't a place he looked where shots didn't hit the ground. Then all of a sudden it stopped. He heard Sam questioning it as the fire turned to the sky.
"Karen?" Peter asked as he stood slowly looking up to the sky.
"Something just entered the atmosphere."
Then Peter saw the ball of light take out the giant mother ship and he smiled.
"Carol!" He screamed then she landed next to him with a smile.
"We're good to go, Parker!" Scott said through the coms.
"Sup Peter, got something for me?" She asked and smiled back at her handing her the gauntlet as other people, women, joined up to help her get through to the van which was now up and running.
Carol got as far and she could and Peter was hot on her trail but then Thanos' sword entered the van and it blew them so far. Shit, shit, shit. Peter blinked seeing the gauntlet on the ground moving toward it. Thanos got between but Harley, Shuri, and Lila all grabbed him pulling him apart with their weapons more than their strength.
They all got thrown off. Carol intervened once again but then the gauntlet was on his arm. She tried again but he threw her off with a punch powered by the power stone. Peter lifted his head finding Thanos had the gauntlet on.
He had to do something. He ran using all his strength all his power to grab the gauntlet from Thanos. He made eye contact with the titan and glared hard. He was thrown off and away from him pain vibrating through his body as he landed.
"I am, inevitable," Thanos uttered as he put his fingers together and snapped.
Peter was on his knees holding up his hand revealing that he'd taken the stones and put them on his own armor. He took a deep breath as the power of the stones coursed through his veins electrifying his very soul.
"Peter no." He heard the soft voice of the one he loved but he ignored it.
He was doing this for Harley, for May, for Tony, for Ned, for Sam, for Shuri, for MJ, for Lila, for Cassie, for everyone he knew, and even for those he didn't know. For Bucky, he thought about Bucky too.
"And I... am..." He took in a deep breath thinking it would be his last. "Spider-Man." His fingers connected and he snapped thinking of what he needed to make right.
The army disappeared into dust just as his family had once before. He made sure Thanos had to watch it. Made sure that he knew he'd lost before he died.
Peter limped and hobbled his way to sit up against some rubble. His arm hurt, his side hurt, his whole body hurt. His eyes felt so heavy. He could sleep, he knew what sleep meant though. He wanted to say it to Harley. He had to.
"Peter?" Not Harley. Tony, it was Tony. The man came up laying a hand on his cheek, the one without burns on it. "Stay away kid please god, Friday?" He didn't listen to what the AI said he just smiled up at Tony.
"Tony, Tony," The man did not pay attention to busy paying attention to his vitals as Shuri came up fiddling with things along his painful side but he didn't pay any attention. "Dad." He muttered to which Tony looked up hurt in his eyes clear. "Thank you, for everything."
"Don't, don't say that," Tony said as people gathered, Sam pulled Tony back into Pepper's arms Rhodey near as well.
"Hey, Pete," Sam said smiling at him running a hand through the good side of his hair.
"Got him... for you... Bucky..." Peter trailed off as Sam went wide-eyed the boy just smiled slightly. Then Harley was screaming his name running up as Sam stood.
"Fucking hell Parker." Harley had Lila, Cassie, and Loki not far behind him the two wincing at what they saw. "What did you do?" Harley said tears forming in his eyes as his hands shook not sure where to put them. Peter's hand then took one of Harley's shaking ones.
"Yes," Peter said making Harley frown tilting his head, "I ain't taking your last name though," Peter said to which Harley sobbed, Lila turned into Cassie who wrapped her arms around her, Shuri froze up for a second looking away and sniffling. "Harley Parker sounds b—better anyway." Harley out a half sob half chuckle.
"Disagree, darlin'." Loki moved up next to Peter opposite Shuri. "We can fight about that all you want later though. Cause you're gonna be just fine. Just fine.' Harley muttered more to himself than Peter.
"Love you," Peter said to which Harley quickly reciprocated.
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