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“I love you 3000.”
Tony whispered it so softly into his daughter’s ear. The ear of his beautiful, beautiful daughter Morgan.
God, she turned out great. Even in the short two minutes they had together, she radiated everything he had ever dreamed she would become. Intelligent, well spoken, and strong.
She was so strong. The Morgan he was talking to couldn’t have been older than 19, and her eyes looked like they had already carried the weight of a thousand lifetimes. And he supposed that would make sense, knowing your father, the one who is supposed to stand by you forever, died saving a universe that doesn’t deserve someone as amazing as the likes of Morgan H. Stark can’t be an easy burden to bear.
And because of the choice he made to snap his fingers and give that giant purple asshole a mere taste of what he deserves, she will forever have to carry that weight of not having her father by her side.
He would never see Morgan start school.
He would never see Morgan get her first boyfriend or girlfriend, or get to hold her when a jerk breaks her precious heart.
He would never see Morgan graduate, and go on to do the amazing things she is destined to do, in whatever her interest is.
He would never meet Morgan’s best friends, or teach her to drive, or tell her just how gorgeous she looks in her prom dress.
He would never get to walk her down the aisle to give her away to someone who will love her even a mere fraction of what he does.
He would never get to see Morgan Stark live.
All because he made the decision to sacrifice himself for the universe.
All because he chose the universe over her.
Deep down he knows that’s not true, but in the moment of looking at the wonderful young lady that his sweet little Morguna has become, that’s all he can think.
He feels like a deadbeat dad. Like he did her a major disservice by doing what he did.
He rethinks his entire decision then and there, feeling like he just made the biggest mistake of his life. Not just by snapping his fingers, but by deciding to do the damn time heist in the first place, knowing he was putting it all on the line. Knowing he was putting her on the line.
He squeezes his eyes shut, pulling Morgan into a hug that he knows he doesn’t deserve for doing this to her, expecting to go back to reality and die on the battlefield, in front of everyone, having to face up to what he did.
But he doesn’t.
He opens his eyes up, and he is still in the orange void he was before. Except, Morgan is gone, vanished into the air like she was never there to begin with.
“What the hell?” He whispers to himself, looking down at his hands like he did on Titan five years ago, when—
“Mr. Stark?”
Tony whips around at the small voice, dripping with warmth and familiarity, yet shaky. The voice sounds like he is in pain, but not physical pain. The type of pain you feel when someone cuts your soul deep down to the bone, but you have no choice but to hold back the tears you so desperately want to shed. He sounds the exact same way he did all those years ago, when his life was stripped away from him so cruelly and painfully, when he felt himself tearing apart from atom to atom, and was powerless to stop it.
“Pete?”
“Mr. Stark.” The boy’s damn breaks as tears begin to stream from his big brown eyes & down his pale face.
“Kid!” Tony is know rushing towards him without a second thought, and stops for a second in front of the kid, in front of his kid, to stop and take him all in.
He sees him, in all his glory against the orange background, dawning a white shirt with some god awful yet adorable science pun involving pizza with a baggy navy-blue hoodie on over it. The same clothing, he was wearing when they first met. Back before he was subjected to the hidden horrors behind being an avenger.
Seeing Peter against the bright orange brings back memories.
Mr. Stark?
So many painful memories.
I don’t feel so good.
Memories that he had to carry with him.
I don’t wanna go!
For five whole years.
I’m sorry…
Looking at Peter’s face and into his eyes, and sees just how sad he looks. He notices that his face contradicts his outfit, since his hair is the mess of untameable fluff it was when he last saw him, and his eyes don’t hold the same innocence they did on the day that his outfit claims to be representing.
He notes his surroundings, and realizes that the tent, tree, and table from his time with Morgan has vanished, leaving a long hallway, and a wall with the Stark Industries logo so proudly showing in its place. The same room where Peter made the decision to stay on the ground, the same room where Peter was given his internship, officially.
The same room where they had taken the picture that jump started this crazy mission.
The same picture that made him realize just how much he had lost five years ago.
“God, Pete,” Tony says with a small breath of air, going in to give this wonderful kid a hug.
One of his biggest regrets that he carried during those agonizing five years is that he didn’t hug Peter more, that he didn’t show the kid just how much he meant to him. So, he doesn’t care that he just hugged him no less than 20 minutes ago, this was his final chance to get to do it again, and he was not missing the opportunity.
Only, Peter slowly and shakily backs away from him.
“Why’d you do it?” He asks oh so bluntly, in a tone as serious as Tony has ever heard it, despite the tears rolling down his face.
“What?”
“Why’d you do it?” Peter repeats. “Simple question.”
“I-I…” Tony staggers for a second, knowing exactly why did it, but too overcome by the regret of leaving Morgan to get the words out, or even find them to begin with.
“I know you did it f-for me.” Peter says, now letting his emotions fully show. “I just want to know why.”
Tony just gave the kid a sad look, a sad smile, and just said the first thing that came to his head as an explanation. “Because I missed you, Pete. God, I missed you so much these past five years. And I just got you back, why would I give that Barney ass looking motherfucker a chance to take you away again?”
Peter gives out a small laugh at that, which Tony is beyond grateful for. He is so happy to just hear him laugh again, even if it’s so tiny and barely audible, and nothing more than a breath, it’s still one of his favourite sounds.
Except, like all good things, it can’t last forever. Peter wipes at his eyes, the frown coming back as he takes a steading breath. “But you have a daughter. A wife. In the five years I was gone, you found a family. A real one.” (God, that kicked him in the gut.) “I’m just a kid from Queens… an annoying, teenager from Queens. And you, risked it all to bring me back? Why w-would you do… do that… Mr. Stark?”
The kid was shaking now, and Tony hated it.
But not as much as he hated the next words to leave his son’s mouth.
“I’m not worth it.”
Tony felt his stomach drop down to his knees at those four little words, not only because of how gosh darn wrong they were in every way, but because Peter’s judgement is clouded enough for him to believe such a foolish accusation.
“C’mon, Pete, don’t say that—”
“Why not? You’re dying… so that I can survive.” Peter said, shaking his head like he’s trying to work out an impossible equation, which I suppose in his mind he was. “I-I don’t get it. The world n-needs I-Iron Man—”
“I’m going to stop you right there, kiddo. The world doesn’t need Iron Man, well, not in particular.” Tony carefully lifted his hand and placed it on Peter’s shoulder, mimicking what he did when he first met this amazing kid back in 2016. “The world needs heroes. And you, you are the best hero there is, Pete.”
The kid sniffled at that, lifting his eyes to meet his father figure’s. “You really think so?”
“Kid, you’re like what, 15?”
“16 now, actually.”
God, Tony was going to miss their banter.
“Okay, whatever mister 16-year-old.” There was Peter’s laugh again. “My point is, you’re not even old enough to drink alcohol and you’ve already had a hand in saving the world.”
“Back when we fail- “
“Not on you. Not on anyone, except maybe me. Maybe.”
“Mr. Stark, it wasn’t your fault- “
“Don’t interrupt your old man, it’s rude. Anyways, what I’m trying to say without a spider-kid interrupting me, is that you are one of the bravest people I know, Peter. And you’ll do just fine, the world needs Spider-Man.” Tony said, looking deep into Peter’s eyes so he knew he was talking straight from the heart. “I believe in you, more than I have ever believed in anyone, Pete. Don’t ever forget that.”
Peter gave a sad smile at that, before saying in the smallest and most sincere voice. “Thank you, Mr. Stark. Really. I just…”
“What?”
“I don’t know how I’m gonna do it without you.” He grabbed Tony’s wrists so gently at that, as if begging him not to leave.
“You’ll figure it out with that big brain of yours, kiddo.” Tony smiled back, knowing that Peter will be okay, and so happy he’ll have the chance to be. Even though, it means—
“But what about Morgan? And Pepper?”
“Pepper’s never needed me, Pete. You know that.” Tony smirked slightly at that. “Wanted me? Yes. Loved me? Absolutely. I hope. But she never needed me. She is so fiercely independent, and that’s part of what made, well, makes, her so amazing.”
And there he went, thinking about his beautiful wife. The thought of leaving her behind made his heart shatter into a million pieces.
But know, talking with Peter, and knowing that this ensures that he’s back, and will live out a long life with his nerd friend and the scary girl he has a crush on, saving the day as Spider-Man and making the world a better place as Peter Parker?
Well, it made it hurt a little less.
“And as for Morgan…”
That made him coil a little bit. Just a few minutes ago he thought he would give anything to stay with his beautiful little girl and watch her grow up, and while that is still so true, he also knows that he would also give anything to make sure Peter is alive.
God, Peter is alive. And he will stay that way, until it’s his time. Because of Tony.
He wiped his eyes, before continuing with something he knows is true. “I will miss her. So so much. But, I know she’s gonna be okay. She has a badass mom, two amazing uncles,” he cupped Peter’s face so gently. “and the best big brother ever.”
Peter’s eyes grew wide at that. “Big… big brother?”
“Of course, squirt. You take care of your sister for me, okay?”
“I-I will.” Peter’s smile grew. “I promise.”
“I knew I could count on you, my young buck. She’ll make it without me. I’m her guardian angel, after all. And now, yours too.”
Peter’s tears started to resurface at that, as he pulled the older man closer and into an engulfing embrace. “I’m gonna miss you. So much.”
Tony pulled Peter closer, tucking the kid’s head under his chin so gently. “I’ll miss you, too. But you’ve got this, Pete. Don’t ever forget that.”
Peter just cried.
They stayed in that embrace for a while, and soon Tony knew his time was soon coming to an end. So, Tony had to break the silence, with something to let Peter know how much he means to him.
“Kid?”
And he knew just what to say.
“Yeah?” Peter sniffled, cluthing slightly tighter.
He let the words go, and it felt so right. Why wouldn’t it? Peter was his kid, too.
“I love you 3000.” He whispered into his hair, so soft it was barely audible.
But Peter heard. Peter knew.
“What does that mean?” He whispered, looking up at Tony in a way that made him look younger than he actually was.
“It means I love you.” He said softly, looking into Peter’s eyes.
Peter smiled, resting his head on his father figure’s chest one more time. “I love you, too, Mr. Stark.” He whispered.
“You are so worth it, kid. Don’t you ever doubt that.”
“I-I won’t.” Peter said in a small, innocent voice that made Tony’s heart break, knowing he had to leave it, now.
With that, Tony placed a soft kiss on Peter’s cheek, before he felt himself fade back into reality.
Without a single regret.