Hello again guys!

This chapter is a little surprise for you, it's not exactly a new story, but it can be considered an unofficial very short update. Remember I mentioned in the previous chapter that I had found some of my old projects? So, this one is the first chapter of an old fanfic of mine that I posted here in early 2019 with another account of mine, its was called Meant To Be, I'm sure that some of you will remember it when you start reading this. For personal reasons at the time I decided to discontinue the story and removed it from the site, and two weeks ago I stumbled uppon it again while looking through my old files.

Meant to be first chapter is so special to me and I remember there were several people who liked it too, so I decided to repost it and put it as part of the universe of Infinity Possible Ways to Meet You as a stand alone; I didn't make any changes to the chapter so it goes as it was originally posted in 2019, and I will also leave the original synopsis. Although I still have with me the rest of the chapters that were written for Meant to Be, I won't continue it so that's all I'm going to share with you folks, sorry about that.

As for future projects, I currently have a really cool and different idea for chapter 6 of this series, but as my chapters are usually huge, you know, I don't know when I'll actually finish writing and be able to post it, so no promises about that.

Thanks again everyone! Until next time!

Summary: Five years passes after The Snap and Tony Stark lives the role of a loving husband and a dedicated father, but every sunset makes him remember a kid full of dreams that once unconciously started to teach him the meaning of caring. So, when life unexpectedly throw's him back into his care, Tony begins to see the second chance for them to be the family they're meant to have been.

Infinite Possible Ways to Meet You

Through Blood

~.~

Peter closed his eyes and took a deep, shaky breath; he feels it slowly taking over him, his limbs, his blood, every cell in his body. That impending sensation coupled with a powerful chill and his legs give out; he was immediately supported by Tony's embrace.

He held himself to the man as if trying desperately to grasp his own life, felling it drain away from him faster and inevitably. His strength vanished and the young man fell as Tony laid him on the ground, knelling beside him, still partially holding his mentee in his arms.

Trembling and cold, Peter was overcome with a deep and irrational fear that tore through him, beginning to suffocate him, overwhelming his being completely. He was afraid; very, very afraid, and then the numbness began to envelop his limbs and his body started to give itself way, turning slowing into dust. Peter looked at his mentor and the young man saw the same deep fear reflected in his brown eyes, and for a brief moment Peter was surprised; it was the first and the last time he would see such fear in Tony Stark's human eyes that were so open and sincere to him in that short, final moment.

Peter felt his spirit begin to fade way to the desire of the universe, as well felt sympathy and sadness for the other man.

"I'm sorry..." He managed to tell in a ragged whisper; He didn't want to have passed on his fear to his mentor, he didn't want to go and leave his fear, his weakness, his begging as the last memory of him.

He regretted his mistakes, all his teenager stubbornness, but at the same time felt so grateful that he had met Tony, for all the things the man had done for him, for his constant presence in his life, for caring. Peter felt his face relax with acceptance, and in that last look he tried to demonstrate all that the other man really meant to him; he was more than a friend, more than a hero, more than a mentor… so much more ... and Peter saw as Tony's eyes filled with tears that refused to fall, that refused to accept, just before his own vision darkened and the numbness fills him completely.

Then all his fear is gone, as is the cold, the despair and all sensations and feelings; that numbness enveloped him and the darkness of oblivion was completely all around him.

He forgot everything; forgot who he was, his name, where he was or how he came to be there; he forgot what it was like to talk and the meaning of things, just as he forgot what time was, his life, his family; he didn't even know what that word meant anymore, because he has forgotten the importance of everything, drifting away in that strange and empty world.

And then suddenly that immutability was jerked hard, a big change that seemed to envelop and drag him into a whirlwind of sensations; he felt cold again and a very bright light surrounded him. On instinct he screamed and began to cry, wanted it to stop, but couldn't speak, but when those horrible sensations seemed to never end, he felt himself enveloped in something soft and warm and then was embraced carefully.

On instinct he snuggled into that embrace, his crying stopped and partially opening his eyelids he saw the deep brown eyes of a man gazing at him in a mixture of adoration and tenderness so great that he felt safe.

He felt loved.

...

"Congratulations Mr. Stark, it's a beautiful, strong and healthy boy."

Tony Stark made no reaction to acknowledge the doctor's words, though he heard them; his attention was completely on the precious little warm bundle carefully wrapped in a blue blanket currently resting in his arms.

He really was a very beautiful baby; they knew it would be a boy for some time, when the news that Pepper was pregnant again had been officially confirmed, it was received as a great joy for their family, especially for the couple's five year old daughter who was so overjoyed that hardly expected the months to pass to start playing with her new little sibling, with no preference for a brother or sister.

It turned out the baby would be a boy.

When they received that confirmation, he had been happy to be a boy; Morgan was his beautiful little princess with a temper admirably strong as her mother's, but like her mother, her interests were different from his. Now he would have a little buddy to teach how to build and fix things.

He had been happy, but at the same time he felt a pang in his heart on the part where there's a still open wound that he doubted would ever close and heal; in the part that always hurts when he becomes too self-conscious of the loneliness in his lab, whenever he looked at the car he'd bought to be the gift for his next birthday, whenever he entered the suit's room and saw the first homemade model of Spider-Man's suit resting beside of the next most advanced model he had built to protect his kid, and it just resting beside the empty capsule that had once held the Iron Spider suit.

His kid...

Tony often tried not to think, to focus his attention on all the things he needed to do in the present time, his work at SI, his lab, his family… but when he was alone his cheating mind made him think, his dreams constantly reminded him of that day; the golden light of the everlasting sunset on the horizon and his young face taken with fear as everything around crumbled to dust, and more than once he awoke in the middle of the night with his wife's soothing voice and gentle touch bringing him back to the present, grounding him.

"We could name him Peter." Pepper once suggested, right after they had the gender confirmation and something inside him immediately didn't like it; it that had shown on his face and the woman understood it, she knew him very well. "It's not a replacement Tony, he'll never be replaced in your heart. It's like a tribute, in his memory."

They talked a lot about names but didn't come to a conclusion, none seemed to be right one and Pepper never pressed him for a final decision whenever they got into it; it was as if that sixth mother's sense and all that weird stuff that he sometimes heard their doctor talking about during the prenatal care appointments was really kicking in again and told his wife that by the time the baby was born they would have found the perfect name to give him.

And now, while watching the boy, Tony felt himself captured by his small and warm brown eyes so much like his own, watching him back in wonder.

He had small strands of dark hair on his head, Pepper's nose and ears, but his cheekbones, mouth and eye color, but what most stunned him was the baby's eyes... there was something in them that he couldn't explain, something that made his heart melt and resurface again, something that strangely made that arching feeling diminish and be replaced by a great sensation of love and wholeness. It was deep and big and made him shudder without understanding, and he felt tears spring to his own eyes as emotion overwhelmed him.

The boy reached out, trying to touch his face and Tony instinctively brought him closer and offered a finger; the boy held it with one of his small hands in a surprisingly strong grip, his little face split in half in a beautiful and bright smile.

"Wow... you both really look like you were made for each other." The doctor laughed lightly; Tony had even forgotten that the woman was still standing there. "Have you decided his name?"

And even before his rational mind could completely absorb the question, he found himself answering.

"Peter." His voice said, and it just... felt right. "His name is Peter."

...

Pepper gradually woke up from a comfortable sleep; she was still tired, but immensely happy. Still somewhat sleepy, the woman realized she was back in her and her husband's room in the Stark Residence and vaguely remembered the mid-afternoon trip from the hospital as she rested most of the time. The sky was quite dark outside, but the room was dipped in a pleasant dim light, and adjusting herself against the pillows, looking at her right site, tenderness filled her countenance.

Tony was sitting in an armchair near the bed with their son safely sleeping in his lap; the boy was half-siting on one of his father's arms and half-lying against the engineer's chest, his little head against his shoulder. Tony held him while with his free hand he was gently rubbing circlers on the baby's back, and Pepper smiled upon her husband's totally melted countenance.

"He's really clingy to you, isn't?" The woman laughed softly watching Peter's small hands gripping hard his father's shirt, and Tony gives her a warm look.

"Of course." He snorted. "Hearing my irresistible voice for nine months straight made him completely head over heels for me. Am afraid that I will be his favorite parent."

"Your voice wasn't the only one he heard all this time; besides, your voice it's not really that impressive." She raised an eyebrow.

"Well," the mas shrugged. "You certainly fell for it."

Pepper rolled her eyes, clearly amused, and smirking, Tony rose carefully from the armchair and seated beside his wife on the bed. He sealed their lips in a deep, slow kiss, and parted when they felt the baby stirring between them.

"Oh... good evening, honey." Pepper said softly, caressing the baby's face as he awakened and stared at her in adoration in half-open eyelids.

"Here." Tony shifted on the bed and passed the boy to his mother's arms, and she proceeded to fuss over him, making the baby smile in delight.

Their room's door opened partly and the couple watched their five-year-old daughter come in, her face expressing uncontrollable curiosity and Pepper smiled softly, beckoning her.

"Come here, sweetheart, come meet your little brother."

Morgan crawled on their bed and settled herself between her parents, watching the baby with a big smile on her face.

"What's his name?"

"His name is Peter." Her mother answered softly; once Morgan was completely seated between them, Pepper carefully placed the baby on her daughter's lap and with one hand Tony helped her hold him.

"Hi Peter!" The girl greeted him happily and the baby smiled at her. Giggling she said. "You are my little super cool brother and I love you so much! Mum and Daddy too! We are going to have so much fun together! I will show you how to draw, how to play with any toy you want, and when you grow a little I'll show you how to make the best chocolate cake Mom taught me! It's very good! Then when we can climb up and jump from trees…"

"Wow, wow! Slow down!" Tony looked at her scandalized. "Your brother barely arrived home and you already want to turn him in an upcoming menace?"

The girl began to laugh and the man shook his head, his hand playing with his daughter's long hair.

"No, no; you both aren't going to turn daddy's hair gray just yet, I want to enjoy my handsome brown looks for a few more years, please."

He bent down and kissed her forehead, tickling her sides and Morgan laughed hard as Pepper took Peter back into her arms to feed him. Father and daughter watched the scene for a few minutes until the baby had stopped, starting to snore softly, and Tony spoke again to his girl.

"Alright little miss, time for bed, come on; your mother needs her rest and tomorrow you can spend more time with her and your baby brother."

"But daaaddy! Please? Pretty, pretty please?" She made that big imploring puppy eyes and Tony easily picked her up and stood, not at all convinced.

"No buts, Morgan, tomorrow. Now, say bye to mom and Pete."

"Bye mum!" Tony leaned in far enough so that Morgan could kiss her mother's cheek.

"Good night, honey." Pepper smiled and the girl caressed her brother's forehead.

"Bye Pete!" She said, easily taking on the new nickname and Tony's heart warmed watching them.

...

When he realized it the man found himself being once more bathed in the golden light of the sunset. It touched his iron armor, making it glow, and Tony took a sharp intake of breath; the air entered his lungs unhindered, for he wasn't wearing his helmet. The engineer hesitated before looking up, expecting to see the angry red sky of Titan, the violent battle that took place upon its deserted rocky plains and all the destruction that had surrounded them, but he was surprised when, for the first time in so many years, he didn't encounter the alien planet but the familiar view of New York City.

Tony frowned; he was on the top of a building and the place was familiar, it only took a moment for his mind to bring back the memories of the Ferry incident. Turning immediately, the engineer saw the young man sitting on the edge of the building, still dressed in the Spider-Man suit and holding his mask in his hands as he gazed out at the Harbor.

His voice caught in his throat and the man swallowed hard, feeling strong emotion in his chest; after so many years of seeing him only in the confrontation against Thanos, this was the first time he'd dreamed of him in such a peaceful situation. Tony watched him for a long time; the teenager was just as he remembered him, young and handsome and strong, with all the vigor of the fullness of his fifteen years... And he felt his heart tighten at the thought.

He was only fifteen years old at that time... So young and full of dreams…

His own words from that memory came back to haunt him.

...And if you died, I feel like that's on me. I don't need that on my conscience.

Tony let the air he was unknowingly holding out of his lungs; it had never been just about not wanting to take responsibility for the kid's actions, but he had been internally shaken to realize that he started to care too much. And he wondered if he had ever shown this to the teenager openly, that he really had cared, without jesting, harsh words or the world crumbling around them.

He realizes that he never had.

The words come back to him and he was able to call him.

"Pete..."

The teenager turned his face away from the sunset and his warm brown eyes, full of youth and life, encountered his; and in them Tony found peace and something more that shone on his iris, as if he knew something funny that his mentor still didn't, and his face broke in a full blow smile, one of the most beautiful the man had ever seen.

...

Tony woke up suddenly and it took a few seconds for the grogginess of sleep to subside and his eyes to adjust to the dimness of the room. Completely awake he took a seated position, watching his wife sounded sleeping beside him with a relaxed face and a soft smile playing on her lips. The man gently lifted a single blond strand that had escaped over her face and tucked it behind her ear, caressing her cheek on the way.

"What time is it, FRI?" He asked in a whisper and the AI answered in the same low tone.

"It is currently 2:05 A.M, Boss."

He frowned, briefly wondering what had woke him at such early hour, and that's when he heard it, a small, very soft cry coming from closer. His eyes immediately shot to the crib beside the bed. The engineer disentangled himself from the sheets, careful to not wake the woman, and he stood, walking to his son's side.

Leaning on cradle's protection, Tony watched the baby moving restless with his little face red from crying, and using his already experienced parenting skills, the man bend down and easily took him in his arms, humming a soft song while taking a seat back on the armchair.

"Hey little buddy, it's okay, daddy's here, alright? You are safe."

At the sound of his voice the crying immediately stopped and Tony saw again the pair of little brown eyes staring up at him, and highly amused, the engineer watched his son accommodate himself better in his arms to sleep, his small hands again clinging on his shirt.

The little squirt... Tony smirked. He was less than two days old and was already trying to have his way on him.

As he caressed Peter's face, waiting for him to fall back to sleep, the smirk faded from his lips and his remembrances took him back to the images of his dreams, to another kid also named Peter who smiled at him upon hearing his mentor calling his name, and Tony closed his eyes as the sensation of strong longing and sadness crumbled over him once more.

God... he missed the kid ... and in the deep it had been his fault for not being able to stop him from following him, for not being able to protect him…

A sharp tug on his shirt made the engineer look back down and he found his son watching him with brown eyes that seemed to hold the universe.

Tony smiled, thought it didn't reach his eyes at that moment, but he embraced the boy while with one hand he gently tried to easy the baby's fingers from his shirt.

"Come on, Pete, let go; you will end up ripping it with all that strength." He joked, and the boy ended up grabbing one of his father's fingers instead.

The baby yawned and hid face on the man's chest in such an adorable gesture that made him remember how hard it had been to not let Morgan disarm him with her big puppy eyes every time she had wanted something forbidden, and laughing softly the engineer knew that it would happen all over again.

Bending down and kissing the boy's forehead, Tony immersed himself completely in the present moment and watched his son sleeping, feeling his spirit more at easy.