"Easy…"

Alec could feel the control slipping. Could feel Peter's strength waning with each moment that the stones were in such close contact with him. The cautionary comment made Peter give a mental shake and he seemed to gain a little more clarity. More control.

"Yeah… sorry."

The alien sorcerer allowed just a hint of amusement.

"Don't apologize. Just don't do anything rash, okay? Fix what needs to be repaired, but don't do anything permanent that we'll regret, later."

"Right."

Peter turned his complete attention back to Thanos, purposely not looking at Tony and Pepper since he knew it would be a distraction he couldn't afford – and a nudge to his concentration that he couldn't risk. The titan was angry, but trying to hide it, ready to talk Peter into doing what he wanted – certain the mere boy wouldn't be able to withstand him. He didn't know – apparently – that the mind stone was telling Peter everything the madman was thinking, despite what he was saying.

Or he thought it wouldn't matter.

"You're incredible, boy," Thanos said, almost crooning, ignoring Peter's defiance. "The stones are the most powerful force in the universe and they are in your grasp. Literally. But the responsibility is too much for someone with the experience to understand what needs to be done. Don't you agree?"

Peter wasn't really paying attention to what he was saying. Natasha, Steve and even Wong had all told him that it was madness to engage in a conversation with an enemy during a battle – despite the million movies that Peter had watched that told him otherwise. The good guy was always supposed to have a comment to deliver, a quip to make the other person off balance. Peter was inclined to trust his teachers rather than Hollywood when it came to such matters, however.

He simply tightened his fist, and Thanos' eyes narrowed, deciding the odds of being able to rush the boy and take the glove – and the stones. Peter felt him decide to change tactics, much more familiar with bullying others and forcing them to do what he demanded rather than trying to cajole and convince.

The titan raised his mighty weapon, and made a move toward the woman in blue and silver, deciding that she was an easier target than Stark – and a much better threat to use against the boy.

"Give me the stones, Clyde, or I'll kill-"

Before he even had a chance to take a step, the weapon in his hand was suddenly a long balloon, like the ones used for making balloon animals. Thanos roared in fury, turning on the boy, who now had his hand raised, palm facing out at Thanos – an echo of Tony's own stance that he'd adapted when the huge creature had made his move toward Pepper – his expression furious at the threat.

"Finish it, Peter," Alec whispered in his mind. "The longer you wait, the more people his army is injuring…"

It demanded a statement.

Peter knew that Tony would have been able to come up with the perfect one-liner to tell Thanos that he'd lost. Tony was a lot more clever than Peter, though, and the pain in his head and arm was mind numbing. All he could think of was a line from a movie that he'd seen so many times when he was younger that it was probably understandable that it was the phrase that came to mind, just then. A phrase that under normal circumstances would almost certainly have Pepper using all three of his names.

With a glare of hate at what Thanos had done to him, and had threatened to do to him and his family, Peter clenched his hand into a fist once more.

"Suck my fat one, you cheap dime store hood…"

Focusing his mind, calling on the stones to do what he wanted – what he needed them to do – Peter snapped his fingers, and felt a surge of power flow through him, originating at his right hand and coursing along his arm. The stones in his glove flared, just as he was somewhat aware of the sensation of having a piece of heavy fabric wrap around him, focusing that power even further, and sheltering him as much as was possible.

The colors of each stone became brilliant, and Tony brought his arm up to protect his eyes, catching Pepper and Clint both doing the same thing. Thanos simply stared, unable to move as the colors all merged into one solid white and spread from Peter like a tsunami of light and flowed away from him. It shot through those in front of him, and Tony felt a warmth of heat that was as soothing as the time they'd spent in the warm waters of Hawaii. The exhaustion that he'd been feeling from constantly being on edge ebbed, and his tight muscles were relaxed and refreshed.

He couldn't move, but was able to see the same light that had bathed his aches and pains trailing along the roof, and then oozing down the sides, and flowing out onto the compound grounds, moving through the fighting with gathering speed. Where the light went, those alien invaders that were attacking suddenly vanished, while the human defenders stayed, and those that had been injured found gashes and scrapes were healed, instantly.

Those who had been killed still lay where they had fallen, but even the most grievous of injuries were healed if there was any life in the body. Strange, too, watched as the light expanded, implacable in its movements and touching everyone and everything that it encountered. A wave of the light struck him as he stood at the entrance to the compound building, and the flagging magical energies within him were suddenly restored to full power as it did, filling him with a euphoria that left him feeling peaceful, despite the carnage that he'd been witnessing.

The light blasted through the compound building, destroying those creatures it encountered that didn't belong, swooping into the infirmary, the med labs and the operating rooms, healing those it touched, leaving a trail of concord in its wake – and a lot of confused people. Especially doctors who had been fighting to save the lives of people who were suddenly sitting up, clothes bloody but wounds instantly healed. It ignored the reactions of those around it, stopping to linger in the room where Natasha Romanoff lay sleeping on the cot, covered warmly and unaware of what was happening.

The light wrapped her, even as Groot and Mantis ran to follow it, stopping at the door to watch. The light – already so brilliant that it seemed to be blinding – flared when it reached her, and seemed to focus for an instant on her and only her. Mantis gasped as it appeared to sift through Romanoff's body, and a gentle glow hovered over her stomach for a long moment before it shot through the wall to join the rest of the building wave of light.

As Tony watched from the best position possible, the wave of light blew through the shield as if it wasn't there. Like a healing fog, it covered the countryside; overtaking creatures and defenders on that side of the shield as well until he couldn't see anything but the light for as far as he could look in every direction. Able to move, now, he turned to his son, who was ramrod stiff, his eyes closed and his head somewhat concealed by the Cloak of Levitation. Peter was focused and glowing almost as brightly as the light that was emanating from him.

The billionaire looked at Thanos, and realized that the titan in front of him was so powerful that he was actually resisting the destruction that the light was wreaking on the rest of his army. Resisting, but not completely. As Pepper moved to stand beside him and Tony watched, Thanos seemed to become almost transparent, and Stark could suddenly see through him.

"You've lost, you bastard," Stark told him.

Thanos raised a hand, as if to protest, but if he was planning on saying anything, it died when he did, and suddenly he seemed to shatter into a million brilliant pieces, each floating away and then fading.

Pepper's arm went around her husband, but they didn't move, watching as Peter seemed to grow even brighter; the light blasting from him now, as if he were in the center of an exploding super nova. Then it faded, a little at a time, until they were able to see the black outfit that he was wearing, once more. The light was still moving, and Friday and Vision were both reporting that it was still expanding, having reached the city and beyond and growing.

Peter crumpled, though, almost without warning. He dropped to his knees, with his hand cradled against his chest, protectively. The cloak unwrapped from around him, and Tony realized that it was smoking – as was Peter's hand and side. Even as he moved toward him, the polymorph glove moved, coming off Peter's hand and forming a perfect sphere, with the infinity stones all on the inside, their power completely muted.

"Peter…" Tony whispered, dropping down in front of him, and aware that Clint and Pepper had, as well.

"Don't touch him, Tony," Stephen ordered, seemingly coming out of nowhere, moving to intercept Stark's hand when he reached out to touch the boy's arm. "You could kill him. Or yourself."

"But-"

Peter made a soft noise and collapsed to the roof, on his side, holding his arm, and still smoking – and then he was still.