Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Tones… I’m not sure this is a good idea.” Rhodey sighed as he leaned against the entrance of Tony’s lab.

“When have I ever let self doubt hold me back?” Tony replied with his ever so prominent touch of sarcasm.

“I don’t know, like, everyday?”

“Woah didn’t know this was gonna turn into a therapy sess, anything else you’d like to add?”

“Just that if this goes wrong I’ll be expecting an ‘I told you so’ letter and maybe some upgrades that’ll make my suit more badass than yours.”

“In your dreams Platypus-”

Before Tony could add yet another snarky comment to follow Rhodey’s, Peter came stumbling in the room with his backpack slung over his shoulder and slightly messy hair— presumably from some light running.

“Mr. Stark!” the teen breathed out with a belated smile. “Oh, almost didn’t see you there Colonel Rhodes, hey!”

“For the hundredth time you can just call me Rhodey.” He replied with a lighthearted eye roll.

“What’s up kid,” Tony responded with a smile. “Did ‘ya run here or something?”

“Rhodey- force of habit. And no, well yes, I was actually pretty excited cause I made more web fluid today and changed up the formula a bit and wanted to see if it would change the solution. Ya’know, to see if it lasts longer before dissolving.” Peter mindlessly rambled as he approached the lab table Tony was at before taking a seat on the stool nearby. “But uh, whatcha workin on there Mr. Stark? It looks a bit… confusing?”

Tony grinned in response before he virtually displayed the blueprints for his current project. Once it was pulled up he rested a hand on Peter's shoulder and relaxed for a moment as they looked over the print.

Peter, of course, gawked as he realized what it was. Or at least what he thought it was, which just so happened to be right.

“Is this what I think it is- am I looking at a time machine?! This is insane, wait are you done? Does it work? Can I help? Ohmygod how did you even- what are the mechanics that you-” Peter’s inability to form a proper sentence only made Tony laugh.

“Yes, no, no, maybe, I’ll explain later. I mean it’s not like I plan on using it. The last thing I’d need is Fury barking at me for doing something stupid. Just thought that it would maybe come in handy one day if the world went to ruins and it’d be beneficial to have this bad boy somewhat ready if necessary.”

Rhodey pinched his nose bridge and again voiced his disapproval. “Smart thinking except considering all the crap that’s happened over the years with crazy people having it out for you and your tech I’d say this is no better than putting a huge sign on the entrance of Stark Industries that says ‘hey, got top secret tech, feel free to attack me again and raid my home before destroying it.’”

“Okay, maybe you raise some reasonable concerns honey bear so I’ll set this project aside for now.” Tony shrugged, hand still on Peter’s shoulder. “Now if you’ll excuse us platypus, the kid and I have very serious business to attend to and I can assure you it has nothing to do with the very machine you’re glaring at.”

“Fine, but if Pepper calls to tell me you two haven’t come out of the lab in time for dinner I’ll be back.” Rhodey said before exiting the lab, door automatically shutting behind him.

Now it was just Peter and Tony. Over the past two years, the pair had gotten very close. Or at least close enough for Pepper and Rhodey to tease Tony for acting like a dad. He never wanted kids, and still doesn’t plan on having any. After growing up with Howard Stark as a dad, the man pretty much wanted nothing to do with kids. Half because he found them to be a bit annoying and the other half (more like 90%) being that he was too scared he’d screw the kid up. Then came along Peter and now he felt… well he didn’t know how to feel.

The two hung out all the time in his lab, had dinner together on the days he’d come over, watch movies in the living room, pull pranks on each other, and the list goes on.

He even frequently asks Peter about how things are going at school, knows about his friends Ned and Mj (who he often teases Peter about crushing on her but being too scared to make the first move), and listens to the kid ramble about his Aunt’s terrible cooking and his Spiderman activities. Just thinking about it to himself makes Tony mentally shudder cause damn maybe he was being too father-esque.

But Peter didn’t seem to mind. Quite the opposite actually, he seemed to love the time they spent together. The teen would gleam with joy whenever Tony asked him about those things. Tony could sometimes feel the excitement radiating off of him whenever he offered to let him sleep over when May worked overtime and wouldn’t be coming home ‘til far too late.

Plus, Tony wasn’t the only one who received some teasing over their pseudo father-son relationship. May would slide in some commentary about the two, much to Peter’s embarrassment. Even Ned cracked a joke about it once which resulted in a faint pink blush dusting across Peter’s checks and ears. Neither Tony or Peter brought it up to one another. There was no need to. Despite their insecurities, it just felt natural. And they didn’t want to touch on the subject and potentially ruin whatever it is that was going on.

° ° °

Peter subconsciously leaned further into the touch of Tony's hand resting on his shoulder before turning to him and speaking. “Mr. Stark, wanna test out the new web fluids?” He said with the same tinge of excitement as earlier.

“Sure thing kiddo, you wearing your web shooters?”

“Yup.” Peter popped the p, it was something Tony always did which did not go unnoticed. Perhaps he picked it up from him.

“Alright, I’m all ready. You might wanna stand back in case this shit goes berserk on us.”

“Language.” Tony cringed the second after it left his mouth. Really? After always making fun of Steve for his reprimanding of the team's cursing he was doing it now too. “Ugh I take that back, I sound like Cap. Gross.”

“Pfft, careful there, once you start adopting the terminology of a hundred year old grandpa you’ll become officially old.” Peter laughed.

“First Rhodey with the sass now you? What’s with everyone, is it national sass Tony Stark day?”

“Yeah, you didn’t get the email?” Peter played along to which Tony responded with a nudge and laughed.

“You can be such an ass.”

“I learn from the best.” Peter snarked before shooting the web fluid.

He aimed at the target on the wall opposite of them and the web landed exactly where it was intended to, but for whatever reason it wouldn’t detach from his shooter.

“Huh… that’s weird? Is it like clogged or something?” Peter questioned.

“Not sure, let me take a look.” Tony replied. He put on gloves, not wanting to be victim of the substance taking forever before dissolving off of him again, and proceeded to examine the web.

Upon making contact with the web, and much to his surprise, the fluid melted. “….was that a bust? Was it supposed to do that?”

Peter looked just as puzzled as his father-figure mentor. “No? I mean I don’t know, I've never used this formula before.”

Just as Tony was about to respond, Peter noticed the melted chemical fluid had made a mess of itself on their workstation.

“Aw shi- I mean aw man, Mr. Stark it made a mess. We should probably clean that before it contaminates something.” Peter said as he rushed over to clean the table.

Tony had taken off his gloves and retrieved rags, which were actually old beat up tank tops he didn’t use anymore, for the two nearby. “It’s no worries kid, it seems like it’ll come off fairly easily- wait Peter don’t touch that-”

Before Tony could finish, he had already rushed over and grabbed onto Peter's arm urging him to step away. Unfortunately for the two of them, it was too late. Peter’s attempt in cleaning their work table resulted in him accidentally pressing the button that triggered the power of Tony’s almost completed time machine.

Instinctively, Tony sought out to protect Peter from potential harm. As the machine warped them he grabbed Peter and held onto him tightly, pulling his head against his chest where his arc reactor once laid. Momentarily after, the two found themselves standing in the same position within a similar lab. A lab all too familiar to Tony.

It was none other than the private workspace of Howard Stark.

“Peter-” Tony paused as he slightly loosened the grip he had on Peter. He soon replaced his hands from the back of the teens head and torso and grabbed his face. “-please tell me you aren’t hurt or injured somehow.” He continued while simultaneously searching for any scruffs and bruises that could have appeared on Peter.”

Tony found himself consumed with concern over the physical well-being of Peter. Meanwhile, Peter stood wordless in an attempt to process the events that had just taken place.

“I-I’m okay I promise- Mr. Stark I’m so sorry this is all my fault. What are we gonna do? I mean- how are we gonna get back? What about Aunt May? She’ll be crushed if I never go back home. What about-”

“Hey hey hey shhh, Peter relax.” Tony said in an attempt to calm Peter down. The kid had started to hyperventilate and slightly shake which quite frankly alarmed Tony. As much as he experienced panic attacks of his own, he felt the least bit equipped to help another work through one. So, he kept his hands steady and cupped each side of Peter's face to stabilize him and provide… comfort? Is that what he was doing?

Tony shook his head to cut off his own thoughts before continuing a moment later. “It’s okay, it’s my fault for leaving part of the device on the table. Better yet, it’s my fault for not listening to Rhodey and making this shit in the first place.”

Peter laughed, causing Tony to tilt his head in confusion.

“Hey now… don’t go crazy lunatic on me Parker.” Tony stated with a raised brow to which Peter let out a combination of a sigh and a short laugh in response. Peter then leaned his head forward to rest on Tony’s shoulder which caused Tony to momentarily still before grasping the back on his head and pulling him closer.

It’s not as if the two never had physical contact. In fact, Peter had quite the habit of falling asleep on Tony during their movie nights— to which he had grown accustomed to by now.

The first time it had happened, Tony froze and tried to shrug him off. Much to his demise, Peter’s sleeping form was as solid as a rock which led to him to him eventually caving in. The next few times it happened he began to toss an arm over the boys shoulder until he would fall asleep as well. Since those occurrences, the two naturally grew more comfortable with subtle forms of contact.

And of course, Pepper managed to capture a few pictures and shared them with Rhodey— much to the embarrassment of Tony.

Once again, Tony’s thoughts were cut short when Peter responded. “Don’t worry, I haven’t cracked under the circumstances yet. Just funny how we both automatically start off by saying it’s our fault.” He paused. “Thanks… ya’know for calming me down.” Peter sheepishly mumbled the last part. “Do you know where we are?”

Sigh.

“Unfortunately that I do know. If I’m correct then this is my dear old dad’s lab.” Tony said the last bit with evident sarcasm.

“WHA- I mean what?!” Peter whisper-shouted. “Mr. Stark, what year are we in?”

“1986. Now who the hell are you two and what are you doing in my lab.”

Tony’s eyes went wide as he looked up to see none other than Howard Stark standing at the entrance of his personal lab. The last time he had seen his father was just over twenty-seven years ago. He immediately straightened himself out, pulled Peter off of his shoulder, and stood in front of him.

“Okay let’s all calm down. I can explain this, let’s just go sit in the living room and-”

Before Tony could finish, he was cut off by the startled gasp of a woman’s voice. What was with him and constantly being cut off today?

“Anthony… is that you?” Said the woman. Tony knew who it was of course. He didn’t have to glance over to know that the voice belonged to his mother, Maria Stark.

The room momentarily went silent. Tony could almost hear his heart beat jumping out of his throat.

“How is this possible? Howard, do you have something to do with this?” Maria said with awe.

And with that, it felt as if time had frozen. Tony often tried to not think about his parents. Years ago he would do so through drowning himself in alcohol. Now however, he would simply distract himself by spending time with others. He didn’t enjoy thinking about his dad. Howard was… a terrible father to say the least. His actions and behavior towards Tony were forever etched into the back of his mind. But, Maria? She did the best she could. And for that Tony loved his mother. He’s never said it aloud before, but he missed her. A lot.

Without even realizing it, Tony’s vision became blurred until he blinked away the burning feeling in his eyes. Despite his efforts, a tear had managed to escape. How embarrassing Tony thought to himself. Stark men don’t cry.

But how could he not? His mother had the same shade of blonde hair as he had remembered; and she wore a pearl necklace— the one Tony had always known to be her favorite.

Maria slowly approached the two, despite having not acknowledged Peter yet, and stood before them. She put a gentle hand on Tony’s face with a questioning look.

Ah. She still smells like flowers. I’d almost forgotten Tony thought to himself before resting his hand atop the one she placed against his face.

“…Hi, Mom.”

Chapter Text

Silence.

Peter and Tony found themselves sitting side by side in the childhood living room of Tony Stark. Of course, they were accompanied by Howard and Maria who sat opposite of them, and Jarvis— their butler, stood aside their couch.

As Howard looked at the two with questioning eyes, Maria remained in awe, and Jarvis’ eyes looked just about ready to bug out. Tony sat straight-faced after pulling himself together and Peter… well Peter’s jaw was just about ready to hit the floor. I mean, who could blame him? Prior to meeting and getting to know Tony, he was somewhat of a fanboy. So sitting in the childhood home of Tony alongside his family was nothing short of mind boggling to the teen.

Eventually, Jarvis broke the silence by clearing his throat. “Master Tony… is that really you?” He questioned.

“Indeed that I am. Now instead of looking at us like we’re some monkeys at the zoo, how about we explain what’s going on.” Tony responded. He meant no ill will against Jarvis, in fact he was quite happy to see the man, but he decided it would be best to start now before never.

“Great idea, how about we start off with you telling us the name of the child beside you.” Howard said with a not-so-subtle irritated tone.

“H-hi I’m Peter. Sorry I wasn’t sure if it was appropriate timing for me to speak. Is it? I mean- this is crazy amiright?! Who would’ve thought- I mean I never could have imagined-” Peter rambled.

However, before he could go on any longer Tony put an arm around his shoulder, leaned over, and whispered, “Okay spiderling cool it with the geeking out.” To which Peter rolled his eyes and elbowed Tony’s stomach (with no real strength of course).

“Fine what do I say then?” Peter whispered back. “Believe it or not that was me trying to buy us some time. See, it’s not all beauty up there.”

Tony let out an exuberant laugh at this comment and covered his face as he leaned back into the couch, arm still lingering around Peter’s shoulder. As unfortunate as it was, boy was he glad to have his this kid by his side.

Howard only looked more irritated from the duos hushed interactions before them. Maria and Jarvis on the other hand had a pleasant smile watching the two. Although this Tony was much older than the Tony of their time, it warmed their hearts to see him so joyous.

“Peter, it’s very nice to meet you. How old are you?” Maria chimed in.

“Likewise ma’am, and I’m sixteen.” Replied Peter with a bubbly tone.

“Yes of course, very nice to meet you Peter.” Joined Jarvis. “I’m glad to see you and your father have a close relationship.”

Both Tony and Peter stilled. How were they supposed to respond? How much information could they risk affirming or denying? Tony then quickly decided their best course of action would be to not reveal any unnecessary information, so he slapped a hand over Peter’s mouth and said:

“Thank you, I’m very happy about that as well.”

Peter glanced over at Tony in an attempt to read whatever message he was trying to deliver through his eyes. Unsure of what to do, he removed Tony’s hand from his mouth and nodded.

“Anthony. I’m giving you five minutes to explain before I lose it with this irrelevant conversation. Explain what’s going on.” Howard exasperated to which Peter’s posture shrunk in a bit out of nervousness. Was Mr. Stark’s father always this rude? He thought to himself.

“Impatient much?” Tony quipped.

“Drop the attitude.” Howard quickly retorted, earning an eye roll from his son.

“Fine. To make a long story short: Peter and I were in my lab, I was working on a project and left it out, some chemicals made a mess on our workstation which led to the accidental launch of the machine, and here we are. Capiche?”

Howard pinched his nose bridge in frustration knowing he wasn’t going to get any more than that. The other two seemed to nod in understanding that this was a mishap.

“So your inadequate attentiveness led to this freak accident and now you’re stuck here? Great going, Anthony. Now explain to us how you plan on leaving.”

“Rhodey said he was planning on checking on us in due time. Once he notices we’re gone he’ll get someone who can handle it.” Tony remarked with an irritated tone.

Maria seemed without a care of anything that was said and excitingly stated, “As in James Rhodes? I’m so glad to hear you two remained friends! I always knew he was a good kid. I’m assuming you’ll be here for a few days, how about you tell us how things are going?”

Tony quickly shifted from irritated to kind at the tone of his mother. “That he is. Unfortunately I’m not sure it’s the best idea to share too much.” To which Maria frowned.

“Of course of course, I should’ve thought about that. Peter, how about you tell me all about how school is going and what your hobbies are? Surely that’ll be fine, right?” She said curiously. Howard, however, did not seem as curious as his wife and exited the room— presumably returning to his lab.

“D-dad… I’m sure that would be fine, right?” Peter said with hesitation. He’d never called Tony that before. Or purposely at least. He let it slip out once (or twice) by accident and Tony never commented on it. He figured it was just a mistake no different from when children accidentally called their teachers mom or dad.

Unfortunately for Peter, Rhodey managed to catch one of his slip-ups and was quick to joke about becoming an Uncle which caused Peter to blush profusely out of humility.

Now however, it was deliberately said. And Tony’s stomach did that little flip of excitement. He was responsible for not denying the assumption of their relationship, so why did he feel kind of… happy?

“No problemo underoos, you two have a nice chat. I’ll be in the kitchen with Jarvis.” He said as he got up and gestured for Jarvis to follow.

Tony leaned against the kitchen counter as Jarvis began to brew a pot of coffee. He hadn’t requested it but Jarvis simply knew it would go appreciated.

“Master Tony-”

“Please just call me Tony, Jarvis.”

“…Tony, is there a reason as to why you’ve asked me to accompany you in the kitchen?”

“I-I don’t know.” Tony began before catching a glimpse of Jarvis’ knowing look. “Okay, fine. I may or may not be slightly freaking out. I mean honestly, this is kinda all my fault— which comes as no surprise to anyone I’m sure, and I really don’t know how long this’ll last.” He said, retracting his earlier statement.

“I do not particularly enjoy hearing you talk down on yourself mas- Tony. You’ve said it yourself that your good friend is likely already trying to solve this dilemma.” Jarvis responded with nonchalance despite almost mistakenly calling Tony master again.

“No. Father was right, you know. About me and being inadequate. I shouldn’t have tried screwing around with this crap in the first place.”

Jarvis handed Tony his now ready cup of coffee before speaking his piece. “Might I interject and add that your father is not always… the best at expressing his words around you. I do not believe you are inadequate. Regardless of this mishappening, it’s quite impressive that you made this possible in the first place.”

Tony took a long pause, likely in an attempt to gather his thoughts. Jarvis was always quite good at calming his nerves somehow and this conversation made him realize how much he missed him.

“I need to get Peter home. He… I need him safe. I don’t exactly know how time travel works. I mean, how long can two versions of myself exist within the same fragment of time before something goes wrong? What if something happens and I can’t protect him? If… if something goes wrong, can you do that for me? Look after him until all is well?” Tony said while fiddling with his cup of coffee, still leaning against the counter.

Jarvis was quite taken aback. He had never seen master Tony express his emotions and vulnerability so openly. Time sure seemed to heal all wounds. Or at least just the right amount of them. So perhaps it would be appropriate for him to drop the butler act, just for a moment, and express his thoughts as well.

So he did exactly that.

“I’m proud of you.” Jarvis announced with a smug look on his face, one that Tony had never seen before.

But Tony wished he had. For the first time he was able to see Jarvis act in a casual manner and speak to him more as a friend rather than on a professional level.

Additionally speaking, Tony had never exactly heard those words. Well, he had, but not from someone like Jarvis, his father, or even his mother. Not from the mouth of someone who had raised him.

“Of course I’ll protect your kid if necessary, but I’m sure you’re more than capable of handling that yourself.” Jarvis continued, with the same casual demeanor as before. “Fatherhood is a good look on you Tony, how’s it been treating you?” He said with his arms crossed over his chest as he drank the last bit of his portion of coffee.

Still, Tony stood aghast. His stomach did that excited churning he felt earlier when Peter called him dad. He’s proud of me? Tony thought to himself. Why?

He cut off his thoughts before they ran any deeper and instead replied to Jarvis’ remarks.

“I uh, thanks- thank you.” Tony said as he shuffled around a bit from his leaning position. “It’s been treating me well. Really well actually. Peter’s just fantastic, he’s like a wad of gum that never quite leaves the underside of your shoe, but in the best way possible— if that’s even possible.”

And to that Jarvis let out a genuine laugh. “Really? A wad of gum? Was that the best you could come up with Tony?” To which Tony grinned.

“C’mon now don’t get all snarky on me. Who says gum can’t be fashionable? But seriously, he’s amazing. Far better than I’ll ever be. He’s so considerate and selfless, it’s almost concerning to be frank. And he’s got the best sense of humor, not as amazing as mine though cause nobody can outdo me in the comedy department. Not to mention his intelligence. He’s such a nerd, always going on about building new stuff, plus he enjoys science. And he loves geeking out over Star Wars, can you believe it? I mean really, Star Wars? Not exactly my cup of tea, but I won’t deny that he’s really gotten me into it lately whenever we have our movie nights.” Tony rambled.

His list of praise about the kid seemed never ending and Jarvis was nothing short of relieved. Relieved that he was nothing like Howard. Relieved to hear that Tony and his son had established an incredibly close relationship. Relieved that Tony wasn’t ashamed to go on and on about Peter in the way Howard had avoided talking about Tony.

“He sounds great.” Jarvis interjected. “Hopefully I’ll be able to talk with him a bit before you both get sent back to whatever year you came from.”

“Trust me, I’m sure he’d love talking to you. Maybe we should head back to the living room, you might be able to catch a nice chat with him.” Tony said as he approached the exit of the kitchen, heading towards the living room.

“Hey, Tony?”

“Yeah?” He replied as he stopped in his tracks and turned to face Jarvis.

“I’d say I’m sure you already know this, but knowing you I’ll just say it myself.” Jarvis began as he approached the same exit Tony was heading towards.

“You’re nothing like Howard. You’re far better.”

And with that, Jarvis exited the room, leaving Tony standing frozen in place.

Tony waited until he knew Jarvis was far enough and nobody else was nearby before crouching down and placing his head in his hands.

“Thank God.” He whispered to himself with an unsteady voice. Tony felt a massive wave of emotions crash over him the moment Jarvis had said those words. He wasn’t crying, though there would be nothing wrong if he had been. Instead, he was incredibly relieved. It felt as if an enormous weight had extracted itself from his back.

Jarvis knew that Tony would feel reassurance in his words, but he would never know how grateful Tony was to him for that moment. He had shed one of his largest insecurities thanks to Jarvis, and it felt amazing.

Momentarily after, Tony resteadied himself on his feet and caught up with Jarvis as they approached the living room.

As Tony and Jarvis caught up with one another, Peter had presumed, he found himself sitting alone in the childhood home of Tony Stark alongside his mother, Maria.

“So, Peter, I’m sure this is a bit weird for you, isn’t it? I mean I’m sure we’ve met before but of course I would have no idea. Do you mind me asking a bit about yourself?” Maria said with a pleasantly excited tone.

Peter on the other hand had to stop himself from appearing bewildered. He hadn’t considered the fact that everybody he’s met so far would of course have no idea that they had not met before. Not only was Peter not actually Tony’s son, but Tony’s parents were… dead. And they had been for twenty-seven years, which was about ten years before Peter was even born.

“Y-yeah! It’s definitely, uhm, strange?” Peter said in an attempt to lie (a horrible attempt might I add). “Anyways, I don’t mind, ask away!” He added with a salute to which Maria chuckled.

“I see you and Tony share similar mannerisms.” She smiled. “So, what are your hobbies? Do you also enjoy lab work?” Maria asked curiously.

“Oh man where do I begin? Hmm…” Peter responded as he took a moment to consider the question. “Well for starters I do love working in the lab. Dad and I always hangout in there after I get home from school. Then we usually eat dinner and watch some movies. It’s always the highlight of my week, y’know… whenever we spend time together.” He proceeded, and truly meant it.

Maria’s face softened as she listened to who she thought was her grandson talk about his relationship with his father. No matter how much Tony doubted his abilities she always knew he would make a wonderful father had he chosen to become one— which he evidently did.

“I know this might not be what you were expecting to hear, but, thank you Peter.” The woman said in a grateful tone.

“H-huh? Why- I mean thank you?” Peter replied as he stumbled upon his words.

“Thank you for being there for Tony. I know that may come across as strange, but I sometimes worry about him. He doesn’t exactly have… what you might call the best relationship with his father. The son I know right now is sixteen, off at college, barely has one friend, and constantly overworks himself. I’m not sure if he tries so hard for the sake of approval, but I worry, you know? Sorry, I didn’t mean to-”

“No. I mean, you don’t have to be sorry, I understand. He… he sometimes still overworks himself. Old habits die hard I guess. But, if it helps to put your mind at ease I want you to know that he’s doing much better.” Peter said as he breathed out a sigh.

“I don’t know too much about his childhood, but he’s told me enough for me to kinda understand, ya’know? But regardless, he turned out to be an amazing person. It’s a bit embarrassing to say out loud but… he’s my hero and has been for as long as I can remem-”

“Who’s your hero?” Tony interrupted as he and Jarvis entered the room.

Peter immediately launched himself from his seat after being startled and turned to see none other than Tony leaning against the wall with a large smirk on his face and Jarvis by his side with an evident smile. His face and ears became a dark shade of red as he sputtered out incoherent words of surprise.

“When, uhm, did you uh get here d-dad?” Peter said while flailing his arms around.

“Mmm~ just about when you started going on and on about how I’m your one and only hero.” Tony teased with a lighthearted tone.

“Tony, stop teasing your kid, he was putting in a good word to your mother.” Jarvis chimed in, grin still prominent on his face.

“Anthony! Jarvis! Come join us!” Maria said exuberantly.

Peter did not seem to share the same excitement as he shrunk back onto the couch, face still as red as a tomato. “You can be such an asshole.” He mumbled loud enough for Tony to hear.

“True, but where did you get such a garbage mouth from? Most certainly not me I hope.” Tony quipped.

“Pepper would say otherwise.”

“C’mon now don’t bring her into this, I’m sure she’d agree with me.”

“When was the last time she ever agreed with you.”

“You can be such a little shit, ya’know that kid?”

“Learned from the best.”

“The best as in your hero? Because that I am, apparently. Correct me if I’m wro-” Unfortunately for Tony, Peter sent a pillow flying at his face before he could even finish.

To their surprise, both Maria and Jarvis began to laugh at the interaction they had witnessed between the two.

“Oh, Tony! He’s just like you!” Maria said as she wiped away the tears from her eyes from laughing so hard.

“Never thought I’d see the day where you had your own mini-me.” Jarvis added with a laugh.

With that, both boys blushed. Not in embarrassment, but in knowingness. Despite not actually being Tony’s son, Peter was the closest thing to it. While they both had put up with the father-son charade in an attempt to withhold as much information as possible, they knew in that moment that it was as real as it felt.

And it felt pretty damn real.

Chapter Text

It was 4pm and Pepper had just gotten off of her shift at work, which for once had not gone overtime. And she was in a particularly good mood about it.

As she exited the elevator and entered the private floor that belonged to herself and Tony, she took off her heels and collapsed on the couch.

Seeing as she’s usually off around five-o’clock, Pepper had not expected the boys to be out of the lab yet. So she was all but ready to surprise them with her early presence.

What she also had not been expecting was for the lab to be completely empty. Peter’s backpack was still on the floor next to the table so he was clearly still here… but not here?

“Tony? Peter?” Pepper called out with a questioning tone. “Did FRIDAY tell you boys I finished early and now you’re trying to prank me again? Because I can assure you it won’t be working.” She added playfully.

There was no response. So she called Tony’s cell, but again. No response.

“What the hell…? FRIDAY, where are the two of them?”

“It would appear they are not in the building Miss Potts.”

“Okay… so where are they exactly?” Pepper said with an exhausted tone.

“To be frank Miss Potts, I’m not quite sure and I cannot track them down.”

Pepper rolled her eyes and decided it would be best to call Rhodey. If anyone knows something, it would either be him or Happy.

“Hey Rhodey! Yeah, no, everything is fine. I think? Actually I’m not too sure. Have you heard from Tony and Peter? They’re not here and FRIDAY can’t exactly track them down for whatever reason.” She stated matter-of-factly.

To her surprise, the other end of the phone was filled with a ton of curses which quickly concluded with Rhodey saying:

“Get out of the lab. I’ll be right there.”

° ° °

Rhodey was pacing and Pepper… well she was absolutely confused.

“So you’re telling me that you think the two of them time traveled.”

“Listen Pepper, I know I sound crazy but this is Tony we’re dealing with. And Peter might I add. I know he’s been a pretty good influence on Tony but I swear they have no boundaries when it comes to the shit they pull in the lab.” Rhodey said while still pacing. “I mean, didn’t you walk in there last week to find the room filled with smoke ‘cause something exploded.”

“Remind me again why I’m engaged to him?” Pepper replied with to which Rhodey laughed.

“I question it myself every day.” He answered with a smirk.

“So how do you plan on getting them back? There has to be a way right?” She added, this time with evident worry.

But Rhodey went silent.

“...ok what about Bruce?” Pepper offered.

“He’s off grid. And honestly I think this is a bit out of his forte.” Rhodey said as he took a seat beside Pepper on the couch.

“Alright, well there has to be-”

Before Pepper could finish, it was as if a lightbulb had appeared atop of Rhodey’s head. “The magician!” He shouted.

“Excuse me?” She grinned in amusement. “So this really was some big prank? Well I admit you played the part well.”

“No! I’m not joking, I’m talking about the sorcerer!” Rhodey said with pride, excited that he was able to think of a solution.

What exactly have I done in my past life to have to put up with this? Pepper thought to herself.

“...I’m gonna order some sushi. Go find your little magician friend and get those two idiots back here.” Pepper said as she began to approach the bedroom. “And feel free to join me if they’re not back within the hour.” She added before allowing the door to close behind her.

It had been around two hours since Peter and Tony found themselves in the 80’s. Though it was fun for him to interact with Maria and Jarvis, Peter grew more and more worrisome the longer they remained in a time period which they had not belonged in.

It was currently around the time he and Tony would have begun to contemplate what they wanted to order for dinner so it was ready by the time Pepper was done with work. Seeing as that obviously would not be the case today, the duo settled upon setting the dining room table as Maria worked on finishing dinner.

She typically left the cooking to the housekeepers, but decided it was a great opportunity to make Tony’s favorite meal. No– not a cheeseburger. She was making his favorite pasta, a recipe she had learned from her own mother.

“Hey, Mr-” Peter coughed to cover up his error. “Dad, am I setting the table right?” Before proceeding, he lowered his voice just enough for only Tony to hear. “May and I don’t exactly have a dining room so I’ve never done this before.”

Tony nodded in understanding and guided him throughout the process.

“Yup.” He popped the p as he glanced at the table. “Good work, kid. I’d believe you if you’d have told me you were a pro at this.”

“So you’re saying I should redirect my future plan from going to MIT and instead becoming a professional table setter? Duly noted.” Peter joked.

“Sounds like a solid plan. Better yet, I say start your own business. Looking for employees?” Tony said as he rested a hand on Peter’s shoulder. It had become a habit of his.

“I don’t know… you don’t seem all too qualified. Don’t say you heard it from me but the chances of rejection seem pretty high.” Peter said with a wide grin.

“Ouch.” Tony dramatically clutched his heart. “I take it back, stick to MIT.”

“And what is this I hear, why is the boy not already attending?”

The two turned over to meet eyes with Howard.

“Howard. Don’t start, please. Dinner is just about ready, why don’t you take a seat? You boys can accompany him at the table, I’ll bring everything over.” Maria interjected.

“I-I can help! I’ll bring some of the food to the table, if you don’t mind.” Peter nervously added.

“Of course I don’t mind! Thank you, Peter. Seems you have the best manners around here.” She replied, last part with a firm tone.

As Peter helped Maria carry the food to the table, Howard and Tony took their seats. To nobody’s surprise, Howard sat at the head of the table while Tony sat in the middle, leaving a seat for Peter beside him.

Once everyone settled down and began eating, the room filled with silence— much to Peter’s discomfort.

He wasn’t used to silent meals unless it was him eating alone. Lunch with Ned and MJ was always lively, and dinner either with May or at Tony’s also always consisted of conversation. Peter glanced over at Tony expecting to see an uncomfortable expression and was surprised to see how casual he looked.

Ah. You idiot, he grew up like this. Peter thought to himself.

The realization made him a bit sad. It wasn’t such a big deal, afterall it was common for people to remain silent while eating. But it wasn’t just silence. It felt… cold. Hostile, almost.

Peter’s racing thoughts seemingly distracted him, causing him to accidentally elbow a spoon off the table.

Why did I even need a spoon here if we’re eating pasta? That’s dumb… Peter thought before picking it up.

“My bad… forgot that it was, uh, there.” He said sheepishly.

“Anthony, you should work on his table etiquette. It’ll prove itself to be helpful in the future.” Howard said as he reached out for his glass of wine.

“It’s better than mine, that’s for sure. Did you ever work on table etiquette with me?” Tony responded with spite.

“Wow look! What wonderful weather we’re having! Dad, look at the… um… rain?” Peter laughed awkwardly as he pointed towards the window.

Tony couldn’t help but laugh at the kids' failure to shift topics. “Real smooth underoos, definitely some fantastic weather. Wanna kick out the ‘ol rain boots and stomp in the mud while you’re at it?” He said with sarcasm.

“Are you seriously bringing up mud while we eat?” Howard added. It wasn’t exactly meant to be harsh, but to Tony it felt like yet another dig to get underneath his skin.

“Am I serious? Are you serious?” Tony scoffed. “Do you make it a personal goal to comment on every little thing I do or say? Be honest, I’m just dying to know at this point.”

“Dear, let them have their fun and just enjoy the meal. Tony, Peter, how do you like the pasta?” Maria said before Howard could further their feud.

“It’s perfect mom, thanks for the great meal. Anyways I’d like to get back to my question. Feel free to answer, father.” Tony said nonchalantly.

“OH MY GOODNESS I THINK I’M CHOKING!” Peter said while standing up as he grabbed hold of Tony’s arm and dragged him into the room next door.

“Dad, I don’t think I can handle the tension anymore.” Peter whispered. “That was totally believable though, right?”

He’s still calling me dad even when we’re alone? Focus.

“…yeah, definitely believable. But alright, I’m sorry. You saw that though, I’m not going crazy right? He’s totally making digs at me-” Tony whispered back before being cut short by Peter.

“Well yeah he’s acting like a total ass, but your mom worked super hard on this dinner. I’ll help you get through this meal but try to enjoy it for her, please?”

Tony sighed.

If there was one thing he hated, it was admitting he was in the wrong. Or, partially wrong. But, Peter was right. I mean, when was the last time he had a home cooked dinner with his mom? And what were the chances that it would ever happen again? …Probably never.

Not to mention the fact that Peter’s parents were also dead. While Tony didn’t have a great relationship with his dad, he was at least lucky enough to see his family again in general. Peter didn’t get that chance.

“You’re right. I promise to be on my best behavior for the rest of the night, boss.” Tony said in an honest tone with a touch of sarcasm at the end.

“Don’t worry, I’ll handle your dad. ‘Kay, let’s go back.” Peter smiled.

The two quickly returned to the dining room and sat in their seats.

“False alarm. I was most definitely not choking.” Peter said before taking a bite of his pasta while Tony tried his best to hold back a laugh.

Maria wasn’t dumb. Not only was Peter’s little performance evidently an excuse, but she could tell from the change in their demeanors that Peter had handled things. She too smiled a bit seeing her son attempt to restrain his laughter.

“Thank you, Peter.” She whispered, only loud enough for him to hear to which he nodded.

Once everyone finished their meals, Maria and Tony headed to the kitchen and began to wash the dishes.

It was silent. But, a comfortable silence.

Tony never helped her with dishes, but this time he decided to accompany her. As she washed the plates and utensils, he dried them when done and put them in the rack. Though they had never done this together before, the sequence came naturally to them.

“Tony, is there a reason as to why you’ve joined me for dishes?” Maria questioned.

“What, I can’t help my mother in the kitchen. Sounds a bit sexist, don’t you think?”

“Ah, so you’re here to break gender roles?” She added with a grin.

“Most definitely. I know you may be used to the 20th century standards but I’ve come from the 21st century.” Tony continued.

“You’re ridiculous.” Maria laughed before handing him the last plate to dry off. “Well, thank you for the help. I’m going to go take a shower and get ready for bed, it’s already 7pm.” She said before heading towards the direction of the hallway.

“Mom?” Tony called out.

“Yes, dear?”

“I meant it when I said the meal was perfect.” He began. “…maybe you can show me the recipe?”

Maria walked back towards Tony and kissed his cheek. “Thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed it. If I don’t catch Peter before he heads to bed, tell him I said goodnight.”

She began to approach the hallway again. Before exiting she turned to face Tony once more. “And I’d be more than happy to teach you the recipe! Ask me when you return to your time, I’m sure I’ll be more than willing.” Maria finished before leaving the room.

Tony smiled to the ground. He was happy to have shared that moment with his mom. But at the same time, his heart broke a little when she told him to ask her in the future.

He wasn’t disappointed in her response. After all, how could she have known? But it hurt nonetheless seeing her envision a future that she would never be a part of.

As Tony helped his mother in the kitchen, Peter and Howard remained in the dining room. Which was incredibly awkward.

Peter cleared his throat then attempted to start a conversation. “So. How have you been, sir?”

Howard looked up from the newspaper he had been reading through for a moment. “Good.” He said shortly.

“Anything… interesting you reading about?” Peter said while shifting awkwardly in his seat.

“Nothing that would be of any concern to you.” Howard said without a hint of interest, causing Peter to frown.

Peter stayed silent after that and didn’t say anything until Howard broke the silence.

“I heard you and Anthony talking about MIT earlier, do you plan on going there?”

“Yes!” Peter said all too full of enthusiasm. “I’ve wanted to go there since I was a kid, I think it would suit my interests.”

“Is there any reason as to why you haven’t already started attending yet?” Howard responded. He seemed slightly more interested than before if that was any improvement.

“My d-dad doesn’t want me to rush. Honestly, I could have possibly attended earlier than the average person but I want to experience high school at the same pace as my friends. It wouldn’t be fun starting college before them.” And Peter was honest in his reply. He did in fact want to take his time and graduate with his friends.

“Well, your… father… prioritized his studies over his friends. I encourage you to do the same. Surely it’ll pay off.”

Peter didn’t exactly like that response. From what he had been told from Tony and based on what he was able to put together throughout today, Tony didn’t exactly have a choice when deciding what he wanted to do. It was evident that Howard had made all of Tony’s educational decisions without even consulting him on them.

“With all due respect, you didn’t really give him a choice.” As soon as Peter spoke the words, he quickly covered his mouth in regret. The last thing he wanted was to get on Howard’s bad side.

“Excuse me?” Howard said in shock as he put the newspaper down. “Who do you think you’re talking to with that attitude?”

Peter turned a ghostly white. Crapcrapcrapcrap you idiot, he mentally reprimanded himself.

Unfortunately for him there was no turning back, so if he had already dug his own grave, what was wrong with burying himself as well?

“I don’t like the way you treat Tony.” Peter said with a facade of confidence. “He… he’s- a good man.”

Howard was honestly quite amused. Was this kid being serious?

“Your son is a good man. He’s made mistakes, just like the rest of us. I mean, we’re all human here but you expect nothing short of perfection from him. Well guess what? You’re not exactly perfect yourself. Neither am I, but that doesn’t matter. Ton- My dad and I have fun hanging out together in the lab. He hangs out with me, and we watch movies together sometimes. He’s actually listens to what I’m interested in. M-maybe… you should take a page from his book.” Peter was almost shocked that he was able to say all that. Hopefully I didn’t just get myself kicked out.

By now Howard was utterly shocked. Not only was he quite taken aback by the not-so-kind words of his grandson, but he couldn’t believe his eyes.

For a moment, he almost thought he was looking at Tony himself. The younger version, of course. Whether it was a good thing or not, Howard concluded that Peter was a lot like his son. And he wasn’t disappointed in that fact.

“You two can sleep in the living room. There will be more than enough room for both of you. Goodnight, Peter.” Howard said before getting up and exiting the room.

Holyshit.Ohmygod.Ohmygodohmygod. Peter kept repeating like a mantra in his head.

What Peter did not know was that Tony was standing on the other side of the dining room’s entrance and had heard the latter half of their conversation.

As Howard reached the exit, he stopped and looked at Tony who stood there unmoving.

“You did a good job raising him.” Was all Howard said before heading off to bed.

Even after Howard spoke to him, Tony didn’t move.

Tony had not raised him, Peter’s aunt did. Unless you counted his contributions over the past two years, this was all the work of the lovely May Parker. And he was incredibly grateful to her in that moment for raising such a wonderful boy.

Not only that, but Howard had never really… sought out any form of interaction with Tony, like, ever. So him stopping to talk to Tony was not something he had been used to.

Tony pulled himself out of his thoughts and finally walked into the dining room to sit next to Peter.

“H-hey Mr. Stark.” Peter said shyly and still unaware of what Tony had heard.

I see we’re back to Mr. Stark now. He thought. “Hey kiddo. How’d you enjoy your day?”

Tony wasn’t sure whether or not he should bring up the conversation. Honestly, he was hesitant. What exactly would he say anyways?

“I think I made your dad hate me.” Peter responded while fidgeting with his fingers.

Well I guess now I have no choice but to bring it up. Tony mentally sighed.

“I overheard.” He admitted. “And if you want my opinion, I don’t think he hates you at all. Probably likes you more than me.” Tony joked. Perhaps it was a joke in poor taste, but he tried to lighten the mood.

“I-” Peter’s ears turned pink, feeling a bit embarrassed that Tony had once again overheard his praise of him while conversing with his parents.

“I appreciated it, thanks.” Tony confessed.

They both remained silent until Tony spoke up again.

“Hey, Peter?”

“Y-yes.”

It was no secret that Tony was absolutely horrendous in the emotions department. But he tried. And he was still trying.

So he swallowed his pride and turned his chair towards Peter until he was facing him directly. He waited for Peter to look at him in response before continuing.

”I’m very happy that you’re a part of my life.”

Peter’s eyes went wide. And a light pink blush now dusted across his face.

He maintained eye contact for a moment before leaning his head forward against the table and resting it atop of his arms in an attempt to hide his face. Peter collected himself for a moment before lifting his head and looking towards Tony again.

Tony was surprised to see that a large, cheesy grin had formed on Peter’s face. Did I cause that? He thought to himself.

“Me too.” Peter responded with his prominent grin. “I’m grateful you’re a part of my life.”

Tony immediately stood up and turned around. He didn’t exactly want the kid to see him getting all emotional. Blegh. Vomit. Gross. That was way too much emotion. Enough to last him a lifetime.

“Aw, Mr. Stark are you embarrassed?” Peter teased. “Did my words bring you to tears? Should we hug now too?” He continued to egg Tony on as he also began to stand up.

“Shut up.”

“C’moooonnn! No hug? Pepper would be proud if you gave me a hug.”

“I hate you.” Tony said as he began to leave the room. (Of course, he wasn’t serious.)

“Huh, that’s not what you just said though?” Peter proceeded with his teasing as he followed Tony. “You said, and I quote, ‘I’m very happy that you’re a part of my life.’ I should print that on a t-shirt.”

“No more Star Wars movie sprees if you continue this.” Tony said with no real heat to which Peter let out a hearty laugh.

As much as Peter loved teasing him, he didn’t mention the smile he saw on Tony’s face that the man was clearly trying to hide ever since he got up.

Instead, he wanted the smile to remain for as long as possible.

Chapter Text

Tony lived in a considerably large solo dorm on campus at MIT. So it was pretty common for Rhodey to come over and chill at his place most days.

Rhodey, however, was not expecting to walk into Tony’s dorm catching him getting ready to leave.

“Uh, what are you doing?” Rhodey asked, causing Tony to jump in a startle.

“Jeez, could’ve made your presence more noticeable. You scared the crap out of me.”

“My bad, so again, whatcha up to?” Rhodey repeated.

“I don’t really know… I feel weird?” Tony shrugged as he grabbed his keys and headed towards the door. “Something just feels off. Can’t explain it.” He stated vaguely.

“Okay, where are you headed at least? Don’t leave me hanging, I’m at the edge of my seat here.”

Tony motioned for Rhodey to follow him out as they worked towards the exit of the dormitory.

”I called home a couple hours ago, around the time my parents typically have dinner. Jarvis answered and told me that ‘now wasn’t a good time’. He sounded kinda… thrown off.” Tony started explaining. “I know I don’t call home, like ever, but I wasn’t expecting to be shut down like that. The vibes were totally strange.”

“Are you sure you’re not overthinking it? You kinda have a bad habit of doing that. I mean, what exactly are you planning on doing? Heading home ‘cause your butler shut down your attempt at a phone call.” Rhodey countered back as he followed Tony.

“Pretty much, yeah. I haven’t been home in a while anyway, perhaps a surprise visit is overdue.”

“You can’t be serious.” Rhodey said with a shocked expression. “Tony, you don’t even like being at home. Didn’t you say your father-”

“Do you wanna come with me?” Tony interrupted.

Rhodey stopped dead in his tracks. Was this guy being serious right now? Like, for real? He thought to himself.

“C’mon, you can be my emotional support buddy. Whatd’ya say? It’s only like an hour and a half flight. Plus it’ll be the weekend. Perfect timing.” Tony said in an attempt to convince his friend.

“…Tony…” Rhodey sighed. It wasn’t exactly the worst idea he’d ever proposed to him. Plus, he had finished most of his assignments early and could use a weekend off campus. “Alright, but you’re buying my ticket.”

“Using me for my money?” Tony feigned offended.

“Oh, most definitely.” He said while slinging an arm across Tony’s shoulder. “But I kinda need to pack a few things first. Gimme half an hour and then we can head to the airport. Sound good?”

“Sounds great, lead the way, good sir.” Tony gestured forward with a mock British accent.

° ° °

By the time the two college students had arrived in New York, it was around eight in the morning which was far too early for either of their likings. The nearest flight from Massachusetts to New York City was at five in the morning which got delayed until around six-thirty.

Once they finally got off the plane, it would take another thirty minutes until they could get off at the closest stop to Howard’s mansion.

By the time they finally arrived at Tony’s house, it had just recently turned nine. Thus, someone should be awake to let the two of them in without a problem.

Tony was just about ready to collapse from all the traveling and was leaning against Rhodey’s side. Fortunately for Rhodey, he was able to get a good night's sleep on the plane, unlike his friend.

“Dude, you’re totally weighing me down.” Rhodey whispered, trying to keep the volume low for Tony.

“Shhhh just let me sleep on your shoulder. One second.”

“You haven’t even rang the doorbell yet.”

“You’re interrupting my beauty sleep.” Tony grumbled.

Rhodey rolled his eyes and remained quiet, allowing Tony to catch whatever two seconds of shut-eye he had in mind. Rhodey reached out and rang the buzzer, announcing that it was him and Tony.

Within a few moments, Jarvis attended the door. Rhodey noticed he barely cracked it open and that the man was making sure the two boys could not see into the living room.

“Hello, I’m not sure if you know who I am but I’m James Rhodes. Tony decided to visit and asked me to accompany him, I hope that’s okay.”

Jarvis looked uncomfortable. He repeatedly glanced back and forth between the living room behind him and the two boys at the door.

Maybe Tony was right, something strange is going on here… Rhodey thought.

“The timing is not exactly the best at the moment. But we do not mind your presence, Mr. Rhodes.” Jarvis replied.

“Just call me James— Rhodey is fine too, it’s grown on me.” Rhodey said as he shook Tony awake. “Tony, dude, wake up.”

Tony removed his head from Rhodey’s shoulder and opened his tired eyes. “Hey Jarvis, let us in, would you?”

Jarvis hesitated again as he looked back inside to the room behind him. Now awake, Tony noticed the strange behavior of his butler.

“Why are you blocking the door?” Tony questioned.

“No reason. I was just telling your friend that it’s not a good time.”

“Odd. You said the same last night. What’s going on?” Tony grew a bit more impatient by the second. “What are you hiding behind the door?”

“Master Tony, I’m not sure if-”

“Jarvis, let me in the house.”

Though reluctant, Jarvis finally caved. “Would you give me a moment?“

The second Jarvis had turned around in an attempt to remove whatever— or whoever was in the room, Tony pushed the door open. His eyes grew wide at the sight in front of him.

“What the hell is going on.” Tony said as he looked at the couch.

Once Peter and Tony had taken showers, changed into some spare clothes given to them as pajamas, and brushed their teeth, the two settled in the living room.

After all, Howard did tell Peter that’s where the two of them would be sleeping. While the mansion surely had guest rooms, Howard was still a bit skeptical.

He figured it would not be much of a big deal considering how large their living room was anyhow.

Tony had thought it was stupid, of course, but he didn’t mind all too much. He’d slept on the couch many times as a teen when he was too tired to travel to his bedroom.

As for Peter… well, the couch was larger than his own bed so it was nothing short of a luxury.

“Holy crap, man. This sofa is larger than my whole room.” He said as he plopped onto the couch. “Too bad we can't watch movies or anything. I’m not exactly tired.”

“Neither am I, but to be fair I don’t exactly sleep much.” Tony added as he sat down as well.

For a moment, Peter thought to himself. He had his phone but it’s not like he could call Ned or facetime MJ. They literally weren’t even born yet. And he couldn’t text May that he was doing alright either.

“Do you think Aunt May is worried?” Peter spoke up again.

“I’m sure she is. As well as Pepper, Happy, Rhodey, and your little nerd friends.” Tony ruffled the boys hair. “But, if Pepper and Rhodey haven’t already handled all that, I will when we get back. Don’t worry too much about it.” He reassured.

“…Wh-what if we don’t return?” Peter began to admit his worries. “I mean, realistically, what are the chances someone can help us get back?”

“Since when we’re you a debbie downer?” Tony nudged Peter’s side. “C’mon, I’m sure that by tomorrow everything will be fine. If Rhodey’s been using that brain of his I’m sure he’s talking exactly to the person I’d be expecting him to.”

“Who?”

“The magic man.” Tony grinned.

Peter laughed at his ridiculous joke. “I bet he’s keeping us here longer ‘cause you’re calling him that.”

“Sounds like something he’d do, my apologies Strange.” He announced to the empty sky.

After that the two sat in a comfortable silence for a moment until Peter spoke up again. “Hey d- Mr. Stark?”

Tony didn’t comment on the near slip-up. “Yeah?”

“How do you feel about all of this? Y’know… seeing your parents and Jarvis.” Peter asked curiously as he sat with his limbs sprawled across the couch.

Tony sighed.

“I’m not sure.” He spoke honestly. “I’m glad to have made some new memories with my mother and it’s been good seeing Jarvis again.”

“But~” Peter dragged out the word.

“But, it’s kind of bittersweet.” Yeah. Bittersweet. “I never got to say goodbye to my parents, or Jarvis. I don’t know if I can bring myself to say it this time around. Too deep?”

“No, I get it. Well I don’t but I know what it’s like not being able to say goodbye.” He paused. “My parents died when I was six, my uncle when I was fourteen. I didn’t get to say goodbye to my mom or my dad. But… I was there wh-when Ben…”

“You don’t have to talk about it if it’s too hard for you.” Tony said in an attempt to ease Peter away from reliving the memory.

“No. I don’t, but I want to.” Peter sat up and scooted closer to Tony. “I held Ben as he passed.”

Tony took a sharp inhale. He knew, of course. But hearing it straight from Peter was quite rough.

“I was able to say goodbye. I think that made it harder though.” Peter looked at Tony directly. “So I kinda know where you’re coming from. Sometimes knowing when it’s time to say goodbye is harder than not being able to at all.”

“Yeah. I think it is.” Tony responded, not quite sure how or when their conversation got so serious. “Thanks… for sharing, y’know.”

“I don’t mind.” Peter attempted to smile, it wasn’t exactly ingenuine, just a bit forced. “Is it selfish to say I wish I had gotten the chance to see my family one last time instead?”

Tony paused before turning over to Peter. It was already pitch black outside and there was only one dim table lamp illuminating the room. He couldn’t make out the boy’s face, but he figured he looked just as guilty as he felt over thinking such a thought.

“No, I don’t think it’s selfish.” Tony breathed out a long sigh. “But I know you’re still gonna feel bad regardless of what I say. You’ve lived the most selfless life out of all the people I’ve come across, Peter. You’re not being selfish for wanting to see your parents and uncle again. Even so, you’re allowed to be selfish sometimes.”

“Okay.” Peter smiled in relief.

Although the couch was large and curved into an ‘L’ shape, the two sat close to one another. Peter yawned and leaned over, head resting a bit on Tony’s shoulder.

“G’night dad.”

Peter was too tired to catch his slip-up. And Tony was too content to overthink it.

“Night Peter.”

° ° °

“What the hell is going on.”

Peter’s senses were slightly going off, causing him to wake up.

As he opened his eyes he noticed he had fallen asleep on Tony’s shoulder to which Tony had rested his head atop of Peter’s and placed an arm around his shoulder.

Peter slightly shifted and redirected his attention to the noise he heard by the door.

“Oh shit.” Peter cursed, causing Tony to wake up.

“Master Tony, I can explain. Please calm yourself.” Jarvis said in an attempt to contain the outburst of the teen who had just arrived from MIT.

The moment Tony made eye contact with his younger self he shot upwards and off the couch.

“Jarvis, you really couldn’t give us a heads up?” He said frantically.

“In my defense, I tried several times but you were both out cold.” Jarvis replied with a slight twitch in his eye. “Plus, shouldn’t you have been aware of this… visit.”

Tony contemplated for a moment. After all, Jarvis was right. He should have know of his own visit had it of happened. Except if he remembered correctly, he wasn’t supposed to make a home visit around this time of year.

Due to the ruckus, Howard and Maria wandered into the living room. The two had been in the kitchen preparing breakfast before hearing the outburst.

“Well isn’t this just perfect.” Howard said, clearly beyond irritated. “What a great way to start the day. What are you doing here, Anthony.”

Rhodey was quite shocked. He knew Tony and his dad had issues but yeesh was that harsh.

The teen frowned. “Damn, great seeing you too, father.” Tony snarked despite evidently being affected by his fathers reaction to his presence. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have come.” He glared at the two unknown guests occupying his couch. “I’m clearly interrupting something important here.”

Peter felt absolutely gutted seeing Tony, well— younger Tony respond like that. He had only ever seen Mr. Stark make equally irritated remarks in return to his father. He’d never seen the man with such a hurt expression on his face before.

“N-no!” Peter said a bit too quick. “We uh, we… we’re just… visiting?”

“And who are you? My replacement or something?”

Tony cringed. God, I sounded so insecure as a kid.

“No dear, these are just our guests. We’re very glad you came to visit us.” Maria said in an attempt to keep things civil.

“I’m sorry, are we gonna ignore the literal elephant in the room?” Rhodey finally spoke up, notably astounded. “This man looks like an old Tony, and the kid looks like he could pass for your cousin, Tones. Are you sure these aren’t relatives?”

“Ouch. You’re seriously calling me old? Words can hurt, Rhodey.”

“I’d like to add that I’m not a kid. I’m sixteen. Just wanted to… slide that in there.” Peter said awkwardly.

“Nice timing, kid.” Tony teased.

“How do you know my name? Better yet how do you know my nickname-” Rhodey paused. “Holy shit… wait a minute.” He continued as his eyes went wide.

“Ding ding ding! Looks like one of ‘em got it!” Said Tony, to which Howard looked displeased.

“This is confusing enough as is.” Howard pinched his nose bridge in utter exhaustion. For once, the man was entirely out of his own element. He pointed in the direction of his son who had just arrived from college. “Anthony.” Then he pointed at the… older version. “Tony.”

Maria nodded in compliance and Jarvis seemed to think it was a good way to differentiate between the two.

Anthony on the other hand only seemed further confused by the gesture.

“We can… discuss over breakfast. Everyone in the dining room, now.” Maria sighed.

Once again, Howard sat at the head of the table while Maria sat opposite to him on the other end. As for the side seats, the two duos sat together and Jarvis leaned against the wall. There was enough seating for him to join them, however, the last thing he wanted was to participate in this dilemma.

Anthony was irritated. Very irritated. He hated being the last one to figure things out, it made him feel stupid— which was a feeling he did not find pleasant; and he was clearly the only one who had not pieced together what was going on. “So is anyone gonna explain to me or are we just playing the silent game?”

“Not it.” Tony said quickly, making Peter cover his mouth to prevent himself from laughing.

They could really be such idiots sometimes.

“Real mature of you, Tony. If you’re not gonna talk, Peter, why don’t you explain.” Howard said as he rolled his eyes.

“Uh- ok. Sure. Yup. That I can do.” He responded in his typical awkward manner. “Um. Hi, I’m Peter. This is my dad. As I’m sure Rhodey’s already put together this is… you? Actually, wait let me start over again-”

Tony interrupted, no longer able to bear Peter’s terrible attempt at explaining the situation. “We time traveled. I’m you, aka Tony Stark, as Peter just mentioned. We ended up here on accident and are waiting to get sent back. End of story.”

“Prove it.” Rhodey said with narrow eyes, still questioning whether or not to believe them.

“During our first year at MIT we were at a party and a pretty girl dared you to chug a whole can of beer but you’d never had alcohol before so after finishing you vom-”

“Woahwoahwoah that was more than enough. No need to continue.” Rhodey said in an urgent tone. “And really? Of all the stories?

“Hey, it’s one of my personal favorites. But, are you sure? ‘Cause I can continue.” Tony grinned devilishly.

“Yeah, I’m sure. Still an man-child I see.” Rhodey said ever so amused, still taking in the situation.

“Ouch. I’ll have you know I’m a fully functioning adult.”

“I don’t believe that for one second.” Rhodey said before turning to his friend. “…Hey, are you alright?”

Anthony wasn’t looking at the man who was apparently himself. No, he was looking at Peter.

The boy had introduced himself as his son earlier, and of everything to have been said so far, that stuck out the most.

With his spidey senses and all, Peter had noticed Anthony staring at him and looked back at him with a shy smile on his face in an attempt to be kind-mannered.

To his surprise, this seemed to set Anthony off seeing as he got up and stormed out the room in a panic. Once Anthony reached his bedroom, he slammed the door.

“Woah, what a drama queen.” Tony joked— about himself albeit.

“Sounds like someone I know.” Peter said as he looked at Tony. “Should someone go check on him?”

“Adults stay, children out. We need to have a talk.” Howard announced to which everyone complied.

Now in Tony’s room awkwardly sat Anthony, Rhodey, and Peter.

While Anthony and Rhodey sat on the bed, Peter decided to distance himself and took a seat at the desk next to the bed.

It was easy for him to talk to Maria and Jarvis. Howard, not so much. But even that would be preferable to this. He wasn’t sure what to say. This felt much more complicated considering the fact that he actually knew both Rhodey and Anthony, unlike the others.

“So you’re Tony’s son, huh?” Rhodey broke the ice, no longer able to handle the uncomfortable silence.

“I don’t really wanna talk about this.” Anthony interjected before Peter could reply.

His mind was all over the place. Anthony had come to his room in order to properly wrap his head around what he had just been told, only to have been followed by Rhodey and… his kid under orders from his father.

Not to mention, the last thing he ever expected himself to be was a father. For many reasons

So the truth of the matter terrified him. He didn’t want to give Peter the chance to share any information about their relationship. What if he was a terrible father? What if this his kid hated him?

Anthony’s leg was bouncing up and down, a nervous tic Peter had picked on up. Although, he never would’ve thought it stemmed so far back in the man’s life.

Peter had known Tony for a fairly considerable amount of time. Hey, two years was a lot! So he was easily able to determine what the root of Anthony’s anxiousness was.

“You’re a good dad.”

Anthony’s leg stopped bouncing and he froze.

Peter could’ve left it at that, but he continued nonetheless. “I know you were scared to hear any other answer. And trust me I’m not lying to spare your feelings. You can ask just about anyone here and they’d tell you the same thing based on what they’ve seen over the course of the day we’ve been here.”

“We hangout a lot, and you ask about my day at school right away every time we’re together. I tell you about my friends and you…” Peter looked at the floor in embarrassment. “…give me advice on how to ask out the girl I have a crush on. And you help me with my homework whenever I need it.”

Anthony thought back to how the two looked on the couch when he first arrived. Peter had been resting on Tony’s shoulder while Tony rested his head on top of Peter’s with an arm around the boy's shoulder. He also remembered the two joking a bit with one another during their group discussion. He never did that with his father.

He rested his elbows on his knees and held his face in his hands. Rhodey patted his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him.

“So I’m not a total fuck up, huh?” Anthony finally spoke. His voice sounded hoarse but came off as relieved at the same time.

“Far from it.” Peter shook his head. “I-I can’t really say much, but I mean it when I say a lot of people look up to you. As in tens of millions.” He said in reference to Iron Man. “You’re an inspiration to tons, seriously.”

By now, Anthony began to cry a little lot into his hands.

Peter had never seen Tony cry before. So seeing his younger self have a breakdown was both upsetting and refreshing. Tony was never one to outright express his emotions, though he had made quite a bit of a development in that department over the course of their time in the past.

“Hey Peter, can you give us a minute?” Rhodey asked kindly to which Peter nodded.

Once the door shut Anthony fell back into his bed, still hiding his face in his hands as he finished crying.

“Rhodey?” Anthony said with a sniffle.

Seeing him like this made Rhodey realize how young Anthony actually was. He was just a sixteen year old kid, one who had been thrown into college at fifteen. He seemed to forget that every so often.

Yeah?” Rhodey responded.

“Never speak a word about this. Like ever.”

“You know, I don’t get why you’re embarrassed. It’s a good thing to show emotions. Almost forgot you were human for a while, I was getting ready to buy some oil for you Mr. Tin Man.” Rhodey joked in an attempt to lighten the mood.

“This is so humiliating, kill me now.” Anthony grumbled before grabbing a pillow and shoving to his own face before groaning.

Yeah. Definitely just a kid. Rhodey thought.

Anthony would never admit it out loud, but Peter’s words meant a lot to him. Like, a lot. He never had much hope for his future. Always figured he would continue to follow the rules of Howard, then follow in his footsteps once he was old enough.

But now he knew he had created his own path. A path to a future he now looked forward to.

“Can I call him back now?” Rhodey asked for permission.

“Spare me my dignity please.” Said Tony as he began to sit upwards again.

“You’re so dramatic.” Rhodey rolled his eyes before opening the door and allowing Peter back in. “Okay, now you’re obligated to tell me all about my future. What’dya know?”

Peter grinned mischievously as he sat back in the desk chair. “Well for starters you’ve totally turned hippie. I mean, you walk around in bright tie-dye shirts and wear a bandana, like religiously. I try to tell you it’s gone out of style but you never listen.”

Rhodey’s eyes went wide in shock. “Please tell me you’re joking. Oh my god, don’t tell me you’re being serious.”

“Totally joking. Would’ve been funny if I was serious though, don’tcha think?” Peter grinned.

Anthony, now having been calmed down, let out an exuberant laugh. “Rhodey, you actually believed that for a second didn’t you?” He grinned. “Maybe you could pull it off, it’s never too late to expand your horizons.”

“I cannot believe I have to deal with not one, but now two idiots for the rest of my life.” Rhodey said as he smacked Anthony’s shoulder.

As the teens occupied Tony’s childhood room, the adults remained present at the dining table.

“Tony, how much longer are you planning on staying here?” Howard asked flatly.

“Uh this isn’t exactly a vacation.” Tony said incredulously. “Plus, we don’t really have the proper technology or resources to put together the same device that could send us back.”

Howard sighed. “This isn’t exactly convenient.”

“I’m sure he’s aware of that, dear.” Maria said as she placed her hand on Tony’s forearm

“Not sure if now is the best moment to bring it up again… but shouldn’t you have known that today was the day you visited home from MIT?” Jarvis added.

“That’s the thing, Jarv. I didn’t know.” Tony said with an indistinguishable look on his face. “I never made a home visit during this time. In fact, I never flew home ever, aside from the holidays… this shouldn’t have happened.”

The room went momentarily silent to which they all had tensed looks on their faces.

“The young sir called last night, he said he found the conversation odd.” Jarvis spoke up once more. “Perhaps that is why he flew in?”

“I-I didn’t ever call home either.” Tony admitted with a slightly ashamed look. “I always figured it would be a disruption… so I never did.”

Maria frowned at the comment.

“So you’re saying the events of today should never have happened based on your future reality.” Howard asked despite not sounding like a question.

“No.”

The rest went unsaid.

Either the past had been altered, or this was not the same reality Tony had grown up in.

Both of which were most definite problems.

Chapter Text

Eventually Jarvis informed the “youngins”, as Tony liked to call them, that the adults finished their discussion and that they were welcome to join the main living area again.

Of course, Peter quickly accepted and went to look for Tony seeing as he was wondering what he and the others spoke about. Rhodey wanted to actually finish his breakfast, so Anthony reluctantly agreed to join.

With the help of Anthony, Peter was luckily able to manage throughout the large house and found Tony in the kitchen.

“Hey, whatcha doin’?” Peter asked Tony as Rhodey and Anthony sat in the dining room connected to the kitchen.

“Making you more food. You barely ate breakfast, and the portion you had for dinner was criminally small for you.” Tony said in allusion to Peter’s fast metabolism.

Tony was at the stove behind the counter making some omelets and pancakes, so Peter took it upon himself to join the man and mix the pancake batter while he focused on the eggs.

In response to Peter’s help, Tony ruffled his hair and muttered a quick thanks.

“You know, I really hate when you do that.” Peter groaned as he attempted to tame his hair despite having leaned into the touch.

Tony playfully rolled his eyes. “Why? I like your hair like that. And last I checked you love it when people mess with your hair.”

“Shut up! You know what I'm talking about.” Peter blushed slightly in embarrassment.

“Mhmm.” Tony hummed before plating the omelet for Peter and pouring the pancake batter onto the pan.

“Ooh wait, let me do it! I’m a total pro at flipping pancakes.” Peter said in an excited voice.

“Uh, not too sure I want the kitchen to become decorated in your failed pancake attempts.”

“C’mon! I’ll show you how it’s done, move over.” Peter pleaded.

“Fine. I hate when you use that tone, makes me feel like I’m kicking a puppy if I say no.” Tony said as he moved aside and allowed Peter access to the stove.

As promised, Peter flipped the pancake perfectly and widely grinned at the successful landing. “See, told you so! Admit it, that was pretty cool right?”

Tony, being the prima donna that he is, tried his best to look unimpressed. “I don’t know underoos, looked pretty average. Bet I can do better on the next one.”

“Oh, I see how it is. Go on, show us if you do any better.” Peter put his arms up in fake defeat.

Tony took the challenge and made sure the flip the next one even higher. “And that’s what I call pro pancake flipping.”

“That was literally mediocre at best. Move aside.”

In an attempt to outperform Tony, Peter flipped the pancake as high as he could. However, it broke in half mid-flip. Despite catching one piece in the pan, the other ended up landing at the edge of Tony’s hair and sliding down his face.

Peter covered his mouth in what looked to be shock at first, but then broke out into a fit of laughter. Tony tried his best at holding in his laugh as well as he wiped the pancake off his face.

“I can’t believe I didn’t get a photo of that.” Peter managed to get out between his laughs.

“I think it’s safe to assume I’m more of a pro in the kitchen than you are. And that says a lot.”

“I’m only agreeing because I was able to get this moment out of it, don’t think too highly of yourself now.” Peter said as he pulled himself together and helped Tony get out a small piece of pancake from his hair.

“Bon appetit~” Tony said as he put the non face contaminated pancakes onto the plate and ever so graciously handed them to Peter.

As Rhodey was eating his waffle, he tried his best to not stare at the two in the kitchen. But it was almost impossible not to.

He couldn’t believe his eyes. Was this really Tony? Was he actually this… paternal?

Anthony, who sat beside Rhodey, kept his head down despite catching a few glances. This was way too much information for him to process in one day.

Without having noticed the two seated in the connected dining room before, Tony and Peter took their seats at the table.

“Oh. Hey. If I’d seen you guys I would’ve offered some food.” Tony said plainly to Rhodey and… well, himself.

Anthony’s eyes awkwardly shifted back and forth between Peter and Tony.

“It’s fine. What were you guys talking about after sending Peter and I off?” Rhodey questioned.

“Yeah I was gonna ask you that too, got sidetracked.” Peter added after swallowing his food.

“Nothing important.” Tony responded, not wanting to cause any further concerns. “I could ask the same to you, what were you guys up to-”

“Nothing.” Anthony quickly interrupted, not wanting his little emotional breakdown to be the topic of discussion.

“Dude… don’t tell me you're embarrassed of your own self.” Rhodey said in genuine bewilderment.

“Don’t even start.” Anthony groaned.

“No, now I wanna know.” Tony said curiously before turning to Peter. “Mind sharing what happened, Pete?”

“Peter, don’t.” Anthony cut in again.

“Um. I don’t really know what to do, how did I end up in the middle of a dilemma between two Tony Stark’s?” Peter laughed nervously.

“Are you seriously gonna listen to this guy? You’ve known me for how long and just met him.” Tony feigned hurt.

“You’re literally the same person.” Rhodey said, already becoming exhausted by the two.

Peter nodded to which Anthony spoke up again. “Doesn’t matter, we’re not talking about it.”

“Overruled.” Tony declared.

Though Rhodey found the comment to be humorous, Anthony hit his arm.

“That was so uncalled for, I can literally expose you right now man.” Rhodey said before hitting him back.

“Ah yes! Please do so.” Tony encouraged.

“Honestly, if he’s embarrassed, wouldn’t you probably be embarrassed too, dad?” Peter said before gulping down some orange juice.

“No, I was a little bitch back in the day. I can totally take it now.” Tony shrugged.

“Language.” Peter mocked, making Tony laugh. Of course, the other two didn’t quite understand what appeared to be their inside joke.

“Would’ya look at that! Rhodey, you’re all done eating. Let’s go.” Anthony said while practically dragging his friend out the room.

“Yup, total drama queen.” Tony said once the two were out of the room, making Peter grin.

Throughout the day, the four kept unintentionally crossing paths. They weren’t purposely avoiding each other, rather they simply opted to stay out of each other’s hair. Clearly it wasn’t working.

Anthony noticed a few things about himself and Peter:

1. Tony messed with Peter’s hair a lot and often had his arm thrown around the kid’s shoulder.

2. Peter and Tony enjoyed teasing one another. Whenever bickering, he often heard them speak of a Pepper for whatever reason. Probably another inside joke.

3. Tony smiled. A lot. Well they both did, but for himself it was a bigger deal.

He would never admit it himself, but seeing their interactions would put a smile on his face.

Rhodey on the other hand, didn’t seem to mind calling him out.

“You’re smiling.” Rhodey poked Anthony’s side teasingly, much to his annoyance.

“That’s my resting face.”

“Your resting face makes you look pissed off, nice try though.” Rhodey grinned. “It’s nice.”

“What’s nice?”

“Seeing your future. I’m glad to see you happy is all.”

“Don’t get all mushy on me, Rhodes.”

Peter reluctantly, but ever so kindly, let go of Tony's arm; allowing him to spend some time with his family. For the better half of the previous hour he’d been holding on for dear life.

Or at least that’s what Rhodey thought. Attachment issues much? Who would’ve thought the emotionally unattached and guarded Tony Stark could produce such a clingy child.

Maybe it was karma. Or exactly what the man needed. Rhodey was intrigued to say the least.

Anthony on the other hand… well he was also intrigued. Mostly observant and frankly a bit off put by the gross overly affectionate displays of love. In reality, Peter and Tony had been acting fairly normal, but to Anthony, this was uncharted territory.

When did he get so soft?

Even more interesting was the dynamic between Howard and Peter. As Tony had wandered off to his mother and Jarvis, Peter stayed sat in the open area with Howard.

Rhodey rolled his eyes at the sight of Anthony spying on his son and father. For christs sake the two were merely sitting calmly on the open chairs; Peter with an apple in hand which he was tossing and Howard with a mug of coffee and the newspaper.

How dramatic- was what Rhodey had been thinking until he heard his best friend's father speak.

“Stop playing with your food. It’s inappropriate and distracting.” Howard groaned in frustration.

Anthony had tensed immediately and was plagued with frantic thoughts. Meanwhile, Peter had just rolled his eyes.

“It’s disrespectful to ignore your elders, has your father truly taught you no manners?” Oddly enough, Howard’s tone was not harsh. Anthony would categorize his father as sounding uninterested and slightly… amused?

“I uh, I thought we already had this conversation yesterday. Are you planning on lecturing me about my lack of manners or dad’s bad parenting ‘cause… I’m not exactly interested if that’s the case.” Peter continued to toss the apple in the air.

Is this kid fucking insane? Anthony was fully freaking out around the corner at this point.

Again to his surprise, Howard let out a short, and likely ingenuine, laugh. He slowly got up from his seat before sarcastically saying, “I’m sure your father has an amazing time putting up with you daily.”

This seemed to make Peter tic slightly. “Yeah, and I’m sure he has an amazing time putting up with you daily. Don’t know how he does it.”

Howard deadpanned at the teen before exiting the room. The look in his eyes was again one of slight amusement, but this time with a tinge of annoyance.

Once assured he was alone Peter ran his hands through his hair, clearly aggravated. “Fuckin asshole.” He muttered before making ineligible utterances which appeared to just be him mocking the man.

Anthony, followed by Rhodey, rushed out from his not so secret hiding spot (of course, Peter’s senses made him aware of their presence from the start).

“What the hell is wrong with you? Are you fucking stupid? You have a death wish or something, man?” Anthony sounded pissed, but his expression betrayed him.

“Easy man, that's your... kid.” Rhodey winced, he still wasn’t fully used to the whole time travel situation.

“Me?” Peter replied with a bewildered look on his face and tugging at his brows. “What’s wrong with me? Are you serious? I’ve been here less than a day and he’s driving me insane.”

Rhodey squinted. Anthony was clearly too frantic to notice, but the kid’s wording was too strange to slip past him. Either Tony had cut his dad out of his life or… well his dad was not exactly up and running anymore.

“No stupid, the other idiot in the room. Obviously you.” Wow, Anthony’s age really was showing. It amused Peter. “You can’t just talk to him like that. That’s… your… grandfather.” Even Anthony sounded grossed out saying it.

Peter’s previous frustration faded and evident enjoyment grew. His face was an open book. Again, Rhodey didn’t know how this was possible considering the guy his best friend was. Was this really his kid?

“Huuuh~? Why noootttt?” The boy exaggerated his words with a cheesy grin plastered across his face. “I won’t be here much longer anyways, I say that gives me free reign to act as I please.”

Nevermind. Definitely his kid. Rhodey concluded.

“Do you always act like this?” Anthony asked incredulously.

“No. Actually, you always act like this. It’s hard putting up with a man baby. You get what I’m saying, right Colonel Rhodes?”

“Excuse me, did you just say Colonel?” Rhodey sputtered.

“Shit.” Suddenly, Peter’s look of confidence fell and his face went ghost white. He called out for Tony. “D-dad. We uh, we have a situation.”

Seconds later Tony came rushing through, accompanied by Maria and Jarvis.

“Kid, what’s wrong? Are you ok? Why do you look like that, what did you two idiots do to my kid?” Tony stressed as he grabbed Peter’s face, almost as if looking for an injury.

Anthony looked uncomfortable witnessing this, but proceeded to scoff at the accusation from his older self. “As if we would do anything. He just spilled the beans on some top secret future shit.”

Tony facepalmed. “What did you say?”

“I-I said, I called Rhodey by uh, his title.”

“Oh.” Tony looked over at a shocked Rhodey. “Surprise?”

“Tony, this is starting to become a bit… worrisome. How long until your friend picks you two up?” Jarvis said warily.

“It’s not like we’re waiting on a car ride. We’re kinda, y’know. Stuck thirty years in the past.” Tony bit back with no real heat to his words but frustration evident.

“Dad I really didn’t mean to.” It wasn’t the worst slip up to have made. There was plenty worse to have said. But still, saying anything could screw up their future if this was their timeline. If not, they were still messing with another universe which was probably against some time travel rules if there was a rule book.

Peter was clinging to Tony again now. His arm tugging at the long sleeve of Tony’s shirt. Everyone noticed the action. Nobody remarked.

“I know you didn’t mean it, underoos.” The strange nickname made Anthony’s jaw drop. No way was he that soft in the future. “Listen, why don’t you just hangout with Jarvis for a bit. Sound good?” Tony figured that would be the best choice since the kid didn’t know much about the man.

“Yeah. Great. Sounds great. Let’s get to hanging. Jarvis, my man, what’s up?” Peter awkwardly shuffled out of the room hoping Jarvis would follow. He did.

With only Maria, Tony, Anthony, and Rhodey left, the room fell into a silence. Unable to be in the same room as himself, Anthony went to his room and Maria went looking for her husband.

That left none other than Tony and his Platypus.

The two took a seat, Tony leaning his head back against the chair. He didn’t know how to address his closest friend who was now only eighteen. Barely much older than Peter.

Rhodey on the other hand didn’t seem to mind that his friend was a middle aged man.

“Hey, Tones?”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t kill me for asking. You know I gotta ask you, right?” Rhodey gave an uneasy laugh.

“What is it. You’re freaking me out a bit, Honey Bear.” Tony shifted his gaze to his friend while keeping his head back against the sofa. It was way more comfortable than he had remembered.

“Are you happy?”

“Oh.” Tony lifted his head. “Sorry, I wasn’t expecting an existential question. What happened to giving a friendly heads up?”

“What were you expecting me to say?” Rhodey shot his eyebrow up.

“I don’t know! Something stupid like, ‘Are we still best friends?’” Tony waved his hands around. His mannerisms remained the same, Rhodey noted.

“Well. Are you gonna answer.”

Tony remained silent for a few moments. He shut his eyes and inhaled deeply before looking over at his lifelong friend again. He was thankful for finding himself Rhodes, everyone deserves a Rhodey.

“Yeah.” Tony smiled. It was a genuine smile. Rhodey isn’t sure he’s seen his friend smile like this yet. “I’m really happy, man. I’ve got you, Peter, some other people I probably shouldn’t mention. I’m doing shit I wanna do, not things I’m told to do. Sounds nice, right?”

Rhodey frowned a bit. Of course he was relieved to hear his friend found purpose in life, but his reason for joy being as simple as having friends, family, and free will… it made Rhodey feel a bit shaky. He wished Tony was able to achieve those things much earlier in life.

“Sounds great. I’m happy for you, y’know?” Rhodey said honestly. “I… I get worried for you sometimes man.”

Tony seemed shocked at that.

“You get drunk sometimes at the dorms and say shit. Scary shit. I don’t like leaving you alone at night because of it.” Rhodey admits.

And now Tony feels like crap because he didn’t think his early alcoholic tendencies made his friend worry about whether or not he was planning on self-destructing.

“I’m sorry. If… if it puts your mind at ease I’m not gonna off myself.” Tony winced. He’s still bad at comforting and emotions.

“Clearly.” Rhodey joked. That much was obvious seeing as Tony was alive and well in the future.

“I never planned on it either. I just liked drinking since it took my mind off of things.” Tony admitted despite his discomfort over talking about his past alcohol issues. He still didn’t like talking about it.

“Liked? As in you don’t do that crap anymore?” Rhodey caught on quickly at the use of past tense in Tony’s statement.

“Mhm.”

“Good for you, man. I’m proud of you.”

Tony felt his eyes water a bit. “Thanks. And thanks for sticking with me for all these years. You were all I had for a long while.”

Rhodey smiled. “I’m sure being your closest friend is the greatest honor of mine.”

“Shit. When did you become a sap?”

“Way to ruin the mood.” They both laughed.

Maria and Peter were sitting at the piano together as she taught him a song. It was Peter’s favorite memory so far from their time travel endeavors. Of course, Dr. Stephen Strange chose then to finally show up. Peter internally cursed him.

Externally however, he ran over and shouted for Tony in excitement.

“DAD! HE’S HERE!” Peter shouted for everyone to hear and be aware of the current state of affairs.

Strange cocked his head to the side; likely due to Peter referring to Tony Stark as his father.

The others came rushing out from their locations. Tony of course had bolted once he heard Peter’s announcement. He was more than ready to leave. The others gawked at the portal in awe, including Howard. Ha! Peter thought once he noticed this.

“Lovely of you to finally show up. It’s only been, what, twenty hours.” Tony said sarcastically.

“Sorry, I didn’t exactly have it on my tab to search the multiverse through the time stone to find two people who I had thought were geniuses. Apparently I was wrong.” Strange responded equally sarcastic.

“I recommend you say farewell, Stark. You too Peter, I’m sure you’ve gotten well acquainted by now.” The doctor continued, this time more serious in tone.

Maria had a pained look in her eyes. She had been noticing odd discrepancies in behavior between her son and grandson. Everything pointed her in the direction of believing her and her husband were no longer around.

She grabbed onto Tony and pulled him into a tight hug. Her voice was shaky as she spoke in a hushed tone for only her son to hear. “Anthony. I’m so sorry.”

Tony knew what she was trying to say, and he hugged her back even more tightly if possible.

“I’m sorry I left you all alone. I showed you enough love, right?” Her voice now teary.

He sharply exhaled and took in the feeling of his mothers warm embrace one last time. “Yeah. You loved me enough, mom. Thank you for everything.”

Jarvis was next. His butler surprised him with a hug as well. “Keep taking good care of your son, okay?”

“Of course.” Tony promised before releasing from the hug and smile.

To nobody’s surprise, he didn’t have a heartfelt goodbye with his father. Just a simple nod and short final quip. “Don’t disappoint me too much.” Howard said with a twinge of a grin on his face. Tony got the feeling his father had picked up on their absence in the future as well.

“Don’t expect too much.” Tony shook his head lightly with a short laugh.

Just as the two were approaching Stephen, Anthony caught a hold of Peter’s hand. Peter gave him a quizzical look, awaiting some sort of goodbye. Instead, he was met with a crumpled paper shoved in his hand and an embarrassed look on Anthony’s face.

Peter understood and flashed his cheesy grin. “I’ll see you in a few years.”

“I’ll be waiting.”

As the portal closed, Pepper stood on the other end with her arms crossed and an irate look.

“You two are officially banned from the lab for a week.” She said before walking away.

“Really Pep? No warm welcome?” Tony shouted in her direction as she wandered off.

“Absolutely not.” Pepper said before exiting the room.

“First, we’re totally gonna veto that decision right? I mean, she can’t ban us from the lab–” Peter began before being cut off by his dad Mr. Stark.

“Nope. You don’t want to tread those waters. What she says goes kiddo.”

Peter groaned. “I’m still vetoing it. Secondly, I should probably come clean. Dr. Strange sir I- I uh kinda let a few things slip. Did I break time travel law? Am I gonna be arrested?” Though it wasn’t his goal, both older men laughed.

“No Peter, you’ll be fine. They don’t remember anything.” Strange said before gathering his items and preparing to leave the tower.

“Huh? I’m totally lost.” Peter said. Luckily, Mr. Stark looked just as confused which made him feel like less of an idiot.

“I used time manipulation from the time stone. It reversed the flow of time to the moment before you two arrived. Luckily for you guys it had only been approximately twenty hours. Anything more than a day's time could have led to some potential risks with the time continuum.” The doctor announced before pressing the button for the elevator.

“Man, I wish I knew that.” Peter puffed out his cheeks. “I totally would've told younger you all about Iron Man and how I’m Spider-Man! Imagine the look on his face. Don’t even get me started on War Machine, Rhodey would’ve lost it!”

Tony laughed and ruffled his fair. “Ha ha how funny, you wanted to give your old man a heart attack?”

Peter flushed a bit at the comment. They weren’t in 1986 anymore but Tony still referred to him as his kid.

He quickly collected himself while being followed by reality slapping him in the face.

“Shit. May is gonna murder me.”

Once Peter was seated in the car with Happy he felt the crinkle of paper in his pocket.

Oh yeah. Mr. Stark gave him something in the past.

He carefully unfolded the note and began to read it despite knowing it would give him car sickness. That always happened to him whenever he attempted to read in the car.

Peter,

Uh. I feel pretty weird writing this but I know I’ll regret it if I don’t, so… yeah.

Not to sound like a stalker, but I was watching you all day. Okay. I sound like a stalker. But technically it’s my home so if anything you’re the one who broke in, not me. Anyways. I was watching you and… well, me.

Peter laughed at the awkward demeanor of the younger Tony. It felt oddly reminiscent of himself.

I noticed a few things. I seem to mess with your hair a lot. Your face always scrunches up but you relax into my hand every time. Are you at ease around me? I also have a habit of keeping my arm around you or resting a hand on your shoulder. You lean into my touch. Do you feel comfortable with me?

Another thing I noticed, we have a lot of inside jokes, I kept hearing of a Pepper, I think? That and we laugh at each other at every chance we get. My dad never jokes with me. I hope you know my teasing isn’t to be taken seriously. I don’t want you to take my words the wrong way. I know words can hurt.

What I noticed most was how much I smiled. Do I do that a lot? It looked genuine and happy. I think know it’s because of you. Thanks for making me smile. Rhodey tries. It doesn’t work all the time but I hope he knows I appreciate it.

My favorite thing was your smile though. It reminded me of the Cheshire cat, but not creepy the way he looked at times. It made your eyes crinkle and your nose scrunch. I could tell it was genuine. I hope you look at me with that smile every day. I think I’ll know true happiness when you do.

When I argued with you for talking back to my father, I noticed you were grinning at me most of the time. I wasn’t actually mad at you, I was frustrated with myself. Why couldn’t I be more like you? I had just met you, yet I felt some odd sense of pride. My father isn’t proud of me. He calls me a disappointment. I hope I never call you that or make you feel like one.

Anyways. I guess I’m rambling now. My point was I wanted to say thank you for being in my life. I’ll see you in the future, okay?

From,
Tony Dad.