"Okay, Peter. We're all here." Tony was trying to act calm but he looked at Peter with concern. All the Avengers were in Bruce's lab, most looked worried. Peter knew that Tony hadn't explained anything and so his colleagues were probably thinking that the had to do with his health and in a way it did.
"What's going on?" Steve broke the tension in the room. "Is something wrong?" Peter wrung his hands nervously. He knew they'd believe him, he had Scott theory to back him up, but what he was about to say still seemed crazy.
"This isn't the first time I've lived this day." Peter blurted out. Steve's brow furrowed but before he could ask any questions, the youngest Avenger continued. "After I was shot it felt like time was glitching around me. Now I know why, it seems as though the bullet was laced with some type of time manipulating serum. Since I got shot I have woken up at 9:30am on this day four times."
"So you're saying we've already had this conversation?" Natasha asked and Peter smiled.
"No, not exactly." Peter admitted. "I haven't made it this far before."
"What do you mean by that, has something happened that has interfered with you telling us your situation?" Vision asked.
"Well the first time I didn't know I'd get a second chance. The second day I died and-" Peter begins to explain.
"You died!" Tony interrupted. "What the hell happened Peter?"
"Tony let the kid finish." Steve cut in. He wanted to know what happened too, but he felt that Peter was slowly making his way to answer for a reason. "What happened the third time?"
"Funny story actually, you guys, uh-" Peter gave an awkward chuckle. "You, Bruce and Tony sedated me." The three accused looked at each other. "I understand why I was a little panicked." Peter tried to give their actions a sound reason. There was a long pause, Peter was unsure how to drop the big issue, the explosion.
"So you need our help to break the loop or are you trying to stop your death?" Wanda asked. Tony tensed thinking about Peter dying.
"We'll eventually have to break the loop but first there's a bigger problem than just my death." Peter said, looking at the floor. Even though he had more chances to change the outcome of the day, he couldn't forget how painful it was to have them all die.
"A bigger problem?" Clint repeated.
"At about 6:05pm there will be a large explosion that kills about a thousand people." Peter sighs and he could feel the atmosphere in the room change. "The first day, you went to try and take down the guys who shot me but then the building exploded and about a thousand people died, including all of you and some of my friends." Tears began to streak Peter's cheeks. "I didn't know things would reset and you were just all gone. I was the only one left and I just kept digging through the rumble and finding no survivors. You were all dead, and then while I was talking to the press I blacked out. It was about the same time I'd been shot the night before and that's when I woke up again." Peter was trying not to cry but Tony still went over and hugged the kid. That was enough for Peter to break down more. "I'm sorry Mr Stark. When time reset, I couldn't save any of you. I just- I died with you."
"Oh, kid." Tony sighed, squeezing Peter tighter. "It's not your fault." Tony knew next to nothing about the details of the situation but he wanted to make Peter feel better.
"I had to watch you die, before that explosion got me, I saw you-" Peter stopped and Steve looked sadly at the young teenager.
"It's hard to lose friends, especially in front of you." Steve thinks back to his time during the war. Peter began to calm down.
"What do we do Mr Stark?" Peter asked.
"Do you know what caused the explosion?" Natasha asked. She wanted Peter to have time to cry but he would have time for that after this day was finished, really finished.
"No. If I'm being honest, I didn't know if the second time was real or not." Peter was embarrassed that he couldn't figure out what was real. "When I saw the smoke again, I tried to get your attention but it was too late." Nat nodded.
"It's okay Peter, a time loop is a new situation so it's understandable that you questioned what was reality." Nat tried to comfort Peter.
"So what do we do?" Wanda asked the group.
Everyone was suited up and standing by the Avenge-jet. They'd come up with a risky plan. Peter was going to let this day reset. But they first had to break into the building that was the origin of the explosion. They had to find out the cause and how to stop it. Wanda, Vision, Steve and Clint would fight outside while Tony, Natasha, Bruce, Scott, and Peter would focus on the building. Any minute they'd get a call summoning them to the location. Peter was nervous, even though they planned to reset the day, he would still have to explain and convince everyone all over again. Suddenly Steve put a hand on Peter's shoulder.
"It's going to be okay." Steve broke the silence that had settled. Everyone knew they were going on a suicide mission, but they trusted Peter and therefore believed that everything would reset. Them doing this showed their trust in Peter.
"I know, it's just-" Peter didn't want to complain, but he was worried about the reset. "It took a while to get Scott over and I don't know how much more time resets we have."
"Steve, I think Peter's concerns are valid. Eventually the day will stop resetting." Bruce points out. "Then whatever happens is set in stone." Peter paled as he considered what this matched with failure could mean.
"You can do this kid." Tony smiled at Peter sincerely.
"Yeah, we all believe in you," Clint adds, and the rest of the Avengers nodded. Then everyone filed onto the AvengeJet and Peter watched them board. Finally he was the only one left and he reluctantly followed.
They landed and their enemies ran from the building. Peter ran inside his team behind him. Once they were inside they were confronted by another tech-enhanced individual. Bruce transformed into the Hulk and while Tony and Natasha started to fire. Scott shrunk down and jumped onto Peter's shoulder. He wanted to join the fight but Tony and Nat told him to keep going so he did. Steve's team was having some trouble too, so Bruce had to give them back up as the Hulk, it only made Peter more worried about his family. Still, Peter kept making his way through the facility trying to find the source of the explosion. As Peter searched, he listened to the coms. Things were going bad outside, everyone was still alive but even though Peter knew they all expected for the timeline to reset, he was still worried.
"Kid, have you found it yet?" Tony asked over the coms.
"No net yet," Peter replied as he turned a corner, a little distracted. "I'm start-" Peter was cut off as an energy blast sent him flying into a wall. He cried out in pain and it was heard over the coms. Scott was able to jump off Peter's shoulder before he was attacked and he engaged the man with the energy weapon.
"Queens, are you okay?" Steve jumped in. Peter wanted to respond, but he could hardly catch his breath. His chest hurt and he struggled to get a deep breath.
"Peter!?" Tony shouted through the coms, even though he knew how the day might have to end, he didn't want Peter hurt. "Kid?"
"I'm alright?" Peter strained, still catching his breath. He was hurt and sore, but he knew he could keep going, he'd been through worse and he had to find the explosion's cause. "Just a little winded, Mr Stark."
"Great! Now can you give me a hand?" Scott yelled and Peter immediately webbed up their opponent from his place on the ground. Scott hit the side of his helmet and it opened up. Then he knelt by Peter who was taking a couple deep breaths. "You're sure you're okay?" Scott double checked and when Peter nodded, he helped him up.
"We have to keep going," Peter sighed, as Scott shrunk back down and climbed onto Peter's shoulder again. They rounded another two corners and Peter stopped in his tracks. In front of him was what looked like an experimental power core; it was close to overloading.
"Oh my god" Scott breathed out, growing to full size and standing next to Peter. "We got it." Scott said and all the avengers smiled as they heard the news.
"Good, is there any way to disarm it? We have a couple minutes so we might not have to restart the day," Vision suggests and Peter looked at the core, it was clearly electrified and although he could see the emergency shut off, he would die if he disarmed it. If he was even able to get close enough with all the electric bolts shooting off the core. Peter muted his com for a moment and turned to Scott.
"I'm going to try and disarm it." Peter took off his mask, no point in hiding and it would only make it harder for him to breathe.
"Peter, you'll die." Scott looks at the young teenager sadly. Peter was shaking, he didn't want to die, he was just a kid. Still, he was going to wake up again. Peter turned his com back on.
"You guys need to evacuate, I"m not sure if I'll be able to stop the explosion," Peter warned the other Avengers.
"We're not leaving you behind Peter," Clint replied.
"Look, we don't understand how this time travel thing works, for all you know this timeline will still continue once I die. Just because I wake up again doesn't mean this universe with this outcome is over." Peter knew all he was saying was unlikely speculation, but it was still possible. "If I can't stop the blast this world will need the Avengers."
"You're an avenger too," Wanda pleads, and Peter wants to leave, even if he woke up, he'd feel the pain of dying for the second time.
"Either way my day will end just after 11pm and then this timeline will probably lose their spiderman anyways," Peter insisted. Somewhere else in the building Tony hung his head, he knew the kid was right. He just didn't want to lose him, whether he would get another chance on his own or not. "Scott's going to need to catch a ride with someone, now please go, and hurry." There was no response from the other Avengers, but Scott hugged Peter. They weren't close, he was the goofy guy who was given his suit, he didn't live at the tower and he mostly just spent time with his daughter unless the Avengers needed him. Peter didn't have a strong bond with Scott, not like he did with Tony, Steve, Bruce or the others. The two heroes pulled out of the hug and Scott nodded to Peter before calling one of his ant friends to give him a ride to a person with a faster suit. Peter knew the Avengers were getting out of the blast range already, they just didn't want to admit it. Taking a deep, Peter faced the task ahead of him. He waited a moment and then he heard Nat's voice.
"We're out of range Peter," she sounded like she already regretted leaving.
"Okay, I hope this works," Peter was about to throw himself into the mess of electricity and certain death when Steve suddenly jumped in.
"Wait!" Peter stopped and listened for Cap to continue. "Next time you wake up, tell me that I once mistook Fondue as a relationship between Howard Stark and Peggy Carter." Peter made a weird face and he could see Tony's shocked one in his mind. Once this was all over, and they were done mourning, Steve would be questioned and teased relentlessly. That made Peter smile a little.
"And if there's a need for extra convincing, tell me that my sister's name is Yelena. I haven't even disclosed her name to Clint yet," Nat adds.
"I have so many questions to ask you both," Peter tries to make his voice sound cheery, but it's tinted with sadness. "But I don't have time."
"You've got this," Bruce encourages, he's no longer the hulk.
"I'm sorry I ever doubted you Queens," Steve sighs, "you're a real hero."
"We're going to miss you kid," Tony says on behalf of everyone. "I'm going to miss you." Peter here's a small break in Tony's voice.
"You guys are my family and I love you." Peter smiles to himself and then jumps for the emergency shut off. Electricity courses through him and as much as he wants to stay strong he can't help but scream in pain. Being electrified was different than being burnt, it was almost worse because his body was fighting it more, his mind was fighting to stay awake. Peter could feel darkness closing in, his body was beginning to give up. He knew he was still crying out in pain, but the whole world seemed almost muffled. Peter thought the Avengers were talking to him, whether it was concern for him or encouragement, Peter didn't know. Everything was disappearing, he was losing his grip on the side of the core, but he had to reach the off switch. With all the strength left in him, he reached out and flicked the switch. The core's light began to dim or so Peter thought, in truth the whole room was fading and he only half registered himself falling through the air. Peter collided with the concrete and that was it, he was gone. Well, only for a second.
This is a long one, apologies. I mean it's 2300+words. Yikes!