A hero is one who knows how to hang on one minute longer.
- Novaris
"I love you 3,000."
Tony Stark ended the recording, a small grin still plastered on his face. He couldn't help it. Even in these uncertain times, just thinking of his daughter always gave him a reason to smile.
His daughter. His little Maguna. God. There was nothing he wouldn't do for her. Nothing. But he had a chance to save all those people who had died by Thanos' hand. A chance to save Pete. But how could he be the hero to his little girl if he could save them and then do nothing?
He looked around his workshop and sighed. The sum of his life's work now resided within these four walls. A legacy that would be passed down to his daughter, if she wanted it. Whether that came sooner than he'd like…
Tony knew he couldn't cheat death if it came for him again. He'd done it so many times already. If this Time Heist they'd cooked up went pear shaped tomorrow…
He shook away those negative thoughts. He was right before. There was no sense in worrying about hypothetical scenarios. Everything will turn out just as it should.
And yet…
Tony set out to put his workshop in order. He couldn't control what tomorrow would bring, but he could prepare for it. After all, he was a futurist.
The service was such a contrast to the larger than life persona that it paid tribute to. Instead of a public funeral, the event was a relatively quiet affair - marked only by Tony Stark's family and his friends and teammates whom he had thought of as such.
Tony's will had specified a memorial service without his body present. Perhaps a lifetime of being gawked at for either being Howard's son or Iron Man had left him reluctant to let those do so in his death. Not to mention there was the sheer practicality of keeping the remains of Earth's best defender safe. Even in death, Iron Man would invite challenge, and his final resting place would need to be carefully guarded. With the permission of his widow, Pepper, the hero's body had been placed in the care of the newly resurrected Nick Fury, until they were able to properly bury it.
After the service ended and the mourners began to disperse, a young man, not much older than 16, was still standing by the dock, his eyes on the memorial wreath floating across the lake.
His aunt came up behind him, rubbed his arm and whispered something to him. He had responded in kind by leaning his head against her for comfort. After a time, she ushered him inside the Stark home to pay their final respects, passing a stoic Nick Fury on the front porch.
Fury nodded to the boy and his aunt as they made their way inside. He had watched the entire proceedings from his vantage point on the porch. Fury had known almost everyone there, with the exception of the Guardians of the Galaxy, but he had yet to catch a glimpse of Stark's protege - Spider-Man. But the former spy could put two and two together and knew the web crawler was young, and that the he and Stark were close. It didn't take a rocket scientist to know who the kid by the lake was.
Fury wasn't a total heel. There was a time and a place for everything. And now was not the time nor the place. He had no doubt he and Spider-Man would have a chance to get acquainted with each other at some point in the near future.
Oh my God, Oh my God, Oh my God. I can't believe this is happening!
Those were about the only coherent thoughts running through Peter Parker's head after Mysterio's broadcast of Spider-Man's identity to the entire world. Mysterio's final trick had been to make it look like Peter was a rogue operative, and the police, FBI and maybe even S.H.I.E.L.D. would be looking for him. Not to mention every villain wannabe.
Peter hastily said good-bye to MJ before he swung out of sight. It wasn't fair - this was supposed to be their first date - and yet, here he was, on the run like some kind of criminal. He swung away as fast as he could, only pausing long enough to catch his breath and return one of the many missed calls from Happy. Thankfully, Happy was still at the apartment with May when the news broke. He trusted the former boxer to keep his aunt safe until they could regroup. Right now the kid had to high-tail it out of town, and fast. Leaving was the only way he could keep May and his friends safe. Until they could fix things. However long that took.
With few options left to him, Peter hid in the shadows, keeping under cover of darkness for as long as he could, and then made his way to the only place he knew would be close and yet secluded enough to gather his thoughts and form a plan. A place which he knew sat empty, having been told the current residents had moved out a few months ago. A quiet little place in upstate New York - the Stark cabin.
By the time he arrived, dawn was breaking through the trees of the surrounding area. The cabin stood in the center of the clearing, radiating such an aura of peace that Peter allowed himself to finally relax. He could see why Mr. Stark had wanted to retire to a place like this. It was literally Heaven on Earth.
Letting himself into the former Stark home was an easy enough task - he had expected a few security protocols, and thanks to E.D.I.T.H., he bypassed them with ease. The cabin still had that lived-in look. He suspected Pepper and Morgan would eventually return to this place, but for the moment the memories were still too fresh. Relocating back to the city was the right move for them - to be closer to friends and family.
Living in the city, Miss Potts must have surely seen the Daily Bugle breaking news by now. He wondered if she would be disappointed in him. And if Tony would've been disappointed as well.
Distracted by those thoughts, Peter found his way into the living room. Tony and Pepper's eclectic mix of science, tech and home life books adorned the shelves. Nestled in between Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of Time and the Barefoot Contessa's Back to Basics was a selection of framed family photos. Much to Peter's surprise, one of his "internship" photos was now prominently displayed there.
Peter slipped off his backpack, letting if fall the floor with a thunk. He carefully picked up the photo, letting his mind drift back to the day it had been taken.
Midtown Tech had been snooping around Stark Industries HR department - wanting some kind of official documentation to excuse the early dismissals and missed school days that Peter's internship seemed to require so much of. So, Pepper astutely made Peter's unofficial internship official, and arranged a brief photo op of Tony and Peter, to avoid any uncertainty that the two knew each other.
Surprisingly, Tony threw himself into the role and suggested a few fun snaps to make it seem "more real." Who would've guessed that Iron Man himself was a big fan of flashing the odd bunny ears? Of course, Peter had to match the gesture. He had expected those silly photos to just get deleted. He had thought -
"Pete?"
Peter froze. That voice. He knew that voice. And he knew it shouldn't be possible. Carefully putting down the framed photo, he turned to face the direction the voice came from. In the doorway, half-obscured by the morning light, was none other than Tony Stark.
It was obvious that he'd caught Mr. Stark off guard. The man was dressed in silk pajama pants and a faded tee, and his trademark beard was replaced by an unruly mess, looking as if it hadn't had been touched in weeks. Standing there, holding a steaming mug of hot tea in his right hand, Mr. Stark looked thoroughly domesticated.
A trademark look of both relief and exasperation passed Mr. Stark's face, and it took everything that Peter had in him to stop from rushing to the man and tell him how much he meant to him.
After a few moments of staring at each other slack jawed, Tony was the one to break the silence. "Pete. I didn't think…" Suddenly, the older man winced and dropped the mug, accidentally smashing it and its contents all over the wooden floor. He frowned and sighed at the mess he made. "Oh, hell."
As Tony bent down to pick up the remnants of the mug, Peter's brain finally caught up. He raced over to his mentor's side. "Here, let me," and began to place the shattered ceramic pieces into the broken mug. Tony practically collapsed on the floor next to him, seemingly exhausted. Peter couldn't help but notice the small streaks of grey in his hair and beard just like he remembered from that day. Peter never thought of Mr. Stark as old. At least he didn't remember him that way. He also took notice of how Mr. Stark repeatedly opened and closed his right hand, as if his hand fell asleep and he was trying to wake it up.
Tony noticed the attention and waved his hand around for Peter to see. "Still trying to build up some strength back into it," he said by way of explanation.
Peter nodded and kept his eyes firmly on his task. He desperately wanted to ask why his mentor was here, let alone breathing, but was honestly afraid to voice it. Truth be told, after all that had happened to Peter in the past week, he didn't think he could handle another dramatic turn of events. It would be his undoing. And his Spidey senses hadn't raised any alarms, which made him wonder if they were malfunctioning again.
Most of all, Peter knew if he looked Mr. Stark straight in the eye, he'd get the truth whether he really wanted it or not. But damn it if he wasn't going to ask the question anyway.
"Mr. Stark…what are you doing here? You died. I saw you die. I heard your heart stop beating. You shouldn't be alive."
Tony was gobsmacked. Sure it was the proverbial elephant in the room, but Tony was still working out in his mind how to tell the kid his story and the kid turned the tables on him and demanded it from him.
"Well, you're not wrong…"
At that, Peter shot up from the floor, raking his fingers through his hair. All the manic energy of the past 24 hours seemed to catch up with him, and he started to pace about the cabin like a caged animal.
"I knew it. This is some kind of trick, isn't it? I don't know if Mysterio sent you or S.H.I.E.L.D. or the Daily Bugle…"
"Pete…"
"Don't call me that!" Peter was visibly angry now and was breathing heavily to try to keep himself under control. Tony remained transfixed on the floor, hands resting on his knees, and completely dumfounded at the kid's reaction. After a pause, Peter shook a finger at him and repeated a little softer this time, "Please…don't call me that. I don't know who or what you are supposed to be, but this…this isn't okay. Tony Stark mattered to me and to a lot of other people. You don't have the right to use his image against me."
Peter grabbed his backpack from the floor and slung it over his shoulder. "Nice try, whoever you are, but it's not going to work. See you around." Peter turned to leave, saying good bye to the last bastion of sanctuary he had known.
"Wait!"
Peter stopped in his tracks. It was more on instinct, really. The voice sounded so much like Mr. Stark that he just couldn't help but obey it.
"Before you go…," the fake Tony called from its place on the floor, "You wouldn't happen to have those glasses that Stark left you?"
Peter turned around to face the imposter. "Ah, you'd like that wouldn't you? They're in a safe place. You can't steal them."
The figure put his hands up placatingly. "Not stealing. After all, if Stark really was a genius, he probably put a bunch of security protocols in place to prevent unauthorized use. Am I right?" He shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "I just thought if you had them, then you can use them to see who I really am, that's all. I mean, you came out all this way. And Queens isn't exactly around the corner, so…"
Peter hated to admit it, but the guy had a point. He wouldn't be able to hack into the E.D.I.T.H. system without Pete's consent, and he'd leave always wondering what was behind the appearance of this apparition. He decided to risk it.
Peter unzipped his backpack and pulled out the glasses case. He glanced over to the figure on the floor, who wasn't doing anything other than nervously looking around the room. Seeing as he didn't appear as a threat, Peter put the glasses on.
"E.D.I.T.H., scan the room for life signs."
"Scanning complete. Two life signs detected."
"Identify life signs."
"Peter Benjamin Parker and Anthony Edward Stark."
Peter's eyes darted across the room to the older man. He was still sitting on the floor, but had cast his gaze downward seemingly afraid to look Peter in the eye.
"Run the scan again."
"Scanning complete. Two life signs detected."
"Identify life signs."
"Peter Benjamin Parker and Anthony Edward Stark"
His mentor finally raised his head and locked eyes with Peter. Peter walked forward until he was standing once again in front of Mr. Stark.
"E.D.I.T.H., scan area directly in front of me."
"Scanning complete."
"Identify life signs."
"One life sign detected. The life sign directly in front of you belongs to Anthony Edward Stark."
Peter carefully took off the E.D.I.T.H. glasses to better view the figure on the floor before him. "Tony?"
Tony Stark flashed his best trademark smile at the teen. "In my defense, this wasn't how I planned to tell you."
"You're alive! That's…that's great and wonderful…but also…impossible."
"And any day of the week I'd say you're right. But not today."
"But how?"
"Kid, I promise I'll answer all your questions, but I really need you to do something for me right now."
"What? Anything!"
"Help an old man off the floor. My butt just went numb."
Peter raced forward to help his former mentor up from the floor. Stark seemed to need more help than he initially led on, so Peter helped the man with shaking legs over to the seating area.
"Thanks." Tony gratefully patted the young spider-ling on the shoulder before sinking into an armchair with a big sigh. He leaned his head back for a brief respite while Peter perched next to him on the couch, seemingly afraid to leave his side. After a moment, Tony scratched the back of his head and turned back to Peter, "What do you remember about the Mandarin?"
Peter frowned in thought. "Didn't he blow up your house or something?"
Tony gave a light laugh. "Yeah, something like that. Although it wasn't really the Mandarin. It was a guy named Aldrich Killian. Created a super-evil genius think tank. Total a-hole. Tried to kill me. And Pepper. But Pepper saved me." Then Tony gave a soft smile. "Pep always saves me." Stark allowed himself a moment to think upon his wife, his Pepper, and of the many, many ways she had saved him over the years. Then seeming to remember where he was, he cleared his throat and continued, "So THAT night. The night before Thanos came. The night before the time heist…Call it a premonition or call it superstition or just blind panic…but I knew I had to come back here. To say good bye if things didn't work out for me this time…"
Surrounded by boxes in an area where the garage and his workshop start to co-mingle, stands a bemused Tony Stark. He doesn't mind that "his workshop" has taken on a symbiotic relationship with "our garage," so that it has a dual purpose, but why is it storing so much…junk?
Digging into a box with the STARK INDUSTRIES logo stamped on its side, Tony pulls out a handful of paper - assorted files, printed documents. It's obviously a ritual he has repeated several times that night. "Pepper." Looking up to make sure she hasn't been summoned by name, "Haven't you heard of the digital age?" And at that he wanders over to the trash, recycling more of Stark Industries' legacy.
Returning to the box he pulls out his next victim - a small package surrounded in bubble wrap. He begins to unwrap it, navigating the layers of air-filled plastic. Nestled inside the packing material is a small glass case that holds his first arc reactor with the words PROOF THAT TONY STARK HAS A HEART engraved on it. His thumb caresses the glass casing holding the bit of nostalgia inside, his wife's doing, of course. Misty-eyed, he tamps down the emotion rising inside of him, wraps the old reactor up and goes to place it back inside the box. However, as he does, something at the bottom of the box catches his eye. Reaching down, he pulls out a bound document with the logo for Advanced Idea Mechanics (A.I.M.) typeset on the front. He flips through the detailed proposal until a ghost from his past stops him. There, in the document's cover letter, Aldrich Killian's face greets him, seemingly to mock him from beyond the grave. He has no idea what this is doing in a box of keep sakes. It was the last thing he expected to see, and he's not about to leave it behind for his daughter to find. Grabbing the file he makes for the recycling bin, but not before a slip of paper falls out. Picking up the paper he makes to throw it away, but stops when he sees the writing. It is indecipherable. At least to anyone else it would be. To anyone else it looks just like a dogeared piece of note paper with a bunch random scientific symbols and math equations. But Tony knows what this is. He knows what it says. He wrote it. Or part of it. Maya Hansen had done most of the work. He just tweaked it a bit. For Pepper.
Lost in thought, Tony makes his way over to his workshop table. "Hey, Fri. Access any J.A.R.V.I.S. archived files on Aldrich Killian, Advanced Idea Mechanics or A.I.M."
"Sorry, boss. Those files don't exist. They've been cleared from my system."
"What about Extremis?"
"No such luck, boss. Sorry."
"Let's keep it that way then." Taking the paper in his hand, Tony places it on his workshop table's surface. "F.R.I.D.A.Y., scan this formula and synthesize a batch for human testing. Then erase any and all data connected to this formula or the Extremis project."
"I don't understand, boss. Exactly what is it that you are making?"
"A calculated risk."
Peter stares back at Tony, his mouth ajar. "You experimented on yourself?"
"Well, yes. The science was still viable. I used it before to cure Pep. And if my math was right about the chances of us all walking away from Thanos…well, who was I to argue if Fate dropped a way out in my lap, right?"
"Huh. I guess so…"
"Well, joke's on me because it didn't work. Let that be a lesson to you, kid, don't be a mad scientist."
"Wait. Then how…"
"There wasn't a proper catalyst. In my eagerness to put a thumb on the scales in my favor, I forgot to factor in the altered structure of the serum. I found a way to cancel the process in Pepper, but didn't alter it back to restart in me." Tony gave a sidelong glance at Peter to make sure he was following along. "Extremis remained dormant in my body without a good kick of energy to override the tinkering I had done to it."
Tony paused for a moment to let that sink into his protege's brain. He knew Peter could figure this out. The kid was smart, really smart, and he'd put him toe-to-toe against any of the best minds, any day.
As if on cue, the synapses fired through Peter's brain. "Wait. The Infinity Stones were made up of gamma radiation. They could fuel the energy Extremis needed. They kickstarted Extremis!"
That's my boy. Tony added, "Causing the serum to hack into the brains' repair center, creating total cellular regeneration. Though it wasn't a complete success. The damage from the stones was extensive. And the Extremis dosage wasn't very strong. I have some scars and a loss of strength on my right side, but I can't complain. What literally killed me, also saved me."
"That's insane!"
"Story of my life, kid." Stark looked down at his right hand and flexed it. "And I'm happy to be back living it."
Peter's nervously bouncing knee came to a halt. "Oh my God!" Jumping to his feet, a thousand thoughts running through his head at once, Peter begins to pace. "We have to tell Nick Fury! He'll want to hear about you right away."
"Relax. He already knows."
Peter turns back to Mr. Stark, his face scrunched up with an incredulous look, "He does?"
"Yes. As does Pep and Morgan, of course. And Rhodey."
"Even Happy?"
"No, not yet. I don't have enough strength back yet to deal with a former heavyweight boxer. He'll either punch me or pass out on me, or both."
"Yeah. Probably. Well…don't you worry, Mr. Stark. Now that I'm here, I can help with anything you need. Until you can get back on your feet, of course."
A brief look of sadness passed over Stark's face. This next part wasn't going to be easy.
Peter continued, "And I can help in the workshop too! I got to use the one in the Stark jet to make a new suit for me. The interface was really intuitive once I got the hang of it. I can help with the new Iron Man suits. Maybe make some improvements!"
At that Tony simply nodded. Afraid he may have overstepped his authority, Peter quickly amended, "You've done so much for me, Mr. Stark. I…I just wanna help any way I can."
Stark pushed himself out of the armchair, closing the distance between him and Peter. With a soft smile he placed a hand on Peter's shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. Peter predictably responded by looking directly into his mentor's eyes. Now that Tony had the kid's full attention, it was time to drop the other shoe. "Pete. Iron Man isn't coming back."
Peter shook his head in confusion. "But you're alive! Everyone will know Iron Man is back when they see you."
"Pete. No one else can know I'm alive." Tony kept his eyes trained on the young Avenger, pressing his point home.
"What? But what about Stark Industries? What about the Avengers?!"
"Pepper's managing the company just fine. And the Avengers have a pretty impressive line of new blood. Seems to me they'll do just fine without me."
Reeling from shock of a world without Iron Man in it, Peter took a step backward and plopped back onto the sofa. "But the world needs Iron Man. I…I need him."
Tony took a step forward and looked down at the kid sitting miserably on his couch. "Pete, no you don't. You don't need me helicopter parenting you any more. You are a hero in your own right. You've shown the world what you can do - you saved it from the biggest meanies the universe could throw at it. People will remember that. And they'll trust you to protect them now."
Peter let out a heavy sigh. "I don't know about that, Mr. Stark. Things might have changed."
"Hey." Tony reaches out and lightly taps his knee. "Listen to me. You are Peter Parker, Spider-Man, Avenger, and the best thing that's happened to me outside of Pep and Morgan. You're ten times the hero I ever was. I meant it when I said I wanted you to be better than me. And you ARE. You'll be the best of all of us, Pete. Trust me. I'm a genius."
Peter looked back at Tony, unbelievably shocked, humbled and awed that Earth's Best Defender had that much faith in him. Tony continued, "And as for the world, well, Iron Man WAS there when they needed him the most. And he gave his life to save it. Let him rest in peace. It's time for a new era of heroes to take center stage."
Peter nodded his head, "I think I understand." And he did. Peter knew what saving the universe meant and what it had cost the original Avenger. God knows, Mr. Stark had earned his right to some peace. And though it was comforting to think of Mr. Stark at his side once again as Iron Man, his experience with Mysterio had taught him he was ready to step up. Instead of voicing that all out loud, he turned to the former super hero with a watery smile. "I really missed you, Mr. Stark."
"Tony. The name is Tony. And I know, Pete. I know and I'm sorry." And at that, Tony outstretches his arms, beckoning Peter to come closer. "Come here. Bring it on in." Peter gratefully accepts the invitation, and the two exchange a long, heartfelt hug. As they part, Tony pats Peter on the back. "Come on, don't look so glum. Shellhead may be out to greener pastures but there's no rule that says I can't sneak some tech toys to my favorite Avenger. Don't tell Rhodey I said that." Suddenly Stark stops startled as if he was just remembering something, "Say, I never did ask what you were doing here in the first place. This wasn't some remote rendezvous booty call was it?"
"No! No, Mr. - Tony, I would never!"
"You're a red blooded American teenager. Why wouldn't you?"
"You haven't seen the news, have you."
"Ah, no. Have you seen the ginormous hole in the wall over there?" Tony points to the direction of a bare spot on the wall with exposed cabling and wires. "By decree of Pepper. The whole place is on a media lockdown. I'm supposed to be relaxing, rejuvenating and recovering. She thinks if I watch the news, I'll stress out about not being able to help. She's not wrong."
"It's…," Peter sighs, "It's a really, really long story."
"Well, lucky for you, I'm an isolated hermit with no tv. I'd love to hear all about it. Over breakfast. You do know how to make breakfast don't you?"
"Yes."
"Good. I was thinking of French toast."
Tony ushers the teenager in the direction of the kitchen. "You know what, you better head into the kitchen first. I've been left to my own devices for a couple of weeks so its a disaster area in there right now. Might need to couple minutes to tidy up. Bread is in the pantry above the sink."
Peter pauses in the doorway, seemingly having a moment of doubt and hesitation. "Tony?"
"Yeah, kiddo."
"You really were dead. Right?"
Tony stills for a moment. It's not a pleasant memory. There was quite a lot of pain and his brain was overloaded dealing with that and the emotions from within and directed at him. He doesn't really like to dwell on that particular moment. He prefers to think of what came after.
"I was. Technically, it was about four days. Five if you count when the S.H.I.E.L.D. cleaning crew found me. I was a little out of it at the time. They had to call in Fury."
"And this IS real, right? I'm not hallucinating. You're alive."
Tony cocks his head to his side, and nods an affirmative back to the young man. He could understand Peter's skepticism. He was still coming to terms with it himself. "Yes, Pete. This is real. I'm not dead. I'm not a hallucination or an alternate version of me. I'm really back."
Relief seemed to flood Peter's body at Tony's reassurance at his existence. It was always good to know that despite how crazy this all seemed, it wasn't him.
"Pete?"
"Yeah?"
"The French Toast isn't going to make itself, you know." Tony gave a shooing motion to the teen. "You might want to go and…"
"Oh, yeah, right. Sorry, Mr…ah, Tony."
"That's a good lad."
Peter continued through the doorway seemingly now content and happy. Tony turned back to the living room and walked over to collect the broken mug still on the floor with only a small wince as he picked it up. As he was about to follow Peter through the kitchen doorway, he paused when he noticed their internship photo now set apart from the family photos. He made his way over and carefully returned the photo to its proper place amongst the others. Standing there, looking at his life in pictures, Tony couldn't help but reflect on how lucky he was after all. He didn't know why the Universe had saved him in his last hour, but if there was one thing life had taught him it was that he was more than just the suit. He was…
A Genius, billionaire, philanthropist, mentor, friend, husband, father.
And he knew that whatever the future would bring, he would have a part to play in it.
The End