No more defending the lies
Behind the never ending war
It's time to make them realize
We will no longer be their whore
No more, no more
No more, no more
No more, no more

They don't care about the blood on their hands
Look at the world and you will understand
They count the money as the innocent continue to bleed
They're always planting the seed
So tell me people are you ready to die?
We're not believing in the reason why
The paint a picture and the whole damn world is deceived
It's all that they ever need

No More, by Disturbed, from the album Evolution, released in 2018


Peter, Rhodey, and Pepper were anxiously waiting in what used to be Sparrow's hospital room. Rhodey was pacing backwards and forwards, Pepper was trying to discretely watch Peter and simultaneously hide the tear tracks running down her face, and Peter was just quiet, unspeaking, not moving. Pale-faced, thoughts spiralling, his Bambi eyes watering. They had all gotten the reassurance that Sparrow had indeed picked Tony up as she had claimed, but they were both unresponsive and unconscious within the two suits.

Doctors were waiting on standby as FRIDAY counted down the ETA, the numbers decreasing too slowly for everyone's liking. The first suit to arrive was Tony, the Iron Man suit ramming directly through the window before being delicately arranged on the bed. In a smooth movement, it disassembled around him, almost melting away from him as it reformed into a suitcase, which Pepper hastily took as the Doctors rushed around him, placing an oxygen mask on the unconscious hero and connecting him to both an IV and a heart rate monitor.

This time it was Pepper's turn to pale as she stared at the man she loved, bruised, bleeding, and unconscious. Rhodey wrapped her in a hug, and Rhodey gently guided Peter into the hug, although he still remained unresponsive. A few minutes later, another suit came flying in, this one blue coloured with silver plates. Peter jumped, alarmed as it nestled on the other prepared bed, but this time it had to reopen to allow the unconscious Sparrow out.

She wasn't looking much better, as the three quickly pulled the pieces of the suit to the side. There were two different teams of doctors working to save the duo's life, and soon Sparrow was in a similar situation to Tony, connected to a heart monitor, IV, and various other things. Rhodey subtly shifted so that Peter couldn't see either of the two, but the boy was beginning to shake violently.

"W-Why...why would she take t-that suit?.."

He asked quietly, tremors throughout his voice, breaking the silence he had been in before. Rhodey blinked, before trying to soothe the boy that Tony had adopted as his own, questioning why the suit would matter. But Peter knew. That suit wasn't ready. It was barely flyable, with hardly any of the features a complete Iron Man suit would have, the only thing it had was some experimental weaponry.

"I-it wasn't ready. It didn't have b-basic internal heating, basic anything, or o-other features.."

Suddenly a large shrill, continuous beep emerged, and the three of them were hustled out by a nurse, and into the adjacent waiting room. Peter's stomach plummeted as if he had just thrown himself off of Stark Tower itself because he knew that sound. He knew it. He knew it from watching all those drama shows with May, all those movies where someone died.

He knew why they had been shuffled out of the room- someone had flat-lined. They didn't know who. Even craning his super hearing, he couldn't make out who. Only the shrill sounds of the erratic heart monitor, the static electricity, the doctors scrambling around whoever it was.

"Sssh Pete. Petey. It will be fine. Tony and Sparrow? They're fighters. I've seen so much shit beat that man down and he's risen back up again. Broken and hurt, but he rose. Sparrow is much the same- I have faith they'll come back to us."


They were allowed back in after about fifty minutes but were informed that unless a miracle took place, it would be difficult for Tony to recover. The sternum, that had once replaced the arc reactor, had shattered, the shards nearing Tony's heart every minute, in an odd mimicry of the shrapnel that Tony had long since had removed. Too close to operate, and Tony was too weak to survive the impendent surgery.

As it was, they had barely gotten his heart beating again after it had flat-lined after the trauma. Reportedly, Sparrow wasn't doing much better, her own body deteriorating every day, leaving the doctors stumped. Other than her injuries, broken ribs, and various other ailments, her body should be able to support herself. But it wasn't. Why?

Peter couldn't lose both of them. He loved them both. Why was everyone taken away from him? It wasn't fair. Rhodey was pacing, twice as fast as before, practically giving Tony and Sparrow a 'you better not give up talk', and Pepper was sitting at Tony's other side, holding his calloused hand in her own. Normally Tony would twitch in response to someone touching his hands, his way of trying to protect himself, but he was still. Deathly still.

Peter was touching both of their hands, before something overcame his sight, the entire room warping into something different. Blinking, thinking he was hallucinating as the unconscious forms of Sparrow and Tony disappeared, he looked to his left and his right to see both Pepper and Rhodey with him, seemingly unharmed. They looked at each other in shock, checking one another over for any potential injuries, before the black room changed around.

This time, the room was more recognisable. Hardwood floor, the tidy desk in the corner, bookshelves littered from wall to wall. They would most definitely recognise it anywhere. This was Sparrow's room. But why were they there? Where they even there in the first place? Before he could begin to panic, thinking it was some sort of delusion or nightmare, Pepper tugged his sleeve and pointed towards Sparrow's bed, where there were two figures.

One was tucked in the bed, while the other was beside them, holding their hand much like Peter had been doing to Tony and Sparrow only a few minutes earlier. Walking towards them (because it was the only thing they could really do in the room), the figure at the bedside turned towards them, and they suddenly found Tony's tired, hurting, whiskey eyes staring back at them.

Peter blinked, tears forming in his eyes at the pure sight of seeing his dad so healthy, that he ran towards him, and the man actually wrapped his hands around the boy, soothing him in the way that only Tony could. Pepper and Rhodey approached hesitantly, as Peter turned to look at who was in the bed, only to see that it was Sparrow, looking pale and ill- a mirror of her condition in the hospital.

"Hey Pep... Rhodey... Pete."

Peter couldn't do anything but sob into his warm, machine oil smelling body, as Rhodey wrapped his arm around Pepper in an act of trying to calm her down. Tony, catching this, gently pushed Peter away, leaving the boy momentarily hurt as he tried to sniffle and wipe his tears away.

"How do we know that you are Tony? Because last I checked, you were waiting for a miracle."

Rhodey was throwing the Doctor's words back in Tony's face, and other then the twitching of his body, it was difficult to determine how Rhodey was feeling. Probably because he was used to keeping his emotions hidden from when he was in the air force. Presumably, he was much like Tony in that way, except Rhodey was much more open around those he trusted.

Tony tried though. He really did. Something was telling Peter that it was indeed Tony, wherever they were. He watched Tony keep his calm facade, but he had a downturned frown as he turned to face Sparrow, who, if Peter craned his ears, was breathing shallowly and twitching.

"My mother taught me Italian. E io ti ho insegnato." (and I taught you)

Tony rattled off the Italian with ease, and even now, it still surprised Peter how fluent he was. It wasn't known to many that Tony could even speak Italian, because he rarely used it, and it wasn't a well-known fact that Tony had taught Rhodey it, in MIT. Originally, Peter had thought that he had learned it for something relating to SI, or even to calm down Sparrow sometimes, but no. Turns out he had just learned it from Maria Stark herself.

"It was my first language. Howard didn't like it."

Rhodey nodded, before striding towards Tony and meeting him with a rough shake of his hand. True to form, Tony possessed that telltale little tremor that Peter had missed earlier. Sparrow quivered in the bed, and Tony reached over to her and put his hands on her head with grace, trying to soothe her with murmurs in different languages.

Another little known fact about Tony- he was fluent in various different languages. Most notably, French, Italian, German, and Dutch. Russian however? He had been learning it for Sparrow's benefit. The language tended to soothe her when she accidentally slipped back into the language when having either a panic attack or a PTSD attack. Rhodey rushed to his side, but there wasn't much he could do for the girl other then what Tony was doing.

"What's wrong with her? Where are we?"

"I'm not good with all this hand-wavy healy stuff"

Tony began, gesticulating wildly yet also conveying some degree of tiredness. He looked like what he did when he went on workshop or lab binges, yet somehow so much worse. Peter wasn't even aware that it was possible- and he'd seen Tony working on three sleepless nights and days. Every so often, Tony's hand would rise to his chest and place it flat there as he breathed, almost as if he was trying to make sure he was still breathing.

"But from what 'Roe told me before... that"

He gestured to the shivering yet still form of Sparrow, as Pepper was sat down in one of the three chairs that had appeared from the middle of nowhere. Literally. They hadn't been there a couple of seconds ago. They were like the chairs in the workshop, as comfy and rigid as Peter remembered them being.

Still, he dragged his chair over to Tony's and sat next to him, leaning into his ribs in a sensation he hadn't even realised he missed. The repetitive beat of his heart soothed Peter, but every so often it had a stutter. And each that time that happened, Peter went rigid.

"This is sorta like her mind. She dragged me in here when we were..coming back from Siberia. It's a real cosy place when compared to the harsh cold of Siberia. Even better when I'm not in pain. She's so weak because.. she's keeping me alive. It doesn't seem like it- trust me, going into cardiac arrest isn't fun, Pep, scratch that off my bucket list- but without her hand-wavy healy stuff? I would have been dead long ago. But.."

He paused- whether he was letting what he just said sink into their minds or that he was trying to keep his emotions under wraps Peter wasn't sure- wrapping his arm around the melancholic teen. He was sort of in awe now that he was aware that it was indeed Tony and Sparrow, but that was pushed aside in fact that not only had Tony felt his heart stop but that Sparrow was keeping him alive at the expense of her own life.

"I tried to get her to stop, to let herself recover. She refused. Adamantly. Told me that she'd already lost one father figure, she wasn't going to lose another. So, she told me that she could drag you guys into here. I don't know if she knows about my contingencies or what..but here we are."

He paused again, rubbing his chest at where the arc reactor would have been, and clenched his fist. Peter could practically tell that Tony was swimming in guilt, but there wasn't much Peter could do at the minute until Sparrow was safe and well. Because whatever he said would go in one ear and out the other, especially when she was hurt. Or when he was hurt. Tony had the same behaviour every time. Peter diplomatically hummed, trying to keep himself calm as he tapped various rhythms on Tony's knee, trying to assure himself that he, at least for the moment, was here.

"Rhodey, Pepper, I need you to go to the workshop. You know how I repurposed Mk2 into a babysitter for the bots when I went away? Walk up to it, and tell FRIDAY to run the protocol 'For Whom the Bell Tolls' with the passphrase 'Ferrum-1991-ProsperWater-Arsenic'. Inside the safe, there should be five vials, labelled with everybody's names. Take mine, and take the one labelled Sparrow. There should be a spare arc reactor in there- take that as well."

Rhodey and Pepper blinked, as Peter froze by his side. He had no idea what was in the suit safe- but obviously Tony thought it could save his life. Even more so if he wasn't saying his dramatic goodbyes..but as much as he hated to admit it, it could still happen. Peter was putting that thought to the back of his mind though because he couldn't cope with the thought of losing someone else.

"What is it?"

Pepper asked, and Tony's sad smile told her exactly what she needed to know. Peter, however, was confused, because apparently Pepper knew what it was, and judging by Rhodey's pallor face, he knew what it was as well. Both of their reactions led Peter to be concerned about what exactly the 'contingency' was.

"It's not?.."

Pepper let her sentence drag on, as she moved towards Tony, who's brown eyes were soft and wavering, displaying an uncharacteristic sign of weakness. Nodding his head, Peter pulled back from where he was lying, looking at the man he called his father with his own eyes.

"It is. I know I promised Pep, but I needed it..as a contingency. I couldn't lose any of you..call me selfish."

He turned to Sparrow, who was sat up, hacking coughs coming from her as she opened her dazed eyes and glossy eyes. Tony reached up and helped her sit up as she continued to cough, and nobody could ignore the specks of blood littering her hand.

"We don't have much time..she doesn't have much time. Call Helen. She needs to put the arc back in my chest and then inject the vial with my name on it. It's going to hurt..I'm likely going to scream. Despite my meddling, I couldn't make it work without causing pain to the user. The best I could get was for it to trigger the reaction to knock me out once it got to my heart. But if I was right, it should do its job. Sparrow's should only be injected if she doesn't start to recover after I've had the..surgery."

Pepper's eyes were flooded with tears, and Tony didn't look far off. She kissed Tony on the cheek, before backing away as Rhodey encapsulated Tony in a hug. A tired sigh emitted from Tony as he wrapped his own arms around his brother. Because that was what the two of them were to one another.

"Will that be all Mr Stark?"

A sad smile, a tilt of the head, and emotionally filled eyes was all the answer that Pepper needed, as she shook. Peter was close to tears but was fighting hard to keep them hidden, for the sake of Rhodey and Pepper. He had to be strong.

"That will be all Miss. Potts."

"Stay strong brother. You're a Stark- they don't bend under pressure, they adapt."

"That's what I'm attempting to do Platypus. See you on the other side."

With the blink of an eye, the two of them were gone, leaving Peter with the critically ill Sparrow and the dying Tony. It's unfair. Tony is always dying. The wormhole. Palladium. Ultron. Now because of Rogers and Barnes? And Sparrow is as well? Why does everyone around me end up dying or hurt!

Gesturing for Peter to come forward, Peter did so, launching himself into a hug once more. The tears fell as Tony ran his hands through Peter's hair, and he couldn't help but sob into his chest, trembling violently and feeling more scared then he had in a long time.

"I can't...can't lose you Dad... I can't..please..please..."

Tony shushed him, moving his hand down to his lower back, where he traced circles into his back. If he was surprised by the use of Dad he didn't show it, instead trying to calm down the teenager.

"If my maths was right- which it always is- I won't be leaving for a long time, Pete. The stuff I sent Pepper and Rhodey to retrieve? It's coded exactly to my own DNA. It will heal me. You won't be losing me just yet. And this is not your fault. You couldn't have known- fuck, I was lucky Sparrow had managed to somehow come to my aid. But this is not on you. Not you, or Sparrow. Remember that. I am going to make it through this. I will live for your eighteenth birthday, your twentieth birthday, and every birthday following that. I will be here when you finally admit the crush you're holding on to Sparrow. Yes, I know about that. We'll talk later- because there will definitely be a later."

Peter didn't dwell on how Tony knew Peter's feelings before he himself could even identify them, instead, he clung tightly to Tony's form as the man coughed, with Tony's hand moving from Peter's back to his mouth in one smooth movement. Tony had hit the nail on the head with Peter's emotions towards Sparrow before he'd even known himself. It should have been a cathartic feeling- not only to finally call Tony dad but to admit to himself that what he liked about Sparrow wasn't just a friendly feeling.

Their mutual friendship clearly wasn't just a friendship- and even if it seemed like they weren't close, both Peter and Sparrow were awkward at explaining it.

Tony started humming quietly, rocking Peter like a father would his baby boy, no doubt trying to calm him down. Peter couldn't calm himself down, he tried to, he really did, but he was too worked up about the possibility of Tony dying. Nothing could console him. Anything Tony was saying went over his head because Peter couldn't catch his breath. I need to breathe, but I can't. I'm trying so hard but I can't. It's like the building all over again. Nononono-

"Hush piccollino. (Little One) Stella, stellina, La notte si avvicina. La fiamma traballa. La mucca nella stalla. La mucca e il vitello, La pecora e l'agnello." (Star, little star, Night is approaching. The flame flickers. The cow in the barn, The cow and the calf, The sheep and the lamb.)

"I love you Piccollino. I will come back to you. I love you too much to leave you."

Tony nuzzled into his neck, still rocking him gently. Peter knew he had to go back, but he didn't want to leave Tony, as immature as it may be. A part of him told him that he was being immature, that he should be brave and act his age, but he couldn't bring himself to leave Tony. The everlasting fear that he might not come back was terrifying, he couldn't have another Ben situation.

Watching Sparrow... Rhodey desperately giving her CPR as her ribs caved in underneath Lang's body, with her skin going paler and paler- it haunted his subconscious. Peter couldn't see Tony like that- not Tony, his father figure, his dad.

"Come on now, wipe those tears away. I don't lie- not to you, remember."

Peter's throat was so choked up that he couldn't bring himself to speak a word. Tony didn't seem to care however, as he pushed Peter away from him, his hands grasping onto his shoulders tightly, grounding him.

"Listen to me."

He stated firmly, tapping Peter firmly on the side of his cheek. Peter looked up at Tony's wavering whiskey eyes, as he met his father figure's own, trying not to cry, or to at least hold it together.

"I am NOT leaving you. Neither is Sparrow. It'll take more than two super-soldiers to take me out. Just.. listen, when Cho comes and initiates the procedure, I want you, Pepper, and Rhodey to leave. Go back to the compound. Cho will contact one of you once it's over. I don't want you to see me like that. But in the meantime, promise me you won't do anything stupid."

Peter nodded furiously. He wanted to be here but.. he wouldn't disobey Tony. Especially when the man was so serious. Tony looked at Peter's eyes for a minute, before pulling away, seemingly satisfied with whatever he saw in Peter's eyes.

"Good. Now go on, Piccollino. I don't know how much of her energy this is taking."

Peter nodded unwillingly but wondered how exactly he was supposed to leave. He hoped it was as simple as just walking away- although walking away from Tony would never be easy. Still, he managed to get it together long enough to at least say goodbye, rather than sitting crying like a mute idiot.

"Ti amo Papà." (I love you Dad)

"Ti amo anche io, mio piccolo ragno." (I love you too, my little spider)

With that, Peter quickly blinked, Tony's uninjured form lingering in his eyes even long after it had been replaced by Tony's injured form. However long it had been had resulted in Rhodey coming back, face pinched and smile flat and sad, as he tapped Peter on the shoulder. Cho appeared not long after, a carefully controlled expression on her face, as Peter whispered to Rhodey about Tony's wishes.

With a gruff nod, they left, heading back to the Tower where Pepper and no doubt May were waiting- guided by NATE of course. But even May's all-encompassing arms and Pepper's soft murmurings of reassurance did nothing to reassure him, as he sat on the sofa, head in his hands. All I want is my Dad back, and Sparrow back. That's all I could ever want. My dad and Sparrow. I don't want anything else- anybody else, taken from me. Despite not being overly religious, and being more of an agnostic, he couldn't help but send a heartfelt prayer up to anything that was watching.

"Please let them be okay."


Author's Note

Hi everyone! How are you all doing?

I, like many people, am going a little stir crazy. My house seems like a little jail cell at the minute- I guess it will help me portray the Rogues who are in prison- for now- a little better.

As a note, any Italian featured in this chapter may be a little off, as I don't speak the language apart from the courses in Duolingo which I've done. The nursery rhyme should be correct though, as I researched and got that off an accurate site.

I have a few reviews to reply to here, so here we go.

Elle: That's my logic. Like- Tony's suit is dead, but he can totally call for help. No power = being able to contact help. And even if he could- that many hours in the cold would do nobody any favours, especially Tony who already has health issues. T'Challa, like he did in the films, just left Tony as well, something he's going to answer to late

I'd imagine that Sparrow would struggle to move on- or at the least struggle to cope with how to feel- because Bucky was her father figure for a long time. That kind of betrayal burns deep, especially with how Bucky tried to order her to do something, which is just an abuse of power.

Thank you for your repeated reviews, I always look forward to your insight every chapter, and thank you for the belated birthday wish.

Buttermilkbells: Someone who might not thing decisions through- cough*Steve*cough. As we know, Tony trusts people very rarely, so the fact that he trusted Sparrow despite her previous connections shows how he really can empathise with Sparrow, over being betrayed.

Also, about Rhodey's suit. It does belong to the government, but I don't think Tony would let that stop him. Rhodey's safety versus the Government, I think he'd take his chances making the suit safer.

That's also fair. I just think that Tony Stark, most family and friends conscious man ever, would install some sort of backup to avert this kind of problem. Even just a little bit of auxiliary power to get the suit to the ground in one piece.

Thank you for your review! I didn't mean to nearly make you cry, but I'm glad you're enjoying it.

Thank you all for reading, and please, from a girl on house arrest,

Stay safe.

~Cait