[Third Person Pov]
Peter's spider-senses flared to life with a sharp, insistent buzz at the back of his skull as he looked down at Tony. The older man's eyes were growing droopy, heavy-lidded and unfocused, before they rolled back completely. Tony collapsed forward without warning, his full weight slumping into Peter's arms. Peter's heart plummeted straight to his stomach, a cold spike of panic shooting through him.
"Tony?" Peter called out, his voice cracking with shock. He carefully lowered the billionaire to the ground. He stared in wide-eyed disbelief as Tony's chest went terrifyingly still—his heart had stopped completely. "Jarvis, what just happened?!"
"Mr. Stark exhausted the last reserves of power within the arc reactor," Jarvis responded in his calm, clinical tone, the AI operating on emergency backup systems. "It was the only thing keeping his heart beating. Without it, his heart can no longer function."
Before Peter could start trying to think of a solution, Aria stepped forward, holding up a glowing arc reactor in her small hand. The device pulsed with steady blue light. "Here," she said, her voice steady despite the chaos around them. "It's the one Obadiah Stane took from him. I managed to snag it when we came through the portal behind him."
Peter's face broke into a relieved grin. "Good girl. Very good girl," he praised warmly, ruffling her hair as he took the reactor. Aria beamed up at him, looking incredibly pleased and proud of herself, her chest puffing out just a little.
At that moment, Pepper Potts came rushing over, her face pale with frantic worry. Her eyes locked onto Tony's unmoving body sprawled on the ground. "What's wrong with him? Why isn't he moving? Is he going to be okay?" Her voice trembled with barely contained fear.
"He's going to be alright, ma'am," Peter said teasingly, already working with practiced efficiency. He carefully extracted the drained arc reactor from Tony's chest. "Your boyfriend's duracell batteries are just empty. All we have to do is flip him over, open the port, and replace the battery—like so."
"Oh thank goodness—" Pepper sighed in deep relief, her shoulders sagging, before the rest of Peter's words sank in. "Hold on a minute. He isn't my boyfriend!"
"Yeah, yeah," Peter replied with a casual wave of his hand, ignoring her protest as he slid the fresh arc reactor into place. It locked in with a satisfying, solid click that echoed softly in the tense air.
Tony's eyes snapped open instantly. He sat up with a sharp, desperate gasp, sucking in lungfuls of air as he clutched at his chest. His breathing came in ragged pants while his gaze darted around wildly, taking in the faces surrounding him—Pepper, Peter, and Aria all watching with varying degrees of concern and relief.
After a long moment, Tony plopped back down onto the ground with an exhausted sigh of relief. He turned his head toward Peter, shooting him a mock glare that didn't quite hide the gratitude in his eyes. "This is the third time you've saved my life, kid. Stop doing it, or I won't be able to pay you back."
"Yeah, I'm sure that's a strange concept for you," Peter shot back with a wide, cheeky grin as he pushed himself back up to his feet.
Tony let out a hearty, booming laugh at that. "Bahahaha! You're right—it's quite the foreign concept to me…" He extended his hand toward Peter and Aria. "Now please help get me back up on my feet."
Both Peter and Aria rolled their eyes in perfect unison but reached down anyway, each grabbing one of Tony's hands to haul him upright with ease.
"How are you feeling?" Pepper asked, still hovering close. She shot Tony a look full of lingering concern, her eyes scanning him up and down as if checking for any hidden injuries.
"Don't you worry about a thing, Pep," Tony reassured her, standing tall once more. "I'm perfectly okay. Just feeling a little drained and lightheaded, but nothing a good scotch and some rest won't fix."
After everything was finally sorted out, the group made their way back to Tony's mansion together. The tension of the battle slowly ebbed away, replaced by the comfortable familiarity of the sleek, modern space.
"I just want to thank you one more time," Tony said with surprising sincerity once they were inside. He placed a hand on Peter's shoulder, giving it a firm squeeze. "It's good to know I still have someone I can count on. If you ever need anything—anything at all—don't hesitate to ask."
Tony then gestured toward Aria with a warm nod. "That extends to your girlfriend as well."
"Eww!" Both Peter and Aria exclaimed simultaneously, crossing their arms in an X shape over their chests with identical expressions of disgust.
"She's my daughter, you sicko," Peter said.
"He's my father, you sicko," Aria added right on cue.
The two of them spoke in perfect synchronization, the words overlapping so seamlessly that it left both Tony and Pepper momentarily stunned into silence.
"Woah," Tony breathed, looking back and forth between them with genuine surprise. "I didn't know you had a daughter. That's news to me!" A slow grin spread across his face. "I suppose dressing up and fighting crime really is a family business."
"Pretty much," Peter replied with a casual shrug, though his eyes sparkled with quiet pride.
Tony turned his attention to Aria, a hint of his signature teasing smile playing on his lips. "If you ever need any toys—or upgrades, really—just know your Uncle Tony has got you covered. Top-of-the-line Stark tech, no expense spared."
Peter scoffed loudly. "Oi! What's that supposed to mean? I'm more than capable of giving my daughter all the toys she'll ever want and need."
Aria could only roll her eyes in fond exasperation at the two men, while Pepper stared at her with a soft hint of pity, clearly recognizing the chaotic dynamic the girl had inherited. The mansion filled with light-hearted laughter.
…
As Peter and Aria finally stepped through the shimmering portal back into the quiet familiarity of their home, both let out long, weary sighs. The chaotic late-night battle had taken its toll, leaving their minds still buzzing from the adrenaline that was only now beginning to fade.
"So, how are you feeling?" Aria asked softly, tilting her head to look up at Peter with a hint of genuine concern in her eyes.
"About what?" Peter replied, staring at her with visible confusion and bewilderment etched across his face.
"You know… the thing with Obadiah," she clarified, her voice gentle but direct. "Whenever something like this happens—when we inadvertently cause someone's death—you usually start feeling guilty. You spiral into self-doubt, questioning everything. I was worried it was happening again."
Peter's expression softened. He reached over with one arm and pulled her close in a warm, protective embrace. Leaning down, he pressed a tender kiss to the side of her head. "First off, there's nothing inadvertent about what we did. We knew exactly what we were doing."
"I can't really argue with that one…" Aria admitted with a small nod. Behind them, the portal hummed softly before closing with a final, quiet shimmer, sealing away the remnants of the battlefield. As it vanished, Aria began to shrink back into her smaller child form, her features softening and her stature diminishing until she looked like any ordinary young girl once more.
Peter's own suit withdrew seamlessly into its housing, the advanced fabric retracting. He bent down effortlessly, scooping her up into his arms to carry her the rest of the way. "And honestly, I'm not feeling as guilty or going through what I've experienced before," he continued, his tone steady and reassuring. "Talking with MJ and Felicia has really helped me see things more clearly now. I only need to be told something so many times before I start getting it."
He paused for a moment, a sudden coldness flickering in his eyes as his voice took on a harder edge. "Besides, he wasn't just dangerous to Spider-Man—he was a direct threat to Peter Parker. He was one of the people who placed that hit on me. And if he was willing to do what he did to Tony, his own nephew, imagine what he would've done to me… or worse, to the people close to me, just to get his hands on Stark Industries. He was a dangerous variable for Aunt May and Uncle Ben. I don't feel an ounce of guilt or pity for someone like that."
Aria nodded her head in quiet understanding, wrapping her arms tightly around his shoulders and resting her cheek against him. The trust and bond between them felt unbreakable in that moment.
Peter's expression shifted again as a smirk tugged at his lips. "I suppose you can call that character development."
The two of them exchanged a crisp high-five, their hands meeting with a sharp smack as they both exclaimed in perfect unison, "Hell yeah!"
Aria peeled back slightly from the hug, her eyes lighting up with playful energy. "So, shall we continue with our Uno session?"
"I don't know," Peter teased, raising an eyebrow. "Are you going to go crying to Aunt May when you lose?"
"First off, I didn't cry," she protested indignantly, though a smile was already creeping onto her face. "And second, that's because the house rules are stupid! Let's play one game without house rules and see how you fair."
"But it's so boring without house rules," Peter groaned dramatically, drawing out the complaint with exaggerated exasperation. "Ughhh."
"Fine," Aria countered with a mischievous grin. "Let's play Monopoly then."
"Aria, are you seriously trying to tear this family apart?" Peter gasped in mock horror.
Aria burst into giggles, the sound bright and infectious. Peter soon joined her, his own laughter rumbling warmly through the room.
When Aunt May caught sight of them from the doorway, she paused, a deep sigh of relief escaping her.
************************************************
+5 advance Chapters on: patreon.com/Shadow_D_Monarch3