IronDad/SpiderSon One-shots

the forgotten

Third Person POV
Word Count: 1,078
Spooktober Day Seventeen: Forget
a/n: rest in peace, Tony Stark. I'll miss you forever <3

"Mr. Stark? Hey, Mr. Stark. Can you hear me? It's Peter. We won, Mr. Stark. We won, Mr. Stark. We won. You did it, sir. You did it. I'm sorry, Tony."

As much as Peter wanted to, he would never be able to forget these words. He'd never be able to erase them from his mind. They'd be there always. Just like the dull, weak heartbeat that accompanied them. The same heartbeat that ended a few minutes later.

These were the last words that Peter ever said to Tony Stark. At that moment, Peter was in shock. He'd just fought against aliens directly after finding out he'd been gone for five years. From one fight to the next, he had definitely been through a lot. Then, Tony snapped his fingers and Peter saw him and he just... he knew. He knew that Tony wouldn't make it off that field. So, he panicked. He said what he knew to say.

"We won, Mr. Stark."

They won. Tony had to know that. He did. That's what Peter wanted the man to know at the moment. He wanted him to know that they won and that it was because of him they won.

Now, as Peter thinks back, he wishes he would have thought to tell the man anything different. Maybe he could have told him that he loved him. Maybe he could have thanked him. He could have said so many things differently. He wished he had more time to come up with something. He just wished he had more time in general. He had the man back for one second. The next second, he was gone.

"I'm sorry, Tony."

Tony. Peter never called him that. That was the first and last time that Tony would ever hear Peter call him by his name. Peter felt a pit in his stomach as he thought about it, thinking about all the times that Tony asked him to not call him Mr. Stark. It wasn't that it truthfully bothered Tony, but still. Peter should have taken the man seriously. He should have called him Tony more.

He should have. He could have. These were repetitive statements in Peter's brain that often accompanied the wishes and if onlys in his brain. They took up unwanted space, wasting time to think about things that wouldn't ever happen. It really upset Peter, but he couldn't control his brain.

Today was October 17th. Today was the day that Tony died. Peter clutched flowers in his hand, walking quietly to the grave yard. He'd bought flowers for May today, too, having just dropped them off. He didn't know what to do with Tony's flowers. He couldn't exactly bring them to Tony's headstone. First, he didn't exactly know where that was. Second, even if he did, there was no way that he would have access to something like that anymore. Why? Well, he made the world forget who Peter Parker was, and it'd be kind of weird to show up to a grave wearing his Spider-Man suit, the only way that Peter would be able to claim he knows Tony.

Peter walked the streets of New York, looking around the city. He expected people to be paying some sort of tribute to the fallen hero who saved the world, but no one was. It seemed the world had forgotten exactly what Tony Stark did. If they did remember, they just didn't seem to be showing a care about it. It made Peter sick to his stomach. How could people not care? How could they just forget?

Tony Stark may not have always been the best man out there. He had his past. He had his moments. He was definitely a strong personality. But, guess what? He was one of the few men that saw his actions and made a change to them. He held himself accountable for what he did and didn't do. He took the man he was and changed himself for the better. He rose above himself and everyone else to protect the world. On multiple occasions, he risked his life to protect millions of people. He literally died to save the entire world.

Tears were falling down Peter's face as he walked. He decided to go home, wiping the tears from his face as he continued to walk.

"I'm sorry, Tony."

It might be awful, but Peter wished he could forget. He wished he didn't feel like the only one who remembered. He wished he could experience with at least one other person what he was feeling. He'd give anything for his aunt to hold him in her arms and tell him it'd be okay. He'd give anything to call Happy or Pepper and talk to them about how great Tony was and hear stories he never knew. He'd give anything to have Ned and M.J. by his side as he visited Tony's grave, delivering flowers and a small message.

Instead, Peter was alone. He was alone and all he could think about was how he hated the last thing he ever said to Tony. He'd hated how Tony died. He hated everything.

Grief was a nasty thing, especially if left undealt with. Especially when it feels like you're the only one grieving someone (or something). Grief had been eating Peter alive for so long. He was tired of playing freeze tag with grief. He was constantly running from grief, doing everything he could not to be tagged. But, grief was too fast and got him every time, leaving him stranded there for someone to unfreeze him. This time, there was no one to unfreeze him. Peter was alone.

Peter finally made it back home, Tony's flowers still clutched in hand. He made his way up the rickety stairs, unlocking his shabby apartment. When he was inside, he placed the flowers down by the window and crawled into bed. Today wasn't it for him. He tried to make the best of it. He tried to get through the day, but he couldn't. He wasn't ready to face a world that didn't even acknowledge the hero that made it possible for them all to be back. He wouldn't face a world that wouldn't even pay tribute to the man that saved the world from mass destruction again.

"We won, Mr. Stark. We won, Mr. Stark."

Tony Stark was dead. Peter Parker was alone. The world had forgotten them both.

They won, but at what cost?

That's it for this chapter! Remember to drink some water, eat something, take medicine (if you have to), and rest today. You did a good job and I am proud of you :)
Till next time
- Storm