Peter was not having a good day. First, he woke up on an abandoned planet with Mr. Stark nowhere to be seen. Then Doctor Strange told him that he'd been dead for the last five years. Five. Whole. Years. Now, he was playing ultimate relay race through a battlefield with a giant make-a-wish-glove. On the upside, he was flying on a Pegasus with a pretty lady in an actual, super cool knight outfit so perhaps it wasn't all that bad.

One of the blue laser beams hit the pile of rubble right next to the Pegasus and it sent Peter flying. The impact of his crash on the ground left him breathless and light-headed, but there was no time for him to rest. Not when half the universe was on the line. The Iron-spider-legs helped Peter up on his feet and pushed him forward. His spider-senses were going off like crazy. Everything around him screamed DANGER! Though Peter didn't need his senses telling him that since it was very clear that everything was dangerous, and deadly, and would no doubt lead to an extremely painful death.

Peter managed to dodge another laser beam, which would've been very cool if it wasn't so scary. The alien-monster thingies were still hot on his tail and he could feel them closing in. The memory of those creatures climbing all over him was so distracting that he didn't sense the incoming blast until it was too late. Peter was suddenly blown backward and he lost his grip on the gauntlet.

Somewhere in mid-flight, his mask deactivated. Without the noise-canceling and filter mechanisms of the mask, every single sound from all over the battlefield washed over him at once. Peter gasped for air. Everything was suddenly too loud, too bright. The intense smell of blood, sweat, and something rotten filled his nostrils, making his stomach churn and his head spin. Peter scrambled to get to the gauntlet. His vision was swimming before his eyes, making it hard to see. Peter had just managed to grab the gauntlet when another wave of lasers came blasting down, each laser beam coming closer than the last. Peter had no way of escape. Hell, he couldn't even stand now that his legs have practically turned into jelly.

Oh God, Peter thought. Is this how it's going to end? Am I going to be a pile of burning ash or pieces of alien dinner by the time someone finds me? Peter clutched the gauntlet closer to his chest and tried to even his breathing. He had to calm down, he'd just be another liability to the team otherwise. But Peter flinched at every blast that came just too close for comfort and every battle cry left his ears ringing. All those people were out there doing their best to defend the universe and he was just sitting there, holding on to the one thing that could end this war.

What would Mr. Stark do?

The question flashed through his mind. It was something he'd been asking himself a lot lately. Peter took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Mr. Stark, he thought, trying to put himself in the other man's shoes. He'd… he'd bring the gauntlet to the portal, where it would be safe from Thanos. But even without the Infinity Stones, the battle would continue. The spaceships would still fire their lasers and those alien beasts would keep on destroying everything in their path. Everyone would still be suffering. Peter didn't want that, he just wanted the battle to end. There must be a way to do it. The moment the thought crossed his mind, the gauntlet seemed to respond. Peter looked down and everything suddenly fell away. His senses stopped reacting to the abundance of stimuli around him and a wave of serenity washed over him. For the first time since the spider bite, Peter felt completely at ease. He couldn't seem to take his eyes off the gauntlet. It was hypnotizing, luring him in by speaking to him in a way Peter didn't think was possible. It promised him a way to end the war in less than a second, a way to end the suffering. There was only a small price to pay, the smallest, in exchange for a power that could set off the next big bang. He just needed to slip his hand into the gauntlet.

Peter sat up slowly and laid the gauntlet on his lap. He hesitated to put it on. A part of him was screaming that this was a terrible idea and that he should just let the adults handle it. But another, overwhelmingly reckless and probably stupid part of him told him that it would be the right thing to do. He had wanted to become an Avenger to save people, this was the way for him to start pulling his weight. And if something went completely wrong somehow, at least he was the most expendable of the team.

Not willing to waste another moment, Peter stuck his hand in the gauntlet before he could chicken out. The gauntlet was huge, much too large for Peter's hand, which could barely reach each finger sheath. Still, Peter could feel the immense power of the Infinity Stones. Pain shot up his arm and the air was once again knocked out of him. His senses returned at full force, but all of them were hyper fixated on the gauntlet and the power it was radiating off. Peter couldn't move, it was as if he was holding on to a broken electric cord, unable to let go, no matter how much it hurt. At the same time, Peter felt powerful. With the gauntlet on, the universe laid at his feet. He could do anything he set his mind to, though there was only one thing he truly wanted. Peter gritted his teeth and took a shaky breath. All he had to do now was make the wish and snap his fingers- if that was even possible. Perhaps something else would work, clapping maybe? There was only one way to find out. With extreme difficulty, Peter lifted his hands. He was just about to clap his hands together when the spaceship above the battlefield exploded. The aftershock knocked him out of his trance. 'What the fuuuuuuuuu…' Peter breathed. A few seconds later, a glowing lady landed in front of him. 'Uhm, hi.' Peter croaked. 'I'm P-Peter Parker.' The woman smiled. 'Do you have anything for me, Peter?' She asked. Her eyes shot towards the gauntlet in his hand. Peter's muscles protested as he moved his free hand defensively over the gauntlet. '…No?'

The woman's eyes hardened. 'What did you do?'

'N-nothing', Peter replied weakly. 'Not yet.' He was panting now. Has breathing always been this hard? 'It's the only way.' He told her. The lady took a step toward him and Peter pressed his back further against the pile of rubble. 'Peter,' she said slowly, 'don't be a hero. Give it to me.'

'N-no', Peter gritted. His breaths were getting shorter and his head was spinning. Dark splotches appeared in his vision. He was running out of time. If he wanted to use the gauntlet, he had to do it now. ' 've gotta', he slurred, repositioning his hands. It was getting harder to make out the words he wanted to say. ' 'mnavenger now. 'sides, tis wha mista Stark woulda done.' The lady lunged forward to grab the gauntlet, but it was too late. Peter had already clapped his hands together. He smiled, then there was only pain.

The battle was worse than any other battle Tony had ever faced. They'd already lost so much trying to bring back half the universe, surely they deserved a break. 'On your six', Friday warned. Tony spun around and took down the troop of feral aliens. 'Thanks, Fri.' Things were finally looking up now that Danvers had arrived. Without the spaceship firing at them from above, they could finally start clearing a path to the portal. Tony would make sure that crazy Titan would not get his grabby hands on the Infinity Stones, no matter what.

'Boss, two more troops are approaching rapidly', FRIDAY informed him.

'Lock onto the targets', Tony said. 'Optimize blast radius.'

'Targets locked', Friday said. 'Firing in three, two, on- Error. I have lost visuals on the targets.'

Tony couldn't believe it, Thanos' troops were disappearing right before his eyes, turning to dust and fading away just like half the universe had five years ago. For a moment, Tony panicked. Had Thanos gotten ahold of the Gauntlet? But as time passed, the battle died down and it became clear that only the invading aliens had been wiped out. What the Hell just happened?

'The Titan just turned to dust', Thor said over the comms. 'I saw it with my own eyes.'

'What's going on?' Steve interjected. 'Who did this? Stark?'

'..No, not me', Tony said slowly. 'I'm just as confused as you.'

'So, that's it?' Sam asked. 'We won?'

'Yeah,' Tony said. 'I guess you-' An incoming alert cut him off. 'Sir, Peter Parker's vitals seemed to be dropping dangerously.' Tony froze. No. nonononononononono. 'Where is he?' Tony demanded.

'Calculating fastest route-'

'Tony?' Pepper asked. 'Tony, what's wrong.'

'I-I-' Tony was having a hard time getting the words out. The suit was on autopilot, shooting off toward the source of Peter's signal. Tony couldn't think a single coherent thought even though his mind was racing at a thousand miles a second. His gut filled with dread when he pictured Peter with the Gauntlet. God, he was going to be sick.

'Tony.' Pepper's insistent voice pulled him out of his downward spiral. 'Tony, talk to me. What's going on?'

'It's Peter', Tony choked out. 'H-he's the one who snapped.' Tony heard gasps and confused noises over the comms. 'I'm almost there', Tony said shortly. 'Send a medic over, now!' He shut off the comms then, no longer able to stand the flow of questions he had no answer to. He could make out the colors of Peter's suit in the distance now. Someone else was with him, but neither of them was moving. Not good.

Tony sent a drone above his location just before he landed in front of Peter and Carol, who laid just a few feet away. Tony rushed over to Peter's side first. The boy was curled in upon himself, quietly sobbing and clutching the giant gauntlet tightly against him. Tony's heart broke at the sight. A sense of shame washed over him. What kind of hero was he, letting a kid sacrifice himself. 'Friday', Tony said. 'Vitals.' Now wasn't the time to beat himself up over his mistakes, he had to save Peter first.

'His heart rate is dropping', Friday informed him. '55 bpm and dropping. His respiratory and oxygen rates are low. His temperature is 109 degree and rising. The right arm seems to have suffered a severe burn, it requires immediate treatment.' Tony cursed. 'What's the best course of action?' He asked. 'There's a huge amount of radiation coming off the gauntlet', FRIDAY said. 'It would be advised to remove it from Mr. Parker's vicinity and ready treatments for potential radiation poisoning. Although it is unknown how Mr. Parker's body will react to the radiation due to his mutations.'

Take the gauntlet, get him to a med lab. Got it. Now Tony knew what he had to do, he finally looked over at Carol. 'Danvers?' He called. The woman didn't move. 'Hey Cap!' Dammit, she wasn't responding. Tony couldn't leave Peter's side to check on her, not when he was still holding onto that damned gauntlet like a lifeline. 'Danvers!' Tony tried again. She groaned. Good. 'I feel like I've been hit by a truck', she mumbled, slowly sitting up. 'Or an asteroid.'

Now that Tony knew she wasn't dead or dying, he returned his focus on Peter. Peter's sobbing had turned into soft whimpering. It was a terrible sound. Tony dropped his mask. Radiation exposure be damned. 'Hey, Peter', he said as gently as he could. 'Can you hear me?' Peter's whimpering stopped. 'Peter?'

'M-Mr. Stark?' Peter asked weakly. He looked up. His eyes were dull, glazed over and filled with tears. Tony hated it.

'Yeah, Pete', Tony said, trying to put on a brave face for the kid. 'The one and only.' He took a deep breath to and tried to swallow the lump forming in his throat. 'Peter I need you to let go of the gauntlet now, can you do that for me?'

'Gau-NO!' Peter clutched the gauntlet tighter against his chest and choked out a cry of pain. Those who had arrived at the scene were gathering around them. Some were fussing over Carol, who waved them away. Tony shot them a glare, if they couldn't help, they needed to keep quiet and back off. Getting that gauntlet away from Peter was his first priority, he didn't need any onlookers.

'Peter please', Tony tried again 'Let it go.'

'N-no…' Peter muttered. 'The monsters…I need … it.'

'Monsters?' Tony asked. 'The aliens? No, they're gone now, Peter. You did it, we won.'

'I-I did?'

'Yes Peter, you did really well.' Tony couldn't help the way his voice broke. 'Now please let go, I don't want to hurt you.'

'It hurts.' Peter said.

'I know', Tony said. 'I'm going to make it all better, Okay? Just let go.'

'Promise?' Peter asked.

'Promise.'

'mkay' Peter mumbled, and he finally let go. Immediately, Peter's entire body relaxed. Tony took the gauntlet away from Peter as fast as he could without hurting the boy. He looked back at the group of Avengers behind him and made and stood up. Peter made a small protesting sound as he walked toward Banner. 'Get it away', Tony said as he handed over the gauntlet. He hurried back to Peter. 'It's radioactive', Tony added as an afterthought. He heard some cussing behind him, followed by some shuffling.

Tony knelt back down next to Peter and placed a hand on his cheek. Peter inhaled sharply at the touch but then leaned in towards it. He was looking worse by the second. Tony knew he was running out of time. He had to get Peter to a med lab and he had to do it now. But most of his labs had been closed or abandoned after the snap. There had only been one lab left that was suitable for treating superhumans and he currently standing in the ruins of it. He was fresh out of options.

'Fuck!' Tony shouted. Peter flinched at his outburst. 'It wasn't supposed to end like this', he whispered. The tears that he had been holding back slid down his cheeks. 'I just got you back.'

' 'm so tired Mr. Stark', Peter mumbled as he eyes started to droop.

'Hey, no.' Tony gave the boy a gentle nudge. 'No, none of that. Stay with me Pete-'

Someone placed a hand on his shoulder and he looked up. Rhodey and Pepper were standing behind him. Tony could see by the look in their eyes that they had already given up hope. Rhodey opened his mouth to speak but Tony cut him off before he could say a word. 'No', he said firmly. 'It's not over yet. There has to be something, I just- just have to figure out what.'

'Why are you all still standing here?' A new voice called out. 'We have to get him to Wakanda now.' Tony could see a girl pushing her way through the crowd, he recognized her as Shuri, the princess of Wakanda. She stopped short on Peter's other side and inspected him with a critical eye. 'My people can heal him', she said, looking Tony right in the eye. 'Him and the blonde. But we must hurry.' Maybe it was the certainty in her voice or the way she held herself. Either way, Tony believed her without a doubt. She was his only hope at saving Peter now.

'Where the Hell is Strange?' Tony grittedas he looked around. It had practically been a wizard convention here earlier but now that he needed one of those mystic bastards there was no one around. 'I am here', Strange said, stepping out of a portal. The two of them exchanged a look. 'I will create the portal to Wakanda, but the location will not be precise if I do not know where I have to be.'

'Let me.' Wanda stepped out of the crowd and placed a hand on both Shuri and Strange's foreheads. 'Show me', she told Shuri. Her hands flashed red and a second later Strange nodded. 'I know where to go', he said. 'Get the boy.'

The others stepped back to give Tony some space. 'Peter?' He said gently. 'I'm going to pick you up now, okay? It may hurt a bit.' Peter gave a weak hum in response. He was losing consciousness. That was not a good sign. Tony shifted his arms under Peter's neck and legs and lifted. A sharp pain shot through his back and he staggered forward. Peter groaned at the sudden movements as Steve and Thor stepped forward to help. Tony shook his head and gritted his teeth, his suit shifting to offer extra support. The last five years have not made him any younger, but Peter was his kid and he'd be damned if he wasn't the one to carry him to safety.

'Keep talking to him', Strange instructed from the side as he made the hand gesture to make a portal. 'Keep him awake.'

'Kid, you heard that?' Tony said. 'Just stay with me a little longer.' Peter grunted and made a sound that vaguely sounded like 'tired'. A portal had now appeared in front of Strange. Tony could see the white walls on the other side of the portal. Shuri stepped through first, rushing off to call the doctors.

'You're doing a great job, Peter', Tony continued. He could see T'Challa and Thor urging Carol to step through the portal. 'It's going to be all right, I promised, didn't I?' He walked over to the portal as quickly as he could without rocking Peter too much. 'The doctors are going to fix you right up and then you'll get to meet Morgan. She's been looking forward to meeting you, you know. You're going to be her big brother.'

' –rother?' Peter slurred.

'Yeah', Tony said, stepping through the portal. 'She's a smart kid, you'll love her.' The doctors were rushing toward them with a stretcher now. 'Keep on fighting for me, will you? Don't give up.' Tony laid Peter down on the stretcher as gently as he could. 'I love you.'

'…Love you…too', Peter said slowly. ' 'm sorry.' The words knocked the air out of Tony lungs. He wanted to say something, anything, but the doctors had already rushed Peter through a pair of white doors. Peter was out of his reach again, leaving him behind with his thoughts and those two damned words repeating in his mind.