curses
“do you believe in curses, mr. stark?” peter asked one day, sitting on the edge of the terrace. his voice sounded wistful, sad.
there was a trace of something else in his voice that tony couldn’t quite identify. not until later would he recognize it as fear.
“I don’t know, pete,” tony replied carefully, mulling his response. “as a man of science I want to say no. but sometimes..” he sighed, “I have to wonder.”
peter nodded thoughtfully and seemed to accept the answer. he didn’t say anything else on the topic. instead he just went back to stargazing.
“which one is that mr. stark?”
tony wanted to ask him why he had asked, what he had meant, what curse exactly he was afraid of, but instead he swallowed his questions and followed peter’s pointed finger.
“that’s sirius,” he answered, “the brightest star in the sky.”
peter nodded and leaned against tony’s side, resting his head on his shoulder. tony drew his arm around him and pulled him close.
he watched peter watch the stars. his face was turned skyward, alit with wonder as he stared into the heavens. the heavens stared back.
tony hoped the universe was on their side, but he couldn’t help the dark premonition that he and peter were not fated to exist beneath happy stars. he shivered against the cold night air and tried to convince himself that curses weren’t real.
by the time he and peter went back inside the compound, he had almost succeeded.
it wasn’t until a month later that peter explained himself.
“sir, it appears peter is in distress,” friday informed him. “he’s been in his suit for almost two hours and he hasn’t moved.”
“what’s the location, fri?” tony asked, already in the process of suiting up.
she sent him to a rooftop in queens.
that was how tony found himself on the top of a skyscraper at 3 am, gently approaching a masked peter.
he knew peter had to have heard him land with his enhanced senses but he didn’t turn around.
“pete?” tony asked cautiously.
peter didn’t answer. his feet dangled off the side of the building.
tony gingerly sat beside peter. he didn’t try to force anything. he was just there for him.
after a long moment peter pulled off his mask. his face was streaked with tears.
“it’s been two years since ben died,” peter said without looking at tony.
“it was my fault. I killed him.” he said it all so matter-of-factly, as if his blame was indisputable.
peter had told tony the basics of ben’s death before. he said that ben had been shot while trying to prevent a robbery. peter had already had his powers but he’d been paralyzed. he had seen it happen and watched him bleed out.
that was traumatic enough for any kid, but peter blamed himself for failing to stop it.
“you didn’t kill him, peter. it wasn’t your fault.”
tony waited for peter to look at him and when peter did, his eyes were filled with anguish and guilt.
“listen to me buddy, you are a hero, okay?” he made sure peter was listening. “there was nothing you could’ve done and you can’t blame yourself. ben wouldn’t have wanted you to blame yourself. he would be proud of you.”
peter started to cry again.
the words were genuine and strong. tony meant it with everything in him. he was so so proud.
tony pulled peter into a hug and peter returned it tightly. he clung to tony like he was drowning and tony was the only thing keeping him afloat.
tony finally rose to his feet, pulling peter up with him.
“ready to go home buddy?”
peter still didn’t seem quite right.
he hesitated for a moment before asking, “mr. stark, do you remember a little while ago when I asked you about curses?”
“yeah,” tony answered, tight with anticipation.
peter rocked back and forth a little on his heels, seemingly unconscious of the action. he was nervous, tony realized.
“I think I’m a curse,” he said in a small voice, finally meeting tony’s eyes. tony could tell from his demeanor that this was something that had been bothering for a while.
tony opened his mouth to reply but peter tumbled on in a rush, “ben’s the third parent I’ve had die. that’s just not normal, right? I have some kind of curse, there’s something wrong with me.”
he earnestly met tony’s gaze, “I know it sounds crazy, okay? I just- I’m scared. I don’t want anything to happen to you or may. I couldn’t handle that.”
he looked like he was on the verge of tears again. tony’s heart squeezed thinking about everything this pure, innocent boy had gone through. of course he blamed himself for all his misfortunes. of course he was scared of losing the parents he had left.
“peter,” tony looked him directly in the eye. “you’re not a curse, okay? you’re the farthest thing from a curse. you’re a blessing. you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me and I’m sure may would agree. terrible things have happened to you, but they’re not your fault. you are not causing them. I promise.”
peter didn’t look convinced. “what if you or may get hurt because of me? like ben? or my parents? I can’t lose you guys.”
tony gave a dry chuckle even though it was anything but funny. “I promise you may and I aren’t going anywhere.”
as soon as he said it, he regretted it. you can’t promise something like that. but still, he would say anything to comfort peter.
“may is as tough as nails. she couldn’t die while you still needed her. who else would make crappy lasagne for us to eat?”
peter gave a watery laugh at that.
“and don’t worry about me. I’ll tell you a secret - I have a curse too and it cancels yours out.”
peter looked up, interested.
tony was telling the truth. ever since yinsen in afghanistan, and even before that when his parents were killed, he’d always felt the same burden - he was destined to live when the ones he cared about died. it was what wanda had showed him in his vision and he still felt somewhere inside of him that it would be his destiny. it was a fate worse that death. he didn’t tell peter that though.
he just said, “you know how many things I’ve lived through? how many crazy, improbable things? from afghanistan to new york to sokavia and everywhere else. and I bet my curse is stronger than yours so you don’t to worry about it.”
peter studied tony for a moment. he could see it in his eyes that he wasn’t just trying to make peter feel better. tony really did believe to some degree that he was cursed. somehow it was weirdly comforting to know that peter wasn’t the only one who felt that way. it made him feel less alone.
“you’re stuck with me kid.”
peter smiled at him, “I’m okay with that.”
tony grinned back, “you ready to go home now?”
“it’ll be faster if you let me carry you, spiderbaby,” tony prodded teasingly.
“I’m not a baby,” peter protested, but he relented easily, allowing tony to scoop him up.
together they flew home, beneath the distant, twinkling stars.
little did they know, they were being watched by the universe. the stars above them were crossing as their fates twisted into flaming misfortune.
whose curse was stronger they wouldn’t find out until later. by then it would be too late.
I want to go. please mr. stark. I don’t want to go. I don’t want to go.
flailing arms. a child slamming against tony’s chest.
a lie that parents tell their children.
he catches him. it’s not enough. he lowers him to the ground as he begs.
tony’s begging too but only in his head.
don’t take him. please don’t take him.
both of them are ignored.
peter meets his eyes one last time before looking away. he’s ashamed.
what was he apologizing for?
following tony onto the ship? disregarding his instructions? losing the battle? dying?
no amount of apologies could fix what has happened.
a tear slips down his cheek. he doesn’t feel it.
he looks up at the blue alien standing above him. she’s the only one left.
he can’t find his voice to reply.
there’s nothing to say anyways.
it‘s on the fiery grounds of titan that tony discovers his curse is stronger than peter’s. he doesn’t feel triumphant. he feels broken.
he wishes he died instead.
but the universe is more cruel than that.
it’s a fate worse than death.
he’s whimpering. his voice is quivering, shaking. he’s just barely holding back a sob.
“we won, mr. stark. we won, you did it, sir, you did it.”
tony is grey, ashy. blood trickles down his face.
peter doesn’t even see recognition in his eyes.
the sob chokes out of him.
tony had promised him that he would survive. peter knew it was irrational. he knew he never should’ve put him in that position. he knew it was a promise mr. stark couldn’t ensure. but he had still believed him.
you’re stuck with me kid.
he had hoped to god it was true.
it had been true for a while. but peter’s curse had overpowered his. tony had loved peter like a son and ultimately that had been his doom.
the sentence is so weighted.
he doesn’t know why he’s apologizing.
because tony did this for him? because tony’s dying? because his curse is stronger and he should’ve warned him?
he doesn’t even remember that it’s the same thing he said last time.
he remembers titan. his heart aches that peter is always apologizing. it’s the last thing he heard from him both times. the last thing he’ll ever hear from him.
he also remembers a conversation so long ago.
do you believe in curses, mr. stark?
it was asked so casually that tony didn’t recognize it for what it was. a damnation.
no kid, he thinks now, you’re a blessing.
he can’t talk but he strains to impress it upon peter. he’s screaming in his head.
kid, listen to me. I’m so proud of you. I love you. this isn’t your fault. don’t blame yourself. you’re not a curse. please.
but peter doesn’t hear him.
peter doesn’t understand.
tony still looks just as blank and empty as before. a dying vessel. his face betrays no recognition. it’s as if he’s already dead.
peter heaves a broken sob and lets pepper pull him away.
the last tony sees of him is his tear-filled eyes, grief and guilt intermingled.
tony longs to comfort him, but it’s too late.
minutes later, peter listens as the whine of the arc reactor stops and slow heartbeats wane into silence.
rhodey has to hold him back. from what he does not know.
he’s wailing. he sinks to his knees.
it’s my fault, his head is screaming, I killed him I killed him I killed him.
this time there is no one to argue with him.
it is in the wasted wreckage of the compound that peter realizes his curse has always been stronger. in the end he overpowered mr. stark. in the end he killed him.
there’s no victory in the revelation.
he had hoped the whole time that tony had been right. he hoped that tony truly was cursed to survive.
he had loved peter and that was enough to doom him.
peter cries beside the body of his fourth dead parent, unaware of the stars shining above.
they whisper to each other, solemn and bright. they cry for the boy below, star-crossed and tragic.
sirius, the brightest star in the sky, is conspicuously dim. it too seems to be in mourning for the boy who bears such a heavy curse.
I’m sorry! peter and the stars all wail silently in unison. I’m so sorry.
but there‘s no one left to apologize to.