Spoiler alert: Spoilers for Homecoming and Infinity War

Disclaimer: I don't own Homecoming, Infinity War, or anything else that Marvel does.

A/N: I don't know what is going to happen in the coming Marvel movies, but I am telling this story from the perspective that Peter and the others who vanished are never coming back.


Peter was gone… He was gone.

One moment, he had been clinging to Tony and begging, pleading. And the next, he was fading to ash in his arms.

Tony knew that it was not only his fault, but it still felt like it. The kid- and, yes, despite everything that he claimed and did, Peter was still just a kid- was his responsibility. Meaning that his death was also on Tony's hands…. Literally and metaphorically. He was yet another life lost because of him. If he had never gone to Queens in the first place, never recruited the spiderling to help in the fight against Cap and the others, Peter would never have gotten involved in this mess, and he would probably still be alive right now. He would probably be somewhere in New York, catching muggers and bank robbers.

Tony went through the motions, but as soon as he had returned to Earth and gotten to Avengers headquarters, he locked himself in a room and broke down again. He could not stop the sobs wracking his body and the tears drenching his face and the collar of his stained suit. The memories of Peter invaded his mind on repeat.

Peter grinning, excited to meet The Iron Man.

Peter, exhausted after the battle of Avengers versus Avengers.

Peter, upset after losing a fight.

Peter, determined to help his idol defeat Thanos.

Peter, frowning as he choked out his concerns that he didn't feel quite right.

Peter, falling into his arms, crying that he wasn't ready to go yet.

He shouldn't have had to go. He was still a kid and Thanos had no right to take such a bright star from the universe.

Why was he still here when Peter wasn't? He was older; he'd done more wrong than he could account for, no matter how many lives he saved in the process of trying to cleanse himself of his sins.

Peter didn't deserve the fate he had met.

Tony fell to the ground, not strong enough to even make it to the chair a few feet away.

What would he tell May?

Tony shook his head.

No. No, he couldn't. He couldn't stand there, in the Parker's apartment, where so much joy had been witnessed, and tell her that he had taken Peter to fight an enormous alien that they had never had any chance of defeating, and that Peter would not be coming back.

But at the same time, he knew he would have to tell her at some point. If something had happened to him, if he were the one who had disintegrated, and not the innocent teenager, he would not want Pepper to be left without knowing what had happened to him; always praying that he would return- that he would suddenly walk into the room and kiss her on the cheek before apologizing for not coming back sooner- only to die alone with broken hopes.

No, he had to tell her.

And it had to be him.

But not today.

No. Today was a day for him to grieve the loss of Peter. The loss of the boy who had been as much of a son to him as any blood relative ever could be.

A bright star had died. Its light had been crushed under the weight of a great evil.

And its light would never shine on the universe again.

Peter was gone.