Work Text:
Earth-616*
Your morning started out very normal until you received about 20 different text messages on your Stark phone. 10 messages, each from Rhodes and Sam, instructing you to ‘keep Morgan out of school’ and ‘Do not turn on the news.’ You try to keep the morning as normal as possible for Morgan when, around noon, Happy comes speeding in the driveway of the Lake house.
“Come on,“ he says, rushing out of the car and to you. “We gotta go.”
“Go where?” You ask, fear crawling in your belly.
“Rhodes wants me to take both of you to the tower,” he says, walking in and reaching for your bag and Morgan’s backpack. “Something big is going on.”
Extreme confusion and concern aside, you know better than to ignore the three most trustworthy men in your life. You quickly head for Morgan’s room, telling her to head for the car, and then pack an overnight bag for the two of you. The drive to the tower is in tense silence; you’ve never seen Happy this shaken. Not since the mysterious death of his girlfriend, May.
The three of you make your way up to the tower where the new Avengers and Avengerz with a Z now live. Forever grateful that you were able to convince Tony not to sell the tower after all. It was a long process, but after the bizarre plane crash at Coney Island, he didn’t need any more convincing.
From the moment you arrive, you can tell there’s been a battle. Both teams of the Avengers are there in full suits, covered in dirt, scrapes, and bruises. Stephen Strange is also present, and your stomach sinks. Whatever this is must be serious. After all, he only shows up a few times a year to check up on you.
“What happened?” You ask the room, and Rhodey whips around at your voice.
He's the only one in the room dressed in regular clothes. He looks at you with extreme concern, opening his mouth to speak, when another unfamiliar voice calls out your name. You turn to look at who it is and see a group of four strangers. Also, heroes by the looks of their outfits. A woman and three men, a brunette, a blond, and one who is made completely of rock? There’s also a small toddler sitting in a chair beside them, calmly reading a book.
“Yes?” You say, pulling Morgan closer to you with one arm.
“What are you-“
“Johnny,” the woman next to him says warningly. She places her hand on his arm gently. “That’s not-”
“No, it’s not.” The man next to her says. The four of them regard you with pure astonishment. Suddenly, the little blond toddler gasps as he looks up at you. He then clambers off the chair and runs towards you with open arms, shouting your name.
Your maternal instincts, honed from raising Morgan, allow you to catch the little boy as he leaps for you. Placing him on your hip, you can’t help but smile as the boy tucks his head on your shoulder.
“Uh, Hello,” you say softly, turning away from the child and looking at the four adults in confusion.
The man you assume is called Johnny, and the woman is looking at the scene fondly, while the other two men look at you like an unsolved math equation.
“Franklin,” the woman says eventually, while walking over to take the boy from your arms. “Your aunt isn’t feeling very well, let’s give her some space.”
You raise your eyebrows at her words and look at the rest of the people in the room. They all look as confused as you do.
“Look, why don’t we send the kids up to the communal floor,” Bucky says gently, gesturing to said children. “Then we can all explain.”
“Right, Morgan, why don’t you take Franklin here upstairs and show him around,” you say, once again placing an arm around her.
“If that’s alright with you?” You say, looking at the woman in front of you, who is obviously the mother of Franklin. She looks at you softly and nods her head in agreement.
“We’ll be up later to get you ready for bed.” You turn back to look down at Morgan.
“Okay,” she says, looking around at everyone, her eyebrows scrunched in confusion, looking very much like her father.
“Remember, you can watch movies, just no TV.” You say, quickly pressing a kiss to the crown of her head. She rolls her eyes before agreeing.
The woman sets her son down and tells him to go with Morgan. He easily obeys and, adorably, reaches for Morgan’s hand as they walk away to the elevator.
“F.R.I.D.A.Y., keep an eye on them, please,” you say after the doors have closed.
“Yes, Ma’am,” her voice says instantly. This causes the four newcomers to look up and around the ceiling in shock.
“Okay, what is happening?” Johnny says with a hysterical laugh. Turning away from the ceiling to stare at the elevator doors. “Is that Victor's daughter?”
“No, she’s mine,” you say, slightly offended. “Who’s Victor? And what is going on? Is everyone alright?”
“It’s a long and complicated story,” the woman says slowly. "My name is Sue, this is my Husband Reed, my brother Johnny, and our friend Ben*."
“Essentially, these people are from another universe, and you clearly look like someone in theirs,” Stephen says, dragging a hand over his face in exhaustion. “Which makes sense because the friend they brought looks like one of ours.”
“Hey, we didn’t bring Victor,” the man you now know as Ben says quickly. “We followed him.”
“Whatever, man, the problem here is who he looks like,” Rhodey says, walking forward to stop in front of you. Rhodey’s eyes are red, and he looks at you with intense sadness. He reaches forward to put his hands on your upper arms and releases a deep breath.
“It’s Tony,” he says your name sadly. “Their guy looks like Tony.”
“What?” You ask, voice cracking, clutching his arms in return.
“It’s true,” Sam says gravely. “We all thought it was him.”
“I don’t understand, how- wha-“ you can’t form a complete thought, and Rhodey takes that as permission to pull you into a strong hug.
“Wait, okay, so in this Universe, we don't exist, but you're married to Victor, and you have a kid with him?” Johnny says slowly, voice tight with discomfort.
“Looks like it,” you hear Ben say.
“Still don’t know who Victor is,” you sigh after pulling away from Rhodey. He doesn’t move very far away from you.
“Time out, let’s everyone start from the top,” Yelena says, frustrated. “It’s clear there’s a lot more to the story than we all know.”
“Right, Fantastic Four,” Stephen says, gesturing to them. “Why don’t you guys start, you can explain how Victor got here in the first place.”
“Fantastic four is Fantastic name,” Alexei interrupts, looking at them in awe. “As Fantastic as the suits they fight in.”
“Alexei, this is not the time,” Yelena sighs loudly, looking at him with utter disdain.
“What, not time, Yelena, we must do next suits like these! Look how soft, much softer than our-”
“Alright!” Bucky shouts firmly. Stopping Alexei mid-rant.
You’ve not really met with the new Avengerz, only a handful of times when you moved them into the tower. Plus, when you help Sam and them settle their differences. However, much like the rest of the team, you’ve grown accustomed to his hyperactivity. Plus, his outburst takes away some of the attention from you.
Finally, Reed and Sue begin their tale. It’s a lot to take in, and they go on for a long time. Several times throughout the story, you catch Johnny's eyes on you. He looks away as soon as you catch him, and while it doesn’t make you uncomfortable. It does make you question who exactly you are to these people in their Universe.
When it’s time for Doctor Strange and the two new Avengers to begin their side of the story, the sun has begun to set. By the time they finished, it's dark out, and you pause the group. Telling them to clean up and carry the discussion to the communal floor. You reach out to Sue, saying you're going to put Morgan to bed and ask if she’ll join you. She happily agrees, and the two of you exchange small talk as you head upstairs before everyone else.
Sue is extremely easy to talk to, and you're surprised at how quickly you begin to enjoy her company. You feel so at ease with her, comfortable. Truly, there’s something almost familiar about all the Fantastic Four. Maybe it has to do with their version of you in their universe.
You show Sue to a guest room where she can place Franklin and then leave to find Morgan. Your daughter's questions are not easy to avoid, but eventually, you do manage to get her to go to sleep. You quickly make your way back to the rest of the group. In the communal living room it seems like everyone is in various states of halfway in and out of their suits. The Four are on one wing of the couch, while the two teams of Avengers command the rest of it. Varying from sitting on it directly, perched on the edges, or simply standing beside it. The only noise is coming from the main projector on the wall, playing footage of what must be news coverage of their fight.
You look at the grainy video, it's taken from the ground and a far distance. All you can really see is a man in a green cape flying, yet your heart stops as you instantly recognize the figure.
“My God, it is him,” you gasp, placing a hand over your mouth.
“You can recognize him from that?” Johnny asks you incredulously.
“Of course I can,” you say brokenly. “I'd recognize him anywhere, I always could.”
You’ve spent years watching Tony from a distance and behind a screen. You were always able to recognize any and every part of him.
You turn away from the screen, unable to watch, and once again lock eyes with Johnny. Whose gaze looks at you almost painfully. Sue rubs his arm comfortingly from her position sitting next to him.
“The good thing is no one else has,” Sam says, giving you a nod and commanding everyone's attention.
All except Johnny, who, after crossing your arms over your chest. His eyes immediately find the very obvious wedding ring on your finger. Tony had it made in the shape of his arc reactor. Nearly five years later, and you’ve yet to stop wearing it.
“Alright, we know the how; what's not clear is the why.” Sam looks at the four, raising his eyebrows. They each exchange a look between the four of them.
“We don't know why he came,” Reed says, voice heavy with exhaustion.
“How can you not?” Walker says with aggravation.
“Before this, we hadn't spoken to Victor in a long time,” Sue says calmly.
“Yeah, and it's not like he’d even tell us if we had,” Ben adds.
“There has to be something,” Yelena says, placing her hand on her hips. “You don't know anything that could have caused this?”
Several voices start speaking out at once, and you sigh, briefly closing your eyes. The situation is placing a heavy strain on your mind. The image of the man in the video is now burned onto your eyelids.
“Ma’am, it appears there’s an intruder in Boss’s lab.”
Everyone instantly freezes as F.R.I.D.A.Y.S.'s voice interrupts the arguing, and your arms drop from their previous crossed positions.
“What?” You blurt out.
“I am…also... Being shut down…”
“F.R.I.D.A.Y.?” You ask nervously as she continues to stutter out.
A tickling sensation crawls up your neck, while the new and old Avengers exchange knowing fearful glances. Everyone quickly guessing who could be in there.
“It’s him.” You say before spinning around and bolting from the room. Forgoing the elevator and heading straight for the emergency staircase.
You hear several voices, including Sam, shout out your name after you as you slam into the door. Yet you don't stop, you simply can't. You skip steps to quickly make your way down the stairs and race through the hall. You need to see him with your own eyes. And as you reach the glass walls of the main lab, you finally do.
Though the man's back is to you, the recognition is instant. Your heart thumps loudly in your ears.
Your footsteps slow down as you allow the doors to open automatically. You walk quietly into the room, stopping a few feet away from him. The slight straightening of his shoulders, where he is leaning over the lab table, is the only acknowledgment you receive. He continues fiddling with whatever is in front of him, and your heart races at the familiarity of this scenario.
How many times did you do this with your Tony?
Walk into the lab after a long day, and find him working away at anything. He’d raise his shoulders with a snarky comment as he, too, could recognize you instantly. Even by just your footsteps.
“I figured you’d be the first one to show up.” His voice breaks through the tense silence.
The sound of his voice produces an almost physical blow you your chest. Rendering you completely speechless. This is the first time in years you’ve heard Tony’s voice that wasn't in a recording. Your eyes water as you stare silently at his back.
Soon, a storm of footsteps comes barreling into the room, all of them stopping behind you. This serves to make the man finally turn around and face you. His eyes lock onto you instantly. Not even acknowledging the rest of the team. He stares at you with the same face you shared what feels like most of your life with.
However, as much as the face is identical and even seems to match what your Tony's age would be, his eyes are cold. The rare moments where Tony's eyes held the same ice were far apart and infrequent; much less were they directed at you. And yet, as he says his next words, because you know this face so well. You can see a slight warmth in them.
“Honey,” he holds his arms out to you dramatically. “I’m home.”
And finally, something inside you snaps. Your brain struggles to understand the wrongness before you. This person, who looks and talks like your Tony, yet his mannerisms are just slightly off the mark. It claws at your chest, and your sadness quickly bleeds into anger.
“What did you do to F.R.I.D.A.Y.?” You ask, voice stern, despite its waver. You also take several steps forward, attempting to close the distance.
In the corner of your eye, you see and feel someone follow you. They stretch their arm out in front of you, stopping both of you five feet away from Doom. The intense warmth coming from the arm and the slight smell of smoke help you identify the man as Johnny.
Because your eyes are on the man in front of you, it allows you to witness the glance and narrowing of his eyes at the arm pressing against your chest. He gives Johnny a cold smile before turning back to you. In real time, you can see some of the iciness fade as he looks from Johnny to you.
“Nothing,” he says innocently. “She’s fine, she's just taking a little nap, is all.” He takes a step towards you, his deep green cloak shifting against the floor elegantly.
Johnny takes one at the same time, his arm pressing further into you so you're now standing slightly off to the side and behind him.
“Victor, please,” Sue's voice says from behind you. “Why are you doing this?”
Much like with Johnny, he spares her a brief glance before returning his eyes to you. You're starting to feel unsettled by the way he can’t seem to take his eyes off you.
“Isn’t it ironic, Johnny?” He says instead of answering Sue. “How different things are in this Universe.”
“Don’t,” Johnny's voice is so strained that for the first time, you look at the man holding you back protectively. His jaw is tight while his body radiates tension.
“You see, folks,” He looks around at everyone behind you. “In our world, this wonderful woman,” he gestures at you with one hand. “Her eyes look only to the man beside her. Together they're a happily married couple.”
Oh, you think to yourself, so that's what they were hiding. You stare at Johnny sadly. The situation seems a lot harder on him now. Having to watch his wife stare at him as if he were a stranger.
Victor, because that’s who’s looking at you now, not your husband, smiles at you knowingly.
“But now, those lovely eyes belong to me,” he smirks.
“What exactly do you want?” Sam asks protectively.
“The same thing all of you want,” he says, obviously. “Peace in our time.”
Several scoffs sound from behind you as your entire body flinches at words. Sam continues to speak to him. However, you’re not listening to anything anymore. Throughout the very tense conversation, you keep your eyes firmly on Johnny's shoulder in front of you. No longer able to stare at Victor. Yet, after a few minutes, you can't help but feel drawn back to his eyes. Of course, he's already watching you.
It’s when he’s looking at you that one of the new Avengerz make their move. The Red Guardian breaks you out of your staring contest by loudly charging towards Victor. Who easily swipes him aside, but the tension between the group is broken. The new Avengerz move to defend their teammate, and the rest of the Avengers join them. However, before they can, a horde of Doombots comes smashing through the windows behind him.
Johnny quickly turns around and sweeps you off your feet, lifting you in his arms before setting the bottom half of himself on fire and carrying you all the way across the room to the doors leading outside the Lab.
“Stay here,” he huffs, setting you down on your feet, before flying back to join the fight as the rest of his team.
You watch the fight in terror, torn between making yourself join the battle but also knowing you won’t be able to fight against a man who looks like Tony. Though he is mostly standing behind and letting his bots do most of the work.
Suddenly, a destroyed Doombot crashes loudly into the glass wall beside you, and despite your experience in the field, you let out a scream. It's pure happenstance that you lock eyes with Victor across the room. He gives you a stricken look as he outstretches his hand and moves it towards you. Causing one of the lab tables to rip out of the floor and fly toward you. You bring your arms up instinctively, only it slows down before reaching you. Then it gently pushes you out of the crossfire and traps you against the wall. You stare at it in astonishment for about two seconds before turning back to the fight.
There's a short break in the wave of incoming Doom bots that allows some of the Avengers to reach Victor. He's good, scary, good. One man against more than six, and yet he's smirking.
It’s also painful to watch. You don't know how the others can do it. Attack the man wearing Tony's face so vigorously. Although it’s really only Sue who manages to even get close to him more than once.
It’s watching her that causes you to curse yourself in your head. Morgan! You think suddenly. Morgan and Franklin are upstairs sleeping, and with F.R.I.D.A.Y. down, no one is watching them. There's also no guarantee they won’t wake up with all the noise and try to come down to investigate. You gently nudge the table away from you enough to crawl out from behind it. Sticking close to the wall, you walk towards the exit, occasionally glancing at the battle.
You’ve only just reached the bottom of the stairs when you glance back to the fight just in time to see Doom get flung through the lab's glass walls. Your heart lurches from inside your chest at the sight of him struggling to stand. Without thinking, you run for the emergency switch on the wall. Slamming it down, extinguishing gas spills from the ceiling, and reinforced shields appear to seal the lab. Separating Victor from you and the three teams.
Victor looks at you through the haze of the shield, and you're paralyzed by it. Thankfully, at that moment, lightning begins to crackle through the air, breaking your eye contact. A rainbow of colors appears in the center of the lab just as someone else reaches to turn off the shield. In the same instance, the walls vanish, Thor walks out of his Bifrost, and locks eyes with Victor.
The two remain frozen in each other's gaze as Thor instantly recognizes him. Victor uses this as a distraction and proceeds to tilt his head toward you. Then he flies out of the massive hole his Doombots made in the wall.
“What deceitful sorcery is this?” Thor growls after a long moment of silence, turning around to face everyone.
“Thor,” you sigh out his name before rushing forward to embrace him. He eagerly returns it, securely wrapping both arms around you.
After the terrifying ordeal, you bask in the feeling of safety that Thor's hug gives you.
It's been years since he left with the Guardians of Space. Years since your life felt like a rushed and unfulfilling movie, with most of the actors' contracts ending.
Of course, you understand why he left, after all, neither he nor Steve could stay in a world where Nat and Tony no longer existed. A few weeks after their departure, you almost hated them for their cowardice. However, the years apart have softened your heart. Now all you feel is absolute relief that, somehow, when you need him most, Thor has returned.
“I have missed you, my dear friend,” Thor's voice grumbles as you pull away. Though not completely, the two of you keep your hands closed together.
“What was that?” You turn away from Thor to look at Yelena. She's staring at you in utter disbelief.
“I-I don't know,” You stutter, suddenly embarrassed by everyone's eyes on you.
“We almost had him. Why did you stop us?” Ava asks, voice laced with bitterness.
Several voices cry out in agreement. Only Rhodey, Sam, and Bucky are silent, both unable to withstand your stare for long. The three of them, and now including Thor, are the only ones who know a fraction of what you're going through. Because only they knew and met Tony personally.
“Have care how you speak,” Thor says to them, stepping in front of you protectively.
“Alright,” Sue says, holding a hand out placatingly to everyone. She then looks at you and says your name softly. “Look, I understand that this is difficult for you, but-”
“No, you don't,” You snap, interrupting her. “You all have no idea how hard this is.”
You step from behind Thor and stare at everyone’s faces individually. The anger quickly falls from their expressions and is replaced with awkward pity. Beside you, you feel Thor press himself against your arm in a show of support.
“What if it was Reed? Huh?” Sue glances at said husband after your words. “What if Reed were dead and suddenly you had to fight a man who looked exactly like your husband. The father of your child. Don't tell me you wouldn’t at least hesitate.”
Sue looks at you painfully, and you know it’s more than just your pain she’s thinking of. Her apparent sister in law, perhaps, or the sacrifice she once thought she would have to make when Franklin was born.
“I know what you guys think you have to do with him, okay, I understand that. Just don't ask me to do the same right away. I need-” You stutter. “Some time, maybe.”
You cast one last glance at everyone before finally walking out. Ignoring Thor and Rhodey's voices calling out for you.
The next day passes in a haze. The three separate teams meet several times throughout the days to ponder and plan. Though a few of them do find time to individually find you to offer apologies. Once Thor was made aware of the situation, he made a point of seeking you and Morgan out consistently. You spent hours going over the years you two missed by being apart.
On day three, with our visitors from another Universe, a new team of Heroes arrives. With more questions and more introductions. Despite the enormous amount of room in the tower, the crowd is a bit too overwhelming for you. So you make the decision that same night to move you and the Fantastic Four to the Lake house. It seemes like a wise choice, seeing as you're the only people with children. Leaving more room for everyone in the tower, all except Rhodey. Who has been extremely protective since this whole thing started. He insists on staying with the two of you for protection.
On the fourth night, the Four leave sweet Franklin in your care. They assure you that all is well, but you can feel the tension in the air. Johnny gives you a brief hug before they leave. Since discovering you’re his wife in his universe, the two of you had formed a somewhat awkward but close friendship.
You try to have a relaxing, normal evening with the two children. Entertaining and distracting them as best you can. Thankfully, despite the vast age difference between them. Franklin's mysterious powers give the four-year-old roughly the same level of maturity as Morgan, who is reaching ten years old. Therefore, their attention span is calm enough for dinner and a relaxing movie. After it’s finished, you put Franklin to bed in the spare room where he and his parents sleep. Then make your way to your own child.
“Ready for bed?” You ask lightly, tapping on the door to Morgan's room.
“Yeah,” she says softly. Already, all tucked under the covers, your heart clenches at the sight. She’s getting too big for her bed.
“I know things have been crazy the past few days. How are you holding up?” You say walking in and lying alongside her on the bed. She automatically lifts her head, and you wrap your arm around her gently so she can rest on it.
“I’m good, it’s fun missing school, and the ‘Four’ are pretty cool,” she says happily. “But you still haven't told me why they're here.”
“It’s complicated, sweetheart,” you say, gently combing her hair with your hand.
“Daddy always said that if someone says it’s complicated, that means they’re hiding something,” she says with all the snark of her father.
“Well, he was right,” you say, chuckling. “But I'm still not ready to tell you everything, okay?”
“Fine, I know you’ll tell me eventually.”
“Promise, now go to sleep,” you say, pulling the covers up to her chin. “Love you tons,” you say, pressing a kiss to her forehead.
“I love you 3,000 and I love Daddy 3,000,” she says automatically.
A normal routine for the two of you since Tony passed. However, after the events of the past four days, it causes your throat to close up. Instead of leaving her to sleep like you usually do, you simply pull Morgan closer. She easily settles into your arms, head resting on your chest, and quickly falls asleep. After countless minutes just holding her in silence, Rhodey's voice breaks you out of your thoughts.
“You staying up for long?”
“No,” you say softly, meeting his gaze.
“Alright, I'm gonna do a quick perimeter check.”
“Hey,” You say, stopping him as he turns around to leave. “Any news from… anyone?”
“Don't worry so much,” he says, turning back around and leaning against the door frame. “They said it was nothing.”
“Then why aren't they back yet?”
“Probably just having another team meeting,” He says, waving a hand dismissively, then spins around dramatically to leave.
“You know, at least Sam tries to sugarcoat the truth instead of hiding it from me.” You shout in a whisper.
“Goodnight,” he says in a singsong voice, and despite your worries, he manages to make you smile.
You listen as the front door closes with his departure and sigh, looking down at Morgan once more. You're just about to get up to leave when a familiar tickling sensation rises up your neck. You slowly lift your eyes to the corner of Morgan's room. Just in time to watch as Victor Von Doom materializes from the shadows.
“What are you doing here?” you whisper harshly, tightening your hold on Morgan. While also forcing yourself not to glance at the wall, you know Franklin is sleeping behind. He ignores your question as he walks closer to the two of you, stopping at the foot of the bed.
“So that's her,” he says softly, eyes on Morgan. “Our daughter.”
“My daughter,” you say firmly.
He ignores you by simply looking at Morgan. Your breath falters as you watch him regard her the exact same way Tony used to.
“And mine.” He says, his eyes finally snapping back to you.
“No, mine and Tony Stark's daughter.”
Instead of being offended by your tone, he simply laughs quietly. Calmly walking over to your side of the bed.
“What?” you snap.
“It's just amazing how these alternate universes work.” He sits down on Morgan's little desk chair. “Did you know my mother almost named me Anthony?”
“And I bet you anything that if we did a paternity test between the two of us,” He uses his hand to gesture to himself and Morgan. “It would come out positive.”
Your eyebrows scrunch in confusion, wondering where all of his words are coming from, or why he's even in your house. You do know that if the two of you stay here long enough, Morgan will wake up. You are most definitely not ready for whatever that will bring.
Sighing, you carefully take your arm out from under Morgan's head, waiting to make sure she won't wake up. Then you slowly rise from her bed and gesture for Victor to follow you out of her room.
As you lean forward to turn off Morgan's bedside lamp, you watch Victor from the corner of your eye, and for a second, you imagine it really is Tony. And while you should feel nervous with this stranger at your back. Your body simply can't perceive him as a threat. It's most likely the reason that you unintentionally find yourself leading him into your room. The one you shared with your husband.
You move to stand in front of your bed and cross your arms as you look at him, eyes running along his body. He's dressed impeccably handsome, in black pants and a black dress shirt. You meet his eyes and find him smirking at you, and you curse yourself for being so obvious.
“Why are you here?” you finally ask after an intense moment of prolonged eye contact.
“Why do you think?” he says, completely relaxed, as his eyes begin to scan every inch of the room.
“I don't know, Victor,” you huff, extremely frustrated at the feelings this man brings out in you. “Hence why I asked.”
“Alright, I’m sorry,” he says, smiling. “It's just, I have a feeling you won't believe me once I tell you.”
“Try me,” you snap, patience wearing thin.
“Well, put simply. I’m here for you,” he says, pointing to you.
“What?” You ask incredulously.
“Told you,” he says, holding his arms out.
“What do you-?” You stutter.
“Your teammates asked me what I wanted,” he steps closer, slowly closing the distance. “It's you. I came here for you.”
“Me?”
“Only you*,” he says with a tilt of his head. “And our daughter, of course.”
“No.” You say after looking at him in stunned silence.
“No?” His face crumples in confusion, and your eyes water at the familiarity of it.
“No, there's absolutely no possible way you crossed entire universes and caused so much havoc just for me.” You say rapidly, then finish with a huff as you plop down at the foot of the bed.
“That's exactly what happened,” he says, face scrunched in frustration, moving to kneel before you.
“I spent years building my strength, my magic. Years searching for universes where you existed.”
He leans forward and places both hands on the bed by your hips. Caging you in between his arms, and you're powerless over your body's response. Your heart racing at his proximity, your arms uncrossing and falling to your sides to make room for his chest. You lay your hands very carefully next to his. Trying not to let them touch, but the heat of his hands burns you regardless.
“I felt your pain calling me from this one.” He leans even further into your space. Running his nose along yours, sending a beautiful tingling sensation up your spine.
“I came here so we could be together. Come with me, let me stay, whatever you want. Just- let me make you happy.” His words are desperate as he gently taps his forehead to rest against yours.
You let out a dry sob at his words. The ludicrousness of the entire situation makes you feel slightly hysterical. From the moment you met this man, he has done nothing but infuriate and compel you. You should push him away and curse him for the mess he’s made in your mind and in your heart. Yet you remain frozen in the warmth of his breath against your face.
“But you are not my Tony,” you say, slowly, pitifully, trembling as he continues to drive you crazy with his touch.
“Semantics.” He whispers, then pulls back a fraction of an inch away from you.
His hand lifts from your side, and he slowly brings up two fingers to your temple. A tickling sensation stems from that spot and flows throughout your head. He then pulls the fingers back to his own temple. From the corner of your eye, you see green and gold wisps of magic flow from them. Creating a bridge between the two of you as he repeats the motion several times.
After what feels like an eternity, he lets out a shudder as he lets his forehead fall against yours once more. Your eyes flutter closed as the tingling sensation slowly leaves you and the light fades.
“What-” you whisper breathlessly. “What was that?”
“That-“ he says, bringing his face even closer. “Was me sharing your memories of him.” His lips are close enough to brush yours. “Now I remember everything.”
He finishes by sealing your lips together with a searing kiss. Fire burns throughout your entire body, starting from the place your lips touch. He kisses like your Tony, with all the same love and devotion. Even his hands move to pull you closer in the same way. One firmly around your waist while the other slides into your hair and gently pulls, moving you to his will. Taking all the control in the kiss. You shudder as he tilts your head to the side, and the kiss becomes salty. The tears that you have been withholding throughout the conversation finally having broken free.
He drags his hand on your waist down all the way to your knee, pushing it away. Physically unable to deny him, you instantly spread your legs wide enough for him to fill the space between them. His body presses against you deliciously, shocking your body into action, and your arms move to encircle his shoulders.
Your hands violently clutch his shirt as your mind screams at you. Telling you to accept whatever this man has to offer you. Forcing you to look inside yourself and find that the hole in your chest carved out when Tony died. With every touch of his hand, every brush of his tongue against yours, down to his very scent, is slowly filling it. Until no emptiness remains and you finally feel whole.
You're grateful when it’s him who pulls away for air. As you probably would have kissed him to the point of unconsciousness. He presses his head against yours firmly as you both struggle to catch your breath.
“Wait,” you say breathlessly. “What do you mean, shared my memories?”
“Exactly what I said it means, ask me anything,” he says, pressing a gentle kiss to your cheek.
“What-what gift did Tony give me for Christmas in 2013?”
“A giant Bunny outside our house in Malibu,” he says smugly, pressing a kiss to your other cheek. “You hated it.”
“I did not,” you say, smiling as he presses kisses around your face.
“Yes, you did. I specifically remember you saying you didn't like it.”
“No, I-“ you laugh, letting the words fade as you look at him.
His eyes are warm, staring at you with the same fire and love Tony used to look at you with. You're not sure of the technicality of what Victor just did, but you can’t force yourself to care. The immense happiness and comfort you feel are making you dumb with desire. Desire for this, for him. You’ve spent almost five years without Tony, and you honestly don’t think you could survive losing him again now after this. If you're being honest, you accepted this fate from the moment you saw him standing in that lab.
“You really are taking this better than I thought you would,” he says lightly, after a brief silence.
“What, accepting a strange man into my life because he looks like my husband?” You say sarcastically. “Or the multiple multiversal and ethical rules you broke by coming here in the name of love?”
“Yeah,” he smiles awkwardly. “You know, most people would call this obsession not love.”
“Well, our love was never particularly that healthy, anyway,” You say, tilting your head at him with a mischievous smirk. Running your hand through the hair at the base of his neck.
“Though I definitely don’t know how everyone else is gonna take this. Can you do the memory sharing thing with the rest of our family?”
“Of course,” his voice and face take on a look of pure excitement. “We can start with the kids first, that’ll be easier.”
“What kids?” You say, confused at his use of plural.
“Morgan and Peter,” he says, looking at you like you're the one not making sense. “Where is he anyway?”
“Wha-?” You raise your hand to caress his face, worried that something must have gone wrong with his spell. “Baby, who’s Peter?”
You watch as his face goes from confusion to fear, to calculating. He looks off into the distance as clarity and determination seep in.
“Shit!” he says, instantly rising to his feet.
EARTH-828
The camera flashes are blinding as The Fantastic Four try to push their way through the crowd of reporters. You stand on your high-heeled tiptoes to look for Johnny over the countless heads. Eventually, the two of you lock eyes, and you feel like you can finally breathe. After nearly a week of constant worry as you also kept the Future Foundation running smoothly. All the tension slowly ebbs out of your body.
His head bobs through the crowd a bit faster, and in no time, Johnny has broken through. He skips all three steps to get on the stage quickly and meet you. You let out a huff of air as Johnny slams into you, his arms wrapping around you and lifting you off your feet. He spins you around once before pulling back far enough to give you a brief, ardent kiss.
“Welcome home, husband,” you say against his lips.
“God, I missed you, wife,” He groans, giving you another kiss before setting you back on your feet.
You chuckle as he grabs your hand and moves to stand by your side as the rest of the Four make their way on stage. Johnny refuses to let go as the rest of the family gives you a welcome hug of their own. Sue kisses your cheek sweetly, then effortlessly transfers Franklin into your arms. Something the two of you have done countless of times. Johnny frowns as you release his hand to carry Franklin properly. While you can still hold Franklin with one arm, you want to use both. You've missed your little nephew, not to mention you also worried over him the most.
Franklin babbles about how he missed you and proceeds to place his head on the usual spot on your shoulder. You press a kiss to the side of his head and echo his words. You turn away from Franklin to look back up at Johnny and find him giving you a curious, forlorn look. You raise your eyebrows to him in question, but he gives you a slight shake of his head. A sign that means he’ll tell you what he's thinking later in private. He rubs his hand against your back gently before stepping away slightly to stand as a unit with the Four. You glide over to your usual place, slightly off to the side behind them. Leaning your cheek to rest against Franklin's head.
You listen as they briefly explain what happened and how they defeated Victor Von Doom. Your heart clenches in pain as you think about how hard it must have been for them. Despite everything, you all knew Victor, and you were even friends at one point. The conversation is brief and thankfully not as shockingly dramatic as the one about Galactus over four years ago.
Finally, after you don't know how many minutes, Lynn closes all the questions. The four of them briskly turn around and make their way to the back steps where you're standing. Reed gently takes Franklin from you, and Johnny's hand is back in yours as the five of you walk off the stage and make your way to the elevator.
“So, Victor?” You ask quietly as the elevator takes you up. The four of them exchange a knowing glance, and Johnny's eyes fall to the ground in discomfort.
“It’s a long story,” Sue says slowly and carefully.
“He’s still alive,” Ben says quickly, and everyone's head snaps to look at him.
“But we’re not telling anyone else that,” Reed says firmly, but with some panic.
“Yeah, no need for a repeat of last time,” Ben grumbles.
“We’ll let Johnny fill you in on all the details,” Sue brings the conversation to a close with a tight smile. “Now, how has everything been here?”
You stutter as you attempt to move past the shocking revelation they just dropped at your feet. Though it is easy to shift gears and tell them everything about the past couple of days. The six of you walk out of the elevator, and Ben lets out a loud, exaggerated yawn.
“Multiversal Jett lag,” he says, stretching out his arms. “There's something I never thought I’d say.”
“Well, we all feel it,” Johnny says flatly.
“Yeah, why don’t we all rest a little bit before dinner in-“ Sue looks at her watch. “Oh, in two hours.”
“Sooner than I thought," Reed says, rubbing Franklin's back gently as the boy is already half asleep in his arms.
“Okay, see you all in a little bit,” you yelp as Johnny scoops you into his arms and begins walking you away from the group. “I missed you!”
Johnny then sets his lower body on fire and flies the two of you upstairs. You laugh as he pushes you backwards through into your room, and almost slams the door behind the two of you.
“Johnny, what was that about?” You ask as he gently sets you on your feet at the edge of the bed. “Victor's alive?”
“Yes, but first,” he quickly seals his mouth around yours.
You sigh into his mouth as he kisses you so deeply you have to angle your head back. You run your arms all around his back, shoulders, and neck. His hands pursue your body similarly, and you gasp as he pushes the two of you to fall on the mattress. His body lands flush against yours. You shudder as the feeling of rightness settles over you. The days and nights while he was away felt as if a piece of you was also missing.
“I missed you so much,” you say breathlessly against his lips.
“Not as much as I did,” he says quickly, pressing your lips together once more.
You let the kiss carry on, but eventually a nagging sensation rises in the back of your mind. Worry settles in your chest as you begin to feel the very desperate grip Johnny has on your hair and waist.
“Hey,” you whisper, gently pulling back. “What's wrong?”
Johnny attempts to distract you with another is, but it only solidifies your concern. You pull away from him, and he sighs. Letting his head fall against your collarbone. You gently run your hand through his hair and down to squeeze his bicep. Allowing him a minute to breathe you in.
“I’m right here, Johnny,” you say softly. “Where are you?”
“Still on Earth-616*,” he says sadly, voice muffled.
“What happened over there?” He lets out another sigh and lifts his head slightly. Pressing a tender kiss to the place where his head just was, before rising all the way to look at you.
“It was so strange,” He says with a faraway look in his eyes. “Everything was so different and-”
“And?” you ask, after a beat of silence as he clearly cut himself off.
“And you were there,” He says, his eyes running all over your face. “Or a version of you was.”
“Me?” You ask astonished, and he hums in response.
“Yep,” he brushes his mouth over your cheek. “You were friends with a whole bunch of super-people.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, plus a demigod, and you could tell they all loved you so much.”
“Aw, well, now I'm jealous,” you say teasingly, but he groans loudly.
“Please don't say that, you were also married to Victor.”
“What?”
“Yeah, or at least their version of Victor, whose name was Anthony, but they called him Tony.”
“Get out,” you gasp. “You know, Victor's mom almost named him that.”
“I did not,” he says distractedly. “Anyway, their Tony was also a hero, but he died. They’d been together longer than we have. Even had a kid.”
“That's terrible,” You say, heartbroken for this person that is technically you. “And he looked just like Victor?”
“Yeah, gotta say I did not enjoy watching my wife swooning over Victor,” he says, frowning.
“Johnny,” you rebuke him gently. “That must have been horrible for her, meeting a man who looks like your dead husband. I can't even imagine.”
“Yeah, well, it actually worked out, believe it or not.” He says, looking at you fondly. “That's the big secret, we didn't kill him. She somehow shared her memories of Tony, and now they're off somewhere living happily ever after with their kids.”
“Kids? Plural?” You ask gently.
“Oh yeah, turns out they had another one too; almost forgot about him,” he mumbles.
“Well, that's nice,” you say slowly, confused beyond belief. “So is he still Victor or the other guy, or both?”
“I honestly don't know, but she promised to keep him out of trouble,” he says simply.
“And you believe she can?”
“Oh, I have no doubt, the man is absolutely whipped. Not to mention, she is just like you.” He says, smiling as he enunciates every word.
“Is that so?” you say, smiling as he gives you another kiss, this one sweeter and less frantic.
“Yep, although I’m not exactly psyched to find out Victor was harboring a secret crush for you all these years.” He pulls away with a frown.
“You know, now that you mention it, there was a time when he may have asked me out.”
“Really?”
“I thought he meant it as friends, and either way, I was already halfway in love with you by then.”
He gives you a smug smirk, and you can’t help the next words that come out of your mouth.
“Huh, Seems like I would have saved us all a lot of trouble if I'd said yes,” you say slowly. “Then maybe we would’ve gotten married.”
Johnny's smirk instantly falls, and he gives you the most offensive look. You hold a serious face for as long as you can until finally breaking out into a smile.
“Too soon.” He says miserably.
“Sorry,” you laugh, and he eventually smiles.
A moment passes with just the two of you gazing at each other. Peacefully making up for lost time. You run your fingers gently over his face, stopping at his lips. He presses a gentle kiss to your fingertips in response.
“We should sleep,” you say in a near whisper. Not wanting to break the peaceful silence.“I hardly slept while you were gone, and we don't want to be late for dinner.”
He scoffs before lowering his hand to your knee and drawing it up to your side. Pressing himself further between your legs.
“Oh, we are definitely gonna be late for dinner.” He says, carefully sliding a hand beneath your shirt. “You wanna know why?”
You simply hum in response, distracted by the wonderful sensation his hands are making against your body.
“Because my favorite part of Earth-616* was watching you be a mother.”
Your laughter is swallowed by his kiss. He then proceeds to tell you how much the two of you are ready to become parents. He does so with his words, his hands, and especially his mouth.
Truthfully, it doesn’t take a whole lot of convincing. However, you're in no hurry to tell him that.