#giving tony a child and the mentor relationship with peter just to kill him felt like trash and i'd like a refund

[thewildmother]

finished endgame last night and i still have a lot of opinions on the mcu and how i’d like to fight whoever wrote the endings

[malereader-inserts]

You’re My Dad (Boogie Woogie)

Fandom: Avengers Pairing: Peter Parker & Male!Reader Summary: You are my dad! You’re my dad (boogie woogie woogie) Word Count: 1,507 Request:  hello! how are you? can i request a platonic peter parker x male reader where reader likes to take care of peter, like cook him meals, give him snacks when he's studying or just give him snacks when he sees peter lounging. and maybe reader and tony are dating A/n: You sent a hefty request, hopefully I got everything in - I really hope that your cousin will enjoy this though!

Peter Parker was no stranger to death. 

His parents were killed when he was a young boy and his uncle was shot when he was only a teenager. He only had his Aunt May until he didn’t. She was driving back from work and got in an unfortunate accident. 

Peter Parker was no stranger to death, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t have a family. 

Tony and you took him when you heard about the accident. Peter was still a kid, he’s still a teenager and you wouldn’t stand for him to go to foster care. You have known Peter since Tony asked him to join him in Germany. How Tony asked if Peter if he wanted to intern under him. 

After all, you were Tony’s boyfriend for quite a while so when Peter slept over at Tony’s house, you were there. You would cook meals for your two science boys and remind them to take a break from their long science experience. Peter saw you and Tony as father figures, the men he really looked up after his Uncle Ben had passed away. 

Tony didn’t have the greatest childhood, he vowed to himself and you if you happen to adopt that he will be the best father any child could as for and you’ve seen him pick up calls from a lovely boy called Harley, which you have met a few times, and will always drop anything to have a conversation. You saw how Tony acted with Peter, to see pride and joy, you couldn’t help but smile at your boyfriend.

You had a great childhood, you grew up with loving parents and loving yet bratty siblings. Your childhood wasn’t quiet and always fun - your parents valued making memories with their children, so your parents took you and your siblings to sporting events, festivals (age-appropriate), holidays. They were strict, but you could recall how they let you sleepover with friends and bring friends over, you can remember how they let you go to concerts with your friends and/or siblings.

You kept that family love in your heart and Peter really felt it.

Peter wasn’t much of a sports person, but when he was in the presence of you and Tony, he doesn’t mind much. 

“Listen, kid,” You say, ruffling his hair, “You’re part of the Avenger family and you’re a superhero with wicked abilities - you know for the fact that Rogers and Romanov will not go easy on you in training.”

“He’s right,” Tony calls from behind, not looking up from his work as Peter groans.

“But, you could totally avoid intense training if you told them that you do sports with me, nothing too heavy,” You smiled, as Peter thinks it over.

“Like what?”

You shrugged your shoulders, “I don’t know, we could play baseball? The good all hit and run style. Or maybe volleyball, you pick the sport that week and we’ll do it.”

“Do you even have the equipment?”

You raised an eyebrow, “Peter, honey, you’re currently in the home of a Stark - you think Tony doesn’t have these things on standby.”

“I don’t know, he doesn’t seem to be an athletic type.”

“I heard that!” Tony exclaimed as the two of you laugh. 

When Peter moved in for the final time, Peter felt like he was somewhat out of place. He had a room at the Stark-(L/n) residence and he would spend nights, if not weekends, at theirs but he felt like he was intruding. It was a sudden change in Peter’s environment.

And yet, he felt warm in the house, whilst it really messed with his head for the past few days - you and Tony were slow with the process. You never pushed him out of his comfort zone. You helped him put up the stuff of his family around the house to allow him to heal.

You weren’t in The Avengers, so you had a lot of free time. Instead of working in an office, you created things to sell on the internet, it was a hobby because Tony insist you live a lavish life. But, that doesn’t stop you from working around the house. Peter was often met with delicious smelling food, whilst you had a rule that he would cook his own lunch if he didn’t have school and you would cook dinner for everyone. 

You, Tony and Peter, would sit down together with each other, talking about Peter’s day at school and how Tony is dealing with things with Avengers and Stark Enterprise despite Pepper being in charge of that. Even after eating, sometimes you’ll dig into some dessert and talk about shared interest such as music and shows.

If you guys are watching a series together, you’ll update them on lore or when the next episode is being dropped out. If it’s about a shared interest in music, you would happily indulge in what music has been released recently. 

Peter and Tony will happily clean after dinner, one will washing up and the other doing drying.

“You know we have a dishwasher right?” Tony called through as he hands Peter a soaked plate.

“And?” You called back, “It’s called responsibilities, I will not have lazy boys in my house!”

Peter chuckled as he put the plate down and takes the wet glass, he doesn’t mind the chores you ask him to do. You teach him lessons in life because sometimes just hanging around with you felt like home to him.

“You know how to work the washing machine, right Pete?” You asked, standing in the doorway of his room looking at the floor of dirty clothes.

“I’ll pick it up - I promise, but, um not really? Aunt May usually go to the laundrette.”

“Alright, when your laundry basket gets full, I’ll show you how to work the washing machine and dryer. I don’t mind doing your washing but every now and then, you can do it.”

“Yeah, that’ll be fine!”

When Peter fully settles into the house, he found himself loving his life. He loves watching you bicker with Tony about the stupidest things - mostly over characters in a show or film. In which, most of the time, he backs you up because the two of you are major geeks over shows and movies. 

Peter noticed how much you care for him, knocking on his door and reminding him to drink water and always coming to his room to deliver snacks ranging from a healthy plate of the juiciest fruits to unhealthy sweets.

Whilst both of you were in Peter’s life, he saw you more as comfort - it was taking a while for Peter to adjust with Tony, he still see it as a mentor and student sort relationship. But, with you, he sees someone who he could come to for any troubles with school and relationships. 

Peter walked into the living room, hearing how you and Tony were bickering over which character was better in Game of Thrones in each house. Peter couldn’t help but laugh about it.

“Hey, kid! Tony greeted with a wave, placing the hand back on your shoulder.

You smiled at Peter, “Heya Pete!”

“Hi Mr Stark, hi dad!”

Silence.

The only thing that was playing was the show in the background as Peter stood in his spot in utter fear. Tony sat there in silence as he looks over at you, you slowly got up from your seat without saying a word and made your way to Peter.

Peter looked at you with wide eyes, “I- I mean...!”

You engulfed him into the biggest hug you could muster. One hand on his back and the other in his hair, Peter found himself relaxing as he immediately wrapped his arms around you and grip you tight. You brushed his hair as he buried his face into your shoulder.

You release him, in fear that you might suffocate him, “I’m really honoured.”

“I-” Peter turns red, looking down for a moment before looking at you, “You are my dad, to me.”

You smiled widely at him, “Okay, celebration time, let’s bake cookies!”

You lead the way as Peter offers to help, the two of you pull your sleeves up as you bring the ingredients onto the counter. Tony followed, silently watching with a fond smile upon his face. He ruffles Peter’s hair with a smile as Peter beams at him.

“Alright, what can I help with?” Tony asked as you asked him to bring out the kitchen utensils, “Oh and Pete?”

“Yeah?”

“What about me?” Tony pouts as Peter widen his eyes as you laugh loudly.

“Tough luck baby, it looks like Pete favours me,” You teased as Tony scoffed.

“No, unacceptable, I’m taking Peter for a week out, I’ll be the favourite parent.”

You roll your eyes as you look over to Peter whilst Tony rant, shaking your head and nodding your head towards your boyfriend, as you mouthed to Peter “Get a load of this guy.”

Peter smiles.

Peter knows death, but he’s well acquainted with family.

[moonlit-imagines]

Headcanons for being Natasha Romanoff’s child

Natasha Romanoff x child!reader

warnings:

a/n:

prompt: anonymous: “Hi! Can I request a HC for being Natasha's daughter? I think you haven't done it ^^ In love with your work btw ;)”

natasha saved you from a terribly cruel family that worked alongside HYDRA, they didn’t care much for you

she decided to take you in since she knew you couldn’t have a normal life after all that you’d already been through at such a young age

“think it’d be okay if you came home with me, sweetheart?”

you were happy to have a nice person in your life

she took off work for a while to help you settle in

natasha wished that she had a loving family growing up, or just anyone to support her

so this was how she was going to make it up

“do you want to talk about anything?”

“when dad was alive he hurt people. i didn’t like the sound of it”

her heart broke hearing such a young child have to be affected by something like that

she made sure you knew how much she loved you

you called her “miss nat” for a while

take your child to work day!!!!

she took you to SHIELD HQ

you LOVED IT you wandered off and watched other ppl work

“agent romanoff, why is your child on agent coulson’s shoulders” -fury

“my child loves to feel like their flying”

“alright, you make a fair point”

nick called you “litte agent” which sparked your inspiration to become a spy like natasha

“miss nat, i wanna be a spy when i grow up!”

“you do? well, you can do that if it’s what you really want”

you suddenly switched from “miss nat” to “momma nat” and she had to backtrack for a minute

“what did you call me?” she was BEAMING omg

“...momma”

she gave u momma bear kisses

over the years, you taught yourself the ways of an agent and a spy, asking momma nat for a few pointers here and there

also uncle clint offered to give you some help

“yeah, kid, just point and shoot”

“clint, i said ‘self defense’ classes, not ‘the most effective ways to murder someone’ classes”

“they go hand in hand, nat, you know this”

“what if i was wanting to teach them myself?”

“well, do you?”

*pulls him aside* “as a birthday present”

you really did well during any sort of training

guess you just take after your mom

when you were old enough, you applied to SHIELD (under y/n l/n instead of y/n romanoff) and passed every test that was thrown your way

“you’re a natural, l/n”

“thanks, i learned from the best”

you wanted to earn respect on your own, so you didn’t tell anyone your relationship with nat

and anyone who did know you before knew not to say anything about it

it was also a good move bc it put a target on your backs if any of your enemies discovered you were family, you’d rather not share bad guys

✨the avengers thought you were awesome✨

“y/n, you are so much cooler than your mom”

“say it again and i’ll dislocate your shoulder!” :)

clint is so entertained by you

tony just loves messing w you

“baby spider in the house!”

“spider? where? shall i kill it?” -thor

“no, thor, we’re just teasing y/n”

“do not joke about spiders, stark. one day, i may not answer your cries because i’ll figure you’re just joking”

“that got serious fast”

nat forgets youre grown sometimes

so she gets all protective of you and then goes 😳 when you kick someones ass for yourself

that’s her kiddo!!

getting thrown into the midst of a few avenger battles

but handling yourself pretty well if i do say so myself

nat hugged you a lot when you were a kid and she still does now

only longer bc she doesn’t like letting go often

“mom? you okay?”

“i just wanted a hug is all”

“oh, okay”

when u hug her back she remembers exactly why she chose to become a mother

she wanted to show you that love still exists in this world, even if you’re not shown it immediately

become sort of a role model/mentor to newer, younger avengers

i mean, wanda was about your age, so she asked you often what it was like to be so young and work as an avenger

you told her that when you’re given a life like this, your age doesn’t matter out in the field. it’s your choices that matter. once you begin to learn the ways of a team like this and you gain each other’s respect, that’s all there is to it

“your mother is the black widow?”

“that she is, mom first, widow second”

PETER PETER PETER

he fanboyed over you so hard when he met you and he had so many questions it never ended

“okay, so first: how do you do it? be so cool as a kid?”

“you take a deep breath and kick some ass”

“better advice than anything mr. stark has ever said to me—don’t tell him i said that please!”

you swore to secrecy

mother/daughter spy missions bc that’s AWESOME

choosing steve’s side in CW and honestly making her very proud of you

going on the run w her and team cap

which made for some very interesting memories

“mom, sam hid the tv remote from me”

“take the widow’s bite and give him a little shock so that he’ll budge”

“thanks! love you!”

big runaway family <3

“i like the new look, mom”

“yeah, i thought blonde might be pushing it but i guess it all worked out in the end”

rogue avengers -> avengers once more

well, those of you who were left

after most of your friends passed in the snap, you and your mom were more attached than ever, she felt like she would die if the two of you separated

sooner or later, it was time to fix past mistakes and go back in time

“i’ll see you in a minute, y/n, be careful” *forehead kiss*

“i will.”

and that was the last time you ever saw her

you ran into clints arms and sobbed

“i’m so sorry, y/n. i tried to stop her. she told me to tell you she loved you and she’s so proud of you”

if that wasn’t bad enough, you were attacked by another thanos and you fought with all your might

“is y/n okay?”

“just let them fight, they need this”

finally, the fighting was over and the avengers were triumphant, but at what cost?

tony’s funeral was held before nat’s

but natasha’s was bittersweet

and every week you bring flowers to her memorial site

the world wont forget her name

taglist: @alwaysananglophile // @rorybutnotgilmore // @locke-writes // @sweetheartliz07 // @queen-destenie // @natasha-danvers // @lokihiddles // @frostedgiant // @emygirl // @lotsoffandomrecs // @johnmurphyisbisexual // @teenwaywardasgardian // @pappydaddy // @captainshazamerica // @freya-xo // @ravenmoore14 // @purpleskiesstorm //

[hale-13]

Into the Atmosphere

By Hale13

For the Summer of Whump Day 13 - Sacrificed

The Infinity Gauntlet, lying harmlessly but ominously in his hands, pulsed with a preternatural warmth and feeling of power that seeped through the Iron Spider and his regular Spidey suit under it. It felt more like a siren’s call than Peter felt comfortable with and he could understand the inclination to slip it on and wield that power.

Words: 2674, Chapters: 1/1 (Complete), Language: English

Fandoms: Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)

Rating: Teen

Relationships: Peter Parker & Tony Stark

Characters: Pet er Parker, Tony Stark, Stephen Strange, Thanos

TW: Major Character Injury

Read on AO3 or below the line break.

As a native New Yorker, Peter was used to weird shit as a kid. Watching a wormhole open over the new Stark Industries building? Watching hoards of aliens and space whales filter through to invade Manhattan? No one was prepared for that, least of all a kid.

May and Ben, an ER nurse and a police officer respectively had both been held up at work and had not been home with Peter, leaving him completely alone. His heart had pounded in his chest, triggering multiple asthma attacks that were barely mitigated with his inhaler, as he watched and wondered if he would ever see his remaining family ever again. Seeing Iron Man fly a nuke launched by his over government into the wormhole and nearly die had probably affected him more than he cared to admit.

But that was then. Now, Peter had no problem throwing himself head first into danger at smallest provocation. But, that being said, even this was a bit much for him.

The Infinity Gauntlet, lying harmlessly but ominously in his hands, pulsed with a preternatural warmth and feeling of power that seeped through the Iron Spider and his regular Spidey suit under it. It felt more like a siren’s call than Peter felt comfortable with and he could understand the inclination to slip it on and wield that power.

He didn’t stop though. He didn’t give in a slip on the glove or let anything close enough to take it from him, dodging another blast from one of the dog-alien-things and letting his suit’s nanotech appendages (Instant Kill activated and Karen in partial control) stab the creature through its chest and fling it into the distance. Finally reaching a mostly unoccupied area of the battlefield, Peter paused to catch his breath and made an aborted move to rub away the blood he could feeling pooling from his nose onto his upper lip.

A pointless move really. He was wearing a mask after all.

The blond woman who had descended from space (actual space what the hell) in a fiery halo had tried to reach him but was held up by a veritable flood of aliens all vying for her attention. From Peter’s perspective it didn’t look like any of them were really much of a challenge for her but they made up for weakness in sheer numbers; keeping her overwhelmed and unable to break free.

Peter stumbled on tired and weak legs (it had apparently been five years after all, he reserved the right to be tired), doing his best to continue to dodge and disarm as many enemies as he could while still protecting the gauntlet. The rest of the extended Avengers, the Wakandans, the Asgardians were too busy with their own adversaries to help him. In the distance, Iron Man was blasting through the opposition unreservedly, clearly headed in Peter’s direction but vastly too slow to make a difference.

“Hello child,” Thanos deep voice said from behind him, making Peter’s Spidey sense explode. The titan was calm and quiet compared to the battle raging around them. Peter turned and tripped as he tried to back away as quickly as possible. “You have something there that doesn’t belong to you.”

“You can’t have it,” Peter said, surprising himself at the strength and steadiness of his voice compared to the thrum of fear and anxiety sparking through his nerves like lightning.

Thanos tilted his head, inquisitive and regarding Peter with a small, indulgent almost fatherly grin on his face and Peter felt a shiver course down his spine in warning. “You are brave little one. Perhaps to the point of foolishness but brave nonetheless,” he reached out with a weathered hand to grab the gauntlet but the spider legs attached to Peter’s suit lashed out in offense, Peter’s own free hand shooting up to knock Thanos’ aside.

“No means no asshole,” Peter grunted, scuttling up a mound of rocks behind him so he wasn’t at such a height deficit. “Fuck off.”

Thanos just tsk’d and looked at Peter with disappointment like he was a misbehaving puppy or a child throwing a temper tantrum. “I would rather not have to kill you boy. Hand it over.”

Before Peter could open up his mouth to retort, planning on stalling, the glowing woman (Captain Marvel his brain corrected) smacked into the titan’s side and knocked him away from Peter, her glowing fists more than enough to take him on. His expression had changed from benevolent to murderous as he pulled himself to his feet and threw a return punch, eyes never straying from the Infinity Gauntlet in Peter’s hands. “Uh guys?” Peter squeaked into his comms, turning and running away as quickly as his tired body could take him – aiming for the shitty van Ant-Man had been working to repair. “We’ve got to get ride of this thing – anyone free to help?”

“I’m coming Queens,” Captain America panted. “Hang in there,” he said with a grunt, wading his way across the ruins using both his broken shield and Mjolnir to mow down everyone in his way with extreme prejudice. Watching from the corner of his eye Peter’s stomach dropped: there was no way Cap would reach him in time as tired and injured as he was. Mr. Stark was stuck in a similar position, his nanotech suit morphing around him like high tech water to compensate for all of the damage it had taken.

A cold spike of fear went through Peter: they were going to lose. They were going to lose to Thanos again and this time they had pissed him off enough that he would probably forgo the random chance aspect of his plan and kill all of them. He was going to kill all of the Avengers and May and Peter’s friends. He was going to kill everyone who had just been brought back after five years. They would all be gone again.

Peter guzzled air that never quite seemed to reach his lungs, panicking but not stopping in his mad rush to get the gauntlet as far away as possible (hopefully back to the past where the stones belonged), the sounds of the battle muffled and silent around him. As if by fate, he glanced up and locked eyes with Dr. Strange, stuck holding back a spout of water that would otherwise flood the field, but with his attention solely focused on Peter.

His face was sad and sympathetic as he grimaced and held up a single, shaking finger mouthing ‘there was no other way’ and Peter skidded to an abrupt stop.

Oh.

Peter looked down at the oversized gauntlet resting in his hands and let his mask slide off his face to merge with the neck of his suit. Taking a quick look around him, Peter gave one final sniff and looked back at Dr. Strange, giving a firm and sure nod of understanding.

He knew what he had to do.

The stones glittered across the knuckles of the modified Iron Man gauntlet prettier than any precious gem Peter had ever seen and it took considerably more effort than he cared to admit to not allow himself to just be mystified by them. Peter adjusted his grip to hold the glove more firmly and began to slip it on, the armor automatically shifting to mold to his smaller hand.

“NO!” Peter huffed and felt a single tear leak from the corner of his eye, tickling his nostril as he ignored the agonized scream of his mentor. The gauntlet was half on. “PETER STOP!”

“I’m so sorry Mr. Stark,” he whispered as his fingers slid into place, the glove fully conforming and tightening around his hand.

The immediate pain was stunning and all encompassing and Peter threw his head back, eyes closed, with a grunt. He knees and muscles, already tired and overworked, turned into jelly and he just let himself drop, breath coming in short pants, hearing ringing and vision blurring and darkening around the edges. The hair on the back of his neck was standing on end, his Spidey sense screaming its final death rattle and giving up under the untenable onslaught. His very atoms felt like they were being ripped apart, blowing him apart and remaking him in the Stones image. He wanted to scream but he didn’t have the lung capacity to do much more than endure.

Finally – a second, a minute, a year, an eternity later, everything stabilized just enough for sound to filter back into him: repulsers rushing toward him, angry and desperate yelling from Thanos – barreling toward Peter in a last ditch effort to take the gauntlet for himself – gasps and moans from his own team and silence. Silence as the battle around him stopped and everyone turned to look at him with bated breath.

Using more strength and effort than he ever had before, Peter lifted his shaking right hand up to show the glowing gauntlet to everyone and forced his numb mouth into a lopsided smile – his eyes focused on Tony and only Tony’s terrified face as he said “I’m sorry,” and snapped his fingers.

“Where…?” Peter asked, looking around over the sunset covered lake and then down at his hands – whole and undamaged. He was dressed in his favorite science pun t-shirt, the one Uncle Ben had gotten him their last holiday together and he felt good. No aches and pain from the battle, his arms strong again. He made loose fists with both hands, clenching and relaxing his fingers in absolute wonder at just how good he felt – better than before he had ditched the bus to MOMA that morning (five years ago?) even.

“Hey Petey.”

At the sound of his voicePeter whipped around, already crying streams of silent tears, and wasted no time in rushing the short distance to fling himself into his Uncle’s open arms. “Ben,” he sobbed, embracing the man tightly, afraid he would disappear.

“I’m so proud of you buddy,” Ben whispered, his own tears mingling with Peter’s and returning the hug with equal force. “You’re the kindest, bravest person I’ve ever had the honor to know.”

“Am I dead?” Peter asked, resigned but not sad – he had accepted the possibility the second he put on the Gauntlet.

“Not really,” Ben answered, cryptic. “Somewhere in between would be the best way to describe it.” He stepped back, releasing his hold on Peter to hold him at arms length and grip his shoulders tightly the warm and comforting smile that Peter knew from his childhood on his face. “If you weren’t enhanced you definitely would be but you are so…” Peter just nodded in understanding, furiously wiping at the streams of tears still pouring down his face. “Regardless we don’t have much time.”

“I’m so sorry Ben,” Peter blurted, reaching up a hand to grip tightly onto Ben’s forearm. “I’m so sorry I didn’t stop it. I had my powers, I could have taken the bullet. I could have stopped it.”

Ben’s eyes were soft and his smile lines deepened as his lips twitched up into a sad smile, moving his hands from Peter’s shoulders to cup his face as gently as if he were made of glass. As if he were something precious. “Oh Pete its not your fault, it was never your fault. You were fourteen and staring down the barrel of a gun for the first time, I would have been more concerned if you didn’t freeze.” Ben told him, leaning forward to push their foreheads together, his hand cupping the back of Peter’s neck. “You’re my kid – it doesn’t matter about enhancements or powers – I’ll always put myself between you and danger. I don’t regret anything.”

Peter let out a hoarse sob that shook his frame and pulled Ben back in for another hug. “I love you,” he said fervently, trying to put as much force and emotion into it as he could. “I love you and I miss you and so does May.”

“I love you both so much,” Ben said, squeezing Peter one last time before releasing him and stepping away, water lapping at his ankles and rippling out to the horizon. “As nice as this visit as been Pete, I really hope I don’t see you again any time soon.”

Peter’s answering chuckle was watery will unshed tears, his vision already fading as Ben disappeared followed by the serene lake and sunset; the dusty battlefield snapping back into focus.

His body was numb in the way that promised pain if he could feel anything, his heartbeat stuttering and aching in his chest as Peter collapsed back against a pile of rocks and broken pieces of building. His body was limp and unable to support itself and his head lolled to rest on his undamaged left shoulder.

“Peter!” Tony’s devastated voice creeped in and Peter tried to smile but he couldn’t really tell if his muscles were responding, his eyesight was so dark. Gentle hands pulled him to rest against a warm body, lying his head in a more comfortable position and cupping to undamaged side of his face in a calloused palm. The grip was as careful as if he were made of glass and maybe he was. “Stay with me Pete, just stay with me okay?”

“Tony,” Peter rasped out, his voice broken and so so quiet, but it carried – the battlefield was a silent as a tomb beyond the heavy breathing of the surrounding Avengers. Peter had done it apparently.

His mentor let out a sob that he didn’t bother to disguise and ran his hands through Peter’s sweaty curls – it felt nice. “I’m so proud of you,” Tony said earnestly, echoing Ben and making Peter’s heart clench and skip a beat, his voice absolutely mangled with emotion. “You’re the absolute best of us and I’m so beyond proud of you buddy but I just need you to stay awake okay kiddo?”

“I’m tired,” Peter croaked, his eyes sinking closed against his will and only reopening due to Tony’s panicked jostling.

“I know kiddo, I know,” Tony choked out. “I’ll let you rest soon I promise but just humor me a little longer alright? A few more minutes for your old mentor huh?”

“Love you,” Peter said, forcing his voice to be as strong as possible even as his body sagged further and his heart rate slowed. “Tell May… Love her.” He was ready to rest. Peter’s left hand, barely gripping Tony’s with the very last of his strength, loosened and fell against his chest. His eyesight failed.

The last thing he heard was Tony, crying and begging him to stay.

————————————————

Part of Peter expected to be back in the lake or with Ben but instead he was met with only darkness.

It worked for him though to be honest. He could relax in the dark, let his mind wander and rest in equal measure, his worries gone and – for the first time in a long time – feeling no pain.

On occasion he thought he could hear voices whispering in the distance or see something bright far away but neither stayed long enough for him to investigate further. He still felt tired down to his bones and, as the time passed, his right side began to feel more and more like static and less numb, bright sparks of something like pain flaring through him like lightening and soon forgotten.

The light flickered – sometimes brighter sometimes nearly dimmed out – but seemed to get closer to more Peter looked at it and memories filtered in. Space, melting into dust, fighting with his childhood heroes, snapping, Ben… Tony… wanting to give up so bad but not doing it.

“Please wake up,” a broken voice whispered in the distance. “Please don’t die when I just got you back.”

Seconds, minutes, days, years later Peter opened eyelids that weighed a ton each to look around with blurry vision at the white room around him and the dark human-shaped spot next to him, his lips turning up just the smallest amount.

[writetorace]

The Turnaround – One Shot Peter Parker x Avenger!Reader

Summary: your relationship with Peter had a hole in it, a baby-sized hole.

Warnings: mentions of infertility, angst, fluff, mentions of murder, character death

A/N: feedback is appreciated. Peter is aged up, and the events of Far From Home happen two years after the events of Endgame. The Turnaround by The Eels is a good song, I highly recommend. This is inspired by It’s Time fic by @tom-holland-is-spiderman

Taglist // Masterlist

The red room was your nightmare. It haunted you, plagued you. It took a part of your life that you wanted back, but could never get. However, your training taught you to forget. The Black Widow programme was something that your parents had signed you up for as a child, your first assignment to kill them. That was rule number one, no family. It means no ties, nothing holding you back; they said it would make stronger, a better assassin.

In the Academy, Natasha Romanoff was a myth, a legend, someone you hoped was real as it gave you hope. A hope that you too could escape the horrors and crimes that you had committed. The other girls, your sisters, they weren’t like you. They took pride in the lives they took, gossiped about it. It was all a game to them. Then the attack on New York happened, and you caught your first glimpse of Natasha Romanoff.

It was your mission to find her, a personal mission, not one assigned to you. All you wanted to do was walk into the Avengers Tower and ask her to take you in. It wouldn’t be that easy though, nothing in life was ever that easy. No, you would have to hunt her down and beg her to help you. It would be difficult, but it was something you had to do for your safety.

The signing of the Accords was your first opportunity to seek her help, but when the explosion happened, your chance was gone. All because another myth, another legend had turned up out of the blue. Their need was greater than yours for salvation. You would just have to find another opportunity.

Then, you did. That opportunity came when Natasha was to stand before the court to discuss her actions. It was the most broadcast court case, and he had told them “you know where to find me.” It had been the biggest power move you had seen, and it further fuelled your fire to get her to help you.

Walking out of the courthouse, you saw the car waiting for her, then the alley between the two. It would take you two seconds to get to the alley and pull her in with you. So you did. You grabbed her and pushed her, so you were blocking the entrance on the defensive. Her body was radiating anger, shaking from it. She charged towards you, but you knew her moves having trained at the same Academy. That was when she noticed the defeated look on your face.

“Sister, help me. Please. Sister Widow, I need your help.” It was a desperate plea, one you hoped she believed.

“Sister? Who are you? Who trained you?” Her moves were calculated, meant to either throw you off or study you.

“Y/n, I went to the Academy. The Red Room, Natasha you must remember the Red Room. Please help me, sister!” You were hysterical, red-faced and crying. You were weak, the opposite of a Widow.

“Okay, I can help you, but I need you to let me past. Sister, I want to trust you, but I can’t. I don’t know you, but you know about the Red Room. Only the girls that went through what is in that room know about it. So let me apologise for what happened to you. I’m sorry.”

She put a hand on your arm in comfort, it wasn’t much, but it meant a lot. She dug her phone out and made a phone call. She spoke so fast you missed each word of what she said. As soon as she made the phone call, it was over. “Y/n, the people I am with now, they want to ask you some questions. It will involve a truth serum, but it is only for security purposes.”

It made sense of course it did. You couldn’t just expect her or them to welcome you with open arms. It would take time for everyone to trust you. Over time they did trust you. All of them had been so sweet to you when you turned up. Little Widow was what they called you on missions, some of them called you mini Nat, saying that on the battlefield you were her double. Then things changed.

When the snap happened, you got dusted—five years of your life gone. Appearing on the battlefield after coming back was strange, much like Doctor Strange. The battle took everyone’s strength and also some lives. Tony’s death hit a boy you had never seen the hardest. They called him Peter, he had not been dusted, but his family had.

After the battle was over, you searched for Nat. She had become a mother to you, a mentor, someone you trusted with your life. That was when you felt Clint’s arms around you. He was shushing you and telling you it was okay. You knew something was wrong the second he hugged you; Clint never hugged anyone. Then he said the words, “She’s dead, Nat’s dead.”

It was like someone had taken a dagger to your heart. You were alone again. However, you weren’t alone; you were surrounded by your family, the only family you needed. Now the two youngest Avengers had lost their mentors. The team had changed a lot. Steve had grown old, so Sam was now Captain America with Bucky by his side. Wanda was grieving for Vision, and Clint had gone home to his family. Pepper and Morgan stayed at the house by the lake, but Peter didn’t follow them. He opted to be at the tower with you.

Peter took to grieving a different way, he carried on as usual, whilst you barely left your room. If anyone understood what you were going through, it was him. You have never met him before this, the dusting taking five years of your life. Somewhere in your grief, you found love. Love in the form of Peter Parker.

It was something the team hadn’t expected, but they happily accepted. They said Tony and Nat would approve. It was a love that manifested quickly, almost like the two of you were made for each other. After two years he had proposed. On a date, he took you to the top of the Statue Of Liberty and dropped to one knee. It was spontaneous and beautiful.

One thing you never told Peter was what happened in the Red Room. It was a secret that you and Natasha shared. Peter knew about your nightmares, your life in the Academy. He also knew about the killings, the murders that you committed. He accepted it, accepted you. He said it was your past and the fact that you had asked the Avengers for help as proof that you were the good amongst the evil.

On the eve of your wedding, you told him. You told him about your infertility, the Red Room and what they did to you in there. Both of you cried but accepted it; after all, there were other options. He was hurt that you hadn’t told him, but he understood your reasons. It was not something that just dropped into conversation.

The little girl you wanted to adopt was adorable. Her parents had been killed in the crossfire of a mission. She reminded you of yourself, and you wouldn’t let her get slipped into the system. A system that would train her and break her. Her doe eyes sparkled as she reached towards you and called “Mama”. It broke your heart, and Peter bear witness to it.

“She’s the one Pete. I can feel it.”

“I feel it too. That pull, that love.”

She was staying in your house that you had with Peter. The adoption process was going as smoothly as possible, but then Quintin Beck got involved in Peter’s life. When his identity was revealed, you lost her. Your little girl was taken. They said it was too much of a risk whilst the papers were getting processed. They thought that you would be too much of a flight risk, and with Peter’s identity, too much of a threat.

It was breaking your marriage apart, Peter was barely home, and you rarely spoke to him. There was a hole in both of you. A hole the size of your little girl. Except she wasn’t yours, she was still legally the systems. Sitting on the bed, you grabbed the teddy you got for her when she spent her first night in your house, her home. Some tears made their way down your face as Peter entered the room. Sitting next to you, he placed a hand on your shoulder that you shrugged off. “If we don’t get her back, Pete, I don’t know where we go from here. It might be the end of us.”

“Sweetheart, don’t say that. I love you.”

“You deserve someone who can give you what you want. I see the way you look at Morgan, I know you want children, and I can’t give you that.” He didn’t want a life without you. He could cope with just you.

The bell-ringing snapped you both out of your daze. Getting up you made your way to the front door. Standing there was a social worker. “Pete! Pete come quick!”

His heart stopped thinking you were in danger, but he knew that you could take care of yourself. Making his way to the front door, he almost dropped to his knees. Stood with the social worker was his little girl. “Is that?”

“Yes, Pete. It’s our little girl.”

[thirty-five-owls]

long rant warning

what’s so enticing to me about Iron Man/Mysterio/Spider-Man is that this mess of a triangle with quentin beck at the center of it has the potential to be so complicated and pathetic and profoundly painful, it has the potential to be real life. 

I imagine what Beck said about working on BARF and then getting fired for being emotionally unstable meant he and Tony had a thing back then. 

It was good and hot and he perhaps loved Tony a little bit, all the late-night sushi-takeout workshops at Stark Industries and Tony telling him about memories of his dad, and the two of them testing the prototype for the first time and Beck witnessing the raw emotions Tony kept suppressed for all those years. 

They could’ve had a therapeutic and entertaining little affair, and Beck truly thought that he would become a permanent part of Stark Industries some day, just right by Tony’s side, designing all the tech for him, and Beck did put in the years at his job, what he brought to Stark he thought was truly world-changing. 

Like he said, the applications of the core tech behind BARF would be endless if you think about it, and it could possibly revolutionize modern industries. He thought he was there to change people’s lives, that his work came so close to advancing humanity, which is what ultimately unhinged him when he found out Tony only saw this as a pet project that was developed for personal use. 

He wanted to be a good person, truly, all his life he worked towards it, but in the end Tony Stark’s ego failed him. All those time wasted, all his passion. Hard pill to swallow. 

He was bitter after he got fired because he had to be, anyone in their right mind whose dream and career got destroyed like that had a right to be. And perhaps he was always unstable, perhaps he always had that psychological tendency, that weakness in him which triggered the instability amid all the stress and depression and anger. So anyways he started hating Stark after that, not only because the man ruined his life long passion but also for the fact that he used to be so obsessed with that genius playboy inventor. Maybe he had always wanted to work with the legendary Tony Stark, and it was why he wanted to work for Stark Industries in the first place, maybe his employment under Tony was the best time of his life, but Tony ruined all of it. 

He can’t get over his obsessions, though, and he never got closure. He planned his revenge, he was going to make Tony remember him and repent for what he’d done, and he was so ready for his grand scheme, he was going to show him and the world just truly how powerful and life-changing the technology that he designed had the potential to be, until he heard the news of Iron Man’s death. 

He must have grieved, oh the rabbit holes he went down in the days following Tony Stark’s death. Perhaps the only well-timed thing Disney has ever done for the MCU, because now Quentin Beck can never get closure. 

He had obsessed over Tony Stark for most of his life, and at one point he was special in Tony’s eyes too, and that fleeting chapter of his life was bittersweet, and he refused to accept that Tony just kicked him to the curb like that and for this he hated him.

 But he can’t help feeling that sense of entitlement, that he was the only one who truly deserved Stark Industries, he was devoted to the company, to Iron Man, he was clever, resourceful, ambitious, which is why he had such a hard time getting over the fact that Tony left everything, EDITH even, to a superhero kid who came out of nowhere that he’s never heard of. 

And Spider-Man was so, so naive. I might be projecting onto this part a bit because I honestly felt Mysterio’s hatred for MCU’s version of Spider-Man, like yes Peter Parker (Tom Holland) what an adorable adorable little puppy every time he talks my heart melts a bit but he just painfully falls short of what I think Spider-Man should be. The immaturity, impulsivity, the lack of emotional depth, he was a Spider-Man not weighed down by the promise of responsibility from a dying loved one or the pain of loss from hiding a secret identity, even after Tony died I couldn’t see that quality in him, his character was so shallow, it was like the secret of his superhero identity meant nothing at all. 

Quentin must have seen through it all, he was so vain and melodramatic, he met Peter and immediately thought less of him. He thought Peter was too young, too immature, naive, and inexperienced, and frankly he couldn’t believe this was Tony’s work. After all, how can Tony trust such a dumb young kid with the technology that should be in the hands of much more capable man? This was just like how Tony dismissed the potential in BARF, clearly it would be much more beneficial if someone who knew what they were doing got left with Iron Man’s legacy, but he had to go give it away to a child because his ego just couldn’t allow it. 

And in his heart he felt a little vindictive because if he had been the boy’s mentor, he was sure he could do a much better job training Peter than Tony did. Just like he can do a much better job as the next Iron Man. He must have had thoughts like this on many occasions; if he had the kind of resources Tony Stark had, he can do a much better job improving the world. 

He would look at Peter and feel jealousy and hatred and a messed-up sense of protective ownership, because everything Peter had should have been rightfully his, he’s the only qualified hero to be the next Iron Man, and if he was, he could do so much more to help Peter become the deserving Spider-Man he knew Peter can be. 

He saw the potential in Peter, it just wasn’t enough to convince him to let go of his pathetic obsession with Tony Stark, and Peter was so quick to trust him implicitly, it was almost too easy. In the end he wanted to be Iron Man more than anything, because he just couldn’t stand losing the man he loved, even though he already lost him years before, he never got closure, and he was so hung up he was willing to kill Peter Parker to get it. Maybe in a different universe he could have loved Peter and it would be a simpler life, something he wanted at one point, because he did think Peter was lovable and had so much potential, but there was no way back for him. 

The moment he lied to Peter about who he was, he lost any chance of ever being happy and starting a new life and letting go of his Tony Stark obsession. Perhaps during the time he spent with Peter he had just a brief moment of clarity where he understood what Tony saw in the boy, because Peter was just so pure with a heart of gold. But by the time he realized, it was too late, he also realized that he let go of any real chance at getting closure because his entire relationship with Peter was based on a lie he can’t save himself from. And it was a shame to him that Peter had to go out like that, but there was no way back. He already made too many sacrifices that led him to where he was, Peter just fell short of being good enough. 

That’s what’s so beautiful about this ship. Maybe Quentin Beck knew that everything was messed up and wrong and it should never have been like this, but because Tony Stark died, life had to end this way for him. His passion began and ended with Tony Stark, and he never got over that. 

[nightpcrker]

for his own good. [part one]

Hey. So this is my first time writing in a long time and I just wanted to give it another shot. I don’t know what came over me, but here it is. And also, this will probably have several medical inaccuracies so. But let’s try to enjoy this, shall we?? Let’s go!

———————

“Mister Stark? Can you hear me? I-It's Peter!” His voice sounded so young, so weak, so terrified. His mentor figure, no scratch that, his father figure was dying right in front of his eyes.

It’s not like the feeling wasn’t new to him, by any means. This is a boy who watched his parent’s plane go down on the news at age six as his young sobs were muffled by his aunts hip, as she tried to offer any comfort to the newly orphaned child, who was far too young to understand what was going on.

This was a boy who heard the sound of a gunshot fill his ears at only 14, as his uncle bleed out right under his hands, forever staining them in the crimson colour that will forever haunt his nightmares.

Tony was just one name on the list of many parental figures 16 year old (21 year old?) Peter Parker had lost. It seemed as if he was cursed. Cursed to lose any parental figure he got close with.

And now, here he was again, letting the feeling of fear, denial, and loss come over him like a tsunami for the third time in his short life.

The left side of Tony’s face was charred due to the energy surge the infinity stones sent through his veins as he heroically snapped his fingers to eliminate the mad Titan who had apparently killed the teen along with half of all life five years ago. Not that he could see it, with his eyes being filled to the brim with unshed tears blocking his vision, but he could smell it. He smelled something burning.

He hated it. He hated it with a passion.

He wanted to fix it. That’s all he wanted to do in that moment was to fix it. Fix everything. But he couldn’t. Nobody could.

Tony Stark. Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist, father, was dying.

And all Peter could do was do his best to say goodbye.

“Hey. We won… Mister Stark. We won Mister Stark. You did it, sir, you did it.” He hated how his voice shook like a child’s. He hated how someone else he loved was dying. He hated how he couldn’t get the gauntlet off Thanos all those years ago. He hated how he couldn’t get the gauntlet across the battlefield to the makeshift quantum tunnel. He hated how he didn’t do enough.

He hated how it was his fault.

“I’m sorry… Tony…” Peter had never called him Tony before. But in this moment, knowing it would be the last time he ever had the chance to, it felt right.

He felt an armoured hand grab his shoulder and gently pull him up. Truth be told, he completely zoned out after that. He was too lost in his own thoughts to hear Pepper’s last words to her husband, which as another thing he hated. But it’s not like he could help it. He found the sound of Tony’s heartbeat with his super heating and he intended to listen to it until it wasn’t there anymore. It kept his sobbing to a bare minimum, knowing that he was still alive, despite knowing it wouldn’t be for long.

So he listened.

Ba dum.

And listened.

Ba dum.

And listened…

Ba dum.

Until…

Nothing.

The sound of his mentor’s, his father’s heart had stopped.

The light of the arc reactor faded out.

Tony was gone.

Peter let out a scream.

—————

Tony woke up to a bright white light in his face.

Honestly? That’s what he expected. It’s all he could hope for. He was dead after all. Heaven was the best case scenario.

It wasn’t what he preferred. He would’ve much preferred to stay on Earth for at least 30 more years. See Morgan grow up, see Peter graduate, see Harley become the best darn mechanic Tennessee has to offer, see Nebula finally learn what it’s like to feel loved, fully repair his relationship with Steve, grow old with Pepper...

But the minute he snapped his fingers, he knew he was never going to get that.

He just hoped he would get to see Natasha again. And his darling mother, Maria. Maybe even Yinsen, tell him how he didn’t waste his life.

But then, he felt something.

Pain.

Intense pain coursing through his left arm.

That couldn’t be… this was heaven for crying out loud. You weren’t supposed to feel any pain here. You were supposed to be at peace.

Unless…

“Tony!” He heard a familiar voice scream. “Tony, oh my god…”

He groglily turned his head to see Pepper, his beautiful Pepper, run up to his side.

He was so confused. He was dead. Pepper was alive. And if she wasn’t, there would be hell to pay.

He felt her soft hands on his face, as he looked into her emerald eyes. She looked just as confused as he was, but happiness and relief hid that beautifully. The raw emotion on her face was the exact same as what he saw when he first landed on Earth after being left for dead in space all those years ago.

She gently pulled him into an embrace, the same way she did then, careful not to hurt him. He breathed in her vanilla scented hair and planted a soft kiss on her cheek.

“You’re alive…” She whispered so softly you could breathe and miss it.

Wait.. what?

He was… alive?

How could that be? No human could ever survive that much power!

“I’m… wha—“

“Mister Stark! Glad to see you awake.” He heard the click of heels enter the room. His gaze shifted from one woman to another, as he saw a professionally dressed Asian woman come onto the scene.

Helen Cho.

Doctor Cho.

That’s when it hit him. He was truly, honestly, alive.

He was in rough shape, he had finally taken the time to take in his surroundings and realize that his arm was missing (he then proceeded to make the connection that the pain he felt earlier was phantom pain), and he was hooked up to several machines, all of which keeping him going no doubt.

But he was alive.

But…

“How?” He asked Cho, with as much strength as he could muster.

“Let’s just say we’re Banner was able to carry you here in time. Your heart stopped, you know. And even though we were able to get it started again, we still thought you were a lost cause.” She said as kindly as possible, Pepper’s sniffles still filling the room. “In fact, we were planning on pulling the plug tomorrow.”

Pulling the plug? That meant…

“You were in a coma for over a month.” The doctor answered his thought for him.

He swallowed bile at that. He couldn’t stand the thought of his family being in limbo for that long, how long they must have spent lying awake, wondering and worrying.

He almost felt like death would’ve been easier on them.

“But, you pulled through last second! Doesn’t surprise me. You always were a survivor, Mister Stark.” Cho said in a voice that was somehow professional and cheery at the same time.

Survivor.

He survived this.

“Unfortunately, your arm was a lost cause and we had to amputate it.” She said as her tone shifted to one more appropriate for the news she was sharing. “But using the technology they used for Mister Barnes’ arm, Wakanda’s royal medical team was able to fabricate you a fully functioning new one. It’s metal, but it’s something.”

Thank god. He doesn’t know what he would do without his arms. He certainly wouldn’t be able to tinker anymore. Or hug his daughter properly.

His beautiful, beautiful daughter.

Morgan.

He couldn’t wait to see her again.

He couldn’t wait to see all of this wonderful, darling children again.

“Thank you, Doc.” He said weakly, Pepper still kneeling next to him and holding his hand, brushing her fingers over his softly.

Helen just sighed. It was a sad sigh.

He knew that didn’t mean good news.

“Don’t thank me yet.” She spoke softly, as if she was about to say something devastating. “The rest of the world, still thinks your dead.”

He couldn’t help but let out a weak chuckle at that, though it sounded like a strained breath. “Yeah, so did I up until about three minutes ago, jeez no need to be so dramatic about it.” He retorted with his usual snark

“No, Stark. We let the world mourn for you. For privacy’s sake, and in case you didn’t make it to begin with. The only people who were made aware of your comatose state were Pepper, Morgan, Rhodey, & Happy. Everyone else thinks you’re six feet under. There was even a funeral held.”

Oh.

“Wait, why only those four? What about Harley, or Peter?” He pressed, letting anger come over him.

He couldn’t stand the thought of his sons mourning him, when his heart was still beating. Especially not Peter, who had lost too much already.

“We decided that the less people that know the better, Mister Stark. We didn’t want this getting out to the public.”

“Oh god…” He sighed, briefly letting go of Pepper’s hand to run his only one through his hair in frustration.

“Well, maybe this is a good thing, right?” His wife softly suggested. “I mean, living the quiet life. No cameras, no responsibilities, just a nice life by the lake…”

“Are you suggesting I fake my death?” He asked, almost offended at the idea.

“I mean, that’s the only way you’re gonna ever be able to truly retire.” She retorted, still sounding soft and airy and in awe that he was here, breathing.

Deep down he knew she was right. She always was.

“I’ll give you some time to think on it. Rest up, sweetheart.” She softly whispered, getting up and placing a kiss on his forehead before leaving the room with Helen, being truly left alone with his thoughts.

And boy, did he have a lot of him.

He was still processing the fact that he was alive, and now he had that decision to make.

Tell the whole world your still alive & be bombarded with even more press and paparazzi than ever before as you’re probably now viewed as the world’s saviour or live the quiet life by the lake with your loved ones with no responsibility other than making sure Morgan is happy and healthy.

Despite it being a clear no brainer, he still decided to think on it.

And his mind wandered to Peter Parker.

The genius kid who just so happens to be a superhero on top of it.

The kid who he loved with all his heart, the kid who he invented time travel for, because he couldn’t live in a world that didn’t know his bright smile and contagious laugh.

The kid who wormed his way into his heart and broke down his walls, revealing a heart behind the sarcastic yet ever stoic exterior.

The kid who made him want to have one of his own.

He thought about how much he loved Peter Parker…

Before he realized how bad he was for him.

He was the one who dragged him into this life, introduced him to experiences that no doubt have him PTSD for life.

Despite how hard he tried to shield him from it, how hard he tried to bench the kid, nothing ever worked.

He was determined to help out, to make a difference.

And look where that got him.

Dying on an alien planet, light years away from home as he begged Tony to save him, before crumbling to dust in his arms.

Tony swore never to let that happen again.

In that moment, Tony swore to protect him.

Even if that protection meant never seeing him again.

Because damn it, he couldn’t let anything happen to that boy ever again.

And it’s not like this was the first time Peter lost a father figure.

Tony knows he doesn’t deserve it, he doesn’t deserve the pain again…

But odds are he already felt it. And he couldn’t take that unrelenting pain back, even if Peter knew he was still alive.

And Peter? He was strong.

So, fucking, strong.

Tony knew that eventually, Peter would get through it. He had to.

He’s done it before, hasn’t he?

So, as much as it broke him, Tony decided he would do it.

He would fake his own death.

And keep it from Peter.

It broke his heart. But he knew he had to.

For his own good. He told himself.

For his own good.

@agib-2002

[ohlovelywar]

Leaves, Camera, Distraction! I p.p.

a/n: for cori cause SHE HIT 5K GO HER @starksmile LOVE YOU CONGRATS AGAIN also this is so late and shitty lmfao IM SO SORRY I TRIED OKAY

summary: distraction: noun a diversion or recreation    

paring: peter parker x fem!reader

warnings: cursing (MBLEH ITS ME!!), shitty writing cause i’m so tired cori sweetie i’m so sorry, unedited cause last point, iw spoilers, if you tilt your head and squint you’ll find some angst, mentions of anxiety, fluff

word count: 1,739 words | flash backs are italics and prompt is in bold

Something felt off. It wasn't the fact that Tony was stabbed. Or that Stephan had given up the time stone. Or even that Thanos got away. No, it was something different. Something...wrong. Peter felt it, deep within him. It felt as if he was fading, fading into the air, into the unknown. His breathing picked up ever so slightly as he rubbed his hands, arms, neck. I'm still here. I'm still here. Everything's going to be okay. Mr. Stark is here. He'll know what to do. Everything's o-

"Something's happening." Each head turned to Mantis, hoping to get an explanation when she turned to ash. Quill and Drax's eyes widened as what was left of their team mate floated away into the air in the deserted planet.

"Quill?" Drax called out, turning to ash before Quill could even turn to him. The feeling in Peter became more intense as the seconds passed by.

"Steady Quill," Stark called out, already making his way over to the man left behind.

"Oh man-" Nebula looked down as the last Guardian of the Galaxy on Titian vanished.

"Tony," Strange caught the remainder of the group's attention, "there was no other way." And he joined the others, leaving no trace behind. The feeling took over Peter's body and he suddenly knew what was happening.

"Mr. Stark? I don't feel so good." He was dying.

"You're alright-"

"Save me!" Peter cried, collapsing into his mentor's arms. "I don't wanna go. I don't wanna go." He couldn't die. There were people that needed him, people that he needed. May, Ned, Mj-no matter how many times she pretended not to care-, y/n. He couldn't leave them behind. Not without saying goodbye. And Tony. Oh god, Tony. Tony would blame himself, just like he told Peter a year ago.

"I'm sorry." Peter wanted to say more. He wanted to apologize for not listening to Tony. For getting on the ship. For getting off the bus. For not getting the gauntlet off sooner. He wanted to thank him for the suits. For K.A.R.E.N. For being the father figure he needed. But most importantly, he wanted to tell Tony that he did have a heart, and he wanted to make sure that he wouldn't lose it. But he didn't get to. He turned to ash and was enveloped in darkness.

Peter woke up in a cold sweat, panting as he tried to ground himself. He was alive. he was safe. The snap was reversed. Everything is fine now. He let out a long sigh before checking the time on his phone. 7:05 am. She was going to kill him for calling at such an early hour, but he really needed to hear her voice.

"Hello?" an muffled groan responded after a few rings.

"Get changed."

"What?"

"Get changed! We're going somewhere today."

"Peter, it's like *yawn* five in the morning." Peter grinned as he imagined her y/h/c hair sprawled out over her pillow, eyes closed as she laid content in her bed on this cool, autumn morning.

"That's where you're wrong my sweet girlfriend. It's actually 7:08."

"Shut up jerk." He laughed, not even phased by her sleepy insults.

"Come on! A little early morning adventure never hurt anyone."

"Just because it doesn't actually hurt anyone doesn't mean that we should do it."

"Jake would be so disappointed in you."

"Jake would agree with me!"

"Ya boring!" The sound of his girlfriend's giggles filled his ears, making his anxious heart flutter.

"Come on, please?" he whined. But not his sweet little "I want and need your affection right now" whine. This one was needy. Like a scared child woken up by a nightmare in the middle of the night who's parents won't let him find solace in their bed. She recognized this whine, and it killed her to hear it again.

"Okay," she whispered, upset that she didn't catch on sooner. "Meet you in fifteen." The soothing voice of Peter's girlfriend replaced by the electronic beeps, signaling that she had hung up. Peter let out a sigh, his facade dropping. He slowly tried to get out of bed, afraid his shaky limbs would give away.

Calm down Peter. You're fine now. Just fine.

Time moved slowly to him as he got changed into his Mid-Town sweatshirt and blue jeans.

Everything's fine. Just fine.

He walked out to the kitchen, relieved to not find his aunt there. Deciding against eating, he grabbed a cup of water, hoping the cool liquid would help him snap out of his anxiety.

I'm fine. I'm fine.

He didn't know how long he was in the kitchen for before he heard the faint knock that his girlfriend always makes. He opened up the apartment door and was instantly greeted with her warm smile.

"Hey you. Ready to go?" he simply nodded his head, leading her out of the apartment and locking the door behind him.

The two walked in silence; Peter's anxiety radiating off of him as his girlfriend struggled with what to say. He's been different for a couple months now. She didn't know what it was, he never wanted to talk about it. It was as if something happened to him that day he disappeared from the school bus.

"You know," she broke the silence, gaining the brunette's  attention, "you can always talk to me Peter. Doesn't matter what's bothering you, I'm always here for you. And I would never judge you."

"Thanks y/n, but I'm fine, really." He sent her an unconvincing smile. He wanted to tell her, he really did. He wanted to tell her how he can't sleep without thinking he's back on Titian. How he can't close his eyes without feeling like he was back in the soul stone, separated from his loved ones. How Mr. Stark wouldn't let him go on patrol for the past two months because every time Peter would put on his suit, he'd have a panic attack and wouldn't calm down till hours later. How he's falling behind in school because though the world hasn't felt any time pass from the day Peter went missing on the bus, he did. How the only thing that feels even remotely normal to him was his relationship with her. Bu he couldn't. Not yet at least.

"Are you sure?" y/n asked, worried about her boyfriend.

"Yeah. I just...I need a distraction."

"A distraction, huh?" It wasn't long before a small smile found her face, "Do you have your camera with you?"

"Of course. I never leave home without it."

"Perfect!" She grabbed his hand, leading him to a small, fairly deserted park.

"Y/N/N, where are we going?"

"You said you needed a distraction so," she paused, stopping in the center of the park, "we're having a mini photo shoot!" Peter rose his eyebrows.

"But you hate getting your picture taken."

"One: that's cause either your grade rides on it or you're taking it from an unflattering angle or time...or both. And two: yeah I do, but you said you needed a distraction soo.."

"You sure?" he double checked, getting excited as this was a rarity.

"I'm sure," she smiled at him, a little nervous. But hey. It's Peter. You trust him.

The next thirty minutes flew by as Peter directed her on where to go and what to do, utilizing the numerous amounts of fallen leaves in their photos. The couple shared many laughs as they threw leaves at each other in between shots.

"Just one more!" Peter exclaimed, wanting to capture as many photos of the amazing girl in front of him as possible.

"We've already done everything we can!" y/n laughed, glad that her boyfriend was feeling better. Peter looked around, determined to get one last photo.

"How do you feel about being one of those insta-famous people for five minutes?"

"What are you planning Parker?"

"Follow me." He led her to the vacant street beside the park.

"Peter?"

"Sit right here."

"Are you crazy!"

"What?" Y/N's eyes widened as she gestured to their surroundings. "Oh! My bad. May we please sit out in the middle of the street for a picture, my lady?"

"No we cannot sit out in the middle of the street for a picture!!"

"Come on! No one's driving here right not. Besides, I wouldn't let anyone run you over." She pondered over it for a moment before ultimately deciding fuck it.

"You're lucky I love and trust you," she grumbled. She positioned herself on the pavement, looking over her shoulder anxiously for any incoming cars.

"Relax y/n/n," Peter told her. She took a deep breath.

It's fine. I'll be fine. Peter's got this.

"Take the damn picture Peter."

"Smile then!"

"I am!"

"You look like you're being held hostage." She rolled her eyes then gave a small, closed mouth smile. "Now you look like you're being forced to be here."

"I am being forced to be here. Quite literally."

"The longer you take to actually smile, the longer we're gonna be here and the more chances you have of being run over."

"I thought you said you weren't going to let me get run over!"

"I won't! But I'm also not going to lie to you."

"Okay fair."

"Just smile y/n. It's really not that hard. You've been doing it this whole time."

"But could I have almost died taking any of those photos?"

"Okay fair point." Peter looked around again, thinking of things that would make her laugh. "Remember how, on our first date, this old lady tried to hit on me?"

"Oh my god, yeah!" She started giggling. "She was like eighty and trying to get you to take her to brunch the week after and her husband wasn't having it!!" He captured as many photos as he could, making sure to do her genuine smile justice.

"Anddd done!" Y/N stopped howling and went over to Peter to look at the finished products. Suddenly, Peter's spider-senses kicked in, alarming him that something was coming.

"Watch out!" he pulled his girlfriend a side before the racing car could hit the two of them. Y/N gave Peter a look, "See, I told you I wouldn't let you get hit by a car."

"Yeah yeah whatever Parker. Come on, our early morning adventure's not over yet," she said, skipping away as Peter laughed, his anxiety long forgotten about.

Everybody needs a distraction, and Peter was lucky enough to have her be his.

[rickrakontoys]

INFINITY WAR Spoiler talk

Random spoilery thoughts and rating of the movie

Things I liked:

- Thanos. This is his movie. A sad, lonely, yet terrifyingly driven villain. His relationship with Gamora helped humanize him, but he’s still a genocidal monster through-and-through… One of the best MCU villains (though I feel Killmonger is more relatable since his motivation is grounded in our reality, and Loki since we’ve spent so much time with him and witness his struggles) - Loki saying “we have a Hulk” - The various team-ups throughout the movie in general. - Tony butting heads with Dr. Strange, and his continued mentoring of Peter Parker. - Dr. Strange demonstrating more of his mystic arts powers, and going toe-to-toe with Thanos and holding his own quite well. - Ebony Maw is the only member of the Black Order worth remembering…. creepy and intimidating. - Thor managing to remain humble and mostly-level headed despite losing everything he was protecting and fighting for in Thor: Ragnarok. His bonding with Rocket of all people was endearing. - Kevin Bacon in the Avengers - Rocket matured a bit since GOTG vol. 2. He’s still Rocket as we know him, but more willing to step up and “be the captian” now than before. - The Invisible Drax. Stupid… but i liked it. - Gamora’s flashback to her homeworld and meeting Thanos, and her scenes with Thanos on his ship. We finally get to see her confront her father directly, and the dysfunction lends weight to both their plot threads. - Thanos to Quill: “I like you” - Seeing Vision and Scarlet Witch’s relationship play out on the big screen. - Hulk not coming out to play due to the beating he received by Thanos. He’s still got a child-like mind, and it’s totally believeable that he’s pout and whine and not want to come out. Banner still gets some heroism in nonetheless in the Hulkbuster. - Seeing Wakanda again with the Avengers there alongside Black Panther and Okoye. - All the cameos… always good to see Pepper Potts. Peter’s friend Ned. “Thunderbolt” Ross has an obligatory scene. The Collector appears. M'Baku returns to help T'Challa and the Avengers. Shuri gets to banter with Banner. - the Red Skull’s return… even though he has only a brief scene, it confirmed he was only teleported away and not killed by the Tessaract. - The entire battle with Thanos on Titan. It’s just cool to see heroes all battling a single enemy as opposed to another faceless army. - Nebula confronting Thanos on Titan, and her inclusion at all in the film. I hope she plays a bigger role in the next part. - Thor’s adventure with Rocket and Groot to get a new hammer. He is still obsessed with hammers…. - Giant Peter Dinklage… - “Thor, you’re about to take the full force of a star… it will kill you.” “ONLY IF I DIE!” …“Yes, that’s what killing you means…” - “WHY IS GAMORA?!” - Thanos getting more and more somber and depressed as the movie went along, especially after sacrificing Gamora, the only person he cared about. - "Tell them about the dance-off to save the galaxy." Footloose. - Quill’s angry reaction to Thanos killing Gamora and screwing the heroes… it’s perfectly in character. He’s always been an immature man-child, even with the development he received in the previous films. Part of his curse of being raised by the Ravagers. Likewise, who would NOT have an emotional outburst like that? Stark had one in Civil War. - War Machine back in action. Blowing shit up. - Winter Soldier/White Wolf alongside Rocket Raccoon……. - Thanos throwing chunks of a moon at the heroes. Tony: “If you throw another moon at me…” - Thanos’ admiration of Stark. “I hope they remember you” - Later he tries to comfort Scarlet Witch after she kills Vision. If he wasn’t a maniac hellbent on universal genocide with a history of child abuse, he might be an ok guy… - Thor’s heroic return with Stormbringer. Seeing him back to full power was great, though… it takes away a bit from his development in Ragnarok… He’s not a god of hammers… why does he need one so much? - Thor keeps calling Rocket “rabbit” and Groot “tree”. Didnt bother to learn names - “This is my friend, Tree”, “I am Groot”, “I am Steve Rogers” - Okoye + Black Widow + Scarlet Witch vs. Proxima Midnight - Vision sacrificing himself, and Wanda having to witness him die twice. - “You should have gone for the head!” - The ending… the fingersnap. The dissolve into ashes… The character’s reactions to these deaths is what makes it all work, even if we the audience know it probably won’t be permanent. - “Mr. Stark, I don’t feel so good…” and “I don’t wanna go I don’t wanna go… I’m sorry”…… - Knowing what Tony must have felt when Peter disappeared… probably adds a whole new level to his current PTSD… - Dr. Strange clearly playing the long game, even at the sacrifice of himself and half the universe. “Tony, it was the only way”… Witnessing their deaths 14 million times must have been rough. - Cap gets the last words in the movie: “Oh god….” - The simple end credits, playing almost like an “in mermoriam” - The fact that we have no idea where the heck Avengers 4 is going plotwise…. will those who became dust in the wind return? Seems likely since Homecoming 2 and GOTG vol. 3 are filming soon… and like they’d kill off Black Panther after he made ALL THE MONEY before this movie made all the money again. - “Motherfu-”

Things I didn’t like:

- Heimdall again gets kinda shafted… after getting such a prominent role in Ragnarok. At least he got a last heroic gesture by sending Hulk home. - Loki dying so early to be motivation for Thor. Unless he has more up his sleeve in a long play, having him try to stab Thanos in the face felt like sloppy storytelling. What if he succeeded? The Black Order is RIGHT THERE. They would’ve killed both him and Thor anyways. Loki probably knew death was imminent and wanted one last act of defiance and proof of loyalty to Thor and Asgard. I don’t mind him dying early on, but I feel the writers should have been smarter about his actions. - The GotG felt a bit flanderized. I get it though since they need to share screentime here. Quill remains immature and childish and it leads to disaster. Drax merely spouts comedic lines and is generally useless. Mantis is not much of a fighter but at least managed to subdue Thanos a bit. Groot barely registered at all until he makes the handle for Stormbreaker. Groot meeting Captain America was amusing though. - No one during the Wakanda fight calls attention to the talking raccoon… - Cap, Falcon, and Black Widow also didn’t get a whole lot to do. Their fights seemed to devolve into shakey-cam BS. - Vision was nerfed for sake of the plot. Guess he’d otherwise be too OP. - What was the point of Red Skull being there at all… if you replace him with someone else, would it have affected the plot in any way? Why was he floating like a spectre of Death? - Rocket just gives Thor a new eye…. guess they got tired of CGI-ing that eyepatch on Thor. - The fake-out of Gamora killing Thanos in Knowhere… of course they’re not killing the villain in the first third of the movie. - Gamora’s death… when she asked Peter to kill her, I knew she’s probably going to die. Of course not by Peter… the scene of her, Peter, and Thanos was a good one though. - Something about the scene on Vormir felt… heavy-handed. Maybe the music? The silly fade to Thanos’ crying face when Gamora is falling to her doom? Something just took me out of the moment… maybe the awareness that i was looking at a purple, ballsack-chinned, CGI space man crying CGI tears. - The Black Order… generic looking scary alien people… They didn’t amount to a whole lot. Just excuses for more fight scenes. They all die inglorious deaths. - The final battle in Wakanda was another giant brawl with faceless alien monster people… there’s nothing creative about it. - There is no build-up to that battle either… it just happens. Take a page out of Peter Jackson’s The Two Towers… the build-up is just as, if not more important than the battle itself. - Hawkeye and Ant-Man being convieniently written out of the movie… - Where is Valkyrie? and Korg? Not even enough time to give them a mention? Valkyrie might’ve been helpful in the ensuing fight… - Thanos didn’t seem to use the Gauntlet to its full potential despite demonstrating some wild powers. He mostly just shoots purple beams at people… - Thanos is “burdened with knowledge” and thus knows who Stark is…. ok…. what. - The pacing of the movie felt too relentless. Let the movie breathe a bit dammit. - The CGI in some scenes screamed of “reshoots”… Banner in the Hulkbuster comes to mind. Iron Man and Spidey’s Iron suits looked very cartoonish. The Black Order’s CGI looked very off in a few scenes. Could they not have achieved Proxima, Corvius, and Maw using prosthetics? Thanos looked very convincing though, even if his look was a tad simplistic. - The music… you hear the Avengers theme occassionally… but there’s no memorable new music. We don’t hear any of the respective themes of the various characters. No Guardians theme, no Dr. Strange theme, no Iron Man or Captain America or Spider-Man or Thor themes…. Music should factor into this “culmination movie” as much as the characters. Least we got the Black Panther theme when we see Wakanda again. If somehow the different themes get interwoven into a new melody…. plz Avengers 4? -Knowing that this was a part 1 of a 2-part finale sort of robbed the movie of a sense that the deaths will be permenant… but I would like to be surprised in Avengers 4. The question is seemingly “how” they will defeat Thanos and revive their allies, and not “if” they do…

Overall, there is a lot of good in this movie. It’s not as… “fun” as the previous Avengers movies or even Civil War. They tried to be a lot darker, and for the most part they succeeded. The issues I have are mostly nitpicks to the plot, and minor issues with the craft involved.

After two viewings, I don’t feel the need to really watch it again… until Avengers 4 next year.

8.25/10