Treasure.
He always thought he was rich, he's never lacked of money or new accessories. He could wear whatever he'd like, he could travel to wherever he'd please and he could do anything.
But he was a dumb idiot. He hasn't seen until it was too late how fortunate he was, how rick he really was. He has had a treasure more valuable than all his stupid and modern accessories, more valuable than his own life, more valuable than everything.
He has told Peper he wanted a kid but he's been too blind. He already had one.
Peter Parker aka The Kid.
His kid.
He always thought treasures were for pirates and legends, until he did have one treasure. He was his treasure. And he's been too careless, too reckless and here he was now.
Alone.
Hurting.
In pain.
Mourning.
All of that because he couldn't protect his most valuable treasure, his kid.
He has listened to all those people saying " A father should never live to see his children buried". And hell, he saw his own kid burst into ashes. His kid disintegrated in his own arms. He had to see his kid….
For fuck's sake, he was supposed to be in a field trip.
"Tony…"
He turned and he saw Steve and the other survivors looking at him in caution. They all looked at him as… he used to look and he looks at the family of victims, the ones he couldn't save.
"Tony, we'll bring them back"
"I don't fucking care about them", he said without thinking.
He didn't care about fucking Thanos, or fucking Dr. Strange, or the rest of humanity. He just wanted his kid back. He wanted his stupid jokes, his nervous smile, all the stupid comments he used to say when he didn't know what to say. He wanted Peter back so he could hug him properly like the kid has always wanted. He wanted Peter back to tell him he was the son he's always wanted.
"Tony… We'll bring him back", said another voice in the background.
"It's your fault, I'm here"
"I wanted to be like you"
"Mr. Stark"
"I don't want to go, "
He wanted to throw up.
" Tony… "
"I always thought… I was never afraid of death, I was never scared of anything. I was scared of losing you all", he said to all the survivors, " I was too fucking scared to care about him…"
He was struggling to breathe and he could feel someone touching his shoulder.
"The truth is… I cared since the beginning, I loved him since the first moment, I loved… I love that fucking kid so much it hurts", he said.
He could feel the ground on his feet. He couldn't remember when he fell to the ground, and he has just realised someone was holding him.
"Nothing is more painful than losing a child"
Hell.
This was worse than burning in hell.
"Tony… we'll save him"
….
8 months.
20 days.
It has taken too long. But it didn't matter.
None of that really matter because Peter was running toward him as if there was no tomorrow.
" ! Mr. stark! You aren't going to believe what I saw!", shouted the kid as he ran even faster than him.
He caught the kid in his arms and he held him, hugging him and trying not to cry. The kid was stuttering and laughing and crying and he was…
Breathing.
Finally.
He could breathe.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Stark", said the kid. But he broke the hug so he could look at his face. His baby face.
"No kid, I'm sorry. And I love you", he said and he saw a smile brighter than all the stars of the universe.
He saw the rest of the team looking at them, crying and smiling.
Everything was okay now.
He got his treasure back.
And he would kill whoever dares to take him again.
"I love you too, dad"