Be Alright
The morning sun was bright and unforgiving, and to Peter's dialed up senses, it felt unbearable. He grabbed a pillow to cover his face, hoping to block it out except now, he could hear conversations coming from outside the bedroom. He tossed in his sleep, a little annoyed at the ill-timed interruption.
The space next to him on the bed was empty and cold which meant MJ must have woken up and started her day for a while by now. Propping himself up, Peter checked the bruises on his torso that coloured his body yesterday night, and just as he expected, they were all gone now.
"He's asleep. I don't want to wake him," he could hear MJ argue.
"But it's important."
Recognising the owner of the voice, Peter smiled. He snatched a shirt from the back of a chair and made his way out of the bedroom.
"Morning, Morgan," he greeted with a wave.
Morgan's gaze drifted to the wall clock behind him and she wrinkled her nose. "It's nearly noon, Peter. Come on, get change. Let's go!"
"Hey, hey, you don't get to boss me around," he said much to MJ's amusement. "Where are we going? Cause… " He exchanged a look with MJ. "It's just that – I got – uh – plans with MJ."
He held a breath, waiting to see if Morgan's curious nature would make her dig for more information because he really didn't think he could lie about taking a romantic weekend getaway with MJ or that this wasn't his idea but that MJ had planned it out because they needed a relaxing time in order to try for a family.
God, he was so tired. All he wanted to do was just go back to sleep but he had promised MJ that this would happen this week and he couldn't push it any longer.
"It's alright," MJ said before Morgan could get a word in. "Peter and I can take a raincheck. Go ahead with Morgan," she turned to look at him. Peter watch her face carefully and when she smiled, he allowed himself to relax a little. "I've got things to clear in office anyway."
Morgan's demeanor changed instantaneously.
"Oh, are you preparing for another trial? Is there anything I can help?" she asked.
MJ's job as a woman's right lawyer fascinated Morgan for as long as Peter could remember.
"And here I thought there was something important you wanted to show Peter…" MJ teased.
"You sure?" Peter approached MJ and when she nodded, he kissed softly. "I'm sorry. Hopefully this won't take long and I'll see you tonight. Okay?"
He found one of the Stark Industries car waiting for them and almost on instinct, he looked out for Happy. Of course, the old man was nowhere to be found, grumbling about having to wait for the two of them. Instead, the driver was another of Stark Industries' employee.
"So what's this about?" Peter asked once they were on their way.
"Avengers related," Morgan said mysteriously.
"They wouldn't send you, Morgan. I've been in this longer than you, I know how they work," he tapped on his responder.
"Well, it is of some importance to the Avengers and you've got me cause… Let's just say it's on a need to know basis only."
He sighed. There were days when this kid whom he adored and whom he grew up looking after like a little sister, drove him insane and today was one of the days. He wondered if her dad ever felt that way about him.
Probably all the time, he thought wistfully.
When they arrived at the Avengers compound, they walked passed the stone memorial erected to honour fallen Avengers taken down in the line of duty. Peter had stood in front of it countless times on days when his mind wandered to Mr. Stark.
Tony, he mentally corrected himself.
He was an adult now. He should be able to call his mentor and father figure by the given name, 13 years after his death.
"Promise me you will be calm, alright?"
"Nope, not happening. I won't make that promise. Besides, why - why would you expect someone to be calm after asking that question? It has the complete opposite effect!"
"Alright, I guess you're losing your cool this early on," Morgan shrugged and walked out of the elevator towards the labs.
Peter had spent hours here with Tony – upgrading old suits, designing new suits and being allowed to tinker under supervision. Morgan had clearly inherited the lab Tony often used.
The door was locked and the blinds were closed, preventing anyone from looking into the glass windows. It was odd because Peter had never seen the lab this way.
Once they entered, Morgan locked the door once more but she did nothing to remove the blinds. They moved further into the room, to the work bench where broken pieces of Stark technology littered the table. Peter was used to her general state of messiness so he didn't even blink an eye.
It wasn't the disorganization that bothered him. It was something else.
"What's going on?" he asked. His spider senses were tingling but not in a way that signified danger. It was a strange feeling - as if there was something familiar yet, unknown lurking nearby. "Who is behind the door?
Morgan smiled, still awed by his abilities after all these years. "You can sense him."
"Him? Is that why're here? There's someone you want me to meet?"
"In a manner of speaking," Morgan shrugged.
He frowned at her behavior. Peter could hear the faint heartbeat which was actually starting to worry him. It was weak and irregular, as if whoever was on the other side of the room was on the brink of death.
Impatient, he crossed the room, talking to Morgan over his shoulder. "From the sound of it, that person needs a hospital, Morgan. Is he – oh my god."
It was his heart now that had stopped beating for a second. His heart that felt like it was about to go into cardiac arrest; his chest that felt as if someone had punched him and his entire body that felt as if it was about to go into shock.
Peter stopped completely in his track, rooted to the spot by the scene in front of him. It couldn't be, he thought wildly. He stared unblinkingly at the face inside the cryogenic pod. The person's eyes were closed and half of the right side of the face all the way down to the neck looked like it had burnt.
He looked exactly as Peter remembered him on that battlefield. Injured, broken but finally at peace.
This was the face that he often dreamt about; the face that had given him nightmares and festered his guilt because Peter knew he should have done more.
"What the – Morgan," he rounded on her, trying and struggling to find words. "What – Why … Oh my god, what the hell?"
If Peter was horrified and shocked beyond words, the same could not be said for Morgan. She stood there, unable to hide the hint of pride shining from her eyes.
"Who is that?" he blurted.
"You know who that is, Peter," Morgan's voice was quiet and gentle, as if not to provoke or upset him any further. Her face softened when she stepped forward, gesturing towards the pod. "It's really him."
"No," he shook his head. "No, Morgan. It can't be."
"You're seeing him, Peter. You just need to work on believing but take your time. Dad's not waking up anytime soon."
He rounded on her the, face aghast with shock.
"How, Morgan? How is he here?" He ran a hand through his hair in obvious distress. "This is – Who else knows."
"Right now, only you and me," she answered.
That explained the locked lab doors and the blinds.
Morgan bit her bottom lip worriedly. "I'm not sure… I mean, I don't know how to tell mum. Any suggestions?"
"He's dead, Morgan. He's been dead for thirteen years. You don't just – you can't. Oh my god, kid, this isn't something that – I don't know. What were you thinking?"
That question set her off.
"What was I thinking? I saved my dad. He's right there now, he's not dead yet. We can still save him!" This time, she looked distraught. "What's wrong with you, Pete? I thought you'd be in my corner. You loved him, too. You loved him so I don't get it …" The tears spilled down her cheeks "I thought you'd be happy to have him back."
"Okay, okay, okay," he breathed in and out. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Morgan. I just – This is too much to take in, you get that right? I - I need an explanation."
She pulled a stool and sat on it before curling a foot around the leg of another to nudge it in Peter's direction. Peter couldn't shake off the freaky and strange feeling to be sitting there while his mentor slept frozen in a pod.
"The simple version is – I went back in time, waited for Dad to snap his fingers, kidnapped his body and brought him back here."
"Right. And the long version will be?"
She sighed impatiently. "Mum told me what happened that day on the battlefield. So did you. One thing stood out to me, though. F.R.I.D.A.Y said his life functions were critical. Critical, not dead yet. So when he was laid down on the battlefield and when no one was looking, too busy trying to account their dead, I took his body and here we are."
"I think we can save him, Peter," she added when he only stared at her.
Peter took a step closer to the cryogenic pod keeping his mentor in stasis. He touched the glass panel. Tony looked so peaceful, as if he had just fallen asleep.
"What then, Morgan? What's the plan here? We save him; we nurse him back to health and return him back to his timeline?"
"Honestly, I didn't really think it through," she looked at him pleadingly. She needed her help. Like she had needed his help since she was a child. This was no different. "I only wanted to make sure he didn't die back in the battlefield."
"Okay, alright," he pulled the girl into a hug. "It's okay. I'm not mad, alright? I'm just – I wasn't expecting this when I woke up this morning. I'm shocked. And – And I understand, Morgan. You saw a possible solution and you pursued it."
She nodded against his chest.
"I guess now we have to figure the next step forward," Peter mused. He scratched the back of his neck. He felt out of his depth here but for Morgan's sake, he kept it together. "I think it's – "
"Steve – Sorry, Peter," she apologized for interrupting. "Um, Steve Rogers returned the infinity stones, didn't he? He returned it to when the Avengers took it. It all worked out. So – so if we do that with Dad…"
Peter cocked his head to the side contemplatively. Steve had done that and in theory it sounded neat. Except, after the dust had settled, Peter had sat down with Bruce and they had talked about time travel. There was something about changing the past that would only create an alternate timeline.
Which was what Steve had done when he returned to the past and stayed there.
For one, Tony Stark could hardly be compared to an infinity stone. It could have different consequences even if they were to return him to his own timeline. It would branch out and create a different timeline in which there was a world where Tony is alive. Second, Steve Rogers is dead which meant, they had no one alive to ask what it was like to return and live in the past.
"I – I don't know. I don't think it will work quite the same," he informed her. "Hang on a minute, how did you go back in time?"
"I thought you'll never ask," she laughed. "I came across Dad's old notes on the time travel and I worked out what I needed. If dad could do it, then so can I, right? I didn't have any Pym Particles so I asked Cassie. We're good friends."
He scrunched his face. "And she just gave it to you? Just like that? I may need to have a chat with Cassie."
"It took a lot of convincing. I told her I'm working on placing proper medical safety for when she grows big or small, into her suit."
Peter narrowed his eyes. Morgan's field of biomedical science has helped Peter tremendously. She had assisted him with the padding on his suit which ensured that any broken bones or open wound is taken care off immediately. It wouldn't be far-fetched for her to use that cover on Cassie.
"You should never have done that without telling me or – or someone. Jesus, Morgan," he paced. "Anything could have happened. You could have been stuck in the past and no one would be the wiser. What will I tell Pepper then?"
Peter expected some of the teenage rebellion and angst he had had to deal with lately to rear its ugly head but the mention of her mother seemed to make Morgan bow her head in shame.
"Sorry," she muttered, scuffling the toes of her shoes on the floor. "Just needed to know if it'll work. Didn't think more than that."
He sighed. There really was nothing else to say on the matter. Admonishing Morgan any further would not have changed the fact that she had meddled with time to bring her father back.
The only pressing issue was to figure out their next step.
"I got to think," Peter mumbled as he touched the back of his neck.
"I know that we can do this," Morgan stressed. "Science and technology has advanced so much since… since the war and since dad died. We can save him using the technologies we have now."
Peter shot her a look. Morgan might believe in him but he didn't have the abilities to medically save someone. He wasn't trained in that.
"We have to call Bruce or… or Shuri, at least," he decided. "We have to get them here. I – I don't know what to do, Morgan."
"But you're an adult. That's why I got you here."
He laughed because it sounded so easy, so straightforward when she put it that way. She had always turned to him to get her out of every sticky situation and he had always had her back, but this… This was beyond him.
"I'm not a doctor," he pointed out. "And that's what Tony needs. We can't bring him to a hospital. It'll only draw attention but we'll get Bruce or Shuri to take a look at him and do what is necessary. If – If he's not too damaged from the radiation," Peter added.
He saw the look on Morgan's face but radiation poisoning was a fact that Morgan needed to come to terms with. She might have gotten him out of the battlefield to get medical attention but he could still die from radiation poisoning, if not now then in a few days, weeks or months.
"No," she shook her head adamantly. "I – I didn't do all that for him to die from… No way, Peter."
"Morgan," he held her arm. "I know you're hopeful. So am I but – but from what I know … Bruce was the one to bring everyone back because … He was the only one who could withstand the radiation. Even so – His arm was out of it for months. Tony's just – at the core of it, he's just human, kid. So we – we'll try but we have to – "
"We'll try," Morgan pursed her lips together, reminding him so much of Pepper. "I didn't go back all the way for nothing."
Whether or not Tony could be sent back to his own timeline, was secondary.
Right now, they needed to ensure that the radiation damage is contained. If that was at all possible.
There is about a 12-year age gap between Morgan and Peter, so in here Morgan is about 18 years old which puts Peter at about 30.
I wrote this a few weeks back but didn't publish it cause I wasn't sure it would work. And I know the way things end, I could do a multi-chapter for this but like I said, I'm not sure if Tony can actually survive it so, I'll think about continuing. Just wanted to post this up now since I've written it.