In Good Hands
Peter shook out the last of his nerves, his whole body thrumming with adrenaline as he waited with the other Guardians and Dr. Strange.
"What should we expect?" Starlord-the other Peter-asked, flexing his fingers around the grips of his guns.
"The world isn't how we left it," Dr. Strange said. "It's been five years, and Thanos will bring all of his forces to ensure that he destroys the whole world instead of half."
"So, 100 times worse than last time?" Peter shrugged. "Let's give him hell."
Dr. Strange smirked and started doing the things with his fingers, a sparkly orange portal opening in front of them. They all flew out, and Peter sucked in a breath before swinging out of the portal. The view around him was horrible. He didn't know where Dr. Strange had portaled them to, but it was definitely a battlefield. That wasn't even the worst. No, Thanos' army was the worst sight. There were probably thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of bad guys, all who were ready to kill Peter, the Avengers, the Guardians, and any other hero who stood in their way.
Peter landed gracefully next to a pile of rubble and let his nano-tech mask slip back. Peter watched as more and more heroes came through portals, even a girl on a flying horse, and the big guy was back, carrying...bruce? The hulk? Either way, it was badass.
After everyone came through the portals, Peter saw Mjolnir fly through the air and land in the hands of...Steve. Okay, that was new, not surprising, though. Peter's keen ears head the last word Steve uttered: Assemble.
Thor let out a battle cry, and everything descended into madness. Peter was fighting left, right, in front, and behind. Those mechanical spider legs were freaking cool! Big Man was knocking out space ships, which destroyed smaller ones and other bad guys. Beams were shooting out and disintegrating anything that came too close. Wait, beams? That meant Mr. Stark was here.
Peter started running over to where the beams were coming from, and he saw him. Peter saw Mr. Stark...get thrown into rubble.
Peter hurried over and webbed up the bad guy's arms and pulled him to the ground. The big man then stepped on him. Well, that's one way to kill them. Peter ran around and helped Mr. Stark up. "Holy cow. You will not believe what's been going on. You remember when we were in space? And I got all dusty? I must've passed out because I woke up, and you were gone. But Dr. Strange was there, right? And he was like, it's been five years! Come on; they need us." Peter backed up and imitated Dr. Strange's movements. "And then he started doing the yellow circle sparkly thing he does all the time..." Peter's words trailed off as Mr. Stark got closer. "What are you doing?" Mr. Stark wrapped his arms around Peter, and Peter felt his body relax. Peter had been wanting a hug from Mr. Stark ever since he met the man, but ever since that awkward moment in the car, Peter never tried to again.
Slowly, in case Mr. Stark pulled away, Peter wrapped his arms around Mr. Stark, and the battle cries around him, and the sound of destruction muffled out until Peter could only hear Mr. Stark's heartbeat. "Oh, this is nice."
The next few moments became a blur of fighting, destruction, yelling, and then Peter took the gauntlet from Black Panther.
"Activate Instant Kill," Peter ordered and let Karen take care of the rest. Things were going okay, Peter was making his way to the van, and his suit was killing bad guys left and right. But for every one it killed, four more took its place. Soon, Peter was under a pile of space dogs.
"Hey, somebody help!"
"Hey, Queens," Steve said over the comms. "Heads up."
Peter kept a lookout and then saw Mjolnir flying through the air. Peter shot a web and soared away with the hammer. Laser beams were coming from everywhere, and Peter lost his way of transport, but he made sure to keep a hold of the gauntlet. Another IronMan suit caught him, but this one looked different.
"Hang on. I got you, kid."
Miss Potts? Dang, Mr. Stark liked making everybody a suit. Miss Potts flew them away and tossed Peter up, where the girl on a flying horse caught him.
He looked at the girl on the horse. "Hey! Nice to meet you-oh, my God!" The horse steered sharply to the left to avoid getting hit, but the next laser hit too close, and they all went down.
Peter reached his arms out and grabbed the gauntlet, then proceeded to keep falling. His mechanical spider legs broke his fall...ish. It still hurt. But he couldn't worry about that, so he got up and kept running...until he was blasted with a laser. With a grunt, Peter fell back on a boulder of rubble, and loud cracks made Peter know that his spider legs were gone. There were more and more blasts coming, and it seemed like they were all aiming at him. Peter grabbed the gauntlet and rushed away from the explosions. He knew that as long as he had the gauntlet, the blasts would come after him, and it was better him than any of the other Avengers who actually had a fighting chance with Thanos.
But Peter couldn't run forever, even if he did have enhanced speed. So, Peter ran under a piece of a fallen building and looked down at the gauntlet. He knew that they couldn't fight forever, that eventually they would tire and lose. And that couldn't happen. They had already failed once, five years ago, and half of the world suffered for it. Peter suffered for it.
He knew what he had to do.
Peter inhaled deeply, positioned his left arm, and slipped the gauntlet on, which immediately shrunk to match Peter's arm. Peter fell to the ground, grunting as he tried to withstand all the power surging through his left arm and up to his neck. The pain was a thousand times worse than what it felt to have his body fight its own destruction. Peter raised his head, and through blurry eyes, he could see everyone still fighting. Mr. Stark was fighting Thanos, and Peter knew Mr. Stark wouldn't hold off forever. He stared out at the rest of the battlefield; to try to see his makeshift family for one more time. Peter blinked through the tears, but there was one person he couldn't see: Natasha. Was she...?
No, Peter shook his head. Even if she was, Peter could bring her back. Right now, he just had to snap. Peter closed his eyes and thought about Thanos and his army disappearing, which wasn't that hard, but then Peter thought of seeing Natasha again and see her smiling down at him and sing her favorite Russian lullaby. With Natasha's words playing in his head, Peter screamed as he forced his fingers to move. Peter pressed his thumb and middle finger together and snapped.
A blinding light envisioned him, and he saw three figures standing in front of him: his parents and Uncle Ben. They looked the same from the last time Peter saw them, but Uncle Ben didn't have a hole in his stomach or blood staining his shirt.
"You did good, Peter," his mom whispered, caressing his cheek, and Peter leaned into the warm touch.
"We are all so proud of the young man you've become," his dad said, a watery smile on his face.
Uncle Ben got down on one knee and grabbed Peter's hand. "But you still got more to see, kiddo. You still got some growing to do."
"I'm so tired." Peter didn't realize he was the one who spoke until his family in front of him shuddered, and a small sob escaped his mom.
"We know, honey," his mom's voice wobbled, "but it's not your time."
"Will I see you guys again?"
"Yes, but not for a long time," Uncle Ben answered.
"Enjoy your life, Peter," his dad whispered.
"You have a family out there waiting for you," Uncle Ben said. "That Tony Stark is a good man. You're in good hands, Peter."
With a squeeze from Uncle Ben, Peter's eyes snapped open, and he was back on the battlefield. He hadn't realized he was still screaming until a comforting hand pushed him back to the ground, and a soft voice broke through his screams.
"Hey, hey, you're going to be okay, just calm down for me, okay?"
Peter could barely see anything, but he caught whisps of red and white hair.
"Yeah, that's it," the person smiled, and Peter's vision finally cleared up.
"Na-" Before Peter could speak her name, he erupted into coughs, but he stopped immediately; the movement causing more pain.
A sharp gasp caught Peter's attention, and he turned to see Mr. Stark.
Peter tried for a smile, but he probably looked like a deranged psychopath. "Hey, misser Stark."
Mr. Stark dropped to the ground. "Oh, my God. Kid, what the hell were you thinking?"
"I-" More coughs interrupted him, and Peter groaned at the pain. "Hurts"
"Yeah, I know, паук ребенок," Natasha mumbled and ran her hand through Peter's curls. "Help is on the way, okay? I just need you to hold on for a few more seconds."
Peter shook his head, letting the tears fall. "I-I can't, it, it hurts too much."
"Kid, look at me," Mr. Stark said, voice shaky but firm. "You're the most stubborn person I've met, second to me, so I need you to keep yourself alive for a while longer."
Peter inhaled, then grunted as the rise of his chest pulled at the skin of his left side. "Okay, okay."
Mr. Stark nodded. "Good. I need you to be okay, so I can kill you for being so stupid."
Peter smiled. "I just wanted to be like you, Tony."
Tony stilled for a moment, then a smile stretched across his features. "You were better, kid. You were always going to be better than me."
"We need to get him to a hospital," a voice cut through Peter's little bubble, but he couldn't discern who it was.
"No, get him to Wakanda," another voice commanded. "Shuri will be able to heal him there."
There were a few seconds of silence until Peter heard Tony say, "To Wakanda. Just save my kid, please."
Peter tried not to feel too giddy about Tony calling him his kid, but it was the only silver lining in this whole mess. Well, besides the fight being over and Thanos being dusted.
Someone tried lifting him, and Peter immediately let out a guttural scream that he didn't think was possible after all the screaming he had done.
"Hurts," he panted out.
"I know, underoos, but we're going to have to move you," Tony whispered, squeezing his right hand. "I'm sorry."
Peter tried to hold in his screams as someone lifted him and wrapped an arm around his left side.
"Tony, Tony, Tony," Peter mumbled, trying to get Tony's attention.
"I'm right here, kid, right here."
Black dots swarmed Peter's vision. "Don't, don't freak out." With that, he passed out, his entire body weight leaning on whoever was carrying him.
*
The first thing Peter noticed was the sterile smell mixed with strawberries. Then he heard the beeping, felt the soft blanket over him, and fluffy pillows supporting his head. Peter tried blinking his eyes open, but a harsh white light blinded him. He groaned and pressed his head into the pillow.
"Peter? Are you awake?" Peter noticed the accent first. It was probably someone from Wakanda who probably didn't know that he had heightened senses.
"Lights," Peter croaked, and he was shocked at how raspy it sounded. "Bright. Hurt."
A soft gasp followed by the light pressing on his eyelids easing told Peter it was safe to open his eyes again. Peter blinked a few times, trying to adjust to the darker room, the room in general, and the girl at his bedside.
Peter knew her. He had met her after being dusted. "Shuri?"
Shuri smiled. "Hi, how are you feeling?"
Peter looked to his right, trying to see if anything hurt. There was a slight pressure on Peter's left side, and there was a tiny ache in the base of his neck, and his stomach was churning in hunger, and his throat craved water, but besides that, he felt fine.
"We'll have to take a few tests now that you're awake, but you'll be able to get food and water shortly, and the aches are a result from wielding the infinity stones."
Oh, Peter must've said his thoughts out loud. Peter looked around and noticed he was alone with Shuri.
"Tony?"
"Ah, yes, Mr. Stark hasn't left your room for the entirety of your stay, but Mrs. Stark finally convinced him to take a shower and take a nap last night," Shuri answered. "I can fetch him if you want."
Mrs. Stark? They got married?
Shuri's last words processed in Peter's brain, and he tried to nod but winced in pain.
"Please."
Shuri nodded and left. Peter wondered how long he had been in Wakanda. He looked around the room and saw a couch on the far side, where Tony most likely spent his night until yesterday.
Peter didn't get enough time to ponder or take in the room because soon Tony bust through the door, pajamas rumpled, hair looking like a rats' nest, and bags the size of Texas.
Tony stopped, his eyes raking over Peter before striding over and wrapped his arms around Peter once more. Peter groaned at the impact, but he didn't care. He hugged Tony back and buried his face into Tony's neck.
"Oh, God," Tony whispered and pressed a kiss to Peter's temple. Tony pulled back and cradled Peter's face. "You really scare me, there, kiddo. I thought I-You were-Your heart-"
"Tony," Peter broke through Tony's half-started rant and smiled. "I'm okay. I'm starving, but I'm okay." His smile slipped away. "Is everyone okay?"
Tony nodded. "Yeah, yeah, superficial injuries, nothing too major."
"Was-" Peter stopped himself. He wanted to know, but if it wasn't true, then it would crush him.
Tony must've sensed what Peter wanted to know because his eyes softened, and he nodded. "I don't know how you did it, but Natasha is back. She's a little banged up, but she's alive."
Peter let out the breath he was holding. "Good, good, I wasn't sure if I was imagining it." A frown pulled at his lips as he thought about those moments he had with his parents and Uncle Ben.
"What is it, bambino?"
Peter traced Tony's worried features and shook his head. "Nothing, it's just...after, after I snapped, I saw my parents and Uncle Ben. I don't know if I was just hallucinating or...anyway, they told me it wasn't my time, and Uncle Ben said-"
"What did your uncle say? Tony asked, voice impossibly soft.
Peter sucked in a breath and smiled. "He said that I had family out here waiting for me and that, that I would be okay under your care."
Tony returned the smile, and Peter swore his eyes were glassy. "I'm going to make sure that nothing bad ever happens to you. I know you're more than capable of taking care of yourself, but if there's a way to keep my children safe, I'll do it."
Peter chalked up the small sob that escaped him to the resurfacing pain on his left side. He was about to make a witty retort when what Tony said processed in his brain. Dang, his brain was lagging a lot today.
"Wait. Children?"
Tony's eyes brightened. "Yeah, you have to meet your little sister, Morgan."
Peter's bottom lip wobbled as he tried not to let the tears of happiness fall. "Little sister?" Tony nodded. "Tell me about her."
Peter pushed his pain to the back of his head as he took in everything Tony told him about Morgan, his little sister.