Bullets || Peter Parker

Ten

The next part was the worst. Emil was sat on the sand, leaning back against a rock. Peter as next to him, legs up to his chin. Their hands were linked and Emil was stroking his thumb across Peter's knuckles in smooth reassuring motions. Their masks were off, discarded in their pockets, exposing their stained and bloody faces. Peter looked to be in much better shape than Emil, whose face was crusty with blood from his head wound. It had finally stopped bleeding but they had no means of bandaging it.

A few feet away stood Stark. He was trying to salvage the remains of his suit from the floor. It was deactivated, leaving him in the same work out clothes that he had left earth in. Though now they were a bit more blood stained. He was unusually quiet, they all were. The guardians and the blue woman (who they had found out was called Nebula) wondered between everyone, pacing circles in the sand. They were mostly unharmed. The ones with the worst injuries being Stark, Strange and Emil. Quill was talking quietly with Drax whilst Mantis wondered forlornly. Strange was meditating on a flat rock on the outskirts of their little circle. His eyes were closed, ignoring the world.

It was silent apart from the sounds of breathing and the occasional grunt of pain. They had already argue, played the blame game but they knew that it wouldn't do any good. The fact was that they had lost. All they could do if hope that Steve and the others could hold Thanos back on earth, protect Vision and the last stone. But everyone secretly knew that it would be futile.

"You need a haircut", Emil murmured as he ran a hand through Peter's hair. It was sweaty and dirty but he didn't mind.

"I'll get one when we get back", Peter replied quietly. "May said that same thing the other day. God, she must be going frantic". Emil rested his head on his shoulder, hand gripping Peter's tighter.

"I hope my dad and uncles are all right. Steve, Sam, T'Challa", he said softly. "They'll be fighting Thanos. And Shuri, I hope she's okay".

"Ned", Peter added. "Hope he's good".

"MJ. She'll probably have some sort of theory or debate waiting for use when we return".

"Happy. He might actually be happy when we come back".

"He's never happy with us Peter".

"One can wish Emil".

"Happy is happy", Stark's voice interrupted. Both teens turned to face him as he sat down on the sand. "He's just not happy when dealing with teenagers".

Emil snorted dryly. "I'm not happy dealing with other teenagers and I am a teenager".

"Hey!"

"Apart from you Peter".

"How old are you two again?" Quill's voice asked. He was watching the two of them with a devastated expression. There were tear track visible through the grime on his cheeks. Gamora must have been someone special.

"Sixteen", Peter supplied.

"Sixteen?" Mantis questioned.

"Sixteen season cycles. Years since birth. Harvests", Quill explained.

Mantis gasped and put a hand to her mouth. "Aww you're babies".

"Warrior babies", Drax nodded at them. "Good strong fighting babies". Peter snorted a laugh, both of them smiling for a second.

"How old are you?" Peter asked her.

"Three thousand season cycles".

"That's like hella old". Peter looked so shocked for a second that Emil laughed. The was a pause once his laughter faded. The severity of the situation sunk in again and everyone's smiles dropped.

"We've got to get back to Earth", Stark voiced. "Quill, you got a ship?"

"Um yeah", Quil wiped away a few more tears. He pointed off to the side. "It's on the edge of the wreckage site that way".

Everyone busied themselves with moving. Mantis was supporting Quill with an one of his arms round her shoulders. Peter and Emil rose to their feet. Peter had an arm around Emil's waist, helping steady him against the slight dizziness that had not yet faded. Together they walked over to Stark and helped pull him to his feet.

"Something's happening", Mantis said. Emil turned to just in time to watch her dissolve into dust and blow away on the wind. Quill looked horrified.

There was a gasp from Drax. "Quill?" He asked as his hands disappeared. It spread up his body until he too was nothing more than dust on the wind.

"What?" Quill's voice was scared.

"Steady Quill", Stark took a few steps towards him only to stop as Quill dissolved into nothingness before his eyes.

"What's happening?" Emil asked wildly. He could feel his pulse racing in his chest and fear constrict his lungs.

"Tony", Dr Strange said calmly. Stark turned around and Strange looked him in the eyes solidly. "There was not other way". He broke off, becoming dust in the air.

"No!" Emil shouted as he watched Strange disappear. This could not be happening.

"Emil". Peter's voice made Emil's blood freeze. He turned back to his boyfriend. "Emil, Mr Stark, I don't feel so good". Peter stumbled forwards and Emil caught him in his arms.

"I don't know what's happening. I don't wanna go", he clutched desperately at Emil's shoulders, voice sobbing. Tears began leaking down Emil's cheeks as he gripped Peter with equal fierceness. Stark was at his side, hand on Peter's shoulder. "Emil please, I don't wanna go. I don't wanna go, please"-

"No no no no", Emil chanted as he buckled under Peter's weight. "We're going home. We're going back to Earth and aunt May, Peter"- He fell to his knees in the sand, rolling so that Peter was lying on the floor. He looked up at them, Emil and Stark on each side. His brown eyes were wide as Emil sobbed, tears dropping onto Peter's cheeks. "Peter please", his voice cracked as he gripped his boyfriend's face in his hands. "I love you, please!"

Peter looked up at him with his wonderful brown eyes. They were wide and scared, conveying a thousand words that he wished to say as he met Emil's blue. Emil clutched at him desperately, anything he could do to ground him. "Don't go", he mouthed soundlessly.

Peter's lips moved. "Sorry, I love you"- The words died on his tongue as his face crumbled to dust. Emil and Stark were left in the sand holding nothing.

"No!" Emil wailed. He collapsed forwards, his hands where Peter had been lying, sobbing. "No no no no no", his voice cracked. Tears fell to the floor as he shook, hands fisting, clutching the sand like a lifeline. He dimly registered Stark's hand resting on his shoulder as he screamed and cried into the empty air.

Above them, Nebula stood watching as Emil broke down. "He did it", she stated.

Thanos had done it. He had killed half of the universe.

Unedited
Did you cry? I almost cried writing this.