|Towards the Endgame|

•Chapter 143• The Scary Truth

She made sure to keep an eye on Peter after that. Sticking by his side, perhaps a little closer than she usually would. Really, she was afraid that he would freak out again and she wouldn't notice it. Peter hadn't said much since they had gotten back inside. Pepper and Harley had seen them walk out, and they must have heard something; they weren't exactly quiet out there. Maybe they didn't know what to say to them. Maybe they tried their best not to listen. In either case, Y/n felt determined – determined to fix this. Her family seemed so beaten down now that she looked at them. To her, there is only one solution: end it all. Like she promised Peter, they will put an end to this. But how? She thought this would be way easier. Toomes is a bird in the sky; you can see him, especially if he is trying to strike. All you can do is hope that you're not standing in his way when he does. Mysterio is a whole other cup of tea. Quentin showed up at her door like he was an old friend or partner meeting again after a long while. That's what it felt like for her, too. Y/n couldn't shake the feeling that that was weird. That man busted Iron Man and Black Widow, knocked them unconscious, and dropped them back home. There was no other violence. And who's to say that he attacked Tony and Nat? No matter what he did, it wasn't permanent. Tony was already stirring a lot. Pepper held onto his hand. Y/n barely looked at him – she was too occupied with Peter. It scared her, in a way. What happened to him has never happened to him in that way before. Even now, he was touching his hands and looking down.

None of this would be easy, and if Peter can't fight... What could she do? Call the remaining superheroes she knows and has on speed dial? This is her demon. She should be able to deal with this herself, even if Peter were out of the picture. Though nobody would let her step out there on her own in her current state. Someone had to stop these villains, and if Tony was trying to be a hero caused him to end up like this – his age was not helping him in this matter – then maybe it was time for Y/n to step in; someone who did not want to be a hero anymore. She stopped wanting that. When she was little, she used to dream of being like her father and the rest of her family. This is no longer about that. It's about surviving. The Vulture would tear Peter in half if it got the chance. Mysterio would put a bullet in her head. Nobody's cleaning her brains off the floor any time soon. No matter how her body responds to this, this seems like a job for her. Like it was cut out for her. "Tony..." Pepper's voice caught Y/n's attention for a moment. Her father had opened his eyes. She hadn't been able to figure out what exactly happened, if Mysterio struck them with some kind of blast or had just hit them really hard. At least they were alive. Tony groaned and shifted where he lay. "He caught us. He..." Pepper hushed him and tried to put him back down where he was lying so peacefully before. Tony caught the eye of his daughter and held her gaze. She simply nodded her head. "Mysterio." She filled in. It was him. Toomes was with Peter, holding him back. No wonder he freaked out so badly.

Y/n rose from her seat but remained very close to Peter and placed her hand on his shoulder in a comforting way. He did not look up or anything like that, just stared down at his feet a little longer. Tony looked surprised that any of this had even happened and wondered why he was even here. "He saw us before we saw him." He had no idea who he was up against. Tony always thinks he does, or thinks he is able to figure it out, but that's not how it works, no matter how badly he wants that to be the truth. When he looked at his daughter, he recognized the look she had. He knows what she is thinking. Y/n was looking down at Peter a little worriedly. "Y/n..." She squeezed Peter's shoulder gently. He might have been taken out, but he's not blind. His wife's smile was filled with worry, too, but also happiness that her husband had opened his eyes. He needed to return that same smile to her. "Are you hurt?" Pepper asked him. He shook his head. "Just a little dizzy, is all." His whole body felt like that. That is the only way he could put it to words. Not limp, just a little off. It's a weird feeling. This man was not necessarily violent. He just surprised them. Natasha tried to jump at him; he saw her do it, but before she could really pull a move, she was stopped and knocked to the floor. Tony does not know this man, but he now knows that he is dangerous. Very dangerous. They scanned the area. Friday told them that there was no one there. He was able to hide in plain sight. Something Y/n did not seem too surprised about what Tony told her calmly about what happened. This villain, this man, he should know him. He worked for Stark Industries, right below Tony, on one of the projects many years ago. But as badly as he tried, Tony, for the life of him, could not recall seeing his face ever before. Perhaps his ego had gotten the better of him.