Work Text:
THE STARK CABIN
2023
One more time.
Tony would try the algorithm. He'd try it one more time in his basement on the 3D workshop, why? Because half of his family had blipped in 2018; for Sam, for Bucky, Ta'Challa, Wanda, all of them, including the kid. The kid who he saw every day making breakfast for his family, sitting on a picture frame on a shelf next to the kitchen sink. He sat in one of the frames along with all of the other pictures- all of the family pictures.
"One more time... set the shape to a... lemniscate. The infinity symbol.
Tony sat back in his chair, looking around the room. Would he ever stop searching? No, probably not. The remaining team was at the compound, most likely turning someone into a baby by accident. Stark had to help if things were going to move along, but not until he found the answers. He couldn't keep dealing with Morgan asking who was in that picture frame. Where he had gone. It broke his heart every time. God, what was he missing? What was he...
The hologram in front of him changed, his AI saying a foreign word. A green set of letters stood out to him, one that illuminated across his shock-induced face. SUCCESS. 99.9% SUCCESS.
Emotion exploded through his chest. "Shit!"
"shit!"
Oh, crap, Morgan! Tony turned around, seeing his daughter and shaking his head. Shock still fluttered around his chest, making him feel crazy.
The father took her to bed, wiping popsicle off of her mouth. As he left her room, he took a big breath. Sleep? Yeah, that wasn't happening.
Two days. It took two days and nights to build a really shitty prototype that he'd bring to Steve and the others. It was really happening. They were going to get them back. They were going to get them all back. Tony sat back in his seat for the first time in hours, staring at it. Huh. It'd taken two days. It probably didn't do anything. There was barely any quantum tech in it, and he didn't have a suit. It wouldn't even work.
Within minutes Tony had scooted his chair closer to the device, typing in an address. He was pretty sure it was the address of a diner near Queens.
The man let a little laugh out. He remembered the day he'd recruited the kid, maybe he's 'run into him'. It'd been... eventful. "Let's see how horrible you don't work."
He pressed the button, and it blinked. He realized he hadn't filled in a year. He huffed, his hand laying on the keypad. Twenty Twenty, January. Random date. Random time. Stark smirked gently, hopefully 2024 was a nice year. Hopefully everyone was back by then in the timeline he was going to. Going to. He laughed again. Yeah right. This thing didn't work.
Tony was wrong. He was so wrong. One moment, he was in the basement, toying around with a useless device, and next thing he was in the back of a new-looking diner. SHIT.
Itworkeditworkeditworkeditworked. Tony looked around, all he had on was a MIT hoodie to guard him. He put the hood up as quick as possible. Bathroom.
Where the hell were the bathrooms?
There.
Tony b-lined for them, something catching his eye. A news report on a television. It read: THE FIRST YEAR WITHOUT TONY STARK
Well shit!
Tony covered his mouth awkwardly, pulling his hood farther up and blinking. That wasn't good, not good at all, actually. He assumed he'd brought everyone back then? No way did he go out without a fight. God, Pepper and Morgan and hopefully Peter... he hoped they would live on without him in this timeline.. He'd make sure not to do it again in his own. It was such a shock, he almost didn't hear the next news caster speak. They said something about Quinten Beck. A picture of him in an awful suit covered the screen.
Tony squinted, was that really Quinten Beck? The BARF guy! Wearing a costume, a rediculous looking costume. "HALF A YEAR WITHOUT A HERO"
A Hero?
and then the video switched. A horrible quality video of... the lower half of Spider-Man. Were those his drones? What the hell was going on in this video? Was that the glass bri-
"THE HUNT FOR PETER PARKER, QUEEN'S YOUNG VILLAIN"
Nope. No, not that. Go back. This couldn't have been real. Peter was no villain. He wasn't a dumbass, no way had his prodigy kid killed Quinten Beck with no reason.
The drones, he'd given Peter EDITH, but he would've never used...
He had to find Peter Parker now.
It wasn't hard to find the kid. He was staying in an apartment, the glasses had been his key to finding him. Strangely enough, he was staying in an apartment under Sam Wilson's name. Brooklyn wasn't much of a trek, and either was apartment 403. It was early in the morning when he found his way in the hall.
A woman dressed in scrubs was walking his way from the elevators, he hid in the corner near the trash chutes and peered around it. He didn't know what anyone's reaction to him being 'alive' would be. She went and knocked on 403, her face angry-looking. "Barnes, Wilson, open up! Peter left blood in the hall again and I'm not cleaning it up this time!"
Blood? What had he gotten into?
The door squeaked open, and neither Bucky nor Sam answered- who he couldn't believe lived together- it was Parker. It was Peter Parker. Holy shit it was the kid! His voice sounded sort of strained. "Sorry, Tess. I'll be out to take care of it... How was work?"
"Y'know, it was pretty good. Saved a few lives, clearly I should've been here patching you up, mr. big bad." She scoffed, looking him over. Tony couldn't see him, he was out of his line of sight, but he wanted so badly to jump around the corner and run to him. It'd been five years! "But- Peter, everyone thinks you're the villain, why are you still saving them?"
A sigh. "Just because B-beck set me up doesn't mean I stop saving people. Bucky and Sam do the big-guy stuff and I keep Brooklyn and Queens safe."
Tessa nodded. "Get outta here, my boyfriend's coming by and I don't want him knowing I'm friends with the revengers or whatever. Clean this up, quick! Run spiderling!" With that, she stepped inside the apartment across from his, and slammed the door.
Tony stepped out, watching a figure run into the room to find things to clean the droplets of blood off of the concrete floors. When the boy returned, he was unrolling some paper towels when he noticed the man standing across from him. He looked up and blinked.
Tony removed the hood. "Hey, kid."
Peter dropped the towels, and they rolled across the floor. His mouth hung a little open, lip quivering.
"Parker, hey. I know, I apparently died? I'm sorry, bud. I've missed you too and-"
His eyes were widening now, and he stepped back with a limp. "N- no. I thought you died, Beck. You- you- don't do this again. You aren't real you aren't real, you aren't real!"
"N- no kid- huh? Bud I'm right h-" Tony looked at him, confusion overflowing in his chest, the excitement draining from his voice.
Beck. That drone in the video. BARF. He'd...
OH-HO HO QUINTEN HADN'T-
Peter was shaking, he backed into the door and stumbled a bit. "G-get away from me... You've done enough."
"Peter, it's me! I'm so sorry, I didn't know Beck would turn out that way, he was just my employee and I... might've took some credit..."
"Stop, stop that! You might as well show me his grave again!" Peter held his hands up, they found his head. God, the kid was about to cry, and his breaths were hitching. What had that guy put him through, made him see?
"Oh god- kid, kid, hey! It's not him! How can I- uhm-" Tony stuttered, he felt horrible for him.
"Don't call me that!" Peter cried. He was freaking out.
"UNDEROOS, for the love of God, look at me!" Tony commanded. "It's me, young buck, nerd-boy, spider-ling, look! No drones! He's dead!"
Peter choked, rough breaths was all he responded with. He was almost believing him.
A beat of silence.
"B-but you're dead."
"Yeah, I noticed actually... Time travel's funny like that-"
Peter cut him off with a hug, so tight it was sort of cutting his circulation off. Whatever, the kid was ptsding, apparently. He couldn't care less. He hugged him back, the poor kid. He couldn't believe he'd left him in a world to fight his villains.
Footsteps sounded, and peter didn't move until a voice came from beside them. "Peter? Who- you live here?"
Tony blanked for a moment, pulling away and looking forward. "Harley?!"
"TONY?"
"Harley!" Peter yelled
"Tony!" Harley yelled again, his face scrunched up.
"Harley- where did you- how did you find me?" Peter breathed.
"Tony- I'm taking your neighbor on a date... Tony?"
The door across from them and the 'Tessa' girl was changed into some nicer clothes. "Harley, Tony Stark? Wh-"
"YOU'RE DATING MY NEIGHBOR, HARLEY?"
"WHEGSR, WH- YOU'RE HUGGING IT OUT WITH OUR DEAD FATHER FIGURE!"
The doctor put a set of hands on her forehead. "You all know each other? And- you're not dead?" She pointed to Tony.
"I WISH I WAS."
Two days later, Peter, Harley, Sam, and Bucky stood in the middle of the apartment, that had clearly blown up at least twice. guys.
They had a device set to the exact time and date Tony had came from on the clock, and the location was the lakehouse. He was going home. Tony looked at his hands, passing a some letters to the rest of the avengers over to Sam.
They'd all said their goodbyes, had their hugs. Tony stepped forward, smiling weakly at the men. Peter rushed forward and hugged him one last time, his voice breaking. "Please do it another way next time. For Pepper and Morgan and Natasha and Happy and me." He cried. "Don't let them lose you, too."
Tony nodded, a tear trying to fall. "I will. And you, kid, have a press conference with the Mayor of New York today at noon, so get cleaned up. Very important. Pep'll be there and everything."
He pulled away, tears running down his face. "Huh?"
"Catch up with the news after I leave, alright kid?"
Peter nodded. He stepped back and watched Tony leave. He let out a cry and Bucky patted his back.
Closure was a bitch.
Somewhere in the after-life, though, Nat and Tony were smiling.
A video turned on, and Tony Stark sat in a chair in front of it. "My name is Tony Stark. You knew this. In the possibility that I would die, which would be really horrible, I want to say one thing. If my kid's identity get's revealed by one of my enemies, Peter Parker is the good guy.
The Vulture was a bad guy, hurt Spidey, but he got back up, I'm sure there'll be more...
Like that Quinten Beck dude, I stole his inventions and he's mad, so if for some reason... That idiot is to sway the world, news flash, he's a liar.
Spider-Man is the most true, intelligent, and amazing guy that exists. He's done some very big things, and he'll do so many more...
ANYWAY. That's enough from me, and give Peter Parker a medal or something.
A really big metal."
The crowd below the big screen cheered. The Mayor smiled, Pepper smiled and waved for him to come out, the man of the hour stepped out onto the stage. "We are so honestly sorry, Mr. Parker. Thank you for saving us."
Peter looked out to the huge crowd.
"Tony Stark saved us." He told them. "And you all can never forget that. Thank you."
And for the first time since he'd gotten home from Europe, Peter slept for the entire night.