Chapter Text
Tony Stark wakes up.
He wakes up, and the first thing he notices is how dark it is. The second thing he notices is the weight across his legs. He panics, kicking out. He hears a muffled ‘oomph’, and tries to raise his head to see, only to be pushed back down. He opens his mouth to scream, but then there’s a face over his, so familiar and lovely and home that he whimpers instead.
“Tony, oh my god. You made it, you saved everyone and you made it. That’s Morgan on your legs, she doesn’t sleep unless she falls asleep with you first. You’re okay, Tony. You’re okay.” Pepper. He goes to raise a hand to touch her face, and whines in frustration when he can’t. He tries with his other hand, and manages to run his fingers along her cheek, catching some of the wetness there. He tries to speak, but his mouth and throat are so dry he can’t get anything out. Pepper gently holds his hand there, turning her head to press a kiss to his fingers. “I’m going to call the doctors now, okay? They’re going to check you over and make sure you’re alright.”
Tony shakes his head, swallowing. He speaks, even though it feels like speaking through a throat full of rocks. “M-Morgan, Pete, Rho-”
“I’ll wake up Morgan and call Peter too, okay? Peters just down at the cafeteria, grabbing him and me some coffee. He left right before you woke up. Rhodey is on clean-up duty, you’ve only been out for a little over a week. He’ll be here as soon as he can.” Pepper gently puts his hand down, and moves to where Morgan is, curled up on Tony’s legs fast asleep. “Morgan, baby, it’s time to get up.”
“No,” Morgan mumbles, pushing her face into Tony’s calves, “staying with Daddy.”
Pepper runs a hand through her hair. “Baby, look up. Daddy’s awake.” That gets Morgan’s attention, and she yanks her head up before she shifts up so she’s sat on her father’s thighs. “Daddy!” She yells, making Tony wince. “Sorry,” she whispers, “I’m happy you’re awake.”
Tony can feel himself starting to tear up, and doesn’t try to hide it.
“Daddy’s probably hurting, Morgan, and he can’t talk much right now. I’m going to call the doctors to help him, but that means you need to get off, okay? You can sit right next to him, but the doctors will need you to be off the bed.” Pepper lifts Morgan out of the bed, letting her press a kiss to her dad’s face before depositing her in one of the chairs by his bedside and hitting the nurse call button.
Immediately, there’s a doctor and nurse in the room, Shuri right behind them. The nurse hands Pepper a cup and straw, setting a big water jug on a table by the bed. The doctor grabs Tony’s chart, giving it a glance-over. “I’m glad to see you awake, Mr. Stark. I’m Doctor Gilio. Do you remember what happened? Just nod or shake your head.”
Tony nods, accepting the straw Pepper puts to his lips, drinking the water as fast as he could. “Careful, Tony,” Pepper chides softly, “you don’t want to make yourself sick.”
“You were put in a medically induced coma to heal from your injuries that welding the gauntlet caused you. Thor helped keep your heart beating while Shuri did the best she could with nearly no resources until we could get you hooked up. Transporting you was difficult, but you made it.” The doctor flips Tony’s chart over. “Now, the hard part. You’ve lost one of your arms, and we had to reconstruct your ear. Any feeling of pressure in your ear may be a sign of hearing loss. You also have bad burn scars over your chest.”
“That’s why I’m here,” Shuri says, stepping forward. “We made Barnes an arm, and would like to do the same for you. The doctors here have also let me use the bit of Wakandan tech I could have brought over in order to help your recovery. You should have full movement of everything except the missing arm. I have repaired the damage that was done to your neck and eye as well. I know you are also a man of money, but my brother is funding your entire medical stay and costs associated with it.”
Tony closes his eyes, letting the information wash over him. He doesn’t want an arm like Barnes’ - one that could be used as a weapon. He doesn’t want to see or touch another weapon ever again.
“We’re going to take you off the machines,” the nurse says, “you’ve been breathing on your own for a while now, and we’ve only had you on the IV for fluid and nutrients. The catheter will be removed as well, and we’d like to get you up and moving as soon as you feel able. We’d like to keep you for another night or two, just to keep an eye. We’ll just have you hooked up so we can monitor your vitals, but that’s it. Visitors are allowed, just let us know who is and isn’t allowed in the room.”
Tony nods, drinking more of the water. “Cheeseburger?” He asks, making Pepper laugh.
The doctor smiles, “Normally, we do not allow outside food. However, an exception can be made for Earth’s Best Defender and Saver of the Universe.” She winks, and Tony knows she’s trying to lighten the mood, but it feels like a dead weight in his stomach. A reminder that he defied certain death twice in such a short period of time. He wasn’t supposed to make it out of space, he wasn’t supposed to live after wielding the gauntlet.
“Is that all, Doctor?” Pepper asks, and the doctor nods, letting them know how to alert someone for more water or if Tony’s status changes. The doctor a nurse file out, but Shuri lingers.
“I know you do not want to take credit, Mr. Stark,” she starts, “but without you, we would have lost people not only to battle, but to Thanos once again. Instead, Thanos and anyone who may try to avenge his death is gone. There are no more threats. You will always be an Avenger, Mr. Stark, but you don’t have to fight anymore. As your wife has said, you can rest now.”
Tony nods, and she leaves. Pepper gives him more water, and helps him move his bed so he’s sitting up instead of laying back.
“Hey, I’m sorry about being gone for so long, this hospital is so confusing! The signs are useless, by the way. I forgot how you wanted your coffee, so I just grabbed milk and sugar packets and hoped for the best? Sorry, Mrs. Stark -” Peter finally looks up during his rambling, and the coffees and aforementioned sugar packets crash to the floor. “Mr Stark!” Peter yells, launching himself across the room. “You're awake! I thought you were gone, Mr. Stark. You’re like a dad to me, you know? I didn’t know what to do, and then Thor and Shuri did some weird magic stuff and your heart was beating! And then you came here.”
So he did die, then. It made sense, but he hates that he was mourned for the minutes he was.
“I’m okay, kiddo,” Tony says, voice still rough. “I’ve got my kids and my wife, and I’m retiring as soon as I’m out of this damn hospital.”
Morgan has crawled back into Tony’s lap, and Peter sits as close as the rail on the bed will allow, right next to Pepper, who smooths Tony's hair off his forehead, pressing a kiss there.
“You’ve got us,” Peter says, near tears, “You’ve got us and if anyone tries to make you fight again I’ll fight them.”
“I’ll fight too!” Morgan cheers.
“That won’t be necessary, Pete,” Pepper grins, “My lawyers are going to take care of it. We’re going to be a family now, as we’re meant to be.”
“A family,” Tony says softly, “my family.”
“Your family,” Pepper says firmly. “You, me, Morgan, Pete, May, Rhodes and Harley. We’re your family, Tones, and we love you.”
“Three thousand ,” Morgan confirms.
“I love you, too, Mr. Stark.”
Tony looks at the people he loves, his family , minus Rhodey and Harley, and - wait.
“Harley?” Tony asks, “who called Harley?”
“You’ve been visiting him ever since you took over his garage, of course he heard the news and was worried. He’s staying in a hotel nearby and will be around in the morning.”
Tony nods. “I love you all,” He says, “and that’s why I mean it when I say I’m hanging up the suits and Avengers stuff up for good. I’m retiring.”
“And you deserve it,” Peter says, “You saved the world , Mr. Stark. As far as I’m concerned, you can do whatever you want, now.”
“Now get some sleep, Tony,” Pepper says, “it’s three in the morning. We can figure everything else out in the morning.”
He looks at the three of them again, and panics. He can’t sleep, what if he wakes up and it’s all gone? What if this is his eternal punishment? Thinking he made it, only to have it ripped away over and over?”
“Mr Stark!” Peter snaps Tony out of his thoughts, “We’re not going anywhere. We promise. You made it.”
“I made it.”
“You made it.”
Tony stops fighting the fatigue then, letting sleep wash over him.
I made it, he thinks just as he’s falling asleep, I really made it out.