Notes: Please let me know what you think!
Tags: none for this again.
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With Tony there were many before's and after's.
Before Rhodey and his parent's death. After Rhodey and their death.
Before Pepper and after Pepper.
Before Stane and Iron Man. After Stane and Iron Man.
But that was only the beginning.
There was Whiplash, Hammer, the idiot little boy who thought he could take on the drone.
The palladium. The redheaded, dead language speaking, spy.
The party.
Iron Man yes. Tony Stark no.
The cure.
And then there was even more.
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There were Gods, capsicals, nukes, wormholes and phone calls.
Sacrifice plays and cutting wires.
There was before the Avengers and after the Avengers.
There was a panic attack.
There was a terrorist, his home being destroyed, snow, Tennessee, a kid named Harley.
The name of his autobiography and burning people.
Extremis.
Happy. Rhodey. Pepper.
Pepper. Falling, he couldn't save her. She saved herself. She was badass that way.
A president, suits, fireworks and operations.
A screwdriver and a shrapnel necklace.
There were maniac robot's, Joburg, Hulk busters, Sokovia.
"He's fast and she's weird", lullabies, and hammers judging worthiness.
Farms, mini agents, wood, and tractors.
Fury, nightmares, and worst things.
Visions, cradles, suits of armour around the world, and endgames.
"You didn't see that coming?"
There were explosions, Wanda, breaks, Accords, and Peggy.
Plums, more explosions, king of Wakanda, books, and trigger words.
Tom Ford suits, guns, and Queens.
An airport, spiders, ants and falcons.
Really old movies, stay down or I'll tell Aunt May, escapes, laser beams, falling, and Rhodey.
Hospital's, anger, Zemo, Siberia, and dead super soldiers.
Barnes, Roger's, and a video.
"Did you know?" And "I didn't know it was him."
Arc reactors, shields, and mechanical arms.
A flip phone.
Tony never realised that all of his before's and after's were just one big before.
After that homecoming night, Tony vowed to not run from Peter anymore. He tried to distance himself and he still hurt the kid. He wouldn't let that happen again.
Shoulder pats turned to high fives, high fives to hair ruffles, which turned to arms slung over shoulders, then side hugs, and eventually full hugs.
Tony let himself soften and become happy and more open to touch. His days of only letting Pepper and Rhodey (sometimes Happy) touch him were gone. Now instead of shying away from affection, he welcomes it. Greeting his loved ones went from verbal responses to hugs. Pepper got a kiss, Rhodey a bro hug, Happy a pat on the shoulder (Happy wasn't a touch person even if Tony now was.)
The kid got hugs, fist bumps, high fives, and complicated handshakes that he'd taught his mentor one afternoon when Pepper had banned them from the lab.
Even May got hugs or Italian cheek kisses when they saw each other.
Which is why it was so bizarre for the rouges seeing Tony after their eventual pardon.
It was like he was a completely different person.
Bruce (who Thor found through Heimdall's help) just smiled as he'd known all along.
It took them all a long time to get used to this new Tony. A Tony that they should have known was actually the real Tony.
Eventually, they realised that it was because of a certain spider that Tony had become who he truly was.
Even though they weren't related by blood everyone knew they were father and son.
And it was a thing worth celebrating because Tony was happy.
And it was because of his family.
There was a before and after, it just wasn't what Tony thought it was.
There was a before Peter Parker and an after Peter Parker.
And Tony would do it all again to have his son by his side forever.
All the pain, suffering, and heartache was worth it as soon as he saw Peter's smile the first time he truly hugged him.
A child's carefree smile could warm the coldest of hearts and exteriors after all.