8. I Love New York
Peter pushed away his plate and patted his full stomach. He'd just demolished a double cheeseburger in a diner he'd never been in before but Tony seemed to think was a favorite of his. In Tony's world, it probably had been.
It had been possibly the juiciest half-pound of beef he'd ever had, with the gooiest cheese, so that world's Peter had good taste.
And now Peter had a new favorite diner.
He wiped his mouth with a napkin and picked up the conversation that had been interrupted by food. "So, I know that I died in your world when Happy and I were out getting ice cream, but I don't know much else about it. Did I blow up an elevator in the Washington Monument?"
Tony's intense gaze flickered into surprise, and he said, "No. Did you do that here?"
"Yeah. It didn't make it into my greatest hits, and it wasn't precisely me, but it was totally my fault. It was this alien weapon thing I found, and it got kinda explosive when x-rayed. And then, when my Dad and the others went back to 2016 to save me, things changed enough that it was a classroom I blew up. Again, not a hit."
Tony chuckled and shook his head. "I thought you were a troublemaker in my world, but you never blew anything up. Well, nothing outside of a laboratory environment."
"Oh, I do that here all the time," Peter said cheerfully. "Especially when me and Bruce get experimenting
Tony smiled, a fond but distant look in his eyes. Peter had the feeling that he wasn't the one that Tony was really seeing—at least he wasn't the correct version of himself. It didn't trouble him. He knew he would have the exact same issue looking at this version of Tony if his father had died. In fact, he counted his blessings that he was the one that still had all the people he loved in his life, even though May and Ben weren't technically in life.
"You certainly enjoyed lab explosions in my world. In fact, Pepper instated a rule that we could do nothing that had even the slightest chance of exploding for one month before the wedding."
"You're married there, too? Was I there?"
"Of course you were!" He looked surprised to be asked. "Weren't you here? I know Tony and Pepper are married."
"Well, it all went kinda wrong when I tried to go to their wedding. Nemesis showed up and kidnapped me, so it got canceled. They had the real wedding after Thanos' Snap, and I was kinda there—watching from the shadows, since I was, you know, dead."
"Was that hard for you?" Tony asked. "Living on the periphery.
"Not even a little," Peter said honestly. "I think I had the easiest time those five years because I was missing no one. I could see them in the Soul Plane, and I could come to earth and see everyone here. I got to see Morgan grow up, be a part of it, and I also got to see all my family. The only thing that stopped it being perfect was not knowing if I was going to survive The Snap."
Tony took a sip of his coffee, eyes thoughtful, and then said, "Were you scared of dying?"
Peter frowned, wondering whether to be honest and risk upsetting him. "Yes," he admitted eventually. "I wasn't watching on the battlefield because I was still healing after getting the Soul Stone, and that was… well, it wasn't the nicest thing. I was kinda laying there at the bottom of a cliff and thinking how it would suck to die there without anyone I loved being with me." He shook his head, dispelling the painful memories. "I went to The Stones and just waited with them. I knew when he—I snapped because they just… went nuts! I thought for a moment that I was Unworthy, and I was waiting for it to catch up to me, for me to die, but then I realized they were happy. They—The Infinity Stones—were rioting. It was insane." He smiled, remembering how it felt to be among them as they shared their elation, how relieved he was.
"Was…" Tony cleared his throat. "Was my Peter scared?"
Peter bit his lip. The honest answer was that Peter had been scared, in pain, and worried about Happy, but he did not want to haunt Tony's memories with that information. Instead, he shook his head and smiled. "He wasn't really aware after the bullet hit. Everything was all very distant to him. He knew something had happened to Happy, but the blood loss softened all the edges. It was… peaceful."
Tony exhaled a huge breath and wiped at his wet eyes. "Thank you, Peter," he said, voice heavy with emotion.
Peter knew he had done the right thing lying; it had been a kindness. Tony didn't need to know the truth.
"How did you and I meet?" he asked, wanting to move the topic on.
Tony set down his cup and a distant look came into his eyes. "Funnily enough, it was through a field trip with your school. I already knew about Spider-Man, knew your name and that you were from Queens and that you lived with your aunt, but we saw no need to involve you in our problems until…" Tony chuckled. "Did you have any interaction with a villain that called himself Green Goblin?"
"Nope. Not yet anyway."
"I hope you don't. He was actually a rival of mine called Norman Osborn."
Peter snorted. "Oscorp I do know. That was where I got the spider bite that started the whole Spider-Man thing."
"In my world, too," Tony said. "Osborn thought he could take out the two versions of me at the same time—Iron Man the Avenger, and Tony Stark the professional rival. He crashed a seminar we were holding with your class and others on this ridiculous hoverboard he had. Peter Parker disappeared and Spider-Man arrived. You helped us lock him down until the authorities came. You were actually the hero of the day because I didn't even have a suit nearby: an oversight. From there it snowballed until you were an Avenger, going on sanctioned missions."
"Sounds cool," Peter said. "And I'll definitely check in on Mr. Osborn a little. The last thing we need is him getting his Goblin on while we're dealing with Nemesis."
"I agree," Tony said. "Though, from what I saw, you have nothing to fear from Nemesis."
Peter nodded, thoughts wandering a little. "I'm not scared of them now, not after facing them like I did and being the stronger one. If I could track them down now and end it, I would. But they'll come back in time and then I'll… deal with them." He wasn't overjoyed at the thought of going to the Ultraverse, touching that empty pit, but it was the only way to make sure Nemesis couldn't hurt anyone else.
"And you will live forever," Tony said with obvious satisfaction.
"Yeah. I was kinda wimpy about that in the beginning," Peter admitted. "I couldn't imagine living forever—watching everyone I love grow old and die, even Morgan. It just blew my mind. But I'm not scared anymore. I'll be able to see the people I love and lost in the Soul Plane whenever I like, and I'll have Bucky." He grinned. "We'll be okay."
"You will," Tony said, smiling widely. "Forever."
Peter understood what he was thinking. For Tony, who had lost his Peter, to know that the Peter he was with in the here and now could and would never die had to mean a lot. If their roles were reversed, Peter would be overjoyed to think there would be a Tony out there that would never die, even if he couldn't have him in his life.
Peter sipped the last of his soda and said, "What shall we do with the afternoon? We can go back to the tower and hang out, watch some movies, or we can go to the movies?"
"Whatever you want to do," Tony said. "I am happy to go along with whatever you choose."
Peter considered. "Well… I heard they were filming a TV show in the Star Wars universe that I've been thinking about checking out, so we could do that?"
Tony raised an eyebrow. "Do you really think they'll allow us on set?"
Peter grinned. "Allow is a strong word. But if they can't see us, they can't kick us out."
Tony snorted. "Do you have an invisibility cloak, Harry?"
"No, Dumbledore, but I've got the Reality Stone…"
"You can make yourself invisible?"
"Yeah," Peter said happily. "It's what I did while I locked time down here. I spent a lot of time watching my mom and dad with Morgan, watching her grow. I don't think I'm technically invisible, not on a scientific level, but I can make us unseen."
Tony grinned. "What kind of scientist would I be to refuse this chance?"
Peter beamed. "Awesome. Though you can't let Ned know what we're doing if you happen to run into him while we're here. He's my best friend and he's awesome, but he couldn't keep a secret if his life depended on it."
He caught the waitress's eye, and she nodded then bustled over with their check. He put down enough to pay for their food and a generous tip before Tony could and then led him from the diner and out into the street, looking forward to an afternoon with this version of his father, even though it was a little intense to be the subject of his focus.
With Peter away with, well, him, Tony made the most of the week with Morgan. By the time Friday had rolled around, the seventh day since Peter and his friend had taken off, he had settled into a routine, although he was happy that Peter had sent a text saying they were coming back for dinner and to catch up with everyone.
He took over from Pepper with Morgan's schooling for the morning, and then led her into the kitchen to help him make lunch for everyone and to fix a marinade for the steaks he'd bought for dinner, wanting it to be special for Peter when he got there, perhaps to give him motivation to stay or at least come back more often.
Morgan seemed content to be without Peter, which was definitely something new. Tony remembered how upset she'd been when Peter went on 'vacation' before. However, when they relived her life they changed a lot. Peter was always coming and going in those days, and she grew up understanding that, no matter why he had to go away, he would always come back, so he would come back this time.
He checked his watch and saw that Peter was due in six hours. He opted not to tell Morgan that, though, wanting her to have the surprise of her brother's arrival.
"Uncle Steve!" Morgan said cheerfully as Tony heard footsteps behind him and turned to meet Steve's smile.
"Hello, Miss Morgan. Are you helping your dad with lunch?"
"Yep."
"And we don't need any more help," Tony said quickly. "You keep your culinary cursed hands out of here."
Morgan giggled and Steve feigned affront. "Wow, okay, really? Listen to how your dad talks to me, Morgan. Is that kind?"
Morgan shook her head, straight-faced now. "No, Daddy, that's mean."
Tony rolled his eyes and said, "You're right. Sorry, Steve. You can help make lunch if you like."
Steve looked like he was actually going to accept the offer, and Tony resigned himself to takeout instead of grilled cheese after Steve had gotten involved. Before Steve could speak, though, Bucky and Sam strolled in and Bucky said, "No way. We promised Pete the best steak he'd ever eaten tonight. Steve is not screwing that up."
"That's mean, too," Morgan said, warming to her theme.
Bucky closed his eyes for a moment, possibly summoning patience, and said, "You're right, Morgan, but Steve is much better at fixing drinks for us than he is cooking. How about we ask him to make some special punch to go with dinner?"
"Okay," Morgan said with a decisive nod. "Can you do that, Uncle Steve?"
Steve grinned. "For you, Miss Morgan, I can do anything."
Morgan beamed and listened as Steve began listing ingredients they'd need for the punch, and Tony watched them fondly, enjoying his daughter's happiness with his friend.
Suddenly, Bucky sucked in a breath, eyes wide and worried. Tony had done no more than ask, "What's wrong—" before Bucky was running at Morgan and scooping her into his arms and shouting, "Do something then!"
A bubble of Stones light encased Bucky and Morgan and Tony rushed to stand beside Steve and Sam in front of them. He had no idea what was coming, though he was pretty sure it wasn't Nemesis following the beating Peter had given them.
He wished Peter was there, and he'd started to tell Friday to call him when the sliding glass door leading to the decking area opened and a familiar face entered.
Though this one was a ghost.
The moment her feet slammed into solid ground, she bent over, hands on her knees, propping herself up as her stomach rolled with nausea. It hadn't looked so bad when they'd seen Tony arrive, but she supposed he'd been consumed with getting to Peter, who they'd known was there, not aware Tony was coming, but the reunion much anticipated.
It had been hard to allow Tony to come to Peter and not her. They'd spent a long time arguing about it while they perfected the technology. Tony had been insistent that it was his job to save Peter where he hadn't been able to before, and she eventually acquiesced. She'd vowed to herself, though, that she was going to make her own trip before long. The chance to see Peter again, even a Peter that did not belong to her, was too tempting to refuse.
She now had a good reason to come.
She straightened up tentatively, wary of her stomach protesting the movement and making her sick. It seemed to have settled a little, though, and now had faint butterflies of anticipation.
Peter wasn't there, she knew; she'd watched through I-Spy as he and Tony left to go to the city together. She'd burned with jealousy while she watched Peter and Tony together, even though she was glad Tony was having a chance to be with him. The only person that grieved Peter and Happy's deaths as intensely as her was Tony, and he had the added guilt that he'd not been able to save them.
He'd had no chance, though. It hadn't been her Peter or Happy that were the intended targets. It had been Nemesis that had killed Peter and Happy… Well, he had just quit.
She took a deep, calming breath and walked around the building to the sliding door which was ajar. She could hear urgent voices inside, Tony asking what was happening and Bucky shouting, "Do something then!"
Guessing Bucky had sensed her arrival the way he had Tony's the week before, she sped slightly to see them and set their minds at ease.
She entered the spacious living area, and saw Tony, Steve, and Sam in the kitchen, all standing in front of Bucky and Morgan, the former shielding the latter with his body and The Stones' colored light.
"May?" Tony said, voice shaky.
She nodded and forced a smile for him. "Hello, Tony."
Tony's eyes filled with tears, and she realized this moment had some deep meaning to him. Perhaps they had been closer in this world than they had in her own. She didn't have a chance to see it herself to know. I-Spy had become active when this world had already been decimated by Thanos, and the version of her from this world was long since murdered.
"Is she safe, Buck?" Steve asked.
"Yeah," Bucky said. "And Pete's on his way."
He straightened up and handed Morgan into Tony's arms. Morgan, the little girl May knew Peter adored, examined her with an interested eye. "You're Aunt May."
May started a little. "Peter told you about me?"
Morgan nodded. "And showed me pictures. He said you were his momma from when he was a little boy to when he was grown—before Mommy was his mom. But you're still his momma. Peter says you can have more than one and the more love you have the better."
May felt a rush of fondness for the little girl. "Peter is right."
She wouldn't deny that she'd felt a pang the first time she saw Peter call Pepper 'Mom' through I-Spy, to know that her place had been taken by someone else, though the part of herself that could see clearly accepted that Peter had loved her just as much as Pepper, even if he'd never called her mom.
"He's here." Bucky said, as there was a rush of rainbow light in the corner and Peter and her world's Tony appeared. They were wearing matching baseball caps with 'Crew' embroidered on them and in their hands appeared to be lightsabers. Their confusing attire was almost immediately pushed aside as shock faded and her heart swelled with joy at the sight of her nephew, curls creeping around the rim of the hat, a few years younger than he had been in her world but so much more mature where it mattered. His eyes were wide, and as he stared at her, they grew wet.
May swallowed the lump in her throat but left the tears to fall unchecked and said, "Hello, sweetie."
"May…" he whispered.
She'd wondered when she made her decision to come here what his reaction would be. She knew he saw his May and Ben frequently when he visited them in the Soul Plane, so she'd not known whether he would feel a connection to her, the one that didn't belong.
But from the look in his eyes he felt more than a connection to her—he felt the same draw of a bond to her as she did him.
His lightsaber dropped from nerveless fingers, and he started walking towards her, his eyes fixed on her face. She started towards him, too, unable to resist the draw to hold him, and he sped up. They met in the middle with gasps and a sob from May, arms wrapping around each other, and Peter buried his face in her neck the way he had when he was little.
"Look, Daddy, Peter's crying," Morgan said, her tone untroubled, as though she'd experienced tears of joy in her life and knew them when she saw them.
Tony cleared his throat roughly and said, "Yeah, he is. That's because he's happy to see his Aunt May again."
May shot him a smile and hugged Peter tighter. Peter clung to her, and seemed to drag himself away when Tony, her Tony, asked, "What are you doing here, May?" in a tone that indicated he was less than pleased by her presence.
She had seen his reunion with Peter, and it had not been as heartfelt as hers. She knew it was petty to feel this pleased about it, but she'd watched Peter with this world's Tony long enough to know they were both dedicated to each other, that Tony loved him even more than Tony had in her world, and yet she'd not been able to see herself with Peter.
She was smug that Peter had been so pleased to see her, even though she wasn't the one that belonged.
She reluctantly released Peter and turned to Tony. "I have bad news."
The energy in the room became tense, and May noticed Tony had wrapped his arms around Morgan a little tighter and Steve and Bucky had moved closer to Peter.
"What is it?" her Tony asked, his voice indicating that it was not worth her making the trip here and interrupting his time with Peter.
"Thor got a distress call from Heimdall," she said. "He got there as fast as he could, but it was too late. The Asgardians had been decimated."
Peter stiffened and Bucky gasped.
"What?" this world's Tony asked, holding his daughter close.
"It's not been decimated," Bucky said. "It's been halved and…" He exchanged a look with Peter who nodded. "The Reality Stone was taken."
"What does that mean?" the other Tony asked. "I thought you had all The Infinity Stones."
Peter grimaced. "It means… It means Thanos was there."
So… Yep, Thanos is back, too. I'm very excited to share the next couple chapters with you all.
Until next time…
Jadey xxx