No Words
Peter felt the pain, but he was used to it. The gag was no longer in his mouth and he was healed of all of his previous injuries but he knew that was just because Thanos was creating this perfect reality. Thanos was there, in front of him and Peter glared at him with nothing but hate. Even with the cloth, that had been tied to tightly, gone, Peter didn't have words to say.
Thanos put a hand on his shoulder and Peter shook him off, demanding, "What is this?" He finally found his voice. He looked around, everything becoming a swirling spiral of red and black. No up no down, just endless changing nothingness.
"The truth," Thanos said. Before Peter knew what was happening, the titan reached out and touched Peter's head with his finger.
Everything went black for a second, despite Peter's eyes being wide open. Peter had never been afraid of the dark, but this...this wasn't dark this was...empty. Nothing. We wasn't standing, but he wasn't floating. It was disorienting and Peter hated it. Suddenly a voice rang out and Peter took comfort in it, until he was thrust forward and when he opened his eyes he was back on Titan, Tony standing in front of him with an angry expression on his face.
"What if someone dies on your watch? Or because you didn't do your job? That's on you now. And if you die...That's- that's on me Parker."
The memory froze and Peter flinched as Thanos appeared next to him.
"Did it ever occur to you what he was really saying?" Thanos asked simply.
Peter looked up, weakly, "W-what?"
"That's all you are to him Peter. A job. A responsibility. You don't mean anything else to him."
"Shut up," Peter scoffed. "You don't know anything about Tony, or me."
"I've been inside both of your heads, I think I know more about both of you than you know about each other," the titan pointed out.
That hit home for Peter. He had always known Tony better than anyone. It had been some sort of prideful thing, that he had gotten close to Tony in record time. But now, he was starting to have doubts- no. The titan was manipulating him. That's exactly what he wanted Peter to think.
Before he could convince himself any further he was thrust into another memory.
It was on top of a building, Peter in his old suit, yelling at Tony who had walked out onto the roof and was glaring at him.
"Everyone told me I was crazy to recruit a 14 year old kid-" Tony snapped.
"I'm 15," Peter defended himself weakly.
Anger washed over Tony's face and he stepped forward, making Peter step back. He raised his hand, glaring at him and shaking his head, "No, this is where you zip it! The adult is talking."
They froze and Peter's heart felt clenched. He remembered that day...when Tony had taken the suit. Peter looked down in shame.
"He's degrading you, for wanting to help, for doing your job when he wouldn't listen, and he's yelling at you for it. Peter, does that seem right?" Thanos asked.
"I see what you're doing. You're taking my side. Stop it," Peter said quietly. "It makes me feel uncomfortable when you agree with me," he said sarcastically.
"What, we both can't be right? Stark admitted that recruiting you was crazy, a mistake, and that he thought of you as a child. And you let it slip by, why? Because he's Iron Man?"
"He was trying to protect me. Wh-when did he say that?" Peter's brow furrowed.
"I was crazy to recruit a 14 year old kid-"
Peter straightened. He hadn't remembered that. No, it was simply because Tony was angry, he didn't know what he had said. People say stuff they don't mean when they're angry...right?
"Maybe another example then?" Thanos asked and Peter, red with embarrassment and anger, knew Thanos knew exactly what he was thinking.
"Get out of my head," Peter hissed before the world flipped again and they were back on Titan.
"Then maybe I was premature on making you an Avenger."
Peter steeled himself. That one had hurt, but Tony hadn't meant that either. He made him an Avenger for a reason, knowing they would come up here, and have to fight. It had just slipped out. Peter pushed away the doubts gnawing at the back of his brain and he shook his head, trying to clear the haze from his eyes.
"He obviously doesn't believe in you. He thinks you're incapable to do the one thing you've wanted your entire life," Thanos says. "But you are capable Peter. You're an Avenger. One of the strongest. You've proved yourself on more than one occasion, yet he refuses to let you do the one thing you've been training to do this whole time."
The memory sped up and Tony sprouted another line. "Well you have to, ok Parker? That's not a request, it's an order."
"Since when does he get to order you like you're some employee of his?" Thanos asks. "He doesn't control you Peter. You're stronger than him."
"St-" Peter shook his head violently, "Just- no."
Peter knew what was coming next. It had hurt him. He just tried to focus on the hurt on Tony's face after he said it, showing that he didn't mean to say that, how bad he felt that he did. It stung either way though, and Peter had been truly hurt by it.
"Then why did you bring me?" Peter yelled.
Tony spluttered, "I didn't!"
The image died away, leaving Peter to feel the impact of the words, never getting to see the reassuring pain on Tony's face after he had said those 2 words. It wasn't like it wasn't true. He had told Peter to go home, even tried to force him to by exploding his parachute, but still, Peter had found a way.
"He didn't even want to bring you Peter," Thanos shook his head sadly. "He never wanted you here. Because you just get in the way with him, you make his job harder because he always has to watch every move, not because he's afraid you'll get hurt, but because he's afraid you will jeopardize his mission."
"That's not true," Peter said weakly, but even his own tone betrayed him.
The darkness engulfed him and then spat him out seconds before he was pulled away by Thanos so many days before.
"I love you," he said. He wanted him to know.
Silence. Tony's hand missed him completely. But more importantly, the silence.
"He never said I love you too Peter," Thanos said. Peter hung his head and looked away, his breathing speeding up.
"You told him you loved him and he never said it back."
They were losing. Slowly.
Doctor Strange lashes magical cords around the titan's waist, but that was his mistake. Thanos grabs the cord and yanks, sending Strange reeling. Thanos catches him by the throat and he grabs futilely at Thanos' hand.
"You're full of tricks wizard. You never once used your greatest weapon," Thanos snarled.
"No!" Strange yelled as Thanos' hand closed around the Eye of Agamotto.
Thanos crushed it with his bare hands, muttering, "A fake."
He throws Doctor Strange, hurtling him into a pile of rocks where the doctor lays unconscious.
Thanos' mind splits and he closes his eyes to enter the other reality, remembering Tony's memories about their plan.
"Your stone should be a decoy," Tony said, pointing to the wizard. "I agree, we can't risk having both of the stones ready for his taking, but Thanos won't know that."
"My ship is fueled. We could put it on there and in case something goes south I can take it and run," Quill suggested.
Thanos turns and sure enough he sees the Benetar peeking out behind the building. Thanos roars and sends a blast hurtling towards the ship. It explodes on impact and he sees Quill, with a necklace clenched in his hand, turn around with horror on his face.
Drax roars with anger and he starts forward with Nebula and Bruce but Thanos sends a straight line of energy from the power stones, knocking them all off their feet and onto the ground where they lie unconscious. Then he blasts off Veronica's right arm, making Bruce flinch unconsciously as his suit is ripped from his body.
Sam dives for him and Thanos grabs one of his wings, wrenching it free and Sam spirals out of control, crashing to the ground. He's stuck under rubble because of his broken wing and Bucky is at his side, wedging a rod beneath the metal crushing him and pushing down, trying to free him.
Thanos pulses with the space stone and suddenly Quill is standing in front of him, shocked. The man brings up his blaster and gets about two shots off, hitting Thanos' arm but doing nothing before the titan makes his move. He swipes Quill's feet out from under him and slams his foot down on his chest. The man screams in pain, coughing up blood and Thanos leans down, snatching the necklace from his clenched hand, picking him up, and hurtling him away.
He's caught by Rhodey who sets him down behind a pile of rubble as Quill groans in pain.
Thanos crushes the real necklace in his hand and the stone floats into the air.
Cap screams, "No!" He throws his shield as hard as he can, swirling towards Thanos.
The titan catches the end of it before it can hit and tosses it aside, locking the stone in place. He clenches his fist and roars in pain, power flowing through him.
Cap looks up in fear, Rhodey retrieving his shield since he's the only one flying now. Cap locks it in place and stands in shock. One stone left. Vision.
"Cap, what do we do?" Clint says, an arrow ready to fly at Thanos, but even he knows it will act as nothing but a distraction. They've tired themselves out fighting this titan and he's not even bleeding.
"Wanda, stay with Vision. We can't let him get this last stone. This ends now," Cap says firmly.
Nat looks at the sunrise behind the titan who is regaining his bearings. She gives Cap a tense smile. "There are worse ways to go. Where else am I gonna get a view like this?"
She had said that on Sokovia, but Cap thinks this might be it. This might be how they go down. He doesn't know what to say back.
Cap tightens his shield and starts the run forward.
Peter watches something that must be one of Tony's memories, because he's not present and after a couple seconds he realizes this is the plan they had made. The plan to call Thanos, bargain with him, and when Thanos threatened to kill Peter, have Tony 'betray' everyone and plead to spare his life, giving in to the titan's request. Peter was a little nervous, knowing that everything that had happened was part of a plan, but that didn't mean that Tony was just reading lines...did it?
"I'll make it convincing. Heck, I'll even cry, shed some tears for that bastard," Tony scoffed.
The memory sped up and Tony was speaking again.
"This is the only option we have. We need to get to Thanos. We need him here, we need him now, on our own terms, our own times. What better way to fake this than for him to think I've cracked?"
"Cracked?" Thanos asked. "He played you. He played me. He never cared about what he did to you. It was about getting me where the team wanted me. Don't you see Peter? He's tricked both of us. How does it feel to know all that was just acting, it was fake, it was scripted, every line, everything... None of it meant anything to him. Just rehearsed words."
Peter pressed his lips together, gulping, but said nothing. Maybe if he didn't say anything, Thanos wouldn't know he was getting to him. The smile Thanos had on meant that Peter's silence was answer enough.
The scene changed and Nebula and Tony were sitting in the kitchen at the table.
"There's nothing I wouldn't do for my team that kid ya know? If Thanos told me to stab myself in order to save one of them the kid, I'd do it."
"But Peter...he's...different."
Peter was shocked by that one. Did Tony really say that? He couldn't have...
Thanos shook his head sadly, "He wouldn't die for you. He doesn't need you. Not like you need him."
"If You're nothing without this suit. then You shouldn't have it."
Part of Peter's mind knew that wasn't right. That wasn't what Tony had said. Or maybe he had just heard him wrong. Maybe it was Peter desperately trying to believe he meant something to Tony, switching around his memories for his own good.
Peter stayed quiet.
Thanos put a hand on his shoulder, "He told you so Peter, he confirmed your worst fears. You're nothing to him, or to yourself. But not to me."
Peter looked up at him, for once, with a calm expression.
"Help me Peter. You're strong, and I'm the only one-" Thanos roared in pain as a metal rod went through his shoulder. The world around him changed, glitching and Peter stumbled back in shock.
Thanos howled, seething with gritted teeth, as the rod was pulled out and Thanos dropped to his knees. The minute he hit the floor Peter opened his eyes, breathing hard, trying to scramble away. He found he couldn't go anywhere; his hands were bound to the machine. He groaned in pain, muffled from the gag over his mouth.
Peter looked up and saw Tony there, still holding his bleeding side with one hand, but the other hand was holding the rod he had shoved into Thanos' shoulder.
Tony grabbed Thanos by his bad shoulder and blasted him into the far wall, stepping in front of Peter and snarling, "Get away from my kid."
Thanos was limp against the wall and he chuckled, pain lacing his tone. Tony was breathing hard, his repulsor out and heated to fire. Thanos gave one last look at Peter, then turned to Tony. He cocked his head. "I hope they remember you."
He dissapeared into a cloud of swirling red matter and Tony sank to his knees, coughing.
Peter strained against his bonds, shouting his name, muffled from the cloth. Tony couldn't make out anything else he said.
Tony groaned, wincing in pain and he pulled himself over to where Peter was trapped.
"Hey kid," Tony said weakly, cupping Peter's cheek lightly before he reached and blasted through the pole that Peter's arms were locked around. Peter was mumbling through the gag, still breathing hard as Tony took the metal casing in his hands. FRIDAY planned out a flickering path to cut which he followed, freeing Peter's hands from the metal cuffs. Then Tony reached up, wincing at the sharp pain in his side from the movement and he pulled the gag off of Peter's head, tossing it aside.
The kid gasped, coughing up blood and Tony grasped his shoulders, holding him steady, "Easy bud, easy. You with me? Hey, look at me, talk to me kid," Tony said urgently, lifting Peter's head gently so that he locked eyes with him.
Peter grinned, licking his split lip and leaning into Tony's arms that supported him, "About time you showed up."
Tony held back a laugh, ruffling his hair. "God..." he choked out.
"Hey...Tony," Peter said weakly, just to say his name, looking up at him and grasping his forearms in return. Tony flinched, realizing his voice was even more raspy than it had been on the recording, and he looked twice as bad. But relief visibly flooded through the kid and Peter took a deep breath, sounding like it was the first one in a long while.
Then his gaze flicked down to his side that Tony was clasping with his bloodied hand and he reached for it, "No- Tony- your side-"
"I'm fine kid, promise," Tony assured him, gently pulling his hand way from where Peter's fingers trembled, hovering above the cut.
Tony couldn't tell him how happy he was to have him back. He sighed, looking at Peter with pride and he grasped Peter's shoulder firmly. Their gazes said everything and Tony lowered his head before Peter could see the tears in his eyes.
He bit his lip, looking up again at Peter with guilt, "Peter everything he did to you. I'm sorry- it's my fault and I- I should have said it back. There was time to. I was just in shock and I realized I could lose you- and then I did lose you-" Tony spluttered.
I love you too.
"I know," Peter said, wincing in pain but still managing to smile.
"Did you seriously just quote Stark Wars on me?" Tony laughed weakly. "I do not want a single pop culture reference out of you for the next month, understand?"
Peter gave a week laugh and Tony cupped the back of his head with his hand, Peter's curls damp and tangled under his fingers. He brought his hand back, lightly punching Peter's chest, a gesture they always did in the lab, making the boy laugh and smack his hand back, grinning.
"Don't you ever- don't you ever step in front of me again, you hear me?" he said firmly.
"No promises," Peter grinned, not joking at all.
Tony sighed and rubbed a hand over his face, reminding himself that getting attached to the kid was the reason he had gotten into this mess in the first place.
Then he and Peter exchanged glances and Tony nodded. Again, so much was said in a simple second of eye contact.
"Peter," Tony said nervously. "What he showed you, whatever he did..."
"I know," Peter coughed, nodding firmly. "I never should have believed anything he said. I'm sorry."
"No Pete, don't say sorry. You didn't do anything wrong. I'm just sorry I couldn't get to you sooner," he said weakly, smiling slightly at his kid.
Peter brushed it off, shaking his head, "This isn't your fault. None of it was."
Agree to disagree and both of them knew it. Tony clasped the kid's shoulder one more time, realizing he had to wait until he could talk to the kid, give him a proper hug, tell him that he was like a son to him- all that had to wait because their friends were outside and they needed help.
"Come on Underoos, let's get out of here," Tony said weakly, helping Peter up and slinging the kid's arm around him.
After a few steps however, Tony faltered and would have fallen if it had not been for Peter who slipped an arm under him, and shifted his weight so that Tony was leaning on Peter.
"That's not how it's supposed to work," Tony grumbled, trying to shift his weight back.
"Shut up old man," Peter said.
"That's it, you're grounded," Tony decided, shoving his pain down so Peter wouldn't know how bad the stab wound really was.
It worked; Peter laughed as they limped down the hallway.
Wanda ran backward with Vision until they were against the compound's wall.
"Wanda, stay back. Do not engage!" Rhodey yells. She nods firmly, helping Vision, who had been caught full in the chest by one of Thanos' blast lean against the stone.
He looks at her and she begs him not to say it but he does. "Wanda," he brushes her hair behind her ear, breathing hard, "it's- it's time."
"No," Wanda shakes her head firmly. "No."
"They can't stop him Wanda, they're getting hurt. Please, you can stop him-" Vision pleads.
Wanda looks over her shoulder and knows he's right. Thanos is even more powerful. She watching one by one as her friends fall, Bruce getting to the titan first and swinging but with one clench of his hand Bruce is somehow immaterial and he sinks into the ground, rocks closing around him.
Cap is launched off his feet before he can even throw his shield or a single punch. Sam, dipping in the sky from the loss of his wings, fires his pistols but Thanos simply bats him aside, snapping off his other wing during the fall.
"Look at me," Vision directs and Wanda turns around with tears in her eyes. He grabs her hand, "You have the power to destroy the stone."
"Don't," she says through gritted teeth. Some people might have thought she was angry. Which she was. It wasn't fair. She didn't know what else to say.
"You must do it, Wanda, please. We. Are. Out of time," he says breathlessly, giving her a brave smile.
She puts up a forcefield of red without even looking, disintegrating a piece of rebounding degree that had headed straight for them. Dust settled around them and Wanda shook her head again.
"I can't," she said weakly.
Vision pulled her closer, nodding encouragingly, his eyes filled with pain, "Yes. Yes, you can. If he gets the stone, half the universe dies- Wanda, please."
"It's not fair," she whispers.
Vision nods, "It shouldn't be you, but it is. It's all right. You could never hurt me. I just- feel you." He guides her hand until it's level with the stone as he gets down on his knees. Her fingers instinctively move to their familiar position, her fingertips sparking with red energy.
He gives her a nod and she bites her lip, letting a stream of energy hit the direct center of the stones, Vision's mouth opening in awe.
She looks behind her again with tearful eyes, seeing Rhodey dive at the titan who crushes his suit with the reality stone, sending Rhodey tumbling away, immobile. Bucky fires round after round, all direct hits, because the Winter Solider never misses but he's punched in the gut and blown backward, his head hitting a rock, immediately knocking him unconscious. Natasha slides under a swing from the titan and attempts a strike but her hand freezes in mid air and Thanos, turning, the space stone gleaming bright blue, flips her away and as she sinks into the ground, rocks cover her, pinning her to the destroyed ground.
Running out of time she adds her left hand in another stream, her hair whipping across her face as she whirls her head at the sound of a yell. Cap ducks a punch and throws his sheild. Thanos bats it away but Cap keeps going and as Thanos brings his gauntlet down Cap catches it, looking up at Thanos and screaming, keeping the gauntlet from clenching, gripping Thanos' fingers with all of his might and pushing back.
The titan hits him in the side of his head and Cap goes down, immediately unconcious, possibly dead from that hit to the head. Wanda bites her lip, swallowing a sob. She makes eye contact with Vision before turning and shooting a beam at Thanos who unexpectedly pushes back, originally sliding back a few steps. She fights to fend him off and he shoves backward with his energy shield, slowly gaining on them.
Wanda knows she has to do it, and she turns, holding back Thanos with one hand and locking eyes with Vision, tears falling freely.
"It's all right. I love you," Vision says softly.
Wanda pulses, the mind stone cracking and a wave of relief comes over Vision's face as the yellow crystal explodes, the whole ground shaking, fragments of the Mind stone littering the ground that Wanda sinks to.
If Thanos kills her right then and there, she might almost thank him. The titan walks forward to where Wanda is limp on the ground, crying. He puts a gentle hand on her head, as if to somehow comfort her.
"I understand, my child. Better than anyone," Thanos says.
She looks up with hate and snarls, "You could never."
"Today, I lost more than you can know. But now is no time to mourn. Now... is no time at all." He clenches the gauntlet and makes a circle around his wrist. The dust that had settles picked back up and Wanda realizes what he's doing too late.
"NO!"
Cap stirred, blinking, searing pain splitting in his skull. He let out a groan, gritting his teeth and finally got the energy to raise himself, his forearms shaking as he got to his hands and knees. Cap stood swaying, and regained his bearings, the world spinning on him.
It was eerily quiet, the wind blowing softly, dust floating around the exploded tarmac.
"Steve?"
Cap turned around at the sound of his friend's voice, relieved he was still alive, but his smile soon fell. He and Bucky locked eyes and he froze, watching as Bucky's arm withered away into dust. Bucky looked at it in confusion, as if examining his hand before looking back at Steve. His gun dropped out of his hand that was no longer there, hitting the ground with a hollow clatter.
As he fell the rest of his body turned to dust before he even hit the ground. Cap started forward, the scream dying in his throat, his heart stopping, his hands shaking. Steve fell to his knees, brushing the pile of dust with his hand that had just been his best friend. His gun lay vacant on the pile of grey ash.
"Guys-" he choked out, his voice tackled by pure shock. He looked up in horror, trying to figure out what happened.
He saw Rhodey at Sam's side, holding his arm as the Falcon tried to sit up. Sam made eye contact with Cap, and then he fades into dust without a word, floating away into the wind. Rhodey grabbed at him, but all he grabbed was ash, and slowly War Machine's hand unclenched and he sank to his knees by his friend's side. Steve made eye contact with Rhodey who bore the same expression.
"What-" Steve gasped.
They both turned and saw Wanda, limp by a fallen Vision's side- the android different shades of grey, a hole in his head where the stone used to be, turn to dust, a tear falling into the pile of ash she turned into. Cap's throat closed, his heartbeat speeding up now as he whirled, pleading this to be a dream, pleading this to be hell if he somehow died, if that's what happened. He would rather die and have this be eternal hell for him then to live in this reality.
Thanos had snapped, hadn't he? He had gotten all the stones. Half the universe was going to die. They didn't stop him. Screams echoed from afar, the ground shaking, small rattling explosions sounding from all around. The titan was no where to be found.
"There was no other way," Doctor Strange murmured, and Steve spun. The doctor nodded gravely at Cap who gasped and started forward, breathing hard. He stopped in his tracks as Doctor Strange dissolved peacefully.
"No- this-" Steve stumbled on his words.
"Something's happening," Mantis said fearfully and Cap turned toward where the gaurdians and Nebula were standing, all helping each other to their feet.
She disintegrated before their eyes and Drax whispered, "No-", trying to reach for her, but then his hand was turning to dust as well.
"Quill?" Drax said fearfully, Quill staring in horror as Drax fades into dust as well, looking up into the sky.
Quill gets an awful look over his face and Cap starts forward. "Quill? Steady-"
"Oh man," Quill says quietly, disappearing, his body crumbling and being blown away in the wind.
Cap turned around, panic setting in as he looked at the dust being blown into the air. He made eye contact with his remaining friends, tears filling his eyes and he took gasping breaths, falling to his knees.
"Oh God."
Tony his limping towards the ramp of the ship when suddenly Peter stumbles.
"Kid, kid, hey, I gotcha, come on, just a little further," he says firmly, clutching a hand against his side.
"T- Tony?" Peter asks weakly. Tony freezes. He's heard that tone only once before, during a mission where Peter had gotten stabbed and almost bled out on him.
"I don't feel so good," Peter says weakly, clutching his stomach and staggering.
There's a low rumble and suddenly the ship rocks, jerking to the side. Tony looses his grip on the kid and he shoves Peter backward in a last effort to keep him from falling off the edge and getting even more hurt. Tony goes tumbling down the ramp, Peter stumbling weakly into the wall.
Tony lands on his bad side, biting his lip so hard he tastes blood in an attempt not to scream. He gasps, blood dripping from his blood and his hands are shaking as he slowly rises onto his knees.
"You're- you're alright," Tony coughs weakly, trying to get to his feet and find Peter, blood pouring out of his wound. He can't make it up the ramp and Peter knows that, the kid coming into view, using the wall as support.
The kid comes walking down the ramp, swaying and holding his stomach, breathing unevenly, his face pale, his eyes wide with fear, "I don't know what's- I don't know what's happening- I don't-"
He stumbles on the last lip, tripping. Tony catches him, Peter slamming into his arms. Peter grasps him tightly and Tony's heart stops. The teen's arms pull him closer, desperately clutching at him like he's afraid he's going to disappear. Tony does the same, not knowing what's happening, in total shock, but something bad is happening, Tony knows that. Something very very bad.
He wouldn't let Peter get hurt anymore, he wouldn't. Not again. Not when he had just got him back. Tony wraps his arms firmly around his kid, cupping the back of his head, clutching Peter's brown hair to his shoulder as the kid starts to sob.
"I don't want to go, I don't want to go, Mr. Stark please, I don't want to go, I don't want to go-" Peter cries weakly, falling backward.
Tony tries to keep him upright, he tries so hard, but his ribs are busted and the sharp pain running through his side, blood covering his pants- Tony lowers Peter as softly as he can, but it's hardly soft. They both collapse onto the ground, dust rising up from the impact.
Peter looks at Tony with tears in his eyes.
"No," Tony says weakly, or maybe he doesn't say it out loud. He can't think. He can't speak. He just got his kid back, he can't lose him again. No, God, please no-
"I'm sorry," Peter says, his voice shattering.
Tony clutches his kid's shoulder, his other hand supporting his head. Peter's hand is tightly gripping his forearm and Tony shakes his head, trying to give Peter a brave smile but failing, his face screwed up with fear and pain and pure terror of losing the one person he had just gotten back. The one person he had sworn to protect, to love...the one person he had finally gotten to hug, but it was in the most awful circumstance.
Tony shook his head again, pleading with fate, with destiny, with anyone who was listening, his breathing speeding up as he holds Peter harder.
He feels the kid's grip loosen and suddenly there's dust on his suit, cracking and flaking. Peter's hand turns to dust, unclenching from Tony's arm. The kid's brown eyes are filled with fear as he looks away.
The kid turns to dust in Tony's arms, despite how hard he was gripping him, ash falling into his open palm that had once been clutching the back of Peter's head, entwined in his curls.
Tony can't breathe.
He can't think.
Take me too he thinks. If fate wanted to take Peter, take him too. He looks down at his hand and then closes his eyes, gripping the dust into a trembling fist, waiting for his body to fade away as well. But he never does.
Tony stays on the ground, shaking in disbelief, gasping and choking on the air, his jaw clenched, his eyes wide. He lets the dust fall from his hand and slowly gets into a sitting position, looking up at the ash filled sky, taking choked sobbing gasps that just make him hyperventilate more.
Tony takes a shaky breath, shock kicking in as he puts a hand over his clenched fist and brings it down under his chin, his arm to his sides.
A tear falls down his cheek and Tony closes his eyes.
Author's Note:
FOR THOSE WHO DON'T LIKE THIS ENDING- so I guess everyone because it was harsh. I'm sorry, I had to XD
I wrote a version of endgame before the movie came out, so because of that i will not be writing a sequel :( but hopefullyyyyy that can patch this sad ending up :)
https://archiveofourown.org/works/17841668/chapters/42100697