Endgame spoilers.

Yeesh.

Pain.

That's all I can say.

Happy pain though.

Sort of.

Just... read... yeah.

Anywho.

Enjoy.

"Mr Stark?"

He stumbled across the ruined metal and charred sand, horror clogging his throat.

"We won, Mr Stark, we won."

Crumpling to the ground beside the still body, hot tears burning his eyes and leaving wet streaks in the dust on his face.

"Tony please."

Lifting the ruined hand to his cheek, biting back sobs that refuse to stop.

"Please Tony."

Vacant eyes gazing back at him.

"Please don't leave me."

Then he's being pulled back, wrapped in strong arms as he watches the scene unfold in front of him.

Pepper kneels beside the still body of his mentor. "We'll be okay. You can rest now."

"No," Peter sobs. "Mr Stark, please!"

The blue light flickers one last time, then it's gone. Faded out of existence.

Peter crumples, legs no longer supporting his weight, slamming into the ground as whoever is holding him grunts in surprise, grip loosening.

"Please, Tony please don't go- please-" the dam breaks, and he's sobbing, harder than he's ever cried before, great ugly sobs clawing their way out of his throat and he can't see through the blur of tears, a refrain running through his mind.

Please.

Don't go.

Don't leave me.

Please.

Don't go.

Don't leave me.

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

"You can rest now."

That's all he could hear before everything went black.

"You can rest now."

Apparently not, he gripes inwardly.

Because he's Anthony heckin Stark, of course he can't die properly.

He just has to botch it up somehow, doesn't he? The one thing he wanted to do for the good of everyone(not the first, actually), and he screws it up.

And by screws it up, he means waking up in some weird place that's orange colored, water being the surface, that somehow, he could walk on.

Just great.

And to make it even better, Natasha is standing in front of him.

Her eyes are furious, and before he could react, she slapped him across the face.

He jerked back, cradling his stinging cheek. "What the- what is wrong with you?"

"What is wrong with you?" She countered stiffly. "I died so you guys could stay safe, and you go and die."

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

After the funeral, people drifted away, some leaving, the rest going inside the cabin.

May stayed for a second, squeezing his shoulder and telling him to take as long as he needed.

Then Happy came, and gave Peter a small hug. His eyes were red, and he didn't crack a smile like usual. "Hey kid. You holding up okay?"

Peter didn't answer, just nodded tiredly.

Happy seemed to get the message, giving him a soft nod, then leaving.

The dock was empty when Peter sank down on the edge.

"I can't do this," he mumbled.

"Please. I can't do this, Mr Stark. Tony. I can't just pretend I'm okay. I miss you, Mr Stark. I miss you so much. I didn't even get to say goodbye, Tony. I can't do this."

He waited, almost as if waiting for an answer, but none came.

Soft footsteps pattered down the length of the dock, and someone sat beside him.

Peter took a quick second to wipe his eyes, and make his voice stronger before he greeted the little girl. "Hey. Are you supposed to be out here by yourself?"

The four year old looked up at him scrutinizingly. "I'm not by myself. You're here. Are you Peter?"

He tilted his head. "Yeah. I'm Peter."

She nodded, staring back at the water. "I'm Morgan. My daddy talked about you a lot. He said you would be my big brother. Are you? Cause he said you were his kid too. And he told me that you're a superhero. Is that true?"

Peter gave her a trembling smile. "Yeah. He said that?"

She swung her feet. "M-hm. He said that you were his kid before he got me, but now we could both be his kids."

Peter blinked rapidly, hiding the wetness in his eyes. "You okay with that?"

Morgan leaned again his arm, voice quiet. "Daddy loved you, so I'll love you too. Will you be my big brother?"

Peter put his arm around her, gently hugging the girl. "Yeah. I'll be the best big brother you could ask for."

They sat in silence for hours.

No one came to check on them, which was nice.

It was peaceful.

Peter could almost forget the occasion.

Morgan had started rambling about something. She used the exact same gestures as Tony. Her stubbornness was all him too. Her wit she got from Pepper, that much was clear.

"Is my daddy coming back?"

The question cut through his thoughts, and he turned to face her. Her eyes were sad, and she was playing absentmindedly with her shoe.

"I don't think so, neonata." The nickname came easily to him, and flowed off his tongue with a hint of fondness.

Morgan wrapped her arms around her knees. "Daddy calls me that too. I like it. Can you give me a hug?"

Calls, he noted. Present tense.

"Of course. Come here."

She clambered easily into his lap, resting her head against the curve of his neck. He put his arms around her, silently praying that he wouldn't drop her.

"Thank you for being my brother, Petey."

He felt a warm glow in his chest. "Thank you, for being my little sister."

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

Tony was dead.

Not literally.

Apparently none of them were.

(Oh yeah, there was alos scary green lady Nat had run into there)

But he was dead.

Without any idea of exactly where he was.

Or how to get back to his family.

How, he asked the universe silently, am I supposed to get home now?

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

Morgan was asleep, that much was clear. Her breathing was even, and she was limp in his arms.

The only problem was that he wasn't wasn't sure how to get up without waking her.

In the end he managed it with minimum jolting, and made his way back up the cabin steps.

Pepper smiled sadly when she saw his cargo. "She adopted you right away, didn't she?"

Peter nodded awkwardly. "Yeah, sorry, she just wanted to stay out there with me-"

"It's fine, Peter," she cut in. "Tony told her all about her 'big brother'. She's wanted to meet you for five years."

Peter nodded down at the sleeping girl. "Where's her room?"

Pepper led him to the bedroom, opening the door and letting him pass her to lay Morgan on the soft mattress.

Once they were safely downstairs, she pulled Peter into a hug. "Tony missed you so much."

Peter returned it awkwardly. "I didn't- I didnt know I meant that much to him."

The woman put her hand to his cheek. "Listen to me, Peter Parker. Make no mistake. He loved you. He invented time-traveling because he wanted you back. Do you understand me?"

Peter ducked his head, hiding the burning eyes from the observant CEO. "Yeah, I- yeah."

She pressed a kiss to his forehead. "Good. May is waiting in the car, Happy is going to drive you home. I expect you to visit at least twice a month, so Morgan can see her brother, and I can get to know Tony's surrogate son. Sound okay?"

"Yeah."

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

So now Fridays were his visiting days.

Pepper had said twice a month, but he usually came once a week.

Morgan squealed excitedly when he arrived, racing down the stairs to launch herself into his arms.

He 'oof'ed on impact, wrapping his arms around the tiny cannonball.

"I missed you Petey! I haven't seen you in weeks!" She yelled, throwing her arms around his neck.

"Hey- yep- lemme just-" he adjusted his grip on her, using one arm to pull hers off his neck. "There we go. It was only three weeks, neonata. How've you been?"

She started chattering excitedly, bouncing in his arms as he attempted to navigate the stairs.

"Pepper?"

Several seconds passed before she appeared, wiping her hands on a dish towel. "Peter! Hey! How was your vacation? I saw what happened on the news. Are you okay?"

He shrugged, setting Morgan down. "Could have been worse."

She scanned him with a practiced eye. "You sure about that?"

Peter kissed her cheek quickly, maneuvering past her through the open door. "Yeah, mom, I'm sure."

She smacked the back of his head. "Don't go getting airs with me young man."

He sank down on the couch, letting Morgan take her usual spot curled against his side. "How're you holding up, Miss?"

She peered up at him. "I want my daddy back."

A lump rose in his throat. "Yeah. So do I, bambina."

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

He was free.

After what seemed like forever in the empty nowhere, he was finally free.

Natasha had given him this chance, there was only one who could escape, and she gave the chance to him.

He could go home.

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

It was the normal routine on Fridays for Peter to drop by a fast food place for a snack, then make the long drive to the cabin, and spend the weekend with Pepper and Morgan.

It would be nighttime, and he would read a story to Morgan, and then he and Pepper would talk over hot chocolate.

It was normal, steady, and soothing.

Routine.

It was not routine to find Tony Stark sitting on the back porch with Pepper and Morgan.

His backpack slipped from his grasp, thudding to the floor beside him.

Their voices cut out as the family turned to face him.

"Peter," Pepper said softly. "Hey."

"What-" he couldn't make his mouth move, to form words. "What- you-"

Morgan darted up to him, pulling him to the couch with them, Pepper and Tony moving to make room.

He sank down numbly, unable to take his eyes off of his mentor, afraid if he looked away Tony would disappear.

Pepper stood up, lifting Morgan, and whispering something in Tony's ear before going inside.

Then they were alone.

"You died."

Peter's voice was empty, devoid of emotion.

"You died. I watched you die."

Tony felt his heart shatter at the pain in his kids voice the second time.

"It's okay now, Pete. I'm here."

Peter met his eyes, still frighteningly blank. "Are you? Or is this going to turn out to be Beck again?"

Beck?

He shook off the thought, lifting his hand to cradle Peter's face. "It's really me. Petey-pie." He hesitated to add the second part, but gave in, knowing it would reassure the kid, and maybe make him laugh.

Peter gave a shaky, choked up laugh, scrubbing his eyes with one hand. "I hated it when you called me that."

Tony let him stare for approximately 1.5 seconds before pulling him into a tight hug.

Peter tried to still his shaking, burying his face in the crook of Tony's neck, and wrapping his arms around his mentor. "Mr Stark," he mumbled quietly. "Mr Stark."

"Hey," Tony whispered, sounding just as choked up. "Hey Pete."

Tony's hand rubbed up and down his back, creating a steady, grounding touch that kept him grounded.

"You were dead, Mr Stark, and I tried to wake you up, but you wouldn't, and then Pepper said that you could rest, and I couldn't even say goodbye, Tony-" he was cut off by Tony pressing a kiss to the top of his head.

"I'm here now." Those three words stopped the rising hysteria, and he felt Peter slump against him, cheek resting against his shoulder, eyes slowly drooping.

"Time for Spiderbabies to go to sleep, I think."

"'M not a baby, Mr Stark," the teenager mumbled.

"Yeah you are," Tony pulled Peter closer, resting his chin on the wild curls. "You're my spider baby."

He could feel Peter freeze, then relax, pushing his face into Tony's shirt. "Love you Tony. Didn't get'ta say it before."

Tony cradled Peter close to him, feeling tears rise into his eyes. "I love you too, Peter. So much."

They didn't move. Even when Tony suggested it, Peter shook his head. "If I get up you might leave."

Tony squeezed tighter. "Nope. Not gonna happen. I want to stay as much as you do, Spiderling. I'm not leaving my kid."

Peter sighed contentedly. "I'm technically 21, you know. Legally adult and all that."

"Nope. I refuse."

You're only sixteen, kid. Let me enjoy it while it lasts.