"He's on his way." Happy said once he got off the phone. "Said he should be here in about five minutes. He's taking the suit."
Tony nodded and glanced down at his kid, fast asleep against his shoulder. Peter's skin was waxy pale and the circles under his eyes were so dark they almost looked like bruises. Tony had never seen the kid look this bad. He hadn't looked like this when they'd shared the brief reunion and hug during the battle. His complexion had been healthy and he'd been his usual chipper self.
He brushed the kid's hair back before he could stop himself. This kind of physical affection wasn't something they'd ever really done before, but five years away from Peter and his experiences with Morgan had softened him.
"Do you want to take him to his room upstairs?" Happy offered.
"He has a room here?" He asked before a smile stretched across his face and he answered his own question, "Of course he does."
And something in him ached at that. He hadn't been there to give the kid his own room in his house. To tell him how much he'd missed him. How important he was to him. He'd missed out on that.
Tony stood, careful not to jostle Peter. He gathered the kid in his arms and lifted him up. Peter didn't so much as twitch.
"Has he always been this light?" Tony asked Happy as he made his way toward the stairs.
"He's lost weight." Happy answered sadly. "He's…had a hard time. I mean we all have but…the kid took it pretty hard. We've all been worried about him."
Tony's eyes narrowed as he studied the teenager in his arms.
"He hasn't been eating. I don't think he's really been sleeping. But he won't talk. He's been pushing everyone away." Happy continued as he led him to the door to Peter's room, previously the guest bedroom directly across the hall from his and Pepper's bedroom.
"Sounds familiar." Tony muttered as he walked into the bedroom. Not exactly a personality trait of his he wanted Peter to emulate.
Happy snorted. "Yeah. He's…a lot like you."
"Not really a good thing." Tony said, laying Peter down in the bed after Happy had pulled the covers back. He unlaced the kid's shoes and dropped them to the floor.
"In some ways it is." Happy said softly. "Going back in time to do something everyone said was impossible just because he couldn't live in a world without someone he loved? I wonder where he learned that from. Who else would be crazy enough to do that?"
Tony gave his friend a scathing look as he pulled the bed sheets up to Peter's chest. "Like I said, not a good thing."
"I don't know. I think it's pretty great. What he did. Getting you back." Happy smiled at him.
Tony huffed because he wasn't sure what else to do in the face of such honest emotion. He had a bad feeling there'd be a lot more to come over the next couple days.
"He could've died." He said with a shake of his head. "You have no idea. There were so many things that could've gone wrong."
"But they didn't."
"Because he got lucky." Tony argued.
"No." Happy shook his head as they both looked down at the sleeping boy. "Because he's like you."
Tony scoffed. "I never wanted him to be like me."
"I know. Good thing he's not that great at listening." Happy smirked.
"Another trait of mine?" Tony quirked an eyebrow at the subtle backhanded burn.
"You said it. I didn't." His friend held his hands up.
Tony rolled his eyes.
"So what you're telling me is now I've got two mini me's I have to deal with."
"What can I say? Karma's a bitch boss." Happy grinned. "Maybe this is payback for all the times I had to clean your puke out of the car."
Tony hummed. "Maybe."
If it was, it didn't seem so bad. Although he'd never admit it. He leaned down and flicked a flop of hair off Peter's forehead so it wasn't over his eye. The kid needed a haircut. He straightened back up and took another second to drink in the sight of Peter, whole and safe and asleep in his own designated room under Tony's roof. This was how things were always supposed to be. This was what he'd envisioned when he'd risked everything to try to fix their biggest mistake. And apparently it'd worked. He smiled.
"Come on." Happy's hand landed on his shoulder. "Let's let the kid get some sleep. God knows he needs it."
Tony nodded and let Happy lead him out, closing Peter's door behind them.
"Hey Hap? You here?" Rhodey's voice called out from downstairs as the front door slammed shut.
"I'm upstairs! I'll be right there." Happy called back and gave Tony a sidelong look, wordlessly ordering him to keep quiet.
Tony listened for once and held a hand out, gesturing for Happy to lead the way.
As they made their way down the stairs, he could hear the sounds of bustling in the kitchen.
"Hey have you heard from the kid recently?" Rhodey asked. "It's been radio silence for me for the past week. I'm starting to think he might be up to something."
They rounded the corner and walked into the kitchen. Rhodey had his back to them as he poured coffee into a mug from the pot Tony had made earlier.
"Yeah you could say that." Happy grumbled.
"What?" Rhodey asked, not quite hearing him. He turned around and froze. The mug in his hand fell to the ground and shattered, coffee staining the floor.
"That's my favorite mug you just broke." Tony complained. It was his black one with the words #1 Dad written on the side. Morgan had given it to him for Father's Day last year.
Rhodey's face stayed frozen in shock, eyes wide with his mouth agape.
"Like you said. The kid's been up to something." Happy said, jerking his head toward Tony as explanation.
Rhodey blinked. Swallowed. Blinked again. Tony waited. For him, he'd seen his friend only yesterday but for Rhodey it'd been months. And he was supposed to be dead.
"Is…" Rhodey's gaze flicked from Happy's to Tony's back to Happy's again. "Is this real?"
Happy nodded. "He about gave me a heart attack too. Apparently the kid went back in time, grabbed him and brought him here."
Rhodey blinked again and closed his mouth as he took a tentative step forward. And then another. Tony stayed put while his friend crossed the distance between them, crunching over porcelain shards and tracking spilled coffee everywhere. Pepper wasn't going to like that.
Rhodey stopped in front of him and held a shaky hand out toward him. It landed on his shoulder and the man jerked back as if he'd been burned.
"Shit." Rhodey gasped. His eyes were as wide as saucers. The hand came back and this time Rhodey didn't pull away when it met his shoulder. He squeezed it as if to ensure the solidness of it.
"Oh my god. You're…" Rhodey looked from his hand up to Tony's face, eyes filled with wonder. "You're here."
Tony smiled. "I am."
He figured he'd waited enough. He pulled his friend into a hug. Rhodey went easily.
"You're here. You're alive." Rhodey whispered and squeezed him as if letting go would mean he'd fade away.
His heart just about broke when Rhodey started to cry.
"Shit. Don't cry honeybear." Tony patted the man's back, but his reassurance had the opposite effect and Rhodey only cried harder.
Tony turned beseeching eyes toward Happy but the man gave him and unsympathetic shrug. "Better get used to it boss."
Rhodey calmed down and pulled away, wiping his face clean. "Sorry. I'm sorry. I just…I can't really believe this is happening."
"Yeah it's definitely weird." Happy agreed. "But like a good weird. Don't get me wrong."
"You said Peter did this?" Rhodey asking, looking around for the kid.
"He's sleeping upstairs." Tony explained.
"He had a big day." Happy added with a smirk.
"Apparently." Rhodey agreed, eyeing Tony.
Tony scowled.
"So what's the whole story?" Rhodey asked.
"You know everything I know." Happy told him. Which wasn't much.
Tony rubbed as his eyes. "I only know what the kid's told me."
"Yeah and that's what exactly?" Rhodey asked, frowning.
"I don't want to have to tell it over and over so why don't we get the rest of the team here first and then I'll explain everything and you guys can fill in the parts I'm missing. Like the last six months."
"Six and a half." Happy corrected.
"Fine. I'll call the team. Most of them are at the compound anyway. It shouldn't take them too long to get here." Rhodey agreed.
"The compound?" Tony frowned. Last he saw the compound was a pile of rubble.
"We rebuilt it." Rhodey explained.
"Right."
"You know you should really clean this up." Rhodey pointed to the mess on the floor as he pulled out his phone. "Before Morgan gets home and cuts herself."
Tony glared at him.
Rhodey barked out a surprised laugh and said, "Yeah that. Right there. I missed that."
"Smart ass." He mumbled but as Rhodey dialed a number on his phone, Tony walked toward the closet where they kept the broom. Rhodey had a point. He wouldn't want Morgan to accidentally step on a stray piece of porcelain. Or Peter. The kid had a habit of walking around barefoot inside. Something he had to worry about again. His lips twitched into a smile. When he thought about how surreal it was that he finally had his kid back after five long years, he realized he could empathize with what everyone else must be going through right now with having him back. Not a bad problem to have, though. Not at all.
The reunion with the rest of the Avengers went about as well as the ones before.
Tony couldn't remember ever getting so many hugs in one day. Or having so many people cry on him.
"Ok ok that's enough." He pried Scott off from where he was blubbering on his shoulder. "I mean seriously I barely know you."
"Yeah you're right. I'm sorry." Scott pulled back but as soon as he looked at him again he dove back in for another hug. "It's just so great to have you back."
Tony held his arms out awkwardly, not wanting to hug back and encourage it, but not sure what to do with them. He looked around for help and caught Rhodey chuckling next to him. Yeah he wouldn't find any help there. And the rest of them looked equally amused and fond. He was clearly on his own.
"Ok yep uh-huh. Missed you too. You can let go now." He pushed at Scott's shoulders again and this time he released him and stepped away.
It was all a bit much.
He didn't how to react to all the proof that he'd been so missed. That he'd been so loved. That his absence had hurt everyone so much.
"Sorry." Scott said again.
"It's all right. We'll call it even since my kid stole the Pym particles from your suit." He said breezily as he clapped Scott on the shoulder.
"Wait. What?" Scott frowned.
"I'll explain in a sec." He said and took a couple steps forward so he was in the middle of an impromptu circle of Avengers in his living room. "Now that we're all here…"
He frowned. But they weren't all there. Someone was glaringly absent.
"Or not." He frowned. "Wait a minute. Where's Cap?"
"He's not here." Sam answered.
"Obviously he's not here. I just said that." Tony snarked.
"Oh how I've missed that trademark Stark sarcasm." Clint smirked.
"Where is he?" Tony asked, raising his eyebrows expectantly.
The rest of the team shared heavy glances, but no one answered. Oh shit.
"Is he dead?" Tony guessed, eyes widening. He'd died and so had Cap?
"No. He's not dead." Bruce answered. "He's just…old."
Tony scoffed, "He's always been old. He was born in 1918."
"No he's like actually old now." Sam answered. "He's aged."
Tony shook his head, flummoxed. "What?"
"After Thanos, Steve went back in time to return the stones." Bruce chimed in.
Tony nodded. Like they'd planned.
"And he uh…he didn't come back." Bruce said.
"What do you mean he didn't come back?" Tony couldn't make sense of it.
"He stayed back in the past and lived out his life." Bruce explained.
Tony knew he must've been making the most gobsmacked expression.
Which was probably why Bruce added, "He's an old man now. Really. He's retired."
Tony pinched the bridge of his nose trying to come to terms with this new information. "So you're telling me that I died saving the universe and Cap survived. But instead of sticking around to help out with everything he fucked off to the past to live out the entirety of his life in peace? White picket fence, wife, dog, all of that?"
He was met with nods all around. Jesus.
"You know, I wish I could say I'm surprised but…" Tony shook his head in consternation. "That sounds about right."
For once, no one argued with him.
"So if Cap is gone and I was gone, who's leading the dream team?" Tony asked. To be fair, quite a few other people were missing as well. Rhodey had told him that Thor had run off with that Quill moron and his band of idiots. And Wanda had essentially disappeared somewhere in Europe, not dealing well with Vision's loss.
"I am." Sam answered unapologetically.
Tony eyed him up and down. The man didn't falter. Tony was surprised but not surprised at the same time.
"Fine." Tony said and clapped his hands together. "So…here's what I know."
He told them everything he'd gleamed from Peter with a few helpful additions from FRIDAY along the way.
By the end everyone looked a little shell shocked.
"I never even thought of that." Bruce admitted, rubbing his chin in thought.
Tony held his arms out, palms upturned in a 'what can you do' gesture.
"He's a smart little shit huh?" Clint smirked.
"Hey." Tony chastised and pointed a finger at the man. "He's my little shit so only I get to call him that."
"Uh huh. Where's the little shit now?" Sam asked.
"He's here." Tony said. "He's taking a well deserved nap upstairs."
"So…not to be like a downer or anything but what does this mean?" Scott asked. "This didn't like break the universe or something, did it?"
Tony blinked. He hadn't really thought about that. How could he not have thought of that before?
Bruce was already shaking his head. "No. At least not any worse than we already have."
That didn't sound good.
"What does that mean?" Tony asked him.
"Well you know how we tried to keep from changing anything when we went back to get the stones, but we didn't really succeed? According to Strange, we've already irreparably damaged the time line. Caused numerous aberrant realities." Bruce answered with a shrug. "This is just going to cause another one."
"So…" Tony frowned. "I created a divergent reality by coming here."
Logically, he knew that had to be the case. He understood as well as Bruce about the warning the weird mystic lady had given them. It's why they'd tried to return all the stones, so they wouldn't fracture the timeline. He just hadn't really thought about the actual consequences of Peter's time traipse adventure before now. He was leaving an entire other Pepper, Morgan, and Peter without him.
"The only way to fix it would be if I returned to the moment Peter took me." He mumbled, thinking out loud.
"You're not going back." Happy said vehemently.
"Do I need to?" Tony asked Bruce, staring intently at him, ignoring Happy's protestation.
"Maybe we should talk to Strange." Bruce said, not breaking eye contact.
Tony's lips thinned as he nodded.
"I don't care what the wizard says. You're not going back." Happy said more insistently.
Tony turned his gaze on him.
"You can't go back." Happy said, practically pleading with him. "You can't. It'll kill the kid."
Tony rubbed his eyes wearily. He didn't want to go back, not if it meant death. But could he really doom an entire timeline out of selfishness? He needed more information.
He looked back at Bruce and nodded. "Call Strange."
The wizard was about as helpful as Tony figured he'd be. Which was not at all.
"So you're saying I don't have to go back." Tony clarified after a long winded and overly detailed explanation from the man.
"I'm saying," Dr. Strange sighed, "that even if you go back at this point, knowing what you know, there's a negligible likelihood the events will play out the exact same way, so the timeline has already been fractured. The damage is already done."
"So I don't have to go back." Tony reiterated.
Dr. Strange glared at him. "Not unless you want to try to die again."
"Yeah I think I'd rather skip that." Tony joked even as his stomach sunk. He was beyond elated not to be dead, but he couldn't help but think of all the damage done in the new aberrant reality by his disappearance.
"Good call." Rhodey agreed. All around, everyone in the room looked relieved. None of them had wanted to get him back just to lose him again.
"What's going to happen in the timeline I left?" Tony asked Strange. "Do you know? Do they win?"
Strange looked away for a moment and pursed his lips before meeting his eyes again and answering with a solemn nod, "They win."
Tony couldn't help but feel like the other man was lying, but before he could call him out on it, Clint interjected, "So if the rugrat could bring Tony forward and everything still turns out fine, why can't we do the same thing for Nat?"
Everyone looked to Strange, wondering the same thing. And god, did Tony want that. Had Peter figured out a way for them to essentially live happily ever after?
But Strange shook his head. "You can't. She's too intrinsically tied with the infinity stones."
"What do you mean?" Sam asked.
Dr. Strange sighed but explained, "If you were to go back and take Natasha forward it'd have to be before she sacrificed herself for the soul stone. The new reality created would be doomed to never reverse the snap. But if that's something you can live with, then by all means, go get her."
"Nat would never want that." Clint said.
There were nods of agreement from everyone, including Tony.
"Ok so we can't save Nat." Bruce said sadly. "What about Vision? If we brought him forward before Thanos got to him, wouldn't we be completely saving that new reality from the snap?"
Dr. Strange's head cocked almost imperceptibly to the side as he considered it.
"That would work." He agreed after a few seconds.
"So we do it." Sam said decisively.
"We'll need more Pym particles." Rhodey said.
"I can get more from Hank." Scott said. "It shouldn't be a problem."
"We can move the time travel equipment to the compound tomorrow and work on it there." Bruce suggested. "Someone should call Wanda."
"I will." Clint offered.
"This is all very touching," Dr. Strange said, sounding his particular brand of sarcastic, "but it still doesn't solve the problem of what we're going to do about the infinity stones."
"I say we destroy them." Clint said.
"I agree." Bruce nodded.
"I'm taking the time stone back. I've been charged with its protection." Dr. Strange said. "The other stones you can destroy. Except for the soul stone."
"What? Why?" Sam asked.
"It's difficult to explain. Suffice it to say, it's too intertwined in the universe and the souls within it to be destroyed."
"So what? We have to return it?" Rhodey frowned.
"That's what I would suggest." Dr. Strange nodded.
"Fine." Tony ran a ran through his hair. "So Houdini here gets the time stone back, we return the soul stone, and all the other ones we destroy. Agreed?"
Everyone gave their assent.
"We're going to need Wanda to do it." Bruce said.
"Like I said, I'll call her and explain things to her." Clint said.
"In the meantime you take the gauntlet with you." Tony said, aiming the statement at Sam. "I don't want it here. You have a place to store it in the compound, right?"
"We do." Sam nodded.
"Ok. I'll go get it. The sooner it's out of the here, the better." Tony said and walked down to his workshop.
He took the gauntlet out of the secure storage locker he'd put it in and brought it back up with him to the living room.
"Shit." Clint swore when he caught sight of it.
Everyone else had similar expressions of terror on their faces at seeing the gold gauntlet with all the infinity stones in person.
"Here." Tony handed it to Dr. Strange, who took it and waved a hand over it.
The green stone sparkled and disappeared as it manifested back in the wizard's necklace.
"Thank you." Dr. Strange gave him a nod and handed the gauntlet back.
Tony wasted no time handing it over to Sam.
"Keep it safe." He said as the other man took it.
"We will." Sam nodded.
"It's caused enough trouble already." Tony muttered.
"You can say that again." Clint agreed.
Before anyone had a chance to say anything else, the front door slammed open with a crash. It was the only way Morgan knew how to open a door nowadays.
"Pepper wait—" Rhodey said suddenly in warning.
"What's going on? What's everyone doing here?" Pepper asked. He could hear the irritation in her voice and wondered if she'd had a rough day at work.
He turned around. Their eyes met across the room with an intensity that sparked like electricity.
"Oh my god." Peppers eyes went wide and her hand flew to her mouth.
"Hey Pep." He smiled, trying not to scare her since as far as she knew he was supposed to be dead and all. She stayed rooted to the ground, face the epitome of shock.
Morgan, on the other hand, had absolutely no reservations.
"Daddy!" She squealed and ran to him. He grabbed her and lifted her seamlessly into his arms. Like he'd done countless times before.
"Hi baby." He greeted softly as his daughter wrapped her arms and legs around him.
"I missed you Daddy." She said into his neck.
"I missed you too baby." He said even though it'd only been a couple days for him. It still wasn't a lie. He missed her every second he was away from her.
He kissed the side of her head but kept his eyes locked on Pepper. She still hadn't moved. Rhodey and Happy hurried to her side.
"Jim what?" Pepper grasped Rhodey's shoulder once he got close enough, as if she might topple over without the support.
"It's him Pepper. It's Tony. He's back." Rhodey reassured her.
"How?" She looked like she was staring at a ghost.
"The kid went back in time and got him back."
"Peter?"
Happy nodded.
"Where is he? Is he ok?" Pepper glanced around, frantically searching for him. Tony couldn't remember the last time he'd seen her so scattered.
"He's fine. He's asleep in his room." Happy answered.
Pepper nodded and went back to staring at Tony.
"And this…" Pepper gestured towards him. "He's-he's…here? You see him too right? I'm not…going crazy?"
"You're not going crazy. He's here. It's really Tony. He's back." Rhodey told her calmly.
He took a step toward her. If he had to wait another second to comfort her, he thought he might go crazy.
He readjusted Morgan so he could hold her with arm, freeing his other arm so he could hold it out toward Pepper.
"Pep." He entreated.
It finally seemed to be enough to break the spell.
"Tony." She said and it was part smile and part cry as she crossed the distance between them.
Once she was close enough, Tony pulled her in and Pepper wrapped her arms around him and Morgan. Tony smiled. He had both of his favorite girls in his arms.
She squeezed him so tight it almost hurt.
"Tony Tony Tony." Pepper whispered brokenly as she buried a hand in his hair.
"I'm here honey. I'm here. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He whispered back. "I never wanted to leave you. You have to believe me. I didn't mean to leave you."
"I know. I know." Pepper's voice broke and she started shaking as sobs erupted from her.
"Shh honey. It's ok." He soothed. "I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere."
Pepper pulled herself together fairly quickly. She was one of the strongest people he knew by far. She took a deep breath and wiped her cheeks. Even with a tear stained face, she was beautiful.
He gave her a winning smile and she leaned in and kissed him. Her hand cradled the back of his neck and once the kiss stopped she kept her face close to his with their foreheads pressed together.
"I love you." She whispered.
"I love you too." He told her and went in for another kiss.
By the time they'd finished their heartfelt reunion, the Avengers had all cleared out of the room to give them some privacy. Which was probably good seeing as how Pepper couldn't seem to stop kissing him.
"I could get used to this." He mumbled.
She kissed his cheek and then the corner of his mouth and then straight on his lips again, tongue diving in to dance in his mouth. He hummed his approval but ended the kiss and pulled back. Things were starting to get a little too heated. And he got it. He did. He knew exactly what he'd want to do with Pepper if he'd thought she'd been dead for a half a year and then miraculously reappeared. But they couldn't. Not while they had a house full of Avengers with a kid upstairs and another one in his arms.
Without his mouth to occupy hers, she moved to his neck, trailing a line of sensual kisses down it as she palmed the side of his face.
"Pep. Pep, we can't." He whispered.
Pepper hummed and landed a kiss by his ear and then moved to his ear lobe.
His eyes practically rolled. Oh god.
Maybe they could just run upstairs quick. Rhodey could babysit. It wasn't as if the world was ending right now. For once. Everything could wait.
"Honey you're killing me." He groaned at the gentle suction on his ear lobe between her teeth.
She stopped and he didn't know if he sighed out of relief or disappointment.
"Later?" She whispered seductively.
"Later." He agreed, practically babbling. "Yes later. Definitely later."
Pepper kissed his cheek again and stepped away, putting a couple feet of space between them.
"What's later Daddy?" Morgan asked curiously, picking her head up off his shoulder.
He gave her his full attention. "Um nothing. Just some uh boring grown up stuff Mommy and I need to…do."
Pepper's laughter didn't help.
Morgan's nose scrunched like she knew he was pulling something over on her but wasn't sure what.
Before she could ask something else, he leaned in and kissed the tip of her nose.
She giggled, appropriately distracted. Success.
She brought her little hand up and set it against his cheek.
"Daddy?" She asked.
"Yeah sweetheart?"
"Where were you?"
His breath caught. He didn't how to explain that he'd actually been dead but now he magically wasn't.
"Daddy had to go away, but he's back now." Pepper, amazing Pepper, swooped in to explain.
"How'd he come back?" Morgan asked her.
"Well, you see Morgan, your brother missed daddy so much he went and found him and brought him back to us." Pepper said softly.
Brother? Tony blinked in confusion.
He figured out who they meant a split second later when Morgan asked, "Petey brought daddy back?"
Pepper nodded. Tony knew he had to be missing something, missing a lot of somethings probably, but his heart still warmed at the familiarity with which Morgan and Pepper both addressed his kid. The kid he'd come to think of as a son.
"Are you going to go away again?" Morgan asked him sadly and Tony could tell she was afraid of the answer.
Tony brushed the hair back from her face. "No baby. I'm not going to go away ever again. Not if I can help it."
"Ok." Morgan gave him a small smile. "I didn't like it when you were away."
"I know. I'm sorry." He kissed her forehead.
"It's ok. I forgive you." She beamed at him and patted his cheek.
Tony let out a little laugh. "You're definitely your mother's daughter."
She cocked her head at him like she was trying to figure out if he meant that as a good or a bad thing.
"So…" Tony looked over at Pepper.
"So?" She quirked an eyebrow at him in amusement.
"What do we do now?" He could only imagine the shitstorm that was going to come from his miraculous return from the dead all the things that needed to be done.
"Now." She smiled and her whole face lit up. God he loved her. "We celebrate."
A/N: Not much Peter in this one but Tony had to get his happy reunions with everyone else. I wanted to try to get this story finished before Spiderman FFH came out but clearly that didn't happen since I'm apparently incapable of writing something that isn't crazy long. Let me know what you thought of this chapter! Fluffy enough to help soothe some of the Endgame hurt?
