Chapter 4
May nearly had to drag Tony away from Peter. They watched, hearts pounding, as Stephen leaned over their kid, a bright purple glowing swirling between his hands.
And then the heart monitor flat-lined.
~~~~~
Tony screamed.
And then he was there, he was ripping Strange away from his kid, his Peter, and nonono this couldn’t be happening.
He was screaming he was screaming but he couldn't hear because Peter wasn’t waking up.
“No, nononono, Peter!”
“Stark, stop! You’re killing him!” Stephen rushed forward. “Back away!”
“No!” Tony screamed frantically, cupping Peter’s face in his hands. “No, no, Peter, no! Give him back! Bring him back! Please, pleasepleaseplease no!”
“Tony, stop! You’re confusing his spirit!” He made to grab Tony’s arm.
“Give him back! Fix him! Bring him back!”
Tony threw him off with a murderous rage. Tears were pouring down his face and sobs choked out of his throat.
Peter lay still, the heart monitor still flatlining.
Tony was screaming screaming screaming and begging and trying to hold Peter and wake him up, but-
Stephen spun around, and Tony was hit with a gentle purple light.
He couldn’t move, couldn’t make a sound, couldn’t get to Peter.
And he could only watch, his chest tearing apart and tears streaming from his eyes.
NONONONONO
No no no not Peter not his baby
PeterPeterPeter wake up!
“It’s up to him,” Stephen muttered. “He has to choose.”
Tony fought to escape ferociously, he needed to get to Peter and wake him up, but he was paralyzed.
Please not him, please
He needed Peter he would die without his kid
Nonono Peter wake up!
Inside he was screaming and burning with panic and terror, and he couldn’t do anything.
He needed to save his baby but he couldn’t move
Strange was focused on Peter, kneeling at his side, his hand on his pulse.
He looked up, sorrow crossing his face. “Stark- I’m so sorry, we lost him-”
NO!
And then Peter gasped and twitched, and opened his eyes.
“M-mr. Stark! I can see! Mr. Stark, I can see- Mr. Stark?” he cried. “Mr. Stark- Mr. Stark, are you okay? What happened?!”
Stephen blinked, then smiled and freed Tony.
He fell to his knees and scrambled to Peter, sobbing. “Ohmygod.” He hugged Peter to his chest, crying, wrapping his arms around him and he knew he would never let go.
“Peter, Peter, Peter, oh god. Il mio piccolo bambino, il mio prezioso bambino, Oh mio Dio, ti ho preso, sei al sicuro. Non ti lascerò mai andare. Mai. Oh, il mio bambino. Il mio piccolo bambino.”
Tears splattered across Peter’s hair and shoulders, his face pressed into Tony’s sweatshirt. “’S okay. Don’t worry, Mr. Stark! I’m here, it’s okay! Please don’t cry!”
The man just clutched him tighter, murmuring his name over and over. “I love you. I love you. I love you so much.”
“I love you too, Mr. Stark!” said Peter’s muffled voice. “But I can’t really breathe.”
Tony’s arms loosened slightly, though his cries didn’t cease. “You scared me so much. I was so scared. Oh Peter.”
“It’s okay,” he repeated. “Look at me! I’m okay.”
Tony’s wrecked, tear-stained, pain-stricken face gazed reverently at him. He gave a small sob, then attacked Peter’s face with kisses, pressing his lips to his forehead, tiny button nose, soft baby cheeks, his eyelids.
There was a sharp shout from the doorway, and then May was there, crying, her arms around them both. “Oh Lordy. Honey, you’ve gotta stop scaring me like that. And Tony.” She sniffed, kissing his forehead. “You know he’s got a weak heart.”
“Sorry.”
Tony gave a wet chuckle.
This was something he would never recover from.
But he would never let Peter go again.