I decided that I needed to write the stories I've held onto since Infinity War before Endgame came out and the impact of these stories were lessened. I have a feeling this is going to be one of my favorites in the bunch.
"You come into my house just to tell me my nephew is dead? Get out! Get out! Get out! Get out!" May was hollering, her face red from anger and tears. Tony's head was heavy with guilt.
"I'm sorry May, it was beyond my control. I cared about Peter. Thanos didn't discriminate, if there had been anything I could've done, any possible way that it was me rather than him, I would have taken his place. I'm sorry May."
"Get out!" She slammed the door, and turned away sobbing, falling on her knees, but she wasn't mad at Tony Stark. This Thanos guy was the one who took her sweet nephew away? This Thanos guy was going down.
Ned rushed to her side. He'd been with her the night Peter didn't come home, hoping that Spiderman would walk through that door. Then he had gone home himself, but the house was empty, his family was completely gone. So he'd been staying here, hoping with May until Stark came and shattered their hopes. Ned hugged her, but she wouldn't just kneel there in submission to the fate that they'd been forced into. She would not accept these needless deaths.
"Justice." She said, first quietly as she pushed herself up.
"Justice for the universe." She growled defiantly. Ned stood as well, a little fearful.
"N-need a guy in the chair?" He asked, scared of the person who had killed half the universe, but a little bit more scared of the fearless woman before him.
"Oh no, Ned. You won't be playing guy in the chair. You're coming with me onto the front lines." He gulped, but Aunt May was his family now, and they would get Peter back or avenge him or die trying.
It was clear, the way the fire in her eyes blazed, that she believed the Avengers had failed. And Ned could see it that way too. Of course, he didn't want to. The Avengers had been his heroes for a long time. Peter becoming one was the coolest thing to happen to either of them. And now his best friend was dead. The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. If he'd been Bruce Banner, he would've been full hulk by now. This was wrong. Peter being dead was wrong. Peter deserved more than this. More than becoming dust on some far away planet. He deserved to live a full life.
"Justice," Ned agreed, and then hesitated.
"Where do we go to get justice?"
"Tony thinks he can come into our house and be the bearer of bad news? Let's just pay a visit to his."
"We're going to break into Tony Stark's Avenger Facility?"
"Where else am I going to get an Iron Man suit at this hour of the day?"
"You're insane," Ned said reverently.
"And I bet Tony has a backup Spiderman suit as well."
"I get to be Spiderman?"
"Yep."
"I'll do it for you, Peter..." Ned whispered, knowing he'd never be half as good as his friend, but knowing that the world was just going to keep needing a hero. If he could even try to be that in this time of desperate need, he would do it.
"Let's go kill a Titan."
May was dedicated and fearless. Her nephew had been taken from her, and she'd decided she was done being passive while things were taken for her. That's how she'd lost her husband. She hadn't fought back then, hadn't known what there was to fight. But it was clear now. There was a name and an ugly purple face to the monster that had killed Peter with the same effortlessness as eating a cheeto. She was going to wreck him for that. And if wrecking Thanos cost Stark some money, well that would be a nice bonus as well.
Ned was dedicated but not at all fearless. In fact, he was very much afraid. His hands couldn't help shaking as he walked, and he was wondering whether or not he was having a full-fledged panic attack. He worked a lot better as the guy in the chair. He worked a lot better behind the scenes, where no one could get to him. Where there was no all-powerful titan who could just make people disappear. His best friend had died, his whole family had died. Everyone he loved had died, and it was selfish, but he was scared of dying too. He was scared of what Thanos could do to him. Which was stupid, because half the universe had been erased, so why the heck was he thinking about himself? But he was, and it was embarrassing. It was embarrassing how afraid he was, and it was embarrassing that he just stood there shaking and let himself be afraid. He wished he could be as fearless as May was, as she broke into the Avenger's upstate facility. But he wasn't that brave. He would much rather be on the sidelines.
So he was just a little bit relieved when they got caught. Someone had been bound to catch them breaking in. They weren't professionals, although May was surprisingly and alarmingly good at getting past the locks and security. So good, that she had an Iron Man suit on, and he had a Spiderman mask on and was checking in on instant kill when they were caught.
"Listen, I know you both mean well, and that Peter needs to be avenged, but people far more prepared to fight Thanos than you could not succeed against him. May, losing Peter destroyed me too, you have to know that. And I want to punch Thanos in the face as much as you do. But you and Ned losing your lives wouldn't help Peter or make up for his death. You two have to stay safe, and you have to protect each other now, okay?" Tony reasoned with them as he took the suit from Ned.
"He's right, May... No amount of determination and anger towards Thanos could actually beat him. We can't win this one. We just have to stay out of the way so that other people can try to beat him. For Peter."
"You're just afraid, Ned." May was blinded with anger.
"And I should be! Everyone should be. If even the Avengers are afraid, you know that fear is an acceptable response. I'm grieving too, May. I loved Peter too. But Peter would want us to be okay."
"This is worth dying for."
"You're not dying for this," Tony interjected.
"I'm not going to do anything to you for breaking in, I'm not mad about that. But you can't do anything rash, May, and if you insist upon it, then I will have to lock you up. Ned, look after her. Protect her. That's your role in this, and it's an important one. That's what you can do for Peter. Keep his family safe." Ned nodded. He'd thought, maybe, that he could be a hero. That he could save the world. But he couldn't. All he could do was save one person. And that would be enough.
"And, May? Protect him. You have a second chance May, and you're not seeing it. Peter is gone, but you two are family. You need to protect each other." May looked at Ned and then nodded, putting an arm on Ned's shoulder.
"I shouldn't have tried to put your life at risk too. Thanos... Thanos can't take someone else from me." Tony nodded.
"Thank you. I'm so, so sorry."
"Punch Thanos in the face for me, and I might forgive you."
I was initially going to have May and Ned take Thanos on, but I don't think that's plausible, so I decided to end it here.