Tony raced down the hall, sprinting to the main section of the infirmary where he knew Mantis would be. She'd been helping Shuri with the patients, compelling them to sleep or to calm during treatments and he needed her now.

He found her leaning over a warrior, gentle fingers on his forehead as she whispered to him, coaxing his muscles to relax and his mind to slip into dreams.

She smiled when his eyes finally slipped closed and turned to Tony as he sprinted into the room, puffing from the run.

"Mr Tony." She wasn't surprised to see him, her wide eyes watching him with interest when he took one of the free beds amongst the ones full of patients.

Tony laid down and waved her over. "I need you to make me sleep."

Mantis nodded, leaning over him as he settled on the mattress, her lithe fingers stretching towards his forehead. "Your friend said he might need me to make you rest."

Tony grabbed her wrist before her fingertips could touch his brow. "I need to be able to dream. Can you do that? I need to…" He didn't know how to explain. He needed to make sure he wasn't insane. Or psychic. He needed to know if it was Peter he was talking to him in his dreams or if was something else entirely.

He didn't need a sedative, he only needed a quick route back to that dusty plane that he visited each time he slept.

Mantis nodded, seeming to understand even without words. Her eyes were calm and knowing as she pressed her fingers forward, inching closer to his skin.

Her voice was soft, warm as the touch of his mother's fingers on his cheek that he remembered so clearly from his childhood.

"Sleep." That single word fell like a spell over Tony, sending him careening into unconsciousness and into-

Tony's eyes snapped open to that same dead planet that he had come to expect. Titan spread out before him, empty and quiet and just like those times before, Peter was waiting for him.

He stood there, no blood or lines of pain on his face this time but Tony realised he didn't really look like himself. Peter always had this awed look on his face, wide eyes taking in the world as if for the first time, every time. He was endlessly curious and excited but this Peter was...older.

Tony watched him stand there, face passive and knowing as he waited for the Avenger speak.

"This isn't just a dream is it?"

Not-Peter shook his head. "No."

Tony swallowed. "And you're not Peter."

Peters' face smiled, gentle and almost sad. "No."

"Who are you?"

Not-Peter took a step forward, not bothered by Tony's instinctive step back. "You already know the answer to that question. Ask another."

Tony did know. He'd noticed before that this dream version of Spider-Man had been lacking the usual brown eyes that he knew so well. Instead, the iris was made up of colours, shining and bright as they had been when they were set in Thanos' gauntlet.

The infinity stones.

Tony did as he was told and chose a different question. "Why?"

The stones used Peter's face to smile, and it was unsettling to see the teenager's features set in something so unlike his usual joy. The expression was knowing, timeless, like Tony was a toy they'd been playing with for a very long time.

"This form is favourable to you. We knew you would listen even if you didn't understand."

More questions tumbled forward, hurried and tinged with betrayal. "Why me? Why now?"

The smile slipped from Peters features, eyes lowering to the ground as he nodded. "We know you're angry. We are sorry."

Tony clenched his fists tight enough for his worn down nails to bite at the weathered skin of his palm. "Why are you helping now? If you could have done this the whole time then why didn't you tell me how to stop Thanos the first time? Why didn't you warn me?"

Not-Peters eyes lifted to Tony's face again, a crease forming between their eyebrows.

"We did. We have been visiting your dreams for a long time, Stark."

Tony deflated, anger rushing out with a breath as guilt replaced it, filling up his chest and rotting him from the inside out. "So, it's my fault. I didn't listen."

He knew his dreams had been important, he'd tried to prepare for whatever his nightmares showed him. He saw the Avengers spread out and dying beneath his hands and he'd done everything he could to stop it from happening, only to create Ultron. He had known Thanos was coming, tried to tell everyone for years, and he'd come anyway and won twice before they'd stopped him.

The stones shook Peters' head. "Everything happened as it should. You were a perfect instrument."

Tony frowned, snapping out of his dark thoughts as he watched them. "Instrument?"

Not-Peter's face was calm, formless as stone. "We have no body, Stark. We are energies in the universe, watching events unfold as the future stretches around the lifeforms within it until it becomes your past and your present."

Tony shook his head, feeling like he was in the middle of a really bad acid trip, where nothing made sense and you could taste your thoughts but not understand them.

"No riddles, just tell me what the hell is going on."

The stones tilted Peters head, voice like silk in the dusty air. "We observe unable to intervene besides placing pawns and pushing pieces into place. We left you clues and you followed them perfectly."

So, that meant-

Tony's voice was hollow. "You made me lose to Thanos twice, on purpose?"

Those multi-coloured eyes lowered again at Tony's anger. "Your pain was regrettable but it was necessary."

Hate and grief squeezed at Tony's throat till he could barely speak. "I lost everyone. I lost my mind! I held Peter while he...And you're telling me it was necessary? Fuck you."

The eyes found him again, unfazed by his reaction. "We needed you to change, to be able to fight for it."

"Fight for what?"

"Earth."

Tony didn't know how to respond, so he didn't. He watched Peters body turn, hand stretching out to point at a distant speck in the darkness of space.

"We saw you from your planet and we put you on the board. We had to make sure you were ready."

Tony frowned, staring at the speck that was earth, voice quiet. "Ready?"

The eyes found him again. "For who the universe needed you to be." They lowered Peter's arm and watched Tony with pride, an expression that looked unfamiliar on Peter's face.

"You, Tony Stark, are the greatest defender of Earth and we needed you to be strong enough to save the next."

Tony almost couldn't understand all the information that was being given at once. He shook his head, confused. "Who's the next? What are you talking about?"

The infinity stones used Peter's mouth to smile, gesturing to the red, blue and gold suit adorning their borrowed form. "Isn't it obvious? We've been watching you for a long time. We heard you asking the stars for a son so we gave you one."

Tony's voice was barely louder than a whisper. "Peter?"

"He will be the one to carry on your legacy once you have gone. We needed you to save him, to train him."

"I didn't save him, not at first."

Those eyes were apologetic in the most patronising way, making Tony's fingers clench tighter to his palm. "You didn't see how important he was at first. Losing him made you fight harder, made you care more. We led him to you as a student to a teacher. Tell me Stark, what do you feel for him now? What is he to you after hearing him beg for you as he died?"

Tony clenched his teeth, not needing to answer aloud.

Peters' face smiled again, smug. "You asked for a son, Tony."

The smile melted into something more thoughtful as Peters' face turned back towards the pinprick that was earth. "He should be waking soon. You need to be there when he does."

The Avenger felt numb. "What do I do now?"

The infinity Stones smiled, chin raised. "Raise him."

Tony's eyes snapped open and he sucked in a breath as he sprung up from the bed. He needed to find Peter.

…

"Come on, kid. Open your eyes. I've been waiting long enough don't you think?"

Peter scrunched his eyebrows, frowning at the insistent voice at his ear. He turned his head towards it, seeking out the man he knew it belonged to.

Tony laughed as fingers brushed back the fringe tickling Peter's forehead. "I know you can hear me. Wake up, Pete."

A hum rumbled from Peters' mouth as he tried to follow the voice, tried to use it to bring himself back to the land of the living. "Hmmmno."

Tony laughed again, the sound comforting in Peters' ear. Until Peter tried to move.

He had wanted to roll over, to huddle under his blankets and bury his head in his pillow but he found his body unresponsive to his wishes.

He frowned as his heart sped up in his chest, fluttery and quick as he began to panic.

Tony was there above him as Peter dragged his eyes open, the world foggy and syrupy around him. He grunted as he tried to speak, words melting on his tongue before he could push them out, and they fell with warped vowels and broken consonants.

"Mr St'rk."

Tony was smiling but Peter's eyes were wide with fright. "Hey, buddy."

"S'mthings wrong."

Tony's smile faded as Peters' hands jerked up to grab at him, fingers curling into his shirt in panic. "No, Peter. You're okay."

The teenager shook his head as he tried again to move his legs, heart monitor beeping too fast when he found them unresponsive. "No. I can't move. I can't- What's wrong with me?"

Tony's hands held Peters' arms and held them gently down to the mattress as he lent him, voice soothing. "Peter-"

Peters' voice grew louder as panic threatened to overtake him, the room unfamiliar to him and his situation unknown. "What happened to me? Where am I?"

Tiny tried again but could barely register his voice over his own racing heart and laboured breaths. "Listen to me, everything's going to be okay."

Tears began to gather in Peters' eyes and his hands found Tony's shirt again and gripped tight. "Why can't I move?"

Tony's voice was firm, demanding he listen. "Peter, look at me. There was a battle with Thanos to protect the universe. Do you remember that?"

Peter nodded, damp eyes narrowing as he searched his scrambled mind for answers, images flickering to life like a spark lighting a fire. "I think so. We were in space."

Tony nodded encouragingly. "That's right and you got hurt. It was bad, I wasn't sure if you were going to make it. But you're okay now, I promise."

Tony was glad he didn't have to lie about it. For a long time he wasn't sure if Peter would be okay, but now he knew for sure and he felt as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders and now he could breathe.

But Peter didn't know what Tony knew and his fingers tightened their grip on Tony's shirt as tears fell down his pale skin.

He shook his head, gazing up at Tony. "No, Mr Stark. I'm not okay. You have to fix it."

He was begging, breaths hiccuping as he began to cry and Tony softened his voice, reminded of the first time Peter had begged him to save him.

"Yes, you are. You could have died, I had to watch you…" He couldn't say that he couldn't tell him. He tried again. "But you're alive and you're going to get better."

Peter hiccupped, words coming with a sob. "I don't wanna-"

Tony nodded, heart, breaking for the kid. "I know. I know you're scared and that you're hurting right now but I'm not leaving you. I'm going to stay right here for as long as you need. You're going to get better, you don't have to be scared."

Peter sniffled, tears tracing down over his temples and into his hair. Tony let go if his arms and instead scooped up his shaking fingers, and pressed their palms together. "Here, take my hand. You're going to be okay. Say it."

Peter's breath trembled but he did as he was told, wide eyes focussed on Tony's steady gaze. "I'm g-gonna be okay."

Tony smiled, nodding at him to continue. "Good. And why is that?"

Peter felt a little better, Tony's strong resolve hard to doubt. "Be-because you're here."

Tony brushed the backs of his fingers against Peters temples, wiping his tears away. "That's right and I'm going to take care of you."

Peter believed him, of course, he did. How could he not? But he needed to know why Tony was so sure.

He squeezed Tony's hand, gazing up at him with an awe that seemed to please the Avenger. "How do you know? How can you be sure I'll be okay?"

Tony didn't waver, his voice strong. "Because you're a hero and the world still needs you. Someday you'll be earth's greatest defender, Peter. Trust me, some space rocks told me."

Peter frowned, a tony laugh bubbling out of him. "What? Are you high?"

Tony smiled, eyes shining. "Don't worry about it. I'm just...I'm really happy you're back."

Peter's face warmed. "Me too."

(AN: thats the end! Sorry I know this could be longer and I was going to write a longer recovery but the plot changed and so this is where it ends plus I have written that kind of long recovery a few times in other fics so i dont really know if it needs to be done again. Thank you for reading and for the lovely comments it makes me so happy!)