A/N: This is sad, but that’s okay. There is character death and also a car accident. There will be a part two, named AFTER, coming out very shortly.
“When you can do the things that I can and you don’t and then the bad things happen, they happen because of you”
That quote was Peter’s answer when Tony had asked him why he was Spider-Man. He knew that he could use his power to do a multitude of things, but he had decided to use it to help people, to protect his community, to be a hero.
But what was the point now? What was the point of any of this if he couldn’t save you?
Every time he closed his eyes he was back in that car. The two of you were on your way to celebrate your two year anniversary. You were talking about your plans for college and your graduation that was right around the corner. Peter had been planning everything out about this night for weeks. He was nervous that he had gone slightly overboard, but Mr. Stark and Pepper assured him that it was going to be perfect.
He looked over at you as you were singing along to one of your favorite songs on the radio. His chest filled with adoration and eased any nerves that he had. He was about to continue the conversation when his spidey senses went off. He quickly looked for the source of danger but was cut off as a car collided with your own on the driver’s side.
The next thing he remembered was the smell. He couldn’t tell what it was exactly, maybe the car’s fuel, maybe the airbags. Then the pain. He reached up to feel the side of his head which was covered in blood. He seemed to be pinned to the seat. He was extremely disoriented and found it hard to focus. That was at least until the panic set in. He remembered where he was and who he was with. He looked over and realized that you weren’t in the car.
He struggled through the previously unrealized pain in his shoulder to reach his phone. He called the one person who could help him, the person who had always been there to help him.
“Hello Pete, how’s the big date going? Give her the ring yet?”
“T-Tony-”
“Peter what’s wrong? Where are you?” he cut him off already summoning one of his suits.
“We were- there was a car- and I-” Peter tried but he was freaking out.
“Friday track Peter’s location and notify 911” Tony said to his AI.
“Peter, it’s okay I’m on my way, are you hurt?”
“I’ll b-be fine. No-nothing worse than I’ve dealt w-with before,” he answered.
“And how’s Y/n?”
“I-I don’t know. She’s n-not in the car and I can’t g-get out,” he replied as his breathing started to get faster.
“It’s okay Pete, just try to calm down. I’m almost there and help is on the way,” Tony reassured.
“Thanks, Mr. Stark,” Peter breathed,
True to his word, Tony touched down moments later. Seeing the state off the two cars he was surprised that anyone was going to be walking away from the accident. He quickly went to where Peter was and started to get him out of the car.
“No, go find Y/n first. I’ll be fine. Just go help her.” he pleaded.
Tony moved around to where you were laying on the ground. He immediately knelt down and had Friday scan your vitals. You were seemingly unconscious with a large piece of glass sticking out of your chest and blood from where your head met the cement. Friday’s scan showed that you had multiple broken bones and were in critical condition with almost no chance of survival. Tony knew that he couldn’t risk moving you, especially since he had no way to stabilize you. He also knew that while help was coming, that it wouldn’t get there in time. Silent tears fell from his eyes as he returned to Peter.
“How is she? She’s okay right?” Peter asked hopefully.
“Kid- she,” Tony started.
Peter didn’t even need to see his face to know. That tone is the same tone every adult used when they told him devastating news. It was the tone from when his parents died. The tone from when his uncle was murdered.
“No, she has to be okay, she-” he started crying.
“Pete, she’s not-, I need to get you out of here so you can say goodbye,” Tony tried, his own emotion taking over.
He used the strength of his suit to pull the door off of the mutilated car. He then carefully readjusted Peter’s seat to free him. He had Friday do a scan to see the severity of his injuries. Besides the shoulder and concussion, he had bruised ribs and was experiencing multiple symptoms of shock. Tony helped him out and supported most of his weight as he led him to you.
Peter immediately sunk down and was debating the best way to hold you. He wanted more than anything to pull you into his arms, but he was so afraid of making things worse. Tears were gliding down his cheeks as took your hand in his and called your name. Despite how much he wanted you to be okay, somewhere deep down he knew Tony was right. This was it. He was drawn out of his thoughts as he heard your quiet voice.
“P-Peter?”
“Hey, I’m right here,” he said as he leaned over you so you could see his face.
“What happened?” you asked struggling through your thoughts.
“We were in a car accident, but it’s okay help is on the way,”
“Peter, you’re bleeding,” you say taking in his appearance. You made the mistake of trying to sit up and grimaced in pain.
“Easy Y/n, just try to lie still,” he all but whispered.
“I’m so sorry,” you said as tears escaped your eyes.
“You have nothing to be sorry for,”
“I ruined our date,” you tried
“What? This? This is still not the worst date I’ve been on,” he tried to joke.
You smiled. God he loved that smile. He wanted to spend the rest of his life making you smile. This was so unfair. Why? Why did this have to happen to you? Why now?
“Peter, what’s wrong?”
But even as the words left your mouth, you knew. You knew that you weren’t going to be okay. That this was how it would end. And, you realized that Peter most know this too. You didn’t want to go, you didn’t want to leave him. It was supposed to be the two of you against the world. You were supposed to graduate together, and go to college, and get married, and have kids, and make the world a better place. There was so much that you were supposed to do. But none of that mattered now did it? You braced yourself and decided to make the most of the few minutes you may have left.
“I love you so much, Peter Parker,” you started.
“Y/n, please don’t,” he cried.
“Pete, you are the bravest, kindest, person I know. You’ll be okay. It’ll take time but-”
“Stop it!”
“It’s okay Peter,”
“No, it’s not, I can’t lose you too,” he cried.
You were at a loss for words. The excruciating pain you once felt was numbing. You knew that you were running out of time.
“Peter, tell me you love me,”
“I do, I-I love you so-so much,” he sobbed.
“Promise- Promise me- you’ll move on. That you’ll be happy,”
“Y/n I-”
“Promise, that you won’t shut down. You have so many people who love you. Let them help you,” you struggled as it became harder and harder to breath, unconsciousness - no, death- was creeping in.
“I promise,” he replied.
“Good,” you whispered eyes closing and chest falling for the last time.
“Y/n? Y/n wake up. Come on I don’t want to do this with out you. Just-just stay with me. Help is coming. I-I love you. I love you so much.” Peter cried pulling your lifeless body off of the ground and craddling you in his arms.
Tony, who had returned from helping the people in the other car, minimized his suit and went over to Peter. He honestly didn’t know what to do, his heart broke for the kid. He gently went to his side putting his hand on Peter’s shoulder.
“She’s gone,” he whispered.
“I know Pete,” he said sadly.
“We should really get you back to the tower, to the med-bay, I can have Happy go pick up your aunt.”
“I don’t want to leave her.”
“The paramedics are here, they’re going to take her.”
Peter looked up for the first time since it had happened. The road was now blocked off. The police and ambulances were here. People were trying to see what had happened. He knew Tony was right. It was time for him to leave. So he hugged you one last time placed a kiss on your head and laid you down on the ground, pausing to close your eyes. He took once last glance before allowing Tony to guide him away.
Tony stares at the guy for a good amount of time, one eyebrow raised quizzically; a mixture of hilarity and disbelief. Both of them - him and Peter, that is - are wearing their suits, save for the helmet; Peter’s expression is one more of pale shock. The suit hides the way his hands have started trembling.
“Huh,” Tony says eventually. “Yeah, not happening. Thanks for the hearing, Hellboy. Come on, Pete.”
He starts walking back in the direction they came, but Peter stays where he is, sort of matching that deer-in-headlights look. Outcome doesn’t matter - one of them’s not going to see the other ever again, and that sets him on the cusp of some brutal sense of panic.
“Uh, Mr. Stark,” Peter says. “I don’t think he’s kidding.”
“Yeah…” Tony turns back to face him. “We’ll get it another way, kid.”
“How? The only person to have the soul stone was Thanos! Plus - we don’t even have enough Pym Particles to make another trip!”
Tony sighs. “When did you get all” - He waves a hand - “logical.”
Peter shrugs. “College?”
“Okay. You go wait at the ship. When you get the stone, get out of this shithole.”
“What?”
“You heard me.”
“Mr. Stark, I’m not letting you…”
“And I’m not letting you,” Tony answers, but it’s gentle. He puts his hand on Peter’s shoulder. “We are not having this conversation.” With that he gives it a small squeeze, reassuring, failing.
Peter meets his eyes for a long time, and the determination settles in equal measure, two opposing ends of some cosmic scale. He gives the faintest inclination of a nod. And then he says:
“I’m sorry.”
Before Tony can raise his hands in defence, Peter has strung thick webbing around his arms and ankles and pulled it taut. He doesn’t wait for Tony to hit the ground before he starts sprinting for the cliff’s edge, ignoring the terror pulsing in his chest and behind his eyelids, the gnawing sensation at the back of his head that tries to keep him out of danger-
Then Tony tackles him. Peter sees the singed webs on the rocks as he goes down, a few feet from the ledge. Tony’s faceplate slides off.
“Look at me, kid,” he says, pinning Peter’s wrists. “Listen to me. There are people on Earth who need you once this is over. Who need you right now.”
Peter knows he can get Tony away from him, a strong kick would do it - and even his wrists aren’t being held as tightly as Tony’s suit can clasp. But he doesn’t struggle - not yet, anyway - because it’s probably the last conversation he and Tony Stark are ever going to have.
“Think of your Aunt May, huh?” Tony continues. He tries to make light of it, then - like they didn’t just sit in a spaceship whilst the colours of whole galaxies blurred their peripherals. “I’m toast either way, right? ‘Cause I go home without you, she’ll kill me. And you know - I wouldn’t blame her.”
“What about Morgan?” Peter asks. He tries not to think about May, turning the fabric of his mask over and over in her fingers. Staining the lens with dried tear-spots.
Tony’s expression shifts, only slightly, but then he smiles. “She’s got you.”
Peter nods. Then he kicks Tony off of him and rolls to the side - his fingers could grace the edge now - and pushes himself quickly to his feet. Tony’s repulsors whir, and a beam of yellow-white throws Peter off-balance.
“Spider-Man, stand down,” Tony says, voice metal-twinged by the helmet that has slipped over his face. “I don’t wanna lay you out but I will.”
“I know,” Peter says evenly. “But so will I.”
He webs Tony’s boots to the ground, holds it for a few solid seconds until he’s sure they’re well-and-truly plastered. He runs.
“Karen!” Tony yells. “Override code 21-87. Primary user: Tony Stark.”
“Access granted.”
Peter pushes off from the ground, hovers for a brief moment out from the ledge-
Tony kicks the residual webbing off his shoe and shoots up into the air.
“Activate webshooters!” He calls.
“What? Karen-“
Peter’s wrist rears back and his eyes go wide at the same time in shock - he looks up at Tony as the man catches the web, pulling Peter back onto the (questionable) safety of the rocks.
“Put him in lockdown,” Tony says.
Peter watches wide-eyed as the robotic legs shoot from the back of his suit, drawing together until they can lift Peter ever-so-slightly off the ground. The mask comes back over his face automatically, the lenses still bright and panicked.
“Mr. Stark-“ Peter tries, and the limbs lock into place, too; he hovers there trying to kick his legs and rip his arms through the metal, but without the space of movement he can’t even raise a hand.
“It’s gonna be okay, kid,” Tony says. He raises his hand to his chest and rips the reactor off; looks down at it for a moment, then gently approaches Peter and sticks it to the kid’s chest instead. “You hold onto that for me.”
“No, no, I don’t want it, Mr. Stark, please, please, let me out-“
Tony half-smiles. He looks like he’s trying not to cry.
“I’m not one for sappy speeches, kid, as much as you - warrant one. Besides, I’ve no idea how long that suit can hold you. Never - tested it. It was just another safety net in case one of the bad guys got your suit. Just looking out for the little guy.”
He taps the button at Peter’s shoulder and his mask retracts. Peter’s eyes are puffy.
“Mr. Stark, come on, just let me out-”
“You did good,” Tony says. “I’m proud to call you an Avenger.”
“Mr. Stark, Tony-“Peter cries hysterically. “Let me go, let me do it-“
Tony cups his cheek gently, then he turns away. He walks to the edge of the cliff and looks down, raising an eyebrow at the distance to the ground. He glances at the guardian.
“Overkill, don’t ya think? Fall could’ve been - shorter.”
When he doesn’t respond, Tony says: “Thanks for nothing, Elmo. Those would’ve been terrible last words.”
He backs up a little. In the background Peter thrashes inside the suit, and for a brief terrifying moment two of the legs seem to wobble.
“I love ya, kid,” Tony says, and then he’s gone.
“TONY!” Peter yells. He squeezes his eyes shut and gives one more shove, and the legs give out; he falls to the floor and scrambles to his feet, heart pounding, pounding, pounding - he gets to the ledge and he leaps, and thunder roars overhead, and then -
And then Peter wakes up. He’s staring up at a dark swirling sky. There’s a blue light emanating from his chest, and a rock in the place of a father.
Peter throws it, and he buries his head into his knees and sobs.
made a sketch dump of all the recent irondad sketches i haven’t posted yet (btw top left was inspired by the 12th chapter of “I wanna find a home (and I wanna share it with you)” by @madasthesea about peter and little tony, it’s super cute, you should give it a read!)
