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PROMPTS ARE CLOSED!

This prompt is from UltimateDragon17 on a03 - Thanos did it. He snapped his fingers. Half of all life has turned to dust. Now, on planet Titan, Strange, Starlord, Mantis, and Drax got dusted, leaving only Iron Man and Spider-Man behind. Tony broke down. He failed. Again. This wasn't the first time someone suffered because of him. Ultron is just one example. Now half of the universe got dusted while the other half will be grieving over their loss. Many of his friends must have been dusted as well. And who knows? Maybe Pepper also got dusted! He broke down crying, until Peter sat next to him and reminded him that they'll find a way. They always do. Strange saw a scenario where they won. And he only saw 14 million possible futures. Maybe there are other billions of futures he didn't get to see where they won some of them. That's when Tony remembered how hopeful Peter has always been.

Thank you so much for your understanding and giving an alternative prompt when i couldn't do your original one! I really appreciate it. I really hope you enjoy this and my apologies for any mistakes.

A Ray of Hope

They turned to ash before his very eyes. Doctor Strange, the one who called himself Starlord, Mantis, and Drax. Gone.

Tony stared at the foreign land beneath his feet, unseeing. He could hardly feel the fingers he had pressed to his lips. His whole body felt numb, his blood feeling thicky and heavy in his veins. Sound was lost the ringing in his ears and the pounding of his heart.

They had lost.

It wasn't the first time Tony had felt helpless. Not the first time they had felt themselves with their back against the walls. But they had always pulled themselves together, found that miracle that had them coming out on top, living to see another day.

There was no miracle today. They had lost. Tony had failed and the universe was now suffering because of him.

It wasn't the first time they had suffered because of him. SI making back-door deals with terrorists and selling weapons that did not make the world a better place as they had often spun it. Then there was Ultron. How many had suffered because of that disaster? He knew the answer, of course. It was a number he would never be able to forget. He wasn't totally to blame, but a lot of it rested on his shoulders. Tony had made a mistake and while Steve hadn't agreed with him, he had tried to be held accountable for it. Tried to be held accountable for the lives they had ruined in the process of trying to save them.

This was worse. So much worse. How many friends, lovers, brothers, sisters, husbands, wives, children, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, families had he failed? Half the universe gone in a snap of a mad Titans fingers because he had failed.

Tony's breath hitched in his chest, his vision blurring at the edges.

What had happened to Pepper? Was she still alive or had she been reduced to nothing but ash along with half the universe. If she was alive, had she been witness to the horror going on around her? Tony didn't know which was better. And what about Rhodey? His best friend. His brother from another mother. Where was he? Was he okay? Injured, alive or dead? How was Tony supposed to know. All he did was hurt the people he loved and this time he had done it so spectacularly. They would never talk to him again and he didn't blame them. He had fucked up. He had lost.

Tear spilled down Tony's cheeks and he pressed his palms over his mouth to smother the sobs that spilled from him. He slammed his eyes shut, squeezing them tightly as he sobbed. His chest ached with it, along with pulsing ache in his side from the wound he had sustained. But it was nothing compared to the pain in his heart. Tony had experienced grief before, but nothing on a scale like this. He could feel his heart shattering in his chest, something hollow replacing it that seeped into his very bones.

Tony didn't feel it at first. He was so lost in his tears, the continuous loop of I failed, I failed, I failed playing through his mind. He felt a pressure at his side, not registering what it was until the loop broke as flight or fight kicked in. A burst of adrenalin spiked through his body, making him lift his heavy head.

"Mr. Stark?"

Peter blinked at Tony with red rimmed eyes.

Tony sniffed, choking on a sob. Another failure, sitting beside him. Peter Parker, who was supposed to be on Earth, far away from this destitute planet as possible.

"Pete," Tony choked out, taking his hands from his mouth, and reaching for Peter. He twisted his body, cradling Peter's face in his hands, thumbs smoothing over the soft, dirty cheeks. "Kid, you okay?"

"M' okay," Peter nodded, pressing himself into Tony's hands. "I don't – I don't understand."

Tears slipped down Peter's cheeks.

"We lost," Tony managed to get out around the lump in his throat. The words were out there, floating out in the universe. They had lost. He had lost. Fucked up so badly that half the universe was gone and in a twist of cruel fate, Tony had survived.

But so had Peter.

"Oh," Peter let out a little hiccup.

"I'm sorry," Tony said heavily. The words were not enough. Would never be enough to convey and make up for the absolute clusterfuck that had gone down. But Tony said them anyway because what else could he say? "I'm so sorry, Pete."

"It wasn't your fault," Peter said around his tears.

Tony snorted, smoothing his thumb over Peter's cheek one last time before dropping his hands. He turned away from Peter, unable to look his kid in the eye. "Yes, it was."

Peter made a wounded noise in the back of his throat.

"It was," Tony said before Peter could protest. "I could have stopped him. Had to stop him but I was too weak. He was stronger than me and I let him get the better of us. He won, Peter and it's all my fault." He dropped his head, covering his eyes with a shaking hand. "Half the universe is gone because of me. You're stuck here, on a planet with no way home because of me. I fucked it up, kiddo. It's all my fault."

"No."

Tony looked up at the sharp tone and turned to stare at Peter.

"What?"

"I said no. This wasn't your fault. This was Thanos's fault. He's the one who did this. Not you."

"Pete, I failed," Tony said, voice straining on the words.

"If you did, then I did." Peter eyes narrowed. "I could have stopped him. I should have pulled harder on that glove."

"No, kid." Tony shook his head. "This wasn't on you –"

"If it's not on me then it's not on you," Peter interrupted firmly.

Tony sighed heavily. "You should have even been here, Peter and that's on me."

"You tried to send me back," Peter said stubbornly. "I chose to stay. It was my choice. I couldn't just sit back and do nothing. That's not who I am. It's not who you are. We're Avenger's Mr. Stark."

"We aren't anything, at the moment kid," Tony said quietly.

"We're still Avengers," Peter said firmly. "Until our last breath."

"It's over kid." Tony shook his head. "We lost."

"Doctor Strange didn't think so."

Tony dropped his hand from his face and looked at Peter again. He swallowed around the lump in throat, tasting iron. "Kid, the wizard, he –"

"He saw 14 million possible futures," Peter said. "And he said we won one. Well, this is the one we are in. And it's not over yet, Mr. Stark. You know why?"

"Why?" Tony found himself asking as he sat up straighter.

"Because your still here, Mr. Stark," Peter said. "And you never give up. Not when you were stuck in that cave, not when Ultron happened and not now. And I'm here too and I'm not giving up. We're Avengers Mr. Stark." Peter puffed up his chest. "Doctor Strange said we won one. So, let's go win."

Tony shattered heart took a beat. In amongst the cracks, a ray of hope ignited something in his chest, adrenalin seeping through his veins. In his grief, he had forgotten just how hopeful Peter was. How optimistic Peter was and how much he believed in Tony. The kid had already been through so much, had been knocked down and down again but Peter got back on his feet and kept marching through life.

Most would have given up. But not Peter. Peter was the ray of hope the world needed. The ray of hope that Tony needed. Tony may have failed half the universe, but Peter was still sitting here, looking at Tony with pride because he had faith in Tony. The world had faith in Ironman and sitting on the dusty planet wasn't going to help anyone.

"Okay," Tony said, giving Peter a nod.

Peter smiled, his shoulder's relaxing with relief.

"Let's go win," Tony said, getting to his feet. He held out his hand. Peter took it and then he pulled Peter to his feet. "Together."

"Together," Peter echoed.

They may have lost the battle, but they could still win the war and with Peter by his side, Tony would have hope that they could.

Happy reading :D