𝐖𝐞𝐛 𝐨𝐟 𝐋𝐢𝐞𝐬

28 | Regrets

Y/N had disappeared by the time people had stopped cowering at the explosion of light in Times Square. Harry and his group unsurprisingly had fled the scene, not as brave and courageous as they put out. The remaining group rushed to Peter laying metres away, faced down on the ground. He was unresponsive, his face badly cut and his nose broken. Tony called Happy to send a helicopter, not wasting any time in getting him back to the compound.

The group of Avengers had safely taken Peter back to their base, Pepper rushing to them with Happy as they arrived through the doors. She was frantic, asking Tony questions about what had happened, who did this to him and where they were. He sighed.

"Y/N hit him, Pep please we need to see if we can bring him back, I need to focus" Tony said, Pepper's worrying now heightened that Y/N was involved and potentially unsafe as well.

Happy pulled Pepper into a large hug as she wailed, scared about the entire situation. He held her head to his chest and stroked her hair as she sobbed, wanting to follow the group and help. Happy was as oblivious about the situation as she was, but she needed someone strong to be her rock right now. He nodded to Tony as they walked down a long corridor, signalling to him that he would take care of Pepper as they tried to save Peter.

Steve was carrying Peter and went to a seperate infirmary, the group crowding around him as he charged up resuscitation defibrillators.

"Step back, this is going to be a lot of voltage," he said, rubbing the metal charging plates and pushing them to Peter's chest, trying to bring his pulse back. His body convulsed, the electricity shooting through him. Steve started again, pushing down on his chest for a second time, yelling to Peter to wake up and come back to them.

Tony asked the rest of the group to leave, growing fearful that restarting Peter's heart wouldn't work, that it wouldn't be successful. He closed the door behind them, sitting down on a chair and holding his head in his hands. He closed his eyes, trying to regulate his breath and prevent his anxiety from overtaking the situation. Tony's mouth turned dry, his swallowing became more difficult and his hands started shaking uncontrollably.

"Steve, I-I don't even know how to explain this to the kids Aunt.. She's already lost so many people close to her. Now Peter too, she won't cope. I was responsible for him, I let this happen," Tony sighed, his voice cracking and trembling. Steve turned off the defibrillators, putting them on the bench next to Peter, leaning back on the wall and sighing slowly.

"He tried to save the girl he loved dearly and he didn't even get to tell her he loved her.. You know he told me the other day, he wanted to tell her after she came back from 'Palm Springs', I-I don't even think she knows what she has done to him," Steve said softly, taking a deep breath and trying to stay stoic and reserved. He couldn't take his eyes away from Peter's body, lying so serene and still on the bench as if he were asleep.

Tony looked up at Steve. "He loved her? He said that to you?" He said sighing, walking towards Peter and putting his hand on his arm, his body still slightly warm and his face dirty and bloody. "I know she loved him too, I-I don't know what happened to her but I could see it in her eyes before all of this, the way she talked about him like they were the only two people in the world. I'd never seen her so happy than when she was with him," Tony said quietly, his voice shaking even more and gripping Peter's arm tighter. "He can't go like this Steve, not now."

Steve had gotten a first aid kit, dipping a piece of gauze in alcohol to softly wipe Peter's cuts and bruises, trying to make him look as peaceful as possible. He couldn't let Peter stay looking beaten and defeated, when in reality he saved everyone's lives. He brushed his hair off his face, his hand lingering as he mentally said goodbye.

"I'll uh, I'll leave you alone for a minute," Steve said to Tony, putting his hand on his shoulder as he left the room. Tony was sitting by Peter's bed, gripping his hand and leaning on his elbows. He thought about all the times he had turned Peter away from the Avengers, all the times Peter had told Tony he grew up idolising him. He thought about the time Y/N had told him she liked Peter and he invited him to dinner. He thought about the hard time he gave Peter during that night, never wanting his daughter to associate herself with Spider-Man. He thought about all the regrets he had, and how he would have changed them if he had the chance again.

Tony thought about what he would say to Peter if he were alive whilst wiping tears from his face. He would tell the boy how proud he was of him, the man he had grown into and the man he knew he would become. He would thank him for treating Y/N so well, for making his little girl so happy. He would apologise for all the times he was harsh on him, and explain he was always trying to make Peter grow into a better person. He would tell Peter he loved him like family, as a the kind and sincere person he was.

He would tell Peter he was sorry, and that it should have been him.