A/N: This was a short idea I had when I first watched infinity war. Originally published on Archive of our Own. Enjoy!!
They had let Thanos get away! They were so close to taking his gauntlet but the idiot with the mask over there had to ruin the plan by punching Thanos in the face too early. Tony knew it wasn't completely Star-Lords fault but he needed to blame someone right now and he seemed like the perfect candidate.
Out of nowhere the Gaurdians of the Galaxy, at least the ones who where with him started to fade. They all disintigrated into dust around him. The brown particles of their now deceased bodies floated away, taken by the breeze. Tony looked around, shocked and scared. He was Tony Stark for crying out loud! He didn't get scared! But even he didn't believe his own lie.
There was a rustle behind him and he turned to face the noise. Stephen Strange was sitting on the ruble of the doughnut shaped spaceship looking at him. He let out a small chuckle before mumbling something to Tony. Something Tony wasn't quite aware of because he was to focused on the "wizard's" legs turning into dirt before all of his body followed suit.
"Mr. Stark, I don't feel so good."
Tony turns to face the sound that came from his kid and that's when Tony felt a sharp stab right in the heart. He didn't actually get stabbed it just felt like it. No! Peter was going to be alright! He was just winded from earlier and he's only feeling that now because he ran out of adrenaline! That had to be it! He kept repeating that to himself even though Peter looked ready to pass out. His face sheen with sweat and his feet and legs flaking brown particles.
Suddenly Peter leaps into his arms and clutches on to him with all his strength that is gradually depleting.
"I don't want to go Mr. Stark! Please! I don't want to go!!"
Tony hugs him as tight as he can and tries to reassure him but his throat is so dry and swollen from choking back tears that he can't say anything. The only thing he can do it hug the kid he has started to see as his son. He started to remember the conversation he had earlier with Pepper, the one in which he wanted a kid and realized that he already had one. He had a son, one who was sobbing and pleading into his chest repeatedly saying he didn't want to die. A son who was dying in his arms.
Peter's legs buckled and he fell toward the ground, he would have faceplanted had Tony not eased him on to his back. Peter looked up at Tony with tears in his eyes, a sight that shattered Tony's heart. How could a kid this young and innocent fall victim to the most evil man in the world, a man who would kill his own daughter just to be able to then kill half of the universe. Peter didn't deserve this! And at that moment Tony never had wanted to be in someone else's place more than now. It should be him not Peter that should be lying on the ground!
Peter looked at him and suddenly all fear left his face as if he had come to terms with his fear and instead a great sadness flooded into his eyes making them water more. Then Peter managed to choke out ," I'm s-sorry, Tony" before the flaking reached his chest and a gust of wind blew the particles away leaving Tony to clutch at the dirt. Tony just started blankly at the ground not quite processing what happened yet, tears streaming down his face. He just lost one of the people that meant the world to him. He turned over and sat on the ground sobbing into his hands ignoring the only person left.
"Mr. Stark! Wake up!"
Tony slowly opened his eyes still grieving the loss of Peter only to find him starring at him in concern. He looked around and noticed that he was still in the doughnut spaceship.
"It was a dream?"
"I'm guessing so, are you ok Mr. Stark? You're white as a sheet."
Then he did the most unexpected thing ever, he sat up, stood up and hugged Peter. All in the matter of two seconds, then he started sobbing leaving Peter completely dumbfounded so Peter did the only thing he could think of and hugged him back.
"You're alive! Thank god you're alive! I love you so much son. Please don't leave me again!" Tony sobbed into Peter's hair while Peter stood there hugging Tony back, shocked.
"I see you as my father figure too. I'm not going to leave you, I promise."
They hugged for a little bit longer and then got back to flying the ship. The landing on Titan was rough and ended up destroying the ship... just like in his nightmare. Stephen helped him up and he started to frantically looking around for Peter. Suddenly Peter dangled down from the frame that was left in spider fashion.
"If aliens plant eggs in my chest and I eat you guys I'm sorry."
"What?"
"I'm just trying to tell you that something is coming."
... Just like his dream.
"We don't work for Thanos!" He shouted, hoping it was the gaurdians.
"Who are you guys?" They responded.
"We are the Avengers. Star-lord come up with a plan to trap Thanos and when we have him I need you to back away from him at least 100 yarda or else we all die. Are we good?"
Everyone stared at Tony like he was insane except for Stephen who knew what he was talking about. At the end they listened to him and followed the plan just like the one in Tony's dream. All except the part where Star-Lord loses it and then everyone dies.
A month later Peter shows up at avengers tower all hyper.
"So dad where are we going to dinner? Are we going with the avengers? Am I dressed ok?"
"Yes son, calm down you'll see."
The "dad" and "son" nicknames began after the war as a small joke and the just kind of stuck. Everyone knew that Tony and Peter weren't biologically related but they had a special bond, one resembling that of parent and child.
Everything was ok.
A/N : If you have and idea or request for a second chapter feel free to send me a message or comment! I hope you enjoyed this short little fic!
