Why do you still fight?” The Titan seems genuinely confused. “There is nothing left for you to gain. All you can do is lose.”

Tony's breath catches in his throat. “His name was Peter.”

The rest of the Avengers look at him in surprise. Tony never talked about what happened on Titan, but Rhodey had told them, behind closed doors when they were sure the inventor couldn't hear them, about a kid named Peter who was on that spaceship with Tony, and didn't come home.

Thanos seems equally surprised, if a little confused. “What?”

“His name was Peter.” Tony repeated, voice shaking with rage, and loss and shattering grief. “His name was Peter, and you took him from me. You took my kid. And you're going to pay for that.”

He darted forward, the cannons on his suit firing up, and sending a bright blast.

They fought, but everyone present had to look away, shielding their eyes, because the light emitting from their battle was bright enough to be seen for miles around.

Then it stopped, abruptly, and Thanos was on the ground, Tony bent over him.

"You will never hurt my son again," he hissed, the rage in his voice scaring the others. "You can't snap your way out of this one."

His gaze turned to Thor. "Want a shot?"

Thor raised Stormbreaker, the sky growing dark, lightning crackling out if the angry clouds.

It hit, the air filling with the smell of fire.

And Thanos was gone.

------------

They waited eagerly.

Soon reports came up of people returning, all over the world.

Then Shuri told them that her brother, the king, had returned.

Clint got his family back.

Wanda returned.

Sam and Rhodey reunited.

The guardians found each other.

Steve found Bucky.

And Tony was jealous, for a moment.

Because if Steve could get his friend back, the one he'd chosen over Tony, why couldn't Tony get his kid back?

But since when had the universe ever given him what he wanted?

He had lost so much, so much.

But it couldn't stop there.

It had to take his kid too.

And he would be the punch line of some great cosmic joke.

He thinks he's going to get something good for once in his life. Ha.

--------------

Pain.

Shredding, tearing pain.

Forcing him apart, then pushing him back together.

The particles reformed slowly, the form of a young boy coming together.

An ordinary boy, in looks.

But wearing a suit made of iron.

The spider had returned.

--------------

Tony sat in his lab, fingers carding through his hair.

The genius was wearing thin, breaking.

It had been weeks.

No one had seen a teenager with brown hair and big brown eyes wearing a suit of armor.

There had been no reports of Spiderman being seen either

As he sat staring at a screen, he heard a knock, rousing him from his stupor.

When he turned around, he saw Steve in the doorway.

He sighed inwardly.

The two had been civil to each other.

They talked.

They got along fine, per se, but didn't carry the same trust.

How could they?

"Tony?" Steve said quietly. "Can we talk?"

Tony turned back to his diagrams. "Sorry. Can't. I'm looking for Peter."

He heard Steve give an exasperated sigh. "You never told us why you're looking so desperately for Spiderman. Or do you not trust us with that information?"

Tony stiffened. "I have no reason to trust you with anything, Rogers."

The other huffed. "I'm just saying-"

Tony cut him off. "Just nothing. You're just going to get out of here, because I've made it very clear that I cannot talk at the moment."

Steve stepped forward, grabbing Tony's shoulder, and trying to turn him around.

"Hey."

The voice is young, but angry.

"Get your hands off of him."

The voice is achingly familiar, and Tony is already up and turning around before Steve feels the jerk that pulls him off balance, sending him stumbling away from the billionaire.

The assailant was surprisingly strong to send the super soldier almost to his knees.

He pushes himself upright with the wall, and turns.

That's when he sees the face of a teenage boy, wearing a red, blue and gold metal suit.

Ah. So this is the spiderman.

Wait.

He's a kid?

--------------

Peter Parker stared at the soldier in disgust.

"Get out. If I ever see you touching him again, I will kill you."

And the scary thing is?

He means it.

And he could, if it came down to it.

And Steve apparently realized the same thing, because he backed away, glancing once at Tony, who still hadn't moved, and then back at the enraged teenager, who's eyes narrowed dangerously.

Then he fled.

-------------

Tony stared at the boy in front of him, seeing the hard glint leaving his eyes.

Peter twisted his fingers around the hem of his shirt.

"Hey Mr Stark. I'm feeling fine now."

Tony stumbled forward, pulling the teen toward him.

Peter willingly accepted the hug, wrapping his arms around his mentor, and burying his face in Tony's shirt.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "For begging."

Tony tightened his hold. "No, Pete. No apologies. I've had enough of 'I'm sorry' s to last a lifetime, okay?"

Peter shook his head. "I mean it though. I didn't realize- I didn't know that I did that. It wasn't fair to you. I shouldn't have done it. It didn't help, it only made it worse."

Tony pulled back enough to see the boy's face. "Pete, no. You were scared, understandably, and you wanted it to stop. Again, understandably. I do not blame you."

"But-"

"Nope."

"But I-"

"Nope."

Tony smiled slightly, a bare twitch of his lips. "And by the way, you're grounded from ever saying 'I don't feel so good.' Or from saying your sorry. Or from calling me Mr Stark. It's Tony, kid. Got it?"

Peter nodded awkwardly. "Got it, Mr- Tony."

Tony clapped his shoulder. "We'll work on it."

"Oh, and kid?" He added, almost an after thought.

Peter frowned quizzically. "Yeah?"

"Try not to kill Cap. The world kinda needs the Avengers captain."

The teenager glowered. "I don't."