Author's Note: This is the one where Peter does not die.

Too Well: Life Edition

Tony saw Peter snap his fingers and felt his heart break. No! Tony would not let his kid die! Not again.

He staggered over to where Peter had fallen, weakened by the glove. He was laying in the dirt, the glove still on his hand. When Tony got close, Peter looked up.

"Mr. Stark! You're here!"

"Yeah, kid. I am. You okay?"

"I think so, I feel kinda weird, though."

"OK, well you can talk enough to tell me something. What did you think you were doing!?" Tony didn't mean to sound that angry, but it just happened.

"I-I just wanted to make you proud, Mr. Stark." Peter groaned suddenly his arm flying to his shoulder. "Mr. Stark, could you tell Aunt May I love her? And Pepper? And Ned and MJ? And Happy? I love you too. You're the best, Mr. Stark."

"No. You're going to tell them yourself. Pull through kid, I mean who's gonna be friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man if you don't? Who's going to help the old ladies and the kittens, huh?"

"I wanted to be like you, Tony."

Peter's eyes widened a little. Perhaps just realising that he'd called his mentor his actual name.

Peter tried to sit up but fell back onto his back, his face scrunching up in pain.

Help. He needed help.

He shouted for someone to help, barely aware of the last remnants of Thanos' army fading. The dust seemed to click though. Dust. The kid's last words. Tears. Pain.

It wouldn't be like last time. He would save the kid.

Something tapped his shoulder and he jumped. Dr. Strange stood next to him with a clinical expression.

"Tony, I need you to breathe. Look, there's Pepper. Do you see her?"

Tony nodded. Pepper was standing a few feet away in her scratched suit, hair wild, concern in her eyes.

"I need you to go to Pepper and stay with her."

"But, the kid. I can't leave the kid."

"You aren't leaving him, you're just waiting for him to get help from professionals, OK?"

Tony knew that Strange was right but he couldn't leave the kid. He couldn't.

"I want to stay with him. I'm his mentor."

"Fine, but we need to transport him somewhere safer, with medical equipment preferably."

"The Tower. I still have the Tower. It's not far either."

"Let's go there then."

oOo

The car ride barely registered. Pepper sitting next to him barely registered. Everything felt numb.

"Tony, look at me." Pepper said, taking his hand from the armrest of the white plastic chair and clutching it in both of hers.

He unstuck his gaze from the door of the operating theatre that Dr. Strange had onto his wife. He was so lucky to have her.

"Peter is being checked out by some of the greatest professionals of our time. He'll be fine. I know it's hard for you. And it may be different and scary for you and for Peter. But I promise that we're all going to help him."

Tony felt a strange surge of hope and smiled. Actually smiled. Yeah, everything would be fine. Peter's a resilient kid, he's gonna make it.

The next hour was spent basking in this hope.

oOo

Strange was the first one out of the operating theatre that Tony was so glad he added to the Tower designs.

"So, can we see him now? Or is he sleeping? Do people do that after operations? Still, can I see him? Oh, we should probably call his aunt, too."

"Of course you can see him, just don't tire him out."

"OK, Doc." He walked into the room Peter was put into, holding some churros behind his back, Pepper had told him to order something so Peter could have a snack after his surgery. He remembered that Peter liked churros. Strange, seeing as he'd felt like he was forgetting everything about the kid.

His stomach gave an odd twist at seeing Peter, laying on the bed, pale, with an IV stuck into his arm. The kid still managed to raise his head slightly from his pillow and smile weakly.

"Hey, Mr. Stark. I guess you're mad, huh?" Peter said, sheepishly. "I know I shouldn't have, but, I didn't want to loose you."

"So you tried to sacrifice yourself?" Tony said, trying to sound as playful as he could sound.

"Yeah...Pretty dumb, right?" Peter said, looking at everything but him.

"I'm not mad, that'd be hypocritical. And hypocritical is Cap's territory." Tony said, poking fun at Cap's actions.

"You're not mad?"

"How could I be, kid? You saved everything, including me. You're a hero." Tony said, loving how Peter tried to hide his grin. "And, heroes get to celebrate with..." Tony whips the churros from behind his back, "churros!"

"Cool!" Peter beamed, getting started on his snack. He chewed thoughtfully, obviously pondering something.

"Penny for your thoughts, kid?" Tony asked.

"It's been five years. That's so..." he trailed off.

"Yeah, I get it. It must be scary. But, remember, trillions are facing the same thing, you're not alone. Plus, we'll all help you get up to scratch."

"I know. But, what if everyone I knew changed? Like, I won't blame them but how would I get used to it? Or what if they've forgotten me? Or they don't want me? Or-"

"Let me stop you right there, kid. First off, all your little friends are probably ecstatic to have you and your science-pun T-shirts back. And, quite honestly, they've probably changed a little. But not enough to not want you anymore. And, on the infinitesimal chance that they do, you have me. The Avengers. And a whole lot of others. I'm sure that's cooler."

"Yeah, I guess that is."

They continued eating in silence.

"Hey, Mr. Stark?"

"Yeah?"

"Who's Morgan?"

"Oh, yeah. Wow. Um, she's my daughter. Which reminds me to get you two introduced. She'll love you."

"Congratulations!"

"A little late for that, aren't we?"

They continued talking about this and that until Bruce came in and told them that Peter should rest.

Strange went to Tony's office after dinner to speak to him about Peter's health.

oOo

May was crying over the phone.

"He's back? Oh my God! Oh, I've missed him so much. When can I see him?" She said, rushing her words so that he had to process what she said.

"Uh, yeah. Speaking of that. There's something I have to tell you." Tony said, running his hand through his hair.

"What? What is it? Oh, God, is he hurt?" May said, all of her previous excitement vanished.

"I have good news and bad news. Which one do you want first?" Tony sighed.

"Bad news."

"Uh, Peter, he was beat up pretty bad during the battle. His arm is kind of bad. I mean, really bad. The doctors say that it probably won't work the same. Ever."

"Is he OK otherwise?"

"Yes, just as Peter as before."

"Does he know?" May breathes.

"No, he doesn't I thought it would be best for all of us to be around to tell him."

"Good call. When should we?"

"I don't know."

"What was the good news?"

"Peter, he saved the entire Universe."

They exchange pleasantries and Tony ends the call.

He puts his head in his hands.

How was he going to tell the kid?

oOo

"Peter, I'm going to need you to sit down."

"Why?" He asked, brows scrunching in confusion.

"Because, honey, we have something important to tell you." May said.

The kid huffed and sat down keeping his damaged arm close to his chest. How did the kid not realise that his arm wasn't going to be OK?

"So, kid your arm-"

"It's not that bad Mr. Stark. I'm sure that it'll heal up soon." Oh, the mascalzone was going to make this as hard as possible, wasn't he?

"It won't." Pepper said.

"What?" Peter whispered. "No, it has to get better. It has to. I can't-I can't be Spider-Man without it! Oh my God, what about school? This is the arm I write with! And how would we explain it to everyone? Why won't it get better? Can't we find a way to make it normal again? What about Spidey? I have to keep saving people!" The kid panicked, his breathing erratic, clutching at his hair with his good arm.

"Honey, stop that." May said quietly, untucking Peter's hand from his tight hold on his curls. "We're gonna help you through it. I know it's hard, sweetie, but we'll get through it."

"Peter, breathe. Copy me, OK?" Pepper said, kneeling in front of the kid, making exaggerated breaths.

May continued stroking his hair and Pepper continued the breathing exercises until Peter was relatively calm.

"Mr. Stark?" Peter asked, breath still shaky.

"Yeah, bambino?"

"Could I-um come to the workshop later? I think I have an idea for a project. And maybe after, we could, um, meet Morgan? If that's OK?"

"It is Pete, we'll do that. Right now, though. I think you should go home and rest. Come back tomorrow at one?"

Peter looked towards May, who nodded. Aww, squirt still asks for permission to go out. I used to up and leave. For days. Yeah, I was a concerning kid.

oOo

The kid didn't like it when he drank this much. In fact, Peter had made a protocol for Friday to notify him, Pepper and Rhodey when he drank more than 4 units. Tony had disabled it for tonight.

Tony admitted that it did help him, when he didn't disable it. Peter helped him.

He was always so thoughtful.

But now, all he could think to do was to drink away the pain.

It's his fault the kid has a dead arm. His responsibility. And, now, his kid was left without a limb. God, so much would change for him. How would he write? Text? Type? Do anything?

The scarring was bad. Tony had seen it when Peter had reached up to get the box of Lucky Charms from the shelf. They were odd. The scars started from his fingertips and splayed to his neck. That's going to get questions.

And what about Spider-Man? He knew that kid needed Spider-Man. But, how would he do it? How could he let the kid go out on patrol when he was so fragile? How would the kid fight crime with an arm that does not work?

The questions swirled. The glass emptied. His eyes closed.

oOo

"I'm thinking of a prosthetic."

"A prosthetic?"

"Yeah, I think it'll work. Here, I made a few schematics." Peter shoved a wad of paper into Tony's hands.

He hated being handed things.

"I couldn't stop thinking about it. I mean, this could fix everything! I can be Spider-Man, I can tell people that when I came back to life I fell onto my arm. It works. Plus, I'm pretty sure it'll look cool."

Tony smiled, he should've known the kid wouldn't take this lying down.

"Sure, let's do this bambino."

oOo

"Are you ready to come out now and show us, squirt?"

"Just a second!" Peter shouted from the other side of his 'big reveal' curtain. The kid was set on keeping his arm a secret from everyone but Tony. And today was the day of his big reveal.

"Ta da!" He said coming out from behind the curtain, brandishing his arm out in front of him. It was nano tech and the kid had made it color-changing, because:

"Mr. Stark, it'd be fun!"

"Wow, sweetie, it looks cool." May said, a little teary at the fact that the kid probably had to wear this thing for the rest of his life.

"I know, right? Look, I can make it change colors!" Peter pressed the remote in his good hand and the arm changed from looking like a normal prosthetic to a replica of the Iron Spider suit's arm.

"No one will notice the difference."

oOo

No one did. Spider-man was able to go out back into the world and the media just thought that he'd been 'blipped' out like many others.

Peter went back to school and his friends, who coincidentally had also been snapped, welcomed him back with open arms.

Life was… good.

oOo

Tony was crying, tears falling of their own accord. Yet these tears were not of sadness or terror or grief.

They were of joy.

After all these years of Peter using the brace. It was off.

And the first thing he did?

Hug his mentor, his friend, his father. Tony Stark.

Author's Note: I hope this was a good read for all of you!

Glossary:

Mascalzone - Rascal

Honestly, I'm quite proud of this mini-series and like the way my writing style shone through.

If you have a chance, tell me what you think in the comments.