Hey everyone.

It's been a while since I've done a oneshot, huh? I thought I was done, but...

Surprise?

Anyway.

Post Infinity War where Peter lived, but Tony didn't.

This is a rewrite of my previous oneshot, End of an Era.

Anyway, it's around 8500 words, so enjoy.

The day on Titan was lodged in his memory.

He had never been so afraid in his life.

Not when he was trapped in that warehouse, or when he lost his suit, or when he thought he was dying from injuries on patrol...

Not even when they were actually fighting the Titan.

Because what came after was worse.

The memories were playing on repeat inside his head.

He had heard a soft gasp, turned to see that the guardians had disappeared, and turned to see his dad looking at his hands before reaching for Peter.

His eyes- he had been scared.

"Dad?" He had choked. "No. Please- please don't leave me. Please don't go- please-"

But he had, with Peter's name on his lips, he had disappeared.

And Peter was alone, fingers gripping the hard dirt of the alien planet.

Until a blue, mechanical alien approached him, the one who had fought with them, and knelt. "We must go. I promised your father I would keep you safe."

"He isn't- he isn't gone, he can't be-" the words cut deep, and he couldn't hold back a sob.

"He said you were his son. And I promised to care for you. Come."

Her touch was gentle as she lifted him to his feet, helping him stumble towards the ship. "He said there were others waiting on Terra."

On day eight in the empty wasteland of space, he curled up in a ball as hunger pangs raced through his stomach.

On day thirteen, he played paper football with the blue woman, Nebula, and smiled softly when she lit up like a child seeing Christmas lights the first time she won.

On day fifteen, she gave him the last of the rations, barely a fingers width of hard bread, and less than a mouthful of warm water.

It was day twenty three when they ran out of oxygen.

And day twenty three, that a light appeared, fading to show a smiling woman floating outside the bridge of the ship.

It was only hours after that she landed them back on Earth.

Nebula helped Peter to the ramp, supporting most of his weight on her shoulders, as the team came to meet them.

Steve Roger's was first, gripping Peter's shoulders in his hands. "Tony?"

The teenager shook his head wearily.

Tears welled in Pepper's eyes as she came forward to hug Peter.

"You are Pepper, correct?" Nebula asked bluntly.

Pepper nodded shakily against Peter's neck.

"Stark asked me to care for his son until I could get him to you."

Peter heard several sharp inhales, but Pepper's voice was strong. "Thank you." Her grip tightened. "Thank you. We'll be okay, Peter. Okay?"

He nodded.

"We can take care of each other, yeah?"

He nodded again.

The first few weeks passed in a haze of grief.

They spent many days curled up on the couch, crying in each others arms.

When Pepper told him she was pregnant, his first reaction was joy.

Then pain.

Regret for their dad, who wouldn't be able to meet his daughter.

On a Thursday, two hours after she was born, Peter got to hold his little sister.

It was the first time since Morgan was born that Peter had seen the baby, and an ache in his chest that he hadn't paid much attention to before eased up when he saw the dark eyes.

She was named Morgan.

Pepper had told Peter, one night when they both woke up crying, about Tony's dream.

'He dreamed we had another kid. And we named them after my eccentric uncle...'

Morgan was five weeks old when she smiled for the first time.

Peter crouched down next to the smiling baby on the floor. "Show off," he whispered, feeling lighter than he had in months.

Morgan just smiled and drooled in response, but Peter wasn't expecting much else.

Morgan hated being changed.

She also hated wearing clothes, except for one very soft onesie that had 'daddy's girl' on the front.

Peter and Pepper had cried, and the outfit was worn almost every day.

He finished school online, and the small family moved away from the city.

It was getting to where holding Morgan was the best part of his day.

This was a good thing for obvious reasons, and apparently something about it was cute (probably Peter's face when Morgan kicked him in the face) because Pepper snapped a picture, laughing silently.

Happy and Rhodey met the baby at the same time.

Happy looked visibly uncomfortable, while Rhodey was positively beaming, eyes wet with tears that didn't fall.

"I'm the cool uncle for you two." He stated. "And none of you forget it."

He took Peter aside that night, hugging him. "Tony would be proud of you."

Then he went to hold the baby again, cooing as she stared up at him with a big smile.

"What's with the face, Happy? You look like you've never seen a baby before," Peter said softly, grinning when Morgan squealed, and Happy winced.

"Not one that small," Happy said, eyeing the tiny baby apprehensively. "Or that loud."

"Have you ever actually been around a baby other than me?"

Happy's expression turned into something resembling constipation. "No. But you weren't that loud. Or that small,"

"C'mon, Hap. At least say hi?" Pepper said softly.

Happy squinted down at Morgan. "Hi, kid," he said gruffly.

The little girl didn't seem to react at all, shoving her fingers in her mouth, and blowing bubbles.

"That was Uncle Happy, kiddo," Peter said, whispering the word "uncle" so he didn't scare Happy away. "He's not a baby person. Or a people person. I'm not even sure he's a person. He may be an alien."

Morgan showed no indication that she was remotely impressed.

"Tony would love you," Peter murmured. "He would be so, so proud of you, kiddo."

(He didn't see Pepper behind him, smiling wetly.)

On her first birthday, Peter got her a plastic iron man helmet, and took pictures of her smushing the tiny cake with her fingers.

He took pictures of Rhodey smiling at the one year old.

He took pictures of Pepper kissing Morgan gently on the head.

He took pictures of Morgan wearing the helmet lopsidedly, and then with a Spiderman mask, of course.

Pepper laughed so hard she cried, at those ones.

On her second birthday, he woke up to tiny feet pattering around his bed, and when he leaned over the edge, he was greeted with the wide brown eyes of Morgan, who was staring at him with the fingers of one hand in her mouth.

"P'ter?"

He smiled softly, lifting the toddler up onto his stomach as he flopped back down on the pillow. "Hey little miss. You're up early. Where's mama?"

"Wan'ed my Peter."

"Wanted your Peter, huh?" He smiled, ignoring the burning in his eyes. "Okay. Well, you've got your Peter, and he's awake now."

"Wanna hugs." Her big brown eyes stared pleadingly into his.

"You have the worst case of bambi eyes I have ever seen, Morguna."

He chuckled when she pouted, sticking out her lower lip. "All right, all right. Hugs it is."

She curled up against him under the comforter, resting her head on his chest, staring at him sleepily. "Can you tell me a 'tory?"

"A story about what?"

"'Bout daddy."

Peter hesitated before plunging in. "Did you know that our daddy was a superhero?"

The toddler shook her head, tucking her cold nose against his neck. "A big sup'hero?"

"Oh yeah. The biggest superhero in the world. So anyways, one day he decided that your mama needed a giant stuffed rabbit for Christmas. It was the biggest rabbit- even bigger than him. And mom found it on the porch, and-"

Pepper found them both asleep when she came in minutes later, Peter curled protectively around his little sister, with Morgan sucking on her thumb, the other hand curled loosely into his shirt, fast asleep.

She snapped a picture, and went to make breakfast.

On Morgan's third birthday, Peter took her out on the lake in the paddle boat, then swimming, the inside for a nap, then to the kitchen for cake.

Rhodey didn't make it for this one, but sent her a small Iron Man night light.

It was delivered by an old man who had asked for the "Stanks? Is this the place?"

Peter had laughed, shaking his head. "Yep. You've got the right place."

He told Rhodey about it later, and the older man had laughed until he cried.

Her fourth birthday, Pepper was sick, and so Morgan spent the day with Peter, watching movies and eating jello, which in hindsight, was probably a bad idea.

She didn't get hyper though.

They curled up on the porch, watching the stars twinkle.

"Twinkle twinkle little stars," Morgan whispered. "Petey?"

He kissed the tip of her head. "Yeah?"

"Is daddy in the stars?"

He swallowed, a lump rising in his throat, and pulled her closer, tucking the blanket around them more firmly. "Yeah. Maybe."

"Does he hear me singing for him?"

The childish innocence in her voice brought tears to his eyes. "Yeah. I think he does."

"Does he like it? Does he like me?"

"Oh Morguna. Of course he does. I think that wherever he is, he's listening, and smiling at you."

"Okay."

He pulled her close, kissing the top of her head.

"I love you," she said matter-of-factly, turning to bury her face in his shirt. "Love you bunches."

His heart squeezed. "I love you too, baby. Where's this coming from?"

"Mommy says that sometimes when we love someone, we gotta tell them. Cause sometimes people leave, like daddy did, and they don't know we love 'em, so we gotta say it."

"He knows, sweetheart." Peter rubbed her back. "He knows we love him so much."

Trying to make the moment less sad for the girl, he poked her nose. "I also love you so much. Did you know that?"

She nodded distractedly. "Yeah."

"Do you know how much I love you?"

Morgan thought about it for several seconds, before beaming up at him, showing a missing front tooth. "Thirteen pounds!"

He snorted, quickly composing himself. "Yup. Thirteen pounds."

On her fifth birthday, Morgan was up before either of them, and Peter only woke up when the smoke alarm went off.

He found Morgan in the kitchen, crying over burned pancake mix.

He lifted her onto the counter, lifting her chin. "What's wrong, Morguna?"

Her chin trembled. "I wanted to make you pancakes. Cause you always make me pancakes for breakfasts, and I wanted to make you happy."

He kissed the top of her head, tugging her into his arms. "It's okay, little miss. Don't cry. You made me happy just by being my sister. You made me happy by wanting to make me happy. Okay? So I'm pretty happy right now. How about we make them together?"

Morgan's face lit up, all traces of tears disappearing, and threw her arms around his neck. "I love you Petey!"

He laughed softly. "I know, little miss. I love you too."

"Morgan?"

Peter tapped on the small fort that housed his little sister.

"Morguna?"

No answer.

"Little miss?"

Silence.

"Lunch time."

A small figure popped out of the house, helmet and gloves on, and fake repulsors pointed towards his face.

"Define 'lunch' or be disintegwated."

Peter shook his head, laughing softly. "You, little miss, are not supposed to be wearing that. That was dad's present for mom, okay?"

He lifted the blue and purple helmet off of Morgan's head, brushing back her hair. "There we go. Thinking about lunch? Maybe a handful of crickets on a bed of lettuce? Yeah... that's what you want."

He smirked as she mumbled a quiet 'no'.

"How did you get this?"

She dug the toe of her foot into the ground. "Garage."

"Really. Were you looking for it?"

"No..." she mumbled. "I just found it there."

"Mm. You like going in the garage, huh?" He stood up, lifting her into the air. "So did dad."

He started walking toward the house. "You're not in trouble. It's fine."

He bounded up the steps, stopping when he heard a car door shut.

Heart dropping, he turned to see Steve and Natasha, with one unfamiliar face.

Natasha nodded briefly, and he returned it, stifling a sigh.

Then stepped inside.

To begin with, he disagreed profusely with what they had to say.

"Look, Cap. I'm not a genius, or a science whiz, or anything. I'm just me. Talk to Bruce Banner or something. I can't do this."

"Peter," Natasha said gently. "Tony often said that you were just as smart, if not smarter than he was."

"I'm sorry, Cap. Nat. I'm not risking anything else. I already lost my dad. You've got nothing concrete to go on. I can't risk that. I'm keeping his wife and daughter, my mom and little sister, safe. Okay?"

He stopped as Morgan bounded out of the house, climbing into his lap. "Mommy told me to come and save you."

"Good job sweetheart." He kissed the top of her head. "I'm saved."

He sighed heavily. "I wish you had come here for any other reason, Cap. Really, I do."

"This is a second chance, Peter," he said firmly.

Peter shook his head. "This is my second chance, Captain." He gestured to Morgan, and the house behind him. "Sorry. You can stay for lunch if you don't talk shop."

Later that night, Natasha's words came back to him.

"As smart as him, if not smarter."

The hologram table whirred as he tested ideas, theories, and finally stumbled onto the answer.

"Wow..." he mumbled. "Huh. That- wow..."

"Are you bringing my daddy back?"

Peter jerked around as the voice reached his ears, sighing in relief as he saw his little sister. "You, little miss, are not supposed to be up."

"What are you doing?"

He shook his head. "I've just got some important stuff on my mind."

Her eyes lit up. "Is it juice pops?"

The girl squeaked as he lifted her, tossing her into the air. "Sure is. That, little miss, is extortion. C'mon. Off to bed with you."

Tucking her into bed, he pulled the popsicle stick from her fingers, and kissed her forehead. "Goodnight little miss. Love you a ton."

She peeked at him from between her fingers. "I love you three thousand."

Peter stilled, smiling down at her. "Three thousand? Wow. That's a lot."

He kissed her forehead again, turning off the light, and standing up.

"Go to bed," he said behind him. "Or we'll sell all your toys."

He heard her giggle behind him as he shut the door.

"You know," he smiled at Pepper as he rounded the couch. "It's not a competition or anything, but she loves me three thousand. Sorry mom. You're still in the low six to nine hundred range."

She marked her book, smiling up at him. "Whatever you say, kiddo. You okay? You look tired."

He sank down on the cushion beside her, head in her lap. "I figured it out."

At her questioning look, he continued. "Time travel. I don't know what to do. Half of me wants to throw the research in a box, and toss it into the lake. But the other half-" He wiped his eyes heavily. "I don't know what to do. If it works... well, great. Wonderful. But if it doesn't- I don't think I could do that. I can't fail him."

She pressed a kiss to his forehead, running her hand through his hair. "Well, I don't think he would care. He loved you, kiddo. And I think he would be proud, no matter what you do."

He turned on his side, facing the fire. "Yeah. Might be weird though."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. He has a five year old daughter and I'm twenty one now."

"Don't worry about it. He knew I was pregnant, so I think he'll be okay. Get some sleep, kiddo. Big day tomorrow."

When Peter pulled into the compound parking space, he saw Steve waiting.

He pulled in, rolling down the window. "Why the long face?"

Steve rolled his eyes, waiting for Peter to step out.

"Let me guess," Peter leaned against the car door. "He turned into a baby."

He grinned when Steve looked at the ground. "Among other things, yes. What are you doing here?"

Peter shut the door. "It's the EPR paradox. Instead of pushing Lang through time, you might've wound up pushing time through Lang. It's tricky. Dangerous. Somebody coulda cautioned you against it."

His smirk grew when Steve didn't look up, muttering something quietly. "What was that?"

"You did," he said louder.

"Oh, did I?" Peter shrugged. "At least someone has common sense around here. Regardless," he held out a hand. "I fixed it. Fully functioning time/space GPS."

Steve studied the device.

"Look, Steve," Peter said quietly. "We've got a shot at getting these stones, but I've gotta tell you my priorities. Bring back what we lost, I hope, yes. And maybe not," he shrugged again. "Die trying, would be nice."

The former captain nodded. "Sounds like a deal."

Peter made his way to the trunk, opening it, lifting something, and dusting it off, pushing away the toys, and handed it to Steve.

The familiar starred shield stared up at him.

"Peter, I don't- I don't know."

"Why?" Peter stepped closer, eyes burning. "Past is in the past, Rogers. I know we don't see eye to eye. Not since the accords. Not since my dad came home from Siberia. But we need Captain America."

He passed for a minute, and then continued, tone light. "Besides. I had to get it out of the garage before Morgan could take it sledding."

"Thank you."

"Just-" Peter clapped his hand onto Steve's shoulder. "Keep it quiet? I didn't bring one for the whole team. It... is the whole team, right?"

"We're working on that right now," Steve said firmly.

"Oh my god. Time travel suits? Not bad, except eek. No fashion, no pizzazz, no wonder you guys need help. Those suits are a fashion designers nightmare. It's horrible. Fashion faux pas, is what it is. It's literally burning my eyes right now."

"They're not that bad."

"They are that bad."

"Wait a second, let me ask you something."

Peter folded his arms, waiting for Rhodey to continue.

"If we can do this, this being go back in time, why don't we just- find baby Thanos, you know? And-"

He mimed choking.

"First off, that's horrible." Bruce said quietly.

"It's Thanos," Rhodey insisted.

"And secondly, time doesn't work that way. Changing the past doesn't change the future."

"Look," Scott broke in. "We go back, we get the stones before Thanos gets them, Thanos doesn't have the stones. Problem solved. Bingo."

"That's not how it works."

"That's what I heard," he said firmly.

It was nerve-wracking, Peter thought, to be staring across the penthouse at the full team of Avengers, and the rogue god Loki.

The case containing the Tesseract was heavily guarded, at the moment, and they waited patiently for an opportunity.

"You promise me he won't die?"

Peter lifted a shoulder. "You're only giving him a mild cardiac dysrhythmia."

"That-" Scott sucked in a heavy breath. "That doesn't sound mild."

Peter turned his gaze back to where the Secretary of State was trying to take the case. "Do it, Scott!"

"Let go." Past Tony yanked his arm out of the tight grip.

"Window's closing," Peter warned. "Pull the pin!"

"Here goes."

Past Tony's body jolted.

"Stark?"

"Stark!"

Tony crumpled to the ground.

"He's convulsing. Give him air! Medic!"

Peter ducked in a sharp breath, waving his arm at some of the agents behind them. "You guys, some help! Medic!"

Invisible to the naked eye, Scott gave the case a shove, sending it skittering over into Peter's waiting hands.

"Good job." Peter started walking quickly, as if on a mission, watching as people scattered in front of his murder walk. "Meet me in the alley."

The stairwell door burst open, sending him and the case flying in opposite directions.

He winced as the case landed at the feet of Loki.

"NO STAIRS!" Hulk raged through the fleeing mass of people, and Peter slammed his hand into the ground, cursing silently as the case disappeared with Loki.

He turned back just in time to see Thor using Mjolnir as an impromptu defibrillator.

Then the group panicked, noticing the case was gone, along with the rogue god.

"Where's Loki?"

Scott sighed. "That wasn't supposed to happen, was it?"

"Nope." Peter pulled himself to his feet. "We blew it."

The two sat dejectedly in a broken car, waiting silently for Steve to join them.

Peter's thoughts milled around frantically, trying to figure something out.

The rubble shifted, and they both went on high alert, only to relax minisculely as Steve appeared.

"You guys get it?"

Peter let out a slow breath. "We've got a problem."

Scott laughed derisively. "Yeah, we do."

Steve noticed the absence of the case, and shook his head tiredly. "Now what?"

Peter bristled at the angry tone, standing, and meeting his eyes. "You know what? Give me a break, Steve. I just got hit in the head with the Hulk."

"You said that we had one shot," Scott interrupted. "This- this was our shot. We shot it. It's shot. Six stones or nothing. Six stones or nothing-"

"You're repeating yourself, you know that?" Peter sighed. "You're... repeating yourself."

"You're repeating yourself." Scott mocked. "You're repeating yourself. You know-"

"Dude, come on." Peter gripped the car roof tightly, letting go as soon as he noticed the dents forming from his strength.

"You never wanted a time heist," Scott foisted his hands. "You went on board with the time heist-"

"Look, I dropped the ball." Peter closed his eyes, resting his face in the palm of his hands. "I know I did."

"You ruined the time heist."

"Oh, now it's my fault?"

"Yeah!"

"Are there any other options with the Tesseract?" Steve broke in, glancing between the two in frustration.

"No, no, no. There's no other options." Scott threw his hands out. "There's no do-overs. We're not going anywhere else. We have one particle left. Each. That's it, alright? We use that- Bye, bye. You're not going home."

"Yeah, well, if we don't try, then no one else is going home, either."

Peter snapped his fingers. "I got it. There's another way. To retake the Tesseract and acquire new particles. We'll stroll down memory lane. Military installation, Garden State."

"When-" Steve hesitated, studying him. "When were they both there?"

"They were there at a- " Peter waved a hand. "I've a vaguely exact idea."

"How vague?"

"I know for a fact they were there-" Peter turned away, muttering to himself. "He told me this story ages ago-"

"Who's they?" Scott stared at them in bewilderment. "What are we doing?"

"And..." Peter spun back around, grinning triumphantly. "I got it. Looks like we're improvising."

"What are we improvising?"

"Scott," Peter handed him the scepter. "Get this back to the compound."

Turning to Steve, the younger man grinned again. "Suit up."

"0-4,"Peter started, both typing it in. "Uhh... 0-7."

"Excuse me?" Scott glanced between them and the scepter. "What-?"

"1-9-7-0." Peter finished.

"Are you sure?"

"Cap. Captain." Scott winced at the unamused stares. "Steve, sorry, America. Rogers. Whatever. Look, if you do this, and this doesn't work, you're not coming back."

"Thanks for the pep talk," Peter smiled tightly, and turned back to Steve. "Do you trust me?

"...yeah."

"Good. Here we go."

Getting into the military elevator was the easy part, but once they were in there, it was strangely discomfiting, and he could feel the stare on the back of his neck from the woman behind him.

The elevator opened, and Peter stepped into what seemed to be a lab area, turning back once to give Steve a nod. "Good luck on your mission... Captain."

"Good luck on your project," Steve replied. "...Doctor."

The doors closed, and he was on his own.

He found the Tesseract in a strange looking machine, quickly removing it, and slotting it into the case. "Gotcha."

"Arnim, you in there? Arnim?"

Peter froze as a voice cut through the silent lab. "Hey! Door's this way, pal."

Peter spun on his heel, moving back towards the elevator. "Making my way downtown," he muttered under his breath. "Walking faster."

"I'm looking for Dr. Zola. Have you seen him?"

"Yeah, no, Dr. Zol-" at that moment, he recognized both the voice and the face. Howard Stark. "No, I haven't seen a soul."

He bumped into a chair, sending it rolling with an awkward laugh."'Scuse me."

"Do I know you?"

"No, sir." Peter hesitated. "I'm a- a visitor from MIT."

"Huh. You look a bit young for MIT. Got a name?"

"Uh-" he panicked. "Howard."

"Well, that'll be easy to remember."

Peter grinned awkwardly, hoping for a slow and painful death. "Howard... Potts."

"Well, I'm Howard Stark." He held out his hand.

"Yeah, hi." He shook the hand briefly.

"You look a little green around the gills there, Potts. Wanna get some air?"

"Yeah. That would be swell." Peter started walking again.

In the wrong direction.

"This way."

Peter lifted his eyes to the sky, muttering a curse. "Yeah."

He was stopped again by Howard pushing the case in his direction. "Need your briefcase?"

Peter sighed. "Yeah."

Back above ground, the two meandered slowly to where a car was idling, and Peter's eyes widened as he recognized Jarvis.

He's never met him, of course, seeing as the faithful butler had died before he was born, but his dad had shown him pictures, and told him stories.

"Potts?"

Peter shook his head, bringing himself back to the conversation at hand. "Sorry. You were saying?"

"You look like you spaced out a bit there."

"Yeah, sorry, I just- sorry." Peter's eyes roamed over the encampment, relief making his shoulders sag as he found Steve, who held the renewed store of particles. "I think my ride's here. If you'll excuse me?"

"Sure." Howard gave him a cordial nod. "See you around, Potts."

As Peter turned away, he grinned slightly, shaking his head. "Highly doubt it."

They landed back in the future with resounding thuds.

Looking around, he was relieved to find all the stones present.

"Did we get them all?" Bruce looked around the circle.

Before anyone could answer, he noticed something else.

"Where's Nat?"

"Remember- everyone Thanos snapped away five years ago and just bring them back to now, today. Don't change anything from the last five years." Peter fisted his hands, hoping with everything he had left that this would work.

"Got it."

All around the room, the team suited up, getting ready.

"Friday," Peter spoke out loud. "Do me a favor and activate Barn Door Protocol?"

"Yes Peter."

Around them, the compound went into lockdown.

"Everybody comes home." Bruce repeated.

The seconds after that passed in a blur, until...

SNAP.

"Guys- I think it worked!"

The compound exploded.

He came to with Rhodey's frantic voice in his ear.

"Peter? Peter? Pepper will kill me if you don't answer! Peter talk to me!"

"Hey uncle Rhodey," he coughed. "I'm- I'm okay."

"Oh thank god. Hey- Rocket! Get out of there! We need help! We're in the lower levels, and it's flooding!"

"I'm too far! Someone get to Rhodey!"

Peter scooped up the shield from where it lay half buried under rubble, gingerly climbing down level with Steve, who lay unconscious on a slab of rock.

He crouched, prodding the side of Steve's face. "Come on, Cap. Wake up."

As Steve stirred to life, Peter dropped the shield beside him. "You lose this again, I'm keeping it."

"What happened?"

Peter scanned the skyline warily. "We messed with time. It tends to mess back." He extended a hand, pulling Steve to his feet. "Come on."

The two ascended the pile of rubble, both inhaling sharply at the sight of Thanos, sitting on a level piece of ground, as if waiting for them.

They joined Thor, who was standing guard, watching the Titan warily.

"What's he been doing?" Peter tapped his chest, sending the nanites flooding over his face to form the mask.

"Absolutely nothing."

Steve glanced around quickly. "Where are the stones?"

"Somewhere under all this." Peter lifted one shoulder, keeping his gaze on Thanos. "All I know is he doesn't have them."

"So we keep it that way."

Thor sighed heavily. "You know it's a trap, right?"

"Yeah." Peter hid the shaking in his fingers. "And I don't much care."

"Good." Thor grinned fiercely. "Just as long as we are all in agreement."

With the crackle of lighting, and a crash of thunder, Thor was fully suited up, armor gleaming, and beard and hair braided in the style of his home world. "Let's kill him properly this time."

With that, the three strode towards the seated Titan.

Thanos looked up as they approached, a calm smile on his face. "You could not live with your own failure. And where did that bring you? Back to me. I thought by eliminating half of life, the other half would thrive. But you've shown me that's impossible."

Peter gritted his teeth, anger rising in his throat.

"As long as there are those that remember what was," Thanos continued. "There will always be those that are unable to accept what can be. They will resist."

Peter shrugged lightly. "We're all kinds of stubborn."

"I'm thankful. Because now, I know what I must do." Thanos stood, rising to his full height. "I will shred this universe down to its last atom." He pulled his helmet over his head. "And then- With the stones you've collected for me, create a new one. Teeming with life, that knows not what it has lost but only what it has been given. A grateful universe."

"You're wrong," Peter took a small step forward. "You're insane. You think this is justified?"

Thanos tilted his head. "I remember you, young one. You were Stark's son. He fought bravely. I admire that, the urge to protect a child. I am a father, after all."

Peter narrowed his eyes. "A lousy excuse for one."

"I did what I did to protect my children." Thanos gripped his sword tighter. "The new world will be my children, and they will not know what I've done. Because you won't be alive to tell them."

As one, they darted forward to attack.

The battle was huge.

Thanos' army was more aliens than he thought possible to exist.

The whole battle shabang was worse than before.

What they had in common with last time?

They were still being wiped into the ground.

Cap could lift the hammer, which, big whoopie, but they were dead.

And then the golden circles- portals- had appeared everywhere, and suddenly they weren't alone anymore.

The Wakandans.

Steve's one armed friend, along with the Falcon.

Sorcerers from the Sanctums.

Armies from everywhere.

The air was filled with noise, a cacophony of voices.

Then blue/purple armor slammed down several feet from Peter, and he exhaled heavily. "Mom?"

Her faceplate flipped up. "Hey sweetie. Just so you know, if you get hurt, you're grounded."

He nodded briefly. "Be careful."

Then Dr Strange, and the guardians, and then-

Tony.

Peter drew a deep breath, and stood taller.

"Avengers... Assemble!"

Peter dropped to the ground in front of his dad, stumbling forward into a hug.

He tucked his face into Tony's shoulder, for a moment feeling like a teenager again.

"Hey, hey-" he heard the shakiness in his dad's voice. "Hey- shh. It's okay now. It's okay."

He didn't move for several seconds, and when he finally pulled back, his dad's eyes widened. "He wasn't joking."

"What?" Peter glanced back to where Pepper was. "Who? Joking about what?"

"Dr Strange. He said- he said it'd been five years, but- I didn't-" his hand came up to cradle Peter's cheek. "Pete..."

"I'm fine," he breathed. "I'm fine, I promise. We need to finish this, though. Then we can get caught up."

"Okay." Tony tugged him into another quick hug, then pushed him back. "Just stay safe, okay? Nothing I wouldn't do, kid, nothing I would, remember."

Peter rolled his eyes, heart feeling lighter than it had been in years. "Same goes for you."

The battle was one big blur.

He fought through it all, unthinkingly, until he dropped to one knee close to where his dad and Doctor Strange were located.

When the doctor held up one finger, he remembered what Strange had said.

One timeline.

He saw the acceptance in his dad's eyes, and gritted his teeth.

Not today.

Thanos put the Power Stone back into the gauntlet, crying out from the power coursing through him.

Peter darted forward as he saw his dad move, getting to the glove before Tony, whose eyes widened as he saw Peter close to him.

They were both knocked away, and it felt like the entire battlefield froze, watching the Titan.

"I am- " he breathed heavily. "Inevitable."

He snapped his fingers, but nothing happened except a metallic clink.

Turning his hand over, his eyes widened at the sight of empty holes.

Peter slid the stones into his own makeshift gauntlet, ignoring his dad's desperate yell from behind him.

"And I-" he held the gauntlet up, hand trembling with exertion. "Am Spiderman."

Snap.

Around him the world faded to ash, just like that day five years ago.

Except this time, all of his friends and family were safe.

Pain raced through the entire right side of his body, and the thought hit him that he was dying.

His legs buckled under him, and he fell back against a pile of rubble, eyesight fading in and out.

"Peter? Peter-!"

Voices overlapped, with Tony's closest, and most frantic.

"Peter, baby- look at me-"

Pepper was there, hands gentle as she cradled the side of his face that wasn't burning with agony. "Sweetheart-" her voice broke. "Stay with us. You're gonna be okay. Stay with us."

He tried to smile, but it felt more like a grimace.

His dad was there too, and immeasurable relief flooded through him.

It was done.

The world was safe.

Everyone was back.

"We won."

His voice didn't sound like him, raspy, and broken in all the wrong places.

His dad was crying, and he wanted to let him know it was okay.

"We did it, dad. We- we did it."

His breathing slowed, and he knew that this, this moment on a hill of ash, was the last.

He was dying.

"I'm sorry."

Black filled his vision, and his body went limp.

Light filtered through the backs of his eyelids, and a young voice talked rapid-fire.

"And then Petey made his hand all sticky, and he lifted me so high I was Ironman! Just like you, daddy!"

"Yeah." This voice was deeper, sounding close to tears. "Just like me, you're right."

"Now that you're home, can you take me on the rowboat? Peter did it a lot, but mommy said he needs to sleep right now, so he can get better. Do you think I could make him a card? Would it help him wake up?"

"I'm sure it would, baby."

The voices faded, and a door shut.

"Hey kid. It's Happy. You did good. You saved our asses, and the universe, while you were at it. Tony's been getting to know Morgan, and it's doing both of them good to get out of the house once in a while. I never thought I'd say this, but I miss the times when you'd talk my ear off about something or another. So just... hang in there, kid. We're all rooting for you."

"Peter? I hope you can hear me. It's Mom. We miss you so much. The doctor said you're healing well, and that you should be waking up soon, so... I hope he's right. I love you. We all do. Sweet dreams, baby."

For the first time, he could feel...

Well, he could feel.

A light blanket draped over his body, soft, and warm.

The bed dipped low beside him.

The warmth of sunbeams on his face.

A tingling sensation throughout his body.

The weight shifted, and he could hear Morgan, talking quietly, either to herself or him, he couldn't tell.

"Mommy said I'm not s'posed to be in here without her, but she's asleep, and Daddy's talking to Mr Steve, so I came in here. I brought you a juice pop. It's your favorite color. Red, like Iron Man."

He could feel the cold wrapper between his fingers, and he smiled slightly.

With great effort, he forced his eyes open, blinking quickly to get used to the sudden light.

Morgan was turned away from him, playing with the plushie forms of Spiderman and Ironman.

She made that one shoot through the air, mimicking the sound of repulsors. "There!"

The toy smacked into another, a giant purple stuffed bear, and she laughed delightedly. "Take that Thanos!"

"Oh!" She gasped dramatically, pretending to faint over Peter's blanket. "He got me!"

Not even two seconds passed before she popped back up, using the Spiderman plush to 'defeat' Thanos. "We're saved," she cheered.

The playfulness drained out of her, and she hugged the red and blue toy. "We miss you, Petey."

Peter lifted his arm weakly, squeezing her shoulder. "I'm right here."

From the way she jumped, almost toppling off the bed, the five year old hadn't been expecting that.

"Peter?" Her eyes widened happily. "You're awake!"

He grinned faintly. "Yeah."

"I need to get mommy," she said solemnly. "She said if you woke up that she wanted to ground you."

He huffed a laugh, wincing as his side throbbed with pain. "Sounds about right."

"Do you want me to get them?"

Peter shook his head weakly. "I want... my Morgan snuggles. I've been severely deprived."

She smiled brightly, crawling closer on her hands and knees, hair falling over her face. "I missed you so much. Mommy said when you wake up and get better, you can take me in the trees again."

He lifted a hand to brush a strand of hair out of her eyes. "Yeah. When I'm better."

"Okay." The five year old curled into his good side, and he took his first look at the extent of the damage.

It was better than he expected, to be honest.

He'd almost expected his arm to be gone completely, and his side burned away, but the reality was... well, better, to say the least.

His arm was bandaged, the tips of his fingers looking bruised, and ashy, but still there.

It had no feeling, just an empty, numb sense showing that it was there.

The bandages reached down to his hip, and a loose pair of sweatpants sat just under the edge of the line of cloth.

Morgan lay silently watching him assess the wound, and she gave him a subdued smile. "Daddy was really scared. He cries a lot. Mommy says he has lotsa bad dreams, and she has to wake him up. Sometimes he comes and sits in here. Don't tell Mommy, but I sometimes bring him juice pops, and he lets me sit in his lap."

"I'll-" he coughed weakly, dropping his head back onto the pillow with a sigh. "I'll keep your secret, little miss."

"You better," she said sternly. "Cause if you don't, that means you're a tattletale."

He coughed again, feeling like something was stuck in his throat, smiling tightly. "Sure does."

Something caught, and he coughed again, and again, gasping for breath between each wracking cough.

His throat scraped with each swallow, and he forced down a whimper.

Something was wrong.

With one last, horrible cough, something broke free, and he slumped back down on the pillow.

Morgan inhaled sharply.

She lifted one small finger to the corner of his mouth, pulling it away to show the tip bright red with blood.

"Peter?" She sounded terrified, and he squeezed her wrist gently, trying to control his breathing. "Go get help. Now."

She was gone within seconds, and he broke into another coughing fit, no breaks between each wheezing breath, and when he went to breathe in, at the end-

He couldn't.

His throat worked to bring air in, but no air entered his lungs.

Thudding footsteps neared, and several figures entered the room, blurred faces indistinguishable in his panic.

Black filled his vision.

He couldn't breathe.

"I don't know. His enhancements have kept him alive this long, but there's no telling if they're enough."

"Morgan said he was awake, and- and talking to her. Said he promised to take her out on the lake when he was better. Told her he wanted... wanted her cuddles."

"Tony, you have to understand-"

"No, you know what I don't understand? You knew this would happen, Strange! You knew, and you let my son do this!"

"It was this, or nothing. Six billion to one, and this was the most favorable outcome."

"This is your fault. Now fix this."

"So we don't know when... or if he'll wake up?"

"No telling. Anything is possible."

"Does Tony know?"

"Know...?"

"That he might not wake up."

"Yeah. That's why-"

"Why he's hiding in the lab?"

"Yeah. That."

"Peter?"

The whisper dragged him out of his dreamless sleep, leaving him on the brink of wakefulness.

"Peter? I miss you."

Morgan.

His little sister sounded near tears.

"I heard- I heard Miss Helen say that you might not wake up..." her voice shook. "You promised you wouldn't leave us. You promised."

Silence.

"Daddy cries a lot. Mommy does too. Mr Steve took me to look at the stars so I wouldn't see it, but I heard them crying. We miss you, Petey. Please wake up."

Something wet touched his forehead, swiping gently across the skin.

A gentle voice filled the air, humming an indistinct tune.

The coolness left, only to return even colder than before.

"Hey bud. Everything's good, don't worry. You're just getting a bit warm, that's all." His dad's voice was soothing, calming the worry he hadn't realized was rising up. "There we go. All good."

The door opened, and light footsteps came closer. "Daddy? Why are you doing that?"

"Hey baby. I'm just keeping your brother nice and cool, okay?"

Morgan sounded as if she was about to start crying. "Is he getting sick again?"

"No-" the cloth moved away, and he heard the sound of his dad grunting in exertion as a slight weight settled on the side of the bed. "There we go. No, Peter's not sick again. He's just fine. I promise."

"Then why isn't he waking up?"

"I don't- I don't know, sweetheart."

Silence.

"I'm scared."

"Me too." His dad's voice softened.

Peter jolted upwards, hissing as his arm slammed into the bed, sending shocks up into his shoulder.

A sound came from down the hall, of a high-pitched laugh.

The sound stopped just as abruptly as it had started, and he stared at his surroundings in bewilderment.

Warm lights illuminated the room, and he relaxed minutely at the sight of the familiar room.

He was home.

"Friday? Are you there?"

"Hello, Peter. Welcome back."

"What happened?"

"What do you remember?"

"Uh... last thing I remember is talking to Morgan a little bit. I don't- I started coughing really bad, but I don't remember anything past that."

"It has been three weeks and four days since the battle. You've been in a medically induced coma for most of it, and on oxygen until yesterday, seeing as your lungs have been uncooperative."

"How bad was it?"

"Severe burns to the left side of your body. Your lung collapsed from blunt trauma to the chest, causing you to flat-line twice. The doctors managed to save your arm, but it will most likely not regain more than seventy percent mobility, more possible with much physical treatment. I am now alerting your father that you've woken up."

"No, wait-!" Peter held his good hand towards where the cameras were located. "Don't. I'm fine. I just- I just need a minute."

"Very well."

Peter rested a hand over his eyes. "Can I get up? Will an alarm sound, or something equally... as loud and annoying?"

"You are sufficiently recovered, but assistance is recommended for removing the IV and getting down the stairs."

"I'm fine."

He gently pulled the small needle out, holding the small prick to the hem of his shirt to stem the blood.

Then, holding the wall for support, he pulled himself out of bed.

It took several seconds for the lightheadedness to ease, and he found himself closing his eyes, breathing slowly through his nose to stem the urge to throw up.

"Peter, I will call your father if you do not-"

"Don't, Friday. I'm serious. I can do this."

Each step felt like it took enough energy to run a marathon, but he managed.

The door swung open silently as he pushed it, and he smiled as he heard Morgan's high-pitched laugh again.

Going down the hall took enough effort that he was panting softly as he reached the living room, having to hold onto the walls to avoid falling.

The sight of Morgan had him smiling softly.

His little sister was on the edge of her seat, eyes focused on the screen.

"Morgan?" His voice was low, and the first word didn't get her attention, and he lifted his voice. "Morguna?"

She spun around instantly, mouth falling open, and eyes as wide as saucers.

He grinned at her, gripping the doorframe tighter. "Hey little miss."

"Peter!" Her voice rose in a shriek, and she hurtled across the living room into his arms. "You're awake!"

Something crashed on the other side of the room, and Rhodey sat straight up, eyes wider than he'd ever seen them.

"Peter?" His uncle looked near tears, pushing himself off the couch, and hurrying over.. "Peter, what-? How are you awake? You-"

"Hey Rhodey." Peter grinned tiredly.

"Friday, get Tony out here. Now."

"Boss is already on the way. He heard Morgan."

Hurried footsteps came into earshot, and seconds later, he was faced with his dad, eyes wide and wondering, breath coming in gasps. "Peter?"

Peter stared.

He had known, objectively, that his dad was back, and alive.

After all, they had hugged on the battlefield, and his dad had been about to take the gauntlet.

Looking at him now, though, was... overwhelming.

Peter gave a smile through trembling lips. "Dad."

They stared at each other, frozen in the moment, until Morgan tilted her head. "Daddy? What's wrong?"

Tony broke out of the stupor, hurrying forward, Peter pulling himself to his feet just in time to meet the crushing embrace.

"God, Peter-" his dad took a shaky breath, holding him tighter. "Peter."

Peter gripped the back of his dad's shirt, eyes wet with tears he had been holding in for too long.

He pressed his face to his dad's shoulder, listening to the steady heartbeat that promised him this was real.

"Safe to... say..." he inhaled deeply. "The world owes me one."

The words startled a laugh from Tony, and Peter leaned back just enough to glance around the room. "Where's mom?"

"She's out..." Tony ran a hand over his face, jerking his thumb over his shoulder. "She's out back weeding her garden."

"Figures." Peter breathed a laugh, leaning on the wall heavily. "She loves that thing like a third kid."

"Yeah." Tony breathed in deeply, gaze fixed on Peter's face. "Hey Morgan? Run get your mom, okay?"

Peter watched the five year old sprint out the door, and he held out his arm towards his dad. "Wanna help me to the couch? Standing is taking it out of me, and if I try to take a step, I'm gonna faceplant."

Tony ducked under his arm, wrapping his own around Peter, and helping him the few feet over to the couch.

Peter sank into the cushions with a pained sigh, pressing his hand to the scarred skin of his right shoulder with a wince. "I'm guessing I look like a piece of fried chicken, huh?"

Rhodey choked a disbelieving laugh, and when Tony shot him a glare, he raised a hand. "Sorry."

"Not... exactly the metaphor I would choose, but..."

Peter met his eyes with a half smile. "But it's pretty accurate?"

Tony sighed. "Yeah. I'm not... I'm not gonna say I'm happy with this, but you... you did good, Pete. I'm proud of you."

Ducking his head, Peter exhaled sharply, covering his mouth briefly. "It's really good to have you back."

The door burst open, and Pepper appeared, gaze landing on Peter as she hurried over.

"Peter?" She knelt in front of him, one hand coming up to cradle the side of his face. "Hey sweetheart. It's... it's really good to see you awake. How are you feeling?"

He scrunched his nose slightly, leaning into her hand. "Crispy."

"Peter."

"I do! I feel crispy. It's weird."

Pepper turned to stare at Tony. "Is he still on pain meds?"

"He pulled the IV out, but they're the extra strong ones to account for his freaky metabolism, and should still be in his system for at least another few minutes, so...probably. That might be why he's still a bit loopy."

"We need to get him back to his room then, and get him hooked back up."

"Not my room," Peter corrected her. "It's the guest room. I stole it temporarily."

"You saved the universe, Pete. You can steal the spare room all you want."

"Cool."

Morgan climbed carefully onto the couch beside Peter, leaning into his side, and staring up into his face with a smile. "Daddy says we can go on the rowboat when you're awake."

"Peter isn't going anywhere at the moment," Pepper said gently. "We need to get him checked out by whoever we can get up here on short notice."

"But he's awake now!"

"He's also very tired, baby."

Peter wrapped his left arm around her, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "Don't worry little miss, when I'm feeling better, we can do all kinds of stuff with dad."

"M-hm. Cause you got him back, right? That's why your arm is hurt?"

"Yup." Peter leaned his head back, badly disguising the flash of pain across his face. "That's why it's hurt."

"Alright, come on." Pepper stood, taking his arm gently. "We need to get you back on meds."

"No arguments there."

Tony supported his other side, avoiding the burned areas while still taking some of his weight, and the three somehow made their way back to his temporary room.

Morgan followed in Rhodey's arms.

He put her down in order to replace the IV, which Peter frowned curiously at. "D'you have the qualifications for that?"

"Mandatory First Aid basics, kiddo."

"Not a kid. I just saved the universe."

"You're always gonna be my kid nephew, Pete."

"What about me?" Morgan leaned over the edge of the bed, stopped from falling head first onto them only by Tony's hand fisted in the back of her shirt.

"You're gonna be the boss one day, just like your mom."

Pepper smiled softly, squeezing Peter's hand. "You can be her assistant."

"Sounds... good."

Peter tipped his head over on the pillow, his gaze finding his dad. "Did... did you know I invented... time travel? Doesn't work like... in Back To The Future."

"They told me, kiddo." Tony smiled, eyes warm, and smoothed a piece of hair away from Peter's eyes.

"Mmm. It's really cool. I met your dad."

"What."

Peter laughed quietly, toying with the IV until Tony slapped his hand away. "Yeah. I met Howard A. W. Stark himself."

Tony adjusted the blanket, thankful his hand didn't shake. "And?"

"And I completely panicked and said my name was Howard too."

That surprised a laugh out of him, and he met Peter's matching smile.

"Howard Potts," Peter added, shooting a grin at Pepper. "Think I kind of met Jarvis."

A faint smile lifted the corner of Tony's mouth, and Peter tipped his head to one side, eyelids growing heavy. "Didn't say anything. But he was there."

"Alright, Pete." Tony squeezed his hand, smile growing fond. "You can tell us all about it when you're awake again, okay? You need to rest, bud."

Peter hummed tiredly. "You... be there?"

"Yeah. Yeah, Pete. I'll be here."

8,834 words later...

I actually loved this, which is rare for me.

Thoughts?

There will be more updates in the future.

Sporadic and few, but there will be updates.

Hope y'all are as excited as I am!