irondad & spiderson oneshots

xlix. somebody else

TW: SUICIDAL THOUGHTS AND ACTIONS.

Tony sees it in Peter's eyes; in the way he stares into space. He hears it in the strained laughs and the broken voice. Peter wasn't the same.

I saw the part of you that

Only when you're older you will see too

You will see too

Tony was a billionaire, Peter wasn't. He got that not everyone had the easy (read:horrible) life he had. But he intended to fix this.

I held the better cards

But every stroke of luck has gotta bleed through

It's gotta bleed through

The kid was young. He was supposed to be happy and he was supposed to outlive Tony. For a long long time.

You held the balance of the time

That only blindly I could read you

But I could read you

Peter was the smiling kid, always telling jokes in the lab. He laughed and told science puns. He was always the happy one.

It's like you told me

Go forward slowly

Its not a race to the end

Then the snap happened. Peter turned to ash in his arms and nothing seemed to be going right. But he came back. He came back crying and they'd both clutched each other for dear life.

Well you look like yourself

But you're somebody else

Only it ain't on the surface

He's quieter and doesn't smile like he used to. Tony watches his kid sadly, wishing he could take all the sadness away.

Well you talk like yourself

But I hear someone else

Though now you're making me nervous

Peter was always better than him. He had a kind heart and a good soul. Peter was the epitome of niceness.

You were the better part

Of ever bit of beating heart that I had

Whatever I had

And then he was gone. Tony was left to wonder, was it his fault? Could he have saved him?

I finally sat alone

Pitch black flesh and bone

Couldn't believe that you were gone

And as he sat at that coffin holding Peter's hand, he knew it was his fault. He saw the signs.

Well you look like yourself

But you're somebody else

Only it ain't on the surface

How hadn't he seen? Peter had been so down and he hadn't seen.

Well you talk like yourself

No I hear someone else

Though now you're making me nervous

And now Tony spends the lab days alone, staring at Peter's empty seat. He pulls up the videos of his kid that Friday took.

Well you look like yourself

But you're somebody else

Only it ain't on the surface

He knows when the kid stopped smiling so brightly and laughing so loudly. When the shine left his eyes. The second he said he didn't want to go.

Well you talk like yourself

No I hear someone else

Though now you're making me nervous

Where are we?

Where are we?

His kid had left to be with the stars. But he left Tony behind. Tony would go too if he knew that Peter would be there.

Well you look like yourself

But you're somebody else

Only it ain't on the surface

Well you talk like yourself

No, I hear someone else though

Now you're making me nervous

Peter was supposed to stay and be happy. He was supposed to stay alive. If only Tony had saved him.

Well you look like yourself

But you're somebody else

Only it ain't on the surface

Well you talk like yourself

No, I hear someone else though

Now you're making me nervous

But Peter was gone. Peter was dead.

I saw the part of you that only when you're older

You will see too

You will see too

But Peter won't get older. Because he's up in the stars, finally happy.