Going Home

Peter and Tony sat close together on a long couch in the back of the small ship probably only meant for a few people. It wasn't exactly comfortable, but the one they'd arrived in wasn't either, so Tony didn't care. There was another room in the back down a hallway, but Tony hadn't moved from the boy's side...couldn't move from the boy's side. Besides, there was no place he'd rather be.

Every time Tony closed his eyes, he saw Doctor Stephen Strange disappearing into dust. He saw Star Lord and the other two...the pale woman with antenna and the larger man who never wore a shirt, who deserved to have their names remembered, disappear into pieces of ash. Did they have families? Parents? Children? Who were they? Why were they trying to kill Thanos? Where had they come from?

And every time he closed his eyes, he saw his kid clutching his stomach, stumbling towards Tony and telling him he didn't feel good. He put his arm around the boy's shoulders, giving him a tight smile when Peter looked up at him in confusion. The boy was solid under his arm. Solid. Whole. Warm. Still alive. He hadn't left. Hadn't fallen away into ash and dust. He squeezed his kid, resting the side of his head against Peter's.

"How far? I mean...how long? Until we get home, Miss Nebula?" Peter wondered, raising his voice toward Nebula who was piloting the ship. So far, the woman had barely spoken a word to Tony, but she responded in a somewhat less hostile manner toward Peter.

"Less than 24 hours." She told him without looking back. Peter looked over at Tony.

"Less than 24 hours…" He repeated, eyes huge. Tony knew what he was thinking and chuckled a little, despite the fact that nothing should have been able to amuse him at the moment. "How...that shouldn't be possible…"

"Well, it didn't take that long in the space donut, so…" Tony shrugged, and Peter gave a real smile. "Maybe we can take a look under the hood when we get home...see how it works."

He wasn't serious...not really. Thanos had wiped out half of the universe. Even though Peter and himself had been spared, they still had to deal with the repercussions. Somehow. He didn't have any idea how to even begin to do that. Once they got home...once they saw who was left, they would fix this. They had to fix this. Doctor Strange had said there was no other way. That had to mean...something. Right? That had to mean there was a plan. A plan no one had told Tony about, unfortunately, but a plan, nonetheless. They would be fine.

It took about an hour for the boy at his side to really relax, leaning his head against the wall behind them. Tony moved his arm away, flinching at the cramp in his shoulder. He didn't want to let the boy go, but his arm was killing him. Peter's eyes slipped shut, and Tony scooted over. That caught his attention, so Tony ruffled his hair. "Lay down, Underoos. Time for Spider-Kids to get some sleep." The boy looked rough...they'd been up for a long time.

"But what if…" He hesitated, looking between Tony and the back of Nebula's head, all the fear from before coming back and filling his eyes.

"Nothing's going to happen. If we were going to disappear, we already would have." Tony didn't know that, and Peter didn't seem to believe him. "Hey, look at me." He leaned in, grabbing Peter's shoulder again. He was warm. Solid. Alive. His kid was okay. "We're going home. I've got you, kiddo. I swear. I'm going to get you home, and then we're going to figure out what's going on. Hell, I'll bet they've called Steve and the rest of the guys. I'll introduce you as the newest Avenger, we'll get to work...it'll be fine."

Peter just blinked at him, looking like he was desperate to believe him. "She said half of the universe," Peter whispered.

"Yeah." He ran a hand over his face. Tony didn't want to think about it. Didn't want to think about which of his friends had crumpled to dust. Or...Pepper. He couldn't think about Pepper. Not now. No...he couldn't bear it. Not until he could fix it...until he knew exactly what kind of damage he was looking at. "We're going to fix this."

"Do you think...do you think Aunt May's okay?" Peter asked, voice so soft Tony almost didn't hear him.

Tony wanted to lie. He couldn't stand the thought of spending the entire trip back mourning for people who may or may not be dead. He didn't want to play Schrodinger's loved ones. But Peter was smart. He already knew the answer. "I don't know, buddy. But we're going to fix this. And no matter what, I've got you. Okay? I've always got you." Peter sniffed a little, nodding and rubbing furiously at his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Stark. I shouldn't...I should be…"

"Kid, we're on a spaceship with a scary alien woman on our way from a planet no one on Earth has heard of where we just watched four people we sort of knew turn into dust." He choked a little on that last word, his joke turning into a frightened admission. "There is no 'should' in this situation. Honestly, if you weren't freaked out, I'd be worried. Like, legitimately, 'this kid is a psychopath' worried. I'm freaking out, too. We're all going to need some intense therapy after this." The corners of Peter's mouth turned up just a little, and Tony gave him a tight, tired smile in return. "So lay down. I'm gonna see if our pilot has some peanuts or something."

After a second, Peter nodded, curling up on his side in the Iron Spider suit. Tony knew it couldn't be that comfortable, but didn't want to risk him taking it off until they were somewhere safe. Standing, he started to head to the front when Nebula spoke up, her voice surprisingly soft. "There are blankets in the compartment above you. " Tony blinked, turning to find that she was still staring straight ahead at the blur of stars passing far too quickly for this to make any sense. Then, gripping the handle of the cabinet, he pulled it open and found a stack of what looked like plain gray wool blankets.

Grabbing one and feeling more parental than he wanted to admit, he shook it out, settling it over the boy who had, against all odds, fallen asleep. "Food?" He asked softly, closing the cabinet and wishing he could sleep as easily as a teenager.

Nebula flipped a switch on the console and then stood, sparing the boy half a glance before striding past into a room he didn't follow her into. Of course, the alien spaceship had autopilot. Tony didn't really want to let this kid out of his sight. Didn't want to think about a seventeen-year-old turning to dust...about losing his kid right as he'd realized that this was his kid. Perching on the side of the couch beside the boy's feet, he tucked the blanket around Peter's legs. Peter murmured in his sleep, brow tightening, and Tony patted his leg, hoping that for just a few hours, he could rest without thinking about the horrors they'd already seen, and the ones they'd doubtlessly face again soon.

The blue woman returned, the lights overhead catching the silver, metal-looking pieces around her face. He wasn't sure exactly what she was, but she was handing him a large metal tray that he put on a table beside the couch. He wondered whose ship this was...had this been Star Lord's ship? Gamora's? Or was it Nebula's? Did everyone have a spaceship, just like on Earth, almost everyone he knew had cars? He didn't want to think about that. Not now. "Is he your son?" She asked after a moment, hesitating on her way back to the front.

He was quiet for a long moment, remembering the conversation with Pepper what seemed like years ago. He'd wanted kids...felt like he was ready to have kids. But...wasn't Peter like his kid? He blinked hard, running a hand through the sleeping child's hair. "Kind of." He answered. She didn't press him, and he turned back to the refreshments.

On the tray were two sealed bottles with twist-tops, which was probably the weirdest thing he'd seen all day...days...how long had they been in space? Pushing that aside, he looked at the five packages sitting between the two bottles. Everything had labels, but he couldn't read any of it, so, twisting the top on one of the bottles, he took a hesitant sip, then a long drink. "They sell bottled water in space?" He asked. Nebula, who had gone back to her chair and was stretched out, feet on the console, glanced back and rolled her eyes.

"They have bottle water on Quill's planet?" He didn't bother trying to cup up with a witty retort, just drained the bottle, then opened one of the packages and pulled out what looked like a granola bar...with mystery bits.

"And these are…" She answered, saying something that ended in the word 'bar' but the first two words just sounded like a lot of vowels thrown together. "Whatever." He muttered, taking a bite. It was like nothing he'd ever tasted. Kind of nutty...sort of like granola, with something sweet he'd never quite tasted before. He ate the whole thing in three bites, then opened another, saving the rest for Peter. Then, leaning back against the sofa, he closed his eyes, letting himself drift off as he finally realized how absolutely exhausted he was.

When he woke up, they were still in the spaceship, but Peter was stirring. The kid must have kicked him because something had hit his leg. Blinking down at the kid, he stretched, glancing up at Nebula. "About two more hours. Do you have coordinates for where we should land?" She asked.

He nodded, even though she wasn't looking, and spouted them off, glad he'd memorized those. Reaching down, he patted Peter's leg. "Underoos? You with us?"

Peter moaned, stretching, then freezing when he kicked Tony again. His eyes flew open, darting around the ship, then landed on Tony's let. "Oh...shit...I mean...shoot...I'm sorry." He pulled his leg away, but Tony waved him off.

"It's fine. We're going to be home in about two hours. Here." He handed Peter a bottle. "It's water." He wasn't surprised when the boy drained it in a few gulps, then looked down at the remaining bars on the tray.

"What are those?" He asked, his voice scratchy and tired.

"No idea. They're edible, though. I had two." He shrugged and apparently that was good enough for Peter who scarfed the rest of them down.

While the kid was eating, Tony touched his earpiece, hoping FRIDAY hadn't been damaged. "FRI?" He asked.

"Yes, boss?" Her voice was scratchy but there. He'd have to repair his suit.

"Contact the compound. Tell them I'm coming with Spider-Man and…" He tried to think of the best way to explain Nebula to whoever remained of the Avengers. "A friend." He settled on that, nodding when she agreed. He could have tried to call Pepper. Could have tried to contact Rhodey or Steve...but he wasn't ready to know. He wanted to put it off for just a little while longer.

They entered Earth's atmosphere about two hours later, and Peter folded up the blanket Tony had draped over him, placing it back in the compartment and closing the door. Nebula gave him another one of her indecipherable looks, but didn't comment, just steered the ship until they reached the compound, touching down easily in the back behind the Compound. From the front window, he could see a whole line of people waiting. He glanced back at Peter whose hands were shaking, breaths coming too quickly.

"Alright, buddy. You ready?" Peter nodded but didn't move. Nebula stood from her seat. "You want to put that mask back on?"

"Do I have to?"

Tony didn't hesitate. "Nope. Long as you don't care if they know who you are." Rhodey and Pepper were the only ones that knew...if they were even out there.

"I don't."

"Alright." Pulling himself to his feet with an ease he didn't feel, he held a hand out, pulling Peter to his feet. "Let's go."

As soon as his feet were on the ground, he saw her. Blonde hair. Red, blotchy face and tears dripping down her cheeks. She was running and he met her halfway, feeling his own breath catch in a sob as he remembered the others...Star Lord and his two friends and Doctor Strange, all crumbling to dust. "Tony...oh...Tony...you...oh god...Tony…" She sobbed, and he held her for his life, rocking them back and forth and burying his face in her hair. He knew there were others. But all he could think of was Pepper...the love of his life. He'd left her. He'd left her alone on Earth while he'd gone to space and he could have died or she could have and it all hit him when she sagged against him, forcing him to hold her up. It was the best thing he'd ever felt.

Peter watched Mr. Stark hold Miss Potts, feeling lost beside Nebula. A few hundred feet away was a line of Avengers, all watching the same thing. Nebula sighed, obviously bored, but Peter was scanning the faces with a growing dread. Captain America. Black Widow. Bruce Banner. Colonel Rhodes...War Machine. Thor, with much shorter hair than he'd seen on TV as a kid. And...a raccoon that was standing on his back legs and staring at Nebula. Peter went through them again, heart rate picking up. Everyone but Colonel Rhodes was looking at him in surprise...did they not know he was on the ship too? But Mr. Stark had told them that Spider-Man was coming back. He'd heard him.

"Is that...Spider-Man?" Captain America asked suddenly, taking a closer look at Peter who shrank a little under his gaze, going through the line of superheroes again, eyes darting from person to person, desperately searching. "How old is he?"

Then Colonel Rhodes was striding toward him, reaching out and putting a hand on Peter's shoulder. "You alright, Pete?" He asked, glancing warily up at Nebula but not speaking to her. Peter nodded, eyes back on the heroes. She wasn't there. Wouldn't she be there? Colonel Rhodes would have contacted her...or Miss Pots. They were the only ones that knew who he was...one of them would have contacted her.

"I…" He didn't want to ask. If he asked, Colonel Rhodes would answer and then he would know. He didn't want to know and he desperately wanted to know.

Then Mr. Stark was letting go of Miss Pots who turned to him, her already wet eyes spilling over again. He knew Miss Pots...well...he'd met her more times than Rhodey, and she reached out, touching his shoulder. "Oh...Peter…" She murmured, and he felt like his legs were going to give out. There was his answer. Mr. Stark's eyes widened, and before Peter could drop, he was there, catching the boy's arms and pulling him to his chest again...just like on that strange planet where he'd felt so sick and afraid and Mr. Stark had held him and promised him it would be okay.

"We're going to fix it, buddy. Remember?" Peter heard footsteps and opened his eyes. Through his tears, he saw the others rushing forward.

"Is he hurt?" He heard Captain America ask. Mr. Stark put a hand on the back of his head, ignoring all of them.

"It's okay, kiddo. I've got you. It's going to be okay."

"She's gone." Peter whimpered into his shoulder, and Mr. Stark patted his back with his other hand. "She's all I've got...Mr. Stark...she's...she can't be…"

"His aunt...she's his guardian. We sent someone to bring her here when Tony called but..." He heard Miss Pots whisper to someone, shuddering when she trailed off.

"How old is he?" Captain America repeated, still incredulous.

"He just turned seventeen."

Peter tried to pull it together...he was an Avenger now. Right? They'd never let him be an Avenger if he couldn't stop crying. He gasped for breath, wiping his eyes and shaking his head. "I'm sorry." He whispered, staring at the ground, unable to meet Mr. Stark's eyes. Peter was sure he was embarrassing Mr. Stark in front of the Avengers. He noticed that Miss Pots was standing right behind Mr. Stark. He was taking Mr. Stark away from her. They'd want to be together...they were engaged and they'd been apart and she was probably scared. "I'm sorry." He whispered again, then Mr. Stark had a finger under his chin, pulling his face up. In front of all the other Avengers, Mr. Stark put his hand on Peter's shoulder, another on the side of his head.

"Don't be sorry. You're going to be okay. I've got you. We're going to fix this."

"What if we can't?" Peter whispered.

"Then I've still got you." Mr. Stark spoke almost fiercely. "I've always got you." Peter glanced up at the others then, feeling his cheeks heat up at all the eyes on him. Mr. Stark followed his gaze, ruffling his hair and turning to face his teammates. Peter watched him face Captain America, looking at all of his teammates, then reaching out a hand to clap on Captain America's shoulder. "Steve. It's good to see you. Thank you for coming." Captain America nodded, glancing back down at Peter before moving forward, wrapping his arms around Peter's mentor. For a second, Peter thought Mr. Stark was going to pull away, but the man wrapped his arms around Captain America and they stood there for a moment in silence before finally pulling away.

"Is this...is this everyone?" Mr. Stark asked, hesitating a little when his eyes landed on the raccoon. He didn't ask, though.

"Yeah." Captain America nodded grimly and glancing again at Peter.

Mr. Stark ran a hand over his face, then put a hand on Peter's shoulder. "Everyone, this is Peter. He's known to the public as Spider-Man." Peter noticed the raccoon jerk his head up at that, but he didn't say anything. Could it talk? Was it even a 'he'? "Pete's the newest Avenger." Colonel Rhodes blinked in surprise but didn't say anything. Captain America frowned a little though.

"Tony…"

"Peter has more than earned his spot on this team, Cap." Mr. Stark told him softly, wrapping an arm around Peter and pulling him closer. Ever since Doctor Strange had...disintegrated, Tony had been pulling him in for hugs and holding him. It was...comforting. But strange. A good strange, though. It reminded Peter of his uncle. But Peter didn't want to think about that...not with Aunt May gone. He had to fight the tears again, but this time, he won. "Peter, this is Steve, Natasha, Bruce, you know Rhodey, and Thor." Mr. Stark smiled then. "It's good to see you again." He told the Asgardian.

"You as well, Stark." Then the huge man turned to Peter. "I am very sorry about your Aunt, young Spider." He reached out a gigantic hand, resting it on Peter's shoulder. Peter sniffed a little, smiling when the man squeezed gently. He had a feeling the man could snap him in half with just a little effort.

"Thank you. It's nice to meet you, Mr. Thor." Peter murmured, and Tony glanced at the others, noticing that all of their lips twitched into small, sad smiles. The kid was impossible not to like. The Asgardian himself was giving the boy a soft smile. Then Tony's eyes landed on the raccoon.

"This is our new friend, Nebula." Tony introduced, gesturing to the blue woman, hoping Thor would introduce his new pet.

Thor must have noticed him looking and moved his hand to point to the creature. "This is my new friend, Rabbitt." Tony's eyes widened just a little, and everyone else managed to stay straight-faced, but Peter gave a tiny, hysterical laugh, then clamped his hand over his mouth. Tony smirked a bit at the ground, not meeting Peter's gaze as the boy looked around as though waiting for someone to tell him it was a joke.

The only one looking straight at the kid was Thor, and Peter swallowed hard. "Um...sorry...Mr. Thor...sir...um...that's...that's a raccoon." He corrected gently, looking up at Mr. Stark as though seeking confirmation.

Said raccoon rolled his eyes, something that Tony found deeply unsettling. "The name's Rocket." He snapped, no real heat to his voice, and Peter did a double take, looking back up at Tony. He could tell the kid was about done. Despite the nap and the handful of granola-type bars they'd had earlier, they were both exhausted and hungry and probably dehydrated. The kid had just found out that his aunt was gone and was barely holding it together. But he was alive. Still in one piece. That was all that mattered.

"Alright. We'll discuss...that….later." Tony said, nodding to the talking raccoon. Just a few days ago, his life had made sense. For a moment, he just stared at his friends...his teammates. They'd lost so many...he didn't even have to ask to know that. Just looking into the eyes of the other Avengers, he knew that the others were...gone. Dust. Piles of ash. He couldn't think about that. He had to focus. "Right now, Pete and I need real food. A lot of it. And water. A change of clothes." He ticked the things off his fingers. Lists were good. Lists kept them moving forward...kept them from falling apart. Reaching back, he intertwined those fingers with Pepper's, his other arm wrapping around Peter's shoulders. Still whole. Still alive. Both of them...his fiancé and his kid. "I probably need a doctor, too...kind of got stabbed just a little." Bruce's eyes widened and he heard Pepper gasp. One thing at a time. "Then, we're going to figure out how to take down that purple asshole once and for all. How does that sound?" He asked, looking around, his gaze finally resting on Steve. His old friend nodded, clapping him on the shoulder.

"Well, you heard the man. Let's get started."

The End