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It’s been 10 years. 10 years since the half of the universe was brought back with a single snap. 10 years since he’d watched his father figure die on the battlefield. 10 years since he’d realised how much he’d missed.
The years following that day had been filled with more pain than Peter knew how to handle. There was no time to grieve the losses, both of the people and time that were taken away from him.
So many things had happened; Untrustworthy hero’s, Simulations, Identity Reveals, Interdimensional enemies and those were only naming a fraction of the misfortunes he’d been subjected to. Sometimes he’d wish he could go back to those times when he was younger, the days Ben was alive, the days when a trip to the rooftop meant looking at the stars and not the beginning of his patrol.
It’s been years since Peters looked at the stars, although he remembered the sayings Ben used to tell him.
*-*-*-*
“When people die they become stars and they watch over us all” He pointed towards two stars close in distance to each other.
“Those are your parents, shining so brightly because they’re proud of how incredible you’ve turned out to be”
Ben smiled “One day, when you’re older I’ll watch over you and I can promise I’ll be the brightest star to ever appear in the sky because I will always be proud of you no matter who you become”
His uncle enveloped him in a hug, lifting a young peter onto his hip so he could point out patterns in the stars. The young boy listened intently to his uncles’ words, nodding often even though he had no clue what any of it meant.
*-*-*-*
Peter looked at the sky above him, the cabins location in the woods brought out more stars than he’d ever seen in his life. He brought his hand upwards as if he was trying to capture the stars in his grip. A useless attempt to reach closer to his passed loved ones.
He let out a breath he hadn’t known he was holding and slowly lowered his hand to his chest. The wind blew through his hair, a motion he’d learned to enjoy from his web-slinging activities. It was quiet, so much unlike the constant chatter New York provided. He enjoyed the silence although it was unnerving not to hear the repetitive honking from taxis.
He chuckled at the thought. It was weird what silly things a person could miss.
Something below him rattled open and was joined with soft patters as someone hauled their way onto the rooftop.
“Hey Mo” He kept his voice low, not taking his gaze away from the stars as his sister made her way next to him.
“Mom didn’t want you to get cold” She threw him a blanket which he readily accepted, only now noticing the chill that had crept its way into his bones.
Morgan went to make her way back down but was stopped by her brother “You wanna stay?”
The teen glanced over to him obviously deciding her answer before she sat next to Peter and took part of the blanket for herself.
They sat quietly, neither making a sound for the better part of 5 minutes. Simply listening to the world around them before Morgan in typical Stark fashion decided she was bored.
“So why are you sitting out here?”
Peter smiled and explained how he and his uncle used to do this often.
“So you believe the dead are watching over you in the form of stars?” an incredulous look plastering itself on her face.
“I’m not sure what I believe, but it’s fun to think about” He let out a breath of a laugh at the look on Morgans face.
The teen thought for a moment before addressing her brother “So hypothetically if this whole star thing was actually a thing...which one would dad be”
Peter wrapped an arm around her and pointed to the brightest one he could find “Right there, the proudest one of them all”
Morgan snuggled into her brother’s side looking in the direction he pointed
“I thought your uncle was the brightest one”
“He used to be, but then you came along and I don’t know a single person who could be prouder to have such a wonderful daughter than Tony”
She hummed a response, her eyes were growing heavy and Peter could recognise when she was tired.
“Tony was a great man but he was an even better father”
“He thought of you as his son you know that right? I was told stories of my older brother fighting crime in a onesie while growing up”
Peter chuckled “Yeah I know, I could never admit to him that he was right about my first suit looking like a onesie, I bet he’s up there right now yelling about how he told me so”
Morgan went silent “ I can’t remember what he was like” she admitted, a sad glint appearing in her eyes as she spoke.
Peter pulled her closer “I never wanted you to forget him”
“I haven’t forgotten him, I remember the stories he told and all those small moments we had but it’s been so long it feels like he’s slipping away from me”
A tear slipped from her eyes “Does that make me a bad daughter”
She was pulled into a tight hug “No, no you’re the greatest daughter anyone could ask for, Tony wouldn’t care, he knows you love him, He knows that we both do and he loves us.”
Her tears fell against his shoulder and her muffled cries only made him hug her tighter. Peter glanced up towards the bright star and he swore he felt Tony’s presence for just a second.
It was comforting, something the thing Peter needed as he held his little sister while she cried herself to sleep. Even as her breathing evened out and her sobs came to a stop he held her in his arms, not letting go of the tight grip he had on her.
His life after the blip wasn’t the best but moments like this reminded him why he fought the battles it threw at him. He had a sister to look after and he was going to make sure he was always there for her, no matter what hell he had to go through to do it.