Disclaimer: I do not own Avengers or Spider-Man or Doctor Strange.
A HOME FOR BROKEN HEROES
Chapter Six
WHEN REALITIES COLLIDE
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…But in the darkest moments, you'd find it hard to breathe and be alive, pain and misery coming at you in full force, and you'll cry regardless of whether you're alone or in the middle of a crowd.
The whole world just won't matter because all you can think about is what you lost, of the memories you missed and what you'd give an arm to get back. Then you'll realize you can't do anything, and it'll hurt even more.
If you could, you'd choose to get lost in memories, or go far beyond the grave if it means seeing what you lost.
Don't.
It isn't the end.
Not just yet.
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A month after Tony's funeral, Peter Parker-Stark stood knocking at the door to the New York Sanctum, covered in corporate designer's from head to toe. He would have looked pristine if he wasn't soaking wet and swaying like the dead on his feet.
Worried that any harsher gust of wind would knock him down, Stephen Strange hurried to invite him in and shouted for Wong.
His fellow sorcerer took one look at the shivering lad before he was half carrying, half dragging him into their softest couch and scurrying their cabinets for the thickest blankets. All in a matter of minutes, the Stark heir was wrapped like a burrito with Stephen sitting across him, pouring them tea and plating biscuits. Wong, ever the better chef between the two sorcerers, was off to the kitchen with the promise of a Wong special beef brisket noodle for dinner.
After that came the waiting game.
For someone who dropped by on a whim, the kid was surprisingly quiet, taking his precious time keeping to himself.
Patience has unfortunately never been a good trait of Stephen. It used to work well for him as a neurosurgeon whenever he'd been given critical patients, but only because he'd always been a quick thinker and was brave enough to make a calculated risk. It improved after the accident when he'd become a resident in Kamar-Taj but it was more out of desperation and competitiveness than good will. And now, he's actually the Sorcerer Supreme and dealing with creatures and people his old self would have classified as fiction, superpowered heroes included.
Something about the way the kid had never once met his eyes since coming here tells Stephen that this is no casual visit though, and would require more than his normal pay check. Not that the kid couldn't afford it, of course.
Even now, crouching and just a table away, the kid has his head bowed, eyes glued on the steaming cup as if it's the Eye of Agamotto itself.
Stephen timed half an hour before Peter drew a breath at last. And when he spoke, Stephen suddenly wished Peter didn't look his way.
Stephen had only known the boy behind Spider-Man's mask for a short time now, but even just a day would have been enough to associate those bambi brown eyes with youthful excitement and a unique love for life.
Stephen need not imagine what sucked the brightness out of those orbs and replaced all the warmth with a void so deep, so lifeless, it was terrifying.
Even the kid's voice was hoarse and painful to listen to that Stephen failed to hide a wince.
"Fourteen million, six hundred and five alternate possibilities, and only one of them we won," Peter repeated Stephen's own words from back in Titan. "But Doctor Strange, sir, I don't understand. Because all that had to happen for Thanos and his army to get dusted was for someone to wear the gauntlet and snap. I was there, sir. I fought alongside you. I held the gauntlet with me for a few minutes before I passed it on to Ms. Danvers. So, I know. I know that if we didn't wait until the very end, if instead of passing the gauntlet from one person to another, someone just wore the damn thing already and snapped, then…maybe then…"
"Kid-" Stephen struggled to interrupt, already hating himself for having to be the asshole and ruining the kid's hope.
"I don't feel like a kid anymore Dr. Strange," Peter admitted tiredly, cutting him off instead. "Maybe I hadn't really been one for a long time now, but I just didn't realize. The things I've seen and faced, I wouldn't wish them on any one, sir. Not on any adult and certainly not on a child. So if you could please forget my age just this once, and hear me out as you would a fellow Avenger who'd been to space with you…Don't I deserve at least that much?"
Stephen found himself nodding, because what could he possibly say to that?
Peter smiled gratefully and pressed on.
"If we use Pym particles to go back in time, and if we have someone else ready to do the snap, would it have worked sir ? Would we still have won? Would…" Peter gulped. "Could we save my dad?"
Stephen's throat clogged up with guilt.
Peter must have seen it because the kid started to grow even more desperate, "Look, sir, we don't even need to get anyone else involved. I can do it. I'm strong enough, I-"
"I'm stopping you right there, son," Stephen sighed, feeling a migraine coming and pinching the bridge of his nose in a weak attempt to relieve stress . "Stark did what he did so you and everyone else could have a future. So don't spit on his memory by wishing yourself gone in his place. You and I both know you're the last person he wants to see dead in that fight."
And that's when Peter lost it.
Stephen thinks it's a good thing that only he and Wong live in the sanctum because he knew, mask or no mask, the Spiderkid would hate anyone to see him like this. Peter's voice was loud enough to shake the whole building and maybe even more if their place wasn't protected with magic.
"BUT WHY NOT, SIR!? TONY INVENTED TIME TRAVEL TO GET ME BACK, SO WHAT MAKES YOU THINK I'LL STOP AT ANYTHING TO BRING HIM BACK!? WE WERE ALL THERE - ALIENS AND MUTANTS AND GODS AND SORCERERS AND MEN, YET THE ONE WHO HAD TO GIVE UP HIS LIFE WAS A MORTAL MAN WHOSE ONLY POWER CAME IN A SUIT OF ARMOUR! TELL ME, HOW IS THAT FAIR!? My dad was only human! I'm the one that's mutant! I'm stronger and faster than him. I could have-"
"Spider-Man, that's enough," Stephen admonished before the kid could crash his skull on the wall in angry pacing.
The bite in his tone must have sucked the hope out of the young hero because Spider-Man deflated, and Stephen was left waiting in tense silence as the boy blinked and blinked, recognition of where he was and who'd been yelling at dawning on his eyes again after a few minutes.
"I'm sorry, sir, I didn't-" Peter recoiled, stricken with guilt and shame, but Stephen was quick to appease him.
"Hey, none of that. Who among here hasn't exploded at least once? If you think you were the first, you've never seen Wong yell at me the last time I almost burned down the kitchen-"
Stephen stopped at the sound of sniffles, and felt his cloak leave him to wrap itself around the crying lad.
"Look, Peter, I know you're bright, too bright. You're just like Stark in that regard," Stephen offered gently, carefully placing a hand on the lad's shoulder in an attempt of comfort.
When the kid didn't shrink away from the touch, he left it there.
"Deep down, I think you already know the answer. Deep down, you understand that things had to happen the way they did so this earth could live in peace. Isn't that why you came here in the first place instead of going along with a plan by yourself? You came to see me because you needed someone to stop you from doing something you already know would doom us all."
And just when Stephen thought the kid couldn't look any younger, Peter curled up to himself like a toddler scolded after a tantrum.
Pulling back to give him space, Stephen's eyes softened as he says, "Ending always come kid. It doesn't matter to whom or when or where. Death eventually catches up on all of us. But your dad being who he is chose the one that would leave the greatest impact. You're his legacy Peter. You're a good kid, and if your father's words are to be believed, the best of us. You're strong and very brave."
"I'm not," Peter denied. "Please don't say that I'm any of those things, sir, because I'm so, so tired of people saying I'm strong when no one knows what's going on in my head."
"Then tell me," encouraged Stephen.
Maybe this is what the kid needs. Maybe the boy behind the mask is in dire need of someone to listen to him.
Stephen isn't the best at handling emotions. He supposes he related to Stark in that regards. But something about the boy makes it extremely difficult not to level up his game.
Peter stayed quiet, but this time, Stephen was determined to wait.
"Is this normal, Dr. Strange?" Peter sniffled after a while. "I feel like I've lost all the best parts of myself. I feel like a different person. Sometimes, I ask myself if this is why dad kept telling me to always be a kid. He must have known that the child in me would have to die for a version that could be equipped with so much pain and responsibility to come out."
Peter pauses and looks at him searchingly. Stephen has no idea what he hoped to see, but he put on a smile to urge him to keeping going. He must have done right, because Peter did just that.
"I used to love life. I used to enjoy just being alive and seeing people and animals and trees and just basically every living thing. It's a beautiful gift, sir. Life is. And time. But I'm Peter Parker. I have the Parker luck. I know I could never really be happy for too long. Something always happens. I always lose people I love. It's the story of my life, sir. I don't know if it's just me, or maybe I did something wrong and I'm getting punished, or maybe I should be punished…"
Stephen stays quiet, because he doesn't quite know what to say. The kid looks so frightened, and Stephen is yet to figure out why.
"Spider-Man's deepest darkest secret, do you know?" Peter asked.
For a second Stephen only stared, thinking the question was rhetorical. But the kid's silence made him shake his head in response.
"I know it's evil. I know it'll make me sound like a monster. But if I could do it all over again, if I could go back, I wouldn't mind losing half the universe if it means I get to have him back…" Peter's voice breaks and his next words came out in whimper. "I know it's wrong, Dr. Strange. I know I'm being selfish, and maybe it's pointless because if that happens and we lost, then Thanos would probably kill us all anyway, but sir, I already lost so much, and I just…"
Peter exhaled, unaware that Stephen feels the air around them growing thinner with every sentence that came out of his mouth, because isn't this boy only seventeen?
Stephen wonders if what he's feeling is even an ounce of what Tony Stark must have felt when he took boy under his wing. This child. This kid. This hero and the very definition of the word in every sense.
"Every time I get something close to a normal family, every time I feel like I'm finally going to be okay again, something happens. So I thought that if this is my life, then why not? If I could be with dad even if only for the few moments it would take to reach the end, then I would have no regrets. If he's with me, then I'll be okay. Because dad will be my strength, like he always had been. But it's all wishful thinking now, isn't it? I can't hurt Pepper and Happy and Uncle Rhodey. Pepper's pregnant and someone has to be in charge of SI. They need me, sir, and I know if I get over myself, I can be what they need me to be. I can be what dad was for me. I can be it for them."
"But is that what you want ? To be their pillar? Their support?" Stephen heard himself ask before his brain could catch up with his mouth. Because Stark heir or not, this boy is just a kid so why the heck is he taking on the burden of the world on his shoulders?
"The truth is that everything is just too much but I'm learning to live with it. Every day, I get up and I work and I fight but often times the fear will get to me. I'm always scared now because I know nothing is the same anymore and nothing is ever going to be. I want to feel like it's okay to break but I can't because I lost the one person who could make me feel safe and secure, the one person who I know would always catch me if I fall, who would be there to help me get up if I make a mistake, who would tell me he's got me…and now that he's gone, I don't know what to do sir, I just…" Peter smiles, eyes downcast and voice filled with broken acceptance. "…I really miss him."
Stephen sighed, and poured the kid a glass of water. "You're a child who lost his father. It makes sense that you feel that way."
Stephen wonders if he should suggest therapy.
The kid's mouth was laughing even as his eyes continued to cry. To Stephen, it feels as though the boy was mocking his own pain. Either that or maybe he'd been forcing himself to take more than he can chew and now he's just trying to be numb but even that isn't working. Stephen couldn't say which is worse.
"I never even got to call him dad…" Peter, unaware of his inner turmoil, whispered like he was telling him the secret to the universe. "I don't wish for anything anymore Dr. Strange. I know I don't deserve anything more, not after all everyone had sacrificed for me, but if I could be granted just one wish, only just one..."
Peter trails, and Stephen had to lean closer to hear.
The boy behind the mask didn't know it then, and neither did the Sorcerer Supreme, but the heartfelt longing in his next words would forever be engraved in the sorcerer's conscience and keep him on lookout for such a time when he could do the impossible and grant the young hero his improbable wish.
"…I just want a chance to be his kid again."
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Earth 1032
CODE BREACH-CODE BREACH-AN INTRUDER HAS BEEN DETECTED IN THE PREMISES—EVERYONE, PREPARE FOR CAPTURE-I REPEAT-CODE BREACH-CODE BREACH-AN INTRUDER HAS BEEN DETECTED IN THE PREMISES-CODE-
The sirens came blasting through the speakers. Normally, this would raise a red flag and cause Nick Fury to pull out a gun or two, but not this time.
He took one look at the portal and then on the red caped bearded man who just walked into one of the most secured facilities in the world as though it was nothing but a leisure park.
Sensing his agents tense from beside him, Nick waved them off to dismiss and keep them from attack.
"Dr. Strange," Nick addressed, signalling the sorcerer to follow him to his office a short walk away.
When they got there, the director headed for his rotating chair by the desk and only when he's gotten comfortable, deadpans, "Now tell me again why you couldn't just have knocked. We do have a door, you know."
The Sorcerer Supreme just curled his lips and tried not to roll his eyes, though he did nod gratefully when the director gestured him to a seat.
"You said you know someone who could help the team. What have you got to report?"
"I think you forget Nick that I don't work for you," Stephen answers, not impolitely.
"No," the S.H.I.E.L.D. director acquiesces. "You can call yourself a consultant or a freelancer, but whatever you are, you did offer your services for reasons you haven't shared. So do tell, Strange, what is so special about this help that he has your vote of confidence in a time when not even the best of S.H.I.E.L.D. are proving useful?"
The sorcerer tilted his head, legs crossed and lips twitching, the perfect portrayal of calm even as he watches the director lose in annoyance and bristle.
"And don't lie to me, not even by omission, not this time. I know something is going on or you wouldn't have come here the last time. Our sensors detected something strange in the atmosphere. Unexplainable energy fluxes that could not be touched or seen by the naked eye," Nick badgered without pause. "Is there a new threat? I need to know what is happening if I am to prepare the team."
Stephen makes a care free hand gesture. "Do not concern yourself about the rift. Leave it to the sorcerers at the sanctums. But you are correct that something is coming. At the rate this dimension is going, it wouldn't come for a few more years. You would have time to prepare."
Realization dawned on Nick's face before his eyes narrowed and his hand reached for the gun under his desk. "This dimension?"
Stephen smirks. "No need to fear, director. I am not your enemy," he says simply, before standing to finally introduce himself to the man. "Dr. Stephen Strange, Sorcerer Supreme from Earth 616. You are Nick Fury, S.H.I.E.L.D. director on this Earth, I am aware."
Nick just stares, brows furrowed and looking alert as he took the intruder's hand with far less enthusiasm.
"Ever since we detected the rift, I've been keeping in touch with your Sorcerer Supreme. He kept me on the loop to your meetings. I am aware of what has become of your Avengers."
"Where is he?" the director demanded.
"He is in my universe," Stephen divulged, choosing to be the better man and ignore such hostility as he took his seat back. "We decided to switch places for the day. He came to check out mine, and I came to do my own share of inspection."
Nick scowled. "This isn't a boarding school, Strange. What do you need to inspect and for what?"
This time, Stephen did roll his eyes.
"Your team is a wreck, your heroes divided. If the threat comes, your earth won't even stand a chance. I don't know everything that's happened here, but if I am to hazard a guess and considering what I've been told, I'd say it's the accords heightened by the personal dispute of broken trust between Rogers and Stark that caused it, am I correct?"
Nick tensed but nodded.
Stephen sighed and massaged his temple, telling Nick he was not in the slightest bit pleased for having guessed right.
"And your Stark is still with HYDRA?" he inquired, his frown deepening when Nick nodded again. "For how long now?"
"Four days and a half," Nick admitted.
Stephen cursed. "Then you really need him."
"Just who are you sending, and how are you so certain that he'll be good enough for the job? How are we even sure that we want him to come?" Nick gibed, hating to be the one out of the loop.
"Let's get one thing straight, director. Whoever he is, you need him and not the other way around. He isn't your pawn and he will never be so don't expect him to work for you. Treat him well, and we have your back if you need us. But mess with him, and know you have two pissed off Sorcerer Supremes and the whole sanctum to deal with, and trust me Nick, you do not want that."
The director's brows would have risen far above his hairline if he still had one. But as he doesn't, the sentiment remained before his expression turned into that of a cat that caught the canary. "Such high recommendations coming from you. Do I get a name at least?"
Stephen just shook his head and rose, ready to end the conversation. "Apologies, director. I'm afraid you don't have enough access to ask for his credentials. He will introduce himself if he deem it necessary. I will tell you this though. He would be your best bet for rescuing Stark. He would stop at nothing until your Tony Stark is brought back home, safe and sound, and who knows? He might even reunite the avengers as bonus."
Before he could turn his back, Stephen added as an afterthought, "And Nick, might I suggest impressing him? Your version in our world earned himself a nickname bad enough as it is."
Nick blinks. "What?"
Stephen doesn't even bother hiding the amused grin when he lifted his hand to use his sling ring. "Mr. Pirate," he answered simply, taking delight in the flabbergasted expression on the eye-patched man. "Well, I must be off for my next schedule. Thank you for having me."
The portal opens again and this time, Nick turns to see a wide eyed Colonel Lieutenant James Rhodes in leg braces on the other side.
"Fury?" The injured soldier squinted from his bed rest. "What's going on? Who's with you? And is this-" he gapes at the portal, daring a guess. "-magic? We're doing magic now? I know they injected me with something, but they never mentioned this side effect. Am I high?"
Nick never got the chance to answer the overwhelmed colonel.
Strange leaves the same way he came, with the portal closing behind him and leaving Nick to wonder if the pros outweigh the cons.
Their world's Stephen Strange seemed sincere enough in his desire to help. But the man never mentioned anything about the help coming from another universe. And just what reason does the other Strange have to speak to Rhodes of all people? It's as if they both feel that both universes should be prepared.
With all the lack of answers and the bombardment of questions, Nick could practically feel his blood rising. Groaning, he pressed the button on his desk to make a call. If said help could land them a miracle and reunite the Avengers, then the least he could do is keep him off Ross's radar so he can do his job. Yet one question rises above all others and Nick couldn't help but ask.
"Just who the heck are they bringing?"
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James Rhodes likes to think himself a sensible man. But when a sparkly circle pops out of thin air right in the middle of his room in the Military Rehabilitation Centre, well, what is a guy like him got to do?
"Colonel Lieutenant James Rhodes," the magician greeted, checking their left and right and looking satisfied to see that they were alone. "I know someone who wants to speak with you."
Rhodey's brows scrunched as he tried to think of anyone he knows who could possibly be acquainted with a magician. He knows his expression must have reached beyond the height of ridiculous when the first one closes and another sparkly circle opens up.
Rhodey fully expects someone to yell some lame TV show that's made to give people a good laugh. But what he sees is himself looking good, uninjured and waving from the other side.
So he shrieked.
"WHAT THE HELL MAN!?"
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Earth 616
Tony's heart rate was rocketing too fast. Rhodey cursed and jumped on his feet the moment he received the alert from Friday.
Ever since the palladium incident when they discovered Tony's habit of lying to them on his deathbed, they'd always been on rotation on keeping his best friend in check. Happy and Pepper took most of the shifts since they always see Tony at some point for company business. But Pepper's been in Japan for a week now and will continue to be so for another two days, and Happy...Let's just say that the poor guy, finally, finally protested enough that Tony relented to giving him a two week vacation, even going as far as letting him use his private plane. This leaves Rhodey to be the responsible adult and brace himself for whatever shenanigans his stupid genius, recklessly brave self-sacrificing pain in the ass of a best friend has gotten himself into now.
Not for the first time, Rhodey feels appreciative of the Iron Patriot suit the stubborn mule had upgraded for him that enabled him to reach the tower in four minutes and a half.
Past experiences only proved to him that it's mostly always life or death, prison worthy, or a very risky and dangerous time constrained trouble when Tony's involved.
Rhodey likes to think himself prepared for whatever Anthony Edward Stark trademarked mess is waiting ahead when he asked Friday to take the elevator to Tony. If it isn't Iron Man related, then it had to be his drinking habits again that set the alarm.
To his surprise, Friday didn't take him to the lab but to the Medbay, which did nothing but increase Rhodey's tension. He was practically running in full sprint when he heard the yelling.
From the time they'd met as bunkmates to the time they'd become friends and leveled up to best friends to the time they graduated and got set in making their own marks in the world, Rhodey had kept a long list of record of Tony's rage explosions. He'd known the guy for long, seen him yell and humiliate people plenty of times. Only some of them he'd tried to stop and that's mostly when he thought the man was about to get punched. Rhodey has a grasp of what causes Tony's fuse to blow. If not Howard related, then it has to be some deep shit government issues. But when he'd become Iron man, it's become mostly about villains out for revenge or S.H.I.E.L.D. or Avenger's business.
He'd seen Tony deal with anger in ways boarder line stupid to destructive. But what he saw when he was finally standing outside the door was something that had never, and not in a million years would have occurred to him when it comes to what he could expect from Tony.
His best friend was fuming. That much was expected. What Rhodey didn't expect was to see a kid on the receiving end. A kid, who from Rhodey's vantage point by the door, was shaking like a leaf, and upon closer inspection, was wearing the fucking costume of that Spider-kid from Berlin.
"What were you thinking!? You do not go jumping in front a bullet for me, and you certainly do not jump in front of a close range missile for me! What do you think would have happened, huh? You think you're invincible? Well, hate to break it to you but even Spider-Man is not unbeatable! That shit could have killed you!"
"But Mr. Stark, you could have died!"
Tony looked about ready to pull his hair out when he growled. "PETER!"
"Look, Mr. Stark, I know you're really angry and I know I almost died but I didn't. I timed it perfectly and I-"
"NO!" Tony raged, taking a step forward and pointing an accusing finger at the kid's chest and forcing him a step back with every word strongly emphasized. "This is where you zip it. The adult is talking. Listen to me. Nothing, not Iron Man, not SI, not all my techs, not even my life is worth seeing you dead in front of me! Do you hear me Peter? Do you understand?"
But the kid wasn't nodding. His eyes were brimming with tears when he looked up.
Rhodey had to wipe his eyes just to assure himself he isn't hallucinating this.
"I'm not worth any of that Mr. Stark," Spider-Man ventured, shaking his head, shoulders wracking as his tears fall but his tone is hell-bent on getting his point across. "I'm just a kid from Queens. I shouldn't mean that much to you. But if you think that much of me, then what makes you think I wouldn't give shit about saving you? You don't get it Mr. Stark…" And then his voice breaks, and Rhodey could see the anger deflate from Tony. "I can't…" (a hiccup) "I can't lose you…not you too…"
Rhodey had to watch as the kid sprinted before jumping out the window, watch as Tony shouted for him only to be ignored, watch as Tony grabbed the closest thing which happened to be a microscope and tossed it so hard, it bounced across the room.
Rhodey waited for Tony to catch his breath as he sat haphazardly on the floor.
Rhodey chose to join him there, making his steps deliberately heavy so Tony could hear him.
His best friend radiates of self-hate and guilt when he finally noticed him.
"So," Rhodey says as casual as ever, "That's the Spiderkid from Berlin, huh?"
Tony laughed bitterly. "Spider-Man."
Rhodey whistled. "Damn, the kid got spunk."
The laughter almost sounded real this time.
"Yeah, well you should have seen him deal with robots. Webbed them up like a ninja."
Rhode's eyes softened then. "What's going on Tones? I've known you for years and I've never seen you that mad since Obadiah."
Tony pressed his face onto his palms. "Yeah? Well, blame it on the kid. Little shit had the galls to jump in front of a whole load of missiles to save my fucking arse."
Tony leaned his head back on the wall, and Rhodey did the same. "He's just a kid, honeybear. I look at him, and I see a future so bright, I think there'll come a day when I can finally retire in peace. " Then sounding stressed and so very frustrated, he rants, "But he's also a self-sacrificing little shit with superpowers who's always in above his head and I worry for the day he'll do something dumber than his usual and get himself-…" Tony trails. "Honeybear, I don't even dare to think of it. I can't."
Rhodey smirked, feeling the need to lighten his best friend's mood. "Never thought I'd live to see the day Tony Stark becomes a dad."
"What? I'm not, I don't think-" Tony spluttered, but ends up sighing anyway.
" Heroes don't get happy endings in real life, honey bear. I know that more than anyone. But I want it for the kid. I want him to have the best and I want him to have a choice. Whatever future he wants, I just want to enable him to reach for it…whether I'm there to see it or…"
"U-huh," Rhodey teases, not liking the morbid turn his best friend was about to take. "And you think this isn't coming from the side of you that shall never be named?"
"I don't think I'm made of-"
"Oh, you mean dad material? Say it Tony."
"You know what I mean!" he cried in frustration, while Rhodey laughed to his chagrin. "You think this is funny?"
Rhodey just stares at him until he gives in.
"He isn't mine, I know he isn't but he's as good as and-" a groan then "I'm making him my heir."
Rhodey's jaw hit the floor. "What?"
But Tony just stayed quiet. The silence, heavy but not uncomfortable.
"Alright, say no more," Rhodey declared after a full twenty seconds of it, knowing his best friend had reached his limit of mush for the day. "Coz I'm gonna be the best uncle the world will ever see!"
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Little moments like that are worth way more than what they seem. Rhodey only wished his best friend lived long enough to see the kid become everything Tony knew he would be. But some things just aren't meant to be and Rhodey finds himself willing to settle for the next best thing.
"I know you have questions," Rhodey said to his shell shocked version from Earth 1032.
The other him blinked. "Yeah man, just about a hundred of them. How are you even real? How am I here?"
Rhodey nods in understanding. "I'll answer them all. But first, I need you to listen to me because I'm about to entrust you with something worth more than your job and everything you own."
And if he shed a tear or two as he relayed the memory, Rhodey let it fall like a man. Because some memories are worth remembering even if it leaves your heart aching. Some promises worth keeping even if he has to take it to the grave, or in this case, if he has to pass it on to another him in another fucking universe.
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It isn't that the sorcerers at the sanctum aren't nice. Peter knows the Sorcerer Supreme tolerates him enough, and Wong especially favors him and likes to feed him an entire eight member family's worth of meal every time he has the chance.
Peter actually thinks they're super nice and he'd enjoy hanging with them if presented with the opportunity. Just that he'd prefer if they do it anywhere else but the sanctum.
Peter still hasn't forgotten his breakdown which ended up with him bawling and wailing, not to mention all his screaming at the protector of their reality.
Standing by the portal and waiting for Spider-Man to make a move, Stephen's brow lifted in amusement at the kid's fidgeting. Something tells him that his witnessing of the Flash boy choking the air out of the vigilante in a parting hug was not the reason the boy was reluctant to follow him to the portal, but he doesn't feel it appropriate to ask.
"Spider-Man?" Stephen called, drawing the young hero's attention. "You coming?"
Spider-Man blinks, before nodding and following after him.
The moment they stepped into the sanctum, Peter's spider senses tingled and he turned to catch a fork thrown by a peeved Nick Fury sitting by the corner.
Peter stared, dumbfounded, not expecting the S.H.I.E.L.D. director he'd unintentionally been ghosting to catch him here of all places.
"You're a very difficult person to contact, Spider-Man," the eye-patched man greeted.
When Peter just blinked, not quite believing he's there, the man continues, "You can remove the mask. No need for you to be breathing through spandex for no good reason."
The Sorcerer Supreme looks content watching the interaction. But when Peter did remove the mask, he could have a sworn he heard a gasp which confused him because they both already know who he is under the suit.
The door opened right then and Wong appeared, saving him from having to reply and smiling widely when he spotted Peter.
Ignoring all other occupants in the room, the sorcerer headed straight for Peter and proceeded to fuzz over him.
"Want ice cream kid? We have Hunka-hulka Burning Fudge, Stark-Raving Hazelnuts, and Hawkeye-Loca Dutch," Wong informs him in greeting. But at the sight of the Sorcerer Supreme, he glared, "I also bought Spi-dark Cinna-Man Pretzel Crunch but someone here ate the whole gallon. I only got a spoonful."
"You said I could eat anything!" defended the former neurosurgeon.
"Yes, I did, but I never said you could eat all of it!" Wong retorted before mumbling under his breath about sorcerer supremes who couldn't do their own grocery. When he turned to Peter, he was all smiles again. "It's really good despite all the artificial colors. I particularly like the pretzel bits. Very chewy.""
Doctor Strange snorted and grumbled something about special treatment for arachnids.
Peter laughs, his anxiety lowering at their friendly banter. "I'm good Wong, thank you. I actually just ate."
Wong pouts and stepped away, his face squinting as he gave him a full body scan in half a second. His conclusion was, "No can do, kid. You're as thin as stick. We need more meat in you if you are to-"
Fury coughed, and Peter felt the temperature in the room drop. Peter noticed the sudden stiffness in the sorcerers' shoulders and knew something isn't quite right here.
"Wong," the director addressed, "If you could please give us a moment. Only the fate of a universe is at stake here."
Peter blinked, unsure what to think of that statement just yet.
Wong pouts for a second before brightening up the next. "Fine, but I will be preparing braised pork chops and you, Spiderling, are going to eat at least three pans of it!"
"Another cup of coffee for me if you please," Fury requests nonchalantly, earning a huff from Wong and a snicker from Peter when Wong winks at him.
"Of course the pirate asks for coffee," the sorcerer mutters without trying to be subtle. Winking at Peter, he said, "Only black coffee with lots and lots of vanilla for Mr. Pirate."
And with the door closing behind Wong, Peter finally got the chance to focus on the director.
If it's just Peter, he might have grown to respect and maybe even revered the man. But his years spent with Tony allowed him to see more than the intimidating side of the S.H.I.E.L.D. director. Nick Fury and Tony Stark disagreed on so many things but they always somehow managed to get the job done.
In the end, it had been a compromise made after the director lost a bet with his adopted father that Peter only ever called him with one nickname to his face.
"Mr. Pirate, sir," Peter says, addressing him at last. "I really meant to answer one of your calls but something came up and-"
Fury gives him a look that clearly says he can see through his bullshit and Peter grins sheepishly.
Shaking his head, the director waves him off.
"Now that it's just us, I see introductions are in order. Peter, this is Dr. Stephen Strange, Sorcerer Supreme from Earth 1032. He is here to give you a debriefing while your Earth's Sorcerer Supreme is on his to do an inspection."
"Wait a second, what do you mean Earth 1032? Are you talking about the multiverse? Like in quantum physics?" Peter clarified, practically bouncing on his toes and sounding excited all of a sudden.
Stephen smiles kindly and Peter comes to realize his posture is lighter than what he's used to seeing in the Sorcerer Supreme.
"Yes Peter, we are saying it's real. I am from Earth 1032. Yours right here is Earth 616."
"Wow. That's- wow, my mind was blown. But, how? I mean I thought it's all just theoretical. If it's true then what about the initial singularity and the Big Bang and-" Peter gushed, but at seeing their expressions, stopped himself.
Fury looks bored but Doctor Strange looks impressed.
"Sorry, sorry," Peter apologized quickly, feeling himself shrink in embarrassment. Sometimes, it's not easy to filter himself and remember his audience. He's always been used to talking to Dr. Banner who could always follow his fast talk and do his own version of it. "It's just really cool. I used to think a lot of it when I learned dad invented time travel."
"Don't mention it kid. The Ancient One once told me that our universe is just one of an infinite number. Worlds without end, if you prefer."
Peter nodded appreciatively before asking, "So, what's really happening Dr. Strange? Are we being attacked? Is there another invasion? Do we need the Avengers?"
"None of that Peter."
"You know, you seem to like me a lot better than the other Dr. Strange. He's cool. He really is but I guess my continuous talking annoys him."
Stephen laughs. "Well, he didn't get to meet you the way I did. If he did, then I think it'll be a whole other story."
Peter just looks confused. "What do you mean? This is the first time-"
"Is it?" Stephen gives him a look and Peter pauses in his tracks. "What you don't seem to realize, Spider-Man, is you have knack for changing the lives of anyone who's ever had the privilege of knowing you. And to answer your question, I am here to repay the debt I owe you. That is, if you would be willing to come to my universe."
"What- like for a day? A week or…we're not talking about forever, are we? I mean-"
Stephen smiled sadly.
"I'm afraid this isn't going to be a vacation Peter."
Peter jumps. "A mission then?"
Stephen's eyes grow forlorn and Peter had to watch him share a look with Fury.
"What am I really doing here?" Peter asks, his tone suddenly shifting from his playful alter-ego to his CEO voice that demands to be obliged. He'd addressed the question to the director.
"Something is coming Spider-Man. Something big which we ought to be ready for. At first, I thought I'd recruit you, but this earth's Strange visited me with a warning," Nick revealed. "For every villain that rises, there will always be a hero that emerges. It may just be that there is never a true end to our battle. This world will always need saving and while you would be a definite asset to the team, even I know when to concede. There is someone else out there who needs you more, and time isn't something he's in luxury of."
Peter waits for him to go on but it's Doctor Strange who speaks next.
"There is a rift in the multiverse. That is how I and my other version are able to cross dimensions. Where I am from is a universe not so different from your own, Peter. There, you will find both new and familiar faces of friends and enemies, heroes and villains. I will be honest with you kid. The Avengers in my world had a huge fall out and are estranged. Some are in hiding, some in prison. Colonel Rhodes is recuperating, or so I heard." Doctor Strange made a thoughtful pause before he continues to say, "I think my universe could use the help of a hero like you."
Peter opens his mouth to ask but no words came out. Somehow, he already knew where this is going.
Fury seems to understand what he couldn't phrase.
"Tony Stark is alive in Earth 1032 Peter, but HYDRA has taken him and S.H.I.E.L.D. is unable to locate him."
Peter's legs gave up on him then and he slumps to the carpeted floor, shocked brown eyes glued to the holographic image the director is currently projecting.
"This is a footage captured by the Iron Man suit before Stark was taken by HYDRA."
The background looks familiar. It looks like Germany. Berlin, Peter thought, but the scene is one Peter's never seen before.
In a cemented ground and amidst rubble, Iron Man lays unconscious, looking worse for wear with Captain America's shield embedded on his chest plate.
A group of men came to extract the billionaire from the suit, and they all struggled to pull out a battered and bruised Tony Stark in his ripped black AC/DC shirt and pants stained with blood. Black eye decorated his face, and blood is dripping from his cheek.
Peter could see the familiar glow of the arc reactor on his chest.
Peter could understand a few bits of what the other men are saying in Russian. Something about a plan B and the Winter Soldier escaping. He supposes he could learn more if he really tries, but Peter couldn't care the less because his focus is on Tony's chest, rising and falling, the distinct sound of his heart reacting with the arc reactor resonating in Peter's ears like a tidal wave.
He would have tuned out Fury's finishing line if it wasn't for his enhanced senses.
"One last thing you need to know, Spider-Man. The rift closes in two days and we do not know if there will ever be a next."
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To be continued...
A/N: So, yey, you're updated now :D
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And who knows? Your review might just be the one that pushes me to write the next chapter real soon. :D Thank you for reading!
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