Day 86
Tony peeled his eyes open and found himself lying on his back, on the cold metal floor of the Guardian’s spacecraft, staring up at a glass window in the ceiling. Cold stars burned a millennia away. He contemplated getting up, but there wasn’t much point, and the sky above him was so beautiful, and he really had no reason to get up. He didn’t mind staying in the stars’ cold and distant light. He wondered if one of them was the sun. Which way in the massive black eternity was his tiny planet… his home? Was anyone there waiting for him? Or had everyone he ever loved been torn from him?
“Mr. Stark?” A familiar voice echoed through the ship. Tony sat up.
“Peter?!” Tony cried into the darkness.
“Please Mr. Stark! I’m scared,” Peter’s voice cried again.
“Kid where are you!” Tony called and climbed to his feet, “Peter!”
“I’m right here Mr. Stark,” Tony whirled around at the sound of Peter’s voice behind him. His voice had just been coming from the other direction, but all the same the kid stood before him crowned in the pale star light. He looked almost like a ghost.
“Kid how-?” Tony breathed, “How are you back-”
Peter smiled and reached his arms open. Tony rushed to him accepting the hug.
“How are you here?” Tony repeated tears brimming in his eyes.
“I’m not,” The voice that replied was masked with evil and hate. Wrong. It was so wrong. Not Peter. Tony tried to pull away, but the kid grabbed, “I am not here, and it's your fault. You could have saved us.”
Tony’s sword- the sword -extended from Peter’s arm and he gave Tony a look of pure hate that burned a hole in Tony's heart.
“You deserve this,” He drove the sword forward. Tony tried to scream in pain, but all of the air left his body from the force of the blade plunging through his abdomen. He stared in shock at his son. The boy just smiled coldly and let go of him. Tony stumbled back a few steps, gasping desperately for air, before sinking to the ground.
“You could have saved us. This is your fault.”
“I’m- I’m sorry… I tried… Peter I tried,” Tears dripped down Tony’s cheeks as he choked out his apology.
“But it wasn’t enough,” The boy replied coldly, “You should have died.”
Tony just stared up at him in horror, he couldn’t make himself speak.
“Half the universe is dead, and it is your fault. Good-bye.”
The kid crumbled away to dust before Tony’s eyes.
“No…” He sobbed and closed his eyes. Now he was going to die, actually die, just like he should have back on Titan.
“TONY!” A hand grabbed his shoulder and he was ripped out of the ship, “Tony wake up!”
His eyes snapped open and he sat bolt upright in bed with a scream. He could still feel hot tears streaming down his cheeks; his whole body was shaking.
“Tony, baby you’re fine. You’re fine,” Pepper grabbed him and pulled him close to her, “You’re okay, it was just a dream…”
“But-” Tony tried to find a way to put words into his mouth but he failed... he always failed...
“You are home. You’re safe,” Pepper ran her fingers through his hair as she cradled him. Tony let the sobs that he had been holding back for so long, go. He cried into his fiancee’s shoulder as she held him and rocked him back and forth in the bed.
“It’s my fault!” Tony cried around his uncontrollable gasps.
“No baby. No it’s not. This isn’t your fault,” Pepper kissed the top of his head and hugged him closer. He gripped her soft shirt in his hands and leaned his head against her chest. He didn’t say anything else, and neither did she. He only cried, and she held him.