Infinity and Beyond

Peter's Request

***Okay so the text post I based this off of obviously wasn't a post-Infinity War one, but for some reason my mind accidentally made up an alternate reality where Tony died in Infinity War instead of Peter, even though Peter's death literally made me cry for an hour, so I guess this story takes place in that alternate reality where Tony gets yeeted instead of Peter. My bad y'all***

It was late. Bruce had been in the lab all afternoon. An idea had taken strong hold of him, and he waited excited for the simulation he had launched on his computer to finish. He was interrupted by the sound of light footsteps. The sound was getting louder, and the cadence told Bruce that whoever it was was running at full speed. The lab door burst open, and there was Peter. His backpack swung from his shoulder onto the tiled floor, and Bruce spied Peter's suit in his hand as he paused to catch his breath. There was a sheen of sweat on his face and his hair was mussed from the suit's mask. Bruce's breath caught in his throat.

"Something wrong?" he asked.

"I need your help!" Peter responded, panic on his face.

Oh no. Bruce shook his head slowly, embarrassed. "Uh kid, you know the hulk hasn't really been-"

Peter quickly cuts him off, "My science project is due tomorrow and I've been patrolling all night, will you help me??"

Bruce stared at him for a second, shocked. There was a lump in his throat. "Sure kid." They seemed to move unconsciously, until they were standing on opposite sides of the lab table. "So uh, what do you want to do?"

"I have literally no idea," Peter responded. They stood quiet for a minute, each trying to come up with an idea. "Should we just make a volcano? That's what they do in every movie."

"That sounds kindof fun." 

Bruce hurried to the A.C.Moore down the street to grab poster board, markers, and decorations. Peter scoured the kitchen for vinegar and baking soda. When they returned, they immediately got to work. Peter formed the clay base of the volcano, while Bruce glued fake grass to the board. Soon they were painting the volcano, and glueing little animals and plants around the base. When the board looked perfect, the boys took a step back and examined it. 

"It looks fantastic," Peter said  excitedly.

"Ready to test it out?" Bruce sounded even more excited.

They pulled on their lab goggles and gloves, even though there probably wasn't much risk in a high school volcano project. Peter poured the baking powder into the volcano, and was about to pour the vinegar in when Bruce stopped him. He went into a cabinet and rummaged around until he found the small vial he was looking for. He carefully poured the contents into the volcano. 

"Ammonium dichromate," Bruce said, noting Peter's confusion. 

"Really? I've heard of it, but I've never seen it in action!" This was why Peter couldn't wait to take AP Chemistry the next year. 

Peter poured in the vinegar, and quickly stepped back. Red sparks erupted from the peak of the volcano. Bruce laughed, watching Peter's smiling face light up with a warm, red hue. As it died down, Peter began to package small amounts of the vinegar, baking powder, and ammonium dichromate for tomorrow's demonstration. 

"Promise me you won't procrastinate so much next time you've got a project. What would you have done if I wasn't here?" Bruce asked. He couldn't see the kid's face, as Peter tucked his chin into his chest, looking down at the table. When he looked up, Bruce could see there were tears in his eyes. 

"Mr. Stark used to help me with these." Peter quickly looked back down at the table, running a hand over his eyes to wipe the tears away. Bruce stood there quietly. He hadn't meant to dredge the old memories up. He just wanted to see the kid happy again. Tony's disappearance had left not only the tower empty, but Peter as well. Everyone missed the usual sunshine that came with the kid's company.

"We'll get him back, Peter."

The whisper made him look up at Bruce again. His eyes were shining, still wet from the tears, but now with a glimmer of hope in there. He smiled.

"Thanks, Mr. Banner. For everything."