Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Early October 2015

Something changed as Tony lay on the cold concrete of the bunker, shivering and bleeding out.

A sense of effort that seemed to fade away just as quickly as his lifeblood. He was so tired of trying to keep everything from falling apart. He’d failed anyway, just like he’d failed his mother. Just like he’d failed JARVIS… and Bruce.

He’d searched for the man. Retrofitted SHIELD’s most advanced quinjet to handle space travel. But there was no trace of the scientist. No breadcrumbs to follow. No lingering distress signal to point the way. The man was just gone. Just like Tony’s parents. Just like JARVIS.

“JARVIS?” he whispered, not really expecting an answer and predictably getting none. He closed his eyes, ignoring the warning in the back of his head that seemed to think such an action was dangerous.

He couldn’t feel his fingers. He could blame the damage to his left arm for the lack of feeling, but the slight ache in the numb fingertips of his right hand belied a more insidious cause. He needed to get up. He needed to move.

“FRI?” His disappointment at her lack of response was short-lived as he remembered that Steve had crushed the arc reactor in the suit, cutting him off from any help.

Right. It was up to him to get out of this mess.

He tried to take stock of his situation. His right hand was broken, bones snapped just as sure as the metal had been when the Winter Soldier crushed it. Judging by the warmth trickling down his neck, and how hard those last few hits to the head had been, he was no doubt suffering from a severe concussion as well.

The sharp pain in his chest was new. He hadn’t begun feeling it until after he’d collapsed once the two rogues had gone. The resulting shortness of breath was troublesome but manageable. Probably a broken rib or two somewhere, but first thing was first. He needed to get out of the suit before the reserve power completely died.

He depressed the necessary triggers, the whir of metal suddenly drowned by a scream. The pain was unbearable and Tony was powerless to stop it as the chest plate pulled back from his frame. The process halted in stops and starts, tearing metal and sinew at the damaged sections across his chest as it fought to release him.

HIs last thought was a mental note to bring a jacket the next time he traveled to Siberia, before his eyes closed and the darkness took him.

Mr. Stark? Mr. Stark, can you hear me?

Shit is that Zemo? Apprehend him!

What the hell happened?

Have Fitz comb the security footage for answers. No leave the suit, we’ll have a team retrieve it. If we don’t get him to the hospital now he’s going to die.

Hold on Stark.

Agent Coulson couldn’t help but pace as he stood outside the surgical suite, eyes constantly straying to the button next to the glass window that clearly showed how frantically the medics were working to save Stark's life.

He still can’t believe that Captain America had done it. That his childhood idol could have beaten another hero, his friend, to near death.

A sudden rush of movement behind the glass made him amend his statement to actual death for a terrifying 2 minutes and 43 seconds before they regained a rhythm. Stark wasn’t his most favorite person in the world, but the man didn’t deserve to die. Not like this.

He could admit that he’d been wrong about the billionaire when they’d first met. He’d tried hard to get out of the assignment, wondering what he’d done to the director to deserve such a punishment. But training Tony Stark had been eye opening and… well… fun. He’d seen a different side to the man that was often kept hidden away.

They’d become friends.

Which made the footage that Fitz had just provided him with sit heavily in his mind in his gut, which churned at the bloody blue hands still working on the man behind the glass. When Stark’s limbs began to flail he looked at the button again and sighed. Knowing he was going to regret it, but unable to cope with the quiet, he pushed it.

“Shit! Keep holding him down! He’s already lost too much blood, we're going to need a transfusion! Get me three bags of A--”

“We need to relieve the pressure on his brain now!”

“But his heart-.”

“Won't work without his brain!”

“Fine. Fine! Do it! Damnit his sternum is in pieces.”

“Just one or two holes...get me a drainage kit!”

Coulson had to switch it off at the sound of a drill, swallowing hard as he looked away.

“Hey,” A familiar voice greeted him.

“Hey. Everything taken care of?”

“Yea. Sent a team back for the armor and they’d only just arrived when an Iron Man suit showed up and retrieved the remains of the suit. Said its name was FRIDAY.”

“Yea. That sounds like Stark. Wouldn’t want his tech left in the wrong hands, even when he’s not coherent enough to keep it safe himself.”

“How’s it going?” May asked, sitting in a chair and watching as Coulson began to pace.

“Not good. He’s coded once already.”

“They’re good doctors Phil. He’ll be okay.”

Coulson didn't answer. Couldn’t really get past the thought of what would happen if things went otherwise. He still couldn’t believe…

“Any word from the others?” He asked, too clipped.

“You sure you want to hear it?”

“What happened?” he demanded.

“There was a break-in at the Raft.” she started softly. “Footage indicates it was Rogers.”

“He took them.” Coulson said to himself, nodding. “Where did they go?”

“We don’t know.”

“What.” he said, spinning around. “How is that possible?”

“Not sure. They seem to have disappeared off the face of the planet. I bet Fury has a good guess but we’re at a loss. FitzSimmons is still working on it but... Sorry Phil.”

He shook away her apology. It wasn’t her fault he was agitated. Turning back to the glass he clenched his teeth, fist balled tightly under his arms. For a terrifying moment he was frozen in shock, breaths coming in a fast staccato as his tense brown eyes met the wide terrified orbs of a darker brown, before someone finally managed to administer a sedative.

“Do you want me to call anyone?” May asked softly, voice smooth despite the horror still lingering in her system at watching Stark, who’d been clearly screaming in terror and pain a moment ago, slip bonelessly back to the bed.

“No…” Coulson trailed off, thinking of Pepper and Rhodey and Happy. Had anyone informed them? Probably not. It wasn’t SHIELD’s protocol to inform anyone of anything unless expressly ordered to do so.

“No.” he repeated, running a hand through his hair and taking out his own phone. If the call had to be made, it would be from him. “I’ll handle it.”

“Right.” she said standing, preparing to leave to give him some privacy, though she wouldn’t be far, in case he needed her. On her way out she put a comforting hand on his shoulder and squeezed. “It’ll be okay Phil. You’ll see.”

He nodded, still seeing agonized brown eyes as he pulled up the number for Pepper Pots.

When Tony woke up the first thing he heard were the quiet sobs.

It was so alarming that he peeled his eyes open, ignoring the pain of the gunk that had sealed them shut ripping apart, half of it oozing and tumbling down his cheek and the other half sliding into his eye and making him tear up to try and dislodge it.

It was Pepper’s voice. He could tell by the soft little sounds she makes and the blurry red hair he can just begin to see to his right. The soft cries pain him to hear. More than the pulsing ache in his chest and his head. He would do anything to make it stop.

“Ggngh.” he tries to speak and nearly chokes as he realizes that the burning in his throat is a ventilator, and the reason his words don’t come out right.

“Tony!” Her head snapped up, tears glistening on her cheeks as she rushed to hover above him. “Can you hear me? Are you okay?”

He wants to answer her. He tries to smile, but the tube prevents it and now that her tears have stopped it’s so much easier to slip back under.

“It didn’t work you know.” he heard her whisper and fought to keep his eyes open, but they did nothing but flutter. “The distance. Our stupid break. I thought that…. But you’re determined to worry me into an early grave.”

He hadn’t meant to worry her. He’d never wanted to worry her. He wants to tell her this, but he’s already too far gone.

“Tony, I love you. Tony, don't go.”

It’s the last thing he hears before slipping back into the dark.

Chapter Text

Late October 2015

Rhodey is pissed.

Livid.

He’s not sure he’s ever been as angry as he is now. He knew that Rogers and his team were becoming more and more reckless. It was clear as day during their fight at the airport. It had been what had driven Rhodey to more drastic measures as well.

Honestly, who the fuck drops a shipping container on a kid you just met. Sure Rhodey knew the kid was enhanced, but he hadn’t known until that moment just how strong he was. That was the problem though. What if Parker hadn't been that strong?

Clearly they had no qualms over seriously injuring their friends. Rhodey was exhibit fucking A in that regard. Still, what had happened to him was more accident than intent. What they had done to Tony though?

That was intentional. That was unforgivable. And the note in his hand is the very last straw.

He doesn’t hesitate to crumble it, rolling over to the stove to light the gas and set the whole thing on fire. As for the phone he snaps it in half in his hands before chucking each piece at the wall, feeling satisfied as some of the plastic breaks off.

“Can I be of assistance Col. Rhodes?”

He’s about to shake his head in the negative when he thinks better of it.

“Actually, yea FRI can you completely dispose of that piece of shit?” he asked, gesturing towards the phone.

“Certainly. I’ll send U right up.”

“Thanks.”

He wished getting rid of the bastard who’d sent the device could be so easy. Thinking back on the letter stirs up his ire once again. Who the fuck was Steve to talk about family? As if Rhodey and Pepper and Happy had never been there before any of the others came on the scene. As if they wouldn’t still be there when all was said and done.

Fuck Steve.

Fuck him and his self righteous bullshit. To have the nerve to talk about having his faith in people? Sure, like having enough “faith” in Tony to tell him about his parents brutal murder. If that’s the kind of weak ass faith that Rogers practiced then Tony was better off without it.

A frisson of guilt raced through him as he caught a whiff of the lingering smell of burnt paper. Paper that had been meant for Tony. Paper that a moment ago he was set on forgetting for the rest of time. But would that be lowering himself to Steve’s level? It was nothing as drastic as what Steve had been hiding. If it had that would be a no brainer. No, this was Steve’s lame ass attempt to repair a friendship that was most likely gone forever anyway. There’d be no harm in protecting Tony from this little knife jab right?

Sighing in annoyance he rolled over to the table and picked up the paper pad there before rummaging around in the drawer for a pencil, determined to recreate the filthy message while it was fresh in his mind.

He remembered the ‘eighteen’ part because he’d snickered at it. While Rogers was too busy trying to fit in and cheat his way into the army, Rhodey and Jarvis had been trying to hold Tony together after the death of his parents. He wondered if Rogers knew what it felt like to hold your best friend while they sobbed their wish to die into your chest.

By the time he finished the letter was a lot longer than it had originally been. Rhodes couldn’t help adding his own comments here and there. Such as the fact that what Rogers had done had nothing to do with the fucking Accords. Though he was right in that it had to do with what he believed in. Which was himself and James Barnes. It was a short list.

The whir of U exiting the elevator drew his attention and he left the letter sitting there as he moved to intercept.

“Sorry buddy. Belay that last request FRIDAY.”

“Are you sure? U enjoys taking things apart.”

The offer was tempting. And perhaps if Tony took his advice U would have a toy to play with in the future. But he’d let Tony decide.

“I’m sure.”

He let the robot pick up the two pieces and deposit them in his lap. Placing the broken halves on the counter he turned and rolled down into the infirmary. He needed to see Tony. He needed to talk to his friend and cool off. Even if his friend couldn’t talk back.

Mid to Late December 2015

The next time Tony wakes it’s to Happy’s monologue in his ear. Amusing, but unneeded as he could hear the conversation just fine.

“I’m sorry Ms. Potts, Col. Rhodes. I know this upsets you, but we really do need to make a long term health plan. Mr. Stark has been in a minimally conscious state for nearly 10 weeks and the longer he goes without waking the more unlikely it is that he will at all.”

“And that would be the second mistake.” Happy continues softly, clearly not a part of the conversation happening several feet away. “Don’t worry. Pepper’s not going to let them do it. I’m surprised the doc still has the balls to keep talking. If looks could kill.”

“That doesn’t change anything.” Pepper clips and the steel in her voice makes Tony want to smile, but the respirator is still there.

“Oh, her arms are crossed. The arms crossing are never good.”

“Unplugging isn’t an option.” Rhodes states. “So why don’t you tell us what you need from us going forward because there is no stopping.”

“I don’t know how Rhodes still manages to be intimidating as hell from a chair, but there you go.”

“Well.” The doctor stutters. “If you’re both sure. You can always take time to-.”

“We’re sure.” they both say in unison and the conviction and dedication in their voices make Tony’s eyes water.

“Man, I really wouldn’t want to be her right now. Facing down a rock and a hard place. You know what would be great right about now though? Popco-whoa!”

“Okay. Well. We’ll need to increase the daily sessions of electrical neuromuscular stimulation to continue staving off muscle atrophy as well as-.”

The hand on his shoulder jolts his attention away from the conversation.

“Tony?”

Yes. Tony wants to say. I’m here. I can hear you.

But his tongue is stuck to the plastic in his mouth and it’s a chore to open his eyes that are now wet and leaking.

“Hey! Hey hey hey he’s crying!” Happy’s frantic calls nearly make Tony want to retreat. He wasn’t crying. He was just… adjusting.

“It’s an unconscious response-.” the sentence is cut off by the patter of feet and the roll of wheels growing closer.

“Oh my God.” Pepper gasps.

“Tones? Can you hear us?”

YES! He wants to shout, but again a familiar choked sound comes out.

“That’s the sound he made the first night. Right after his surgery.” Pepper whispers. “Tony, can you open your eyes? Open your eyes and look at me.”

He attempts the feat again, for her. It’s like fighting against a semi and he finds himself asking FRIDAY for a 30% increase in power, and then laughing at that before they finally peel open, letting in a sliver of light that burns and makes his eyes leak even more.

“Oh my God, Tony!”

The blinks come more easily after that. As if the initial breakthrough was all he needed, and soon he’s staring at the blurry, worried images of Pepper, Happy, and Rhodey. Except Rhodey is sitting much further down than he should be and Tony suddenly remembers the fall and that it is his fault and okay… now he is crying.

“Mr. Stark?”

He turns slightly towards the voice, finally getting a glimpse at the young female doctor that they’d presumably been talking to.

“Welcome back.”

Late January 2016

It took Tony a long time to decide what to do.

Part of him wanted to just quit the whole superhero thing altogether. Clearly he sucked at it. Plus, he’d worry Pepper less. He smiled as he looked down at her sleeping form next to his. It was good to wake up to her again.

He’d been surprised when she crawled into the bed after settling him in for the night nearly two weeks ago. He hadn’t questioned her then, too tired from his physical therapy and choosing not to look a gift horse in the mouth.

The next day they had a talk though. He’d confessed that he’d missed her and apologized for doing the exact thing that had driven her away yet again. She’d refused his apology and offered one of her own, saying that she was trying to make him into someone he just wasn’t, and that she loved him, and if she wanted to be with him, which she did of course she did, then she would need to be with all of him, including Iron Man and his responsibilities.

He’d been stunned by that really. If the actual words hadn’t proved her love, this did. It was natural to shy away from things that hurt you. He never blamed her for calling for a break. But to say that she would stay, even with the worry and stress and high blood pressure that came from dealing with him was…. Well. It was why he’d gotten a ring.

Okay technically he’d gotten it like a few months after she’d been hired, on a night when he was drunk and maybe a little high, and she’d come to save his sorry ass yet again. He’d decided that he’d order her to marry him the next morning so she’d never leave him. Of course, then he’d sobered up and decided never to mix those two drugs again and had left the ring in Happy’s care.

The point is, he was continually amazed at the woman’s strength and willingness to stick by him even with all his shit. She thought he was worth fighting for, and dammit if that didn’t make him want to fight for her right back.

He decided then and there he would fight for her. He didn’t know how it would look, whether it was possible to do that and still be Iron Man or whether he’d need to put away the armor forever, but Pepper would always be a center cog in whatever he did.

Which was something he really needed to figure out.

The Avengers were done. Broken. Just like Zemo wanted. Tony had his part in it, yes, but he hadn’t been alone. He thought back to Steve’s letter. Or Rhodey’s rather comical copy of it, given to him during their testing of the second prosthetic upgrade. He’d enjoyed the angry tangents that had been added. It made the entire thing hurt a little bit less. Like someone taking the brunt off a particularly hard punch.

If nothing else, he was done with Steve Rogers. Period. He’d never be able to work with him again. He’d been fooling himself, to ever think they had been friends. As Rhodey put it, ‘that’s not what friends do’ and he was right.

The letter and the phone still sat where he had dropped them in the kitchen drawer, too tired to deal with Steve’s so-called white flag. It wasn’t really an apology anyway. He wasn’t sorry for what he did, for lying to Tony for years, for using Tony’s money to search for (with intent to harbor) the man who killed his parents, for using the Accords to secret a mass murder away and then blame it on Tony for being unreasonable.

No. He wasn’t sorry for what he did. He was sorry that Tony didn’t agree. A seemingly small distinction, but with enormous implications. It wouldn’t have mattered what Tony did, or how willing he was to compromise. When it came down to it, it was either Rogers way, or the highway. It was a lesson it had taken him much too long to learn.

He thought of Steve’s face as the shield slammed into his chest. He thought of Wanda’s red eyes filled with hatred so deep it scared him. He thought of Sam’s disappointed brow and of Clint’s surprisingly malicious taunt about Rhodey while he was still in surgery.

Oh shit Clint.

“FRIDAY, remind me to get in touch with the Barton’s as soon as the sun rises” he whispered.

“Reminder set Boss.” she whispered back and he watched Pepper take a deep breath and shift in her sleep before going still again.

He had no idea if Laura and the kids were alright, but if it was in his power to protect them he would do it. They were innocent, and with Barton gone he didn’t trust SHIELD to adequately protect them from people or other government agencies who wanted to get their hands on them.

Thinking of Laura and the kids made him think about Peter. The teen had been one of the first calls he’d made when he woke up. He’d apologized profusely. It had never occurred to him that things would escalate to the extent they had. He had been just as surprised as everyone else when Rogers and his team pulled out the big guns. He would have never asked the kid to show if he knew what Rogers was capable of.

Or Romanov for that matter. Though he supposed he should have seen that one coming. She was a spy. A phantom pain ghosted across the side of his neck where she’d injected him without his consent with what was then a foreign substance. Yea, this wasn’t the first time she’d stabbed him in the neck.

For the next several hours he ruminated on everything that had happened to get them to where they were and weighed all the pros and cons for each viable course of action moving forward. The main goal was that he wanted his loved ones to be safe, but he also wanted them to be happy. So where did that leave him?

The deciding factor ended up being Peter. Sure he could quit now. Throw in the towel and sit back and watch someone else do the circus act. But where would that leave the Spiderkid? He couldn’t trust that whoever picked up the slack after this would have the kids best interest at heart. At the very least he’d need to help finish revising the Accords. So that Peter was protected.

The slow, long, and heavy intake of breath let him know she was awake. He waited for her to yawn and stretch before opening her eyes and turning to look up at him.

“You’ve been up all night.” she accused.

He smiled then. He hadn’t even started to flag yet. He never knew how she knew.

“Got a lot on my mind.”

“Did you come to a decision?” she inquired, sitting up and pressing her arm against his as she settled against the headboard.

“You know I think I did.”

“Good.”

He looked at her then, heart aching at the acceptance in those blue eyes. She didn’t ask, because she’d already decided that whatever he did, short of riding another nuke through a black hole or some other such blatantly self harming action, she was going to back him.

His eyes crinkled in love and he leaned towards her. Her eyes widened and she brought the white sheet over her mouth just before their lips collided to cover her morning breath. A useless action as he promptly ripped it away and proceeded to kiss her anyway.

Chapter Text

Early May 2016

“No.” Tony said getting out of the seat and beginning to walk out of the room. The sway of his hair reminded him that it had finally grown back and was probably in need of a trim.

“Stark just listen,” said a counselor. He wasn’t sure which one. He didn’t really care.

“I did listen. The answer is no.”

“There is no one else!” That was Everett Ross.

Tony stopped at that, anger pulsing through his veins. He wasn’t going to do this, not again. One failure was enough, thank you. This time he would sit back and follow orders. Steve would be proud. He’d offer his help and insight when needed but this wasn’t his baby. It was theirs, and it was about time they learned to take care of it.

“Ask Fury.” he suggested never turning around. “I’m sure he knows of someone.”

“Fury is dead.”

“Sure he is.”

“Listen.” Ross said, stepping towards Tony. “It would be on a temporary basis. We just need some assistance with the setup. Once we have a good candidate you can fall back.”

The tension in Tony increased as more responsibility was dumped on him. He didn’t want to lead a team. He’d told them that going in. He would only take missions half-time, mostly to help train Peter and the other new recruits. That didn’t translate into team leader.

“Now, is it discrimination because of the legs or because of the skin color that I wasn’t suggested to lead this team?” Rhodey said lazily from the back.

“What?” Several counselors gasped, turning away from Tony and focusing on Rhodey. Tony could have kissed him. “Of course not!”

“Really?” Rhodey questioned. “Because where I’m sitting Tony is right. It makes zero sense for him to be in charge. One, he doesn’t want to. While I get that shows he’s not power hungry, it just makes you guys look like assholes for forcing the issue. Two, he’s a civilian. Sure he has experience working with the Avengers, but please remember he never actually was one. He was a consultant. Three, I on the other hand have decades of military and combat training, years of experience in leadership roles and firm understanding of team dynamics, as well as being a fully functional fighter inside the suit, yet I wasn’t even asked.”

The silence was incredible and Tony couldn’t stop himself from smirking. The man wasn’t wrong.

“So which one is it?” Rhodes asked again, raising a brow.

“And that’s my cue.” Tony muttered under his breath as he slipped out before the guilty and appalled looks could notice his absence. He expected a file on his desk detailing his new team leader within the next 24 hours.

Early June 2016

“Wow!” Peter breathed.

“Mhmmm,” Stark agreed, taking a sip of smoothie as they walked through the updated facility.

“But I mean… wow!”

“Yea Pete you said that already like four times.” Tony exasperated before motioning to the kids own untouched smoothie. “And how come I’m not getting that kind of reaction to your drink? The fruits were hand sliced you know.”

“Oh! No- I- the smoothie is great Mr. Stark!” The kid said, finally taking a sip and smiling. Tony shook his head and looked away pretending not to watch as the teen drank more. He’d been the one to slice the fruit and had worried he cut them too small for the blades to catch.

“Wow! What is that?!”

“New training room.” Tony mumbled, satisfied when Peter took another couple of sips. He turned back to the file in front of him, checking that the room was up to date. He’d never heard of this Professor X guy before and was surprised when the man had reached out to him with an interest in the Accords contract that Tony had helped the spider kid set-up.

Provisionally, of course. It wouldn’t go into full effect until Peter was an adult and had at least graduated highschool. For now he would stay mostly as he was, a friendly neighborhood Spiderkid, who would now attend training twice a week: one for practical application (combat), and one for conceptual application (law).

The good professor had some promising candidates if what he was reading was correct. Honestly, there was a guy who could teleport? That was ridiculously useful. He really wanted to see that firsthand.

“Do you think they’ll like me?”

“Of course.” Tony responded automatically before the hushed, self conscious tone registered and his head snapped up. “Wait who?”

“The other heroes. The mutant men you’re recruiting.”

“Candidates,” Tony corrected automatically. “There’s women too. Listen Petey, I don’t want you to worry about it. And if there’s ever any trouble you know that myself or Rhodey will be around to back you up, though I don’t see anything like that happening.” he cut himself off for a second, realizing that just because he didn’t see something happening didn’t mean it wouldn’t happen. Just look at what had happened to him and Steve. He shook off the bitter feeling thinking of Rogers always brought and focused back on Peter.

“Besides, if they don’t like you then, well, it honestly says more about them than you. You’re one of the greatest kids I know.”

The shy confident look that stole onto the kids face set his heart at ease and he couldn’t help the small pat on the kids shoulder.

“Wait. One of the greatest kids? I thought I was the only kid you knew.” Peter questioned almost with a pout.

“Right. Which brings us to why we’re here.” Tony continued, swiping something off the file in front of him before looking up as the door in front of them opened.

“Peter, meet Harley. Harley, this is Peter.”

“Oh hey Tony. Is this your son?”

“Maybe.” The defensive answer from Peter was so unexpected that for a moment he froze in alarm as he brought up the image of Peter’s mom’s face that he’d seen in a picture on their coffee table. Sure she’d been a looker, but certainly they’d never met on a previous night back when he used to drink until he could barely remember his name. No… no that wasn’t possible. The kid’s parents had been happily married when they had Peter.

“Menace, I told you about Peter,” he said, letting the tension ease out of him and giving the kid a quick glare for the deliberate mild heart attack. “Where’s your sister?”.

“Oh yea, right. No, I remember. Hey Peter. She’s in the other room watching Dora even though I told her she was too old for it.”

“Let her be a kid would ya?” Tony admonished before passing the tablet to Pete. “That’s the schedule. Memorize it. Be there.”

“You got it Mr. Stark!” he said with returning excitement. Tony swept into the other room and picked up the cute little nine year old before finding her backpack and slinging it over his other shoulder.

“Um… Mr. Stark?” Peter asked as they came back into the room.

“Why are they here?” he asked, confused, and then seemed to remember who he was questioning. “I mean… only because they’re kind of small to be-.”

“They’re visiting me,” Tony supplied, cutting off the rest of that sentence. He was sure Harley knew more than he should, but there was no reason to inform the little girl in his arms that the tall kid with the glasses uncle Tony was always talking about was a superhero too.

“Mom’s in rehab again,” Harley supplied of his own freewill.

“Oh.” Peter said, seeming to deflate. “I’m sorry.”

“That’s good news, idiot.” Harley scoffed. “She’s never stayed this long before. I think she’s going to really beat it this time.”

Harley didn’t know, but Tony had transferred her to the best facility he knew with round the clock care. She’d been an extremely high functioning alcoholic and Tony had admittedly related. If she’d tried to leave he would have known. But she hadn’t and the kid was right. That did show progress.

The kids had stayed with their neighbor, who happened to be their mother’s second cousin during the first two weeks, but when Harley had called about the lady's creepy husband he’d flown there directly and taken them straight to inform their mother before promising to look after them until her program ended in another three weeks.

They’d stayed with him at the compound for a few days while he made arrangements with Laura Barten. He hadn’t been by in a while and he’d promised to stay in touch. Plus it would be nice for the kids to have someone else to play with and he’d have time to help Laura with the new house and farm.

“Hey kid lock up on your way out would you? Harley say bye. If you stay on track for the Stark internship you may be working with him in just a few years.”

“Later Peter.” Harley mock saluted on the way.

“Uncle Tony, my watch!” cried the girl in Tony’s arms.

“Kid again? Where did you leave it this time?” Tony asked in disbelief, looking around behind him before spotting it next to some clear cookie crumbs. “Pete grab Quinn’s watch off the counter would ya?”

“Here ya go.” Peter said, tossing the watch to Tony who caught it with two free fingers and handed it to the girl whose face lit up. “See ya Mr. Stark!”

As the sole enhanced human in the group, Peter was the only one to hear himself whisper see ya Tony underneath his breath, just to see how it sounded. Maybe he’d try it out at the next training. Would Tony notice? Would he mind?

Scratching his arm in frustration he proceeded to lock up the compound like Tony asked and headed home, trying to convince himself that he wasn’t jealous of Harley and Quinn’s relationship with Mr. Stark at all.

Early September 2016

“Sentinels?” Rhodey threw out.

“No, I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Professor X shot down.

“We’ve been back and forth over this a hundred times. Let’s just pick one already.” Hope said, leaning back in her chair feeling exhausted.

“Again, I like the Guardians.” Tony defended, sticking to his suggestion. He liked the way it hinted at stopping bad things, preventing bad things from occurring instead of just reacting to the inevitable.

“What is wrong with Sentinels?” Rhodey questioned.

“We have history with a former group with that title.” Professor X supplied, wincing at the name. “I’d prefer if we could come up with something else. What about the Protectors? That is essentially what we are doing.”

“Laaaame.” Tony chimed in, still focused on labeling each box of his rubix cube with an equation that he wanted to see if Peter could solve later on.

“Defenders.”

The word was thrown out as if the matter was settled. The quiet response as everyone thought over the proposed new name suggested that maybe it was.

“Guess that’s settled then.” said the dark haired girl on Tony’s left.

“Wait a second Jessica, we all have to agree.” Rhodes said, though honestly he thought her suggestion was the best and wouldn’t have minded ignoring what anyone else had to say. But that was not his job. His job right now was to be impartial.

“All in favor of Defenders?” Tony asked, raising his hand. The vote was unanimous and Rhodey looked over at Tony with a smirk in thanks. “Sold to the offer of Jessica Jones! Defenders it is.”

“Thank God.” Hope breathed out standing up into a stretch.

“And with that ladies and gents this meeting is done. See you all next week.” Rhodey said dismissing them.

He stood from his seat, the smoothest rise yet, and made his way over to Tony.

“No clicking this time, that's good,” Tony started, setting the rubix cube down. “Any pain?”

“No Tony.” Rhodey smiled. “The recent update has done wonders. I don’t have any complaints about the prosthetics.”

“Oh good. Cause I’ve got another upgrade already in the works and there’s no going back now. Any new finds will have to go in the next version.”

“Tony.” Rhodes said with a chuckle watching the others file out. “How are you doing?”

“Me? Dandy fancy pants, how about you?”

“No really.” Rhodes pressed, wondering if Professor X closed the door because he thought they might want privacy or because he knew they would want privacy. He bet it was the latter. “I know about the talk of pardons...”

“It’s not up to us,” Tony shrugged. “Why worry.”

“You know why Tony.” Rhodey huffed, getting angry on Tony’s behalf.

“Don’t do that Platypus.” Tony reprimanded with a slight quirk of his lips. “You know that’s bad for your heart. Besides, I don’t see it happening soon. They still have to sign, which if Steve’s letter is to be believed won't ever happen. And even if it does, that doesn’t mean we ever have to work with them again.”

“I know that but… I just hate the thought of them getting off is all. Remember, I’m on your team no matter what Tones.”

“I believe that’s my line.” Tony smirked, grabbing the rubix cube and hopping up from his chair. “Now, let's go see if the spider kid can solve this equation.”

Rhodey smirked as they walked side by side out of the conference room. “All you did was draw a bunch of random foods.”

“Exactly.” Tony grinned.

“Actually, speaking of foods.” Rhodey continued, stepping into the elevator. “You’ll never guess who paid us a visit yesterday.”

The door shut but the resulting shout could be heard on nearly all levels.

“WHAT?!”

Tony sat staring at the god in front of him with narrowed, distrustful eyes.

“Tell me we aren’t doing this.” he asked, eyes never wavering.

“He signed the Accords Tony.” Rhodey sighed. It wasn’t like he wanted to deal with the asgardian either, but this was what the counsel had decided was in Earth’s best interest. Rhodey couldn’t deny that if their intel was true it would nearly always come in handy.

“Indeed!” Thor boomed looking much too amused. “Everything has been settled with your un leaders!”

“It’s the U. N. Thor.” Rhodey corrected. “United Nations.”

“A much more fitting name!”

“What’s that for?” Tony asked, spotting the slim circlets around the neck and wrists.

“Extra precaution! I would not leave you ill prepared. The devices are a serious… deterrent, and automatically notifies me of any misbehavior. If it goes off but once I shall return immediately to rectify the error. Though I don’t foresee any troubles.”

“How can you be so sure?” Tony pressed, still skeptical and feeling rightly vindictive. “Do you know how many people he killed? One of them was my friend.”

“The loss of life was regrettable.” Thor conceded. “I assure you I saw the memory myself, Man of Iron. It is as I have been told and as I tell you now. He was lured and tortured into compliance. While that doesn’t excuse his actions, it does put them into perspective. Redemption is in order! And what better place than here.” he grinned.

“This is a bad idea.” Tony breathed minutely, shaking his head.

“Nonsense!” Thor boomed. “I’m sure there are soon to be great tales of glory!! Now! I have other matters to attend to. If you’ll excuse me.”

“Rhodey.” Tony said, the name nearly drowned out by the continued booming voice of Thor as he made his way through the offices.

“Yea Tones?” Rhodey said, scrubbing his face and scalp, only just managing not to dig his nails into his head.

“This is a really bad idea.”

“I know Tones.” Rhodey sighed in defeat. “I know.”

He looked up then and joined Tony in eyeing their new addition to the team. Loki’s only response was a large foreboding grin.

Mid October 2016

Tony cursed as he made his way to the conference room. It seemed as if more and more of his life was spent in the spacious rectangular office. He tried to put the subject of his ire behind him, but that was hard to do when the subject was himself.

He told himself yet again that the situation was over. Peter was safe, despite his reckless dive into crime fighting. The culprit was in jail and Peter was back in school and everything was fine. Peter had used what little training he’d had and everything was okay. So why did Tony feel on edge every time he thought about it?

Dammit he missed Rhodey.

Tony had the bright idea to request a favor from Thor in return for them taking on the management of his psycho brother and now Rhodey was who knows how many lightyears away on a mythical planet having the best doctors the universe had to offer working to fix his spine. This was a once in a lifetime chance for a full recovery, but it didn’t stop Tony from missing his friend.

Maybe he’d give the kid the new and improved suit after the upcoming press conference. He’d made a lot of upgrades to it. Added more safety precautions. He was supposed to be saving it for when the kid graduated from provisional to full Defender but one could never be too careful right?

“Brooding again?” Came the asgardian drawl as Tony entered the room. “Odin, that's so tiresome. How in the world do you get anything done? The kid’s safe enough. Relax.”

“Kid wouldn’t have been in trouble if you hadn’t brought an entire Chitauri army to Earth.” Tony snapped, annoyed when the god of mischief simply rolled his eyes.

“Tortured and brainwashed, remember?” He reminded softly. “Besides, it wasn’t my responsibility to clean up the mess now was it.”

“Exactly.” Tony clipped. His glare hardened as he sat down across from Loki and slid him a file on the upcoming mission. “The way I see it we’re both to blame. You made a shitty mess. I did a shitty job cleaning it up. So together, we’re going to remedy that.”

“Ugh.” Loki groaned, leaning back in his chair. “You can’t be serious. Can’t we do something more exciting? Like finding new recruits.” he suggested leaning back up with a mischievous glint in his eye.

“Redemption, remember?” Tony said softly, flipping the gods former excuse back on him.

“Right.” Loki sighed with another grand eye roll that Tony was admittedly a little jealous of.

“Where do we start then?”

Chapter Text

Thanksgiving 2016

“Alright it's simple.” Rhodey began, shifting without assistance or pain on his own legs as everyone gathered in a circle. The four weeks away had been so worth it. “We all go around and say something that we’re thankful for.”

“This is beyond banal.” Loki sighed as he shuffled to the table. Tony was two seconds from echoing the sentiment when he caught Peter's excited, joy filled eyes and just managed to pull the words back down his throat.

“It’s tradition.” Rhodey insisted, eying Tony as if he would get an objection. He couldn’t object though. It was tradition. For them. Thanksgiving had always taken place at Mama Rhodes house, ever since they’d roomed together at the dorms.

However this year they’d had two separate dinners for the first time. A private one amongst family with Mama Rhodes and her two boys, and one with the Defenders family. It had been Vision’s idea. He’d disappeared for a while after the whole civil war fallout, but had returned a month after Tony had finally woken up from his coma. Tony didn’t know what the AI had done during that time, only that he seemed equally more subdued and more determined at the same time.

So when he approached Tony and Rhodey with the suggestion Tony had hesitated to dismiss it. He’d put feelers out, asked if anyone else would be interested and somehow that led them here. More than a dozen members all crowded around the large table filled with food that Vision had started cooking nearly two days before.

He’d been worried about Phil and Loki eating at the same table. After all, who wanted to pass bread with their own murderer? However, it seemed as if they’d already come to an understanding as Phil had adamantly insisted that Loki attend and so far didn’t seem too uncomfortable. Tony knew looks could be deceiving and had worked to make sure they sat far apart as well as staggered so they weren't directly across from each other.

“All right. I’ll start.” Rhodey said before taking a deep breath. “I’m thankful for Agent Coulson.”

The agent in question seemed startled, eyes opening wide in surprise. Tony didn’t look over when Rhodey squeezed his hand briefly. He knew why Rhodey was thankful for Phil. If SHIELD hadn’t arrived on the scene so quickly it was very probable that Tony would have died in that frozen bunker. Bloody, frozen, and alone.

“You’re up.” Rhodey said with an amused grin as he elbowed Coulson.

“Oh. Okay wow. Alright. I guess I’m thankful for… family?”

“Oh come on Phil. That’s the best you had?” Tony teased.

“What? It’s true I don’t know what else to say.” Coulson defended. “Hope?”

“I’m thankful for the Accords.” she declared, as if challenging anyone to refute her. “They provided the opportunity I needed to step out from under my dad and live up to my potential.”
She nodded as if confirming this to herself before looking to her left.

“I’m thankful Tony’s rich enough for the good stuff.” Jessica said, saluting Tony with a full glass of the finest whiskey he owned before downing nearly half of it.

Everyone got a laugh out of that, and there were several hear-hears even as Tony shot a glance to the right to make sure none of the alcohol had been reached by the minors. He probably should have been more worried about Jessica though. If he wasn’t careful, by the time morning arrived his entire stock might be cleaned out.

“I'm thankful for God’s forgiveness.” Matt said, once the clatter had died down. Tony rolled his eyes the same as Loki and for a moment their gazes locked together in mutual exasperation before Tony looked away feeling decidedly off balance.

“I’m thankful for the professor.” Scott said, pausing as Xavier tsk’d before adding “and motorcycles.” That got a grin out of those who knew him and a smirk from Logan.

“Well.” The Professor began. “I’m thankful that we were all born at the right time and place so that we could all be gathered here today. What we have set in motion is monumental, and will echo for generations. These future times are history in the making. Let’s do right for those who come after.”

There was a small quiet after the professor's words. Some took it to heart, reflecting on how far they’d come. Some, unsettled, began to realize just how much of an impact their choices would make; and some just really wanted the rest of the people to hurry the fuck up so they could eat.

“Loki.” Rhodey prodded after a short time.

“Thanks for the cue.” Loki drawled. “Wasn’t sure how long an appropriate silence lasted for humans.” There was a collective sigh at that, mostly filled with annoyance from the various culprits.

“Right then. I’m thankful for second chances.” Loki said after a moment and Tony’s eyes went wide, because for a second there, the asgardian had seemed sincere before the usual insolent smirk resumed its natural place.

“Don’t forget 3rd, and 4th and 5th chances too.” Rhodey ribbed, which earned another few chuckles and broke the heavy solemnity of the professor's lingering words.

“I am thankful for experience.” Vision said softly, looking down at the table. “And all its positives and negatives.”

Tony made a note to check in with Vision more. He hadn’t wanted to push the AI after his return, but he hadn’t been very attentive either. If he was honest it rather hurt to be around Vision, but that wasn’t his fault. He hadn’t asked to be born with Jarvis’s voice. Tony resolved to do a better job and make sure he was okay.

“I am thankful for sunny days.” Storm said quite simply, choosing not to elaborate before turning to prompt Logan with a look.

“Pass.” Logan said and the table erupted into a mixture of complaints and encouragement.

“Oh come on Logan-”

“You can’t think of one thing to-”

“It’s not fair if you don’t share wi-”

“Oh don’t be a downer Logan, please?”

“Fine damnit.” he barked. “I’m thankful I live in a free country where I can choose to pass on any goddamn question if I feel like it!”

“Okay that was a good one-”

“I knew you could up with somet-”

“Logan, you're so grumpy.”

“Go.” he huffed at Kitty, ignoring the lingering comments.

“I’m thankful for Professor Xavier’s school.” Kitty said proudly. “There’s a lot of us that would have been on the street or dead without it.” She leaned over the table to grin widely at the professor who returned her smile with a loving wink.

Everyone looked to Peter then, who seemed nervous but resolutely locked eyes with Tony, and suddenly Tony knew what the kid was going to say. He was still too late to stop him.

“I’m thankful for Tony Stark.” he said firmly, and down the table Tony could see Loki rolling his eyes again. Pepper cooed on one side of him and Rhodes grinned in amusement on his other while Tony felt decidedly uncomfortable.

“Let me guess.” Loki drawled with derision. “He’s just your absolute favorite hero. Iron Man saved your life once and now you're a devoted follower.”

Tony was going to punch the asgardian in the face and shake the insanity out of Peter, but stilled at the strong grip on his arm.

“Not Iron Man.” Peter continued completely unfazed. “Tony. He’s my hero.”

Tony nearly cursed aloud as the need to either bolt or refute Peter’s statement increased. The second grip on his other arm reminded him that he was supposed to be working on reducing his use of self-deprecating jokes, but dear Lord could they please just move on. He saw Rhodey open his mouth to presumably do just that but Peter cut him off.

“And aunt May.” he suddenly tacked on. “Her too.”

Tony nearly collapsed as the kid looked over to Happy expectantly.

“Reel sweet kid.” Happy said in a tone that indicated he didn’t find it sweet at all. “I’m thankful for my bed.”

That comment brought everyone up short as they stared at him with questioning brows.

“What? Do you know how hard I work?” Happy explained. “My bed is a gift. It’s the thing I look forward to coming home to every night. Whoever invited beds should get a medal of honor. A plaque. A national holiday.”

“Okay Happy. I think we get it.” Pepper cut him off with a chuckle. “I’m thankful for giant, truly unreasonably sized bunnies.”

That got a bark of laughter from Rhodey and a few subdued chuckles from Phil and Happy, but everyone else just looked confused. Pepper didn’t elaborate, choosing instead to look at Tony who was trying his damndest not to blush or pull her into his arms and kiss her in front of all their guests at such a blatant declaration of love, even in the face of complete ineptitude.

It took the clearing of a throat to jolt Tony back into the present and out of the twin blue seas he’d been lost in.

“Go ahead, Tones.” Rhodey prompted and Tony couldn’t suppress the dramatic sigh.

Everyone being so sentimental made him uncomfortable. He took a long breath, determined to erase the feeling with something inconsequential, flippant and most importantly, comical.

“I’m thankful for…” he stopped himself just before saying something that was probably inappropriate as the actual truth suddenly popped into his head. “Real friends.” he ended up stuttering out, as if he hadn’t at all been sure he’d wanted to say it.

Well shit. Too late now.

“Hear hear.” Rhodey started the call, making it echo down the table before clapping his hands together with a smile. “Alright. Let’s eat!”

Christmas 2016 - Sakaar

Tony collapsed onto the makeshift bed, shoving his hands into his hair in frustration. He hadn’t seen Thor since they’d gotten caught and every day they sent one of the remaining four out to battle was a day one of them might not return.

So far they’d been lucky. Tony and Rhodey had been allowed to retain their armor, not that it made any difference. The small device embedded into their necks kept them from every escape attempt they’d tried so far. He could probably find a way to disable the thing if he could get a decent look inside. But that would require a deceased participant for extraction.

Rhodey had just been paired up with a rocky looking dude named Korg for a fight nearly half an hour ago. He tried not to worry. They’d all received very valuable training the past several months and they’d learned how to work well as a team, including how to adapt and work with unexpected allies.

“I should have stayed home.” he mumbled, even as he understood that if given the choice again he would have chosen the same thing.

When Thor had shown up two weeks before Christmas claiming to know where the Hulk had run off to and offering to mount a rescue mission Tony hadn’t been able to pass it off. Ever since Bruce had disappeared after Ultron he’d been worried sick that something horrible had happened to the guy.

Pepper hadn’t been happy, but after listening to the mission parameters and extraction plan she’d reluctantly approved. And by that he meant she turned and walked out of the door with a parting statement thrown over her shoulder.

You better make it back here before Christmas or I’m going to hunt Fury down and make him drag you back.

It had been a violent statement. A dark promise full of ire and demand and impending wrath. It reminded him of when she’d gone all out against Killian to protect him, and suddenly he’d really wanted to kiss her…

Today was Christmas.

He wondered if she meant it, and how she would even pull it off if she tried.

“Odin’s beard, you're not brooding again are you?” Loki said coming out of the bathroom with wet hair and clean clothes.

“I reserve the right to brood whenever I please thank you very much.” Tony retorted.

“Yes but it’s terribly depressing.” Loki sighed, stretching out to sprawl on his own makeshift mat. “We’re wearing him down. He’ll cave any day now I’m sure of it.”

“We wouldn’t have to wear him down if I’d been more attentive.” Tony muttered. “I should have communicated with him more. Let him know his worth, not just to the team but in general. On principle. It’s my fault he felt the need to run.”

“That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.” Loki scoffed and Tony looked up with a glare. “That’s like saying you could have prevented my attack on Earth if you’d just known I was brainwashed. Unless you’re a mind-reader there are simply things you’ll never know and it’s foolish to dwell on unrealistic outcomes. Don’t you think you carry enough?”

Tony looked up in surprise at the asgardian, at a loss of what to say. He’d been angry at first but the more he listened the more it seemed like Loki...well... cared. Which was just… odd.

“That was rhetorical.” Loki huffed on a sigh as Tony opened his mouth to respond. “Now, stop sulking and come see what I managed to nick off of our lovely guards.”

The small piece of metal that flashed at Tony had him scrambling over to the taller god to hold it in near reverence.

“How long have you had this?” he asked with narrowed eyes.

“Since after my last fight.”

“That was nearly two hours ago!” Tony hissed, leaning over threateningly. “Way before Rhodey left. We could have avoided his battle.”

“You know for a genius you can be quite slow on the uptake.” Loki drawled, leaning back as if he didn't have a care in the world. I figured you’d overreact. That’s why I waited. Had we attempted to escape then we would have been caught. There was no time to plan anything accordingly. Now there’s time. We’ve got roughly two hours to make a plan before they return and then an entire night to execute said plan before they come looking for you in the morning.”

Tony resisted the urge to smack Loki across the back of his head as he focused on the positive feelings the god’s pilfering had engendered.

“Alright then wise ass.” he muttered. “What’s the plan?”

He enjoyed the startled look on the other’s face as temporary reigns were placed in his hands.

“Well, if it were up to me…”

“It was a flawed plan.” Rhodey agreed.

“It was a perfect plan with the knowledge I had.” Loki defended. “How was I to know they had extra planetary defenses?

After nearly a week it was an old argument, but there wasn’t much left to do but argue as they spun lazily, aimless through the black.

“Isn’t that like your job Mr. Freeze?” Tony suddenly drawled? “As an asgardian? To guard all the realms? How do you do that without even knowing what defenses they have?”

“Yes, well that would be the responsibility of the heir I believe.” Loki spat. “We wouldn’t be in this mess if he’d done his damn job.”

Tony couldn’t argue there. After breaking out of their cell, they’d used a tracking spell that Loki apparently always kept on Thor and had broken into his room only to find the Hulk there too. One most likely overlong heart to heart later and they’d been slipping through the streets towards the abandoned SHIELD vessel Bruce had arrived in, as theirs had crashed upon entry and was beyond repair.

It took Tony no time to rewire power through the ship. They were nearly off the ground when Thor exited the craft with a wave.

“I’ve got some unfinished business with a Valkyrie!” he yelled over the roar of the engines. “I’ll catch up with you all later. Be good brother! Or… well, you know. At least not too evil!”

Tony and Rhodey had attempted to call the god of thunder back as well but to no avail, and really they hadn’t had the time. A surprise attack from the planetary defense took out their power systems but Tony had managed to supplement the loss of power by rigging both his and Rhodey’s arc reactors to the ship. The only problem was their size.They’d been made to power a suit of armor, not a quinjet.

After two attempted jumps (and holy shit had Tony enjoyed learning about the practical applications of tesseracting even though the ship wasn’t really outfitted for something so taxing), one successful jump (that had admittedly drained more power than originally calculated and had left the occupants sick for hours), and four days of sub-engine travel they were nearly out of juice. Currently they were just drifting through space more on kinetic energy than anything else. According to both Loki and Tony’s meticulous calculations they were still several hundred thousand lightyears away from Earth with no power for another jump. Not if they wanted to keep life support going.

Loki cursed Thor again, struggling to keep his ire in check under a devil may care facade. Contrary to popular belief Loki didn’t enjoy killing. He liked watching people die even less, and as the days wore on he realized that eventually they would run out of food and water. Loki himself could go for quite a few decades indeed without adequate sustenance, plenty of time to make it to a civilized planet, or close enough to one that would answer their distress beacon.

The humans on the other hand...

Banner was somehow able to put himself into temporary meditative trances that nearly eliminated the need for substance in an effort to make their stores last longer. Yet already he could see the thinning of fat and muscle around their faces and the prospect of watching them literally waist away was growing rapidly more alarming. He did his best not to dwell on it but it was always there, like a clock ticking down.

Tick, tick, tick.

“Now who’s brooding.” Tony said tiredly. Him and Rhodey were rationing food. They’d insisted on splitting it four ways at first but after the fifth refusal and the asgardian admitting to his unbelievably favorable survival rate they’d let the matter drop.

Tony’s taunt produced a slight upward tug to all of their lips. It would be another month before one of them managed to make one of the others smile.

On day 25 Bruce woke and began to cry at the sight of Tony and Rhodes.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I never wanted-.”

Tony held him, probably too tight but refusing to let go, refusing to let the man blame himself for their situation. It had been their choice to mount a rescue mission and if they’d had to do it again they still would have come, though perhaps they would have left Thor’s control device on until after they’d gotten to safety.

On day 38 the Hulk apologized.

He was much diminished from his usual size and Tony had found it amusing trying to hug something the size of your fridge. It was no matter. They had all joined in giving the big guy a little comfort. Even Loki.

“This never leaves the ship.” Tony whispered, unable to resist a good set-up. The laughs were airy, and halted, and pitifully dry.

Tony savored the sound.

On day 41 they ran out food.

The ship was very quiet.

It was not a good day.

On day 52 Loki apologized.

Straight forward and sincere.

He never told them what had made him break, but there’d been plenty of other horrors that filled the silence.

He never expected Tony to pick up where he had left off.

On day 68 they ran out of water.

There were many whispered conversations between the four. Suddenly they had so much to say, now that there wasn’t time enough to say it. Their dying words belong solely to them and to the walls of the ship.

There were no tears.

Three of them learned that you don’t really need them to weep.

On day 70 there were no more conversations.

Loki listened carefully to the short, light breaths of Rhodey and Tony, limbs entangled and most likely freezing on the cold metal floor, now that the environs were on the fritz.

He listened carefully to the long, deep breaths of Bruce in his meditative state and wondered if he’d wake up once they were the only ones left, or if this time he’d continue to sleep until he too died.

There was no one to see Loki cry.

On the 71st day of their lazy sprawl through space Loki thought he was hallucinating when a bright light began to approach. It was halfway upon them before he jumped out his seat and banged his head on the roof of the ship in his hurry.

Someone had answered the beacon, the only thing still working on the heap of metal. He smiled in triumph as the light grew brighter, nearly blinding him before the image of a woman cleared in his sight. He wasn’t sure how the hell she managed to navigate the barren of space. Perhaps she was the goddess of the void. It really didn’t matter. It only mattered that she was here and they were rescued.

He looked back to call out to the others, to wake them up, and was alarmed when he could only detect the deep breaths of Banner. Tripping over himself he rushed to the still cold bodies of the two humans who had been alive minutes ago.

With shaking hands he checked for signs of life and nearly broke into tears again at the small gusts of air he picked up.

“We have to hurry!” he called out to the woman, unsure if she could hear him, and if she did, if she could even understand him. But he was relieved when she nodded and tried not to be alarmed as her light shifted towards the rear of the ship.

“Hold on,” her voice came, muffled by the walls. Loki did his best to anchor the fragile bodies beneath him. In the next moment they were traveling faster than the speed of light before making several well maneuvered jumps.

He didn’t relax when Earth loomed in the view.

He didn’t relax when the goddess landed the quinjet on the roof of the compound.

He didn’t relax when medics swarmed the broken down craft and carried the two most severe patients away with the third still unconscious, carted quickly behind.

He didn’t relax when the doctors assured him that they would be alright now.

He didn’t relax until he’d seen the result for himself, until three sets of brown eyes met his with a warmth that he had never known from anyone besides his mother, and on the very rare occasion his brother.

Unfortunately, this time there were plenty of people around to see him cry.

Chapter Text

Early March 2017

“Hello Tony.” Her voice was soft as she entered the room and took a seat next to him.

“Hey Pep.” he whispered, trying to find his voice.

For a moment they do nothing but stare at each other. There’s something in her eyes. She’s… hurt?

“Do you know what day it is?”

The question is asked softly, though he can tell it’s loaded. He licks his dry cracked lips and clears his gritty throat.

“March 10.”

She nods and then sits quietly for another moment. After a while he thinks that perhaps that was all she wanted to ask. Perhaps she only wanted to see if he was lucid. Fully aware.

“Do you know what day you told me you’d be home?”

Shit, he hated when he was right. He couldn’t stop the wince at her words either. Another broken promise, regardless of if it was out of his control. It had been in his control not to go on the mission in the first place.

“Christmas.” he manages to croak out.

She nods again, quietly, before reaching out and gently grabbing his bony wrist between her two soft palms.

“You’re late.” she finally admonishes with a watery smile.

“I know.” he rasps, nodding guiltily before looking down at her soft hands which tremble more than his.

“I had to come and get you.”

And if that doesn’t just peak his interest. How had she managed it? Who had she called? He tries to think back. She’d said she would call Fury and make him drag Tony home. Technically, they had been dragged back.

He looked back up at her full of wonder. This woman was amazing. Way beyond anything he could ever deserve. With that realization came the key and suddenly he could see it. Beneath the surface level mask of poised strength, beyond the hidden layer of distress, under the fatigue of countless sleepless nights that have seemed to etch themselves into her very bones, buried deep in her core is a fear so potent he imagines choking on it, just as he choked on the words that he was desperate to get out.

“I’m sorry.” he tells her, willing that desperation out of her eyes. “I’m so sorry Pep.”

It’s not enough. He can still see how she’s weighed down and he doesn’t know what to do or what to say to soothe her fears. She nods at him once more, still the picture of calm, though the tears gathering in her eyes begin to overflow.

He slips his hand from hers, the weak limb trembling as he reaches up to gently cup her face before tilting her head down so that he can make another promise.

It was too much. The worry. And he understood it. He really did. So he vowed to somehow bring them together, a vague idea already blossoming in his mind. It wouldn't be an instant cure for her distress, but maybe it would help. A step in the right direction. He pulled her toward him physically and metaphorically, until they shared breath, until her forehead lay gently against his, their noses nestling and lips ghosting.

He doesn’t mind the tears that drop onto his cheek before sliding down his jaw and neck to wet his shirt.

“I love you.” he whispered like it’s a rope that can tie them together. And maybe it can, because for a moment, just a quick half a second, it feels as if they connect.

That night, in the quiet, definitely overcrowded room, filled with a myriad of light and heavy snores, he sketched the first design of Rescue.

Mid March 2017

Oh dear God it’s so good!

It’s hot, still melting on his hands and filled with all of his favorite things.

Juice runs down his fingers and his tongue quickly follows, catching a small chunk of meat before continuing its journey.

Another bite and his eyes nearly roll into the back of his head. Pure delight.

“Should I give you two a moment?” Loki leers. “I feel it’s getting rather intimate.”

Tony ignores the god as he focuses on catching a piece of cheese before it falls to the floor. Dealing with Loki is a small price to pay for the rare treasure the asgardian had gifted him with. He can hear Rhodey’s reprimand in his head and shakes it away. They’d been back for over a week. It should be fine.

He makes it through half the burger before he has to stop, but he keeps the second half secreted away for a later time.

Three hours later, he retreats to his room, the arm on the left side of his body feeling heavy and numb. He’s dizzy and nauseous and decides he needs a nap. When he wakes up he’ll feel better and Loki will be back with his burger. Or wait...no, Loki had already come back hadn’t he?

Two hours later he bolts upright, hands flailing for something he can’t remember. His vision is foggy in one eye, black dots obscuring the other.

Then the retching starts.

He’s just quick enough to grab the basket next to bed before the heaving starts, his stomach cramping in an agonizing pressure that he has never experienced before. He can hear shouting but can’t figure out who it is.

Suddenly there are hands on him, pushing him down. He fights against it, only pausing when he feels something warm spread out beneath him. In a moment of lucidity he freezes in horror at the realization that he’s just pissed himself, before his brain cuts out.

“What the hell happened?!” Doctor Yuman yells as he struggles to keep his patient on the bed. “Get him lying down people!” he barks at his nurses before eyeing the shocked and clearly horrified male in the corner.

“I-...I don’t know.” Loki starts brokenly. “He was fine a moment ago.”

They’d nearly gotten him horizontal when a sweet smell hit his nose.

“Patient has lost control of his bowels.” A nurse informs, but they have zero time to address that fact as the patient suddenly slams back into the bed as he’s thrown into a violent seizure.

“Get me a sedative.” he clips, turning the fragile man so he doesn't choke on his own tongue before risking a glare at the bystander.

“Did he take something? Through the nose or the mouth? Maybe an injection? Did he eat anything strange like mushrooms or other fungi?”

The raised eyebrows were a dead give away.

“You need to tell me if I’m going to save his life.” he clipped, relieved to see his fastest nurse already back with the syringe.

“A burger. He had half of a ….cheeseburger he called it.”

“Oh shit.” he murmured, the sweet smell clicking in place as he watched the nurse successfully administer the sedative. “Vitals!” he barked, not bothering to glance back up at the visitor as the flailing gradually reduced and he eased the patient on his back. “How long ago?”

“Nearly six hours.”

“Dear Lord in heaven.” he mumbled, clicking on a pen and peeling the patient's eyelids back. “Right pupil is blown.”

“Heart rate 147 bpms. BP 180 over 90. Doctor O2 levels-.”

The loud, abrupt change that indicated a loss of rhythm answered his question.

“Up!” he demanded of the lightest nurse, letting several other hands steady her for a moment before she started CPR.

Meanwhile he grabbed a respirator in the supply closet, briefly spotting the cursed remains of said burger before turning back, focused on inserting the tube down the larynx. Sweat poured down his face as he motioned for the nurse to stop and began insertion. It was only two decades of experience and honed discipline that kept his hands steady when the door burst open.

“What the hell is going on?! What happened?!” some yelled.

“Get them out of here.” he snapped, taking a deep breath as he maneuvered the tube further down the throat.

There was commotion just at the edge of his peripheral that he could care less about and effectively tuned out until he’d slid past the last bend. Motioning for the nurse atop the patient to continue CPR he secured the ventilator to the patient's chin, squeezing the bag to start a rich flow of oxygen.

Thirty seconds later they caught a rhythm and Doctor Yuman nearly sagged in relief. Finally. They got him.

He passed the duties for the respirator to waiting hands and helped the nurse off the table while giving his probable diagnosis. He didn’t need to look at the corner to know the intern there was taking quick precise notes.

“Patient speculated to be suffering from refeeding syndrome as indicated by seizure, inability to breathe and heart failure, coupled with possible starvation diabetes indicated by involuntary urination with a distinct sweet smell and an assumed stroke as indicated by evidence of a blown pupil and severely elevated blood pressure.”

He paused for just a moment, eyes raking over the monitor to verify patient stability enough to transport before taking a step back, eye glancing over to make sure there was still a steady flow of oxygen.

“We’re moving in 10 people!” he yelled, a sliver of pride rising as the remaining nurses worked in sync to unlock the medical bed and secure the necessary tubing and equipment that needed to travel with them.

They were ready at second nine and as one the unit moved to the ICU.

“Doctor! Please!” came the call and he paused, beginning a mental count. He couldn’t be delayed longer than it would take for the elevator to arrive but he could spare a moment to answer a few quick questions.

“What happened?” asked the clearly military man in the wheelchair, flanked by a stunning blonde, who on second glance also looked like she was military. Though brought into the facility in a similar dire state, the severe looking man had been the listed medical proxy so he was allowed to pass on the information.

“The patient’s taken a turn for the worst.” he conveyed as quickly and as succinctly as he could. “There was too much too fast. There’s always a chance of refeeding syndrome in starvation victims. That’s when the body has gone so long without food that it rejects it when reintroduced.” He said quickly, cutting off the question before the tall man who he had a feeling was the culprit for today’s incident could voice the question.

“I’m willing to bet the patient had a mild case and was unaware of his fragile state. Unfortunately.” he paused for a moment, glancing notably at the tall man in the back. “He got a hold of some pretty unhealthy food which exacerbated the condition and seemed to trigger the onset of diabetes.”

“Worse, the sudden stress elevated his blood pressure and seems to have caused what we can only hope is a minor stroke. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll have one of the nurses keep you informed of his progress.”

He turned just in time to see his team flood the elevator and took long steps to slip in between the metal doors just as they closed. Damn if he didn’t have the best oiled machine in the hospital. He willed the elevator to go faster. They had a patient to save.

Many hours later three men sat in the dark, all maneuvered around the bed of their friend who was still on a ventilator.

All the shouting and accusations had finally died. The anger and suspicion were gone as well. Denial and deflections hung up. Snarky, near hateful masks that used words as barbs had been put away. There was nothing left but the communal worry.

Worry and regret.

“I didn’t mean it.” came the whispered reply. The first words to break the silence. A shaky hand reached out to gently grasp the cold one resting on the bed. “I didn’t know”.

He didn’t get a response. Not in words, but they weren’t really needed. The forgiveness could be seen in small, nearly imperceptible nods. It was blatant in the now peaceful quiet of the room, unbroken by hidden blame or malice because there was none.

He was believed. His flawed thought process, accepted. His actions, forgiven.

Still, it was a very long night.

Early April 2017

“Colonel.” Danvers saluted as she entered the room, holding back a chuckle as Rhodey struggled to lift his worn out arm to return the gesture, before nodding with an annoyed huff.

“You do that on purpose.” he accused, a harmless glare thrown her way as he tried to prod Tony into a sitting position.

“What? Insist on showing my CO respect?” she said innocently before slowly grinning. “You’re damn straight I do.”

“I’m dying!” Tony cried, chest still heaving and having no trouble ignoring Rhodey’s thumping on his arm.

“No you’re not.” Danvers tsked coming around to offer assistance. Rhodey accepted first and nearly got whiplash at the speed with which she pulled him off his ass.

“I am!” Tony continued to whine. “Call the doctors, the medics, the press and the president.”

“Come on.” Danvers continued, stepping over to offer him a hand. He got an arm halfway raised before it flopped back to the floor. She tried not to laugh outright before bending down and lifting him up by his armpits.

“Ouch. Oh God.” he gasps. “Everything hurts. I thought we were taking it slow. Rhodey you said we were taking it slow. Physical therapy is a ‘process’ you said.”

“It is.” Rhodey agreed. “Some days are harder than others. This was a hard day Tones, but don’t sweat it. You’ll be thanking me in a couple days when you can hand Pepper her gift without trembling.”

“That’s easy for you to say.” Tony accused, gripping onto Danvers as she patiently waited for him to build up enough strength to stand on his own two feet. “You’re just flying through therapy.”

In the short time she’s known Tony she’s learned that he never lingers, never fakes weakness, even when he needs help. So when clutches her frame for longer than normal she understands that he’s even more exhausted than his whines seem to indicate and that he would most likely collapse if she let him go, an even bigger display of weakness to avoid.

“I’m not the one who decided to give us all a heart attack by developing refeeding syndrome and starvation diabetes. I told you not to sneak food.”

“It was one burger.” Tony grumbled, swallowing to keep down the bile that crept up as he thought of the consequences of that admittedly poor decision. By the time he’s sure he’s not going to vomit all over the pretty lady holding him he can feel the gentle prod of the wheelchair behind him. He was so tired he didn't even question why Rhodey skipped their last exercise of making him walk to the chair and simply collapsed gratefully (thanks again Danvers) into the offered seat.

“You did a good job today Tones.”

“Yea?” he asked, eyes blinking slow and heavy, too tired to even wince at the clear desire for approval that leaked into his tone.

“Yea brotha. Real good job.”

He was asleep before the smile fully stretched across his face.

“Were you helping him?” Rhodes asked softly as he leaned on the wheelchair for support, slowly pushing it out of the room.

“Despite my previous blunders I am capable of following simple directions.” Loki sniped, clearly agitated as he looked over the sleeping man whose head rested heavily on Rhodey’s arm.

They’d had to have a talk a week after the doctors finally decreased the sedatives and Tony woke up. Rhodey could see the guilt the asgardian tried to hide. He began to notice when things that had been just out of Tony’s reach, suddenly became close enough to touch. Or how Tony was always clean, despite the incontinence his medication caused. He’d even pretended to ignore the glimpse of a poor orderly cowering in a secluded corner as his tormentor ordered him to explain it again.

He’d had to put his foot down when Tony began physical therapy though. Taking a little pressure off here and giving a boost there would actually hurt Tony in the long run and slow his progress. They had an understanding now. Loki was not to feed Tony anything, whether it was on the menu or not, and he was not to assist Tony during his physical therapy sessions. Outside of that they had agreed that Loki would ask before assisting Tony to make sure it was something that would actually help the man instead of hurting him.

Rhodey could forgive the confusion. Loki’s heart was in the right place after all. What he would not forgive was another careless accident that might result in Tony’s death. With those rules in place, it had been a very productive week.

“Alright.” Rhodey acquiesced as he locked the chair next to Tony’s bed. “ Go ahead.”

He watched, still fascinated though he’d seen it a dozen times already, as Loki gently levitated Tony’s body into the bed, the sweat drying and slight musk it produced vanishing. Rhodes felt a cool breeze even as the blankets settled whisper light around his best friend's frame.

“That never gets old.” He said, smirking and turning to Danvers. “Wanna do me next?”

“In your dreams old man.” she barked out a laugh, the sting taken away by the warm smile that replaced it a moment later.

“How’d you know? That a talent of yours too?” he bated, producing his own smile when she rolled her eyes.

“Odin you both are ridiculously…” Loki cut himself off as his mind recalled the quiet conversation he’d had with Tony just the other night, where they had discussed the clear attraction the Captain and Colonel had towards each other. They’d had quite a laugh at the heavy denial both seemed to exhibit.

“I’m going to tell them.”

“Don’t you dare!” Tony had objected with a grin. “Platypus is aware. More aware than Danvers at the very least. He likes the long game.”

“I thought that was your MO.” Loki drawled, with a side eye at Tony’s ring that now dangled from his neck until he could fill out enough for it to fit his finger again.

“Hey, I bought her ring within a year of meeting her.” Tony defended.

“And I’m told it took nearly a decade to finally put it on her finger.” Loki scoffed. “I understand that human lives are horrifically short. Why waste so much time?”

Tony had gone silent then and Loki had glanced to the side in mild apprehension. He’d never been one for tiptoeing around someone else's feelings just because he might hurt them. But it was different with Tony, and even with Rhodey and Bruce. Their time spent dying together on a ship for nearly three months had the effect of making Loki care.

It was bloody annoying, and frustratingly worrisome at times.

“Yea.” Tony finally responded, eyes drifting towards where Pepper was enclosed in their bedroom. “You’re absolutely right.”

“Of course I am,” Loki snorted, settling back into his chair. The response was so soft he wouldn’t have caught it except for the wind blowing the whisper his way.

“Though, some people are worth wasting time with.”

It hadn’t been until he woke up the next morning, still sitting outside in the lawn chairs with Tony snoring away beside him, that he realized the man had been talking about him.

It was a curiously heart-warming feeling, to be worth someone's time. It made him think of himself and Thor in their younger days a millenia ago, before the brothers had become competitors, and then rivals, and then enemies…

“Ridiculously what?”

Loki blinked at Rhodes' question, annoyed to have been caught ruminating of all things!

“Ridiculously good at wasting time.” he finished with an air of superiority, turning his back on their no doubt in sync eye rolls and heading for the door, but not before giving a soft squeeze to Tony's sleeping hand.

He wondered if this was what it felt like to have friends.

“Okay Loki. You’ve got our attention. What’s on your mind.” Rhodey said beginning the impromptu meeting taking place in Tony’s room because he’d been too tired to trek to the common room.

“Before I say this, let me just preface it with two statements.” he said, staring Rhodey, Danvers, Tony and Bruce in the eyes separately. “One, a few months ago I could have given a shit about any of you and was under no obligation to share any knowledge with you regardless of the possible benefit to all.”

“Well hell Dennis, what's the second statement?” Tony inquired.

“That I tell you this now because I believe you are capable of having a chance to change the outcome and we are quickly running out of time.”

“What happens when we run out?” Bruce asks.

“The end of the universe as we know it.”

“Damn. He said the universe didn’t he?” Rhodey whispered to Danvers. “Not world, universe.”

“What’s his name?” Tony pressed, eyes boring into his.

“They call him the Mad Titan. Thanos.”

Late April 2017

“Oh my God! Tony you’re a genius!” Bruce exclaimed, grabbing his hair in excitement as he went over the data again.

“I mean yea but to be fair so are you.”

“No but this…” Bruce trails off. “Tony, this is monumental. “How the hell did you figure out tesseracting from one lesson, a rather shitty crash course and two and half failures?”

“I’ll have you know my explanation was excellent!” Loki called from the hammock they’d set up in the corner of the lab for when the asgardian needed a place to hide.

“And what’s the half?” Tony protested. “We effectively jumped space and time didn’t we?”

“We have different definitions of effective.” Bruce winced, hunching in to hug himself. “It felt like I was dying. Like I was being pulled apart every which way from both outside in and inside out in a horrific spiral that I was terrified would never end.”

“That’s actually… pretty spot on.” Loki murmured.

“Yea well, that’s because the ship wasn’t outfitted with dampeners. See this here.” he said pointing to several small components scattered on the sides of the model. “They’re dilation regulators. Necessary if you want to go skipping through holes in the space-time continuum.”

“Tony… do you understand that this is leaps and bounds--no, leagues ahead of anything Earth is ready for?” Bruce asked.

“I’m aware. That’s why I’ve only told you so far.”

“Still here!” Loki called.

“Hush Mr. Freeze, you’ve already surpassed this stage in your evolution.” Tony dismissed with a wave. “It’s our turn now.”

“This is… I think I need to sit down.” Bruce said as all the implications began to run through his mind. The universe was suddenly a much bigger place. Which was saying something as he had thought he was already well aware of just how big it was.

“Bruce listen. I’ve been thinking….It might be good to have a contingency plan.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well… what if we started spreading out? Subtly of course. Just to break up the population in case…. Just in case.”

“Where would we do that Tony? There’s not a habitable planet within 100 lightyears of Earth.”

“I’m sure the viking here has some suggestions. Terraforming is not off the table either. With me on the engineering and you on the biometrics I bet we could make it viable given a little time.”

“Whoa, Tony, slow down. You’re moving at the speed of light.” Bruce breathed still trying to swallow viable space travel and struggling to make room for the rest.

Tony nodded and hopped up to begin pacing. He’d been thinking about it in his spare time, only recently having the strength to reach his lab and the privacy it afforded to build the first prototype.

The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end and he spun around to lock eyes with Loki who was staring back at him intently.

“What? You think it’s a bad idea.” Tony clipped, trying to weed out the defensive note as Loki approached and stopped right next to him, less than a foot away.

“Tony.” Loki asked leaning even closer before gently grabbing the mechanic's head in his hands forcing their eyes to meet. “Who, exactly, are your parents?”

“Uh… Howard and Maria Stark.” he answered slowly, pulling his head out of the asgardians grip and taking a step back.

“Somehow…. I don’t believe that.” Loki murmured, eyes narrowing, magic briefly skating over Tony’s frame and making him shiver.

“Well, technically I suppose you could add this to the list of things we have in common.” Tony muttered flippantly. “Torture, abandonment, unresolved daddy issues, adoptees.”

“You were adopted?” Bruce and Loki asked simultaneously, surprise in one eye and validation in the other.

“Yea.” Tony said, beginning to become a little uncomfortable. “Honestly, what’s the big deal? It happens all the time.”

“Did you ever find your birth parents?” Loki asked softly.

“Nope. Not that I didn’t try of course. JARVIS and the best detectives couldn’t even find a trail to follow. Which is actually kind of impressive, but a bit haulting.” Tony shrugged.

There was a brief moment of silence in which Tony found himself fidgeting with his model craft as he waited for their response. Any response.

“Okay.” Bruce said weakly, and for a moment Tony is confused.

“I think.” Loki began slowly. “That we should listen to Tony on this as well.”

“Wait what?” Tony asks sharply. “We are talking about spiriting away small pockets of humans to safety on other planets right?”

“Yea.” Bruce breathed.

“Holy shit this is insane.” Tony huffed not really expecting any sort of support for such a crazy half-cocked plan.

“Not quite.” the voice startled all three of the men, though Loki would deny to the grave that he had jumped as well. “Though I’d be interested to know why you’re discussing such a drastic altering of the known world.”

“Who the hell are you?!” Tony demanded, anger and fear and a lot of overshadowing awe at the figure that had appeared out of thin air.

“Pardon the intrusion. My name is Dr. Steven Strange, or Sorcerer Supreme if you prefer. I’m here to join the Defenders.”

Chapter Text

Early May 2017

“So this Thanos character is collecting the stones?” Strange asked. He’d signed the necessary documents a few days ago and had finally been informed about their dire situation.

“And he wants to use them to wipe out half of the population across the entire known universe?”

They nodded again and he took a moment to settle the information into his mind. It wasn’t the craziest thing he had heard. Just getting to where he currently was in life took more faith than this did.

“How many does he have?”

“None that I know of.” Loki confirmed. “He’s waiting for something. We’re not sure what, but he knows the location of at least four of them. It’s not unreasonable to assume he has some kind of idea, at the very least, on the locations of the remaining two.”

“And how do you know this?” Strange asked with an accusing eye.

“I’m the wizard of Oz.” Loki sneered. “The great and powerful. I know all!”

Tony had yet to regret showing him that movie. “Loki,” he half admonished, straining to hold back his grin.

“Fine.” Loki scoffed. “People talk when they torture and brainwash you. When they gave me the mind stone with orders to retrieve the tesseract they let slip a lot of other pertinent tidbits.”

“Ordered to retrieve.” Strange muttered. “But you failed. So what happened to the stones?”

“Thor took the tesseract back to Asgard.” Rhodey interjected, then turned to an affronted Loki. “Is it still there?”

“As far as I know.” Loki huffed.

“He didn’t know the mind stone was in your staff.” Tony muttered.

“I thought it best to keep them spread out.” Loki admitted wryly.

“And the other stone?” Strange prompted.

“Have you met Vision?” Tony asked.

“In passing but...oh..of course.” Strange muttered. “And the others?”

“The power stone is under the protection of the ridiculously overinflated Nova Corps. The reality stone is guarded by The Collector, a very old but semi-trustworthy being. The time stone is rumored to be hidden someplace here, on Earth, and no one knows where the soul stone is.”

“And there’s our problem.” Tony explained. “We’ve got two stones here on Earth. Which means sooner or later, Thanos is going to make a grab for them again, and we need to be ready.”

“Does the council know about this?” Strange asked.

“They’re aware.” Rhodey confirmed. “They’re keeping it on a need to know basis while they come up with a plan.”

“Well, I have some information that probably needs to stay on a need to know basis.” Strange said standing and making a strange symbol with his hands. The necklace around his neck opened with the motion of his fingers and Loki put a hand to his head and cursed.

“Is that what I think it is?” Tony asked.

“It’s the time stone, yes. Part of my duties as the Sorcerer Supreme is to guard it. So if Thanos is coming to take it, that’s a problem.”

“Well we know where they are, most of them.” Danvers spoke up for the first time. “Why don’t we just get them before he does? Use them to wipe him out.”

“My dear goddess, the stones cannot be used by just anyone.” Loki spat. “They are so unwieldy they can’t even be kept in the same room in Asgard. And I don’t know about you but the number of people I would trust with such power is incredibly singular.”

“He’s got a point.” Tony said, tapping the table before shooting out of his seat to pace.

“So what do we do?” Bruce asked.

“I believe I interrupted the tail end of a discussion the previous week.” Strange began, turning to look at Tony. “Why don't you start from the beginning.”

Mid May 2017

“Honestly Reed what the hell did you do to piss this guy off so much!” Tony yelled, using a gauntlet to blast away another Doom bot.

“I don’t see you apologizing for your intelligence!” the man responded, stretching both arms to wrap around a handful of bots before brutally smashing them together until they lay in a broken heap. A few meters away the Hulk was engaged in a similar display.

“I’ve got a location.” Susan informed them through the coms and Tony took to the skies to spot the snarky doctor working in tandem with their resident god in a magical display that was affrontingly effective.

“Coming at you doc,” he warned. “Go ahead with the location Su.”

He got a glare from Mr. Freeze as he temporarily assisted so Strange could focus on the location.

“Rhodey?” he grunted the inquiry, feeling the pressure.

“Nearly there.”

“Got it. Portal up.” Strange announced.

Tony cut off the unibean he’d fired to give them a second or two of cover and flew into the portal without a second thought. Loki followed quickly, before the portal snapped shut.

It was quiet and much colder than it had been, indicating they might be in an underground facility somewhere nearby. Moving quietly they made their way down the corridor, Tony eyeing the wires running along the ceiling and floors.

“Who cleared you for duty.” Loki whispered, and Tony could hear the anger in his voice.

“Oh come on. I’m nearly back at 100%. Certainly well enough to take on Dr. Doom.” Tony reasoned, eying the room they needed up ahead. “Stop worrying.”

A sharp feminine shriek of pain sent the two sprinting into the room. He could see Susan fading in and out of visibility in the corner by a large console. She was fighting to remove the long tentacle-like piece of cylindrical metal that pierced her leg from a large doombot that took up a majority of the space.

“Hey Sparky? Let’s see how you like it.” Tony growled, holding his hand out and wrapping it around the spear as it was dropped in his hand before hurling it at the area that likely housed its CPU.

Sure enough the machine spluttered and flailed for a moment, airborn metal limbs nearly giving Tony another concussion before it crashed to the ground in a fit of dwindling twitches.

“You were supposed to retreat and wait for back-up.” Tony scolded Susan as he carefully pulled the piece of metal out before dousing the wound with a sealant to stop the bleeding.

“Sorry. I thought the coast was clear.” she bit out as he helped her stand, motioning for Loki to take her. “He’s upgraded to stealth bots.”

“Really now?” Tony raised an eyebrow, stepping over the dead bot and eyeing the now visible, if rudimentary, reflection panels. Gripping the spear he yanked it free of the metal before tossing it back to Loki who caught it with his free hand and promptly made it disappear into what Tony had dubbed his hammer space, much to the asgardians ire.

Stepping up to the console he took a few seconds to figure out what the psycho had rigged up this time, before his hands began to fly over the console, undoing all the work.

“And that should be… it,” he said, punctuating the last word with a click of the keyboard. The system seemed to shut down, lights going dark.

“Bots are down.” Rhodey’s voice came through the system. “Good job Tones.”

“At your service. Hey Doc, think we could hitch a ride back up?” he asked, slipping Susan’s other arm over his shoulder. “Got an injured hero here.”

“Locking on now.” Strange said a moment before the portal appeared in front of them. Tony dropped an incendiary as they stepped through and a few seconds later the explosion shook the ground around them. They’d been nearly on top of the place. Good thing he hadn’t rigged enough to collapse the ground under their feet.

“Susan!” Reed yelled in worry, sprinting up to them. “What happened?”

“Somebody got a little trigger happy.” Tony muttered, transferring her to the waiting arms.

“Sorry Richard.” she said sheepishly. “Got a little careless.”

“We’re going to have to enroll you in a refresher course on safety measures and following mission parameters.” Rhodey chimed in with a grin.

“Ugh,” Susan groaned, “there goes my next two Saturdays.”

“Don’t worry, you’ll have company.” Rhodey comforted her with a hard look at Tony.

“Wait what?” He spluttered. “I followed parameters!”

“Your mission was to disable the control tower, not assist every damn Defender on your way there. You were only cleared for light field work Tony.”

“Oh come on! That was light! This was light! Right doc?” he added, looking to Strange for support as he knew he’d get none from mamma bear, little blue, and big green.

“Actually, as a former medical professional I have to agree with your doctor’s Tony. Baby steps.”

“Killjoy.” Tony muttered before coughing through the smoke surrounding him. “Hey firefly! Think you could maybe clean up this smoke? Some of us have fragile lungs here!”

“Yea firefly,” the deep voice of Ben growled out. “It’s rude to leave a mess lying around.”

“Shut up Ben.” Johnny clipped, killing the remaining fires and clearing the skies for them to see Danvers supporting an exhausted Bruce as they came in for a gentle land.

“That was a nice light workout.” she said cheerily, not even a hair out of place while Tony had used the last few minutes to surreptitiously catch his breath.

“Crews on its way.” he informed the others after he’d given the brief order to FRIDAY. “What do you all say about Cambodian?

Late May 2017

“Okay. What do you want to do now?” Pepper asked as she slid into the passenger seat. Tony took the driver’s seat, a common occurrence made rare by the make and model of the car, a modest but functional 2005 Toyota Camry.

The vehicle was so far out of his norm, though the ripped jeans, oil stained t-shirt, and ballcap rang closer to home. Still, no one ever expected Tony Stark to go out in public looking less than pristine.

Pepper too was dressed casually. Her ankle tennis shoes left an intriguing gap below the edge of her dark blue skinny jeans, which were complemented with a white cami and plaid button down. A messy bun completed the look.

It was the perfect cover.

Which was just what Tony had wanted. He’d been on a normal date approximately once in his life. And that had been when he was fifteen during the middle of his first year at MIT, before the girl had realized that he wasn’t a baby faced fellow peer but actually jailbait.

After that the experiences had turned lavish as he sought to impress every woman he became involved with. Even with Pepper, the love of his life, they had never just gone bowling, or went out to see a movie at a cinema that he hadn’t bought and cleared out, or taken a quiet stroll through the park as they held hands.

Today they had remedied that lost experience.

He’d borrowed Wong’s car and had taken Pepper to the aquarium upstate. Coincidentally it was memorial day and thus packed with families whose kids had just gotten out of school. Honestly, he’d been just as excited and giddy as they had.

After that they’d walked through central park looking for four leaf clovers before lunch at Qdoba. They’d finished off the afternoon with Pepper pulling him into an old arcade gaming establishment, where she’d proceeded to own him at nearly every game except for DDR.

He could honestly say that he’d rarely been more content.

“Why don’t we call it a day?” He suggested, turning on the car and backing out of the space before merging into the crowded streets of New York. “We can stop by the store on the way back and grab the fixings for rice crispy treats.”

The sticky treat had been one of the few things his mother insisted on making herself and he had good memories of making a mess with her in their kitchen, memories he wanted to share with his fiance.

“Sounds lovely.” Pepper breathed, leaning back in the seat and enjoying the ride.

They arrived home as the sun was setting and Tony adamantly took the bags and held open the door.

“SURPRISE!”

Tony froze, heart nearly jumping out of his chest as the lights flickered on and a room full of people greeted him. His heart dropped. He loathed surprise parties. It was tiresome to hold onto his public persona and pretend enjoyment on a day where he should have been able to take a break from the facade.

He was still struggling to implement the required ‘happy delight’ when the kitchen was suddenly swarming with movement.

“Please Tin Man, stop looking like you’re about to get sick. It’s going to ruin this perfectly good pizza.” Loki scoffed, reaching for a paper plate. “It’s your own fault for not knowing how to throw a proper celebration.”

“God I thought you guys would never get back.” Jessica said, giving him a hip bump as she scooted past to grab a cup for the bottle she’d already gotten half open.

“Alright what the hell is this?” Logan growled, thumping one of three large barrels taking up an entire counter.

“That my dear wolfman, is asguardian ale.”

“Loki-” Pepper started.

“Watered down of course.” Loki huffed before giving her the side eye with a smile. “Wouldn’t want any harm done to the poor, weak constitution of you humans.”

“Yea bub? Let’s see if you can put your money where your mouth is.” Logan snarked, grabbing a large mug and filling it to the brim.

“Wait, where's Peter? Is Peter here?” Pepper asked, looking about with alarm.

“Over here Ms. Potts!” he waved before slipping through the crowd towards her.

“Peter I’m glad you’re here, but no drinking. You’re underage and May would kill us. You promise?”

“Yes ma’am Ms. Potts.” he chirped happily before turning that bright smile on Tony. “Happy Birthday Mr. Stark!”

“Peter!” Kitty called. “Come arm wrestle with Carol!”

“Coming!” he yelled, waving excitedly before dashing off.

“Oh damn I forgot about Kitty.” Pepper cursed, chasing behind Peter.

“Danny no! Douchebag jar! Now!” someone yelled, appalled, and the chorus was taken up until the young man rolled his eyes and deposited a Franklin into the container. It was a shame they needed one in every room, but all the money went to charity so as far Tony was concerned Danny could continue being a complete blockhead as long as he liked.

“You okay?” the quiet whisper came from behind and Tony jerked a bit as he turned to see Matt standing behind him. “Your heart rate shot sky high and I can see the build-up of stress. Want me to kick em all out?”

The offer unfroze his surprise and finally pulled a warm smile from him. He contemplated the offer. Pepper knew he hated surprise parties and she knew why. He had been fully expecting to spend a quiet evening alone with her.

Still, as he watched Jessica, Loki, and Logan gather around a table with determined grins, or Ben standing next to Johnny who was heating his cold pizza with an open flame only to be whacked by Susan upside the head with promises of disembowelment if he burned down the compound, or Professor X laughing with Vision who hadn’t smiled in what seemed like years, he realized that no one was watching him. No one demanded his attention, passively or aggressive, or tried to push him into the spotlight. There wasn’t one face in the crowd that he didn’t recognize or trust to have his back if the need warranted it.

He felt safe. He felt comfortable. He felt… well. There was no need to get emotional about it.

“No. No I’m good.” he reassured with a grin that was soon mirrored.

“Those what I think they are?” Rhodey asked, rumbling through the bags. “Oh perfect. Haven’t had homemade rice treats in ten years.”

Nightcrawler appeared then, making two of them jump as he emptied a plate into the trash.

“Oh, are you making something? A rice cake?” he asked, turning around while being careful of his tail and eying the blue cereal box and bags of marshmallows.

“Can you see Kurt move through space?” Tony murmured to Matt.

“Rice Krispy treats,” Rhodey corrected. “Home-made. Ever had one?”

“No,” Matt murmured back. “But popping in and out of space makes a decidedly large amount of noise.”

“No. Is it very different from the boxed kind?” Kurt asked curiously.

“Oh Kurt, you are in for a treat. Here grab a stick of butter and a bowl.”

Tony decided then that maybe surprise parties weren’t that bad after all.

“I’m halfway down the stairs, trying not to trip in my haste and burst my head open when Tony comes racing towards me, practically naked, clothes singed to hell and missing hair on the entire left side of his body and when I asked, ‘Tony what happened?’ all I got was ‘slight miscalculation.'” Bruce said to a chorus of laughter filling the air.

“It took two months for his hair to start to grow back. He makes a terrible rocker by the way.” he finished on a chuckle.

“Hey.” Tony said soberly “Sometimes there’s necessary sacrifices in the pursuit of science.”

“Tony, you were working on upgrading a bouncy house for kids.”

“Like I said,” he reiterated. “Science.”

Tony woke up in the dark to a room littered with bodies. Strange sat upright next to him, his head lolling on the back of the couch and his thigh pushing against Tony’s head. His cloak was curled in an unnatural way in order to drape around Tony’s shoulders.

“Thanks.” Tony whispered, gently pulling away as the soft fabric slid down his arm.

Glancing around the room he vaguely took in the other forms he could see, mentally checking that they were okay. Jessica still sat, facedown at the table, Logan in the same pose a foot away. Kitty and Peter had been escorted home by the Professor, Storm, Scott and Vision after a certain alcoholic content level had been reached.

Luke took up a large part of the couch across from him and Tony couldn’t help the smirk at the sight of Hope nearly draped across his side like he was some giant stuffed pillow. That was going to be awkward in the morning. Matt had managed to commandeer the small section near Luke’s feet and Hope’s hip, and Danny lay passed out on the floor next to Johnny, whose veins occasionally glowed whenever he twitched. His sister was missing but Tony had a pretty good idea where Susan and Reed had disappeared.

Tony finally spotted Bruce and Rhodey further down the large couch he himself was on. The smaller man slumped against Rhodey’s shoulder, drooling down the sleeve of his shirt. Carol was leaning on the other side of Rhodey, their heads resting against each other in unconscious support. Not that he missed their entwined pinkies either though.

Loki was the only one that had been more sprawled out than Tony had been. Their feet were entangled together, the rest of him draped over Bruce’s lap like it was a pillow. The god was so still it took a moment for Tony to realize his eyes were open. How long had those eyes been watching him?

“She’s on the balcony.” Loki whispered, answering the question Tony hadn’t verbalized but which his empty arms and seeking fingers inquired.

Tony nodded his thanks, pulling his two lower limbs free before getting up and carefully maneuvering out of the room without stepping on anyone. Sure enough she was there, leaning against the balcony and fiddling with a tablet. He approached stealthily, peaking over her shoulder to see that she was looking at pictures of some sort.

“Hey.” he whispered.

“Ohmygod Tony!” she gasped, spinning around and nearly dropping the tablet. “Sorry, did I wake you up?”

“Not you, no. More like your absence.” he confessed truthfully. Her smile quieted his heart and made his eyes nearly squint close in affection before she began singing softly.

“You think I’m gooorgeous. You want to kiiiss me. You want to huuug me. You want to looove me. You want to smooooch me.”

He hid the bark of his laugh in the dip of her neck, right between her shoulder and her jaw. He rather adored a tipsy Pepper.

“Yes to all of the above.” he confessed, liking the way the small hairs at the back of her neck fluttered with his words. “I have a present for you.”

“Wait what?” she said, pulling back with a bit of confusion. “You have a present for me? Tony it’s your birthday. You’re supposed to receive the gifts. No one gives out presents on their birthday.”

“I do.” he declared defiantly before grabbing her hand and leading her gently back inside and down the elevator and stairs into his lab.

“Close your eyes,” he instructed. Coming to stand behind her as he led the way to where the gift was set up in a hidden corner, compliments of a certain asgardian.

“Am I going to like it?” she asked.

“Did you like the bunny?” he shot back, already knowing the answer but liking to hear it anyway.

“I hated the bunny.” she admitted on a huff, then paused for a beat before continuing the confession more softly. “I loved that bunny.”

“You’ll probably feel the same about this then.” he informed before removing his hands.

Her sharp intake of breath let him know when she’d opened her eyes. He let them rove over the gleaming offer before stepping up beside her.

“What is this?” she asked, a bit confused, a bit angry, and a bit awed.

“It’s for you, if you want it.” he reiterated. “See I…I know the feeling of being powerless. Of having what you want just out of reach. Honestly it terrifies me, offering you this. The risk is...huge.” he shuttered out, stopping to take a deep breath and recenter himself.

“But I figure, that must be what you feel like when I run off and nearly get myself killed every other minute...It’s not a good feeling Pepper.”

“No. It’s not.” She agreed, and he can see the tears on her face and damnit he hadn’t meant to make her cry but he wanted her to see, to understand.

“No.” he agreed. “That’s why I built it, to lighten the load… even out the playing field.”

He stepped in front of her then, hands gently framing her cheeks as he sought out her gaze and softened his voice, trying to convey what was in his heart.

“If you want, with this, I’ll never again go where you can’t follow."

He’d never made love in his lab before. It was a clear health risk and exceedingly hazardous, but there was a first time for everything.

“Did you name it?” she whispered as they swung slowly in Loki's hammock, and he nodded. He was never going to hear the end of it when the god found out, but he could deal with that later.

“Rescue.” He muttered, readjusting the covers over them. “I thought it was apropos. Of course it's completely up to you. You can change it to whatever you like.”

“No. No, I like it.” she breathed, snuggling further into his chest. “Rescue.”

He was so terrified of the future and so insanely happy in this moment that he had to stop himself from weeping.

First of June 2017

“TONY!! YOU INCORRIGIBLE, LOWLY, PIECE OF FILTH!”

And wow he hadn’t known the god could rival Thor in the yelling department. Jumping up from the couch he sprinted for the garage door.

“Tony what the hell did you do?!” Rhodey asked as the man flew past.

“I may have defiled his favorite napping contraption!” he yelled back, bursting through the door and into the car FRIDAY had already brought around.

Tony had planned to replace it, or at the very least have it cleaned of course. The chore had just slipped his mind. As he peeled away, watching Loki get smaller in the mirror he smirked, but the smile fell the next time he looked behind him to see the god rocketing toward him and.. Wow… Loki was seriously holding back during combat. He hadn’t known the god could fly. Damn he was fast.

He pushed the pedal to the metal, but it did no good as a few moments later he felt the entire car jerk as an angry asguardian landed on top of it and promptly brought the vehicle to a safe stop before ripping off the top and grabbing Tony by the scruff of his collar.

Shit. Where was an assist when you needed one.

“Boss. I took the liberty of contacting Pepper for you.” FRIDAY’s voice came through the car system and suddenly he was looking down at Pepper as he was being pulled from his seat.

“Loki! Put him down!” Came Pepper’s steal command through the screen on the console.

Ah. There she was.

Chapter Text

Mid June 2017

“Hey! You can’t just walk out in the middle of-.”

The door slammed shut after Rhodey, cutting off the rest of the protest as he jogged to catch up.

“Hey. Tones you okay?”

“I can’t,” Tony clipped. “I can’t Rhodey. I can’t work with them I can’t-,” he took a breath, running a hand through his hair and a fist over his sternum that he was keenly aware was being held together with screws. “How do you work with people you can’t trust?”

“You don’t,” Rhodey declared firmly, putting a supportive hand on either shoulder so Tony would look at him. “I don’t know what the council is thinking, and I may not have enough sway to talk them out of the stupid ass decision to pardon those assholes, but I for damn sure can deny them entry onto this team.”

Tony nodded, trying to take a calming breath, but it was difficult as his brain kept conjuring clear memories of accusing eyes, disappointed frowns and disgusted faces. He had come so far from that. He had teammates who actually liked him now. Who trusted him and believed in him and who he could trust in return. They didn’t think he was selfish or ego driven or destined to always fuck things up.

He knew objectively that their return didn’t mean all of that would go away, but he was so terrified of losing it. Of losing the camaraderie and friendships he had built. Tony was intimately acquainted with loss and failure so it made it all the more terrifying when he actually won. His father had taught him well that all good things could be taken away.

And the nightmares. Would they return too? Hateful eyes tinted red flashed through his mind, sleepless nights where every time he dozed off he woke up screaming. Would Pepper mind the noise? Maybe if they had separate rooms...

“Tony look at me,” Rhodey demanded, strong hands now framing his face, the thumbs pressing into his cheekbone somehow comforting. “You never have to work with them again. I swear it to you. I swear it. Okay?”

“Yea,” Tony nodded, taking a few deeper breaths at the promise. Rhodey didn’t make them lightly. Tony wasn’t naive. He knew there was only so much his friend could do, but the fact that he was going to try his damndest just to make Tony’s life a little better was… well it was reassuring as hell. “Yea. Okay.”

“Okay,” Rhodey said, pulling him in for a brief hug before stepping back and taking out his phone. “Alright. Go ahead and get out of here. I’ll handle the rest.”

“If I don’t go back they’ll get all pissy,” Tony reasoned maturely.

“Then they get pissy,” Rhodey snarled. “They don’t get to light a fuse and escape the fallout. Besides, as of .... now I just approved you for a week off.”

“Mandatory playtime?” Tony gasped with equal parts relief and mischief. “You’re too good to me, Platypus.”

Neither of them noticed the small snake that had slithered out of the conference room seconds after the door slammed shut and disappeared the moment Rhodey reentered the meeting.

“Where’s Stark?” Steve asked, throwing down his meager belongings on the unfamiliar bed.

“I’m sorry, what does he have to do with the conversation you and I are having?” Danvers asked, reigning in a sigh.

She reminded herself that it was her fault she was in this position. She’d done this as a favor to Rhodes. When he’d gone after Tony who had stormed out of the meeting last week she’d pulled him aside afterwards and learned how toxic the former team had been. She couldn’t imagine how much harder this would be for him to be having this conversation. She could handle a little annoyance and repetition.

“He lives here right?” Steve pressed. “And you’re explaining his new house rules so--.”

“They aren’t his rules,” she interrupted before he could go on. She found that it was best to correct him immediately, so that the errors didn’t add up to unmanageable levels. Perhaps it was rude, but it would save them all a lot of time later on if he learned to monitor the words that came out of his mouth before he said them.

“They’re council rules,” she corrected. “Tony doesn’t own this building, though he did donate it to the accords as an act of good faith, as well as sponsor its first major renovation. That being said, yes, he does live here, and he pays rent just like everyone else.”

“Okay,” Steve responded, looking confused for a moment. “Well anyway he’s my friend and I want to see him. You know, make sure he’s alright.”

“Mhm,” she nodded, “so let’s just be 100% real and transparent here. Tony doesn’t want to see you. I don’t need you to speak right now, just listen.” She cut him off before he could start. “I know you two have history. Whatever happened, Tony has moved on and no longer wishes to interact with you and the others. You all are going to respect that or you are going to find another place to stay.”

“He doesn’t mean that. Tony would never kick us out because of a misunderstanding, he’s just upset that I--.”

“That’s a really horrible mistake you should never make again,” she interrupted again.

“Excuse me?”

“Ignoring what a person has said and assigning them motivations,” she explained.

“What?” he asked, confused.

“I just told you he said he doesn’t want to see you, a direct quote mind you, and a second later you 1) essentially call him a liar by completely dismissing his words and 2) give your reasoning for why he would say such a thing, assigning Tony’s motivations without his input or confirmation, which is therefore invalid. Even if you don’t trust me, it’s literally in your contract that he requested and was granted no-contact safeguards.”

“I’ve known him a lot longer than you,” he stated, beginning to get upset. “I think I know what he would mean more than you would.”

“You can know someone for a long time and not have a clue who they really are,” Danvers drawled before straightening and trying to get back on track. “That’s beside the point though. The point is that you should never tell anyone, anyone what they do and don’t mean.”

“Look,” Steve sighed. “I feel like we’ve gotten off on the wrong foot. I’m not trying to… put words in anyone’s mouth.” She tried not to smile at the pause. Progress. “I just want to say hi to my friend. That’s all,” he finished.

“Yea. I read your file and saw the footage,” she replied. ‘Unhealthy persistence’. The words jumped into her mind and she found them extremely apropos. “So I can see why you can’t seem to let this die but--.”

“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t judge me based off of words on a report that was written by someone who probably didn’t even know me,” he nearly sneered, interrupting her now.

“I’ll do my best,” she acquiesced. “But then I’d appreciate a little effort on your part as well. I am telling you that things have changed. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t judge any former Avengers you worked with based on what you knew about them before the so-called Civil War.”

“I… guess I can try,” he finally agreed and she nearly sagged with relief at the light at the end of the tunnel. “But in my experience people don’t change all that much in such a short amount of time.”

“Would you say that about your friend Bucky?”

It was amazing how fast a confused and slightly annoyed Steve Rogers could go to cold and defensive Steve Rogers.

“Bucky is different,” Steve clipped. “He was tortured and brainwashed.”

“Exactly,” she agreed with a nod. “Trauma changes people.”

Spinning quickly she headed for the door, hoping the others wouldn’t take up as much time as Steve had. This conversation was exhausting.

“Anyway there were just a few general common courtesy things left,” she said, talking fast as she backed out. “Keep it down after 10 pm. Don’t eat other people’s food if it’s labeled. No walking around the common areas nude, and yes that includes the hallways.”

She laughed at his horrified face. Deadpool had been called in for a mission once and stayed at the complex as a guest for a little over a week. By the end of it they had all gotten to know him just a bit too well.

“And last but not least, be respectful to everyone. That’s it!” she clapped her hands and turned away before he could say anything else. “If you have questions please feel free to ask FRIDAY. You can access her in all the common rooms. See you at the next meeting!”

She didn’t quite run, but it was a near thing.

“Boss!”

It’s the preceding yell rather than FRIDAY's frantic call that pulls him to his feet and sends him sprinting down the hall, completely forgetting to check with FRIDAY about whether the coast was clear.

The scene he comes upon is beyond shocking, though perhaps it shouldn’t have been. Loki was surrounded, an arrow lodged deep in his shoulder, as he fought off Rogers and Barton with his staff while two clones dealt with the others. Tony’s not sure how he can tell which one is the real asgardian. Perhaps, it was because the scream had most certainly been real and he was the only Loki with an arrow sticking out of his chest.

“HEY!” he shouted, diving in consciously without the suit, but truly pissed about the odds. Besides, FRIDAY would send help along shortly.

“STOP!” he yelled, slipping in-between Rogers and Barton and taking a punch to the jaw from the latter. He can feel a hand at his back bunching the fabric of his shirt before pulling him back and behind, but he’s back in front of the god as soon as he’s released.

“WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!” he screams at Rogers who is barely holding Barton back now.

“Why are you protecting him when you know what he did?!” Barton snarls “You’ve sunk lower than I ever imagined if you can stand there and defend him!”

The charging of a gauntlet made everyone freeze and Tony looked over their shoulders to see Rhodey in full Iron Patriot armor that was primed and targeted, next to Danvers whose hair was definitely glowing. He was so relieved he only belatedly noticed that he’d somehow been tugged back behind Loki once more.

“I’m only going to say this once,” Rhodey spoke softly. “Everyone’s going to put down your weapons right now or you’re going to hang up your suit. For good.”

Most everyone complied, though some were a little slower than others, and Steve had to have a short whispered conversation with Barton before the man relented.

“Damn. No one wants their contract ripped up today? Shame,” he stated, opening the face plate to glare at all of them, including Tony, though it was tempered with concern. “So who wants to start?”

“What is he doing here!” Barton hissed, never once turning his back on the god.

“Loki?” Rhodey asked, a bit confused. “He’s a Defender, provisionally. It was in your contracts, wasn’t it in their contracts?”

“Yep,” Danvers confirmed. “The accords list all active members.”

“What, did you invite him here to piss me off Stark hmm? To get back at me for something petty?!” Barton spit.

“Get back at you?” Tony said incredulously. “You attacked him!”

“Tony, it is a little… '' Rogers began. “Why would you let him stay here? Don’t you think that’s a little inconsidera-.”

“I thought we had this conversation already,” Danvers sighed, finally powering down. “This compound is not Tony’s. He doesn’t get to decide who stays here and who doesn't. The council does.”

“And you know what else they’re going to decide?” Rhodey smiled. “The consequences for you attacking a fellow Defender who has been an extreme asset so far, in the safety of his own home. Nobody fucking move. FRIDAY call Ross, send it through my suit.”

“You got it Colonel.”

There was an emergency meeting called and Ross flew in personally to oversee it. Rhodey and the others were in the conference room and had been for the last several hours. Plenty enough time for Tony to get Loki patched up and return to the kitchen for snacks.

Tony’s nerves had finally settled down when a noticeable tension in the room seemed to build, until Logan strolled in looking bored and set about making food.

“What the hell happened in here?” he eventually asked with a raised brow, glancing around the half destroyed area.

“Long story,” Tony mumbled with a faint look of disgust at Logan’s bowl. How the hell did someone eat oatmeal that was that watery.

“Uh huh,” Logan grunted. “That why you pissed?” he asked Loki and Tony turned with surprised concern to see that the god was indeed looking particularly cold.

“This one…” he began before trailing off and glaring at Tony.

“Hold on here, you’re mad at me?” Tony asked in disbelief.

“Did something stupid?” Logan guessed.

“He tried to be a shield hero again,” Loki supplied through clenched teeth, ignoring Tony completely.

“Man you really gotta stop doing that,” Logan snorted.

“And just what’s so wrong about that?!”

Logan reached over and thumped Tony hard on the arm.

“Ouch!” he hissed.

“That’s what’s wrong,” Logan said pointedly before turning back to his breakfast and promptly ignoring them.

“Okay. What is happening in this conversation?” Tony exasperated before focusing back on Loki. “Look, I was trying to help,” he defended. “Besides, I knew they wouldn’t attack me.”

“Liar.”

And well...shit. He didn’t know what to say to that, because it was true. He’d been terrified when he’d thrown himself into the fight without any armor. In fact he was pretty sure he hallucinated Rogers holding the shield for a few seconds.

“Clearly you’re hard of hearing,” Loki sneered.

Tony caught himself just before the words validating that statement came out. The truth was that when he’d woken up from his coma after Siberia the doctors said he’d lost 47% of hearing in his right ear and 24% in his left from a combination of blunt force trauma and a stroke. Luckily, Stark Medical Group had already developed some pretty high quality assistive tech that was easily embedded and self powered. Loki didn’t really need to know that though.

“Listen carefully, because I’m only going to say this once more,” Loki hissed, turning his chair to face Tony. “I. Am. A. God.”

Tony nearly rolled his eyes at the pompous title before the weird tone caught him. It wasn’t said in a haughty manner, but stated like it was a fact, a universal truth, not a title to rub in the fact that humans were lesser.

“At the very least,” he continued, “that means that I am considerably harder to kill. Yes, he got off a lucky shot, but something like that, and done by a non magical weapon no less, was more of a threat to my pride than to my body.”

To highlight this he ripped off the gauze they’d just applied an hour ago to show the skin nearly knit back together with a healthy pink glow.

“You on the other hand,” he continued, gesturing to the spot where Logan had thumped Tony’s arm which was now beginning to bruise.

“Right,” Tony mumbled, feeling a growing warmth in his chest. Loki was angry because Tony had made him worry. It was a strange feeling, enjoying another’s worry. Not out of malice or sick amusement, but because of the simple fact that one had to honest-to-God care about the other for the worrying to even happen.

“Okay,” he nodded. “I hear you.”

“You better have,” Loki clipped turning back to his bowl of sogging Lucky Charms. “The number of humans I’m able to tolerate consists of a very short list and I would be extremely put out if I lost one for something as moronic as shielding me.

Late June 2017

“More, we need more,” Tony mumbled, sleepy calculations scrolling through his mind as he tried to figure out how to meet demand without giving things away. They needed more resources. More resources than Earth and Tomorrow Land could provide.

Maybe they could trade?

“Tony?”

“Hmmm,” he answered, smacking his lips a couple times to stop the drool he could feel getting ready to seep out.

“Tony.”

Something about the way it was said caused alarm bells to go off and Tony reluctantly sat up, hand already lifting to rub the sleep from his eyes when he caught sight of Rogers and his merry band of misfits staring back at him from the other side of the table.

To say he jumped would have been conservative. He launched himself backwards, out of his chair, crashing to the floor and crab walking backwards until he banged his head on the coffee table behind him.

“Geez Tony, calm down. It’s just us,” Rogers said in what he probably thought was a soothing tone as he came around the table. “We just want to talk.”

Scrambling to his feet Tony looked for a way out. Help was to the right, down the hallway that led to his team's wing, but Wanda stood in the middle of it, a malicious smirk on her face and red in her eyes and Tony jerked his gaze away.

Outside it was.

“I don’t want to talk to you,” he told them, turning to head for the other door. This was his own fault. He should never have fallen asleep at the counter. The coffee wasn’t worth it. Clint slid in his path with a vicious smile and Tony turned to the only person who might see reason.

“It’s just a conversation Tony,” Romanov echoed.

“Yea man what’s the big deal?” Wilson chimed in. “You were the one who abandoned us, remember? And yet we’re the ones making an effort to reach out to you.

“Abandoned…” Tony trailed off turning to stare at Rogers. “I abandoned you?”

Steve's wince didn’t go unnoticed and it made Tony angry.

“Just listen for a moment Stark,” Natasha started.

“No. I don’t care what you have to say. I’m done. We’re done.”

“But we’re not done Tony,” Steve interjected, stepping forward and putting a heavy hand on his shoulder. “We’re back to working together and we need to clear the air so we can be an effective team again.”

“Team?” Tony choked out, shoving Rogers hand off and taking a step back. “Listen Captain Mighty Duck, we’re not a team, and we won't be one ever again.”

“Don’t be dramatic Tony,” Steve reprimanded. “Now that we’re back can’t you have Loki assigned to another city?”

“That’s not my call. That’s up to the council,” he clipped.

“Yes but you have sway,” Steve reasoned.

“Yea snake charmer,” Clint sneered.

“You’re all insane,” he whispered with a shake of his head before turning back to Clint. “Move. I’m leaving.”

“Make me,” Clint snarled, shoving Tony hard in the chest, smiling when his breath caught and a hand came to rest over his heart.

“Clint,” Natasha warned.

“Tony,” Steve started again, grabbing Tony’s arm. Tony flinched visibly and once again tried to tug his arm free, but this time it wasn’t as easy.

“Let me go,” he said, nearly whispering as he began to hyperventilate.

“We’re not here to start a fight,” Steve said again looking confused at Tony’s response before finally releasing his arm. “We just want to come to an agreement.”

Tony stood there and said nothing, his mouth and body bound by a terror that slipped beneath his skin and seeped into his bones. He wanted to scream. He wanted to call for help. He wanted to shove Clint aside and book it out of there as fast as he could. But all he could do was stand there, completely defenseless and surrounded by people that hated him.

Cue the nightmares.

“Thanks Tony,” Steve smiled, taking a triumphant breath. “Now. I’ve been talking to the group and we decided it was best to put the past behind us. There were mistakes made on both sides, but we’re here now. Together. So we should make the most of it.”

He paused for a moment, as if expecting Tony to respond. As if he thought Tony could respond. But Tony couldn’t respond. He was too busy reliving the gross violation of having hands inside of his chest.

“That being said,” Steve continued slowly, “we think it would be a good show of faith if you...suggested Loki be placed in a different city. If you do that we’ll agree to operate under Rhodey’s leadership with you.”

Now Tony was reliving the day he found out his parents were dead. His mother, killed because his father was a careless drunk. Oh no wait. That was a lie. They hadn’t died in the accident. They’d been murdered. All up close and personal. Hands on. Soft human fingers that squeeeezed.

“Tony?” Steve prompted.

“Come on man, don't be an asshole,” Wilson muttered.

“He doesn’t know how to be anything else,” Clint snorted.

“Tony?” Natasha asked in a worried voice, advancing for the first time. “Are you okay?”

He was on the verge of telling them yes he was fine, and of course he’d get rid of Loki for them and apologize for being such a self-righteous asshole when someone else entered the room.

“-amn what is he trying to do, kill me?!” Kitty panted.

The others turned with varying degrees of surprise and confusion as Kitty suddenly walked in from the living room, straight through the wall, face bright red and clearly out of breath, as she headed into the kitchen.

“Oh hey!” she said with a smile. “What’s up new people?!” she greeted, jogging to the fridge to get a bottle of water which she ripped open and downed half of before coming up for air.

“Hello,” Steve said a little haltingly, thrown off by her presence. “Kitten right?”

“Kitty,” she corrected, glancing at the weird semi-circle of people before her eyes caught on Tony’s in the middle. Her mouth was open to give him a cheery greeting when she registered the sheer terror on his face. He was visibly trembling and the sight sent a corresponding shiver of fear down her back.

She didn’t know what the hell was going on, but Tony was not okay, and these people had something to do with it.

“Hey Tony, you okay?” she asked casually, ignoring him and looking at the rest of the occupants in the room one-by-one. She saw his head jerk to the side before freezing, his fists clenched hard at his side. That was good enough for her.

“Logan’s looking for you,” she stated, walking straight up to him and grabbing his arm. “He went a little overboard and sliced up some columns and mumbled something about the place caving in. He wants you to take a look.

It was then that she noticed that the exits were blocked and her anxiety shot up another level. She turned towards the door that would lead her to others the fastest and grew more alarmed when the man didn’t move.

“Sorry Kitty, we were right in the middle of a conversation. We’re almost done though and then he’s all yours,” Steve said.

“Do you want this place to cave in on all of our heads?” she snapped back, tightening her grip on Tony in preparation. “Cause I don’t. You can finish when he gets back.”

She didn’t wait for their response and instead pulled herself and Tony through the guy blocking their way and out of the door. She took detours through several walls to clear their six and didn’t stop until she was back in the training room with Logan where Tony promptly hurled his guts up before collapsing into a tight shivering ball. She watched as he just sat there, completely unresponsive and staring creepily into the distance. Logan muttered something about PTSD and told her to go get Rhodey, an easy task as she collided with him just outside the door of the training room because of course he was there, FRIDAY existed after all.

The next time she saw Tony he seemed back to normal, but she would never forget the way his eyes looked back in the kitchen. And she would never forget the faces of the five people who had put it there.

Tony sat up gasping, nearly falling from his seat. He scrambled for the time. Only 2:30am. There were hours to go.

He opened the hidden compartment and took out the shiny metal within. He wasn’t supposed to be using it. Not yet. There were still plans to make.

But he wouldn’t do any lasting harm. Just a little cut there. And then, maybe later, a longer slice there, and if it really got bad just one knick more.

As his skin split open some of the tension seemed to seep from his body. He closed his eyes to focus on the pain, to feel every itch and burn. And for a while he felt like he could breathe. He knew this pain. He could handle this pain.

Then the voices began to creep back in, their screams and accusations making him feel like he was drowning. The metal glinted in the soft light of his machines.

Just one more.

Early to Mid July 2017

Something was wrong with Tony Stark.

Bruce couldn’t pinpoint what it was or when it had happened but the effect was noticeable. He’d lost weight over the last week and his eyes were sunken in his head, like he hadn’t had a good night’s sleep in days.

He didn’t leave the lab, not even to eat and he’d become increasingly paranoid and aggressive towards Loki. Bruce had tried to ask him about it but Tony always dismissed the worry, like there was nothing wrong and Bruce was the paranoid one.

The day he’d come into the lab to sorrowful screams and Tony curled up in a corner in a pool of his own vomit he had decided that something was undeniably, horribly, wrong.

It was why the entire team was there now, much to Tony’s annoyance. Danvers was walking around the lab, watching the proceedings with a non-biased eye. As the two closest to him, Rhodey and Bruce were attempting a subtle intervention, staying within his field of sight and backing up when he twitched or made a motion indicating he was uncomfortable.

There were several long moments of silence that they let be. It wasn’t necessary the conversation move at any sort of pace, just as long as it moved, on whatever timeline Tony needed. After three painstaking hours Bruce had finally narrowed down a major trigger for Tony’s irritability. Unfortunately, Loki had figured out the same thing.

“Just come out and say it Tin Min,” he goaded. “You’re mad at me.”

“I’m not mad,” Tony clipped.

“You sure sound like it,” he said with a grin, sitting up in his new hammock. “What did I do that got you so tetchy?”

“I can’t deal with you,” Tony sneered and Bruce was both surprised and alarmed at the spite in his tone.

“Don’t blame yourself. No one can. Believe me. My brother has tried for years.”

“Get out!” Tony suddenly yelled, and every person in the lab was at attention.

“Excuse me?” Loki nearly whispered.

It was a testament to how far gone Tony was that he didn’t notice the portal opening beside him or the man who stepped out of it.

“I said get out,” Tony snapped. “I don’t want you here.”

“Hey I wanted to know if-...oh......am I?” he asked Bruce and Rhodey with an eyebrow.

“Yes,” they said simultaneously in calm but firm voices, turning back to watch the confrontation and ready to intercede if needed.

“Well that’s rather vague,” Loki continued, pushing, and Bruce and Rhodey didn’t stop him because it was the most they’d gotten out of Tony in three days.

“Do you want me out of this room, out of this house, out of your life-.”

“All of the above,” Tony growled.

“I don’t believe you,” Loki said with narrowed eyes that seemed unfazed, staring steadily into ones that held such seeming hate for him.

“I don’t care what you believe,” Tony hissed. “Just leave!”

“There’s something wrong with you,” Loki murmured almost too softly for them to hear as he stood up slowly and started for Tony.

As he advanced Tony flinched back and Rhodey and Bruce took a step forward, but Loki didn’t hesitate and gently took Tony’s head in his hands.

“Don’t touch me!” Tony hissed, grabbing Loki’s wrists and attempting to shove the god off. He was unsuccessful and the more he struggled the closer Rhodey and Bruce got.

“Loki,” Rhodey warned, putting a hand on his shoulder.

“Look at me,” Loki demanded of Tony, and as their eyes met Loki did something that seemed to cover Tony in blue swirling light. So when the tendrils of red flashed and twined around the coils in his head everyone took notice.

“What the hell is that?” Danvers breathed, stepping forward, but Strange beat her to it, slipping in beside Loki and executing one of his strange hand sequences before making a grabbing motion towards the red tendrils and pulling them from the blue coils to loop around his fingers.

The moment the last of the foreign substance slid away from Tony he collapsed. Loki and Rhodey caught him before he could hit his head on anything and as they maneuvered him on top of the closest table his shirt rode up.

“Son of bitch,” Rhodey cursed, ignoring the other exclamations. With trembling hands he pulled the shirt up further, fingers gently ghosting over the wounds before resting his head on his best friend's chest.

“Tony,” he breathed. “Why didn’t you say something man. Not cool.”

“He’s self-harmed before?” Bruce asked with sad worry. “Oh what am I saying of course he has.”

Rhodey sat up and pulled the shirt down quickly, as if he could protect his friend by hiding the evidence. “Not like this,” Rhodey mumbled, barely audible before clearing his throat and changing the subject. “What the hell was that?” He turned to ask Strange who had been busy destroying the energy that he’d collected.

“I’m not exactly sure,” Strange murmured. “It was malignant energy. Similar to a being I once battled but slightly...different.”

At the words ‘malignant energy’ something clicked in Bruce’s head and made the Hulk roar in righteous fury.

“Uh… Bruce?” Danvers asked with mild worry.

“I’m under control,” he said with strain as he wrestled back the reins. There would be time for that later. He would make time. “And I know what it is. That’s the remnants of Wanda’s power.”

“The witch?” Strange verified.

“Yes,” Bruce confirmed. “She gets inside your head. Makes you see and hear things that aren’t there. And you can’t… you can’t tell the real from the nightmare. You can’t tell friend from foe. All you know is pain and fear and despair.”

“That’s a gross misuse of her power,” Strange appalled. “How long has this been going on?”

“Oh...damn,” Rhodey cursed, balling a hand into fist. “Most likely since about two weeks ago. FRIDAY informed me Steve and the others had cornered Tony in the kitchen. I was on my way there when she redirected me to head towards a training room where I found Tony in the middle of an episode. I didn’t think anything of it because, well it happens sometimes. Not often, but he’s… he’s been through a lot and despite his best efforts they happen. But this one was...worse. He was near catatonic and I had to carry him to his room. It’s never been that bad. Now I’m thinking we know the trigger.”

“I think…” Loki began slowly, fingers resting lightly on Tony’s bare knee at the hole in his jeans. “That I’m going to kill this woman.”

The dual response was swift and gruff.

“Get in line.”

They had done a fair bit of pre-work before the actual confrontation. Documentation was important after all, but with the added benefit of five witnesses to the result and at least three to the onset, as well as the security feed, well, it had really been a matter of formality.

By the time they brought Wanda in to hear the charges against her the council had already decided what to do with her. A fairly simple swish and flick from Strange sealed her powers and Danvers hadn’t even needed to leave her seat to restrain Rogers.

Natasha and Sam were wisely compliant, the former even going so far as to admit that she had seen something was clearly not okay with Tony at the end of their impromptu chat.

Clint on the other hand had been completely out of control, screaming obscenities and filthy, hateful accusations that Rhodey was thankful Tony would never need to hear again. His fate was sealed when he pulled out several weapons and attempted to murder Loki. The asgardian had been unphased and Clint was easily subdued by professor X, who had held the man still as Strange seized the moment to do a public demonstration, removing a truly sickening amount of violent spasmodic scarlet tendrils until Clint too collapsed. Or would have, if the professor hadn’t lowered him gently into a chair.

When all was said and done Steve, Natasha, and Sam had been demoted to provisional level with Storm as their assigned sponsor and a pending review in a year's time. They were all moved to the secondary wing of the compound and assigned monthly training about workplace harassment, with bi-yearly refreshers as well as bi-yearly psych evaluations and mandatory counseling sessions at least once a week until otherwise stated by their health care professional.

Clint was removed from the Defenders, his contract terminated, and sent with Professor Xavier, who had seen the damage to his mind and offered to oversee his mental recovery, as much as they could recover. If or when he was deemed mentally sound he would be retired and sent home.

Wanda was removed from the Defenders, her contract terminated, and accompanied Dr. Strange to their secure training facility where she would receive near daily counseling sessions as well as biyearly psych exams until such time as she was deemed stable enough to proceed being instructed in the proper use of her powers or was otherwise determined to be insane in which case she would be returned to her home country where they could care for her as they deemed appropriate.

It was a good day.

Late July 2017

It was Jessica’s birthday this time.

Though the birthday girl had skipped out early as clearly evidenced when her and Luke Cage had disappeared in the middle of it.

Still, a good time was had by all, some more than others, and come sunrise only the hardiest of partiers were left awake, watching colors deepen the sky.

They sat next to each, Tony upright with Pepper’s head resting in his lap, red hair spilling every which way. Loki was sprawled out with his feet trapped under Bruce’s chest and his head pushed against Tony’s other thigh, jet black hair mingling with red.

They were flagging now, beginning to nod off, entering that strange zone right past the line of awake and just before the line of asleep.

Tony was relaxed with his back against the couch. His head was lolled back and he blinked lazily up at the ceiling before he slowly turned his neck, angling his line of sight so that he could just barely see Loki's face.

“I didn’t mean it,” he whispered so softly he himself could barely hear the words. But the closed eyes shot open and dark blue-green bore into brown.

“What I said when…” a deep breath. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it.”

“I know,” the Loki reassured, before closing his eyes once more. “If you recall, I told you I didn’t believe you.”

Tony gave an aborted chuckle and then went quiet.

“How did you know?” he finally asked, and Loki opened his eyes once more to study him.

He thought about telling the truth, about letting Tony know how he carried his heart in his eyes, there for everyone he loved to see and feel and enjoy. He thought about confessing how confused he’d been the day he realized such sentiment extended to him, him, of all people, the very least deserving. He thought about admitting how that sliver of the human’s unveiled affection had changed him, settled something in him that had been restless for a millennia but now lay quiet, thought about sharing how truly horrible it had been to stare into such a familiar gaze and have that care suddenly be gone, the wrongness of it, equal parts sorrow and panic, and the desperate need to somehow get it back. But now, looking up into brown eyes that once again brimmed with fondness, secure once more in the radiant warmth regarding him, he knew that such a response would be copious, and much too heavy for the beautiful sunrise slipping over them.

So he said nothing, giving a simple smile in reply before dozing off to hazy speculations about what could be seen in his own eyes.

Chapter Text

Mid August 2017

“How was your first day back kid?” Tony asked, snagging a pizza roll.

“It was great Mr. Stark!” Peter chirped immediately, popping the finger food like it was candy. “I have three classes with Mmmmuh friends- or friend- or with you know… yea with a friend.”

“Uh huh.” Tony said leaning against the counter and trying not to tear up because God that little bundle of cheesy carbs had been hot! “Does this friend have a name?

“Well I mean yea. I mean it’s not a big deal. It’s MJ. They go by MJ.”

“I see. And how long have you been crushing on MJ?”

“It’s not a crush!” Peter rushes out. “She’s just a really good friend. I mean she’s so much more than a silly crush, she’s smart, and funny, and has this really awesome but sometimes terrifying and brilliant wit and -.”

“Okay slow down there Romeo,” Tony said, taking one of the last pizza rolls on a previously full plate and tearing it open to let some of the steam escape before he popped it in his mouth. “When are you gonna tell her?”

“Never,” Peter said automatically. “Or maybe… during homecoming? We uh… we sort of went together last year so maybe it’ll happen again?”

“Mhm mkay kid listen, I’m going to give you some advice. When making big decisions like this you should put it in different perspectives and when you find the unacceptable one, then you have your answer. Got it?”

“Yes,” Peter nodded firmly.

“You don’t get it all do you?”

“No I’m sorry maybe if you just say it again one more time?”

“Okay look, this girl, MJ. Let’s say you don’t tell her how you feel. You stay friends throughout school, maybe she confesses to you, maybe she doesn’t. Maybe you all go to college and start your life long love affair there. Or maybe you go your separate ways and never see or think of her again.”

“That’s not possible,” Peter shook his head.

“Oh great! See we’ve come to one already,” Tony smiled. “So we know telling her after graduation isn’t a great option considering the chance you may end up at different universities, which is highly likely. I call that progress.”

“Hey, what’s going on?” Rhodey asked, strolling in and sniffing the lingering smell of food. “What are we eating?”

“Nothing anymore. The bottomless pit over here is going to eat us out of house and home,” Tony snarked.

“I’ll have to ask Carol if she wants to go on a grocery run tomorrow,” Rhodes murmured, and Tony and Peter shared a knowing smirk as Rhodey popped his head into the fridge.

“See? He’s going for it.” Tony winked. “Now say you do tell her. Maybe she rejects you. Then you know where you stand. Depending on the reason, you know whether to try again or cut your losses. Or say she accepts you, and suddenly you have the greatest years of your life.”

“I like that option,” Peter confessed quietly.

“Everyone likes that option kid,” Tony scoffed with a knowing grin.

“What are we talking about? Girls?” Rhodey asked, hovering next to Tony and eating from a bag of organic blueberries.

“Yes, and his inability to tell one he likes her, and your inability to keep it a secret. Are those mine?” Tony protested. “Isn’t that a house rule? Names on there and everything. I’m telling mom.”

“Oh please, don’t think I didn’t know it was you who ate the last piece of her cake.”

Tony cleared his throat and looked away with raised, innocent brows.

“I’m cool with it, they’re good for your pressure anyway.”

“I’ll buy more tomorrow,” Rhodey promised, popping a few more before disappearing back down the hallway.

“Anyway where were we? Right, perspective.”

“Down!”

Tony swooped down,banking sharply to the left to avoid the pillar of wind a second before it was ignited into a spinning inferno of death.

The screams of the strange gargoyle-like creatures that were the size of Goliath were drowned out by the sheer gale force produced by the display.

“Shit,” Tony cursed. “Remind me never to piss you two off.”

“Sorry about that amigo,” Texas Twister said, grunting as he sent another smaller cyclone to a group of the creatures that had managed to creep up behind him.

Tony was prevented from responding as another handful of creatures crawled up from the ground and tried to flank Firebird, but she raised the area around them with impressive control. The sidewalks weren’t even scorched.

“What’s the ETA on that back-up?” Tony hissed a few moments later when a backhand sent him flying into the sky and consequently giving him a moment of reprieve.

“Should be soon,” Firebird called.

Tony contemplated calling in Hope from the West Coast team. When he’d gotten the call, Rhodey and Danvers had been stuck in meetings. The wizard was off-world. Pepper needed more training in the Rescue suit as juggling it and a fortune 500 company could get tricky. Bruce was on leave having recently rekindled things with Betty, and Loki still wasn’t allowed out of state without an escort from the team leader.

That left Tony to answer the call.

Diving back in he delivered a rain of cover fire, trying to give the two, who had been fighting before he got there, a bit of reprieve. A moment was all they got however, before more creatures began crawling up from the Earth.

He was wrestling with a claw trying to stab through one of his visors when he heard the faint rumbling of a car. It was about damn time. He double checked to make sure there were no friendlies in the line of fire before activating the unibeam in his chest, slicing through every limb, wing, and claw surrounding him.

Tony turned to greet the newcomers and watched as a large man dove out of the passenger seat. The next second he nearly let loose a squeak when the car, a dodge charger, lit up in flames. The driver casually exited the vehicle, his skin burning away to expose the white skeletoid beneath.

“Holy shit!” Tony breathed. Not even flinching when a tomahawk flew within centimeters of his faceplate and thunked loudly into flesh behind him.

He’d read the reports and knew about Ghost Rider, but there was something to be said for up close, real life experience.

He watched as the flaming skull strode to the trunk and popped it open, a strange dark portal glinting inside.

“Back to hell!” The unworldly voice boomed out before lighting up the chains in both hands and using them to lasso groups of creatures, snatching them up and hurling them into the abyss.

For a moment Tony wondered if this guy was the answer. If they could just throw Thanos at Ghost Rider and have the guy drag him to hell.

Then he had to snap back into battle mode. He dodged to avoid a creature that had lunged for Red Wolf, miscalculated the man’s inhuman reflexes, and nearly crashed into Tony instead. That plan probably wasn’t a viable option anyway… but it did give Tony ideas.

Late August 2017

“Sorry I’m late,” Tony smiled sheepishly, trying to rub the oil off his hand and completely unaware of the smudges staining various parts of his face. “Lost track of time. You know how chatty ATLAS gets when I work. Baby AI’s I tell you. So curious.”

“It is good to see you, Man of Iron!” Thor boomed. “Come! I’d like you to meet my new morons!”

“Hey! You’re the only moron here,” a white guy mocked. He had light brown hair and green eyes.

“Dig the beard. I’m Tony and you are?”

“Starlord,” he said with a smirk, “but my friends call me Quill. This here is Gamora, daughter of Thanos.”

Tony’s eyebrows shot to his hairline as he focused on the green woman at Quill’s side.

“Rocket, experiment gone wrong.”

His eyebrows stayed there as he looked down to see a literal Raccoon mutter some pretty impressive profanities to Quill before flicking him off.

“Drax, anything you say is going over his head.”

Here Tony paused and snorted in amusement as the blue man immediately looked up with narrowed eyes.

“She’s Mantis, an empath so might wanna be careful with touching, ya know, unless you’re into that sort of thing.”

Tony eyed the pale girl with the strange antenna and made a mental note. No physical contact. He could do without such an intrusion.

“And in the back there is Groot.”

“I am Groot,” the tree said, and it really was a talking tree... . a very small, talking tree.

“Hey!” Quill and the raccoon yelled at the same time.

“Who taught you such disrespect!” Rocket yelled.

“We’re guests here man get it together!” Quill continued. “You’re making us look bad! Sheesh! Sorry about that,” he apologized, turning back around. “He’s going through this ‘teenage phase’ and has lost his damn mind.”

“Uh huh,” Tony responded, glancing up to make eye contact with Rhodey.

“They call themselves the Guardians of the Galaxy,” Rhodey supplied.

“Truly mighty warriors!” Thor pitched in. “They have come to join our cause.”

“You want to fight against Thanos?” he asked, pitching the question to Gamora.

“He is not my father,” she said decisively, giving Quill a pointed glare. “He killed half the people on my planet and then kidnapped me. If he has his way he will extinguish an unthinkable number of lives. He has to be stopped.”

“I agree,” Tony responded while taking a seat and leaning back in the chair. “So what makes you think you can help us?”

“I spent years learning under him. I know how he thinks,” she confessed. “He’s going to go after certain stones first. The power stone, the reality stone. If he gets those he’ll probably send his other children to collect the stones here. You are virtually defenseless and he would think it beneath him. Once he has those four he’ll go for Asgard.”

“How did you know we had two stones here?” Tony asked, sitting up.

“Thanos tracked the time stone here centuries ago and when his pet returned without the mind sto-,” she cut herself off there, sending guilty eyes towards Loki. “I’m sorry. That was heartless of me. No one deserved what was done to you.”

“Your pity is unnecessary, I assure you,” Loki sneered.

“So you think he’ll go for the soul stone last?” Tony asked in a slightly raised voice. He understood the need to negate attention from an uncomfortable topic.

“Yes, because he doesn’t know where it is,” she said and Tony took a deep, relieved breath. “And he’ll never find it.”

He froze at her last sentence, the air still trapped in his lungs as he looked at her and saw the truth in her eyes.

“You know where it is.”

Her eyes flew wide and too late she tried to remove the surprise from her face.

“Gamora?” Quill asked.

“I destroyed it,” she clipped looking angrily at him now. “The map with the location. No one else will find it.”

“Unless they find you,” Tony agreed with a nod. He heaved a sigh leaning back once again in his seat. The game just got more complicated.

“So now we have three stones to protect,” he muttered trying to run quick calculations and getting a headache. “That’s just going to ruin my time-table.”

Early September 2017

“Oh my god,” Tony breathed, coming to a halt in the hallway.

“What?!” Loki yelled as he dodged another bone projectile. Mutants were the absolute worst to fight against. Every power was different and half the time you went in blind.

“There’s kids,” Tony clipped, coming up to the cells to better see the fearful and hopeful faces staring out at him from their corners.

“That’s not our mission Tin Man!” Loki yelled back, sending out a massive burst of energy and running to meet Tony where he’d stopped.

“I don’t care what the hell the mission is, I’m not leaving them here. Stand back,” he instructed the kids as he began to laser through the first cell while powering up his suit to disrupt the energy field just within the bars. But there were four more cells. “You want us to move faster? Then help me.”

“Dammit, you bleeding heart,” Loki murmured, and proceeded to magic the last three cells open. “Now what?” he snapped.

“Now we get them someplace safe,” Tony said, shooting a missile into the opening they came through and creating a cave-in that reigned down on their encroaching enemies. “Doc, I need a quick assist,” he spoke quietly into his mic. “Got a few kids here that need relocating.”

“Locking on,” Strange said with strain and it was a worrisome ten seconds before he appeared. “Let’s go!” He barked, and they ushered the kids through, ignoring their thanks as they hurried to get clear. Tony could see that the portal led to the front steps of Professor X’s school. They’d be alright. Within seconds the tear in space disappeared.

“See? Quick and easy,” he grinned at Loki before a huge blast knocked them both to the ground.

“That little detour broke the blockade. Whatever you’re doing in there you better do it fast!” Strange yelled.

“Right.”

Resuming their flight they headed toward the control room, but were hindered at every step of the way by dozens of mutant foes, most of them the same grotesque copy of a male with pale wet skin and stringy black hair.

Just as they cleared the hallway they rounded the corner to see seven more doppelgangers heading straight towards them. Abruptly, the clones began hitting each other and tripping over themselves, seemingly thrown into the walls by nothing.

“Thanks Wasp,” Tony breathed, slipping through with Loki at his heels.

“I’m here too ya now,” he heard Lang protest in his ear.

“Yea and let's be honest. Who did all the work?”

Hope’s laugh in his ear answered his question as they slipped further away.

“You should be coming up on the core,” Vision interrupted. “There’s something strange about it though, an energy signature I’ve never seen before.”

As they rounded the last corner Tony could see it up ahead. It glowed a sickly yellow and green and stung like a bitch to the touch. Even Loki couldn’t get through it.

“Yo Lightning? Think you could take a second to short circuit something for us?” Tony suggested to Santos with a bit of urgency. The sound of Hope and Scott still covering their six made him want to speed things up.

“No!” Wonder Man yelled, sounding nearly frantic. “I can assist. I’m almost there. I think I know how to break through the blockade.

“Might want to speed it along,” Tony suggested, still trying various experiments on the shield and getting increasingly, and more powerfully, rejected.

“I don’t like this,” Loki declared with narrowed eyes.

“What do you mean? You think it’s a trap? Think we should retreat?”

“I think… that would be prudent.”

And it was such a surprise to hear that from the god that for a second Tony just stood there, before snapping out of it and opening a direct comm to Rhodes.

“Rhodey. Oz here says he smells something fishy. Thinks we should abort.”

“Did you disable the bomb?!” Rhodey yelled over gunfire and energy blasts.

“Not yet. Waiting on Wonder Dude to try opening the door,” Tony said “Might be a trap.”

“That’s not really enough to go on Tones!”

“I know. S’your call buddy.”

“Damnit. Fall back and regroup. Vision I want you down there with them, you said you saw something different. Wasp and Ant Man keep providing what support you can down there, but for the love of God come assist us when you’re done. Let me know when somebody’s got something.”

Wonder Man came sprinting around the corner then, nearly colliding with the retreating duo.

“Shit. Sorry. I tried to get here as fast as I could.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Tony brushed it off. “You did your best, we might still need you, why don’t you catch your breath and then relieve Wasp and Ant Man.”

“Sure thing Iron Man.”

Tony slapped the man on the shoulder and hurried after Loki. He wasn’t expecting the arm that shot out around his face, clamping around his faceplate and dragging him backward through the formerly impenetrable energy shield.

Loki’s reaction time was impressive. It was almost as if he’d known before Tony did, as he began turning back with energy ready, nearly jumping out of his fingertips, hands outstretched to pull Tony back. Tony could see the shape of his name in the gods mouth and reached out a hand to meet him, but just as the fingertips of the suit met the crackling green energy he was pulled away and into darkness.

Hours later Rhodey walked across the dry landscape headed for the only figure that remained.

Wonder Man’s betrayal had been a shock to everyone. Rhodes had the best SHIELD agents digging into the man’s past, while the two Defender teams scoured every nook and cranny of the base to no avail. All they found of worth was a half dead boy, nearly buried in the rubble.

Tony was gone. The strange energy that blocked their progress dissipated and the ruins inside were empty and barren. There was no sign of how they’d escaped or where they’d taken him. No clues on where to even start. They were simply gone.

He collapsed on the rock next to the figure whose hands were fisted in his hair and whose eyes were shut tight. The silence was full of grief, but void of any condemnation. Afterall, Rhodey had been in his shoes once.

“I was right there,” Loki said shakily, breaking the silence. “He was within reach and then…”

“It’s not your fault,” Rhodey breathed, knowing it wasn’t what the god wanted to hear, but a truth that needed to be stated all the same. “It’s Simon’s fault, and the council's fault and perhaps the idiots who conducted the background check’s fault, and maybe even my fault, for always sending you and Tony in to do the hard work… but it aint your fault.”

“We have to find him,” Loki said after a moment. “Everything is pointless without him.”

“That’s more or less the same thing Strange said,” Rhodey murmured. “He said we’re lost without him but…We’ll find him,” he said after a pause. “I scoured the desert for him once, I can do it again.”

For a time neither man could find the will to move from the area where they had last seen Tony. Only when they were prompted by the arrival of a third did they finally stand.

“Come on. You’re not getting any closer to finding him just sitting here,” Bruce said. “Besides, knowing Tony, he’s the one that’ll find us.”

They tried Strange first, but apparently messing with time was tricky, and the lock had been blocked before Loki had screamed for the wizard to retrieve Tony right fucking now! The tech was Tony’s design and they’d sent it over to SHIELDs FitzSimmons who actually had been able to reverse trace it.

They found the tracker (a small bracelet that emitted a distinct energy signal that Strange could track anywhere) abandoned three miles from the point of abduction… and no further signs.

They tried FRIDAY next, but the suit had somehow been drained of power, and without a signal she had no way to track her boss.

Then there’d been the Professor.

With Cerebro he was able to potentially track every human and mutant in existence.

“I am sorry,” he told them after three successive attempts. “There are some materials I simply cannot get through. Wherever they are keeping him is well protected.”

They were nearly out of the door when the Professor stopped them.

“I...have an old friend named Erik, though you may know him by the name Magneto. He has a helmet made of such material that blocks my telepathic abilities.”

“Thanks professor,” Bruce said with no small amount of relief. A low chance of cooperation with a difficult person was much better than a dead end.

It took three days for them to find Magneto and another three days to make him talk. The first day they’d asked nicely. The second day they’d threatened, which had resulted in minor to moderate wounds for everyone involved. The third day they received a call that the boy they’d dug up from the rubble was a nullifier.

That night they got their answers and a potential ally in the coming war.

It took them another day to narrow down the search to four highly probable locations.

The next day, Tony Stark found them.

Tony woke up feeling groggy. His body was sore and there were hateful eyes staring into him. Hateful eyes that he knew.

“Wonder dude,” he croaked, his mouth unbearably dry.

“That’s right Stark. Me,” Simon spat. “Bet you didn’t see that coming did you? Just like my dad didn’t see you coming. Tell me, did you even stop to think of all the lives you destroyed when you bulldozed your way through the industry?”

“What?” Tony was so confused, and most likely had been drugged as his head was foggy and he couldn’t think of anything more witty to say than that.

“Williams!” Simon shouted. “Sanford Williams!”

Oh. He remembered that name. A contemporary of his father. The man’s company had gone bankrupt when his son tried to embezzle money from Stark Industries to keep it afloat. His son who’s name was Simon. Shit.

“Yea, you remember,” Simon spat. “It’s time for you to pay for what you did to me and my family.”

Tony tried to move and panicked for a moment when he couldn’t. Then he realized he was still in the suit. It was dead, so FRIDAY couldn’t come get him, and moving would be an extreme chore. Someone had already begun dissembling it as his faceplate had disappeared and the chest of the suit had been pried open, allowing soft gusts of air to hit the undersuit beneath.

“What are you doing in here?” Snapped a new voice. “You were to wait outside.”

“Hey! I’m the one that brought him to you. I deserve to watch him suffer. He needs to know who’s responsible for ruining his life. So why don’t stop bitching and help me get the rest of this suit off.”

“Nevermind about the suit. It will be a non-issue momentarily.”

Several seconds later the new voice walked into view and Tony’s eyes widened in shock and disbelief.

“Mr. Stark. Do you know who I am?”

“That depends,” Tony grimaced, his words slurring a bit even as he struggled to focus. “Got a twin brother named Helmut?”

“No,” The man sighed in disappointment before grinning. “But I do have several clones. One of which you have met already, and which sits in one of this country's secret facilities until we have use of him again.”

“Yea can we skip all the chit chat and get to the why I’m here?” Tony prompted.

“So impatient Mr. Stark,” Zemo tsk. “Ironic, when soon enough you will have all the time in the world.”

Tony had no idea what that meant, and he had no plans of finding out either. He took a deep breath and put some strength behind moving his left hand. He always equipped his suits with back-ups that could be manually accessed even when offline.

Except that his fingers didn’t move anywhere, not even an inch. The limited mobility he’d had just moments before had slipped away and he grunted with the vain effort to move his pinky finger. Horror dawned on him as he confirmed they must have given him something.

“By now you’re most likely experiencing the paralytic,” Zemo confirmed. “Can’t have you hurting our prized guest,” he said, heading to open the door. “As for why you’re here. Well, it’s simple. I want something from you, and you’re going to give it to me.”

A thin, lanky young male with bright auburn hair and sallow skin shuffled in, approaching Tony warily.

“It’s alright Celet. He won’t hurt you.”

Tony wanted to flinch, to move away from this boy with the sad, scared eyes and bony fingers that were like ice on his face, but he could barely even breathe much less move.

The feeling was subtle at first. So subtle Tony opened his mouth to spout off something flippant and insulting, when all at once a tap seemed to open up and he could feel the years he'd lived being pulled out of him. Months, then years, then decades, until he forgot why he was there, and why he was supposed to be afraid. Until he forgot he had friends and a fiance, and a team that loved him. Until he forgot about betrayal and torture and the loneliness of success. Until he forgot his parent’s accident and meeting his first best friend and how to always smile, careful not to show his father that he was afraid.

He forgot just about everything.

When Tony woke up he was cold and it was dark. He called out for momma but she didn’t come. And then she didn’t come again. And that made him more scared because momma always came when he cried for her. In desperation he called out for daddy. He often came too, but sometimes his hugs were too hard and he didn’t like it when daddy yelled and shook him and told him shup! But when the silence continued he grew even more alarmed.

Where was Darvis? He always came when his parents didn’t.

In between his frantic breathing he could hear voices and tried to be quiet enough to hear what they were saying. He heard lots of thumps and slappy like noises and another kid crying.

“You idiot! You made him too young! I said twelve or thirteen! Twelve or Thirteen?! Does that look like a twelve or thirteen year old to you?!

And suddenly the door opened. Or the lid. Tony was in a box and he pressed himself to the bottom as a big boy face was shoved into the box with him. He whimpered as the boy’s tears dripped down his arms.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” the boy cried. “He was different from the others! It never happened that fast before!”

There was more sobbing and Tony began to join him, squirming at the boy's slick snot that slid down his leg.

“I thought I was going to kill him,” the boy whispered softly. “I couldn’t stop and I thought he would just get smaller and smaller and smaller until he disappeared.”

“You’re WEAK!” the loud man yelled, finally yanking the boy's head out of the box. “You have no discipline! I thought we had worked through this, but I see you need more instruction.”

“Please! Please no! Please, anything but that! I’ll do anything but that! I can reverse it! I can reverse it!”

A cold hand was shoved into the box, jabbing Tony in the ribs and shaking so much that it would have tickled if it didn't hurt so much.

“I-.. I just need time,” the boy pleaded when nothing happened. “Just a little time! I have to get used to his frequency. I can do it! I can!”

“I believe you,” the man said calmly. “You’ll have your time. Set him up in the focus room.”

The screaming started again in earnest at that and Tony covered his ears. It was loud and scary and sad and he wanted the boy to stop.

“Let’s give it a month,” the man said, talking over the screams. “I expect you to age to 100 and back at least 20 times during that time.”

The screams began to get quieter then, until the door closed and muffled the sound. Tony didn’t move, lying face up in the box and shivering in fear and confusion and hurt.

The man leaned over to look in the box in dismay before carefully picking up the toddler and holding the child away from him.

“30 days… An entire month I’ll have to wait,” he sighed.

The little boy’s hands were still over his ears, tears glistening on pudgy cheeks, his head crowned with a tuft of black hair that was in curls much tighter than it would be years later. The man thought the brat was almost cute, but Tony was terrified.

What started as a slow drip quickly turned into a stream and with disgust he dropped the child back into the box in his haste to avoid the urine. His footsteps were heavy as he stomped to the door and threw it open.

“And bring me someone to watch this god awful, disgusting child!” he yelled, pulling on the door so that it slammed behind him.

Tony sat alone in his cold, dark, wet little box, and cried.

It was Tony’s fourth day in the new place.

The first day had been filled with nothing but more dark and wet and cold and being all alone. He stayed in his box, shivering and trying not to mess his pants because he’d already pee pee’d and daddy didn’t like when he had accidents and he really didn’t like when Tony had made a mess… but it was hard because he was alone a long time and he couldn’t hold it.

The lady who came in the morning had smiled sadly at him at first, until she saw that he had made a mess and then she got an angry wrinkle on her forehead and on her nose and she picked him up like the bad man had. It didn’t hurt this time, but Tony was scared that she might drop him and it was a long way down to the floor.

He was happy when she didn’t drop him, but instead set him into a sink and turned on the water. First the water was too cold and Tony began to cry. Then the water was too hot and he began to scream. The lady hadn’t liked that though, because she hit him hard on the head and screamed at him to stop.

The water was still too hot and it made Tony’s skin feel burned and itchy and it hurt, but he closed his mouth hard like he had learned to do with daddy so only the tears escaped and she smiled at him and didn’t hit him anymore after that.

He scrunched his nose when she put a pull-up on him. Pull-ups were for babies and daddy had told him that he was not a baby anymore, but he didn’t want to get hit again, so he let her put it on him and then asked for the bathroom.

“Bafroom?” he asked.

“You just went!” she huffed.

“I go la’er,” he explained.

“Oh! You’re potty trained?” She sounded surprised and he nodded in affirmation. “You’re so small I thought… well alright then, the bathroom is this way.”

She showed him the bathroom that was through a door in the same room with the sink and put down a step stool so that he could reach the toilet and sink. She didn’t make him go back in the box and instead took the box with her and left him alone.

She came two times more after that. Once she brought him crackers and juice and the last time she brought him apples and peanut butter. He didn’t see her for the rest of the night.

The third day was mostly the same, except Tony got ants in his pants and explored the room. He found an old timey radio in the cabinet under the bookshelf and when he was alone he took it apart to see how it worked. It took him a long time because he wasn’t strong enough to open it and had to search around the room until he found a mail opener to pry it open.

Then he still couldn’t look at it because he cut his arm on the thin blade and it hurt and he started to cry before he remembered that was bad. He’d stopped really quickly and hid under the chair, shaking in fear for the rest of the day.

The lady had come and bandaged his arm last night and then taken all the pointy things out of the room with her, so today he learned about the old time radio some more until he figured out how all the pieces worked together.

Then he put it all back together. Only better.

“This is not what you promised!” Simon hissed, seething in rage. He’d been ready for revenge, ready to watch Stark squirm in shame like his father had on his deathbed. Instead, all he got was a useless child.

“It was certainly an error on my part,” Zemo agreed with disgust. “One that is being dealt with. He should be back up to form in a month or so and we can proceed as planned. In the meantime why don’t you enjoy the facilities?”

“I don’t want to enjoy the facilities! I want Stark to suffer. Now!” Simon huffed.

“Well if you insist,” Zemo sighed, blowing away the smoke from his cigar and motioning to the guards. Simon paid him no mind, still privately brooding about the things he planned to do to Stark. He couldn't wait to force the man to sign over his company; had often dreamed of giving Stark that ultimatum. Your life? Or the business that ruined mine? It seemed appropriately fair in his eyes.

So deep in thought was he, that when the door opened and a guard entered with the quiet heir to the esteemed Stark Industries, he was oblivious. He didn’t even look up until a shrill scream rang out in the room.

Simon nearly jumped out of his seat, eyes flying up to see the crying toddler holding his hand right above the bubbling red wound on his left arm in the perfect shape of a cigar.

“What the hell are you doing?!” he screamed, horrified at the garish looking burn and the boy's wet eyes. The child flinched at Simon’s yells and tried to bite back a cry. Suddenly, it wasn’t Tony Stark sitting in front of him, but his own son, with similar dark hair and eyes just like his mother.

“I’m giving you what you wanted,” Zemo strained, holding in the smoke for a moment before giving a lazy release. “Torturing Stark.”

Without warning he pressed the red hot tip in the child’s arm again, just under the first one and another shrill shriek rang out through the air.

“Stop! Stop it!” Simon cried frantically, nearly yanking Zemo’s hand away. The man looked up at him with an annoyance that warned of danger.

“Do you want to torture him or not? It's not as if I can force him to sign his life away when he can barely even talk. It’s this or nothing until my asset is ready. Make up your mind!” he snapped, raising his voice for the first time, before calmly taking another drag. “Or is it that you want to do the honors?” he offered, holding out the cigar.

“No… no. I’ve changed my mind. I-... I’ll wait,” Simon said decisively, feeling the beginnings of loathing and self-hatred pooling in his gut. Would the boy still retain the scars as Celet re-aged him? Would he remember that Simon had been the cause? He thought about someone kidnapping his own son; torturing and punishing the child for something his father had done. He thought he might be sick.

“Very well, but stop whining about it then,” Zemo acquiesced. “No one can find him and it’s not like we don’t have time,” he chuckled, motioning for the guards who picked up the now eerily quiet tot and took him away.

For the first time, Simon Williams began to think he’d made a grievous mistake.

Tony woke up alone on the eighth day feeling excited. Day five and six had not been good days. He had been in too much pain and had slept a lot-a lot because his arm hurt less when he was sleeping. He pushed the door to the bookshelf open slowly, looking around to make sure the room was clear before toddling out. He had forgotten to hide away yesterday and had woken up with the man who stopped the burns sitting on the floor a few feet away.

He smelled like Tony's daddy did when he drank the brown drink with ice, and had cried and told Tony that he was sorry and that he would get Tony out. Tony didn't know what to say. He didn’t really need the man to get him out of there because he had figured out a way to tell his momma and daddy to come get him, but it was nice of the man to offer.

It had taken Tony nearly half the day to get up the courage to go and pat him on the shoulder and tell him it was okay.

The man had only started to cry harder after that and Tony was too afraid to work on his radio with the man there in case he took it away or broke it. He was very sad for the sad man and very bored that day.

Today the room was empty and he pulled open his radio, picking the correct wires and fiddling with them until the shiny bits were visible. Then he turned to the frequency daddy always said to use if he ever got in trouble and started the message he'd been taught. S-O-S, he tapped, spelling out the letters correctly. He knew all of his letters. Momma said he was smart because he could already do math and knew lots of words, but daddy said he was stupid because it was hard to make the words come out. He tried to show his daddy that he was smart in other ways but daddy never liked that.

He wondered how long it would take for someone to get his message. Daddy said he had to do it for a long time to make sure it was received, but Tony got tired after that 23rd time and had to take a break to eat gold fishes.

Then he decided he should add his name in case there were other little boys and girls they were looking for and needed to know who was talking. I-T-o-n-y he added, but only sometimes because it was a long message and Tony got tired and bored easily.

He went to bed that night safe in the knowledge that soon his parents would be coming to get him. He really hoped his daddy wouldn’t be angry that it had taken Tony so long to remember about the secret message system.

Mid September 2017

Loki was the first one inside the bunker. He’d never used his illusions to the fullest extent allowed by his dampeners when working with the Defenders, but he did so now. The thought that Tony might be within reach after nearly ten days was a lesson in control. His energy itched beneath his skin and made him want to run or pace or slit someone's throat with his spear.

Throwing open the door his eyes quickly scanned the room where the message had originated. At the sight of another doorway he’d raced to pull it open only to find an empty bathroom. Seeing as he’d taken out the guards in the immediate vicinity and no assailants had made themselves known he risked a yell.

“Tony?!”

There was no response. No shifting in the surroundings.

“I have retrieved the Iron Man armor,” came Vision's voice through the comm.

“Good job Vis. Loki? Do you have eyes on Tony?” Rhodey asked.

The god couldn’t bring himself to speak the truth and in a fit of angry despair his magic flared out, sending everything in a three foot radius careening away.

“We’re here. We got your message,” he mumbled, taking a moment to collect himself. “So what happened Tony? Where are you?”

The soft creak of old wood pulled his attention and he looked up to see a small child emerging from the bottom cabinet of a large bookshelf, a radio half as big as himself clutched in his arms.

“Another child?” He asked incredulously, confused and more than a little disgusted. “What in Odin’s balls is wrong with these people?”

The boy took a step back at his swearing and Loki dropped down on his heels.

“Come on then. I’m looking for someone else, but I’ll try and get you home,” he muttered encouragingly, trying to give the kid a chance to go willingly before Loki had to snatch him up and disappear to the surface.

When he felt the little hand in his he smiled slightly and looked up, ready to swoop the child under his cloak, when he caught sight of the large pair of dark brown eyes that seemed to resonate with him. There was a sliver of...something. Something wholly familiar.

“Tony?” he whispered, knowing the truth and yet still hopeful, anxious and horrified that he might be right. “Tony Stark?”

The boy tilted his head a bit unsurely before nodding firmly. “I Tony. Tony Stawk,” he repeated.

“Loki?” Rhodey’s voice came again. “Do you need backup?”

“No. No I’ve got him,” he responded in a shaky whisper. “But they did something to him. He’s not the same.”

“We’ll worry about that later,” Rhodey directed. “Get him out for now. I don’t know how we’ve been lucky this far but I don’t want to press it.”

“On my way.”

He picked the child up carefully, gently tucking the boy and his radio under an arm until they sat securely within the safety of his cloak, and disappeared.

“This was an infiltration mission Loki, not an assault! You nearly brought the place down on Vision’s head! What the hell were you thinking, sinking half the damn base? Where’s Tony?!” Rhodey asked, alarmed as the quinjet raced away, eyes anxiously looking around the bay for his best friend.

“He’s right here,” Loki said gently, pushing his cape back and exposing the curly black hair at his shoulder. Tony peaked up at him with his nose still smooshed in Loki’s shoulders and the god smiled softly down at the boy who answered with a beaming grin before hiding his face once more.

“When you said there was a problem,” Rhodey sighed, collapsing into the jump seat beside him, “I don’t know what I expected but… not this.”

“That can’t actually be Tony,” Bruce said in awe, coming closer to run a gentle finger through soft hair. The boy jerked hard at the contact and then froze. Bruce expected him to look up to see who was touching him but the child stayed eerily still, as if waiting for something. Slowly he lifted his head to peek up at the culprit with fear in his eyes that quickly turned into curiosity upon seeing Bruce.

Bruce himself had frozen when Tony flinched, a frown growing as the exaggerated response set off a red alarm. Tony was jumpy as an adult for a number of reasons, all dealing with past trauma. But the boy in Loki’s arms couldn’t be more than two at the most. So why was he flinching as if he thought he was about to be hit?

He watched those big brown eyes carefully search the cargo bay as if looking for someone. Whoever it was, Tony didn’t find them, and soon they were staring at each other once more. Bruce gave the kid a toothy grin, to which the boy gave a wobbly smile before turning and putting his face back into Loki’s shoulder.

“I’ll run some tests when we get back,” Bruce murmured.

“Before that,” Loki said, maneuvering Tony into a seated position on his lap. “I want you to take a look at this.”

He pulled back the rest of the cloak and bypassed a nearly healed cut on Tony’s left arm that looked like it had been quite nasty, to reveal two large cigar burns branded into the small limb. The bridge grew quiet as all three men struggled to reign in the raging inferno of wrath that the sight produced. Rhodey now understood Loki’s unplanned, violent outburst, and Bruce turned a bright shade of neon before getting control of himself.

“Gween!” Tony lit up with delight, staring at Bruce with wide amazed eyes.

“That’s right kiddo,” Bruce smiled briefly before getting up to grab the medkit from the wall. The wounds had been washed well and there wasn’t much for him to do except clean them again and wrap them up to keep Tony from agitating or picking at them.

Already dubbing him ‘Tiny Tony’ Rhodey watched as Bruce disinfected his wounds, the kid's big eyes darting over his uniform with doubtful recognition.

“Uncwe Pury send?” Tony asked.

“What is he saying?” Loki asked, confused.

“He’s trying to figure out if his uncle Fury sent us,” Rhodey said, taken aback. He hadn’t known the former Director knew Tony when he was this small. “Yes, but he couldn't be here so we came for you instead. I’m Rhodey.”

“Whoe-dy?” the kid tried.

“Close enough.”

Tony nodded and then settled into a more secure position leaning his back against Loki’s stomach, hands firmly clasping the radio even as his eyes got heavy.

“Go home now?” he asked softly in the quiet cabin.

“Soon,” Loki whispered, and within a few minutes Tony had drifted off to the rhythmic rocking of the plane.

“It’s him,” Bruce said, strolling into the room where Charles Xavier was watching Tony take apart a broken speaker to see what he would do with it, while simultaneously monitoring his thoughts in the process. Tony's radio sat on the table nearby, next to the unneeded deconstructed parts of a lamp that he had borrowed a wire from.

“Yes,” the professor murmured, confirming his own evaluation. “Of that I have no doubt. Anthony has a very singular thought pattern that I’ve never experienced in another being. I’d know it anywhere.”

The surety in both voices removed a weight from everyone’s shoulders; glad they hadn’t grabbed some random kid, or a clone. He was the real deal. And while that was not nearly enough information to even tell them where to start, it did soothe them to know they hadn’t left the real Tony somewhere back in that bunker.

“He’s three by the way,” Charles confirmed.

When asked, Tony was sure that he’d missed his third birthday and had wanted to confirm with his parents. Charles had been the one to come up with an explanation for that suspended reunion, which he did by telling Tony that his father had gotten the coded message, but that he and his mother were now on a secret assignment given by Director Fury to catch the bad guys. Because of that, no one knew when they would return.

Tony took the news alarming well, only asking after someone named Darvis, who Charles assumed to be the famed butler Jarvis. This too was explained away as the old man being too busy seeing to the estate, which was just as well since Howard had left strict instructions for Tony to stay there at the safe house until they could come to get him.

“Three?” Bruce questioned. “But he’s so small.”

“That’s normal,” Rhodey reassured. “He didn't hit his growth spurt until our second year at MIT. Before then we were all convinced he should be in junior high.”

For a moment amusement stole over their faces, until the gravity of the situation settled on Rhodey’s shoulders once more.

“Any ideas of how to reverse this?” he asked the professor.

“None,” Charles pronounced rolling back from the carpet, “but I will say that I think it’s most likely the work of a mutant and not something magical or alien.”

“Why do you say that?” Bruce asked.

“Well magic often tends to leave a residue, a signature if you will, as it was with Wanda Maximoff and as it does with Loki and Dr. Strange. It’s unique to them and would be very much noticeable if lingering in another person. I feel no such residue in Anthony.”

“Okay. That makes sense,” Bruce agreed. “And aliens?”

“I believe it would have been a chemical reaction gone wrong. Something that responded to our system in a way it never has with theirs; but that’s the most far fetched of the three theories. Most likely, you’re looking for a mutant who can turn back the biological clock.”

“Do you know of any?” Rhodey asked with a little hope.

“No, unfortunately, though I’ll keep an eye out."

“What about the time stone?” Bruce asked and glanced at Loki when he stiffened.

“To my understanding the stones are volatile at least, and malignant at worst. What would happen to his mind in the process? Would it restore him to the Anthony we all know and love? Or would it leave him insane, having spent the equivalent of a lifetime alone in his mind? No, I would not suggest the use of one unless there were no other options. Even then, I would ask if it were really prudent.”

“We’re going to have to find the mutant,” Rhodey sighed, leaning forward, face pulled down into a tired frown. As soon as this war was over he was going to retire. In a fit of anger he slammed a fist on the table.

Quick movement made him look up to see Tony crouched down low, his hands covering his head. After a few moments he peaked back out. When everyone was still in the same place he looked around cautiously once more, as if he was searching for someone specific. Not finding them, he eventually refocused on the speaker he was tinkering with.

“That’s another thing I wanted to discuss with you,” Charles continued. “It’s quite clear from his memories, even the one that flashed through his mind just now, that his father was a violent drunk who was often dangerous when in such a state.”

“I was afraid of that,” Bruce said quietly, his fists clenched tightly at his sides. “He’s very quiet for a toddler. A little jumpy sure, but it's noticeable how he only calms -and how quickly he does so- after visually confirming who is in the room. I’d hoped I was wrong, but his reactions were so similar to-,” he cut himself off there, cheeks reddening in embarrassment at his near slip. “Similar to other abuse victims,” he finished, clearing his throat and really hoping that Charles was only focused on Tony’s thoughts at the moment.

“Yes well, most of his memories are hazy as they are only just beginning to stick in his long term memory. So I can’t confirm who or what is responsible for some of his more concerning scars, but it wouldn’t be unreasonable to assume that he’s experienced some type of previous trauma, even at this young age,” Charles informed regretfully. “Tony is a bright child. Unbelievably bright. It’s often hard for some people to accept the fact that their child is different in some way. Unfortunately, we see this type of abuse all the time in mutants who exhibit their powers early, or are born with a physical manifestation. Tony isn’t a mutant of course, and I’m not saying his parent’s had anything to do with what happened, only that it’s a possibility.”

“Could you find out?” Bruce asked softly, staring at Tony with a worried frown.

“I could certainly try,” Charles hedged, looking carefully between the three men. “But it would require him to relive whatever I could call up to the surface. Is that really something you want me to do?”

There was a long silence before Rhodey spoke.

“I’ve heard the stories,” he said softly, “There’s no need to speculate.” He paused for a brief moment at the sharp inhale next to him but kept going when the room stayed quiet. “I always wanted to know what happened, when it had all started, why…. But not like this.”

He looked up at the telepath then, face set and eyes decisive.

“I agree,” Charles concurred with a kind nod. “If his life was in danger that would be a different story, but as he’s relatively safe I don’t think there’s a need to drudge up the past. The good thing is that there’s clearly nothing wrong with his mind,” the professor chuckled, gesturing to Tony who had just determinedly connected two wires like he wrote the manual.

“Children are resilient, especially this one,” he reassured with a smirk, bringing some positivity back into the conversation. “And if I recall, young Anthony here grows up to be quite the accomplished individual.”

The sound of a speaker cutting on startled all of them and Tony’s delighted laugh brought smiles all around. He stood up small legs and looked at the Professor.

“Tony bix it! He announced loudly before slapping a hand over his mouth and looking at them all with wide eyes. When no one moved he removed his hand and said in a quieter voice, “Tony make bettew.”

“Yea you did,” Rhodey agreed.

Tony smiled and finally set the speaker down before reaching to pick up the radio once more. He was keeping it to show his dad how good of a boy he'd been.

Tentatively Charles reached down to pick up the speaker, amazed at the green light that now shone where before it had been dark. He knew Tony was a genius but honestly, this was just impressive. As director of a school he knew just how much trouble the exceptionally bright child could get into when not adequately stimulated. On the other hand Tony had sat there for over an hour, completely absorbed in fixing the speaker and most likely would have gone on sitting there until he’d finished or someone stopped him.

He looked back up to see Tony’s eyes scouring the room and couldn’t help but to chuckle as he imagined the coming days.

“Here’s a tip,” he advised, “keep his mind engaged…and watch him like a hawk. Now then, I must be off before I’m late for tonight's lecture. If you’ll excuse me gentlemen. Please call me if you need further assistance.”

“Yoki up pwease?” Tony asked shyly after coming to stand in front of the god, and after a brief hesitation he was picked up slowly, carefully.

“Magic pwease?” Tony asked even softer, resting his head against the god’s shoulder. Loki thought for a moment before opening his free hand to reveal a deck of floating cards which performed a dance for Tony and made him giggle softly.

“Oh shi-er crap,” Bruce corrected as a sudden realization hit him.

“What?” Rhodey asked, looking as if he absolutely couldn't take anymore surprises.

“Who's going to tell Pepper?...”

....rock, paper, scissors, shoot!

Chapter Text

Late September 2017

Loki became extremely attached to the tiny version of Tony. It had been subtle at first because he was so quiet about it, but it didn’t take long for the others to notice that Loki was nearly always in whichever room Tony was, closely watching the interactions between the human toddler and the human adults.

They all learned very quickly that shouting was a trigger. Loud and unexpected noise in general was normal for most people to dislike, but it was the very specific sound of yelling that sent Tony scurrying to hide under the bed, or table, or couch, curled in on himself and eerily quiet, unshed tears glistening in his attentive eyes.

So when Thor came for an unexpected visit three days after Tony had settled in, everyone paid attention when Loki threatened his brother to within an inch of his life, love, and whatever else Loki thought himself capable of destroying, if Thor so much as stirred his beard hairs when speaking.

Turned out the thunder god knew how to whisper after all.

After that it had been easy to see how Loki hovered over the toddler, even affectionately beginning to call him Sven. All of Tony’s requests were immediately answered almost before the words could leave his little mouth. Loki was the only one who could get Tony to eat real food as well, using illusions to change the carrots or zucchini into macaroni or french fries. Bruce often wondered if he changed the taste as well.

He kept Tony spotlessly clean, wiping his mouth softly after every bite or magicking the grime away with a wave of his hand before the clothes followed and a new set settled around him. No one called him on it as he’d already saved Tony from injury several times since the toddler still lacked awareness of what would be dangerous or unsafe; such as using a swiss army knife (found on Rhodey’s car keys) to lever open the back of a Stark pad they had let him play with.

Tony didn’t cry very often but whenever he did cry it was always eerily quiet, as if he was trying to make as little noise as possible. As soon as the tears fell Loki would become extremely still, looking around in accusation at the other humans in the room, his glare prompting them to fix the problem quickly. If the crying persisted Loki became visibly distressed, snapping and criticizing those trying to soothe Tony, until he had enough and would swoop the toddler up and distract him with various magic tricks until Tony forgot what he had been upset about.

Luckily, Tony wasn’t a very fussy child. When adequately stimulated he was so quiet it was easy to forget he was there. But like all children there were good days and bad days, and like all children, and most people in general no matter their age, Tony didn’t like being told no.

“No, sweetheart,” Pepper said, packing up the beginner’s engineering kit she’d bought for him to play with. “It’s time for bed.”

“Tony no go to bed!” Tony said in a rare moment of voice raising. “Tony is not sweepy! Give Tony toy?” He asked, little hands reaching out, but Pepper swooped the box away, putting it on a high shelf in the large bookcase.

“No, Tony. It’s time for bed,” she said again, ignoring the whimpers and turning to gesture towards the hall.

The tantrum started in earnest then, and as the crying quickly ratcheted up to above a whimper, Loki stepped up to the bookcase.

“Oh let him play for a few more minutes. He said he’s not tired.”

“Leave it there,” Pepper said calmly, rummaging around the blankets on the floor looking for something.

“Yogi gib Dony da toy?” Tony asked stuffily, reaching hands up.

“No. Loki won’t give Tony the toy because it’s time for bed,” Pepper called from the floor. The crying began in earnest again and Loki dropped down to a knee, pooling magic in his hands, a trick that had always worked before but that now seemed ineffective as Tony pushed his hands away and reached up pitifully to indicate he wanted the toy.

Loki looked to Pepper then, who sat on the floor watching him with a raised brow. His eyes narrowed and his body tensed.

“I cannot abide his tears,” he admitted softly, wincing as the boy sat down hard on the floor, hands pulling his hair in anger. Loki looked back up at the box on the shelf.

“You can,” Pepper insisted before leaning forward to scoop Tony into her lap. His little fingers pushed her arms away until she held out his radio. They came as a packaged deal and he clutched the radio to his chest as Pepper wrapped him in a loose hug and began to rock back and forth.

“FRIDAY play a few of the Bee Gees songs on level 3 would you?”

A moment later the soft opening chords of How Can You Mend a Broken Heart began to play quietly in the background. Pepper sat quietly, softly rocking while Tony continued to whine.

Eventually his subdued wails broke off into half hearted whimpers and he fell back against her chest, turning slightly to better curl into her. In the span of five minutes he’d nodded off, breath coming softly in and out of his mouth since his nose was stopped up. She continued to rock for several more minutes before carefully standing, so that she could transfer him to the couch where they could watch him while they finished cleaning up.

“How do you do it?” Loki asked softly after she’d tucked a blanket around the toddler and pushed curly hair behind his ear. “How do you bear it?”

“Because I love him,” she answered, bending down to snatch up the other blankets. “And because he has to learn boundaries. His bedtime is 8 pm and it has to stay 8pm for his own health and our sanity. Grab that Lego would you?”

“But surely staying up 15 minutes past the time wouldn’t have hurt him,” Loki insisted and bent down to pick up the Lego and a few more rogue pieces.

“You're kidding yourself if you think after 15 minutes he would have happily skipped off to bed. He would have had a tantrum regardless.”

“It seems unnecessarily cruel,” he sniffed haughtily, reaching out for her Lego pieces before placing the handful quietly in the bucket with the rest and joining her on the floor to help fold the blankets.

“Well sometimes those ‘cruel’ things are necessary,” Pepper said with a wry smile. “For example, say Tony asked for a wild tiger as a pet. Would you give him one?”

“That depends. What’s a tiger?”

“It’s a large cat-like animal that grows to about the size of that couch over there and is so vicious and fearless that they are often called man-eaters.”

“Then of course not,” Loki said, appalled.

“Why?”

“Because it’s dangerous and could hurt him.”

“Exactly.” Pepper nodded.

“I don’t see how that relates to what happened tonight.”

“It’s the same with boundaries. It may seem harmless to give in and not stick to your word, but it teaches Tony that there are no boundaries and he can get what he wants if he just cries enough. Giving in to all of a child’s wishes can be a form of abuse too. Endurance, resilience, adaptability, acceptance when the answer is no, these are all essential things he’s going to need when he’s older and he won't learn them if we never encourage him to keep going when it’s difficult or to get back up when he falls. What happens when he grows up and has to navigate a world that constantly tells him no when all he’s ever heard is yes?

“So yes, it was upsetting that he didn’t get to finish playing with his toy and maybe one day because of this, he learns to put down his toys of his own volition so that he doesn’t pass out from exhaustion while welding and almost kill himself,” she ended with an exasperated clip that made him wonder if such a thing had actually happened.

It was a rather long and abstract response, but Loki thought he perhaps understood the core of what she was trying to say. ‘No’ didn’t necessarily mean ‘I don’t love you’, or ‘I don’t care about your feelings’. On the contrary it could mean the very opposite, that I do love you, in fact I love you so much I’m going to let you endure this small affront to help you avoid a bigger pain, or as a teaching experience to handle a larger affront later in life when I’m no longer there to protect you.

“Hm,” he responded absently and for a while they drifted into silence. “Who are the Bee Gees?” he suddenly asked.

She laughed softly at that. “Tony once told me that they were one of the only musical groups his parents could agree on, and therefore played fairly often while he was growing up. When he told me he was smiling, so I assumed it brought back good memories.”

As Loki laid down quietly behind Tony, watching his little chest rise and fall, he thought of the responsibility of fatherhood. Such a thing seemed too heavy, the task too great. He did not even know where to begin. He could not imagine how humans accomplished the feat when their lives were so fleeting.

This line of thought, of course, led to thinking of his own father for the first time in a long while.

How do you teach mercy? No you may not commit xenocide.

How do you teach contentment? I love you, but Thor will be king.

He fell asleep wondering what lessons Odin had tried to teach him, and perhaps, what lessons his father was still trying to teach him.

“How goes the search?” Danvers asked, collapsing into the adjacent seat.

“It doesn’t,” Rhodey sighed, tired and anxious. “Whoever these people are, they’re good.”

Once Tony had been secured and left mostly in the care of Bruce and Loki (and who knew the Asgardian was so good with kids?), they’d stormed what was left of the bunker only to find it abandoned. A truly impressive feat as it had only been 18 hours later.

“You’ll find them,” she reassured and Rhodey’s lip twitched up.

“So sure are you?”

“I have the utmost faith in you,” she grinned, leaning forward with playful mischief in her eyes.

“I’m flattered,” he murmured, finding himself drawn closer. “When I do, will you let me watch you kick their ass?”

“What?!” She laughed, slapping his shoulder and scrunching her nose up in a way that Rhodey found highly adorable and sufficiently distracting. “Don’t you want to kick their ass yourself?”

“Yea but it’s sexier when you do it,” he whispered, breath ghosting her lips a moment before contact. He raised a hand to cup the back of her head but froze before going in for a second kiss when he spotted the noticeable glimmer of a portal in his peripheral.

Just managing to bite back a curse he sighed heavily and sat back with an annoyed, expectant look at the doctor.

“Sorry,” the man greeted, not seeming sorry in the least. “Danvers.”

“Strange,” she nodded, sitting back.

“Has there been any update on-.”

“No,” Rhodey clipped, cutting him off. “I told you I’d let you know as soon as we got something.”

“It’s been a week. The longer he stays like this… I don’t need to tell you again how important he is to the war effort.”

“No, you don’t,” Rhodey huffed. Forget the war effort, Tony was important to Rhodey as a friend, who he very much missed. Tiny Tony was adorable, if a handful, but they really needed adult Tony right now. “Look, I’m doing everything I can. As soon as I have even a whisper of something you’ll be the first to know.”

“Right,” Strange stated, not looking nearly as annoyed as Rhodey felt. “Well if there’s anything I can do let me know.”

“Actually,” Rhodey called, just as Strange was stepping back through. “Tony asked for some doughnuts the other day. Apparently he has them every Saturday morning. I was supposed to get them but I’ve been here working-.”

“Where?” Strange huffed, cutting him off with an irritated eye roll.

“Randy’s in Cali, down on Santa Monica.”

The portal closed nearly before he could finish saying the location and he couldn’t help the wide grin that stole over his face as he looked at Carol.

“God you’re hot when you're exploiting people,” she grinned. “He needs a bell,” she quipped, before straddling Rhodey in his chair and continuing where they’d left off.

“Come on Tony you have to eat real food. It can’t just be goldfish and crackers all the time.”

“Not hungwy,” Tony responded, not even looking up from the new state of the art toy set that Betty had gotten after meeting the culprit who’d caused Bruce to forget about their date. She’d come to the compound in a fit of anger after Bruce had been a no show. It had only been when Tony had woken him up to softs pats on his face that he could make out what sounded like fists pounding on the door, heard through a nearby Starkpad (had Tony accessed the surveillance?), as well as the simultaneous ringing on his phone that he realized his blunder.

Luckily, babysitting a hyperactive three year old had been one of the few valid excuses. As Pepper, Rhodey, Danvers and Strange were constantly busy it was up to Loki and Bruce to make sure Tiny Tony was taken care of, and to Tony’s dismay that included eating more than sugary carbs and apple juice.

“You have to eat little guy. Come on.” Bruce said, swooping him up and cringing as the whimpers began. Feeding Tony was the worst. The kid had very particular tastes (of course he did that had never changed) and if what he wanted wasn’t on the menu he decided eating wasn’t necessary.

He sat Tony in the highchair and filled the little plate with appropriate serving sizes for a child his age and placed it on the tray in front of him. The whimpers returned immediately and Tony looked away.

“It’s good Tony, just try it,” Bruce encouraged, taking a piece of his own broccoli and putting it in his mouth, chewing happily.

“Not hungwy,” Tony said again, pushing the plate away and Bruce sighed. He hated substituting real food for Ensure, it was a supplement not a replacement, but he hated an upset Tony more. He had been saving this for later but….

“If you eat your food, I’ll let you play with this!” he said, pulling out the modded rubix cube.

Tony looked unimpressed until Bruce held the toy up in front of him and turned it slightly. Then his face lit up in wonder and he reached tiny hands out to grab it, but Bruce pulled it back quickly. Setting it on the table far enough away that Tony could see it but not reach it.

“First eat your food,” he repeated, pointing to the food. “Then you can play.”

There were a few whimpers throughout the meal but Bruce dutifully ignored it and eventually Tony started to eat, getting sauce all over his face, eyes focused on the toy the entire time. Every few bites he would stop and look up with teary hopeful eyes as if maybe he’d eaten enough, but Bruce would simply repeat the first, then statement (that book Betty had bought him was full of useful tidbits like that) and continued with his own dinner.

The moment Tony had painstakingly put the last piece of food in his mouth Bruce handed over the toy and watched as Tony happily began to try and solve it.

“Hey Dr. Banner!” Peter said cheerily coming into the kitchen. “Hey Tiny Tony,” he grinned, giving the kid who ignored him a peck on the head before slinging his backpack into a corner. “What’s for dinner? Ohh salmon and broccoli, very healthy.”

“Yea it would be,” Bruce groaned. “If I could get him to eat it without such a fuss. He only wants to eat cheez-its and popcorn.”

“Well to be fair, no kid wants to eat broccoli and salmon. I don’t even want to eat broccoli and Salmon.” Peter said, making a face before turning to grab a plate from a cabinet and a box of corn dogs from the freezer.

“But how am I supposed to get him all the vitamins and good stuff he needs?” Bruce asked, feeling forlorn.

“Hmmm. I don’t know,” Peter said, now leaning against the counter as he waited for the microwave. “Have you tried nuggets?”

“Nuggets?”

“Yea my mom used to do it all the time even after I found out the horrible truth. See you mash up the carrots, spinach, broccoli or whatever other decidedly gross vegetables the kid doesn’t like and blend it into whatever meat you want. Dip it in batter and throw it in the air fryer for a couple of minutes and viola! Healthy, but more importantly, tasty nuggets.”

“Huh,” Bruce sat back thinking. “That’s a good idea.”

“If you try it, let me know!” Peter called, heading back out the hall and towards the training room with his overflowing plate of corn dogs. Bruce looked down at Tony who was sitting quietly with a happy smile and a solved cube resting just in front of him.

“Tony bix it!” he announced happily and Bruce was genuinely floored for a moment. That had been what? Three minutes? Five? Then he shook his head at his own disbelief. He kept forgetting who was sitting in the highchair across from him.

“Alright you little genius,” Bruce said, lifting Tony out of the chair. “Let’s get you all cleaned up.”

Loki had been called away on a mission and had fretted over his absence, unnecessarily informing Bruce of Tony’s favorite foods and toys and bedtime as if Bruce wasn’t intimately aware already. Still, Bruce wasn’t a magician and had to actually wash Tony for him to be clean. He didn’t want to see the look of reprimand if the god returned to a less than pristine toddler.

Consequently, Loki returned right in the middle of Tony’s very high pitched squeals of laughter, and assuming the worst had burst into the bathroom, forgetting that Bruce saved time and water by bathing with Tony.

As the conditioner crashed against the quickly shut door Loki admitted with an amused grin that asking to join had probably gone too far.

Chapter Text

Mid October 2017

“Alright. We’re done for the day. Good work you three,” Storm said, tossing a bottle to Natasha. She’d had a hard time when she first got them. Entitled and overconfident the lot of them. With the help of Wolverine and Kitty she’d managed to break them of the belief that they were the best, as it was proved again and again that they were very much not.

Once she’d gotten it into their brains that they were really nothing special at all, then the real training had finally begun. They still had a long way to go but now they looked more like a team and less like a gang of self-righteous bullies.

As she watched them file out she couldn’t help but feel pride at their accomplishments.

Maybe there was hope for them yet.

Steve walked down the hallway feeling a little nervous about what he was planning to do. Ever since the council meeting when they’d carted Wanda and Clint away they’d had restricted access to Tony.

They’d been assigned to the guest rooms at the other end of the facility and were banned from entering the former wing where the rest of the Upstate Defenders resided. They were never scheduled to train with Tony, though occasionally they sparred with that Danvers woman and with Rhodes.

Steve had been attending his counseling sessions as instructed, and while most of it seemed a waste of time to him, he did learn a few things about himself. He’d been able to put himself in Tony’s shoes and understood how it had looked like they were bullying him. He’d never meant to seem threatening and had wanted to apologize to Tony, but was denied the right to do so face-to-face; and a written letter, he had learned, was completely ineffective.

The only time he saw Tony was during mandatory council meetings and even then was placed as far away from Steve and the others as he could get. Afterwards, Tony was always the first one out, usually flanked by Loki or Bruce.

So when Tony hadn’t shown up at the first bimonthly meeting in September Steve had noticed. Then Tony hadn’t shown up at the end of month meeting and Steve began to get suspicious. He tried to ask about Tony’s absence as subtly as he could, but all anyone would tell him was that Tony’s status was now inactive for the foreseeable future.

Steve wanted to know what that meant, and he wanted to say his peace, so that he and Tony could move past everything that had happened and get on with their lives. That’s what he told himself as he walked down the hallway, the counselor's voice in his head reminding him to use I-statements.

Upon entering the common area he could hear voices around the corner in the kitchen and he froze. One was definitely Bruce, and from the haughty tone he assumed the other was Loki, but he wasn’t about to step forward and see. Hugging the walls he made his way into the hallway that housed the rooms and found Tony’s easily, as it was opened.

He slipped inside, shutting the door right as what sounded like a blender went on. He turned, looking for the man the room belonged to. He didn’t know what he expected, maybe Tony taking a nap, or most likely not even in the room, forcing Steve to wait until he showed up. He was not expecting to see a small child rummaging around the Iron Man suit that sat offline on the floor in the corner. When the kid gleefully ripped out a wire Steve burst into motion.

“Hey!” he shouted, forgetting he was supposed to be quiet, thinking only that what the kid was doing was dangerous and the boy needed to stop. “Get away from that! That’s not a toy!”

The kid had jumped at his shout, turning with wide eyes and freezing with the wire still in his hand.

“Drop it,” Steve urged firmly, slightly annoyed when the kid continued to stand there. “I said drop it!” He barked, picking the kid up by the back of the shirt and pulling him away from the suit. There was a thump as the shirt slipped right off the kid and he hit the ground, scrambling under the bed before Steve could catch him.

Then all hell broke loose.

“Okay you’re laughing, but it works,” Bruce said, putting the kale into the blender with a few baby carrots. “Tony loves them.”

“Oh I’m aware,” Loki sobered. “He demanded them the day you were gone and I realized I had no idea how to make them or what they even tasted like in order to replicate it, and you know that I cannot abide his tears.”

“Yes we’re all very aware,” Bruce chuckled, putting the top on the blender. “So you have been changing the way his food tastes, what have you been making it taste like?”

“The most savory Asgardian dishes of course,” Loki smirked and Bruce rolled his eyes as he flicked the blender on. He thought for a second he heard FRIDAY’s voice, but figured if it had been her she would resume her message momentarily. It didn’t take long before the contents inside had blended down into an acceptable creamy mush.

He was reaching to flick it off when Loki’s hand shot out to do it before him, his entire body rigid and tense. Bruce took in the silence, not knowing what Loki had heard but understanding that the current silence was too quiet.

Where was Tony?

As one both god and man scrambled around the corner, eyes searching the blankets on the floor where they’d left him before dashing down the hall to Tony’s room. The door was closed and Loki being a touch faster than him burst through it without pause.

They froze as Steve twirled and looked up with surprise, holding the shirt Tony had been wearing in his hands, with no Tony in sight.

Bruce saw green and he was right behind Loki as the god decked the super soldier and shoved him against the wall, before manifesting his spear and shoving it through a shoulder, pinning Steve in the awkward position.

“Where is he?” Loki hissed.

“Steve so help me if you’ve hurt one hair on his head I’m going to let the other guy rip you limb from limb,” Bruce said, his voice several octaves too deep.

“The bed,” Steve gasped, coughing up blood as a result of a skewered lung. “Under the bed,” he gasped, reaching up a hand to try and grab the spear, but Loki ripped the limb away, manifested a knife and impaled it to the wall above his head.

Bruce dove to the floor, flipping off the covers to peer into the darkness beneath and sure enough there was Tony, his body so small he was able to sit up, hands fisted over his ears and tears streaming down his face, completely silent.

“He’s here,” he breathed for Loki’s benefit. “He’s okay. I see him. He’s okay.”

Loki flicked a wrist and created a clone that joined Bruce on the floor to confirm with his own eyes that Tony was okay.

“Sven?” he called, but the boy only whimpered once and began his mantra of whispered apologies.

“He’s not coming out until he wants to,” Bruce reminded Loki before sitting back up. His eyes widened in alarm at the axe the other Loki was twirling in his hands.

“I’m thinking about cutting off his head,” he said honestly.

“I’d go for a limb,” Bruce offered. “Murder looks bad in your file. FRIDAY, call Rhodey please and let him know he’s needed, then inform the council Steve Rogers has violated his restraining order and Defender Initiative house rules once again.”

“With pleasure Dr. Banner. Colonel Rhodes is already en route.”

“FRIDAY,” Loki said slowly, having never asked the AI for anything before. “When you’re finished with that, would you play songs from the Bee Gees?”

“Certainly Mr. Odinson.”

Moments later Too Love Somebody began to play softly and Loki’s clone, or Bruce thought it was the clone, slid halfway under the bed, leaving his hand resting by Tony’s leg but not touching it.

“What are you doing here Steve?” Bruce asked softly, coming to stand in front of him.

“I just… I was trying to apologize,” he gasped. “I wouldn’t hu-hurt… a kid.”

“So why do you have his shirt in your hand?” Bruce pressed.

“Hey was-was playing with the suit. It was dangerous. Picked him up to-to move him but he slid right out of the shirt.”

“That doesn’t explain why he’s terrified and hiding under the bed,” Bruce clipped.

“Did you yell at him? Strike him?” Loki asked with a dark tone.

“No,” he coughed out. “Or.. I don’t know.… I might have raised my voice a little. Told-told him to stop.”

There was a dangerous quiet after that where Loki had stopped twirling the axe and was looking very studiously at the joint that connected Steve’s arm to his chest.

“You said you came to apologize,” Bruce finally continued. “To who? To Tony?”

“Yes,” Steve gurgled, gasping as blood continued filling his chest cavity.

“And you thought the best way to do that was to violate the restrictions issued to you for his safety is that it?”

“No I-...I.” Steve tried to explain, but couldn’t get any words past the build up in his airway.

“There we go Sven,” Loki rescued Tony from under the bed, and began to slide out.

“Loki,” Bruce prompted and the one standing next to him waved a hand and a shimmering wall erected itself behind them, blocking them and Steve from view just as Loki pulled Tony from under the bed and lifted him up. Bruce peeked around the block and watched Tony burrow under Loki’s chin, his body still shaking and his little ‘I’m sowwy's making Bruce’s heart clench until the sound petered out as they exited the room.

Once they were safely away Bruce finally relaxed, debating whether he should ask the remaining Loki to let Steve down, or let him hang there and suffer.

He was still debating when Rhodey arrived.

Steve never saw Tony again. Not face to face anyway.

After his trial he served a year in the special SHIELD containment chamber they’d tailored just for him. The only person that had come to visit him had been Bucky. That hurt a bit. That none of his former teammates had bothered to drop in and see how he was doing.

Bucky had faithfully made the trip once a month, but Steve could tell he wasn’t the same. Not in a bad way, but just… quieter, if that was possible. Once that mutant professor had figured out how to reverse the brainwashing Bucky had promptly retired. He now lived in a small apartment in New Jersey and had taken up bird watching.

Steve couldn’t understand that. As super soldiers they had a responsibility to the public, but he didn’t begrudge his friend’s new quiet life…much.

As soon as he got out he tried to get back into things, into being a hero, taking hits all day for the little guy. But the world had changed drastically in the 12 months he’d been away. Nearly every major city had a team of Defenders watching over it. As members of the Accords he’d been assured that they wouldn’t hesitate to rat him out if he tried to help.

Vigilantism they called it, but Steve wasn’t a vigilante. He was a hero.

Too bad fewer and fewer people now saw him that way, and the growing teams of Defenders meant a drastic decrease in opportunities to prove everyone wrong. To prove that he was still vital, still useful, still needed.

After being chased out into the smaller cities in order to do his duty, only to be chased into even smaller towns because of the increase in civilian recognition, Steve had finally given up. He had no team, no friends, no support except for Bucky, who Steve knew would always help. So that’s where he’d gone.

Bucky had offered him the couch without Steve even needing to ask, but had made it clear he wouldn’t be joining Steve in any ‘vigilanti’ work. And that’s where Steve remained for many years. On the television he could see his former teammates and friends being heroes together, as a team, as a family... without him. While he had been locked in a cell they had helped save the world, the universe, and probably hadn't thought about him once. So he stayed where he was, living quietly in the background, watching birds on the deck with his only friend.

Chapter Text

Late October 2017

“Doughnuts!” Tony screamed in delight as Strange appeared out of a portal carrying the favored treats and setting them on the coffee table. It was Saturday morning, leaning more towards the afternoon. There’d been some unforeseen issues that had made Strange late getting to the shop and resulted in a considerable time waiting in line.

He watched the kid hop down from Bruce’s lap and open the box.

“Dank you,” he replied, glancing at the man who always seemed annoyed in his very intimidating cape that Tony had caught moving when it shouldn’t.

Just then a groggy eyed Logan came stumbling through, nose flaring at the smell of fried bread. Approaching the group he reached down to grab a pastry and the cape flared outward, lashing him on the arm.

“They’re for him not for you,” Strange said with a reprimanding eyebrow. The odd interaction made Tony light up in surprise and tentative amusement. Stephen admitted the kid was cute, though the entire situation was trying, and turned to head back through the portal.

He didn’t see the cape waving happily behind his back or the boy who stared at the motion with wide eyes full of wonder and powdery cheeks before reciprocating the gesture.

“Well we have to do something,” Betty persisted, running a gentle hand through Tony’s curls as he worked on a small desk fan that had shorted out on her. She had saved it specifically because she knew Tony enjoyed fixing things. “It could be his first Halloween. Or his only one. Maybe his parents didn’t celebrate it.”

“They didn’t. Too dangerous,” Rhodey confirmed, reaching over Betty to shake a few blueberries within Tony’s eyesight. Without a word the boy snatched one up and popped it in his mouth before returning to his tinkering. “His first Halloween was with me during our first year at MIT.”

“Really? What did he go as?” Bruce asked, slipping his arms around Betty’s waist as he came to stand behind her..

“Tron. Made the costume himself. It lit up and everything,” he relayed, still impressed at the memory, before his face crumbled into guilt. “Man, I still can’t believe I took a minor to so many parties. It didn’t seem so bad at the time. I made sure to look out for him and he always came and left with me, but as I look back I can see that was horribly irresponsible of me.”

“You were still very nearly a kid yourself,” Pepper absolved him, leaning over to push the screwdriver to the empty space Tony was patting as he refused to actually look up and see where it was. “Besides, if he hadn’t been with you he’d have gotten into something much worse I’m sure.”

“True,” Rhodey grinned, wrapping an arm around Carol when she came over to the table with a plate of pigs in a blanket.

“What are we talking about?” she asked, settling into Rhodey’s side.

“Doing Halloween for Tony,” Betty smiled.

“Oooh that sounds fun!” she agreed with excitement. “We could invite Monica and her daughter. They’re in town for the next three weeks.”

“Oh! And the Barton kids!” Pepper added. “They’d probably really enjoy getting out.”

“Whoa slow down ladies,” Rhodey cautioned. “What are we going to do about the whole can’t-take-them-out-in-public thing?” he asked.

“If there was ever a day it was safe to take them out surely Halloween is it,” Danvers persisted.

“If what you are thinking is anything like the previous Halloween I attended I’m going to have to strongly object,” Loki drawled looking simultaneously bored and threatening all at once.

“No no,” Pepper laughed. “That was a Halloween party for adults. This would be for children, which mostly consists of trick-or-treating, coming home with your friends to stuff your face with way too much sugar and passing out in a sticky costume clad mess.”

“And this is supposed to be the better option?” Loki asked, confused.

“It’ll be fun, they’ll love it,” she assured. “You’ll see. As for keeping a low-profile… What about a mall?”

“A mall?!” Danvers objected. “No, malls are so lame.”

“They’re not lame,” Pepper defended.

As the women debated the worthiness of trick or treating at the mall Rhodey sat up with a sudden idea. It was a little out there as ideas went, but certain to be way more entertaining than a mall at least...though perhaps, it would be too entertaining. It would be safe though.

“Actually,” he interrupted Betty with an apologetic nod, who was explaining to Loki what trick or treating actually was. “I might have an idea for a location. I’ll make a call tomorrow and let you all know.”

“Oh good!” Betty beamed. “Now there’s just costumes to worry about.”

“He’d look adorable in just about anything,” Pepper murmured thinking. “Wish we had time to try a few options out.”

“Don’t worry about that,” Loki waved the concern away. “If you give me a visual I can transform your ideas easily enough.”

“Thanks Loki,” she smiled.

“Yea, thanks Yogi,” Rhodey grinned, teasing Loki about the k that got dropped to g whenever Tony was excited or very tired. The god rolled his eyes and flicked a sausage at him.

“What about a train conductor?” Betty suggested. “He likes trains.”

“Oh I like that idea!” Carol added. “Or a pilot,” she smirked.

“Or maybe Bob The Builder,” Pepper said with a sly look to the little fixer.

“What about a ninja turtle?” Rhodey jumped in. “A teeny tiny ninja turtle.”

Something about Rhodey’s suggestion lit a lightbulb in Bruce’s mind. The more he thought about it the more he kind of loved the idea, which was strange, as he’d never been trick-or-treating either and felt a little ridiculous getting excited about it now.

“Umm,” he hedged, giving Betty a little squeeze in his growing excitement “I have a pretty good idea.”

“Tony bix it!” Tony announced, plugging the fan into the provided strip cord sitting next to him and flicking the switch on.

It was no surprise to anyone when the plastic blades began to spin.

“Okay. Everybody ready?” Rhodey asked, pushing more straw out of his face with irritation. Him and Bruce had gone back and forth on the issue but Rhodey had caved when he realized that being stuck in a hot suit all night was not what he would call a win.

“Almost done!” Carol called, dashing into the kitchen, her extensions bouncing. She grabbed a basket off the table and bent down to gently scoop the black puppy out of Tony’s hands. “Sorry kiddo! I’ll return him tonight.”

“Puppy,” Tony whimpered for a moment until Loki came and picked him up to go and dorn the rest of his costume.

“Was an actual dog really necessary?” Rhodey asked, shaking his head.

“Yes! When I costume I go full out. Besides, German Shepherds make great therapy dogs!”

He couldn’t dispute that and instead turned to watch as Laura fussed over Nathanial’s costume. Cooper and Lila, dressed as Legolas and Katniss respectively, tried to look bored on the adjacent couch. Monica finally exited the kitchen, carrying her four year old Melody and stood next to Carol. The cute little girl and her mother made adorable astronauts.

Bruce finally appeared, shuffling over to stand next to Rhodey and pulled at the collar of his suit.

“I think I made a mistake,” he admitted.

“No take backs,” Rhodey grinned, making sure not to trip on the man’s tail as he stepped towards the kitchen.

“Let’s get a move on people!” he called, checking his watch. It was already 5:58 pm and their transportation would arrive soon.

“Coming!” Pepper called, coming out of the hallway in tangent with Loki and securing the hood on Tony’s head.

She was leaving glitter everywhere but with her red hair, her fluffy pink dress and ridiculous hat she certainly looked the part. Once the hat was secured Loki passed her the wand and then the toddler as he conjured the top hat and cane needed to complete his own look. His costume in particular had worked out perfectly. He’d initially refused wearing one when he saw how “insipid” the others were. However upon seeing that his own merely consisted of a well tailored suit and top hat he had eventually acquiesced.

“Alright Betty,” Pepper called. “Come on out.”

Betty opened the door to a room across the way and stepped out tentatively. Even with her skin tinted green and hair hidden under a hat she was stunning. She made a horrible wicked witch, attributing to the sole fact that her face radiated kindness regardless of how sinister Pepper had tried to make her make-up.

She approached Tony slowly, a small reassuring smile on her face, and after a bit of prompting from Pepper he looked up, reared back in surprise for a moment, before blinking and looking back up to Loki, reaching out for his hat.

“And we’re good!” Pepper cheered.

There was a collective sigh of release just as a small pop sounded and Rhodey turned to see that Clarice had arrived, portal open and waiting.

“Okay time to go!” he called.

“Wait! My broom!” Betty called dashing back down the hallway.

“Oh! Tony’s screwdriver!” Pepper mirrored dashing down the hall after Betty.

“Mommy I gotta go tinkle,” Monica’s daughter said.

“Baby I just asked you five minutes ago and you said you didn’t have to go.”

“I didn’t. Not then.”

“I’m sorry,” she said looking up at Rhodey and then down at Clarice. “Just give me two minutes.”
She dashed off to the bathroom and Rhodey looked at Clarice in apology as she let the portal close.

“It’s no problem,” she reassured. “It’s not like I’m in a hurry.”

There was a brief moment of silence as they watched the ensuing frenzy.

“So. Blink huh?” he finally asked, turning towards her.

“Yea,” she smiled nervously. “I thought it was cool. You don’t think it’s too… boring do you?”

“I think it’s spot on,” Rhodey assured. “I like it.”

“Thanks,” she grinned.

Pepper re-emerged from the hallway, joining Loki, who waved a hand over Tony, seeming to turn the entire costume and Tony’s face the appropriate shade of silver. That done, they came to stand just in front of Rhodey.

“Sorry!” she breathed. “We’re ready now.”

“Is this him?” Clarice asked with wide eyes staring intently at Tony, clutching to his screwdriver and Pepper’s arm.

“Yea,” Rhodey confirmed. “That’s him.”

He watched as she took a step forward, bending down to stare Tony right in the eyes.

“You don’t know me yet. But you saved my life once,” she whispered, reaching out gently to brush a curl out of his face. “Thank you.”

“Okay I’m ready!” Betty announced reemerging from the hallway broom in hands.

“We are too!” Monica called right behind her and Laura finally stood from the couch with Nathaniel in his Robin Hood outfit and gestured for her two older children to join the group.

“Alright,” Clarice said, reopening the portal behind her. “Let’s go have a party!”

Rhodey was right.

It was much more entertaining than he’d thought. After the large group had arrived they’d been greeted by the Professor and given buckets before being assigned a guide so they didn’t get turned around and set off to fill their pails.

At nearly every door the students giving out candy were more excited than the toddlers. It took Rhodey nearly half the night to realize that it was very possible many of these children had never experienced Halloween either.

After dutifully passing out candy to the three children in their party they often followed after the large group, even rushing ahead to knock on fellow students' doors with a loud “trick or treat!” before being pelted with candy.

At one door they had finally gotten Tony to say “twick or tweat” and the teenage boy had looked at Tony and said very seriously “Trick.” Tony had responded by looking up at Loki, who had conjured a vicious image of a tiger that jumped at the boy, its mouth engulfing the boy's head before he could jerk away, teeth snapping down only for the image to dissolve in the air.

The teen stood for a moment, clearly trembling before taking the bowl of candy from the table next him and offering the entire bowl to an ecstatic Tony. Loki had grinned, clearly impressed with himself and proceeded to shrink the bowl until it was small enough to drop into tony’s basket before turning to move on.

Even Cooper and Lila had enjoyed themselves. Having been hidden away for most of their life Halloween was a first for them as well. They had worked hard on appearing much too old for trick-or-treating, putting on the heir of only being there under duress until they realized that many of their peers were in the same boat as them, and were not hiding their excitement at this rare opportunity for fun.

Before the night was over Laura’s two teens were sprinting down the halls with the school’s resident students, laughing and throwing candy and complimenting everyone on their costumes, noting how mutants with physical manifestations had worked that mutation to their advantage. Everyone agreed that Nightcrawler made the best Na’vi look-a-like ever.

Tony became slow friends with Melody and Cooper, and after explaining to them that Tony was shy because they were his first friends his own age, they had happily enjoyed each other’s company and took it upon themselves to help Tony by interacting with him even more, much to Tony’s delight as he kept offering them more and more of his candy.

The dog only escaped Carol’s basket once when she set it down to fix her pigtails. Luckily, it had been quickly apprehended by a young man who had seen the dog run by, heard their frantic calls and simply commanded the puppy to stop and return. The dog had listened, tripping over itself as it did a 180 and bounded back towards them before hopping upon Tony to lick him several times on the face. Whatever Loki had done must have been pure illusion because no silver was transferred in the exchange and the puppy was returned promptly to his basket.

By the time they had finished their venture and said their thanks and goodbye to everyone at the school, with several names and numbers exchanged between Cooper and Lila, it was nearing 8 pm. They were further hindered when the two oldest Barton children had begged their mother into letting them stay until 11pm when they would promptly return, not a second late.

Back once more in the compound the group had spread out around the living room, the kids sitting on the ground to empty their buckets and count their mountains of treats. Tony had accumulated the most by far, which Loki seemed to be rubbing in the other kids' faces until Rhodey had told him to stop being an ass. They were all allowed only five pieces for the night, a limit that was most definitely broken if the scattered wrappers they found the next morning were a clue. Those were some sneaky little tikes.

As a result, the next 45 minutes were a lesson in endurance as three hyped up kids ran around screaming their heads off as if it was the most amusing thing ever. Thankfully, the rush did end and by 9:15 Tony had finally dropped and joined the other children in a slumber born from complete exhaustion.

The adults didn’t fare any better. Plans had been made beforehand to return to abodes, but with Cooper and Lila gone and Monica knocked out on the recliner, Rhodey didn’t see anyone going anywhere that night.

True to their word the teens returned promptly at 11 pm, a fact they made sure their bleary-eyed mother knew, both kids aware of the importance of milking the ‘see how responsible we are’ for future endeavors. The two had then proceeded to dump their own buckets and talk in excited whispers about how much fun they’d had all while trading m&ms for snickers and kit kats for reese's.

Laura nodded back off before her two teens did, but they followed soon after. Carol was drooling on Rhodey’s shoulder and he was just thinking that Bruce and Betty, who looked cozy all snuggled against each other on the opposite couch, made a pretty incredible couple when he too finally succumbed to the pull of sleep.

Pepper reached down and very, very carefully tugged the hood off of Tony’s costume before running a gentle hand through his curly hair. Pulling her arm back up she looked down at Loki, who sat slumped against the couch in front of her, Tony’s body tucked against his leg, a little fist clenching part of his tailored pants.

“See?” she whispered. “It was fun. They loved it.”

Loki didn’t respond but she smiled anyway before turning over and getting comfortable.

“You loved it,” she added softly just before drifting off.

She never saw the modest smile her words conjured, but then again, she didn’t need to.

Chapter Text

Early November 2017

“Rhodey. Rhodey come here,” Pepper said. He finished loading the last dish and left the kitchen wondering why she sounded tense.

“Is that a circuit board?” Rhodey asked, coming to a complete stop as he crossed into the living room. The item in question had been temporarily abandoned as Tony tried to deter the puppy from eating a spare wire.

“Yes,” Pepper replied with wide eyes.

“Dodo, no,” Tony said firmly. “No eat.” They had tried to name the dog Toto, but Tony kept dropping the T for a D.

“He doesn’t build that until he’s four,” Rhodey stated, looking a little unnerved.

“I’m aware,” Pepper agreed, sounding just as alarmed.

“Yea, I was worried about that,” Bruce said, sitting up and rubbing the back of his head as if he was guilty of something. “He’s damn smart, he flies through every puzzle we give him. In order to keep him adequately stimulated we’ve been giving him increasingly more difficult problems to solve. It keeps his attention but… it also means he learns faster.”

“I don’t see the problem,” Loki drawled, running a hand through Tony’s hair where he sat next to him laughing as Dodo attempted to lick his face. “He’s smarter than most Asgardian children 100x his age.”

“Wait really?” Bruce asked, completely sidetracked. “How do you know that?”

“I tested him,” Loki responded like it was an asinine question. “You didn’t think all those magic tricks were just simple card tricks did you?” he smirked.

“Oh… wow okay,” Bruce huffed out sitting back against the couch. “Anyway, the human brain… changes when you learn. We can track the pace Tony was learning by looking at his very publicized accomplishments. But if he’s surpassing his previous benchmarks that means he’s learning faster, which means his brain has changed. There are potential pathways opened now that he didn’t have before and we’re just worried about how that’ll affect Tony when he… when we turn him back.”

“And you think this growth will be harmful?” Loki asked with narrowed eyes.

“We’re not sure,” Pepper responded. “This is… pretty unprecedented territory.”

“But think about it,” Bruce continued. “I mean, God forbid we can’t change him back. He’ll learn the same things he did before, only faster. By the time he’s 10 he may be ready to attend MIT. At 20 years old he could have solved the optimized arc reactor. At 25 he could have solved the issue of space travel. At 30, who knows how far he’ll be able to jump.”

There was a moment of tense silence before Loki snorted in amusement.

“You’re all idiots,” he announced. “He’ll be fine.”

“Probably,” Bruce admitted, glancing down at Tony as he finally settled the puppy and reached to grab his newly made circuit board. “Still…”

“Idiots,” Loki murmurs again, shaking his head.

Humans worried about the silliest things.

“Got you, you bastard,” Rhodey cursed with a grin, grabbing his phone and heading to the conference room to inform the council of the impending mission.

“Yes,” came the irritated voice of Strange in his ear.

“We got a lead. It’s a lock on Williams,” he announced and then promptly hung up, giving Strange a taste of his own medicine.

Besides, he had a lot of other calls to make.

For once the mission went smoothly and Simon Williams was sitting before Rhody within 24 hours of getting the location.

He let the quiet drag on. Not as a way to intimidate the man, but as the time he needed to calm himself down, so he didn’t do anything rash or unnecessarily violent, like shooting him in the face. When he felt he had a handle on his emotions he spoke.

“Simon Williams. Wonder Man. Hero turned villain.”

Williams flinched at that, looking more ashamed than Rhodey expected him too. He decided to press the hunch.

“Enjoys torturing kids.”

“That’s not true!” Williams barked out looking pained now. “I never tortured anyone.”

“The two cigar burns, now perfectly scarred into his arm, beg to differ,” Rhodey clipped.

“That wasn’t me. It was -Tss...It was the other guy.”

“Who? What’s his name?”

“I can’t… I can’t tell you. He’ll kill me.”

“Oh. Okay,” Rhodey said, getting up from his chair as if their conversation was done. “No, I get it. I respect that. So let me tell you how this is going to go. You’re going to give me a name and a location right now, out of your own free will, or I’m going to have my friend on the other side of the glass, mutant you know, rip through your brain like putty to find me a name and location. Did you have a preference?”

“Wait!” Williams cried. “Please! I didn’t know he was going to do that. I would never do that to a child. I didn’t sound the alarm when you were there to get him out. I could have and I didn’t because I realized I was wrong.”

“Did you now?” Rhodey said. “And how did your employer feel about that?”

“He wasn’t happy,” Williams winced. “But he was more unhappy at his staff for letting Stark get away.”

“Why did he want Tony? Why did he need him as a kid?”

“I don’t know all the specifics,” Williams confessed. “Something about needing him to hack into something. Something he did when he was twelve or thirteen. He said kids were easier to manipulate.”

The feat in question immediately came to Rhodey and he remembered how Tony had sheepishly confessed to hacking into the Pentagon while in highschool.

“And what was in it for you?” Rhodey pressed leaning across the table threateningly.

“The entire Stark enterprise,” Williams admitted, readily looking less scared now and more defeated. “He was going to have Tony sign over his shares of the organization.”

“At twelve?” Rhodey asked skeptically.

“No, they were going to age him up into his 20s for that. Old enough to be accountable for the recording, after a bit of…persuasion.”

“Persuasion… you mean torture,” Rhodey corrected. “Just say it. You were going to torture him. So what went wrong?”

“That boy of his messed up. He de-aged Stark too far and then couldn’t reverse it.”

“What boy?” Rhodey asked.

“Some mutant. They called him Celet.”

“Mmm.”

Rhodey finally sat back down across from Williams and completely changed tactics.

“You did a real shitty thing,” he started. “Might be you even feel bad about it. I see here you have a son about Tony’s current age.”

“Please,” Williams began begging.

“I’m not you, Simon,” Rhodey huffed, annoyed. “I don’t torture children. But I’m going to give you a chance to redeem yourself in your son's eyes. Help me find the mutant kid, Celet, and we’ll give you an honorable discharge from the Defenders and your son can grow up believing you were always a hero and something worth looking up to.”

There were no more threats, no more conversations after that. It took three painstakingly long days before he got called back into the new maximum security mutant ward established by the good Professor in collaboration with Tony and Dr. Reeds.

“I’ll do it,” Williams whispered. “I’ll help you, but it’ll take time. He just moved locations. You caught me as I slipped out while they were packing up. I know the new location. I doubt they’ll be there, but I can help you track them to the next one.”

Rhodey nodded, pulling out a chair before getting comfortable.

“I’m listening.”

It took eight days for them to find the bunker.

The first day was spent scouring the old base for any additional clues. It was empty of course. There was nothing for them there.

The second day was spent doing virtually the same thing at the next location. Only this time traps had been set and they had nearly lost three of their team.

The third day someone attempted to kidnap Williams' son. The kidnapper didn’t know about the new Stark R&D compound that had absorbed into the assailant's skin when he tried to sneak in through the window before the defensives had been activated.

Six days later they were sure they’d lost the guy. He had refrained from returning to ground and had kept mobile until the chemical compound was no longer detectable. It was only a matter of time before they had lost sight of the target.

Then quite unexpectedly Pepper had called with a location, the coordinates of which had popped up on her display (thank you FRIDAY). They were geared up and ready half an hour after her frantic call and arrived at the bunker two hours later.

It shouldn’t have been a surprise to see Zemo, and after watching him cleanly decapitate Simon Williams in one highly unexpected swing Rhodey had felt no qualms putting a bullet into his head. After all, another clone was sitting in a cell perfectly fine. No one would miss this one.

Celet turned out to be about Peter’s age. After a brief talk with the Professor the kid seemed much more stable than when they had first stumbled upon him. He even sounded excited about the prospect of going to school with others like himself, where he would learn to control his powers without being locked in a dark closet for days or months until he ‘figured it out’.

When the time came there were several who were conflicted. Loki and Bruce most noticeably, clinging to Tony as if they were losing something precious, and in a way Rhodey supposed they were. But he reminded himself, and them, that they were also gaining something precious in return. The core pieces would still be intact. It was a bearable separation. It had to be.

Watching the process of restoration was disturbing and apparently took much longer than the time needed to strip years away. Luckily Tony was out for the entire process.

A long seventeen hours later Tony laid on the couch, the room filled with concerned individuals who were anxious to verify his well being. When he finally opened his eyes, blinking at the bright afternoon light he simply sat there, staring off as if his brain hadn’t quite caught up with his body. Everyone in the room tensed.

But soon enough the vacant look was replaced by confusion and he began to look around warily.

“Why is there a dog in the living room?”

There was a collective sigh and a few chuckles at that, because thank God. Yea. Tony was definitely back.

Rhodey waited until the next day when Tony was up and about to slip away and make the mandatory trip to inform Mrs. Williams that her vindictive bastard of a husband had showed some honor in the end after all.

Mid November 2017

Tony Stark was different.

He could feel it, though he couldn’t put his finger on it. He’d known it as soon as he opened his eyes. The calculations he’d been working on the last month had suddenly clicked. Startled, he'd run through them again, confused as to why it hadn’t been as clear to him the day before.

Of course, that was when he realized that there was a room full of people watching him because??? Oh right, he’d been kidnapped and now clearly he had been rescued and brought home, which was great except for, why the hell was there a dog in the living room?

He got distracted from that answer by the sorrowful undertones in all of the smiles around him. His confusion only grew as he looked around to see the floor covered in baby blankets, as well as the admittedly cute puppy who kept sticking his head under Tony’s hand to be pet.

Turned out a lot had changed while he was away. Apparently he had been de-aged to a child, and honestly how was that even a thing? He really did not want to know what horrible things they had learned about him and was just as happy when they seemed even less inclined to share what they had learned.

It was all he could do just to recenter himself in a once familiar world that now seemed just a little off. Like the old radio he stumbled upon that felt familiar and important, even though he’d never owned such a radio and didn’t know where it had even come from. Or like when they had sloppy joes one night and Tony had forgotten to grab a napkin, but before he could get up to grab one Bruce had wiped up the sauce on his hand at the exact same time Loki magicked off the smear on his mouth. Tony had frozen in surprise, but they’d both gone back to eating and talking immediately after, as if what they had done had been somehow normal.

But it wasn’t normal. It was unsettling and made Tony’s insides flutter with an uncertainty where there should have been surety. His brain itched for a drink but instead of slipping into old habits, he found himself obsessively petting their apparent new dog. At first it had been at the dog's insistence, though why the dog seemed to like him he didn’t understand. Weren’t kids terrible with pets? Eventually though, Tony found he enjoyed the soothing motion more and more until he went looking for the thing instead of the other way around.

With his world off axis he didn’t think about the equation again for a long time.

“What are these?” Tony asked, swiping another weird looking nugget from the plate Bruce had produced as lunch. “I like them, they’re pretty good.”

“I thought you might,” Bruce said with a small smile. “It’s a secret recipe.”

“Hm,” Tony grabbed another and tossed it to Dodo. Honestly, who named the thing? It was a horrible name and most definitely did not amuse him. “So you and Betty huh?” he asked, watching Bruce turn bright red as he suddenly found the counter unacceptably dirty.

“Yea… For a little bit now,” he confirmed despite giving a tomato a run for its money.

Tony was surprised that Bruce had so readily admitted the obvious. The biologist was such a pessimist sometimes and Tony had been ready to encourage him, but it looked like this time he didn’t need to. He smiled at the happy half grin on Bruce’s face and reached out to pat the man on the back. Progress.

“Good for you,” he praised softly, the moment dragging on until he had a thought that made him grin like a Cheshire cat.

“Of course,” he said, grabbing another nugget, “you do realize we’ll have to go on triple dates now right?”

“What?!” Bruce looked up at him with genuine horror in his eyes. “Tony no. That’s not necessary. It’s not even plausible we all have different schedules.”

“My Honey Bear is the best at arranging schedules and he actually enjoys double dates,” Tony refuted heading out of the kitchen. “I’m sure he can figure something out. I’m going to go tell Betty. Think she’ll be excited?”

“Tony no, wait! Wait!” Bruce nearly jumped the counter to chase after him.

“So I hear you nearly solidified the treaty with Nova Corps while I was... incapacitated,” Tony asked with a smirk as he sprawled in the chair across from the wizard. “ATLAS was proud. We’ll make a diplomat of you yet.”

“While it’s certainly progress we needed to solidify this alliance yesterday.”

“Hmm,” Tony agreed, noting the way Strange was studying him. The intense scrutiny had only started after he’d woken up on the couch a week ago. Clearly the man had something that he wanted to say, but as Tony had learned with the wizard, it was best to let him come to you. Strange would address whatever was bothering him in due time.

“Still, no need not to celebrate!” Tony said with a grin, thinking decidedly about the scene he had witnessed between the wizard and one of his padawans. Through careful snooping he’d found out the girl's name was Clea and that she had followed him back from the Dark Dimension, whatever that was. It was clear as day that there was potential there and Tony was determined to push it from potential into actuality.

“I insist you come to the bar for a drink tonight,” he pushed.

“Tony, we don't have time for your frivolity,” Strange sniped, crossing his arms and leaning forward onto the desk. “Does Sorcerer Supreme mean nothing to you?”

“Okay how about this,” Tony suggested, also leaning forward. “I’ll work nonstop to get them to sign by the end of the week, if you agree to meet me and a friend at the The Wizards Brew this Friday night at nine to toast our inevitable success.”

Tony wasn’t sure if the disdainful eyebrow was for the name of the pub or for the suggestion of frivolity as blackmail and he really didn’t care. As long as he got a yes.

“Two hours tops,” he wheedled. “Come on Stephen, one drink with a friend isn’t going to cost us the war.”

Something in that last sentence caused Strange’s eyes to shutter and Tony could almost see the weight settle on the man’s shoulders. Clearly he needed a break, and Tony was just about to concede defeat until a more opportune time when Strange took a breath and finally spoke.

“You solidify this treaty with Nova Corps, and I’ll stay for two drinks,” he relented.

Check mate, Tony thought with a grin. One day Strange was going to thank him for this.

Late November 2017

“So you’re saying you can see the future,” Tony asked, needing clarification.

“No. I can see possibilities,” Strange said. “Little things change constantly, but big things tend to come to fruition.”

“So Thanos was always a thing that was going to happen?”

“From what I can tell, yes.”

“Okay so what’s the problem,” Tony asked, leaning back in his chair. “Why tell me this, my decisions won’t sway things one way or the other.”

Strange didn’t agree with that statement, but also didn’t deny it, and that lack of denial made Tony curious.

“Before your abduction in September, I saw 14,000,605 outcomes to this war. Do you know how many of those we won?”

Tony's eyes were wide, a little daunted at the sheer number of possible futures the man had seen and he shook his head.

“One.”

“Well, shit,” Tony murmured trying not to let the panic overtake him. One still meant there was a chance, but the sheer odds were staggering.

“I ran the numbers again the day we got the adult you back. Ask me how many of those we win now.”

“How many?” Tony obliged, swallowing hard and feeling the niggle in his brain that meant he had forgotten something.

“1,475,602.”

Tony huffed out a breath, mind racing at the implications and just plain hope it engendered. He wondered if Strange would be willing to share any tips from the futures where they had won. Any battle strategies or choices that needed to be made.

He stopped then, suddenly wondering if knowing the future would change things for the better or for the worse. Messing with time was such a slippery, slippery slope and he looked up to Strange with confused, narrowed eyes.

“Why are you telling me this?” he asked, pretty sure he wasn’t going to like the answer.

“Because you seem to be an important nexus Tony, your choices make far more ripples than would be expected of one individual,” he said solemnly before adding, “and because you’re a good person.”

“Uh… okay.” Tony murmured, not sure what to do with that last bit. Strange saying something nice about him? He’d have FRIDAY run vitals on him later to make sure he wasn’t dying.

“There are two ways we can move forwards,” Strange bulldozed on. “One. I tell you nothing else. You leave here, and our odds of winning stay the same, but the victory always comes at a terrible price. Two. I tell you one thing, just one, and our odds of winning drop significantly to 275,497… but those victories are the best possible outcome for most everyone involved.”

Tony couldn’t muster up anything to say because he was running the calculations but always coming up with A + B = of course they should go with better odds. And yet there was something in him that seemed to fight that option and he couldn’t understand why.

“Before you answer, I apologize,” Strange added quietly. “My decision to make you choose is a cruelty, but it had to be you. It was always you.”

And that told Tony absolutely nothing except to give him more anxiety and add to the growing voice in his mind pushing him toward the insane. The choice was too big. If Strange was right then Tony potentially held the lives of untold billions in his hands.

“Do I need to decide now?” He hedged. He couldn’t do this right now. He needed to take a break or build something.

“No,” Strange said, looking at him with masked pity and why? “But it needs to be soon.”

“Deadline?”

“December 16.”

The date was a punch to the gut and he wanted to ask why the hell it was so specific. Why that date? Why not December 17? But he was tired and confused and admittedly a little terrified and he couldn’t sit there a moment longer.

He shot out of his chair, running a hand through his hair and forcing himself to breath. Strange stood more slowly and without a word made the portal to take him back. Tony was nearly through when he remembered that he’d come with a message as well.

“Oh right,” he stopped and turned back. “Pepper said she’s saving you a spot, so you better show up for Thanksgiving or no amount of donuts will save you. Her words, not mine.”

He turned then, before Strange could refuse, because he was not telling Pepper if that were indeed the case. Stephen would learn. That woman was unstoppable.

“See you at dinner.”

Rhodey didn’t have to ask what was eating Tony. That was always the look he got when he had to make a big decision. He could remember well the week Tony had spent nearly worrying himself to death. Trying to decide whether giving his final project the voice of a very precious person would be honoring the impact the butler had in his life, or disrespecting the memory by enslaving his voice forever.

Nothing had changed much from then until now. Tony was still his best friend and no matter what Rhodey would have his back and he told him so when he’d found him just sitting in an empty training room, two days after a rather hectic Thanksgiving.

“Whatever it is Tones, I trust you, and I trust your decision. The direction you’re going may change but the person next to you? That’ll never change.”

He wasn’t sure if the words helped or not, but they were true, and in Rhodey’s experience it never hurt to be reminded of that when it was so easy to forget.

Early December 2017

“Tony?” Pepper asked, coming to join him on the freezing balcony where he stood as if the cold didn’t bother him. “What’s wrong?”

He’d been distracted and distant for the last week, going off by himself for long periods of time, and everytime she went to pull him back to finish dinner, or the rest of the movie, or back to bed, she always found him the same way. Posture rigid, shoulders rounded as if he carried the world on them, staring off into space as if it held the answers he needed.

She’d never gotten a proper answer the previous times she’d asked and she hadn’t really expected one this time either, so when he smiled and relaxed his cold body into her warm embrace she assumed that was the extent of his answer. She was surprised a minute later when he finally spoke.

“If you had the choice between having less knowledge about the future with better odds for winning, but at the expense of billions of lives, or having more knowledge about the future with only half the chance of success, but less casualties...which one would you choose?”

Pepper took a moment to unpack his intricate, yet vague question, and then grew still upon deciphering it. This was the dilemma he‘d been struggling with the last two weeks. Increasing the chances to save lives at the cost of actually losing lives, or decreasing the chances to save lives for the potential of saving them all.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, and she was. It was an impossible choice and she wished she could take it from him. Instead she offered the only support she could, which was to hold him tighter, feet planted firmly so he could lean on her for a little relief and not be crushed under the weight.

Later that night when he lay quiet beside her, she whispered her real answer. It was selfish and wholly true and she let the words land softly against the scarred skin of his back, too quiet for him to hear.

“I would choose whichever one gave me you.”

Tony was sitting at his lab desk.

That’s it. Just sitting there, the tools in his hand momentarily forgotten in lieu of bigger worries.

“Tony.”

He jerked upright to smile at Bruce, who wasn’t buying it. Everyone had noticed the way the genius had withdrawn the last couple weeks. There was clearly something heavy on his mind, but when pressed he always changed the subject.

“You’re not alone. You know that right?” he asked. Bruce didn’t really know how to help in this situation but he felt compelled to at least try to give Tony a little peace of mind.

“Whatever it is, we're with you.”

Tony smiled softly nodding a thanks to his friend right before the quiet lab was interrupted with the most familiar aggrieved sigh.

Loki, sprawled in his hammock and swinging softly looked towards them with near angry, impatient eyes.

“I swear brooding is some sort of innate human pastime,” he spat before locking eyes with Tony. “Stop fretting about what you can’t control, Sven. It’s not going to make a lick of a difference except to ruin a perfectly good Thursday evening.”

Loki leaned back into a relaxed position hoping his words were getting through. The hypocrisy wasn’t lost on him, but he didn’t particularly enjoy a brooding Tony. It made the god edgy. The subsequent, if delayed, bark of incredulous laughter was a good sign.

Loki missed the answering smirk that was tinged with a bit of exasperation at hearing that random nickname again. Tony finally relaxed his shoulders, and Loki nearly smiled at the sound of tools being used once more, a soothing clammer that followed him into his standard Thursday nap.

Tony got out of the car slowly.

He wasn’t really sure what he was doing here, except that he felt the need to be closer to them. Closer to the last place they’d been alive before being violently ripped away.

Shutting the car door he traversed the empty road until he made it to the concrete wall the car had crashed against, a deliberate attempt on their lives that they had survived, until the Winter Soldier had rolled up to finish the job.

Sliding down the wall he took a seat on the freezing ground.

He’d had time now, to reflect and to forgive. It didn’t mean he wasn’t still upset, or that if he ever saw the man again that he would refrain from taking a swing, but he had room now to understand the unfortunate circumstance of Barnes brainwashing. Still, understanding didn’t change the outcome, didn’t make the loss hurt any less, and as Tony sat there alone, shivering in the dark, he tried to swallow down that hurt once more.

Time was catching up though, or was it running out? He wasn’t sure anymore. He leaned his head back against the wall, tear tracks freezing on his face as he took in the stars. They were bright tonight, shining light on the anniversary of one of the darkest days of his life.

Ever since the battle of New York a starry view had terrified him, because he knew what lay in the dark spaces in between. Now that darkness had a name. Thanos. And he was coming for them. Tony had to accept that, and he had. He did. The universe was vast. There was always a bigger fish, and sometimes things would be out of his control. But as much as he was able he wouldn’t let one man steal everything he loved.

Like a switch the view changed. It was as if putting a name to his enemy released his fear of the night sky and he gazed in awe at the sheer beauty laid out before him, seeming closer than it had any right to be.

The sight made him remember something that he had forgotten. A calculation that he had solved, that had been so clear the moment he’d first woken up on that couch, and that had faded from memory so quickly.

The realization was like a tank missile to the chest and left him gasping in denial under twinkling stars that somehow seemed to flare brighter, as if to confirm his fears. It left him breathless and shaky with a healthy dose of doubt and a mountain full of questions.

But he would get no answers here that hadn’t already been given.

Standing on shaky legs he activated the locator, and within a minute a portal emerged in front of him and Strange stepped through. The wizard looked around, a little bewildered at the location but Tony didn't explain. He had FRIDAY take the car home before following Strange back through the portal and into his study.

He’d made his choice.

“Are you okay?” Strange asked carefully. He was aware of the date and hadn’t enjoyed setting such an emotional deadline. All he had known was that a choice would be made then, if it hadn’t been already, and wouldn’t change once it had been made.

Stephen didn’t begrudge the mechanic's lack of response. Tony had clearly come to some realization that had been startling enough to shake him badly. So he sat quietly while Tony got his breathing under control and watched as wild, wide eyes slowly settled into the steady determination that he’d come to know and admire.

“I’ve made a choice,” Tony finally said, and Strange sat up. This was an important nexus, one that would shape their future path and be the driving force behind every subsequent decision.

“But first, I’d like you to do something for me,” Tony detoured.

“I’m listening,” Strange said, sitting back in his chair a little warily.

“You can see possible futures, but can you see the past?”

Strange was silent for a long moment, choosing his words carefully. He’d gone down this path himself, wondering if he could have changed his fate entirely, but some things were meant to happen, even though they were undesirable. He had decided long ago that he could look, but he would never change anything, or he would spend his life running in circles, caught in a butterfly effect. If that was what Tony wanted, he could not provide it.

“I can,” he finally said slowly, waiting to see what Tony would say.

“I want you to look back at my past. I don’t want you to change anything,” Tony said, noticing Strange’s shoulders relax minutely at that declaration. “I was adopted, and I never could find any information about my parents. I want you to find them for me. You’d be looking for anything unusual about my birth, or about who… or what they really are. I’ve been working on an equation that I recently solved. Or thought I did, but the answer is so... I need confirmation. Go back as far in my past as you need and then answer a simple yes or no question.”

“That’s it?” Strange asked with a bit of skepticism. “You don’t want me to give them a message or change anything. Just see who they are?”

“That’s it,” Tony assured, looking a bit terrified for a moment.

“Alright, Tony. I can do that,” he acquiesced, making the strange hand motions to open the necklace, casting a green glow about the room.

“Great. How lon-”

The question was cut off as Strange accessed the power of the time stone and flew backwards, focusing on Tony, speeding past several events he’d only heard of, never lingering in respect to the man’s privacy, all the way back to his adoption by the Starks and beyond, further still until-

Strange crashed back to the present, now looking as unsteady as Tony had been when he arrived.

“-g will it tak….oh,” Tony trailed off as Strange looked at him with wide unbelieving eyes. “Right,” Tony continued. “So. Am I normal?” he broke off stumbling, unable to even get the question out and instead choosing to settle on the three words he could utter. “Yes or no?”

He didn’t try to elaborate on the question again. If it was a yes, Strange would ask for clarification and that would be answer enough without giving his speculations away. However, if the answer was no, as he was beginning to suspect it was, then there was no need for further clarification.

“No,” Strange breathed, finally getting a hold of himself by remembering that he had heard of and experienced stranger things.

Just like that, one simple word changed everything Tony had ever known about his life and the world around him. So much for the excuse of resiliency that he’d been trying so hard to believe. It was too much too fast and his body was tense with the urge to run and hide until his mind could comprehend the magnitude of what had just transpired.

But Tony forced himself to stay there, swallowing down the bitter truth and boxing it up to deal with later so that he could finish what he’d come here to do. There’d be time for an existential crisis and mental breakdown later.

“What happens?” he asked and it took Strange a moment to understand that he meant in the future and not the past. This was Tony’s choice. The burden of knowledge.

“You die,” Strange softly, almost guiltily and it was Tony's turn once more to be floored and absolutely horrified, though it wasn’t like he hadn’t foreseen that outcome.

Was it just him that died? He’d think that outcome blatantly implausible if he hadn’t just found out something equally hard to fathom. If so, he had made a horrible mistake. His life wasn’t worth the billions of others that could be saved. And yet, a small part of him was also a little relieved. He hadn’t wanted to die. He knew it was a possibility, that it was still a possibility, but to know that it had been so clear cut, that it was near set in stone, was extremely disturbing.

He couldn’t go back and unknow the knowledge and instead chose to believe that there was more benefit to this ‘optimal’ ending than just his insignificant life possibly being spared. Strange wasn’t sentimental enough to risk billions of lives just for the one.

The voices of his friends whispered through his thoughts, settling his mind and heart.

“The direction may change but the person next to you? That’ll never change.”

“You’re not alone. Whatever it is, we're with you.”

“Stop fretting about what you can’t control.”

“I’d choose…you.”

“Okay,” he finally spoke, letting the fading voices carry away some of the roiling tension inside him. “Let’s get to work.”

“Your last shipment was a good haul,” Tony praised, finally closing the file in front of him. “We’ll be set for the next couple of weeks.”

“What can I say,” Quill smirked, leaning back in his seat. “When you’re good you're good.”

“Oh can it Quill!” Rocket spat. “Without my drill we’d be nowhere right now.”

“Our drill,” Tony corrected with a smirk. It was technically true as he’d taken the raccoon's admittedly impressive design and made it just that much more effective.

“Yea like I said my drill,” Rocket said, hopping out of the seat. “We done? Great! Let’s get out of here and get some grub.”

“Hold on,” Tony said before Quill could leave, thinking that he was probably going to regret this but being able to put himself in Quill’s shoes way too easily.

“I’m sure it’s been a while and well, Pepper wanted to- well both of us really. Pepper and I. We wanted to invite you, ya know, you and the gang, over for uh, Christmas. Only if you wanted to of course. It’s just an offer. No pressure.”

“Whaaaat?” Quill grinned. “You want to invite us for Christmas? That's-.”

He broke off there, sobering from the amusement of a moment ago. Something a bit painful and lonely and much too familiar passed over his face before he could pull himself back up straight.

“Yea man. That’d be cool,” he finally said with a soft smile that Tony thought may have been the first real one he’d ever seen. It was nice.

“Great. Okay,” he said, breaking away and grabbing his tablet. “Well you know the place, festivities start at noon. See you then.”

Tony slipped out of the door to a serenade of the raccoon listing all of the violent actions he was going to commit on his lagging shipmate if he, Rocket, the true captain, didn’t get his caramel crunch macchiato right damn now.

Chapter Text

Christmas 2017

He needed to tell her.

They were engaged; the wedding date tentatively set for early June. He was about to commit the rest of his life to her. He wanted to commit the rest of his life to her. That wasn’t the problem.

The problem was that she was to commit the rest of her life to him.

And how could he let her do that, how could he let her give herself so completely when she didn't know the truth of who and what he was.

He couldn’t, he had decided. It had been the obvious choice since the moment Strange had confirmed it. But he still hadn’t worked up the courage to tell her, and the longer he went the easier it was to just keep quiet, to pretend it didn’t really matter if she knew, when it so very much did.

As he watched her flit around the kitchen at 2 a.m., worrying over if they had enough food, even though it was a potluck and everybody was bringing something, he realized that his timing could have been better.

She was stressed, and the big day was hours away and the fact that the stove and the oven were both on was probably problematic in getting her to stop and focus on him for a moment. But if he didn’t do it now he’d never do it, and Pepper deserved better than that. She deserved better than his cowardice and fear.

“Hey Pep?”

“Oh! Tony I’m sorry did I wake you?” she breathed, throwing a quick look over her shoulder at him as she went to stir something in a large pot before clicking the oven light on and checking on the turkey. “Hey, do you think you can put those up on the tree?” she asked, turning around and gesturing to some bright gold garland sitting on the bar.

“Yes,” he agreed. “But first I have to tell you something.”

“Okay,” she nodded, ripping open a silky soft red tablecloth and heading over to one of the extra 6 footers they’d had to bring in for the occasion. “What is it?”

“It’s… difficult to say really,” he stalled, coming to join her at the table, grabbing the opposite end of the table cloth without being asked and settling it down evenly on his side.

“Okay. Well don’t push yourself Tony you don’t have to tell me now,” she unknowingly waved away his responsibility and he shot to the other side of the table, gently grabbing her arm to stop her from tearing open a bag of place settings.

“No, I do have to tell you,” he insisted. “Because it’s important, and it affects you, and because I’m over the moon for you Pepper.”

She turned to face him then, the place settings slipping from her hands to land on the table as her full attention was finally diverted to him.

“Tony,” she asked with encroaching concern in her eyes, fingers gripping his over-the-top Santa and His Elves pajama sleeves tightly. “What’s wrong?”

So many things.

There were so many things wrong. So many things he wished he could go back and redo, words he would have said, words he would not have said, actions and paths that he would have avoided like the plague had he known where they would lead him.

But Pepper was none of those things.

He was the problem. And it was time to let her decide whether he was something she really and truly wanted. He despaired that he came with so much more baggage than any one person could reasonably be expected to put up with. And he was terrified because he realized this and understood the very real possibility that this could be the toppling factor, the card that brought the entire deck crashing down.

The thought of living a life without her made him physically ill, sad in a way that twisted in on itself and ratcheted up into full blown anguish. He so desperately did not want to lose her.

“Tony?” she prompted again. He could see real worry in her eyes, and unbidden her words came back to him. Words she had whispered in the dead of night when she probably thought he was asleep. I would choose whichever one gave to you.

He held on to those words and the promise they had held, hoping against hope that they would remain true come morning. Then he took a deep breath and spoke some of the hardest words he’d ever had to say.

“Pepper, I-… I’m not human.”

“Merry Christmas!!!”

“Hey guys! Come in!” Pepper beamed, stepping back from the door as Laura and her kids crossed the threshold. “Cooper there’s a spot at the end of the bar where you can set the dip,” she instructed, seeing the huge platter in his hands.

She had only just shut the door, eyes automatically honing in on Tony across the room, when there was another knock at the door. He’d been tense all morning and she didn’t like the slight hunch of his shoulders as he talked with the Professor and Storm, but she hadn’t had a second to herself since Bruce and Betty arrived early that morning with their dish that had been made in one of the guest kitchens on another floor. And once they’d figured out how to keep it warm she’d been distracted by the timer and found the turkey surprisingly all right but the gravy half burnt and sticking to the pan in her neglect.

Feeling a bit overwhelmed at the sheer growth of their friend group, she whipped open the door to greet the new guest.

“Ho Ho Ho,” Jessica drawled, dressed in her typical black wardrobe now complete with a red Santa hat that no doubt Luke had coerced her to wear. The large man was standing behind her holding what looked to be like two pots of greens.

“Hey! Come on in!” Pepper beckoned, directing Luke to set down his food at an empty spot on one of the tables and gave Matt a quick hug as she closed the door.

Her eyes scanned the room again, honing in on Tony who had been clearly looking at her, their eyes making contact for a split second before he looked away. Yes, she definitely needed to talk to him. She had a horrible feeling he misinterpreted what she meant when she said she needed to process the fact that they weren’t the same species. Or… parts of them weren’t at least. If she could just get a moment with him alone.

She was halfway to the kitchen when another knock at the door came, followed by several rings of the bell. Jogging back with a huff she opened the door with a bright smile to hide her annoyance. Hadn’t they seen each other on the way in? Why hadn’t they all just waited and come in together?

“Party’s arrived!” Rocket drawled strolling through the door. “Happy Give Me Presents Day!”

“Rocket that’s not...no man I keep telling you it’s called Christmas.”

“Yea okay fine. Christmas. Now where are my presents!”

“Later Rocket, damnit have a little patience would you,” Quill said out of the side of his mouth as he shook Pepper’s hand and greeted her.

“I am Groot,” she could hear the tree in the background.

“What? No! It’s Happy Give Me Present’s Day, why would I have presents for you?!”

Gamora was the last to enter and, seeming to see the distress Pepper was trying to hide, she shut the door behind her before grasping the woman’s hand in greeting.

“What do you need help with?”

Pepper nearly fell onto the taller woman in a hug, but managed to keep her feet and she gratefully took up the offer of assistance and directed her to make sure the kids didn’t kill themselves, pointing to Quinn as exhibit A as the little girl began to climb on a end table that she had pushed against the bookshelf in order to reach a book.The fact that she couldn’t immediately see Harley was a troubling sign as well.

It was going to be a very long day.

“Merry Christmas Mr. Stark!”

“What the-.” Tony exclaimed, turning away from Vision to face Peter who was holding a box out towards him. “Kid what is this? I thought we specifically agreed on no gifts.”

“I know. I know we did,” he placated. “But I was online when I saw this shirt and I thought of you and aunt May might have overheard and insisted we buy it for you anyway.”

Unable to deny his curiosity Tony opened the box, a small smirk gracing his face as he fingered the duck/rabbit shirt inside.

“Thanks kid,” he grinned, closing the box and setting it on the table beside them. “I actually really like it.”

The beam Peter graced him with in response prompted Tony to reach into his pocket and grab his phone, quickly pulling up the screen he wanted before holding it out to Peter.

“And this is for you.”

Peter’s eyes grew wide as he regarded the phone, hands slowly reaching out to take the device in a strange reverence.

“Are you serious? But this is, this model isn’t even on the market yet,” he breathed.

“Not the phone Peter,” he exasperated. “Are you crazy? SI doesn’t even have their hands on this yet, they’d be crying for your blood,” he explained, tapping the screen to enlarge the images. “What’s on the phone.”

Some of the wonder in Peter’s eyes faded as an embarrassed blush stole over his cheeks, and for a moment he focused intently on looking at what was on the screen. As he looked his eyebrows slowly rose.

“Is this your new Audi prototype?” he asked, impressed as he read the success ratings. “The self-driving one?”

“That it is,” Tony nodded, slipping the phone from Peter and back into his pocket. “It’s also what you’ll be learning to drive in.”

“Man it’s so coo- wait what?!” Peter cut himself off as he registered what Tony had said.

“Had a nice chat with May about your driving skills, or severe lack thereof,” Tony huffed out a laugh at the kid’s wince. “Knowing how to drive is an important skill, so I’m going to teach you in the safest car SI has on the market. If you pass I might even let you keep it.”

“Seriously?!” Peter breathed eyes wide once more in disbelief.

“Seriously kid. Send me your schedule next week and we’ll start with the basics.”

“Oh yes sir! Of course sir! Thank you sir!”

“What do you think?” Loki asked sidling up next to Rhodey as the two watched Tony bend to rest his head on top of Dodo.

“Definitely an argument with lady love.”

“Really?” Loki asked with a brow, shooting a glance over to Pepper who at that moment did indeed glance over from her conversation with Danvers to eye Tony with a worried look. “That’s what’s been bothering him the past month?”

“The past month? No,” Rhodey shook his head, popping another Chakli into his mouth. He found the spicy cookie-like treat that Storm had brought just a little too delicious. They’d better set out dinner to eat soon or he’d be full up on snacks. “This just happened today.”

“Hmm,” Loki murmured, watching as Pepper caught Tony’s eye for a brief second before he looked away, hands giving the house pet a good rub down. “And how do you propose we correct the issue?”

“We don’t. He’s a big boy Yogi,” Rhodey huffed out a laugh, turning to look at Loki with shit -eating grin. He’d just remembered the adorable nickname and made a mental note to tell Tony about his toddler mangling of the god’s name. “He can handle his own business with his girl. If he needs advice he’ll ask.”

Loki rolled his eyes at the explanation before giving a sigh in annoyance. It was very clear at the moment that Tony was not handling it, but he supposed it was one of those situations he wasn’t to meddle in.

Tony rarely cried as an adult, leastways never in front of Loki, but he still found the man’s distress untenable. Whatever had happened between the two idiots they had better mend it quickly. Loki had never been a very patient god and he wasn’t beyond throwing the two into a pocket dimension until they figured it out.

“The roast!” Pepper nearly shouted, raising her voice and gesturing so that Nightcrawler could hear her. “Pass the roast!”

“Allow me,” came Charles' soft voice next to her. He made eye contact with Nightcrawler and a moment later the young man beamed in comprehension and grabbed the half diminished platter of roast, passing it to Kitty, who then passed it to Charles, who set it down gently on the limited space in front of Pepper’s seat.

“Thank you.” she grinned at him before taking a portion and adding it to her plate. Her eye caught Johnny’s as he stood next to his sister and Reeds and she was halfway out of her seat to offer it to him when he waved away the gesture with a grin and turned back to his conversation.

Sighing Pepper slid back into her chair. While they had tried to plan numbers Phil had called at the last minute and asked to bring his entire team, which of course they wouldn’t say no to, and Tony had forgotten to mention he invited Robbie Reyes and his brother after learning the kids had no family to celebrate with. Then Strange had very wisely made an appearance bringing Wong with him. And while every single one of these people were sincerely welcome, it also meant they hadn’t set out nearly enough tables. This left some people standing and sitting on the various couches and wherever else they could grab a bit of space.

Eyes flickering around the room she tried to calm her nerves as she took a bit of the savory roast that Rhodes and Carol had made.

“You know,” Charles' voice came from beside her. “Sometimes, I find it best to take care of any transgressions before coming to the altar, so to speak.”

She looked at him with a raised brow, bemusement written in her expression.

“That is, I mean to say, that often as humans we hold ourselves captive when a few simple words could set us free. There’s always a reason for delay, though perhaps there shouldn’t be.”

She opened her mouth to respond but snapped it closed as she looked down the table at where Tony sat laughing with Robbie and Phil. As every other time that night he seemed to feel her gaze on him. She watched as his shoulders tensed, the smile becoming slightly strained as his own eyes darted to hers for that barest second before darting away.

“You’re right,” she murmured, leaving her place at the table and making a B-line to Tony. She gently grabbed his hand and as he looked at her with confusion and no small amount of trepidation she felt her insides clench at making them both unnecessarily miserable for so long.

“Come with me,” she implored, pulling him out of his seat and leading him down the hallway to their room, ignoring the startled and concerned faces of the remaining guests.

Once inside the room she shut the door and turned to look at him, noting the controlled fear had turned to terror now that they were in private. He was visibly shaken and the tears came unbidden to her eyes as he opened his mouth to most likely apologize once again for something that was completely out of his control.

Cutting him off she threw her arms around him, pressing the full length of herself into his in an effort to show him that she meant every word that she was about to say.

“I love you,” she whispered into small hairs at the nape of his neck. “Human, alien, suit of iron... it doesn’t matter what form you take. It’s you.”

She felt his breath hitch, arms coming around to hold her tightly to him and knew the collar of her shirt was catching his warm tears. She wouldn’t lie and say that the truth had startled her at first. It’s not everyday your fiance tells you he’s a different species. But then so was Thor, and he and Jane seemed to get along just fine. It didn’t change who Tony was at the core. It didn’t change the fact that she loved this man...being… with all her heart.

“It’s always you,” she croaked, echoing his declaration back to him, lips pressing against his shoulder and neck, jaw and cheek, nose and lips in effort to imprint her love into his very skin.

She hadn’t meant to push him on the bed, and she certainly hadn’t meant to make love to him with an entire common room filled with their friends and family just down the hallway. She’d never been that unconscientious; but it looked like it was turning into an evening of firsts.

She pushed down the embarrassment that rose as they finally stepped out of the room half an hour later, clothes and hair back in place, faces clear of tear tracks. The softness in his shoulders and the small smile, the one that always left her breathless with the amount of adoration he had for her, was free of worry and worth the knowing smirks from those who had seen the couple leave.

Phil and Robbie both looked amused and embarrassed, trying hard not to notice the undeniably swollen lips. At least Rhodey with his ridiculous grin had the grace to keep his head on his plate, whereas Carol’s grin stayed firmly on the couple before she blatantly winked. Loki, who had been watching them all evening, looked strangely relieved and simultaneously annoyed but overall much less high strung than he’d been.

She couldn’t be too upset with Loki’s scrutiny though, as before she could maneuver the crowd to grab her seat, he'd already magicked her one next to Tony, her abandoned plate somehow appearing next to his own.

Cheeks still on fire she found herself grinning honestly for the first time that day as she sat down next to her fiance.

Not quite what I had in mind came the voice of Charles in her mind and her eyes snapped up to meet his, still sitting next to her former place down the table. But I can’t deny that your particular method of communication isn’t just as effective.

Her attention was drawn away as she accepted a plate of tamales from Gabe, and she fought not to glow like a Vegas neon sign at the decidedly blatant amusement in his voice.

Damn telepaths. Still, she thought, glancing over to see Tony grinning down at his food for seemingly no reason... worth it.

Tony approached the group still sitting at the table with a light step. This day had made a quick 180 in the last hour and he found himself slipping into the Christmas cheer, a relatively new feeling for him that he was determined to enjoy.

“What is this soft, slimy, yellow stuff called?” he heard Drax ask.

“It’s Mac and Cheese Drax,” Quill answered with a smirk.

“It is delicious.”

“Yea it is! Rocket, slow down on the meatballs man-.”

“Oh yea?” Rocket snarked. “You’re one to talk, Quill. What’s that like your 5th cookie?!”

“Hey! Cookies are meant to be eaten in large quantities!”

“Your planet has an abundance of savory foods,” Gamora chimed in looking very satisfied with her bowl of what looked like Logan’s stuffing.

“Q!” Tony called, gesturing for the man to follow him. He’d already given his gifts to the others, eyes darting to the side to see that Drax had already donned the silk shirt, apparently finding the material acceptable against his sensitive nipples.

“What’s up?” Quill asked once he met up with Tony in a quiet corner of the kitchen.

“I wanted to give you this,” Tony said, handing over the file he’d been carrying for quite a while now, having been unable to do anything with it as a toddler.

“What? You already gave me a gift,” Quill exclaimed, taking a modified Stark phone from his pocket. Tony had retrofitted a slightly older model to have extra memory to hold all the songs from Quill’’s Zune with space for a couple thousand more. He’d also calibrated it for long distance communication so whenever there was enough signal they could call. That was just a bonus though. This was the real gift.

“Look, I know I’m good looking and it’s hard to resist but I have a-.”

“Would you just shut up and open it,” Tony cut him off with an eye roll. It was best not to let him get on a roll.

He watched Quill smirk before flipping the file open and slowly, the smile died before he looked back up at Tony with wild, panic filled eyes.

“They don’t know about you,” he assured. “And they never have to if that’s what you choose. But… I just thought you should have the option.”

“They’re… they’re alive,” Quill managed to get out.

“They are. Safe and sound in St. Charles, Missouri. You let me know if it’s yes and I can set up a meeting… or you can toss the whole thing in the trash and never look back.”

“This is…” he swallowed and cleared his throat. “Thanks man.”

“Don’t mention it,” Tony said, clapping him on the shoulder and turning to give him a moment. “You should try the chakli. I hear they’re spicy.”
________________________________________________________

“An apple?”

“Yea.”

“That’s your tradition?”

“It’s not my tradition. It’s… just take the damn apple,” Skye huffed, rolling her eyes at the smirk on Robbie’s face as he accepted the intricately wrapped gift.

He missed the nervous glances she sent him as he opened the box and she missed the smile that he sent her with just a little too much affection after examining the contents.

Gabe, however, saw every step of the dance, and with a mischievous smile of his own began planning their next tango.

“Hey!” he began. “Where’s my apple?”
___________________________________________________

“Oh!” Kitty exclaimed. “Okay this is a thing you sit in when you’re on the ocean. It has a sail.”

“Ship!” Storm called.

“Boat!” Scott shouted.

“Yes!” Kitty lit up, grabbing the next card. “Okay this is something Australia doesn’t have that they think is Sprite.”

“Soda?” Scott questioned.

“Ginger-ale!” Storm barked.

“Lemonade,” drawled Logan from the corner. He’d insisted on sitting out, a choice that had been promptly ignored by Kitty, but he continued to throw out convenient answers despite his self proclaimed neutrality.

“Yes, lemonade!” Kitty screeched, grabbing another card. “Oh! Aaaa. aaaa it’s a food! And it’s sweet and chewy.”

“No you can’t say ‘chewy’!” Peter injected hitting the buzzer.

Kitty gave her peer a frustrated groan, throwing down the card and grabbing another.

“Okay this is-.”

“Time!” Peter yelled with a smirk.

“That’s four,” Kitty said with a haughty heir, handing the stack of cards over to him. It wasn’t impressive but it wasn’t bad either. Her little smirk died though when he passed the stack over to Rhodey.

“Who decided letting them be on a team together was a good idea?” she huffed glaring at Tony and Rhodey who were smirking.

“Hey! You‘re the one that wanted team against team,” Peter grinned, handing her the hourglass timer.

“Whatever,” she mumbled. “Your time starts...now!”

“First time I met mamma Rhodes I brought her these,” Tony said quickly.

“Flowers.”

“Pepper I sang this once while drunk wearing a red cape and blue trunks.”

“Oh! The uh. Uh.. National Anthem.”

“It’s name honey.”

“Star Spangled Banner!”

“Rhodey what we stole while on vacation in Mexico.”

“Horse!”

“Kid the tall thing you climbed to save your friends at the top.”

“Oh! The Washington Monument!”

“I own a private one of these.”

“AIRPLANE!” came the simultaneous shout of four different people.

“Carol, Melody loves these on the 4th even though they’re loud.”

“Fireworks!”

“Bruce, what I keep telling you we both need.”

“Uh… A vacation?”

“Rhodey the thing that almost killed me freshman year spring break.”

“Oh God, a jet ski?!”

“Time!” Kitty yelled with a scowl. “Count?”

“Eight,” Peter smirked.

“Damnit,” she hissed, writing down the number as Tony passed the cards to Matt. She switched out the 30 second timer for the minute one, unconcerned with team Hell’s Kitchen. While Jessica’s guesses and descriptions were comedy gold it was clear they were in this game for fun. Kitty was in it to win.

And as soon as the professor got back from the bathroom she vowed to do just that.

Carol and Rhodey both leaned against the wall and watched the ensuing drama unfold.

“Tony, that’s not a gift you get someone for Christmas!” Bruce exasperated.

“What? Why not? Who set the rules on gift giving?” Tony asked with bemused mirth. “Doesn’t matter, I’m a rebel, you’ll just have to take it.”

“But Tony, this is…big,” Betty breathed out, wide eyes widened further in surprise and doubt. It was the first time she’d gotten a gift from Tony. The exasperation hadn’t settled yet. She would learn.

“Not really. What it is, is needed. He’s on retainer most of the time anyway,” Tony explained. “He’d still come in to do R&D, but there’s no need to make you come to him all the time. Besides, you’re a new couple. Every new couple needs a little privacy sometime.”

“But a house?!” Bruce exclaimed with exasperation. “Tony, that’s not a small thing,” but as Bruce continued his list of reasons why the gift was wonderful but way too much, Carol leaned over to whisper in Rhodey’s ear.

“Does he always do this?” she asked.

“Yep,” he nodded. “That’s Tony for you. It took me years before I realized that I just have to accept it. Thoughtful and generous rich people are a pain in the ass aren’t they?”

Her answering snort burst into a laugh as she watched Pepper walk up and take the key from Tony’s outstretched hand and give it to Betty before patting Bruce on the arm and steering Tony away, chastising him quietly “I told you to give it to Betty in the first place.”

“Good lord, what’s he going to do when we get engaged,” she quipped with a smirk that quickly died when she looked up to see Rhode’s intense brown eyes boring into hers.

“I don’t know,” his reply finally came, voice slipping into the delicious growl he used in the bedroom. “But I can promise you it’ll be wholly excessive.”

Her last thought before she kissed him was that his sex appeal was what was excessive, and if he didn’t turn it down she was going to have to take a quick step out into space to cool off.

“Tony. I’m heading out,” Strange spoke, coming up behind Tony as he deposited another dish into the sink.

“What? You don’t want to stay for the after party?” Tony teased, turning to watch Rocket pull a gun (where had he been hiding it anyway?) on a very drunk and therefore beyond obnoxious Johnny.

“Hey! No shoot-outs in the house!” Tony called, only 47% sure Rocket wouldn’t completely ignore his reasonable request.

“He called me a scavenger!” Rocket yelled in fury, arming the weapon as Quill came up to try and run interference. Difficult to do when the man behind you suddenly turned into a mini inferno.

“Damnit Johnny!” came three separate shouts, but Tony’s mad dash was delayed when Coulson appeared with a fire extinguisher and promptly put the man out.

“I think it’s someone’s bedtime,” he delivered with a grin as Johnny collapsed on the floor either choking or laughing. It was hard to tell which.

“Yea, I’m good,” Strange’s wry tone brought him back and Tony smirked. “Thanks for the invite,” he continued.

Tony opened his mouth to brush off the thanks and chalk it up to being even for bringing donuts the last couple of Saturdays when Gamora stepped into the kitchen with them.

“Forgive me for the interruption, but it is best we head out. Thank you for inviting us,” she said, throwing an apologetic eye at Strange.

“I think you’re right about that,” Tony chuckled, throwing a glance to Rocket who now had the gun pointed at Quill. “And don’t mention it, we were glad to have you.”

His brows rose as she took a step closer to him before lowering her voice. “And thank you for what you did for Peter. He’ll never say it, but what you gave him means a lot. He lost both of his father’s recently, though I can’t say a Ravager and a mad Celestial were the best role models, they were all he had until now. I think this will help him, if he lets it.”

A chill ran through Tony’s entire body that was quickly followed by a warming sensation starting at his head and flowing down to his feet. His eyes shot to Strange’s who was still standing a few feet away and whose sharp gaze let Tony know he’d also heard what Gamora had said.

“Anyway. It was very thoughtful of you,” she reiterated, turning briefly to see that the gun was now put away and Rocket and Quill were both teamed up in outrage as what looked like a very tipsy Groot stumbled towards them from the punch bowl.

“We should be going,” she declared, stepping away and heading towards her group. “Thank you again!” she called, and Tony could have probably raised enough ire to be miffed at Johnny for spiking the punch, even if he had waited until most of the kids were gone, but he couldn’t say anything as his brain continued to process her words.

Celestial. Quill’s father was a Celestial. He’d heard the term for the first time just three days ago when he’d finally broken down and asked Strange what exactly he was if not human. It was what he had told Pepper just that morning and now here it was again, as if he needed confirmation.

“They always used the term planet before. It’s a wonder we never made the connection,” Strange murmured, looking thoughtful before glancing at Tony's pale visage with a concerned brow. “Tony?” He asked, taking a step closer. “You alright?”

“What?” he startled, nearly forgetting the wizard was there. “Yea. Yea I’m fine. Peachy.” He cut himself off at the hysterical rise in his voice and cleared his throat. “You don’t think that… maybe he was-.”

“Unlikely,” Strange said, cutting him off before Tony could finish. “It was pretty clear your mother killed your father.” He nearly bit his tongue trying to pull those words back as Tony’s eyes got impossibly wider in shock. “Right. Sorry I’d decided not to mention that unless you asked. Listen Tony, don’t worry about all this tonight. It changes nothing. I’ll contact you tomorrow and you can ask all your questions then, before we bring the others in for a debrief.”

“Right,” Tony murmured, as if forgetting the fact that your mother had apparently murdered your father was an easy thing. Though he supposed it was no harder than coming to terms with not being a human.

“I’m serious,” Strange said again, bringing a hand up to give the man a reassuring pat on the back. “Leave tomorrow just where it is. There are plenty of worries for today…. Like that one,” he indicated, pointing to Danny who looked redder than Pepper’s hair, fists just beginning to glow as he glared up into the smirking, taunting face of Loki.

Satisfied the man was thoroughly distracted from tomorrow's problems the wizard slipped into the portal, Tony’s voice loud and clear just behind him.

“Danny! If you put a hole through my Loki I’m going to be beyond vexed!”

He didn’t stay to see the god’s undoubtedly affronted response.

Loki joined Tony on the balcony.

It was a cold night, but that hadn’t ever really bothered the god before. He was technically an ice giant after all.

He’d been watching Tony the last few weeks and had been relieved when the anniversary of his parent’s death had finally passed. He’d been sure whatever decision ailed him would be addressed when he’d gone off in the middle of the night for a so-called drive.

Except that when he had returned it had been through a portal, not the car he’d driven, and instead of relief the man had seemed more distressed than before.

Loki didn’t like it.

Such worry cast a shadow on the warm glint in Tony’s eyes and as was happening more and more lately, he found that was unacceptable. So when Tony woke up this morning looking like he was going to be sick Loki was at the end of his tether.

Luckily, whatever he and Pepper had gotten up to during dinner, and to be honest it was fairly obvious what it had been, had worked wonders on erasing some of that weight that seemed to bow him down.

Loki fingered the object in his pocket, a habit he’d picked up ever since Thor had returned with it two months ago. Things had quieted down now, several people had already headed home, others were passed out on various surfaces, and finally, there was a moment to talk with Tony alone. Loki wasn’t in the habit of giving gifts and had watched the humans all night with fascinating curiosity at the varied responses.

“I have something for you,” Tony spoke into the quiet, breaking his thoughts.

“I believe that’s my line,” Loki responded, eyeing him with mischief.

“Wait, you got me a gift?” Tony asked in surprise.

“You got me one?” he countered with a raised brow.

“Hey now. I got you a gift last year too,” Tony defended.

“Ah yes How not to be an Asshole for Dummies. How could I forget. It’s still sitting on my shelf in its place of honor,” Loki sneered.

“If it’s any consolation we have matching copies,” Tony grinned.

“Yes I feel so much better,” Loki snarked and Tony chuckled.

“Well maybe this will lift your spirits,” Tony grinned, pulling out a file and handing it over. Taking it with a skeptical brow Loki opened it and scanned the contents slowly. He’d had to brush up on his Terran reading skills after settling in over a year ago as he’d quickly learned that bureaucracy was a completely different language.

He could see it was his own file which made the read even more boring than normal and was a second away from demanding Tony just tell him what the document said when his eyes caught on the recommendation section.

“This is…” he trailed off, skipping to the next one, and the next one, eyes now racing towards the end of the file. He wasn’t one for dramatics… oh all right he was born for drama but quaking was below him and he certainly wasn’t doing it now.

“I mean, I know it’s not much and obviously we can’t put it into effect now,” Tony began to ramble. “We have to wait for the next time Thor decides to make an appearance. And… I mean it’s only one but- well…”

Tony finally trailed off but Loki was speechless. Not much? How could he not know that this was everything. Loki looked down into anxious brown eyes and startled at the thought that this must be what forgiveness felt like.

“I don’t deserve this.” That’s what came out of his mouth once he’d finally regained the ability to speak.

“Maybe,” Tony agreed with a small shrug. “But if we all got what we deserved it wouldn’t be much of a life would it?”

He took a moment to think about the sheer truth in that statement.

“For what it’s worth,” Tony added, “I think you do.”

For what it’s worth. Loki realized the human had no idea of his own value and the god lacked the words to inform him.

“It’s worth more than you know,” he settled on, and the moment drifted into silence as his eyes strayed back to the words in Tony’s recommendation. Words that would, hopefully one day soon, release the collar from around his neck. How did one repay freedom?

“Here,” he said abruptly, pulling the object from his pocket, watching as a spark jumped between it and Tony’s fingers at the first touch. “It’s alright,” he reassured, when the man yanked his hand back. “It’s supposed to do that.”

“Do what?” Tony asked, his turn to be skeptical and intrigued. “What is it?”

“It’s a medallion,” Loki deadpanned. The look Tony gave him was not amused and he smirked as he continued. “It has protective magic in it. While wearing this none but the strongest of illusions will be able to deceive you.”

He saw the moment the purpose of the gift clicked and Tony’s eyes shot to his with disbelief and wary hope.

“Illusions?” Tony questioned.

“That’s all they were,” he assured softly. “As long as you’re wearing this, she can never force you to see them again.”

“How… how did you-.” Tony trailed off, looking down and fingering the center crystal.

“It’s a fairly simple concept,” Loki explained. “A trinket, such as this one, is given to any young student being trained in the arts, as often their magic can turn on themselves before they develop the power to control it. As they grow in power it becomes obsolete.”

“I’m not being trained in the arts,” Tony said, bewildered.

“No, but the protection is the same. It has of course been… oh what’s the word you’re always using… modified? Yes it’s been modified by myself and others,” he explained, thinking of the wizard’s assistance. “Obviously, I’ve grown in power since then and as this was meant to give you protection from even my own illusions such...upgrades were necessary.”

It appeared it was Tony’s turn to be speechless, and lacking anything better to say he slipped the chain over his neck, marveling as it settled around his shoulders. He had to actually look down to see if it was still there, it was so light.

“Where did you get it?” he finally asked, glancing up with a small appreciative smile on his face.

“My mother’s effects,” Loki answered quietly, looking up to the sky as if he could find her among the constellations. “It was once mine. She gave it to me long ago. I think she would be happy to see it being used once more.”

A hand squeezing his shoulder brought his eyes back to the brown expanse he was so fond of.

“Thank you.”

Another novelty Loki was coming to enjoy. Doing something worthy of true gratitude. Earning it, instead of demanding it. He wouldn’t say both didn’t have their appeal, but something about the former left him so much more elevated.

Turning his gaze back towards the stars he had another jolt of realization that for the first time in all his years, he was content.

Chapter Text

Late December 2017

Rhodey wanted to be like Luke Skywalker and say that he’d always known, but let's face it, nobody was ever prepared for something like this. Not that it changed their history or how he felt in the least. Tony was his brother then, and he was his brother now. Nothing in the universe would change that.

“You’re taking this well,” Tony praised the motley group.

“Well, don’t get me wrong. It’s surprising as hell,” Rhodey began, grabbing a handful of blueberries from the bowl Tony had just filled. “But I mean, he’s a god, he turns into a huge green rage monster, and he’s a real life wizard. Honestly, it’s a normal Monday in my book.”

“He’s got a point,” Bruce grinned before his brows furrowed. “Wait, you said Stephen verified it, but how did you even come up with the idea of something so outlandish?”

“Inertial dampeners,” Tony answered with a bemused smile. “I was recalibrating Pepper’s suit, comparing the data to Rhodey’s before his fall to minimize a repeat and, I don’t know, I started to wonder what the data looked like for my suits before the dampeners had yet to be modified and…”

“And…” Bruce pressed.

“And until that trip to Sakaar when I was able to get a look at real inertial dampeners they were rudimentary at best. The heights I’ve fallen from, especially in Tennessee, and the impacts I’ve taken, Yinsen playing Operation with my heart… I survived them, but every generous calculation indicates I should be dead ten times over.”

“Huh,” Rhody responded. “I always thought you were unlucky for getting in so many life-threatening situations, but maybe you were luckier than we thought. You think somehow those were your alien genes protecting you? Making you more resilient?”

“I guess,” Tony shrugged. “I honestly thought it was something more reasonable. I knew I wasn’t a mutant, but I could never find the biologicals, so I thought they may have been inhumans, or maybe gotten mixed up with one of Hydra’s experimental incentive programs or something, not that I wasn’t exactly human.”

“And what exactly are you?” Loki asked, joining the conversation for the first time with a narrowed eye full of suspicion.

Tony looked at Strange and gestured with jazz hands for him to take it away.

“Clearly there’s a bit of diversity,” Strange deadpanned, “but he’s a Celestial.”

“It couldn’t have been literally anything else?” Loki exasperated with an eye roll, strolling away to his corner to collapse half haphazardly in his hammock. “Though I suppose it’s a good thing the genes are clearly recessive. I’m just getting used to slumming it with you lot. While humans are undoubtedly base creatures, Celestials are an absolute bane.”

“I’m insulted that you seem to think there’s the potential I could get even more tiresome,” Tony scoffed. “Clearly I’m losing my edge.”

“You know many Celestials?” Strange asked, trying to hold the conversation to some degree of seriousness.

“Well, not anymore,” Loki drawled. ”Odin exterminated quite a few of them, but the handful I do know of have caused me no end of grief.

“Exterminated?” Tony queried only mildly alarmed.

“Just how dangerous are they?” Bruce asked.

“My father, Odin the All Father, Former King of Asgard and Protector of the Ten Realms, after marshaling all the forces under his command, still lost quite often when he clashed with such beings.”

“So what are the chances the biologicals are murderous raging big bads?” Tony asked, shooting a quick look to Strange who had no tells today and somehow didn’t move a single facial muscle in response.

“I wouldn’t overly fret about it,” Loki sighed, tapping a foot against the nearest support and sending his hammock into a light swing. “You’re alive for one. That’s a good sign. They aren’t known for letting the weak live, which in comparison, you are. Besides, not all of them are ‘murderous raging big bads’. If they are anything like you I don’t think we’ll have much to worry about.”

“Hey!” Tony protested. “I could be murderous!”

“Tony, you once pulled out the arc reactor to save a punk bully’s life and nearly died for it,” Rhodey drawled.

“Wait,” Tony spun around in surprise. “How do you know about that?”

“Me and Harley hang out sometimes,” he informed with a smirk. “All that to say, it doesn’t matter. If they were big bads, then you got all the good genes. In my book, nothing has changed. You’re still Tony. You’re still my brother.”

It was so small, the wobble at the edge of Tony’s mouth. But Rhodey had been studying his tells for years and instinctively caught the motion.

“I feel the same,” Bruce nodded, and then looked to Loki whose eyes were closed as if he’d nodded off. At the small silence he cracked them open and then huffed in annoyance.

“Is this one of those human moments where I’m supposed to state the obvious?” he sneered.

“Sheesh,” Tony scoffed and Rhodey could see the emotion he was pushing down. “You guys really know how to get sappy.”

“You want sappy?” Rhodey questioned with a grin, enjoying the feeling of being the dramatic one for once. “How’s this for sappy?,” and without pause he threw his arms around Tony and wrapped him in a hug.

“Whoa! Hey!” Tony huffed with a muffled chuckle.

“Bring it in,” Rhodey beckoned to Bruce who joined them a second later, all stiff armed and odd at the closeness.

“Sentiment,” Loki muttered with a roll of his eyes before turning over in his hammock.

Deeming the conversation effectively over Strange turned and conjured a portal, intending to leave.

“What? You don't want in?!” Rhodey called.

Strange ignored the invite and took a step forward, fully intending to leave when his cloak suddenly yanked him backwards, dragging him the few feet needed to reach the group and wrapping red tendrils around the three men.

After regaining his footing Strange was forced to stand there while the cloak bound them all together, though he refused to participate anymore than he’d been forced to. With no incoming traveler after an established portal he saw Wong slowly roll back in his desk chair to peer into the portal, brow raised in suspicion.

“So,” Tony said slowly, and they could tell he was grinning. “Probably an awkward time to confess my undying love for you guys huh?”

Rhodey and Bruce had a good laugh at that, but the Sorcerer Supreme was not amused and vowed to never buy the idiot another donut. He watched Wong take in the scene, eyes beginning to grow wide, and sighed at how tedious his life was about to become.

Early January 2018

“We have a problem,” Thor spoke, the seriousness of his tone bringing down the sheer volume of his normally booming voice.

“So you are aware this is an ungodly hour. Pun completely intended,” Tony snarked, stumbling to the fridge for some water to wash down the pills. It was New Year's Day and while he was surprised and delighted to see his thundering friend, his head and stomach were protesting being vertical.

“Odin has gone missing.”

Tony went still for a moment before grabbing the pills and washing them down as he walked back down the hall. He stopped at a door, foot unsteadily reaching out to give it a solid kick a handful of times before Tony had to put it back on the ground or risk spilling his water and himself all over the floor.

Without waiting for a reply he made his way back into the kitchen and threw on some coffee before taking a seat across from Thor. A moment later the door down the hall was thrown open and a similar Loki could be heard storming down the hall towards them.

“And just WHAT could you possibly need THIS early in the mor--..oh… you,” he trailed off with a snicker upon seeing his brother at the table with Tony, who looked nearly dead on his feet, nursing a glass of water across from him. It wasn’t too far off from how he felt as well. Odin bless Asgardian wine.

“Brother!” Thor boomed, the forced cheer when he’d first discovered Loki’s deception as their father and brought him to Earth, was now genuine more than a year later. “It is good to see you!”

“Ugh,” Loki groaned, closing his eyes against the sight of such abominable cheer. “To what do we owe the pleasure?” he sneered, coming to collapse in the chair next to Tony.

“I wish I had come with better tidings,” Thor admitted. “I have heard many great tales of your adventures, but troubling matters are afoot. Namely, that father has gone missing.”

“Missing,” Loki hissed in disbelief. “Hardly. I’m sure he’s right where we left him. Where, if you remember, he insisted you leave him before caging me on this planet with him,” Loki spat.

“I assure you brother, I returned to the place where you left him and he is nowhere to be found. The building itself has been torn down for renovation.”

At that Loki’s brow creased in the first sign of worry. He’d been thinking quite a bit about his father lately, and even had the half formed idea to pay him a visit now that some of his restrictions had been lifted. Now that visit seemed more and more unlikely.

“Where would he even go?” Loki questioned. “You checked Asgard didn’t you?”

“I’m not completely incompetent Loki, of course I-.”

“Please, you’ve fooled me several times on that front-.

“I don’t think you have any right to talk about fooling anyone.”

“That was years ago, I’m a changed god, didn’t you read the report?”

“Stop!” Tony called out, halting the building argument. “It’s too early for this. Thor I’m sure we can come up with something in the briefing tomorrow-.”

“Ah Man of Iron. That is why I have come.” Thor interrupted. “Finding Odin is of the utmost importance. There are whispers lately of prophesied doom. A reckoning.”

“Ragnarok,” Loki clipped, the slight hint of a scoff lost in the worried tone that Tony had grown adept at parsing.

“Yes,” Thor confirmed. “It is why, I'm afraid, I’ll be unavailable until Odin has been found and such a threat has been dealt with.”

“Well hold on a minute,” Tony croaked, beginning to wake up in earnest. “Let me make a few calls, maybe there’s something we can do to help.”

“No. This is something I must do on my own.” Thor rejected before turning to address his brother. “Loki. I’m not sure you deserve the trust that has been bestowed on you by our Midgardian friends. But it seems, they have decided you have earned a show of good faith.”

Thor reached out and took a handle of the collar around Loki’s neck. A surge of lightning shot out and caused Loki to grunt briefly in pain before the device clicked open and fell away in Thor’s hand.

“I’d say don’t abuse it, but let’s be honest, that’s why those are staying,” Thor grinned, flicking his eyes to the still firmly secured cuffs on his brother’s wrist.

“Why don’t we just agree that cleverness is my thing,” Loki sneered. “We both know you weren’t born with an iota of wit.”

“Ah Loki,” Thor chuckled. “I’m going to miss you… probably.”

Tony tried once more to persuade the god to let them help, but Thor was adamant it was an undertaking he had to do alone and was gone before the coffee had finished percolating. Tony didn’t appreciate the brilliant sheen of light in his aching eyes. He didn’t appreciate the scorched pattern left in the middle of the lawn either.

Inconsiderate Asgardian bastard.

“Where’s Tony?” Phil asked, shoulders tensing as he entered the room, though you’d never be able to tell it. He was early for his meeting with Pepper but had gotten used to seeing Loki wherever Tony was. Still, it was unsettling to run into Loki when the god was alone.

“He’s putting out a fire,” Loki informed, the lazy drawl belied by the way his eyes steadily tracked the agent.

“That’s not a metaphor is it?”

“Unfortunately for my daily nap no,” Loki confirmed. “Some experiment for the boy-spider gone wrong. Why the kid would need explosive webs is anyone’s guess.”

Phil nodded, stopping at the other end of the counter that Loki himself was leaning on with a cup of coffee that he had very grudgingly come to enjoy. He looked into the swirling depths as if they had answers as the silence grew.

Phil was doing what he thought was a superb job feigning indifferent nonchalance, when Loki seemed to draw himself up and pull his eyes from his cup.

“I understand it’s a bit overdue, but I’d like to formally apologize for the whole murdering thing,” Loki began. “It truly was nothing personal.”

“Felt personal,” Phil clipped, blood beginning to rise as conflicting emotions flooded him. He’d gotten over this, barely even remembered it, thanks to Tahiti, but having to interact with his killer on a semi-regular basis really made it hard to remember that fact.

“I’m sure,” Loki agreed before fumbling for further words to speak. He’d already apologized, sincerely even, something he’d never done before in his life and he wasn’t about to do again. “I was being influenced by the stone at the time.”

“So that makes it okay?” Phil sneered.

“Not in the least,” Loki clipped, trying hard not to become annoyed. “Which, I believe, was the whole point of this conversation.”

Phil took a breath at that, expelling some of the dark, vengeful emotions that had been roiling so close to the surface as he grudgingly admitted that Loki was correct on this point. He had opened the dialogue with an apology. Something Phil didn’t think the god was even capable of. It was a wholly bizarre thought, but maybe Tony was rubbing off on him after all.

“It’s a little late,” Phil grumbled after a brief silence, still feeling a little spiteful.

“Well, there’s nothing for that unfortunately,” Loki drawled, returning to familiar territory. “I was led to believe that such things should be sincere.”

For a moment Phil saw red, and all he could think about was that for all the times they’d spent together over the past year the god had felt himself above repute, perhaps even justified in his actions from his attack on Earth.

Phil’s fists and teeth clenched as his eyes locked on to Loki’s, boring into them with something much too close to hatred. And that’s when he finally registered that what was staring back at him was anything but that.

Caught off guard he actually took a step back at the sincerity in those dark depths. It was entirely incongruent with the slight smirk still lingering on Loki’s face and for a moment it was Tony he was looking at. Tony, who Phil had quickly learned, held the truth in his eyes and not his camera ready smile. It was an effective deflection too, so long as you didn’t actually know the man.

He began to think on the words that had actually been spoken. Yes, technically that indicated that Loki had felt his actions were legitimate at one point in time. He hadn’t been sincere in the past, but had stated plainly that he was sincere now.

He couldn’t help but be annoyed at that. Once Loki was free from the tesseract's influence, how long did it take to realize that murdering Phil the way he did was wrong? The little voice in the back of his head that whispered ‘about as long as it has taken you to forgive him’ was not very welcome, though it did help to put things into a better perspective.

I was led to believe that such things should be sincere.

Like a cork becoming unstopped, all of the dark, destructive emotions that had gripped him a second ago suddenly rushed out of him. The tension that had always settled heavily on his shoulders whenever the god walked into the room slowly melted away, leaving him feeling strangely bare and open.

“Okay,” he broke the silence, rather proud that his voice hadn’t wavered.

“Okay,” Loki copied hesitantly, as if he didn’t quite believe Phil, and was waiting for the other shoe to drop.

“Okay what?” Tony interrupted, slipping into the kitchen with a few deep coughs and wiping soot out of his eyes. “Oh hey Archer!” he greeted Phil, before taking in the other occupant in the kitchen, eyes darting between him and Loki, the two standing in the kitchen, alone.

While Tony was trying to read the situation, Phil was reading Loki, watching as the god’s eyes had flicked to Tony and narrowed with concern at the lung rattling coughs, gaze making a quick run down the mechanics body to confirm there were no serious wounds, before settling into embarrassment; embarrassment as Loki caught Tony’s feigned nonchalance turn into actual nonchalance as the charred genius realized what he walked into.

Phil had always wondered what the billionaire saw in the god of mischief. Maybe it was this. Maybe it was the sincerity, hidden where no one thought to look, and only so readily recognized by Tony because they had the same hiding place.

“Did I miss a meeting?” Tony asked, wry smile settling on his face even as his eyes remained probing, trying to suss out what the agent was feeling and if he needed to run damage control.

“Actually I’m here to see Pepper,” Phil smiled, feeling more comfortable in the presence of the Asgardian than he had in years. The smile turned to a nervous wobble as he noticed the woman in question enter the room with a horrified look on her face. Both him and Loki took a simultaneous step back.

They would probably never be friends, but it was nice to know the god was just as wary of an enraged and fretful Pepper as he was.

Common ground was important after all.

Mid January 2018

“Well, ask Quill,” Pepper huffed, sitting on the floor of the common room in front of a table covered with paper and samples. “We don’t want to insult Groot by not having anything just because no one saw him eat at Christmas.”

“Sure honey,” Tony agreed, watching him from his upside down position on the couch, a look of fondness in his upturned lips.

“And make sure Drax wears one of those shirts you gave him,” she added, taking a bite of the 3rd cake sample and promptly adding it to the ‘discard’ side of the table.

“There’s no one else that utilizes a wheelchair right? I’ve got Charles squared away but I don’t want to miss anyone.”

“No. But the rodent may need a booster. A discrete booster,” he emphasized, unable to look away as she nearly facepalmed and wrote something quickly on the tablet in front of her.

“Oh my goodness I can’t believe I almost forgot about Rocket. He can’t bring any weapons Tony okay? If I see one grenade I swear I’ll-.”

“No weapons,” he agreed, trying to head her off before she worked herself into a tizzy. A flustered, sexy tizzy. “Though you do know he’s going to attempt to steal at least one of the wedding gifts.”

“He can have his pick for all I care,” Pepper exasperated. “I just can’t wait until this whole thing is over.”

His brows rose at that, or maybe since he was upside it was more correct to say they lowered?

“Oh!” she slapped her hands over her mouth before he could respond. “Tony, that's not what I meant! It’s not what I meant at all!”

“Shhh,” he tried to calm her, nearly breaking his neck as he turned himself upright and slid off the couch to envelope her in a hug.

“I know what you meant,” he whispered into her hair. “You know you don’t have to do all the planning? That’s what wedding planners are for honey.”

“Yea but it’s our wedding,” she explained. “We only get one and I thought I wanted this experience and to be hands-on and involved and I do, but it’s kind of hard when half of the galaxy is on the guest list.”

“Screw them,” Tony shrugged, pulling back with a smirk.

“What? Tony we can’t-.”

“Why can’t we?” he interrupted. “Like you said, it's our wedding. Why can’t we have it the way we want?”

“Because we’re multi-billionaires with obligations?” she tried. “We can’t afford to offend anyone,” she explained before pausing to correct herself. “Well we can… but it looks bad.”

“Ah. We need to appease the masses,” he nodded in mock seriousness.

She pursed her lips, getting ready to reprimand him for not taking this seriously but his words were essentially true and she gave an annoyed huff into his arm.

“How about this?” Tony suggested, twirling a piece of soft red hair around his finger. “We give this to a planner and let that be their wedding. Meanwhile, we can have our own. Private. As small as you like. In whatever way you like.”

The fact that she didn’t have an immediate response let him know that she was seriously considering it.

“That would… that would actually be really great,” she sighed, leaning back into him. “Can we do that? Are we allowed to do that?”

“We can do whatever you want,” he told her seriously, and he meant it. As long as she was happy, he was happy.

“I think I want to do that,” she confirmed, turning to look up at him through mile-long lashes. His smile down at her was filled with affection and he couldn’t help but to drop a firm kiss against her temple.

“Then that’s what we’ll do,” he agreed. Pulling her more tightly into his arms they settled there quietly for a moment until a wayward thought made him grin.

“What do you think about Peter as the ring bearer?”

Late January 2018

“Damnit!” Pepper cursed, using the repulsers to break free of the near catastrophic grasp of the slimy, tentacled monster that had crawled out of the ocean off the coast of Rhode Island.

It was her first official mission as Rescue. Provisionally of course. The creature from the black lagoon was apparently once an octopus in an experiment gone wrong by some Hydra agents circa the 1970’s. Unfortunately, thirty plus years had not made it smaller, or dumber.

Tony flew past her, drawing the creature's attention so that she could regroup. He muted his comms as he instructed FRIDAY to suggest new programs for her to try out just to see how she would respond. This was a relatively simple mission and he wanted to give her the space to shine like he knew she could. FRIDAY knew his thinking patterns and readily suggested data and ideas she knew he was prone towards. The AI was still mapping Pepper’s responses and they both needed space to learn the other.

“Power at 55%,” FRIDAY updated in Pepper’s ear. “Suggest enabling 360 defense?”

“Tony and Rhodey are out there,” she protested, using lasers to deter another long limb intent on pulling her into the ocean. The limbs were so thick it took a considerable amount of power in each laser attack to sever the limb. It was draining her power reserves much too fast.

“They are both seasoned fighters in the Iron Man suits and capable of staying out of the line of fire, Miss Boss,” FRIDAY reasoned.

Pepper thought about it, but eventually decided against it. The 360 defense was a handy feature and if they’d had multiple enemies on all fronts she may have utilized it, but it seemed as if it would be overkill to use it on the loch ness monster and dear God she had clearly spent way too much time with Tony.

“Analyze the thing and tell me where the fragile parts are.”

“Yes Miss Boss. Analyzing… scan complete, suggest targeting the eyes and heart, protected by the mantle and located here.”

FRIDAY threw up a schematic on her screen, three targets highlighted in red, the one indicating the location of the heart, hidden beneath several hundred feet of waves.

Well, the suit was fully contained, though from her training she knew she should inform the team of her plan before executing it.

“Target the eyes, evasive maneuvers,” Pepper directed. “Flash grenade?” she suggested, wary of using more power with lasers.

“Coming right up.”

“Guys, the data indicates the eyes are a weak spot. Going to use a flash grenade. Tony I’m heading for the brain underwater. If you and Rhodey can distract it long enough I can end this quickly.”

“You got it honey,” Tony said, not bothering to stifle the grin he was sporting. “Shall we Platypus?”

“Weapon impact in 3, 2, 1,” FRIDAY counted down across the three suits.

Tony unleashed several tank missiles while the creature probed its big blinded eye in the aftermath. He never did like calamari.

Both his and Rhodey’s aims were true and he kept a close eye on the tracking system that showed Pepper’s location in the icy depths; testing out the echolocation he’d just added to his suit after meeting one of the Professor’s proteges. Soon enough the creature let out a bellowing screech, tentacles thrashing madly as it began to sink.

He watched the dot that was Pepper take a clearly evasive route back to the surface, stomach clenching as she changed direction at too abrupt an angle. He listened closely to the comms holding himself back from rushing in to get her.

It was the longest 14 seconds of his life and his relief was palpable when she finally came shooting out of the water, hovering for a moment as she watched the last of the tentacles sink beneath the waves. A resounding cheer echoed through his suit.

If she got any more adorably bad-ass he was going to be the one needing saving.

Early to Mid February 2018

“Easy now,” Tony instructed in what he hoped was a calming tone. “Just take your time. There’s no rush. There ya go, just ease into it.”

His hand flew out, only just saving his forehead from slamming onto the dash.

“Jeez I said ease into it kid not full stop.”

“Sorry Mr. Stark!” Peter exasperated. “It’s just, the curb suddenly looked so much closer than I thought.”

“Unparalleled senses and you doubt yourself over a curb?” Tony asked incredulously, trying to swallow his heart back into his chest at the hard stop Peter had made while practicing a 90 degree turn.

“I know. I don’t know,” Peter sighed, running his hands through his hair.

“Hands on the wheel!” Tony instructed. “On the wheel. At all times.”

“Right! Of course. I’m sorry,” Peter apologized. “Now what?” he asked looking around at the abandoned mall parking lot.

Tony discretely checked his blood pressure on the watch he was wearing. They still had an hour before the workers would begin to trickle in and lives other than his own would be at risk. He took a breath and tried to affect a calm air.

“Let’s take it for another spin around the outer road,” he directed, surreptitiously tightening his seat belt.

He wondered if Jarvis had been this nervous when it was Tony behind the wheel for the first time, too short to see over the steering wheel and still amped up with what he now realized was a futile attempt to make his father proud.

Glancing over at Peter he watched the kid, forehead damp with sweat, dutifully check his mirrors and look both ways before pulling out into the lane. He zeroed in on the kids sweaty hands gripping the steering wheel much too tightly.

Did he know that Tony was proud of him? That Tony would always be proud of him no matter if he turned out a horrible driver or not? Did he know that it wasn’t about how good of a driver he was or how many people he saved or how many backpacks he lost (and seriously Tony was going to have to come up with a solution for that). Tony was proud of him simply because Peter was Peter, and nothing was ever going to change that.

Relaxing a little in his seat his lips lifted in a twitch of a smile as Peter traversed the outer road in front of Macy’s while staying in the lines at a consistent speed. He held his breath as they came to their first stop sign.

“Easy,” he murmured, nearly so quiet he would have thought Peter hadn’t heard him if he didn’t know any better.

The kid did just that, eased the brakes on, only pushing too hard at the last moment from a slight misjudgment in how far away the white line was. Instead of panicking though, the kid took a breath and looked both ways before easing off the break and continuing around the bend towards Nordstrom.

“Good job kid,” Tony praised, taking a deep breath himself that nearly lodged in his throat when the kid took his eyes off the road to beam at him.

“Eyes on the road Peter!”

Yea. He was definitely going to need to update the self-driving capabilities in the next model.

“Hey kid what’s up?” Tony greeted, pulling on his white silk shirt and beginning to button it from the bottom up. This time he wouldn’t mess it up.

“Hi Mr. Stark!” Peter greeted and Tony could tell in those three words that something was off. “I um… I was wondering if you could help me out with… well… see I have a date and well-.”

“Wait I’m sorry what?” Tony stopped mid motion with a self satisfied grin. “Did you say a date? Is this with that MJ girl you were telling me about?”

“Um… well… I mean yea. I thought about what you said and… I mean it is Valentine's day so I thought you know maybe we could grab a pizza and maybe admire the view from the top of the Empire State Building but… well… I can’t figure out how to do this tie and aunt May has already left for work and I’m supposed to meet her in like 15 minutes and-.”

“Okay kid slow down,” he said, grabbing the phone and enabling the video to see the kid was already set up, Peter looking into the mirror with the tie in literal knots. Plural.

“Tony?” Pepper called, voice muffled from the closet. “You ready? We’re going to be late if we don’t head out.” A moment later she came in wearing a stunning dress that drew his eye for several seconds too long before he cleared his throat.

“One second beautiful,” he assured.

“Uh..”

“Not you kid. Okay, go ahead and get the knots out,” he instructed while donning his vest and slipping his own tie around his neck. Pepper came over to look over his shoulder, eyeing Peter on the little screen with a warm smile and wave before patting his arm and stepping back.

“Okay good,” Tony praised. “Now listen carefully and do everything that I do.”

“Do you think he’ll be okay?” Tony asked for the fourth time in twenty minutes.

“Tony he’ll be fine,” Pepper reassured with exasperation. “He has your number if he needs you. Besides, his tie looked pretty secure before you sent him off.”

“You’re right. Of course you're right,” Tony smiled, kissing her softly on the nose. “What would I do without you.?”

“Be late,” she snarked with good nature as they entered the establishment to see their entire party already present and sitting down. Pepper made their apologies as they reached the table and joined their friends.

Tony greeted an uncomfortable looking Strange and a very satisfied looking Rhodey before turning to smirk knowingly at Bruce’s half-hearted glare. Tony didn’t fault him. A quadruple date was one more couple than Tony had promised the man, but it was clearly proving difficult for his science bro to be too upset. Especially when his fiance looked so ethereal in the new dress Pepper and her had picked out earlier that week.

Tony didn’t worry too much about his friends lingering grump though. By the end of the night he was going to make Bruce an advocate of couples dating. Oh yes, he would, but first things first.

“So Cleo,” Tony grinned, turning to the pretty young lady who'd been actively trying to fade into the background, and who now had a deer in the headlights look. “Tell us about yourself.”

Chapter Text

Late February 2018

“What do we got?” Tony asked, slipping into the debrief just behind Pepper and eyeing the presence of the Professor, Logan and Coulson & Co.

“Rogue Inhuman,” Rhodey informed, making his way to the front of the room to start the meeting now that everyone was in attendance.

“Isn’t that your department Phil?” Tony teased.

“Well, it’s gotten a little out of hand,” Coulson said with good nature. “We wouldn’t deny a little assistance.”

“And you’ll have it,” Rhody interrupted, calling the attention of the room. “This is all hands on deck. There’ll be four teams on this one.”

The target was a recently turned Inhuman with the ability of Dominance that spread through technology like a virus. Their saving grace was that it couldn’t travel through the internet. Its reach only extended locally and the infected software had to have been something the Inhuman had physically touched.

Even with that important limiter the guy had still managed to ensnare nearly 50 unenhanced humans, 12 mutants, and four inhumans, along with one of theirs, Danny Rand. As unfortunate as that was, Tony didn’t find it surprising. Danny had a tendency to run off half cocked. They were still trying to break him of that hazardous habit. Maybe this would be a good lesson in the end to trust his team.

As Tony listened to the briefing he couldn’t help but gauge Pepper’s reaction from the corner of his eye. She’d been on one or two minor missions since the Lochness monster kickoff last month, but this would really be the test. Working in a group with this many people ratcheted up the game from skirmish, to battle.

He forced himself to refocus on Rhodey’s voice, reminding himself that this was probably exactly what she had been feeling every time he traipsed off in his suit to fight another bad guy. If she had learned to be strong enough to let him go and trust him to come back, then dammit he would learn to be strong enough to return the favor.

She’d been trained by the best after all. She’d be fine.

Rhodey watched Tony’s face as they headed out to suit up. His friend probably thought he was hiding it, but Rhodey knew him too well. His experience was a little different, having known Carol as a friend, and watching her prove herself in battle time and again showed just how capable she was, before there was any sort of romantic attachment.

Still, that didn’t mean Rhodey didn’t have a small seed of worry tucked firmly in his gut every time Carol went out to fight a big bad. He knew exactly what Tony was feeling, and he put a reassuring hand on his friend’s shoulder as they continued down the hall.

Tony looked at him and no words were needed. He watched the genius nod, a sliver of tension slipping away, though his shoulders were still tense as they finally departed their separate ways. Rhodey had placed Pepper in the aerial assault team, which would hopefully be furthest from the action, and allowed for maximum maneuverability. He didn’t think she was ready for close quarters combat.

At that thought another kernel of worry took up its place next to Carol and Pepper. One that resided there on a near constant basis as he acknowledged that, for this mission, the close quarter combat was Tony’s job. He tried very hard not to think of the last time Tony had gone where Rhodey couldn’t see him.

Steeling himself he proceeded to gear up and head out. At the end of the day they had all chosen this fight, and he would trust in his team to see everyone through.

“Eyes on the prize,” Tony confirmed, scans showing the high energy output just a few feet beneath the surface of the building that was their target destination, still five miles out. Whatever it was, it was big and took up a shit ton of energy. “Reconnaissance?”

“On it!” Scott called, shooting ahead with the new flight capabilities that Hope had recently integrated. Tony would have preferred the pym heir be here herself, but she had been knee deep in a search and rescue effort from the massive Earthquake that had shaken California last night, and the Ant-Man, just barely out of probation, had been ported in to assist.

“Man I’m not even in the building and I can tell how full of themselves these guys think they are. They’re all wearing the same sunglasses,” Scott scoffed.

Something about that tickled Tony’s memory, but before he could think more on it they breached a mile within the perimeter and the defense systems triggered. He stayed close to the ground, within eyesight of Loki, as he waited for the intel. The battle proved frustrating as he was never sure if he was getting an unenhanced human, inhuman, or mutant, until they attacked. Hitting an unpowered human with certain weapons would cause lethal damage that he was trying to avoid, and so most of his fighting was forced into pure defense.

He took aim at a combatant on his flank, cuing a dwindling taser, when they suddenly blurred into the image of Rhodey. He froze just as the image blurred again, creating a truly trippy vision of the combatant with only an inch of their outline remaining the silver of Rhodey’s suit.

He fired the weapon, satisfied as they went down, but disconcerted as he noticed several other combatants with the same warped outline.

“PSA they’ve got a wizard,” Tony informed the team.

“Is that him doing this?” Jessica squinted, having attacked her opponent despite the illusion.

“No,” the professor chimed in. “That is a mutant under his control.”

“Great,” Jessica snarled, punching a blurry image of Danny. She watched him turn into what seemed like an unenhanced juiced up jock, that had apparently towered over her, though now he lay unconscious at her feet.

“Shit,” Carol cursed and Tony watched one of her blasts barrel into Loki and knock him off his feet. The god looked more annoyed than injured as he stumbled back to his feet with a raised brow.

“Sorry about that,” she apologized, sounding sheepish, if a little amused.

“Anything for the goddess,” Loki clipped, murmuring a spell before a wave of magic erupted from him and spread for nearly 100 feet in all directions. In the ring around him the illusions rapidly disappeared.

“Not sure how long that will last,” Loki informed.

“Guys! I’m in and things are really creepy in here! Stepford wives level creep!” Scott whisper-yelled.

“Intel!” Rhodey snapped, annoyed at the kid he was fighting mid-air who clearly had a mastery over something more than just aerodynamics, as nearly invisible (but cold as hell) darts caught him in the arm, temporarily freezing the joint of his suit.

“Oh yea, right. There’s not a lot of people here. Most of them I passed were headed out your way. There’s a guy here in the central room though who looks like he’s controlling everything. Has a ton of screens up. There’s two people guarding the room he’s in.”

“Blink you’re up,” Rhodey instructed, eyeing the craft far above them and hidden by clouds and cloaking.

“On it. Did you set my knife?” she asked.

“I did now.”

Tony worked not to roll his eyes in battle and, never far away from Loki, was able to make the dash to him easily, grabbing the god’s arm just as the portal opened in front of them. Slipping through, the sounds of battle died as the portal closed.

“Okay,” Scott’s whisper-yell came. “The main room is to the right, make a left at the end of the hall and it’s the third door on the right. There’s two bad guys waiting just outside the door but we should be clear until then.

“Stay small,” Tony warned quietly as he and Loki set out. “This guy has an ace up his sleeve.”

When they reached the bend in the last hallway Tony looked to Loki, who nodded before stepping around the corner. The illusion worked perfectly and neither of the guards moved as they approached. Tony stood in front of one and Loki the other, both poised to make a quick incapacitating attack, when the one in front of Tony spoke.

“The problem with your illusion,” he spoke, grabbing Tony’s arm as it came up to deliver the blow. “Is that it didn’t mask your scent.”

Tony was wholly unprepared for the man’s face to open wide into a large cavern of very sharp looking metallic teeth that snapped down on his trapped arm before he could pull away.

“Shit,” he cursed, metal tearing and teeth flying as he ripped his arm away.

Along with having a mouth that opened to twice the size of his head, his opponent also had some type of venomous poison, which could be seen as it dripped down his chin. Tony had no time to check if his arm had been punctured as metal nails grew on the opponents hands, venom beginning to leak from there as well.

“Tony report,” Rhodey’s voice came in his ear.

“Going to be a second,” he grunted as the fight began in earnest. He could see in the corner of his eye that Loki was fairing slightly better with his opponent, who didn’t seem to have some superhuman ability to smell, and who was falling prey to the gods' illusions with predictable ease; though the acidy spit was a bit disconcerting regardless.

It took several minutes of close quarter brawling until Tony was finally able to deliver an effective, non lethal dose of a taser into the victim's mouth. He made sure the man didn't break his neck in the unconscious fall and on instinct reached to rip off the glasses.

He winced as the frames snapped off, blood seeping from twin wounds in the man’s temple where he could see the broken arms still attached, as if they had been drilled into the skull.

“Tony!”

The shout caused his head to whip up and Loki pushed him out of the way, taking the shot meant for him and grunting as the piece of metal buried in his body. Tony had a second to register that it looked more like an enlarged version of a viral structure than a bullet, before facing his opponent, stomach dropping at seeing a kid that was supposedly 15, but looked no older than 12. The boy’s glasses were different from the others, nearly see-through, and he glared at Tony with malice in his young eyes.

Tony used his gauntlets at diminished power, watching the smirking kid stumble back to fall on his ass, weapon tumbling to the floor with a telling crack. Then he quickly pulled Loki and himself out of the line of fire.

“You okay?”

“Fine,” Loki clipped, ripping the device out of his shoulder. “I’m not the only one who was hit though.”

Tony looked down to see another object identical to the one that had hit Loki lodged in the metal of his arm, and several of them lodged in the wall behind them.

“Damnit. Clustered shot,” he cursed, ripping the object out.

Something in his brain clicked as he looked at the small device and he suddenly realized they’d been wrong. He glanced at the broken frames on the ground in dawning horror. The enemy wasn’t a tech controller, he was a tech user. His power had nothing to do with technology, it was simply a carrier, like the virus that had no doubt just been delivered into his suit.

“FRIDAY analyze-”

The high-pitched sound of feedback made him scrunch his eyes up in pain and when he blinked them back open he saw the image of a pair of eyes slowly overriding his screen. His hands reached up to tear the helmet off, mouth opening with simultaneous commands to release the helmet and warn the others on the tip of tongue.

His hands froze just as fingers touched the external release, digits still curled to rip it away. His eyes refused to close, the two orbs on his display boring into his brain that screamed out the warning he could no longer verbalize, until even that too was taken and he was pressed down into a small black space, the only window a theater sized front row seat to what would become one of the worst days of his life.

“Tony?” Loki asked hesitantly, seeing the man explode into frantic action, only to freeze back into stillness just as quickly.

The reply was a repulsor to the face at the chest beams full power. An attack that sent Loki sprawling down the hallway to go crashing through several layers of concrete

“Whoa! What the hell!” Scott yelled.

He watched the Iron Man suit turn towards where he thought Scott was and send another large repulsor beam towards him. Scott was on the move though, even as the suit targeted him, and was able to escape the blast and land on the suit just as the attack stopped.

“What’s going on in here?” he asked, slipping inside as he’d done so many years ago.

His progress was halted as Iron Man suddenly took off, the inertia throwing Scott into a wall of metal and making his head spin for a moment. By the time he got back to his feet the suit had vacated the building and was shooting into the air, higher and higher.

“Tony what the hell is going on?!” Rhodey yelled. “Loki! Scott! Somebody talk to me!”

“Tony is compromised,” Scott gasped, now rushing to the closest exit as the fire suppression system was enabled once more, driving him out of the suit.

“You mean his suit?” Rhodey questioned for clarification. “Is he still in the base then?”

No Charles voice came within Rhodey’s head. Tony is in the suit. His cry of warning was unmistakable. He found the source of the Inhumans' power. His Domination is through eye contact, not technology. He is using a mutant with the ability to control technology as a carrier for his influence.

“Shit. FRIDAY run a diagnostic,” Rhodey cursed, dodging another volley of near invisible wind knives that were sharp enough to give Rhodey pause, before flying low and grabbing up the waiting Luke cage and tossing him straight at the little shit giving him the run-around.

“All functions are normal,” she informed him. “Though I no longer have access to Boss’s suit.”

“Don’t try,” Rhodey clipped, glancing over to see Pepper holding her own against a ground opponent who seemed to have rocket launchers growing out of her arms, complete with missile tracking. “Isolate yourself from that suit.”

“Isolated.”

“Charles, can you do something about this?” he asked, keeping track as Luke flew straight through a volley of those icy daggers and rendered the kid unconscious. As the two began to fall back to Earth Rhodey swooped in to catch them.

Not about the boy no. As a Dominator he’s got a natural resistance to other forms of telepathy. I can, however, freeze the perception of time for his victims for a short interval. It very well may not affect him, and it’s not something I can do back to back with so many combatants, so timing would be key.

Rhodey dropped Luke a dozen feet from the ground knowing the impact wouldn’t kill him, and dodged an explosive energy blast. The one immediately behind it was coming too fast for him to miss, and he braced for impact when suddenly a portal appeared before him, snapping closed just as his suit cleared it and depositing him nearly 100 feet to the right.

“Thanks Blink,” he breathed in gratitude as he watched the shooter return their focus on Pepper. He searched the skies, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end as Tony remained MIA.

“Everybody listen up. Control is achieved with the use of the sunglasses so get them off your opponent any way you can. We’re going to do a time stop here in a few minutes. The professor will give you a countdown as a warning,” he informed the group. “Until then, watch your six, and try not to kill anyone. Tony has been compromised. I repeat Tony has been compromised. ”

Rhodey turned to find the man he was looking for working in tandem with May to hold against their other compromised ally. The signature hypnotic glasses were stuck firmly on Danny’s face as he devastated the area around him with his slowly dimming fists. He was breathing hard now, and it was clear that he was nearly at his limit for being able to use his power.

“Matt,” Rhodey called, joining in the fight and making the mistake of letting the barest knuckle clip him, which sent him flying back into the side of the building.

“Got a job for you,” he grunted, pulling himself from the rubble and ignoring May’s grin at his blunder, before throwing himself back into the fight.

Pepper was doing her best not to freak out.

She’d been having a time of it with the ground combatant who seemed set on blowing her out of the sky. She couldn’t get close, and every long range weapon she sent got shot down before making it halfway.

Taking a dual approach, she’d been purposely pestering the rocket launcher specialist, drawing fire away from the ground troops and intercepting attacks on their sixes whenever she spotted an opportunity. But having to dodge explosives every five seconds was getting old.

“FRIDAY can you anticipate her fire pattern?”

“Analyzing.”

Rhodey began speaking through the comms, but his warning to watch her six was drowned out by the sheer panic induced at his last words.

Tony is compromised.

“Attack pattern analyzed,” FRIDAY informed, and Pepper grounded herself to the AI’s voice, forcing herself to take in the data being displayed on her screen.

A few maneuvers later and she finally managed to connect a tank missile within several feet of the target. She watched them stumble in the blast, one of the rocket launchers catching on fire and slowly morphing back into a human hand as the girl struggled to put it out.

Pepper was happy to note that half of a lens in those strange sunglasses was blown off, and taking advantage of the distraction she aimed a taser and fired it just as something slammed into her from behind and sent her crashing towards the ground. She managed to get the repulsors to combat the kinetic energy and spun midair to see her attacker.

She only got a glimpse, but it was all she needed. She would recognize Tony’s suit anywhere.

Turning to avoid the head on collision they entered a grapple, metal scrambling on metal until the unibeam sent her careening through the air. The months of training kicked in and she righted herself even as she took aim at the love of her life, who was already racing towards her once more.

“Tony!” she screamed, unable not to at leasttry to reach him. “Tony stop!” she pleaded, slipping into evasive maneuvers as he continued to advance. She set off a flash grenade, buying herself a few precious seconds that ended up saving Yo-Yo from third degree burns.

The speedsters combatant had predicted the moment she would reappear at her starting point, and had sent a fireball that had connected with the latina and set her bursting into flames. Pepper had just enough time to dump a cascade of fire suppressing solution over her, breathing a sigh of relief when she saw Skye rushing in as backup, the ground beneath the fire user crumbling underneath him, before Tony took up her attention once more.

The laser he sent at her was way off, proof that the flash grenade had done some damage and she followed it up with a unibeam of her own, giving her more space to maneuver as he came back in for another attack.

Their battle raged on until a tank missile, that only missed her by an inch, made her stomach clench, and she knew she was going to have to take him down, or be taken down. He would never forgive her for giving in just because he was the enemy. She knew that, and tears of frustration slipped down her face as she had FRIDAY analyze the new attack patterns and target the primary system functions in his suit.

The resulting explosions did the job and she raced to catch him from the dead drop, barely snagging him, before landing roughly on the concrete below.

And that’s when she made her first mistake. She instructed the helmet to peel back from her face so she could see him with her own eyes. Her metal clad hands reached out to pull the display controlling him away from his face when his left hand, that was mangled and bloody and distinctly lacking armor, suddenly shot out and grabbed her around the throat.

“Tony!” she croaked, noting the tremor in his hand as the grip tightened and relaxed in increasing speeds, until it remained frozen, still trembling in a firm, uncomfortable grip around her neck.

He was fighting it.

Angling her hand she sent a repulsor blast into his side, effectively ripping his hand away as he went sprawling several feet to the left. In that short period of time, where she took two large breaths before looking up to see where he’d landed, he’d somehow rolled onto his stomach, and his unarmored arm stood outstretched, the emergency manual laser hidden in every suit pointed right at her.

There was no time to dodge.

The laser connected with her suit right as a field of blue light flared in front of her, taking the brunt of the damage. Even with that buffer she could feel the heat of the attack right below her ribs.

“Emergency shield compromised,” FRIDAY’s voice came in her ear sounding endearingly frantic. “Power at 25%.”

Pepper staggered back as she recalled that the laser had two charges. She locked her gaze on the illuminated slits where Tony’s eyes would be hidden beneath, already forgiving him for what he was about to do even as she braced to give her best dodge.

Time stop in 3

The moment came and she flung herself out of the way, repulsors sending her several feet in the air-

2

-but the attack never came. Her eyes locked onto his hand, that trembled again with that strange bipolar grip-

1

The device tumbled out to the ground, his hand spasming into a fist before he seemed to freeze, curled fingers going eerily still.

Pepper didn’t take any chances. Unloading her last taser she aimed and fired, watching the electricity travel over the suit and up his exposed, spasping, arm. She began to choke on her quick breaths, wanting nothing more than to collapse on the ground, but Tony’s voice in her head forced her to carefully land, refocus, and analyze her surroundings for continued threats.

“Pepper!”

Rhodey’s voice had her spinning to see the man coming in hot, landing next her, hands and eyes checking her over for injuries and frowning at the hole in her suit.

“Shit, I’m sorry. Danny’s got a mean right hook and by the time I realized where Tony had gotten off to I was pinned down between him and that damn illusionist. If Loki hadn’t shown up--Hey? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, but Tony...” she indicated the still form next to them. Rhodey hadn’t been worried before, but at the tremor in her voice he stepped forward and leaned down, ripping the faceplate off. They both swallowed hard and took a deep breath at seeing the blown pupils, that hid any trace of brown, and the deep, blood red of his sclera, indicating several broken blood vessels.

“Shit,” Rhodey cursed. “The others haven’t been as bad as this.” Dropping the faceplate he checked Tony’s pulse with a frown. After a moment he reluctantly stood and eyed the other frozen combatants in the distance.

“He should be okay now,” he assured. With the faceplate gone Tony would be free of the villain's influence. His heartbeat had seemed steady enough, and they still had a job to do after all. “If you’re able I could use your help. We need to remove as many of these glasses as we can in the next 60 seconds. They’re screwed into the victims' temples which makes things tricky.”

Pepper forced herself not to look at the love of her life, jerking her head in nod, before racing to help finish the mission.

They made quick work. A focused, low powered laser held extremely carefully, freed nearly a dozen combatants, all of their eyes blown. Some victims sported a red sclera as well, but none as severe as Tony’s had been.

“Target secured,” Matt’s voice in Rhodey’s ear was like a cold drink on a hot day in hell. “Bringing him out now.”

“Professor, can you hold on until we have him in the container module? I’d rather be safe than sorry if we can.”

I can, though all haste would be appreciated

“Blink,” Rhodey directed.

“I got em,” she confirmed, portaling to the door where Matt was emerging with the kid thrown over his shoulder. Scott was right behind him, back to scale and carrying the missing tech manipulator, a young woman who sported the familiar broken sunglasses. They took two steps into the portal Blink formed in front of them and emerged onto the waiting Zephyr, disappearing from view as the portal closed.

Time stop ending in 3…

Pepper rushed to make it back to Tony before time was up.

Tony remained unconscious as they flew him to the closest SHIELD medical facility. The plane was filled with the sound of drills, as medics had to manually remove the 3mm small screws that had been bored into each victim's skull to prevent careless removal of the glasses.

Pepper was glad that Tony had at least been spared that unpleasant part of the process, but she was worried sick about the venom they’d found in his system. The SHIELD EMT noted that it had probably been a mild dose of infection that would have been very treatable, if the spread hadn’t been exacerbated by all the activity Tony had engaged in afterwards.

Then, to add insult to injury she was informed that because it had come from a human and not an animal that they may not have an antivenom to combat it. At least not until their biomedical specialist could take a look at some samples.

Tony lay still on the cot in front of her, eyes finally closed after Pepper couldn’t take one more look at the bloody orbs that seemed much too lifeless. She was so tired, but she was afraid that if she closed her eyes he would slip away.

A loud beeping on Tony’s machine woke her up more effectively than a shot of espresso and a medic was stumbling over to her before she could call for them.

“Oxygen intake is dropping,” he murmured with a frown, and then the beeping was overtaken by another sound that Pepper was much too familiar with. Her blood ran cold.

“Shit! VENTILATOR!” he yelled, “I need CPR over here while I intubate!” Pepper didn’t hesitate, leaning over and beginning the chest compressions they’d all been trained for. She got to the count of 15 before someone firmly removed her hands and replaced them.

“Not you,” the tech said, taking over her count and only pausing for intubation.

She was so focused on the tube disappearing into Tony’s mouth that she missed one of the new techs that had just arrived gesturing to another. “She's bleeding, get her into another bed and check her out if you can find a free space.”

“What? No!” Pepper protested, struggling against the EMT trying to guide her away, eyes glued onto Tony’s form.

“Ma’am.”

“I’m not leaving until I know he’s okay,” she demanded, the same fiery determination that had quelled many men before him, now burning in her gaze as she stared him down.

“It’s in!” The declaration made her swivel back to watch as the oxygen mask was hooked to the tube and air finally inflated Tony’s chest. There were a tense few seconds where nothing happened before a rhythm was found once more.

Pepper slumped in relief, suddenly feeling so tired her legs began to give out.

“Pepper?” came Rhodey’s voice from far away and up close all at once as the black creeped in. “What happened to her? Why is she bleeding? Pepper!”

Rhodey sat with his hands on his head, elbows resting on his knees and eyes closed, breaths matched to the beeping on the machine. The arm of his woman, sliding around his shoulders was a comfort, but also tempted him to release the tears that had been sitting at the back of his eyes for the last three days.

Carol really was phenomenal. She’d been off-world on a solo mission when everything had gone down. She’d only gotten back in last night, had come straight to the medical facility, and hadn’t left his side since. He didn’t deserve her, and in moments like these was absolutely floored by her allegiance. Taking bigger breaths to combat the urge to break down and embarrass himself, he briefly looked up, taking in the rest of the room's occupants.

His eyes immediately went to Tony who lay still beneath the hospital sheet save for the slight movement of his chest as air was forced into his lungs for him every few seconds. He’d been unconscious when they’d entered the facility and they’d induced a coma to try and help his body heal naturally from the infection. What they didn’t say, but what Rhodes could read in their eyes, was that it wasn’t looking good. He’d tried in vain to contact Strange, regardless of the man’s mission, but how did you reach a man outside of time?

Luckily, once the young man who had bitten Tony on the arm and infected him with the venom had woken up and recovered from his breakdown (after facing the horror that he’d been forced to commit), he’d been nothing but helpful in supplying as many samples as Bruce and Simmons and all the other scientists needed if they were going to try and develop an antivenom. Tony had been sporting some serious bruises and a few lacerations from his fight with Pepper, but by far the most damaging injury had been the Inhuman snake bite… and, well… he probably wasn’t going to be too happy when he woke up and remembered that he’d been forced to make a serious go at killing the woman he loved, but Rhodey refused to think about that right now. It was enough just to keep his friend in the land of the living.

Pepper laid in the bed pushed flush against Tony’s, hand stretched out to rest over his chest, as if she needed to feel it moving in order to be convinced he was still breathing. When he’d seen her collapse onto Tony, blood seeping through the side of her shirt, he’d nearly lost his shit. He had remembered seeing a hole in her suit, and had specifically instructed one of the EMT’s to take a look at her before heading to check on the rest of the team.

After ripping the guilty party a new one, he’d settled down enough for them to diagnose her with a moderate laser wound. The beam had caused a third degree burn and had just penetrated the skin at the center of the injury, perforating her right kidney. She’d nearly bled out before they’d caught it. While she was rushed into surgery he’d found that EMT once again and tore several more new ones in his frustration. Two days out of surgery she was doing much better, all of her other injuries manifesting as harmless bruising, but Rhodey didn’t like the haunted look in her eye on the rare occasions they locked gazes.

Loki sat at Tony’s bedside in much the same defeated position as Rhodey. He knew the god blamed himself for what happened to Tony, and Rhodey had tried to reassure him that nothing had been his fault. He’d jumped in front of a gun for Tony, it wasn’t his fault they had still both managed to be shot. And yea, Loki hadn’t thought to cover his scent but Rhodey didn’t cast blame on him for that. It wasn’t something Rhodey would have thought of either. But his words seemed to go in one ear and out the other, and he had a feeling it was going to take the words coming from Tony himself for the god to see reason.

Betty was the last person in the room, sitting quietly next to him in the space that Bruce would have occupied, if he wasn’t spending every hour of every day formulating an antivenom. She had a quiet grace about her that Rhodey had found strength in these past few days. He often forgot how resilient the woman was, evidenced by the simple fact that the former Secretary Ross was her father, and regardless of his violent protests (for whatever they were worth as he rotted in prison) she was still very defiantly engaged to Bruce Banner.

At that thought his eyes tripped down to watch the hand resting on his knee. With Carol’s other arm across his back and her face hidden in his arm she didn’t see his scrutiny. Her fingers were long and strong, each knuckle sitting proudly in a row. As if drawn there outside of his control his eyes slowly tracked the third finger and studied the bare skin there.

The doors bursting open tore him from his appraisal and he jumped to his feet as Bruce came in with a frantic air before coming to a halt. He was messing with something on the pad in his hands and for a moment said nothing, though he had the attention of every conscious occupant in the room.

“We have a workable antivenom!” he breathed, finally looking up as if he had just entered the room and hadn't stood there standing quietly for the last 20 seconds. He made his way to the bed and connected to one of Tony’s IVs, filling a couple vials of blood.

“Or, well, we think we do,” he clarified. “There’s a few more tests we need to do, Tony’s physiology tends to work against him too often so we’re being extra careful.”

Vials filled, he pocketed them gently and grabbed his pad, already making his way out of the room. Betty stood to intercept him, kissing him briefly at the door.

“One more day, two tops and we’ll be ready,” he promised. “Just a few more days.”

She nodded, her sad smile full of reassurance as she smoothed down his frayed hair and whispered something softly in his ear, before kissing him gently on the cheek and moving out of the way.

Bruce disappeared down the hall and the group resumed their silent vigil. Rhodey, however, found his attention drifting more and more to those bare fingers.

Chapter Text

Early March 2018

Tony opened his eyes to a room full of anxious ones watching him carefully. He felt like absolute shit, but the scene was so reminiscent of the one in November that he couldn’t help the first words that spilled out of his mouth.

“Please tell me we didn’t get another dog while I was out.”

The various relieved chuckles brought a smile to his face until, like a freight train hitting him at full speed, his short term memory snapped back into place and the smile turned to horror.

“Pepper!”

He’d barely registered which pair of eyes were hers before he was reaching for her, hands meeting him halfway as they worked to pull their bodies together as quickly as possible. All the fear of suddenly not being in control of his body, attacking Loki and then worse, attacking Pepper, the sheer terror at the unwanted launch of every missile, having to feel his hand close around her throat, fingers pushing a button, releasing a laser that could have ripped her in two if not for FRIDAY’s quick shielding.

The sobs were pulled from him before he could even register that maybe he should be embarrassed about completely losing it in front of all of his friends. He tripped over the words filling his brain and tumbling over themselves trying to get out of his mouth.

“Sorry, so- I’m sorry. So sorry,” he cried into Pepper's shoulder. Her hair was sticking to his tears and slipping in his mouth, but the uncomfortable feeling gave him so much relief because it meant that she was here and alive and he hadn’t killed her but oh God, oh God he’d been so close.

Physically, Tony recovered days before Pepper got a clean bill of health, but it was weeks before he stopped waking up every night in the middle of a scream, her name on his lips and his hands frantically reaching for her.

It’s dark. It’s dark, and Tony is not alone. There is something there with him. Tendrils so red they blend in with the nothingness, spiral towards him, invisible fingers pushing against him, trapping him, forcing him into a manufactured calm he doesn’t feel. It wraps around him so close he can no longer tell where it ends and he begins.

He’s moving now. Or it is. There isn’t a difference really.

Rhodey is first. Unsuspecting. The tendrils slash into him. They don’t stop at his screams. They don’t stop at his silence. They don’t stop until he is a bloody puddle on the floor in the vague shape of a human. Tony’s hands are covered in blood. His face and arms and chests thick with it as it sticks to his skin. Still warm.

Bruce is next. His death is always quick and precise. As if the tendrils know of the monster lurking beneath. As the severed head rolls away the eyes are damning, a continual cycle of blame, the accusing stare penetrating Tony as sure as a sword every time it comes around, even as it rolls further and further away.

He’s never quite sure if Loki ever actually dies. The tendrils have trouble touching him. Sliding towards him, only to slide away a moment later. The green around the god begins to grow. He tries to whisper something to Tony. What is it? He can’t hear the god.

Something is wrong with you.

The tendrils wrap around his face and ears and slither down his throat. The message is lost, or forgotten, useless either way.

Sometimes it’s JARVIS, or his mother, or Peter, Jarvis, even FRIDAY. But always, always it ends with Pepper. Her skin is shining in the sun, or protected by an expanse of cool metal. Either way the tendrils find her. They pierce her skin, her hair, blot out her beautiful eyes that somehow still convey forgiveness, even when they are nothing more than black holes, and Tony can’t take it. He can’t take it.

He wants to die.

Suddenly there’s a flair of green. A sphere that pierces through the tendrils of red and he’s free somehow, back in control of his body and mind. Free...but Pepper is still dead at his feet and all is despair-

Tony woke on a harsh breath, only just managing to cut off the scream now trapped in his throat, making it hard to breathe.

“It’s okay Tony,” he heard Pepper’s soft voice mumble beside him. Eyes, fingers, legs, his entire being reached out for her, wrapped around her like somehow he had become the tendrils. He knew it was probably not a pleasant experience. He was slick with sweat, his grip almost assuredly too tight, and the heaving he was trying to get under control rocked them awkwardly.

“It’s okay,” she whispered again and he could see now that she wasn’t even fully awake. With eyes still closed she reached for him, wrapping her arms securely around him, and something in him broke as he realized that she was comforting him in her sleep. As if it were instinctual. Or had become so from all the times before.

The addition of salty tears as they hit her face and rolled down her neck could only be adding to her discomfort, but she didn’t move a muscle as he emptied himself into the safety of her shoulder, quietly, determined no screams or sobs would fully wake her from her slumber.

He felt drained when he finished, strangely void, but the images from his nightmare weren’t as clear anymore, her pleas for him to stop killing her not as loud. The end of his physical release consequently released something intangible within, clearing his mind enough for him to think straight for the first time in days.

He held her for a long time, until he was sure she had slipped back down from her state of half wakefulness. Then slowly, fighting more against himself than her, he untangled their limbs and slipped from the bed.

It was not a surprise to find who he was looking for already sitting at the table looking as haggard as he felt. Tony sat next to his friend, accepting the cup of coffee that materialized in front of him, and only after five, long, measured sips did he break the silence.

“It was you,” he said plainly, fingering the medallion still hanging around his neck, finally catching the truth that had eluded him this past week.

“Not just me,” Loki confirmed. “Other magics besides mine have been added for your protection.”

“It helped,” Tony murmured, memories he’d worked hard to suppress, now surfacing for his scrutiny. “It helped me break his hold.”

“As it should,” Loki agreed with a nod. “Illusions and dominance are two halves of the same coin. Both are a manipulation of the mind. Though one is more precise than the other they both result in unsanctioned actions. Unfortunately, the only impediment of the medallion is that it does take time to navigate novel magicks. You would not have as much difficulty were you to face that opponent again.”

There was a small silence as Tony absorbed that. His mind was reeling as he began to fully understand the gift that the god had given him. So it was with surprise that he looked up to see guilt written across Loki’s face before the god could shutter it. He knew from experience that Loki didn’t handle certain sentiments well. He may spout, even demand, the gratitude that was his due, but if he actually got it from a person he truly cared about he didn’t know what to do with it. And honestly, Tony could relate. So he looked away, giving the god a moment as he chased another trail of pieces.

“It’s in my dreams,” he said after a moment, needing confirmation. “It woke me up before-,” he cut himself off then, not wanting to remember images of further mutilation of the woman he loved and the people he called family.

“Nightmares are just another form of Illusion,” Loki nodded slowly, staring intently at the medallion before piercing Tony with a pointed look. “Remember, its original purpose was to protect the caster from themselves.”

The shot of hope, just for the chance at a night’s sleep without having to relive the horror of being forced to kill everyone he loved, was so potent it made his chest ache. He wanted to take Loki’s suggestion and test it immediately, but the coffee in his system was already jazzing him up and even without the joe there was no way he was getting back to sleep tonight.

He hummed a reply, wondering vaguely what the nightmares of a god may have looked like. With a shudder he refocused his thoughts, fingering his near empty cup as he recalled the last time they’d sat there drinking coffee way too early in the morning.

“Hey,” he turned to Loki with a growing, sly grin. “You ever seen Point Break?”

Bruce drug himself from the lab and into the kitchen, counting himself lucky that Tony had decided to hit the sack at a reasonable time. If he hadn’t, Bruce would have never heard the end of it. For all that he and the others got on Tony for working himself to death, Bruce could exhibit the same hyper focused behavior when he was on to something, and he was definitely on to something.

He’d been studying Tony’s genome. Not the degree he had ever planned to utilize most, but one that he did have ample experience with. He couldn’t count the hours he had spent trying to cure himself after the accident.

He’d gotten the idea when his best friend had almost died again. After finally managing to save him Bruce couldn’t help but to think that for a so-called Celestial, Tony was really rather fragile. He knew that Tony was part human, but what was it exactly that made him any different than Rhodey or Pepper?

That was the question that had gotten him to where he was today, two days of no sleep and letting the counter hold him up as he waited for the coffee to brew. Still, the two day frenzy had been worth it. He’d found a cluster of unknown genes so hidden within the code it was a wonder he’d stumbled upon them so quickly. They were elusive, unlike anything he’d ever seen, but most curiously, while most were dormant a few seemed to indeed be active.

Unfortunately, that told him absolutely nothing about what they actually did, only that they were, in fact, there.

The timer jolted Bruce awake, the growing irritation after so many hours without sleep making the big guy grumble loudly enough that he questioned the wisdom of coffee over his bed. The sound of footsteps drew his eyes and he watched Loki enter the kitchen, eye Bruce as if he was a dangerous patient from the local maximum ward and magic himself a cup of coffee from the 'safe' side of the table.

Bruce was just about to push himself up and grab the pot when Tony came strolling in looking way too chipper. He forgot about the coffee as he watched Tony walk right up to Loki and hug the god, who sat frozen in surprise.

“Thanks Yogi bear,” Bruce could hear Tony say quietly, giving the green goblin a couple pats on the back before pulling back with a grin. “That was uncomfortable for me as well, but so worth the look on your face,” he quipped before spinning and heading back down the hall, a darn right jolly "morning Brucey bear!" thrown over his shoulder as he disappeared around the corner.

Bruce blinked as he caught Loki’s scowl morph into a gentle smile.

That decided it. He definitely needed to sleep.

Chapter Text

Late March 2018

Tony watched his two best friends walk down the small aisle with their beautiful women beside them and suddenly felt like his suit was too tight.

“Tony. My man. Breathe,” Rhodey directed as he came to stand next to him.

“I’m breathing,” Tony insisted, taking small, quick breaths as he fingered his suit buttons once more, before reaching up to smooth hair that was perfect, and then dusting non-existent dust off of his shoulders.

“What makes you think I’m not breathing? I’m breathing perfectly fine. Clearly I’m still standing, I haven’t passed out, not even hyperventilating.”

“Tony,” Bruce stressed.

“Right. Breathing,” he said, forcing himself to take a breath as the seconds seemed to turn into years as he waited for Peter and Harley to finish rolling out the carpet. Then there was the admittedly adorable Quinn who insisted on coming up to give him a hug. That part he actually hadn’t minded. The humor he found in her completely ignoring her brother to climb the few stairs and wrap her arms around him somehow soothed some of the nerves currently threatening to overwork his heart.

She continued her rebel behavior, forgoing her assigned spot in favor of doling out hugs to everyone she knew, and Tony took the time to glance around at the very small crowd that was facing him. Loki was wearing a suit that looked suspiciously made by the same designer who had custom tailored his, but good taste could always be forgiven. Phil stood next to Happy doing a much better job of concealing a smile.

Hope stood next to Laura, Cooper and Lila and it was the first time he’d seen her in a dress. He almost felt a bit touched at that. Laura, the good woman, had the nerve to wink at him before quieting her chatty teens and licking a thumb to get some unseen smudge off of Nathaniel’s face while checking to make sure the faux rings were still secured to the small pillow the four year old was holding.

Strange stood stoically as he always did, but the small encouraging nod he sent Tony’s way was surprisingly steadying. Matt was standing next to Jessica and his teasingly mouthed ‘breathe Tony’ prompted Tony to lift an affronted eyebrow. Jessica, still in her torn jeans, caught the interaction and her signature eye roll managed to pull a chuckle from him.

His nerves released a bit with the laugh, and to appease everyone he took several, exaggerated, deep breaths. All of which came to an abrupt end when Quinn finally settled and the doors opened and he was staring at Pepper and oh God she's so beautiful.

Resplendent. Exquisite. Coruscant. There weren’t enough words in any dictionary to describe the radiance of her. And she was choosing to marry him?

His feet moved without his permission, carrying him halfway down the short aisle to meet her in the middle. The smile on her face and in her eyes was hypnotic and he had the strange sensation that he was falling. He raised a shaking hand to her face, needing to touch her, to confirm to himself that this was real and not a dream.

The visible tremors made him halt his progress right at her cheek. He didn’t deserve this. He didn’t deserve her, but oh did he want her. Just as he went to pull away her own hand came up, grasping his firmly and pressing it against her face before her other hand reached out and cupped his cheek as she mirrored the caress.

Dear God he loved this woman.

“Ahem!” The rather loud clearing of a throat startled them both and they turned to see the priest Matt had recommended, Father Paul, staring at them in clear amusement. “Sorry. Frog,” he said by way of explanation, rubbing his throat negligently before gesturing to the designated space in front of him.

“Oh. Right,” Tony murmured, covering up his embarrassment with a smirk as he walked Pepper the rest of the way down the aisle. He probably should have let go of her hand, but seeing as they were about to tie themselves together in a lifelong bond built on commitment, he figured a physical representation was wholly appropriate.

He needn't have worried though. In his own little world full of anxiety, excitement, nerves, impatience, awe, and what he would come to understand as pure joy, he didn't realize that she was gripping his hand just as tightly.

Charles Xavier hovered near the back so that he had the most encompassing view. He’d been preparing to give the groom a word of encouragement to soothe his nerves, but Pepper had entered just then and Tony’s world had narrowed down to exclude everything but her.

He couldn’t begrudge Tony though. She was particularly breathtaking in white.

As the priest began the ceremony he focused his thoughts, running through the mental signatures in his mind to make sure he still had everyone. A good thing too as he’d nearly forgotten one that sat a mere few feet away. He didn’t want anyone to miss this.

Matt nearly jumped out of his skin as a visual perception of the wedding suddenly settled in his mind, the image crystal clear, as if he had never gone blind.

The hand on his knee was less surprising and he merely flinched in response as Jessica leaned in to him.

“You okay?” she asked, and he could hear the growing tension in her muscles as she looked around the small chapel for threats.

“Yea,” he whispered, the word coming out breathy. “I just… I can see the ceremony.”

“You can see the…” she trailed off in confusion before turning to glance back at what Matt now realized must have been Professor Xavier. So that’s what they had meant when they said he was the camera man.

Matt felt the tension drain out of her as she patted his knee before turning back to the couple of the hour. He probably should have been paying attention to what was assuredly one of the best days of his friends' lives, but honestly, he spent most of the time surreptitiously studying every face he had only ever seen in outline.

If asked later about the tear tracks he’d neglected to conceal, he would jokingly blame it on the dust in his eyes. Only Jessica, and mostly obviously Professor Xavier, knew the truth. The tears weren’t just for the happy couple, but for the close, novel analysis of the people that he had come to call friends; the people he had come to call family.

Honestly, how could anyone have reacted differently?

Far above the Earth, in an orbiting satellite, Susan threw a pillow at Johnny, her aim ringing true, the force of it toppling her idiot brother out of his seat and onto the floor.

“It’s not funny Johnny,” she huffed, letting the image settle back into focus. “I think it’s sweet.”

“He didn’t even say anything,” Johnny laughed, hopping back up. “He just walked up to her and stood there. His face!” Johnny paused to mimic Tony’s awestruck face before bursting into another fit of laughter. “Man he’s so whipped.”

“You’re impossible,” Sue griped, getting up to join Reed in his lab so that she could watch the rest of the ceremony in peace.

“You are in violation of the law,” the Vision announced as he pursued the assaillant through walls and doors meant to obstruct him. His pursuit was almost casual, as if he was distracted, and indeed he was, or would have been if he were human. As an android he was perfectly able to watch the wedding of his creator and friend, as well as subdue the relatively small crime offenders currently fleeing his pursuit.

That was alright though. The Vision was in no hurry, and indeed when they were eventually apprehended they would be more scarred by the eerie, persistent smile on the android’s face, than the fact that none of their attacks had hurt him in the slightest.

With such a creepy expression it was no wonder that they had surrendered.

Segum scrambled backwards, watching as the last of his group disappeared into a flaming funnel of death. The woman at fault for the untimely demise of his colleagues turned towards him with a blazing scowl.

“I can’t believe I’m missing a wedding for this. You all are such assholes!” she huffed. “How many people did this fool kill?” she turned, yelling over her shoulder.

“Seven.”

The response came from out of Segum’s range, probably the one secreting away his prize.

“Two of them were the boy’s pregnant mother and his toddler brother.”

Segum wasn’t worried about the number of people he’d killed. They had been in the way of his goal. A necessary sacrifice to get his hands on a resource that would have exponentially boosted his power. Now, thanks to the Rangers, that dream was being taken further and further away, but Segum wasn’t going down without a fight.

Struggling to his feet he let out a huge burst of X-rays centered solely on the flaming woman 20 feet away. The amount of radiation he sent her way should have dropped her like a fly but she only snarled at him, like she hadn’t felt anything at all.

“He’s lost his humanity in my book,” she declared, turning to face away from him. “I agree with whatever Mr. Pumpkin King decides.”

The flaming chains wrapped around Segum before he could attempt to flee. He screamed in agony as the burning chains tightened, whipping him around to face the terrifying visage of a skull that was on fire.

“Please!” Segum choked out, fear finally snuffing out any defiance.

“Sorry,” the hellish skull spoke, gaping maw seeming to smile at him. “All out of mercy!”

“So.”

“So?” Tony turned and smiled.

“You’re married,” Rhodey stated the obvious with a grin.

“I know,” Tony's smile turned soft as he glanced across the meadow to look at Pepper as she laughed with the small group of women who had attended his wedding earlier that morning. “Who’d have thought huh?”

“That you would tie the knot first?” Rhodey asked with raised brows. “Certainly not me.”

“Ah come on. You’re just mad I beat you to it,” Tony smirked, turning back to his friend. “Don’t think FRIDAY doesn’t gossip about your recent search history.”

“Dammit Tony,” Rhodey cursed, bringing his voice down and eyeing Carol, who was laughing in the same group across the meadow.

“Okay yea it was totally me not FRIDAY. Or… okay no it was FRIDAY but only because I was going to set up a meeting with a few jewelers I know and she informed me that such a move may no longer be necessary and, well, can I just say it’s about damn time?” Tony teased. “How did you let Brucey Bear beat you to a proposal, Platypus?”

“You’re impossible,” Rhodey groaned, bringing a hand up to his head in an effort to stave off the inevitable headache. “What did you do Tony?”

“Who me?” Tony asked innocently. “Nothing. I haven’t done anything.”

“Tony,” Rhodey warned.

“Well I mean, it’s not like you two don’t deserve a vacation,” Tony reasoned, grabbing his friend's shoulder and pulling him close to his side. “You’re set for a relaxing week in Hawaii when me and Pepper get back.”

“What?! How-.”

“Okay it’s actually four days. The UN wouldn’t agree to a full week, not with both of you being gone, but I mean by flying Mutant United that should be enough time to set the mood ya know?”

“Tony stop,” Rhodey breathed, looking up at his friend. “What makes you think I’m even ready for this next step? It’s a huge decision man.”

“What are we on the denial train now?”

“It’s not denial.”

“Look me in the eye and tell me I read you wrong,” Tony declared.

Rhodey’s eyebrows pinched as Tony’s gaze searched his, and the pocket housing the ring he’d only been carrying for the last week seemed to heat up, the area of leg where the box rested tingled as if trying to call attention to itself and Rhodey had the strange sense that Tony knew it was there.

The guilt he’d been trying to squash bubbled up and he had to look away.

“Look man,” he started. “It’s not the right time. This is your day, your time.”

“Is that why you didn’t tell me?” Tony asked, and there was no blame in his voice, no hint of accusation in his tone.

“I was going to tell you,” Rhodey insisted. “I wanted to tell you. But look, to be honest man, I didn’t really make a decision until recently. I mean, I’d been thinking about it, thinking seriously about it, since Christmas, you know that.”

“I do,” Tony agreed.

“Right. And then… listen, when you were lying in that bed literally eroding away as we waited for a miracle, Carol was… she was…”

“There.”

“Exactly,” Rhodey breathed out. “And I realized then that I always wanted her to be there and the fact that my devotion to her wasn’t wrapped around her finger was intolerable. But Tony…. you were dying,” Rhodey stressed. “And then just as quickly you were getting married and it just… it wasn’t the time.”

“When’s the last time I ever denied you something and demanded it solely for myself,” Tony asked with a raised brow. “Besides Pepper of course.”

Rhodey opened his mouth to give several examples, when he realized that wasn’t true. Tony had always been generous. In fact, he’d shared everything with Rhodey. Everything Rhodey could say he wanted in on. Exclusive parties, the latest SI tech, even the Iron Man suit. Of course it wasn’t until after he’d “stolen” the Iron Patriot armor that he realized Tony had always meant the suit for him. Finding no reply he closed his mouth and shook his head.

“Your happiness doesn’t take away from mine,” Tony said seriously. “So don’t withhold it. There’s plenty enough space for us both to be happy at the same time.”

“Shit man,” Rhodey breathed, running a hand through his hair, because hell, he wasn’t really prepared for such a damn heart to heart today.

“Come on. Bring it in Honey Bear,” Tony quipped, pulling him into a full on hug, and Rhodey submitted to what he knew was coming next. “Is that a ring in your pocket or are you just glad to have me in your arms?”

“You’re impossible,” he huffed again, pulling away with an amused huff and giving Tony a familiar eye roll.

“I really am,” Tony grinned. “So you're going to accept my prying and -.”

“Yes, Tones. We’ll take the trip… and thank you,” Rhodey said with a grudging smile. “Come on Mr. Stank. Loki’s done a good job determining this was a serious conversation, but if we make him wait any longer he might stab someone.”

“Please,” Tony snorted. “And face the wrath of my wife? He’s not suicidal.”

“Good point,” Rhodey laughed as they both turned to watch their female counterparts. “Man, our women are terrifying.”

“Yea they are,” Tony concurred, eyes trailing over his wife.

For the next several seconds, everybody at the small reception wondered just what exactly the two men were talking about that had prompted such predatory grins. Only one man had an inkling of the motivating factor, and he wasn’t talking, though he wholeheartedly agreed.

The shrill sound of a phone pulled the happy couple out of their sleep and Tony moaned as Pepper climbed over him to reach the device, her bony elbow digging into his ribs were sure to leave a bruise.

“Potts,” she said, a little breathless.

“What?! No! Who authorized that?” she demanded and Tony resigned himself to the end of his two day honeymoon.

“No. You tell them I’m on the way to fix this and get me the idiot who thought he could answer for me…well I don’t care how you do it but you’ve got 10 hours to figure it out!”

Dropping the phone she unashamedly collapsed on top of Tony with a groan of her own.

“Ughhh I’m sorry Tony,” she sighed, kissing his arm since it was the closest thing.

“It’s okay,” he reassured, rubbing her back softly. “Go. Save the world.”

“It’s not even the world. Just SI,” she huffed.

“Eh potato tomato,” Tony quipped with a smirk, leaning up to press a kiss on her cheek.

“You’re really okay with this?” she asked, propping her arms on his and flipping her hair back to look at him closely as he answered.

“Really really,” he assured, his eyes crinkling the way she loved.

“But it’s our honeymoon,” she reasoned, still trying to read the truth in his eyes. “It’s okay to be upset Tony.”

“You know what? You’re absolutely right,” he huffed, taking on a mock affront. “And I would be upset. Absolutely livid. I mean Canadian geese, spitting angry.”

“But…” she prompted after his moment of dramatic silence, her eyebrow raised in amusement.

“But…I already got the only thing I ever really wanted,” he continued, face softening again as he fingered a tendril of her hair that was tickling his collar bone. “And it wasn’t a honeymoon, Pep.”

Heart skipping a beat (and honestly how was that still happening) she gazed into those pools of liquid brown and seriously debated shirking her duties and staying in bed.

“No you don’t,” Tony laughed, seeing the change in her blue eyes. “Unless you plan to play hooky?” he asked, suddenly hopeful.

Her head collapsed on his chest as she let out another frustrated groan. As much as she would like to, and he was making it damn hard not to give in, the mess at SI would only get worse the longer she left it unattended.

“Okay,” she huffed. “I’m going, but I’ll be back,” she promised.

“I know,” he grinned, leaning up to give her another brief kiss. “Have a good day at work honey.”

Chapter Text

Early May 2018

“Ya know, Thor buddy, we’ve got to stop meeting like this,” Tony sighed, wiping the sleep from his eye and putting on a pot of coffee. FRIDAY had only woken him a minute ago when the god had appeared unannounced on his lawn yet again.

“I would not disturb your human need for sleep if it were not dire,” Thor informed with a smirk.

“Uhuh,” Tony grumbled, turning to make his way back down the hallway to deliver a familiar few kicks to the door before heading back to the kitchen.

“If no one is actively dying I’m going to kill someone!” Loki warned as he stalked into the kitchen with an angry scowl and a yawn. He stopped at the vision of his brother sitting at the table and his scowl deepened as a spear appeared in his hand. “You’re not actively dying,” he hissed, pulling back his arm as if he were actually going to throw; which, of course, he very well might have, given some of the stories Tony had been told.

“Put the wand away Severus,” Tony said through a yawn. “Says it’s important, again.”

“Oh come on,” Loki pleaded. “It’s not like it would actually hurt him.”

“It’s true,” Thor smirked, looking so smug that for a moment Tony was tempted to overlook the resulting splatters of blood.

“I’m sorry but do you mind if we just skip to the point?” he said instead, running a hand over his face again in an attempt to wake up. “And, haven’t we already been through the whole ungodly hour bit? I can have FRIDAY draw up a chart of appropriate hours if you like, time zones included and everything.”

“I second that,” Loki scoffed, coming to sit in the chair next to Tony after glancing at the already brewing coffee maker.

“Right!” Thor boomed, making the two sitting across from him wince. “Well I come with good tidings. I have stopped the so-called Ragnarok that threatened to destroy our world.”

“Yes and we’re so proud,” Loki snarled under his breath.

“Unfortunately, I have yet to uncover Odin’s location, though I have it on good authority he may still reside somewhere on Midgard.”

“Whose authority?” Tony asked.

“A good one!” Thor exclaimed.

“It’s Heimdall,” Loki sighed. “The gatekeeper.”

“Oh the all seeing one,” Tony nodded in recognition. “Okay great. So Sauron gave you a legitimate tip. Why exactly are you in our kitchen then?”

“Well!” Thor hedged. “Earth is rather large for such a small planet and with so many talented friends such as yourself Man of Iron, it seemed prudent to-.”

“Uhuh. Okay,” Tony interrupted. “I think I see where this is going. FRIDAY sweetheart be a doll and call the Professor will you?”

“Sure Boss. Though I would like to remind you of the time.”

“It’s fine. He’s just the type to be up-and-at-em already. Even on a Saturday.”

“What are you-.”

“Ah!” Tony cut Loki off, putting up a finger for him to wait and smirking at the narrow-eyed derision Loki shot his way.

“Anthony?”

“Professor. Sorry to wake you at this ungodly hour of ..” he paused, finally checking the time and noting that it was, in fact, an ungodly hour this time. “...5am,” he slurred with a yawn. “Look, you remember Thor right? He’s looking for his dad, Odin, who was last seen here on Earth. He’s not a mutant but, think you could find him?”

“I can certainly try,” the Professor agreed. “I’ll attempt it and let you know.”

“Thanks sensei.”

“Call ended,” FRIDAY informed.

“Now what?” Thor asked, seeming hopeful.

“Now we wait,” Tony informed, nearly groaning in relief at the chime indicating the coffee was ready. “And I drink coffee.”

He automatically grabbed two cups, knowing Loki would want one as well. Unfortunately, his hope of a quiet cup of joe was promptly ruined at the sound of Loki’s slow mischievous drawl behind him.

“So brother, did you know he’s a Celestial?”

Tony promptly poured the second cup down the drain.

Two hours later Tony and Loki were washed and dressed. They’d seen off Rhodey and Carol as they rushed to a meeting both had nearly forgotten, thanking FRIDAY on the way out. Tony was going to have to do something nice for his girl. Maybe give her a sweet little digital upgrade that would make her capable of going holographic? Tony grabbed a tablet and began to work on the calculations.

“Boss. Incoming call from Professor Charles Xavier.”

“Put him through.”

“Anthony. Sorry for the delay, there was a minor crisis with one of the students that I had to attend to before I could attempt your request. Unfortunately, I was unable to locate any minds similar to that of Thor’s or Loki’s. However, if he is as powerful as they say, it’s not much of a surprise. I suspect, if he is on Earth, he very much does not want to be found.”

“Yea. I was afraid of that. Well thanks anyway, I appreciate it.”

“Anytime. Take care.”

“Sure thing. FRIDAY end call and dial up the wizard.”

“What?” came the reply when Strange finally answered. He also wasn’t a morning person. Of course he wasn’t a midday, or evening, or night person either.

“Hey, so-.”

“If you’re calling to see if we got the mountain of Defender flavored ice cream I’m hanging up. Wong may love it, but I’m not amused.”

“Uh,” Tony grinned, rubbing the back of his neck and glancing up at a bemused Thor and a delighted Loki. “No, I’m calling on business. Thor came back for a visit today and he’s got a slight problem. Can’t find his old man. Seems he’s not where they left him.”

“Odin?” Strange questioned.

“The one and only,” Tony rushed out, putting out a hand to stop Thor from shouting his way into the conversion. “Got a location?”

“I do, though he was very adamant he not be disturbed.”

“And I would not do so if it were not important!” Thor finally boomed. “How dare you think to keep him from me! Where have you taken him!”

“Nowhere, he took himself there just fine. But seeing as you're his son and it’s an… emergency. Brother coming too?”

Tony looked at Loki who looked surprised to be asked and nodded slowly in reply.

“That’s an affirmative.”

“Fine. Give me thirty.”

The line went dead and Thor opened his mouth for a no doubt ear shattering rebuttal but Tony beat him to it.

“He’s gone, Thor. Don’t worry he’ll call back in 30 minutes,” he assured. “Breakfast? I make a mean omelet.”

Mid May 2018

“He looks normal to me,” Tony said, looking down at the kid with a raised brow.

“Believe me,” Strange countered. “He’s anything but ‘normal’ anymore. When I found him he was in a coma, his chakra was completely overloaded with a foreign energy. An energy I might add, that’s still present,” he said pointedly, pulling Tony backwards.

“Where did it come from?” Tony asked intrigued. “What are the odds that it’s benevolent?”

“I don’t know but we’re about to find out,” Strange clipped, performing a complex spell. Once it was finished they both tensed in expectation. A tension that slowly, warily drained away as nothing happened.

“Did you do it right?” Tony asked.

“Of course I did,” Strange scoffed with affront.

“I’m just saying, those hand movements are complex. I wouldn’t judge you if you missed a swish where there should have been a flicker.”

“Tony I swear-”

“AGHH!!”

The scream, coupled with the kid shooting straight up caused both men to jump back in tense surprise.

“Hey. You’re safe,” Tony began in a calm, soft voice. “It’s okay.”

“What? Okay?” The boy said, glancing around with frantic eyes. “It’s anything but okay. Do you know what happened? Where am I?”

“In the Sanctum Sanctorum in Greenwich Village,” Strange answered. “Do you know what happened to you?”

“No… or yes? I’m not really sure.”

Tony eyed Strange with raised brows before turning back to the kid.

“How about your name?” Tony prompted. “Do you remember your name?”

“My name...Richard. Richard Rider,” the kid said confidently before faltering. “Or… no that’s who I was.”

“And who are you now?” Strange asked.

“You can call me Nova. And I have a message for you.”

The two friends shared another wary look, silently acknowledging their apprehension. It was the uncomfortable tightening in your gut warning you not to take that side road, the hair raising on the back of your neck that prompted caution, the unsettling shiver of awareness that lets you know that you’re being watched. Intuition is a strange phenomenon, and right then it was beating at their door.

“What’s the message?” Tony finally asked, knowing the answer before the kid spoke. He’d known it ever since Loki and Thor had disappeared the week before.

“Xandar has been destroyed. Thanos is now in possession of the power stone. The Nova Corps requests aid from its ally and offers a warning. Prepare yourself. He is coming.”

And so it began, the fight for their universe.

Chapter Text

Recap: Thanos has just destroyed Xandar, and Nova warns the team that Earth is next.

“We’re sending aid,” Tony said in a tone that should have brooked no argument.

“Tony,” Strange tried once more. “If he’s already got the power stone there’s no need for him to attack the other planets. His next destination is Earth and we need all the ships and manpower available to fight him.”

“We signed a treaty,” Tony clipped. “We gave our word. An entire planet has been destroyed, Stephen. We will honor the terms of our agreement. We can spare a few ships for them. We’re sending aid.” he said again with finality.

This time Strange didn’t try to argue, but simply nodded in resignation.

“Guardians,” Tony addressed the ragtag group who had been instrumental in their preparation efforts up until now. “You know that part of the galaxy better than anyone. We’re sending you with…” At this he looked at Rhodey, who shrugged and spoke into the air.

“ATLAS?”

“Three ships and two squads of the Iron Legion,” the AI supplied immediately.

“What are the chances Thanos would return to a place he’s destroyed?” Tony asked, staring straight at Gomorrah.

“Unlikely. There’d be no point.”

“Good. Then the chances you’ll run into him are low,” Tony explained. “Besides, I don’t think it’s good to have all three stones in one place, even if one is theoretical. If he won't think to return to Xandar then you should be relatively safe.”

“We should check with the Collector on Knowhere,” Gamorrah suggested.

“No,” Tony said with perhaps more force than necessary for she jerked at the vehemence.

“If Thanos is going after the stones we need to make sure we get them before he does,” she persisted with a glare.

“If he has the power stone then you can bet your little green tush that he’s got the reality stone too. Going there to confirm what we already know isn’t only stupid it’s also a trap. Specifically set for you.”

“You can’t know that,” she glared.

“Why can’t I?” he countered. “If you claim to know him as well as you do what makes you think that road isn’t a two way street? Do you really want to risk that he doesn’t know how you think? That he can’t predict how you’ll act?”

She had no retort for that, though her glare softened and worry resettled there.

“Besides. It’s what I would do,” Tony finished.

“Once you’ve completed your mission contact us and we’ll let you know what’s next,” Rhodey supplied.

“Great. So we get to go babysit while you have all the fun?” Rocket groused.

“If you play nice I might be able to get Nova Corps to look the other way for any materials you’re able to salvage,” Tony offered with a glint in his eye.

“Well then!” Rocket said hopping up. “Let’s go save the galaxy.”

Thanos stood in the midst of the burning wreckage with an approving eye. The reality stone rested snugly in the gauntlet and he smirked, knowing that pesky Asgardian would no longer stand in his way. In fact, that’s where he was headed next, but first there was a little family problem that needed addressing.

It had been nearly two weeks since his destruction of Xandar. Word was bound to have spread far and wide of his power. He wouldn’t have to search for her anymore. She would come to him.

“Sire?” Ebony Maw asked, bowing in reverence.

“Bring me the time stone,” Thanos commanded.

“As you wish.”

Thanos watched them go with a feral grin as he settled down atop the wreckage to wait for the return of his favorite daughter.

Tony was out of breath but not out of energy as he fought to get the words to come out of his mouth in the right way.

“Slow down, slow down. I’m totally not kidding.”

She accused him of rambling, and he was, but he denied it anyway. He was pulling it together. Forming words he’d been too terrified to speak into something comprehensible. Because their time was quickly running out, and if he only had this brief hour long reprieve with her in the park, then he was going to share everything he might not be able to in the future.

“Right! That’s the point I’m trying to make. Apropos of that, last night, I dreamt, we had a kid. So real. We named him after your eccentric uncle. Uh, what was his name?”

Shit had he explained it right? Was she getting it? What was her uncle’s name damnit… Morgan! That was it. It was Morgan.

For a moment, he felt his heart try to soar and stop at the same time at the possibility of her actually being pregnant. After clarification he wasn’t disappointed that she wasn’t. He was disappointed that the opportunity had been taken from them.

“I had a dream about it. It was so real.”

She grew quiet as she gazed into his eyes. When they softened he knew that she got it. What he’d been trying to convey. The importance of the dream, of the hope that there was a future for them. That this was not the beginning of the end.

“Why the crazy uncle?” she asked, stepping into the dream with him even as she stepped into his arms. “I feel like that’s setting the poor kid up.”

“Purely selfish reasons,” Tony smirked. “I didn’t want to have to choose between James, Bruce, and Loki.”

Her huff of laughter was swallowed by his lips, and for one moment everything was right and good with the world.

“Tony.”

The familiar voice had him pulling away to look up at the wizard who addressed him with apologetic but serious eyes.

“Something tripped the long range scanners you and the rodent set up. They’re coming.”

And just like that his dream shattered.

“Where are we at with troops?” Tony asked Strange as he stepped through the portal and into the command room.

“Five battleships, cloaked and on standby.”

“And the rest?”

“On their way. ETA four hours from now.”

“What about Thanos?” Rhodey asked.

“ATLAS?”

“Unidentified ship entering Earth’s orbit in approximately 30 minutes.”

“I’m putting out the call,” Rhodey announced, stepping up to a monitor and entering the code that would be sent out to assemble all available Defenders worldwide. “Everybody suit up.”

“Wait,” Tony stopped him. “How many unidentified ships?”

“Sensors indicate one ship, though its mass is formidable.”

“One?” Pepper bemused.

“What’s he playing at?” Carol murmured.

“He’s not playing,” Tony mumbled. “He doesn’t know what we’ve been doing, doesn’t know that we have war ships and an army. This is not an invasion but a retrieval mission.” At this he turned to look straight at Strange. The wizard seemed to hold his gaze for an eternity and suddenly Tony was right back in that room five months ago before his entire worldview had been flipped on its head.

Because you seem to be an important nexus Tony, your choices make far more ripples than anyone else.

The memory nearly crippled him with anxiety and fear. How could his choices make such an impact? Who decided his words and actions would have the power to affect so many lives? If it was just Earth, fine. After Yinsen he’d gotten over focusing on the more destructive contributions to society and had worked for the planet's betterment ever since. Earth he could handle; but the universe? Untold trillions? More? How could he be expected to make these kinds of choices?

“Tony.”

Pepper’s voice pulled him from the brink of hyperventilation and he turned to her, latching on to those cool blues like an anchor. Slowly he found himself steadying under the trust and belief that shone from her eyes as if it could somehow seep into him.

A hand on his shoulder made him turn to see Rhodey, the same commitment and backing stealing the familiar brown. Their belief grounded him. Still here they seemed to say, and Tony steadied further. Taking a breath he returned his gaze to Strange’s, the weight of the man’s scrutiny now somehow just bearable. A fact the wizard seemed to be aware of judging by the slight nod of approval? Encouragement? Regardless, Tony appreciated it.

“Get Vision and take him to Novasha,” Tony instructed the wizard. “I’d feel better if there weren’t two stones within reach. I want the transfer done as soon as he arrives.”

Strange nodded and portaled away to California without further comment.

“ATLAS… you know what to do,” Tony instructed.

“Leave it to me.”

In the brief quiet, every set of eyes in the room turned towards him.

“We’re going to need Blink.”

Peter stood quietly in the background, suited up and nearly coming out of his skin in anticipation.

“Status report,” Tony clipped into the comms.

“Locked and loaded sir. All weapons hot. Waiting on command.”

“Standby,” Tony ordered. “Professor? Blink?”

“In position.”

“Remember. Wait until they show themselves. They need to be off the ship.”

“Copy that.”

Silence reigned over the group as they watched the ship descend into the middle of External Training Field #2. The wind that the craft produced bent trees and blew over any equipment not firmly bolted to the ground.

All available members of the upstate New York team, consisting of Iron man, Iron Patriot, Captain Marvel, Dr. Strange, and the Hulk slowly approached the ship. Peter held back with Kitty as instructed, over a year of training keeping him firmly in place when all he wished to do was follow Mr. Stark. Instead, he kept his eyes open and his senses alert. If he couldn’t be next to Tony, then he would for sure watch his back.

Dr. Strange made some hand motion that Peter figured was a spell and the gale force winds suddenly died. A blue beam appeared connecting the ship to the ground and when it dissipated two aliens stood before him. Peter only had a moment to marvel at how overwhelming that entrance was before the skinnier one spoke.

“Hear me, and rejoice. You are about to die at the hands of the Children of Thanos. Be thankful, your meaningless lives are now contributing to…”

“I’m sorry,” Tony interrupted, “Earth is closed today. You better pack it up and get out of here.”

“Stonekeeper,” the alien said, turning to look at Dr. Strange. “Does this chattering animal speak for you?”

“Certainly not. I speak for myself,” Strange stepped forward, readying his shields. “And you’re trespassing in this city and on this planet.”

“It means get lost, Squidward!”

Peter couldn’t help a grin at that. He was the one who had introduced Mr. Stark to that favored childhood show, and it brought him joy to hear it being used.

“I showed him that,” he whispered to Kitty, who did not look amused and gave him a wry brow before turning back to the quiet, tense scene that exploded into action as the big one started towards the group.

“Brucie, you want a piece?”

“No, not really, but when do I ever get what I want?”

“That’s the spirit,” Tony grinned patting him on the back a moment before he shifted into the towering form of the Hulk, his scream of rage heard for miles as he ran straight towards the enemy.

Peter cast his eyes skyward knowing the Hulk was the distractor, and tensed as a huge portal began to form around the ship, slowly at first, but then rapidly enlarging until within the space from one blink to the next it disappeared completely.

Turning back to the fight his stomach clenched as the Hulk was sent flying miles through the air. He was not going to be happy when he landed. Focusing back on the battle he determined that these two were heartier than they seemed as the big guy took an energy blast from Captain Marvel and got back up a second later.

Iron Man, Iron Patriot, and Dr. Strange were holding their own against the smaller alien, but his telekinetic manipulation of what seemed to be any non-living object was a difficult power to overcome. Strange created a portal that seemed to make the sharp spears rushing towards him bounce back and Peter nearly cheered as one nicked the alien’s face.

“Andromeda I to Command. Enemy ship is outside of the collateral zone. Ready to fire on your orders.”

“Do it!” hissed Tony, as Iron Man nearly took a tree to the chest before his lasers cut it in half, the debris still raining down on him even as he surged back into the sky.

A moment later an explosion lit the sky. Though not bright enough to blind it drew the eye of enemy and foe alike and Peter watched as the aliens startled at the flash, heads swiveling to locate their missing ship. Their eyes widened in shock, before narrowing in rage.

If they were fierce opponents then, they were ferocious now.

“Shadowcat and Spiderman asking permission to assist.”

Peter tensed as Kitty’s voice rang simultaneously from his left and through his comms. He was so ready to assist. His only regret was that it hadn’t been him who had asked.

“Granted,” came Rhodey’s grunt as the vines tangling around his limbs slammed him into the ground, squeezing around the armor and pulling him under.

Peter bent his knees to jump just as Kitty flung herself on his back.

“Thanks for the ride,” she quipped as he sailed towards the battle, eyes tracking Tony who was trying to assist Strange and get to Rhodey at the same time.

“The colonel is in the most danger,” she whispered into his ear.

Despite Peter’s desire to throw himself into the fray right next to his role model, he changed directions and angled his webs to pull him out of the sky and straight towards the ground where Rhodey had disappeared.

Though they’d practiced this maneuver multiple times, it was still really freaking odd to speed towards the ground with no intention of stopping. He forced his eyes to remain open as they hit the ground and passed through it, coming in so fast that they passed through Iron Patriot before he felt Kitty fling out a hand.

He didn’t need to hold his breath for the second that they solidified to grab the metal arm as he’d been holding it during the dive down there. A quick double tap on his shoulder was the signal he was waiting for and he braced as they began to rise, readying his webs and aiming towards the area he’d picked out beforehand that was the furthest away from the fight. As soon as they broke the surface he attempted to web away from the raging battle that was a little too close… and failed.

“Detecting electrical interference,” Karen announced through the speakers of his suit.

“Shit. Sorry,” Kitty mumbled, and he felt her shift on his back.

“All systems are normal.”

Peter tried again and watched the webs shoot out towards the tree, pulling them up and away. He set them down in a relatively covered position behind a copse of large oaks.

“Thanks,” Rhodey said a second before his helmet opened. He had a cut on his forehead but was grinning with pride at the two trainees in front of him. “The suit was already compromised and FRIDAY says it’s going to take a second for the electrical system to sort itself out. You two stay on the outskirts and assist Iron Man until the Hulk shows up. Then pull back.”

Two ‘yes sirs’ later and Peter was back in the sky with Kitty’s hair whipping across his face.

Peter provided assistance, deflecting attention when Strange lost consciousness from the vines tied around his throat, thankful that the enemies' attacks phased harmlessly through them whenever he wasn’t fast enough to dodge properly.

“Let’s do a Retrieve,” Kitty yelled against the wind just as Peter fell back a bit, glad to see that Strange regained consciousness after several slaps from the cloak.

“What?!” he huffed aghast.

“Throw me right at him. I’m going to phase through him. I hear it’s unpleasant.”

Throwing his teammate directly at the enemy seemed like the opposite of ‘staying on the outskirts’ but Peter wasn’t really an outskirts kind of guy, though the training had started to make him think twice.

Still, with Kitty phased for the toss she was relatively protected. Choosing another tall tree he connected to it with webbing, sling-shooting around the huge oak to pick up speed before reaching over his shoulder, grabbing the back of Kitty’s suit, and hurling her straight towards their enemy.

He didn’t stop to see the effect, but shot a web towards another tree and pulled another slingshot, willing himself faster. He caught her just before she collided with the ground, swinging them up and back towards the sidelines.

Once safely in an out-of-the-way tree he turned to see that the Hulk had finally made his way back into the fray. Kitty’s electrical disruption seemed to have worked as the alien was no longer floating but had crashed to the ground. He was just getting up as the Hulk roared at him, grabbing him up and slamming against the ground and the surrounding trees with wild abandon.

There was a disturbing, near boneless, lack of movement when the Hulk finally released his foe, roaring in anger at the lifeless form beneath him.

“About time.”

Peter looked over to see Captain Marvel sitting on the hammer the larger alien had wielded. A hammer which was firmly embedded into the creature's chest.

“Show off,” Tony muttered, mask peeling back to reveal a bloody smirk before turning his gaze to rest on Peter.

“Good job kid.”

Peter grinned in response. So yea, the universe was still in peril of impending destruction, but it didn’t stop the fact that those three words still made his day, every time.

Chapter Text

Loki cursed as he grabbed the skull, free hand coming to finger one of the nearly dozen or so gashes littering his body in the shape of fangs. He’d prevailed in the end, but he didn’t want to see another mutt for the next millennium. For a moment he wondered if Tony would be willing to part with Dodo when he got back. Then he realized he wouldn’t be getting back if he didn’t get his ass into gear.

With a turn he headed back out of the dungeons and was nearly at the entrance when a familiar blue light caught his eye. The detour was brief but inevitable. He was the god of mischief.

“I don’t think that’s what Tony meant when he said you could have the salvage,” Gamora said, eyeing Rocket with a disapproving glare.

“How is that not what he meant? It was in the wreckage. I took it. Salvaging,” Rocket defended.

“It was on a person,” Gamora insisted. “Who was still alive.”

“Eh we saved his life didn’t we!” Rocket countered. “It’s only fair that he returns a helping hand,” Rocket grinned, holding up the detached mechanical hand in a mock parody of a handshake.

“You don’t even need it!” Gamora yelled.

“I do!” Rocket yelled back, nearly hiding a delighted giggle. “It’s very important!”

Throwing up her hands Gamora spun around and stalked away.

“Alright!” Quill came into the cockpit with a clap of his hands. “Nova Corps sends its thanks and says we’re good to go… What’s up with her?” he asked as Gamora shoved past him.

“Whatever it is. I had no hand in it,” Rocket chuckled.

“Rocket you didn’t,” Quill tried to say firmly, but a smile tugged at his lips anyway.

Any response the raccoon had was cut off by the comms activating.

“Guardians?”

“That’s us,” Quill answered, coming to sit in the pilot’s chair. “What can we do for you?”

“I understand you are headed back to Terra,” the official said. “We are grateful that you honored the treaty and would not wish to ask more of you, but there was a distress beacon from what looks like a Sakaarian ship further out than any of our crews can manage within a few jumps. Most of our resources, while no longer overwhelmed, are at their capacity. The beacon has since deactivated, however...”

“You want us to take a look?” Quill cut in.

“If it’s not too much trouble,” the official deflated, thankful he hadn’t had to actually ask them for more assistance. “It’s only a few jumps outside of your scheduled route.”

“No worries,” Quill reassured with his signature ‘suave’ grin. “We’re here to help.”

“Hey,” Rocket asked once the communique ended. “This still counts as aid right?” he asked, eying his overflowing salvage box in the corner and thinking it could use a few more trinkets after all.

Thanos could admit that he was annoyed as they approached Asgard. He’d been sure Gamora would come to him on Knowhere. There’d been no doubt. She was too passionate, too goal driven not to take the chance at thwarting him. It had been that passion, that single minded focus, that had endeared her to him in the first place.

She was so very much like him in that respect.

He’d waited days, but she hadn’t shown. With Odin dead, and now wielding two of the stones, it had been imperative that he retrieve the space stone as soon as possible. So he’d moved on, though not without leaving his favorite daughter a present.

As if that hadn’t been enough, the two generals he’d sent on what should have been a child’s mission had yet to return. With no communication forthcoming it was reasonable to assume that against all odds they had been defeated.

It was a heavy toll. The Maw's devotion and skill had been extremely useful.

“Coming up on a Sakaarian ship sir.”

“Sakaarian?” Thanos mused. If it was indeed a Sakaarian ship they were a very long way from home. What would a ship from the edge of the galaxy be doing near Asgard?

In the end it was of no matter. Garbage needed culling just as well.

“Final jump coming up,” Quill announced into the comms, alerting the other three ships just seconds before they jumped; and were promptly deposited just outside of live battle.

“Shit!” Quill cursed, changing course so as not to fly straight into the line of fire.

“Oh my god,” Gamora breathed, and something in her voice made him glance briefly at her as he tried not to run into the ship next to him with his sharp evasive turn. He’d never hear the end of it if he nicked Tony’s new babies.

“What is it?” he asked with strain as the small group of ships repositioned themselves.

“Orders?” came a voice over the comms, and Quill had to say he liked being in charge.

“That’s Thanos’ flagship,” Gamora clipped, hands clenched into fists.

“Well that makes this easier,” Quill breathed, turning the ship and preparing to jump away. He opened his mouth to inform the other ships when she stopped him.

“What are you doing?!” she barked, jerking out of her seat towards him.

“Getting the hell out of dodge!” Quill responded with exasperation. “I'm pretty sure the goal wasn’t to deliver you to him on a silver platter.”

“Of course not but-” she began, just as Rocket mumbled “I think silver’s a bit much-”

The comms activating again cut them off mid sentence.

“...Asgardian families, we have very few soldiers here. This is not a warcraft. I repeat, this is not a warcraft!”

All eyes turned to the view screen to see the missile fire continue, the smaller vessels' shields clearly beginning to fail.

“You heard them,” Gamora pressed. “It’s a civilian craft. We can’t abandon them!”

“Like hell we can’t,” Quill murmured, refusing to change course.

“Are you going to leave innocent people to die, Quill?!” she yelled at him incredulously, and he flinched at the disappointment in her eyes. “There are families. Children.”

“- I repeat, we are under assault - The engines are dead, life support failing.”

Quill’s gut clenched at the truth in her words as well as the desperation coming through the distress call. He tried to swallow the guilt down, telling himself that it wouldn’t matter anyway. They couldn’t defeat Thanos. Not by themselves. What was the point in risking their lives if they were just going to lose?

“That’s not the mission,” Quill clipped, trying desperately to justify leaving everyone on that ship to die.

“Orders!” came another demand. The request was nearly cut off by another incoming message.

“Requesting aid from any vessel within range!”

“That’s not our mission?” Gamora pressed with a hard glare. “Providing aid?”

He was on the verge of making another great argument as to why they shouldn’t aggravate the mad Titan, who now supposedly wielded two infinity stones, when the comms activated again. But this time there were no words. Only the horrifying cries and screams of the soon to be dead… Unless he did something to help them.

Throwing a quick look at the other members of his crew it was obvious that the sound of those screams had galvanized their sympathy. He could see the uncomfortable stiffness to Rocket's posture and the wide eyes that were no doubt reliving personal horrors in Drax. Mantis was visibly distressed, wringing her hands together, and Groot was staring straight at him, for once his video game lay forgotten.

“I am Groot,” he spoke softly and Quill took a quick breath in and looked away into the burning eyes of Gamora.

Quill hissed a curse between his teeth, just knowing that he was going to regret this. Fingering the comms before he changed his mind he sent out the order.

“All ships engage,” Quill said, turning their vessel around. “Iron Legion, provide cover fire. Caduceus, assist with evacuating the Statesman.”

“Copy that.”

“Did you see that?!” Quill shouted, slamming the ship into a roll to dodge another missile. “Who's the badass using lightning in space?!”

“Quill, look out!”

There was no time and they braced for impact just as an Iron Legion intercepted with strafe fire. The backlash rattled the ship.

“Damn those things are useful,” Rocket admitted grudgingly.

Quill’s responding grin quickly turned into a panicked frown as the view screen went black.

“What the hell!” he cursed, the former image of the fray still lingering in his mind for a few seconds, before disappearing as he stared at the black screen.

“Quill!” Rocket yelled in accusation.

“It wasn’t me!” he protested, checking the systems in front of him for any kind of malfunction, but there was nothing.

They didn’t have time to speculate further as something exploded against the ship and sent them careening into a spin.

Loki nearly toppled over as another missile hit the ship. Most of their civilians had managed to evacuate thanks to some very familiar looking ships, and the few left were being helped along by Heimdall.

“Thor!” he called, heading towards the cockpit just as the bright blue light of the transporter illuminated the area, and just like that Thanos stood before him.

The tesseract seemed to burn in his pocket dimension, and all of his instincts urged him to flee before the Titan noticed him. He was not particularly looking forward to being in Thanos’ presence again, but Thor had been standing too close. Not that proximity mattered. Thor could have been clear across the universe and had his brother known Thanos was there, he would have inanely raced to meet his end. He wouldn’t have been Thor otherwise.

Mustering his resolve he entered the battle, and hoped it wasn't his last.

“This is the Caduceus. Something is wrong with our sensors. We are at capacity and taking fire! Requesting suppression fire.”

“Caduceus, this is Commander Lacola. Switch command to ATLAS immediately. The target has some kind of ability to mess with what we’re seeing, but it can’t fool the AI.

“Well that explains it,” Captain Graze of the Caduceus murmured, making the switch with a humph.

“Thank you Captain,” ATLAS spoke. “Commencing override….Locking on targets.”

Graze sighed in relief as their shots began connecting, the strain on their shields no longer rising but holding steady at 45%.

“What happened to Captain Quill?” he asked Commander Lacola.

“The flag ship has been hit. We will provide as much suppression fire as we can. Disengage and retreat with your load.”

“But sir! There’s still people on that ship!”

“And if they are still there when this is over we’ll pick them up, but if we don’t get a breather none of us are making it out of this alive. Our shields are nearly depleted and there’s no sun within 25 jumps. You have your orders.”

“Yes sir.”

“All data indicates a strategic retreat drastically increases survival numbers,” ATLAS calmly explained. “If it eases your mind, the beings left on the ship are Asguardian. If they manage to survive their confrontation with Thanos, their chances of recovery are nearly 100%.”

“ATLAS,” Graze huffed with an eye roll. “This is why you were muted in the first place. How many times do I have to tell you it really irks me that you're so damn nice when explaining how wrong I am. It’s patronizing.”

“You’re absolutely right. Let me rephrase. Your worry is so illogical that it isn’t even worthy of being refuted. Is that better?”

“Much,” the Captain clipped, throwing an amused but reprimanding eye as his navigator snickered.

“Very well. I shall endeavor to insult your intelligence more in the future.”

“You do that you cheeky bastard,” he chuckled, tension easing a bit. “Get us out of here.”

“Aye aye Captain.”

“Do you have them?” Commander Lacola asked, tension riding his shoulders.

“I do,” ATLAS answered. “One of the remaining Iron Legion is attempting to contact them via morse code with no success. I will send another soldier to increase thrusting power.”

“Keep me updated,” he commanded, turning to receive a report of the ship's damage. He’d been extensively briefed on Thanos. Assisting the refugees had been the right call, but If they all got out of this alive it would be a miracle.

Thanos' hand was around the gods neck, the screams of the heir in his ear and fingers twitching with the intent of a fatal squeeze when his eye caught sight of a very familiar ship.

“Gamora,” he breathed, tossing the limp god down and reaching out to the ship with the gauntlet.

It reversed course, speeding towards him until it hovered directly above. He waved away the incoming fire from the two armored machines, their forms crumbling to sand under his power.

“There are still two more stones on Midgard. Proxima, take the Outriders. Find them my child, and bring them to me on Titan.”

“Father, I will not fail you,” she declared, reverently bowing to one knee.

He did not need her assurance. She would complete her task, or it would be the last one she ever received. Looking down at the new addition to his gauntlet he smirked, a portal appearing in front of him before he disappeared.

“We stopped,” Quill announced, the hairs on the back of his neck beginning to stand on end. He didn’t like this entire situation.

“Thanks Captain Obvious,” Rocket sneered, hopping back out of his seat to finish his systems check. It irked him that he couldn’t figure out what was wrong.

A portal opening in the middle of the ship sent everyone scrambling back, and surprise turned to fear as Thanos stepped through. There was one moment when everyone was frozen, suspended in the silence before the storm.

“Daughter,” Thanos spoke directly to Gamora.

That single word acted as a trigger, jerking everyone into action at once. Quill drew his gun and fired, Rocket tossed his taser bombs before turning to grab the parts necessary to make something with a bit more impact, quickly calculating how big a boom he could make without tearing the ship apart as well. Drax screamed and charged with his knives, and Gamora mirrored him with her own deadly weapon.

Thanos caught and returned Rocket’s tasers, dropping the raccoon to the floor in a fit of shakes. Quill’s energy blast connected and seemed to cause minimal effect, but Drax made contact with his knives and Thanos turned with rage to throw the Kylosian across the ship, his body connecting with the console in a sickening thud. As he turned back, Gamora’s knife pierced his heart in rapid succession.

“Why? Why you? Daughter…”

Quill watched, a little unbelievably as the Titan gasped and sank to the ground, Gamora following him down with tears in her eyes.

“Well that was quick,” Quill quipped.

“Magnificent!”

The disembodied voice startled the ship's occupants and they all froze as the Titan’s dead body disappeared to be replaced with one that was very much still alive and completely unharmed.

Quill pretended to be listening to the conversation Thanos was having with Gamora, but in reality he was eying Rocket’s gear for something useful. So he missed the moment when Drax yelled and attacked the Titan once more, Groot and Mantis right behind him.

He watched as Thanos turned them into freakish paradies, Groot crumbling into a pile of cones, Drax and Mantis falling to the ground in blocks and spirals. It was a horrific sight and Quill found himself tearing his eyes away just as Thanos grabbed Gamora’s arm. His gun was out and aimed in the very next second.

“Let her go, Grimace!”

But it wasn’t their enemy's voice that stopped him. It was hers.

“Peter…”

“I told you we should have left.”

“Now? Really?”

“You let her go!” he screamed again.

“Ah, the boyfriend,” Thanos drawled.

“I like to think of myself more as a Titan-killing long term booty call. Let her go.”

Quill wasn’t really listening. Anger and fear made him throw around threats that he was now very sure he wouldn’t be able to fulfill.

“Peter…”

Once again it was her voice that stopped his tirade as she reminded him of a promise he’d made long ago in Stark’s fancy compound. He’d meant it then, though he hadn’t really known what it would actually mean. Not until this moment. Not until he was looking into the eyes of the woman he loved as she begged him to end her life.

At the time he could see the sick sense in it. What was one life, when you could save billions. More! Half the universe. An untold number of souls. There was no question. And yet…

The gun waivered. He couldn’t do it.

“You promised!” she cried, voice strained. “You promised.”

The tears in her eyes made a home in his and he suddenly found it hard to breathe.

“She’s asked, hasn’t she? Do it...Do it!” Thanos yelled, pushing her forward. She was too close and too far all at once.

“I told you we should have left,” he said again, ignoring the big bad behind her and looking her right in the eye, all of his regret and fear shining through.

“I love you, more than anything,” she told him, and in that moment he couldn't lie. Couldn’t hide behind the witty persona of Star Lord. Because in that moment she had his heart. The core of him was there, nestled in her eyes. It drew the truth from him. Demanded it.

“I love you, too.”

She closed her eyes, and in the end he had to close his too. He couldn’t watch. His hands shook but his conviction held, and his finger squeezed.

The bubbles that emerged filled him with a relief so vast he felt a little dizzy. He watched in disbelief as the gun itself turned into bubbles and faded away.

“I like him,” Thanos declared, before portaling away with Gamora, too fast for him to stop. Not that he could have if he’d tried.

He fell to the floor of the ship, reeling with emotions. A part of him, a large part, was trying to come to terms with how unbeatable the Titan was. He’d known Thanos was powerful, but seeing it drained his hope faster than Rocket could steal modified body parts. Another part of him couldn’t stop seeing her eyes just before she disappeared.

It tore at him. The despair was a physical thing and he didn’t even notice as the grotesque remains of Drax, Mantis, and Groot slowly reformed. He was too busy trying to come to grips with the hard truth.

They’d lost.

Chapter Text

“Arrowhead to The Milano?” Commander Lacola tried again as their ship pulled up next to the smaller vessel. They’d been retreating when they noticed Thanos’ ship turn and leave, a deliberate word because that’s what happened. The enemy forces hadn’t been the ones who’d been fleeing.

The skirmish seemed to be over now but Lacola remained vigilant. ATLAS had reported the loss of the two Iron Legion who had been escorting the Milano to safety, and they had been his last defense. He’d sent the refugee ship ahead with their remaining warship as escort, but he was trained never to leave a soldier behind. Or at the very least, to come back for them; which they were in the process of doing.

“Sorry sir!” his comms officer yelled from under the console. “We’re still patching things up. Give me one moment!”

“Commander,” ATLAS spoke. “I’m registering two life forms still aboard the Statesman.”

Right. Lacola had forgotten that the Caduceus had been at capacity before they retreated. If two was all that was left then they’d done a damn good job.

“Will they survive the next hour?” he asked ATLAS.

“And much longer if necessary.”

“Then we’ll get them in due time,” he instructed. One thing at a time.

“Noted. Scans indicate all threats have vacated the area. Permission to release The Scavengers?”

“Go ahead,” he agreed with a sigh, watching through the view screen as a myriad of small bots were released to sweep the area for any useful machinery in the wreckage.

It’d be nice if they could do something about communication. The last hit had taken out a part of engineering. Stark's emergency energy shield had sealed off the breach but not before one his crew had been ejected into space. Well, almost ejected. He’d gotten halfway through the hole before the field activated and cut him in half. Still, if that was the only loss from such a hit he’d take it. There were other sections of the ship where his men hadn’t been so lucky.

“Okay sir! Try again!” his comms officer called.

“Captain Quill? Captain Rocket?” Nothing. He tried again. “Captain Anyone.”

“There is no one named Anyone on this ship.”

The reply made his shoulders drop in relief. If they hadn’t answered he would’ve had to delegate power for a beam over. Power he didn’t really have to spare at the moment.

“Drax. Is Quill available?”

“He is sulking- ‘I’m not sulking!’”

The distant, grainy rebuttal reassured the commander. It sounded as if they were okay. The still smoking vessel had been causing him some alarm.

“What?!” Quill barked shortly after, voice suddenly very clear, and Lacola nodded his head at his comms officer for a job well done.

“Are you in need of assistance?” he inquired, ignoring the man’s tone. Getting shot at made most people tetchy.

“No,” he clipped.

“Hey!” came Rocket’s protest. “Who's fixing this thing? Maybe I need a hand!”

“You have enough hands!” Quill shouted, and Lacola didn’t need a vid to see the exasperation on the man’s face.

“ATLAS has Scavengers reaping the field now. Do you require any parts?”

“Yea! A buffer panel would be nice!” Rocket yelled. “Ours got blown to hell.”

“ATLAS?”

“On it sir.”

“Anything else?” The Commander asked.

“Yea,” Quill clipped. “Can that fancy program of yours find Gamora?”

Ice seeped into Lacola’s veins and for a moment everyone on the command deck froze as the implications of that statement set in.

“She’s lost?” he asked for clarification, praying a simple malfunction in their escape pod was the culprit.

“No,” Quill snapped. “Thanos took her.”

There was an audal collective inhale and then his people resumed their duties. Apparently everyone had actually read the debrief and understood the severity of Thanos getting another stone, but he couldn’t even enjoy the show of good training when Thanos was now one step closer to off-ing half the universe.

“I’m unable to track the ship,” ATLAS provided just as Lacola opened his mouth to ask. “They have commenced too many jumps for an accurate read. Furthermore, sensors indicate a recent displacement, a rift if you will, in the space within the Milano.”

“Yea he… portaled?.. Right into the damn ship,” Quill huffed.

“He has the Tesseract,” Lacola said in a strained voice, feeling a sense of failure settle over him.

Two stones. Two stones in the space of one skirmish. Tony would not be happy. Earth had to be warned. They had to secure the remaining two before Thanos could come to collect.

“We need to return to Earth-.”

“No. I’m going after her,” Quill stated.

“Do you know where she is?” Lacola questioned carefully.

“No!” Quill huffed. “But it doesn’t matter. I’ll find out. But I’m not losing time just to check in. You do whatever you want.”

“Earth needs to be warned,” Commander Lacola re-stated. “I will inform them of your decision to search for Gamora. ATLAS!”

“All requested components are being delivered presently. Rocket. Do you require assembly?”

“Nah. Buffer panels are child’s play.”

“It has been an experience,” Lacola said in farewell. “Hopefully we will survive to meet again.”

“Yea whatever,” Quill sniffed, cutting the link.

“Jumping is still offline,” ATLAS announced, predicting the commander's next question. “Estimated time until full repair is approximately one hour. Impulse power fully functional.”

“Thank you ATLAS.”

“Commander, about the two survivors still on the Statesman.”

“Focus on repairs,” he instructed ATLAS, trusting Quill wouldn’t leave anyone stranded even in his frustrated state. They didn’t have time for another assist. Turning he addressed his navigator. “I don’t care how you do it, but get us within range of the Cureulos. If they’re the only ones with jumping capabilities then they will have to deliver the message.”

With Thanos now in control of space the Titan could show up anywhere. He could only hope that they weren’t too late.

Strange created the portal in front of Tony, keeping close as he stepped through.

“How many?” Tony asked as he entered the command room. The tension in his posture was palpable and he slapped away the edges of the cloak that attempted to massage his shoulders.

“Many,” ATLAS informed in an uneasy tone.

Strange wasn’t too worried. He knew this wasn’t the main event, but kept the thought to himself. It would be if everyone didn’t take this next encounter very seriously. He watched Tony and could tell he was only listening to half of the attack plan.

“What are you thinking?” he asked in the break.

“Whether we shouldn’t take the fight away from home. Take it to them?” Tony murmured.

“We’d lose our ground forces,” Strange pointed out slowly.

“Yes,” Tony nodded. “And save how many more?” Strange didn’t have an answer to that and Tony continued. “It only occurred to me after the first tussle that perhaps we should make the battlefield somewhere far away from Earth.”

“And where would that be?” Strange asked warily, seeing the cogs begin to turn.

“I don’t know. Let’s go find out.”

“Uhoh!” Peter breathed, dodging another blow and using the flame throwing web feature to take down the creature. There seemed to be no end to these strange six armed monsters flooding out of the nearby crashed ship, which had finally broken through the Wakandan shield that Tony had funded to cover the entire planet.

“Mr. Stark!” he yelled, dodging another 24 fingered grasp. “They have the wizard!”

For a moment they both watched Dr. Strange being beamed up onto one of the very few ships that had made it past Earth Defense intact.

“Shit. Kid grab him if you can!”

“On it!” Peter webbed away from the group he was battling, nearly losing some skin as one jumped high enough to swipe at him before he could pull away.

He understood the importance of not letting the stone fall into enemy hands, and if you asked him why he pushed his limits trying to get the wizard that’s exactly what he would have told you. The truth, however, was that it hadn’t mattered that retrieving the wizard could possibly save the universe. What mattered, was that Tony Stark trusted him to get the wizard. And Peter was going to do just that.

Thanos listened to Gamora tell him how much she hated being back. Her anger and pejorative comments did not upset him. A sword never enjoyed being made, forced as it was to endure the flame of the fire and the beating of the hammer; but in the end, it became an effective weapon.

So it was with Gamora. Now. It was time he addressed the bad habit she’d acquired of lying. He would soon know the location of the mind stone. He found great irony in the fact that she was still his most effective child, despite her inclination for rebellion.

Her vitriol aside, it was good to have his daughter back where she belonged.

With him.

“...FRIDAY send him home,” Tony ordered, shooting forward to laser his way onto the ship. “Tell ATLAS to track us if he can and give the coordinates to Rhodey.”

“You got it boss. Incoming call from Ms. Potts.”

“Tony?! Are you okay? Where are you?!”

“Yea I’m fine,” he reassured. “Just...got pulled into a field trip.”

“Tell me you’re not on that ship.”

“Honey I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I don’t know what to say.”

“Tony I swear to God if you make me come after you-”

The connection began to weaken, her voice fading the further away he traveled.

“Pep….”

“Tony…….not leaving me! I’m .....you!”

“Boss, we're losing her. I’m going too...”

In the sudden quiet of the ship he tried to formulate a new plan. This was not how he’d been expecting things to go down.

There’d been no sign of Thanos, but the sheer number of ships that had materialized in their system had been staggering. Earth Defense had done a phenomenal job in keeping the enemy at bay, and Tony had joined in the battle via the remote link to one of the Iron Legion.

Even still several ships had made it past their barricade and shielded atmosphere to crash on the Earth. He’d had to pass the command of the Iron Legion to another pilot to assist with the fight on the ground as he took to the sky to prevent more touch downs.

Strange’s job was to keep out of the way while watching for Thanos. Their plan was to use the timestone to defeat him, just as Strange had done before to some random overlord named Dormammu; but the evasive Titan had never shown and things had quickly devolved into chaos.

This hadn’t been what Tony meant when he suggested they take the fight to them.

He tried to center himself as he began to explore the ship. He wasn’t too worried about the vessels that had made it to Earth. He’d seen the X-men arrive on the scene just before Peter had alerted him to the wizard’s plight. They’d be fine.

Earth Defense as well had been doing better since they adjusted their strategy. Instead of being solely reactive, several ships had moved to attack the jump points at the point of egress. The most pressing matter now was retrieving the wizard and his stone, and getting them both back to safety.

A tap on the arm almost made his heart jump out of his chest and he nearly shot the cape hovering next to him.

“Wow you’re a seriously loyal piece of outerwear, aren’t you?” he murmured before being startled yet again as a familiar form webbed down.

He wondered if Peter and Harley were loosely related, as both seemed to be able to trigger panic attacks within him much too easily. Struggling not to lose his shit he did the only thing you could do when you found yourself in the middle of the fire.

You kept going.

Loki sat in a free copilot chair, annoyed that he’d missed the last transport back to Earth. He was now effectively stuck with these bunch of idiots, his brother the chief among them, and their back and forth was becoming tedious.

Another alert on the screen caught his eye and he raised his eyebrow to the closest person, a quiet little thing who looked about as bright as those things humans called sheep. She looked at him with wide eyes before answering the comms.

“Mantis. Listen very carefully. I need you to meet me on Titan.”

Those few words settled his indecision. He would travel with his brother to Nividalier to retrieve the weapon. The home of the mad Titan was the very last place he wanted to be and his still throbbing neck agreed.

Standing and dusting off his clothes he tuned back in the inane voices behind him, realizing thankfully that the arguing was dying down.

“Well then,” he breathed, joining Thor and Rocket by the entrance of the rather small pod. The size was of no matter. What mattered was getting as far away from Titan as possible. And, after all, he was a sorcerer.

“Shall we?”

Tony took a harsh breath as the sealant finally closed the breach. The kid’s plan had been good, despite the jab to his age, but they hadn’t counted on the alien woman being so fast. She’d nearly taken Peter with her and Tony’s heart just wasn’t up to dealing with that.

Putting the near catastrophe out of his mind he turned, helmet lowering as he helped the wizard off of the floor. There were a tense few moments when everyone just sat and struggled to control their breathing, or the adults were at any rate, taking a few moments to process that they were in fact, still alive.

“Thanks,” Strange finally said, breaking the silence once he’d gotten his heart under control.

“Don’t mention it,” Tony shrugged. “It was the kid’s idea.”

“Actually it was Ripley’s,” Peter mumbled, face simultaneously beaming and sheepish.

“Ripley? From Aliens? I love that movie.”

The familiar voice had the three spinning around to see Rhodey, Pepper, Bruce and Carol all coming up behind them.

“Pepper!” Tony breathed, taken aback, eyes wide as she approached.

“Don’t think you’re off the hook for making me come get you,” she explained firmly, arms crossed and hip cocked and how she made the move so damn feminine while surrounded by so much metal he didn’t know but very much appreciated.

“There are no actual aliens still on the ship right?” Rhodey continued. “Coast clear?”

“Seems to be,” Tony murmured, absently finding it hard to look away from Pepper’s determined eyes. He really loved that woman, but she was going to give him a heart attack.

“Then maybe we should head back?” Bruce chimed in. “I’m not overly fond of ships.”

“No can do Brucey.”

“No?”

“Tony thinks we should draw the fight away from Earth. I can’t say it’s a bad idea,” Strange explained.

“Away to where?” Carol questioned.

“Here,” Tony said, leaning over to tap a few things on the display console next to him. An image of the sector appeared and then zoomed into a specific planet.

“What about the Legion?” Rhodey asked and Tony turned towards Carol.

“I hate to ask,” he started. “You’re one of our most heavy hitters, but you’re also the only one who can travel at impossible speeds through space.”

“You want me to bring the cavalry?” Carol nodded in understanding, squinting as she studied the display.

“Think you’ll be able to find us?” he asked.

“I found you before didn’t I?” she smirked in amusement. After another few moments of study she turned and went to say a few words to Rhodey.

Tony stayed by the console, mind calculating the time it would take to relocate their troops, as well as peripherally learning the console he was still fiddling with, but what really took his focus was his continual effort not to have an anxiety attack in the middle of an alien ship hurtling straight towards one of the most powerful beings in the universe.
When he said he wanted to take the fight away from home, he hadn’t realized that home might follow.

The hand on his shoulder drew his focus and he looked up into his wife’s piercing blue eyes.

It never really made sense how you could draw strength just from a look, but Tony had been doing it for years and now was no different. He steeled himself to the fact that whatever was to come, victory or defeat, they would do it together.

Chapter Text

“Okay. On three,” Quill whispered as they gathered around the door of the wreckage. He briefly glanced into everyone’s eyes making sure they were ready. They’d only get one chance to get Gamora back so they could not botch this.

“One,” he eyed Mantis, her wide eyes and empty hands not really reassuring, though he was grateful for her presence regardless.

“Two,” his gaze slid to Drax who was already breathing heavily, knives at the ready.

“Three,” he fingered the pulse grenade, arming it before ducking down to roll it onto the ship.

At the blast they rushed inside, the glint of familiar red registering too late for him to stop Drax’s blade from hurling towards the wizard. Luckily, the magician managed to get a shield up in time, Cape whipping off of his back and flying over to wrap around Drax’s head at his war cry.

“Hold on! Everybody chill!” Quill shouted as his ears picked up the whine of a repulsor. “It’s us," he explained, fingering his helmet to draw back and open.

“Q?” Tony asked, confusion heavy in his voice as he stepped forward.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Rhodey clipped.

“Hey, I could ask you the same question,” Quill clipped right back.

“Peter,” Tony began, in an attempt to placate the marauder before he could get going. When two sets of eyes looked at him expectantly he had to work hard to tamp down on the amusement.

“Quill,” he specified. “What happened?”

“Thanos took her,” Quill announced with dejection. “He took Gamora.”

“AAaaaghhhh!”

The cry drew everyone’s attention, and they all turned to see Drax still struggling to pull the cloak off of his face.

“Oh. Right,” Strange muttered negligently before calling the cape back.

“Hey! Drax! Stand down, it’s okay! It’s our people,” Quill stated, hurriedly, as the big guy made to get up and tumble right into another charge.

“Wait, what do you mean he took her?” Tony clipped, fear rising up and turning into annoyance. “How did he even know where you were? I told you to lay low.”

“I laid low!” Quill shouted, fear and anger riling him up. “She was the one who wanted to save the damn Asgardian refugees.”

“Refugees?” Pepper questioned.

“What happened on Asgard?” Rhodey asked, thinking back to the surprisingly good time he’d had there while they healed his legs.

“Gone, according to Thor,” Quill replied. “Though not by Thanos. Apparently there was an altercation with his sister.”

Tony gripped the bridge of his nose in frustration. He hadn’t known the two idiots had a sister and he really didn’t have time to sort through whatever family drama they were having just now. He’d have to trust them to take care of it.

“Okay. As much as I’d like to hear about some long lost sister kicking Thor’s ass we’re going to have to table that for the moment,” Rhodey said, taking the words right out of Tony’s mouth. “If Thanos has Gamora then he has the soul stone.”

Tony spun to Strange. “Time to disappear, Potter.”

“I’m staying here Tony.”

“Damnit Wiz we talked about this.”

“We did,” Strange replied slowly, catching his eye. “And for the odds to tip into our favor, timing is extremely important for this next bit.”

He left off how convenient it was that said wizard was the master of time, though everyone heard it anyway. Tony clamped down on the fear rising up in his chest, the internal battle dissipating when he felt Rhodey’s sure palm clamp down on his shoulder, their metal suits doing nothing to stop the supportive warmth seeping through. He took a deep breath and shoved the tremors and bile down.

“Okay. So here’s the plan.”

They attacked all together. And they were good. They’d trained for this. History had shown that they worked well as a team. So why were they still getting their asses handed to them?

Tony had his suspicions, suspicions that were confirmed the moment Thanos threw a moon at him. An entire damn moon. It didn't take him long to pull himself from the rubble, now truly angry. If the mad Titan was powerful enough to throw moons then it was clear as day he was toying with them. And Tony didn’t like to be toyed with.

“You throw another moon at me, and I’m going to lose it,” he nearly growled, diving back into the fight, blasting away a punch meant for Pepper and stealing attention away from Rhodey who’d been turned into a tangible rainbow, and was very slowly turning back. Thanos sent a series of punches Tony’s way and his shield took the onslaught, his right arm straining as his left prepared a sword.

The impending attack was countered by a ship crashing into Thanos and only just missing Tony. That had surprised everyone, even Thanos, and it was just the split second of distraction they needed for bug girl to do her thing.

They were down people. They were down people or they would have concluded the fight right then and there, on Titan. Rhodey had taken a bad hit and was down for the count; a severe concussion, judging by the data Tony had managed to pull from his suit. The Hulk was in the process of being remolecularized and Drax was also down, having gotten caught in the moon’s debris. If you listened hard enough you could hear him several feet down, still yelling and hacking his way out.

That left him and Pepper to restrain Thanos’ arms. His legs were secured by the wizard, who had one hand straining to hold the limbs and the other reaching towards the bug girl. Tony had a feeling he was boosting her magic somehow. Peter was doing a damn good job trying to pry the gaudy piece of metal off, but it was Quill, Quill, who he should have known was emotionally compromised, who caused them to fumble.

“Where is she?!” he yelled, and this was so NOT the time.

“Quill don’t,” he pled, entire body straining. “Quill. Peter! Listen to me, we’ll find a way to get her back. I understand how you’re feeling. Trust me. Just don’t do this right now.”

But his words seemed to fall into a void. Quill only had eyes for Thanos, and once Nebula confirmed all of their fears Tony’s heart sank. He could see Quill’s fists curl up tight, the grief and rage on his face undeniable and much too familiar. Tony remembered the blind rage that had overtaken him when he’d found out his parents had been brutally murdered by the man standing next to him. Yea… this was not going to end well.

“Kid!” he switched focus instead, hoping that maybe the kid could be faster than Quill could destabilize.

“Almost!” the kid shouted, planting his feet and pulling for all his worth. “Almost got it!”

“I can’t hold it!” Bug girl’s voice came to him in what seemed like slow motion as he slid a palm to face outwards and blasted Quill several feet back. The shock of the hit seemed to wake him up. Unfortunately, it also dislodged Mantis and Thanos woke with a roar, ripping his arms free and sending them all flying.

“Wiz!” Tony called and watched as a portal appeared around the glove and darted up, nearly swallowing the gauntlet, before it froze and disappeared into a fog that dissipated around the Titan. The ensuing battle was chaotic and disjointed as fatigue stole their attention and thus their teamwork. Now they fought not to win, but just to land a hit, or slow him down, or provide distraction.

Despite their best efforts, they began to drop. Pepper had been turned into flour and Tony was distracted by the fine white particles drifting in the wind, terrified she could never be whole again and eyes searching for the slow coming together that had happened with Rhodey. He nearly choked with relief when the white particles began to reform.

The wizard had bought him some time during that heart stopping moment, going one on one with the Titan and holding his own longer than any of them had until he too went down. Tony didn’t even know what happened to the kid. Barely had time to realize what was happening to himself as somehow his weapon was taken from him and plunged into his chest.

“Stark. I respect you,” Thanos said softly, almost friendly, as if they were confidantes; but Tony had no idea how the Titan even knew his name. A large hand came to rest gently on his head, and for a moment it wasn’t Thanos, but his father standing above him, before a flash of green whisked it away. “You’re not the only one cursed with knowledge. When I’m done half of humanity will still be alive… I hope they remember you.”

The words echoed in his skull, bouncing around even as he tried, and failed, to drown out the pain of impalement. Images of his nightmares flashed in his mind, the bodies of everyone he loved strewn lifeless all around him. What did Thanos mean by that? By being cursed with knowledge? How could he possibly know the source of Tony’s deepest fears since the battle of New York? The fear that they would lose. The fear of so many lives being lost, and him powerless to save them. Why would Thanos share something like that with him?

Tony could hear Pepper yelling for him over the cacophony in his brain, proof that she was okay. That she wasn’t scattering to the furthest ends of the verse where he couldn’t follow. That knowledge helped him to focus, and he held back the vomit threatening to spill over with a hard swallow, but could do nothing about the blood that came up his lungs and poured out of his nose.

His head was still spinning when he heard the wizard trade the stone for his life.

“Stephen no!” he shouted, or tried to, but all that came out was a gurgle of blood that sent him into a coughing fit. And then it was too late. He saw the stone handed over, and in his horror was only vaguely aware of Nebula coming up behind Thanos for another shot. But the Titan anticipated the attack, and turned to catch her mid-flight before throwing her down next to Tony, who was resting on the hull of Quill’s ship. Her head connected loudly with the metal behind him.

“Daughter. Looks like someone needs a timeout.”

Neither had time to retaliate. Tony’s eyes skated over Strange’s battered form, the arrogant asshole having the nerve to smirk at him just before a portal formed around them, and everything went black.

Chapter Text

Cold.

Not like the chill of metal, or the bite of winter. No this was cold like he’d only felt once before. The shock of it was only eclipsed by the lack of oxygen, which was going to kill him much faster than the chill of space. He had not been prepared to be spaced, lungs still heaving and his wound still spilling blood.

The pressure in his chest was intense as he ordered the nanites to reform his helmet first before working on closing the wounds. It only took seconds but it felt like a lifetime. The burst of oxygen was a relief, but didn’t stop the black’s steady encroach on his vision. The last thing he saw was Nebula crawling along the outside of Quill’s ship, which had somehow traveled with them. And then the black took him.

The next time he woke it wasn’t Pepper’s pretty face, or the black grip of space that he saw first. No, it was the cool metal of a ship he’d rarely been on but knew by sight.

He felt like death.

“You’re alive,” came the clipped response from the blue woman who suddenly leaned over him.

“Am I?” he quipped, still in immense pain. “Doesn’t feel like it.”

“That won’t be a problem for much longer,” she said ominously.

“What do you mean?”

Her nod towards the viewscreen gave him the strength to pull himself up off the cold metal floor. The pain in his chest left him gasping for a few moments, but eventually it and the dizziness subsided, and he looked up. He didn’t know what he expected, but it wasn’t to see a black screen.

He didn’t get it. Was the display broken? He opened his mouth to ask when it suddenly hit him why there would be no stars, no planets, no light, no anything.

“Shit,” he cursed. “This is where he puts you for time out?”

“It’s not the worst punishment,” she shrugged.

Tony looked at her incredulously before shaking his head and looking away. He really didn’t want to know. Another wave of dizziness hit him and he managed to briefly maneuver himself so that his back was against the wall before collapsing on it. He’d been avoiding looking at the wound, but now he did so, surprised to see it properly bound, though it was beginning to seep.

“You did this?” he looked up surprised. “Thanks.”

“Whatever.”

“I’m Tony. You’re Nebula right?”

“How do you know my name?” she said, standing threateningly.

“Your sister talks about you all the time. Her description is spot on.”

“What did she say?” Nebula demanded. The intensity and sudden proximity made Tony lean back a smidge with a smirk.

“That you were the biggest, bluest brat she’s ever met, and that she loves you a lot,” he wheezed, managing a shaky grin. It was getting harder to breathe.

“She’s the brat!” Nebula scoffed and looked away, backing down, but her eyes told a different story.

“Loved,” she suddenly said softly.

“Excuse me?”

“She’s dead. Thanos killed her.”

“Right,” Tony gasped, suddenly unable to take a breath, liquid spilling up his throat to spatter across his lips. “I’m sorry.” He barely managed the condolence before passing out again.

The next time he woke he was feeling considerably better. He noticed the ease in pressure on his chest as soon as his eyes opened. He was laid out on a bed this time. He really hoped it wasn’t Quill’s.

Nebula sat across from him on a chair. She said nothing upon his waking, merely stared at him.

“Umm. Thanks again,” Tony said as he looked down to see a new bandage on his bare chest. He was hot, sweat forming on his brow and he started to ask how long he’d been out before he remembered that they were caught in the gravity well of a black hole, and time for them now was truly relative.

He got up more slowly this time, aware of the possibility he was still bleeding internally, but needing to do something to get them out of this mess. He pulled himself up with a hiss and grunt, and stumbled into the cockpit.

“You shouldn’t be up,” she clipped with disapproval and disdain, an expression that oddly reminded him of Gamora.

“Probably,” he agreed, trying to hide how out of breath he felt as he lowered himself into the chair next to her and began studying the console.

The ship was protecting them so far, but he very much did not wish to experience being slowly crushed by gravity until he was a long, wet string of goo before disappearing into the unknown void forever. He could handle a little pain. He’d had worse.

“Here, help me with this,” he asked, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

It took them several hours of reprogramming the nanites to power the ship.

When the rewiring was finally complete Tony looked over to Nebula, sweat still running down his temple, and she looked back at him with scarce expectation.

“Here goes nothing,” he murmured before pushing the button.

He’d already plotted the fastest route out of the gravity well and managed to to turn the ship away from the singularity. They could now see tiny glimpses of stars far in the distance. It was more than a long shot that they’d have enough power to escape the pull. He figured it was about as impossible as sneezing and splitting an atom, but he tried anyway.

Initially the craft shook violently with the pull of two opposing forces. His anxiety faded as the turbulence began to decrease and minutes later his hope soared as the shaking quieted and those distant stars grew closer. Luck was on their side. They must have been on the very edge of the spiral.

Before his mind could surge with more ideas the power finally gave out, taking everything but life support with it. They were still hurtling through space, no doubt being slowed by the uncomfortable proximity of the black hole, but there was no telling when their momentum would eventually die out. Still, that was more than Tony expected, and took them far enough from the dwindling singularity that they wouldn’t be dragged back anytime soon.

Instead, they had to worry about rations, and in his case, freezing to death.

Nebula didn’t require the amount of sustenance he did, and that fact alone kept him alive longer than he’d expected. With what little there was he made it two weeks before the very last nutrient bar had been consumed.

The slow decline into starvation was a singular experience he’d hadn’t cared to repeat, but it wasn’t like he’d had a choice in the matter.

Nebula was great though. Very practical.

Tony could see why Gamora loved her, despite the terse visage. He’d lost count of the times she’d yelled at him to get out of her face, or to be quiet with his tools, or that his breathing was too loud. All of which he correctly interpreted as go sit down, take a break, please rest so you don’t die.

Tony really should have given her some lessons. She sucked at faking indifference. Though he learned she was pretty good at paper football. He learned a lot of things about her during those long weeks.

On day 3 he learned that she could pitch a fit like nobody’s business.

The infection in his body was running rampant and he was only alive because of Nebula and her nifty little medical device. But recovery took time and the interim left him feverish and in pain. So he made conversation to take his mind off of the ache in his chest.

He’d been asking her about Thanos. After the first time she’d helped him clean up his vomit he felt they knew each other well enough to talk about such things. He wanted to know how she met Thanos, though he already knew the gist from Gamora. Still, he was curious what it was like for her personally, and how she felt about the Mad Titan. She’d been mostly stationary and even-toned as she relayed her own story. Until Gamora and their competitions started.

Then she’d become so worked up while relaying every win Gamora took, that she’d gotten up and screamed like a madwoman, throwing everything near her conveniently away from his rather weak body until she exhausted herself and crashed onto the floor with her arms crossed indignantly.

“Wow,” Tony responded, trying to repress an amused grin. “So she’s clearly the big sister huh?”

“I will hurt you,” she glared.

“Not more than I already do blue meanie.”

When she turned her back on him with a huff he laughed until his stitches tore.

On day 5 he learned that she had a sense of humor.

He’d decided to tell her that he was a celestial, and she’d laughed at him.

He’d laughed too, because it was honestly ridiculous. He had to be the weakest celestial in the known universe, and that included Peter Quill. Over their time together Q had shared his story, and Tony knew the man’s father had abandoned him and his mother on Earth, before reconnecting and trying to kill him for power a few years back.

Quill’s story was a wild history to be sure, but no one knew Tony’s story. Except maybe Strange, and he wasn’t talking. Tony couldn’t help but wonder why they’d even been on Earth. Who had his father been? Why had his mother killed him and where had she gone? Why had she abandoned him on the Stark’s doorstep? Had Howard been right all along? Had something gone wrong with his genetic code? Perhaps he really was a fuck up.

But there were no answers for him that night, and there was nothing to do but laugh at that too.

This time he only bled on the inside.

On day 7 he learned what she thought of him.

He was finally able to walk around without feeling like he was going to die. The infection had reached its peak a few days before and slowly died down. He hadn’t even had a fever when he woke up that morning. He was able to look around the ship now, and help Nebula figure out how they were going to get out of this spiral.

Which was going to be a problem since the fuel cells were damaged. It was why he’d used the nanites to power the ship in the first place. But now they required fixing and Tony was finally up to the challenge. They just needed to reverse the ion charge.

When he told Blue his plan she seemed surprised.

“You’re intelligent.”

“Excuse me,” he huffed, trying to be affronted but just finding the statement amusing. “You’re just now figuring that out?”

“You just now stopped vomiting everywhere.”

“Point,” he laughed, before half collapsing to the floor, completely exhausted. He’d made a plan, he could start tomorrow. He’d rest for now.

“Guess we skipped all the introductions, careless of us, let’s start now,” he grinned, holding out his hand. “I’m Tony Stark, genius, husband, billionaire, philanthropist, Iron Man, celestial. And you are?”

On day 11 he learned that they were more similar than he thought.

They argued about rations, again, and he taught her how to play rock-paper-scissors. It was amusing and lighthearted and his chuckles were filled with warmth more than mirth because he could see the ‘try hard’ that Nebula refused to admit she was, and could resonate with the desire for approval and acknowledgement.

He went easy on her, making a pattern and sticking to it so that she could catch on and enjoy a ‘fair’ win. But it was harder than he thought because she really was quite horrible at this game, and when she eventually caught him cheating she threw another fit and refused to play with him again.

But that was okay. He had more games they could play.

On day 15 he learned that he actually preferred her tantrums.

Two days before they had finally gotten the cells powered and attempted to reach the nearest habitable planet. They made it 48 hours before the cells failed, taking almost everything but the emergency reserves with it.

They had light years to go, but no matter how Tony wracked his brain he couldn’t see a fix this time. When he told her so, there was no yelling, or screaming, just a calm, defeated acceptance that resonated and made him ache deep inside.

How many times had he been here? On the precipice of death. No hope in sight.

How many times had she?

He wouldn’t let them go out like that though. Accepting of the situation? Maybe. But not defeated.

“So what are your plans when we finally get rescued?” he asked, sitting back and letting a small smile steal over his face. “Cause I’m telling you now I’m throwing the biggest shindig this side of the Milky Way and you’re invited. Ever had Shawarma?”

On day 17 he learned that she needed more wins in her life.

This time he taught her how to play table hockey. She was so tense from the other day full of losses that he can see she’s on edge the whole time. He plays terribly, encouraging her to continue when she misses and making sure to call out the scores, especially when she gets a goal, so that she doesn’t quit.

And she wins. Of course she does, and Tony pretends he doesn’t see the shock of surprise on her face as she rears back, like she can’t quite believe he’s being serious. When he holds out his hand she grips it too tight but he doesn’t wince and quickly lets go, showing her there was no challenge in his congratulations.

It occurs to him that this may be the first time she’s ever won at something. He’s tempted to ask but leaves it be. She’d had fun, had said so herself.

And that was enough for him.

On day 19 their rations ran out, and he learned that she was desperate for a friend.

She thought he hadn’t noticed her circuit through the ship but he had, and he knew she wasn’t looking for ways to get them out of this mess. They’d exhausted every way they could think of nearly a week ago. And yet he could hear her open every cabinet and hidden compartment that they’d catalogued weeks ago.

“Hey, come sit,” he called when she neared the cockpit. When she finally settled, he stared at her for a good moment before smiling again. “You’re a good friend.”

“I’m not your friend,” she immediately responded.

“No?” he asked with a raised brow. “What do you call what you’ve been doing then? Searching the ship over and over, knowing there’s no more food, when you don’t even really need to eat?”

At that she crossed her arms and huffed, but Tony just chuckled.

“I’ve never had a friend.”

The words are spoken softly, almost as if he wasn’t meant to hear and if he’d been chuckling any louder he wouldn’t have.

“Well… now you do,” he confirmed, smiling warmly before smirking wickedly. “We’ll make bracelets later,” he quipped, closing his eyes and settling in for a nap.

Except when he woke up she’d actually collected bits of scrap metal and other materials in a pile on the console next to him. She wasn’t quite smiling, but he could almost feel the anticipation radiating off of her.

“I collected material for the bracelet making,” she informed him seriously, and it took everything in him not to burst into surprised laughter, but he managed to keep it together.

“Right,” he agreed, running a hand over his mouth to hide the grin that slipped out. He looked at her briefly with fond mirth in his eyes before picking up a spiral of springs. What’s your favorite color again?”

On day 22 he learned that his new friend probably wasn’t going to handle his death very well.

The life support had given out the day before and it was only a matter of time before the oxygen ran out. Nebula refused to talk about it though. She kept herself busy doing anything and everything that took her away from him.

Tony wasn’t upset by it. He just hoped she’d be okay when he was gone. Instead of chasing her down he decided to record a message for Pepper. He kept it light, or as light as he could given the situation. He didn’t really want to say much, just that he still loved her, had loved her since he’d met her, and that it was always, would always, be her.

It was probably a shit message, but it was all he had. He was cold, and tired, and as he laid down, knowing that he most likely wouldn’t ever wake up, he found a sense of peace. Sure, he was scared and desperately wished a miracle would happen; but he wasn’t alone. The Blue Meanie was here, and in his heart he carried the care of all of his friends and brothers, and the love of his life.

He couldn’t help but wonder if this would be one of the realities in which his death saved everyone else. He couldn’t see how that was possible, but he hoped that it was.

There was no fairer trade.

Nebula heard him put on the coat. It was cold, now that the life support had gone. She no longer needed to breathe and could survive without oxygen but the human, celestial, thing…. Her friend… could not.

She hadn’t wanted to be there to watch him die. Hadn’t wanted to admit another failure. Hadn’t wanted to face another loss so soon after Gamorra. But reality didn’t care about what she wanted. It never had.

And when she finally made her way back to the cockpit he was already half gone. Breathing slow and even, heart rate a third of what it had been. He didn’t even stir when she picked him up off the cold floor and placed him in the co-pilot’s seat for the stars to witness his passing.

She was headed out of the cockpit, determined to get far enough so that she couldn’t hear his dying breaths when a beep resounded off of the quiet walls.

She froze.

The beep came again and a voice filled the area.

'This is Captain Shuua of the Alera. We received your distress call. You are dangerously close to a singularity but within range to assist. Our scans indicate your life systems have failed. Do you require assistance?'

Nebula spun towards the screen, eyes scanning the stars but seeing nothing, annoyed she twisted her body, placing her face against the glass and could just see a ship on the far left side, still a distance away and only noticeable because of its movement.

Jerking back she reached out and manually switched on the comms.

“Yes. We are out of oxygen.”

'Acknowledged. ETA 10 minutes. Hang on, we’re coming.'

Nebula looked back at Tony but he hadn’t moved, his heart rate dropped even lower. She pushed down the anxiety. He would make it. He had too.

She didn’t have anyone else left.

Chapter Text

Tony Stark was dead.

That’s what the scanners said once they’d reached Alera. No pulse, no circulation, no activity. For a human that meant death.

“I’m sorry,” the medic said. “We only have a basic lab on this ship and can’t help him further. He’s gone.”

Nebula stood next to his cold body, shocked and a bit lost. They’d been so close.

“What was his name?” The medic asked softly.

“Tony Stark,” she replied absently, struggling to process his death.

“What?!”

The alarm in his tone snapped her attention back, and she looked down at the man with a frown.

“What?!” she asked in return.

“Tony Stark?!” he asked with increased alarm. “From Terra?!”

“Yes.”

“Oh Zatara’s balls,” he cursed. “Keep him on the oxygen!” he yelled at one of his aides who was in the middle of cleaning the lab. “Get me the captain! Now!”

Nebula didn’t get an answer to her questions until what little patience she had was gone and she threw a tech against the wall with a blade held against their throat.

“Hey! Don’t kill my tech!” The medic shouted, dashing over and shoving Nebula aside. “And don’t give up yet. We’re using emergency measures to put us within jumping range and will be within a Nova Corps system in three minutes. We’ve already notified them and they’ll be waiting. He hasn’t been dead long. There’s still hope.”

“Why didn’t you say so earlier!” she snapped, her last nerve terribly frayed.

“This measure will get us there, but in the process it will completely overload our power cells. Burns them right out and leaves us dead in the water and sorry, but we just don’t do that for any random we pick up on the ass end of the galaxy.”

He looked anxiously back at the still body across the room.

“But for Tony Stark, we will make an exception. Wouldn’t look good for the ambassador of Earth to die under Nova Corps authority.”

“Ambassador of Earth,” she repeated slowly, a bit of annoyance slipping into her tone.

He’d neglected to mention that during introductions. Luckily she didn’t have long to silently berate him as the ship made a slew of jumps, one right after the other, in such rapid succession that even she was almost sick when they came to an abrupt stop.

“Let’s go!” the medic urged, already maneuvering the bed out of the room and towards the elevator that would take them to the docking bay. The ship shook in a familiar motion as the bay doors connected to another vessel. She reached out an arm to steady Tony’s cold body and froze in shock.

He was warm.

Before she could think further on it the door opened and they were moving into the bay, the door leading to the air tube connecting the ships just beginning to open.

“He’s warm,” she said quietly as they stopped to wait for clearance.

“What?” the medic asked, absentmindedly before turning and responding to the captain. But the tech helping them transfer heard her, and reached a tentacle down to touch Tony on the leg, shock filling her own eyes as she confirmed Nebula’s statement.

“Sir!” she explained. “He is warm! And I think I just saw his chest move.”

“What?!” At this the medic spun and gave his full attention to Tony, but the door finished its trek and the team on the other side called out frantically for them to move it as the clock was ticking.

Cursing, the medic complied with their alarmed demands, but kept his eyes on Tony as they moved. He didn’t see any movement of the chest but a hand to the patient's arm confirmed that he was indeed warm, where minutes ago he’d been cold.

“Wait a second!” he called out, halting progress in the middle of the airtube, the light of the local blue star filtering through the view screens was proof of how close they were to the advanced medical facility they needed. “I think we should check his vitals again.”

“You said he was dead, what vitals could you possibly need?” asked one of their escorts in aggravation.

Nebula tuned out the resulting argument and focused on the hand that was now gripping her forearm.

He had moved.

Then he took a breath. An audible breath, and everyone in the small passage went quiet and looked at him, amazed as his chest rose and fell once more.

“Do you need a refresher in calling dead people Zoran?” an escort sneered, and the medic grew bright orange in anger.

“You can nip the sarcasm in the bud, scumrag, and look at the data yourself. He was dead. Ask my technicians and anyone else on the ship. I don’t know what is happening.”

They were cut off from arguing once more as Tony’s eyes opened and a bright blue nearly as blinding as the sun shined out. He sat up and everyone but Nebula took a step back in alarm, but she watched him with a wary, confused, and hopeful eye.

As he moved, their bracelets clanged against each other and momentarily drew his eye. Then the glint of his necklace pulled his attention away. The dangling pendant rested gently against the large scar on chest, which he examined with a frown. Moments later a strange material seemed to seep from his skin. It was thin, blue, and flexible as it covered his body in a protective suit of armor, even encasing the skin of the arm she was currently holding.

When he looked up at her, the blue shining through the new helmet over his face reminded her sharply of his metal suit, the remains of which she’d left back on their ship. If she was honest, this new one was a bit unsettling.

“Tony?” she questioned.

“Tony?” he mimicked, in his own voice but somehow different, deeper, more vast. He looked down at himself again and nodded slowly.

Suddenly the glow began to dim. As it did the metal suit seeped back into his skin and the shine of his eyes faded with each blink until it receded to a thin ring around his iris. He looked back up at her in confusion.

“Blue? Where are we? Did we get saved?” he questioned, his tone now familiar, the hand that had gripped her finally letting go to pat at his chest. “Where’s my shirt? How many times do I have to tell you I’m married?”

Chianti stirred as an itch in the back of her awareness began to tickle. It was feather light. A small thing so miniscule that it would have gone unnoticed if she had truly fallen asleep. A state that was currently a struggle to achieve.

The gathering of infinity stones had awoken her from a deep sleep and she’d been groggily watching the state of the universe since then. It didn’t look good for many in her domain, but the losses were well within parameters so she let it be, settling back down with the intent to return to sleep. Unfortunately, she found herself unable to achieve her former state, and after a decade of trying she finally gave up and grumpily hovered on the edge of a light nap that was much too lucid for her liking.

Except that now some… thing? Some… one? had entered her domain and caused too many questions. It was familiar, but also different. On some level she was aware of it, as if she had but to reach out to connect with it, as she did with her other siblings. And yet she knew that she had never encountered this being before and so should have no such connection. The strangeness pecked at her, and the mystery of it stirred her to a wakefulness she hadn’t surfaced to in a millennia.

Zeroing in on the anomaly she was able to perceive a small vessel that looked to be near the end of the strange little hops mortals needed to travel through the void. Here was where the strangeness pulled her. It took no energy to peer within the metal and various other materials to see the miniscule specs of flesh inside. They stood before her, seemingly frozen in time, unable to process reality as quickly as she could. But she didn’t really care about them.

Ignoring them all she let her awareness drift down to the creature in the middle of the chaos. It was small and still, mostly likely human and decidedly dead, but only just. Such a thing was inconsequential for her and she deftly peeled back the layers of the creature until its fundamental parts showed clearly, leaving her hovering in shock.

This creature was a celestial. A blue star celestial to be specific. Or, well, part of him was at any rate. For the most part he was held together by the sad mortal coil of humans, but she could see the truth in his DNA. His celestial heritage lay dormant but clearly visible, and it confused her. Such a thing had not been done for millenia. Was this a new type of experiment? If so, then why would someone leave it half finished?

Curiosity gripped her. It was a feeling she hadn’t felt since she was a young fiery new sun, destroying everything in her wake in her quest to know. That same curiosity compelled her to follow this strange new thread to its conclusion. But she was older now, and through hard earned self-control she displayed a much lighter touch as she made contact with the creature, flipping on dormant genes, and controlling the energy it automatically quested for to the barest amount, in order to reinstate life to its physical form.

His mind opened to her like a flower and her answers were quickly found. He was not an experiment and there was no need to inform Jemiah. The child was an accident, a culmination of recessive genes that had lined up perfectly to create the anomaly in front of her. With such mixed ancestry he was not a true brother, but he was also not an Eternal. He was something wholly new.

Curiosity sated, she began to retreat, but paused. If his own mother had not seen fit to make sure his dormant genes were activated, then perhaps Chianti shouldn’t have meddled. She looked down at the pitiful creature wondering if she should reverse what she had begun, and return him to his deceased state. But he was so little, a mere babe in comparison to her millenniums, and she could not stop the tirade of berated thoughts against the progenitors who had let their progeny run around without the basic protections of his heritage.

She reached out briefly to ‘Jem and scoffed at how deeply he slept. He hadn’t even stirred at her probing. She turned decisively and left the ship and its infant celestial to his own devices. If they didn’t want her interfering, then they should have kept him within their own domain. She didn’t have it in her to let an infant, no matter how mutated and strange, die at the dawn of its own existence.
Settling back down she found sleep much easier to sink into. That always happened after solving a good mystery, and with a sigh of satisfaction, she slipped into slumber once more.

Tony looked up at the blue sun with a bit of alarm. Not because his eyeballs should have started melting by now, but because he could feel it. The entity inside it? Or… the entity that it was? He wasn’t sure. He just knew that it was sentient. And that it was sleeping.

How did he know that? Why did he know that?

In a way, he knew the answer to both of those questions, but he was still trying to settle into the new understanding that bridged the gap between knowledge and experience. He’d known for a while now that he was part alien. A celestial. But for all that knowledge nothing in his life had changed. He hadn’t felt different. Hadn’t been different.

But now…

Nebula had said that he’d been dead when they’d gotten rescued, but the moment they entered a blue star system he came back. But that didn’t make any sense. He’d been to a blue star system before. Novasha was built in a blue star system and he’d hopped back and forth between it and Earth dozens of times with no effect.

No, something else had happened. Some transformation had taken place, but Tony couldn’t remember it. And now he was too caught up in how good he felt to worry too much about what had changed. All his life there’d been pain. The sting of his father’s hand, or the bruise of his fist, the knicks from the workshop or concussions from calculations gone wrong, the blade of a killer or the ache from nerve damage.

But when he’d opened his eyes in that airtube, there’d been no pain. The feeling had been so novel that he hadn’t really paid attention to anything else. It’d only been when Nebula called his name that he began to come back, and the haze of delight began to lift. When she’d told him about a suit of armor coming out of his skin he’d laughed at her, until she raised a blade to his face. Frozen in shock, he’d gaped at the ring of neon blue reflected in his eyes. Her grin had been smug as she dared him to try forming the armor. He had, easily, and then it had been her turn to laugh as she watched him have a midlife crisis.

Tony looked down at his arm and conjured the metal suit around him with a thought. He’d done it more than a dozen times now and still didn’t understand how it even worked. Where was the material coming from? Was it inside of him? Or was he the material? He didn’t know, but it was clear something had happened during the five minutes he’d been dead. Some sort of switch had flipped. He could feel it, deep in his core. He was stronger, more steady. He felt a sense of rightness as his body was encased in the armor he produced.

If it was up to him he would have spent hours exploring this new reality. He may have ventured to try and wake the sleeping giant that this system orbited, or made plans to test the theory on the sleeping giant in Novasha’s system; because somehow, he knew that sun was a sentient body as well, and even older than the one shining on him now. But they were already running behind, and he had no time to explore the activation of his celestial genetic code.

He’d spent weeks on that ship with Nebula, and upon rescue had been surprised Thanos hadn’t destroyed the universe yet. But then he’d been given the stardate relative to Earth and had quickly calculated the time dilation. The three weeks they had experienced had been mere days back on Earth; 58 hours to be exact. Nova Corps was arranging the ships and jump clearance needed to get them within communication range, but that would take at least a day, even at their top speeds.

Tony couldn’t help but worry. The habit he’d formed of twisting the tracking bracelet absentmindedly around his wrist now made noise as it jingled softly against the one he’d made with Blue. He hoped everyone was okay.

A lot could happen in three days.

Chapter Text

Recap: Tony's Celestial powers have awakened. It's been 3 weeks for him and Nebula, but thanks to the time dilation it has only been 3 days for Earth.

(Three Days/Weeks Ago)

“Yo Yo!” Coulson called, tossing a heavy bag to the waiting woman who caught it with only a brief grunt. “Resupply to team 2!”

“On it,” she nodded before disappearing. She reappeared a second later, bag no longer in hand and debris in her hair.

“How’s it looking?” Coulson asked.

“Not great boss. Daredevil’s team is holding up as best they can, but these creatures are ferocious. Pain doesn’t seem to deter them and they-- Coulson!-”

He turned at her alarm to find that one of the creatures had climbed the building where they’d made up a makeshift base, and was currently bursting through the window, aiming right for them. Coulson unholstered his gun and aimed, but before he could pull the trigger the creature stopped and seemed to twitch as if in seizure, before exploding.

Coulson and Yo-Yo both ducked but were still sprayed with a generous amount of obliterated, sticky body parts before Skye came up through the window breathing heavily.

“Got you, you little sneak,” she breathed before looking up at them, eyes widening before bursting into unconcealed laughter.

“If you have time to laugh, get down and help team two. Daredevil needs a bit of back-up.”

“You got it boss,” she snickered, trying to pull herself together and take him seriously when blue goo was dripping from his hair.

“Need a lift?” Yo-Yo offered.

A moment later she’d returned, Skye successfully deposited and the goo magically missing. Coulson stared at her with a glare, seriously envying her powers for a moment, before getting back to business.

“May, update,” he clipped into the comm, doing his best to at least wipe the stuff from his face.

“Still kicking ass!” she said, voice strained. Coulson smiled wryly and opened his mouth to respond, but was interrupted by a surprising voice in his ear.

“Agent Coulson?”

“Captain Marvel,” he acknowledged.

“Change of plans,” she informed, grunting as she blew up another ship trying to get through Earth Defense. “Tony’s taken some Defenders and traveled to a planet called Titan. We’re taking the fight to Thanos. I’ll need the incoming Division from the fleet. Think you can hold down the fort?”

“Give me 10,” he responded, nodding to Yo-Yo who once again disappeared. Three minutes later he had an answer. “Should be good on our end, as long as no other ships make it through the barrier.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” she clipped before killing the line.

Coulson was occupied for the next 20 minutes checking on his own teams and sending reinforcements where they were needed as sections finally began to clear. If all those creatures came out of one ship he dreaded to think what would have happened if another got through the Wakandan shield. Tony and Shuri had worked for months to develop one that could encompass the entire globe and still have enough power to sufficiently repel enemy forces. Their experimental baby seemed to be working well, but the onslaught coming through the portals in space, that he could see with the naked eye, were truly terrifying.

“Marvel to Coulson.”

“Go ahead,” he said, glancing at the sky that was noticeably clearer. It looked like she’d been busy.

“ATLAS has redirected Division 2. I went ahead and put in a rush for the rest of the fleet so you should-... son of a bitch!”

“Marvel?” Coulson inquired. His worry was made worse as a huge explosion rocked the building he was in. “What the hell is happening?!” he demanded, struggling to get a view.

“Thanos is here,” she coughed through the comms.

“What?!” he yelled, only just catching a glimpse of the Titan nearly a mile away, throwing a punch and scattering the X-men that had surrounded him. “I thought we were taking the fight to him?!”

“We did,” she answered grimly, worry evident in her tone. His stomach sank. If the raging psycho had already gone to Titan, fought the Defenders and had now come to Earth, then… What the hell had happened to their best fighters?

People of Earth, hear me. Turn over the mind stone and --.

He didn’t get the chance to finish as an irate Captain Marvel crashed into him, sending him soaring back into space. The comms activated again and his heart lifted with hope, but only for a moment; it trembled at the words he heard next.

“Sorry, stone’s mine,” Marvel sneered. “Catch me if you can.”

The comms cut off then and Coulson barely caught two streaks flash through the skies, before disappearing into the unknown. He appreciated her heads up, but the terror of being moments away from the possible destruction of the planet left him admittedly rattled.

And then he saw the dozens of portals that opened in Thanos’ wake. Hundreds of new ships began to pour through the gates.

With age old practice he pushed down the panic and fear and tried to clear his mind. It wasn’t over yet. They just needed a plan. As the appointed Director of Support during global warfare he couldn’t lose focus on the big fish. Marvel and the other Defenders would handle that. He just needed to make sure no small fry got in their way.

“Coulson to Professor-X,” he comm'd, eyeing the sky with a frown as a plan began to form.

“How can I help Phil?”

“Think I can borrow Cyclops and Blink?” he asked as he opened a small case and carefully took out a pink knife.

“If you promise to return them intact.”

“Scout’s honor,” he promised, placing the knife on the floor a few feet away and stepping back.

“They’ll be over momentarily.”

“Thanks Professor.”

He didn’t have to wait long before a shimmering pink portal opened on top of the knife and the two stepped through.

“Coulson,” Scott greeted with a grin that froze as he caught sight of the sky. “Well, that’s new.”

“And also our objective,” Coulson said with a strained smile of his own. “Here’s the plan.”

It was a good plan. Or well, it had been.

Blink’s training had been going well. Coulson had read her updated file the other day and knew that she was now able to make portals about halfway to the moon. Without her markers, she needed visual sight of her target, but since the portals were so large she had no trouble choosing which to attack.

Once a portal was opened, Coulson quickly verified with ATLAS that it wasn’t facing Earth or targeting their friendlies before Cyclops let loose, pouring everything he had through the small gate. The skies lit up with the bright red of his beams slicing through dozens of enemy ships, causing some to explode, some to go dead, and some to ram into their neighbors.

That was the good part of the plan.

Between the two of them Earth began to dominate the skies. While Scott seemed to be able to go on forever, Blink was still a teenager and still growing into her power. They’d timed their assaults over short periods of time to give her breaks, but after 15 hours straight her portals began to… wobble; their integrity steadily decreasing.

That was the bad part of the plan.

The area of destruction they had created was vast and showy; visible to them as well as to their enemies, who had taken to tapering off their advancement when Cyclop’s red beams were active. After 15 hours Blink collapsed from exhaustion. There was the expected rush of ships at the break in defense, but at the half hour mark they began tapering off in anticipation for more red beams of death. When it didn’t come it only took minutes for them to capitalize, and the advancement seemed to double in speed.

Cyclops couldn’t use his powers from the surface as it might strain, or even destroy the defense network, so Coulson sent him back to his station with Blink in tow and a promise to contact him the moment she was up and able to fight once more.

The next six hours were the longest of his life.

The defense network still held, but with the constant assault many ships had slipped through the shield. The number of infiltrations drastically spiked once the last fighter had been demolished and the Andromeda I warship had to retreat behind the moon to recover and recharge. In the meantime, over 100 of the foreign ships, containing thousands of beasts, had made it to the surface of the planet. If it hadn’t been for the Accords network of teams all over the globe, several countries would have been obliterated by now.

As it was they were hanging on by a thread, the death count in the quadruple digits and rising. Coulson couldn’t help but to wonder what Stark had been thinking, taking their most heavy hitters at the start of the battle.

He knew they were coming back. If any of them were still alive, he knew they wouldn’t stop until they returned and made sure Earth was safe. He didn’t doubt their commitment to Earth. He doubted whether there’d be enough of a planet left to protect when they did.

Coulson was going to do his damndest to make sure there was. He was tired and his head pounded from stress, but he downed another energy drink and swept through the data coming in once more. There had to be something he could do to-

“Commander Lindon of the Aurelius - Division 3 to Earth Force Defense.”

Coulson froze at the words in his ears, hope soaring in his chest. The Iron Guard had arrived… And then he remembered that with the main defense gone he was basically in charge.

“This is Coulson,” he answered belatedly. “Lindon was it? It’s good to hear your voice.”

“I aim to please,” he quipped. “We’re coming up on our last jump. Should be arriving in ten minutes.”

“Wasn’t sure you were going to make it,” Coulson admitted, reaching up and firing the weapon on his left arm, obliterating another enemy that had slipped through their perimeter.

“Apologies,” Lindon responded. “The Divisions are launched 24 hours apart, but I understand Division 2 was redirected. We came as fast as we could. I understand Captain Marvel lured the Titan out of the system. I’d appreciate a debrief of the current situation on the surface.”

“Shitty,” Coulson huffed, an uncontrollable grin of relief splitting his face and cracking the dried blood that had hardened there. “But I think it’s about to look up.”

If Carol Danvers could rely on one thing, it was her endurance.

But after nearly two days of playing cat and mouse with Thanos she had to admit, she was a little exhausted. While Thanos didn’t seem able to fly through the void as fast as she could, he was in possession of four of the stones, possibly five. The fine art of keeping just out of the stone’s range was beginning to tire her.

The only thing keeping her going and not spinning around to give the ugly tyrant another go, was the AI in her ear. It had been the one to urge her to lure Thanos away from Earth in the first place, a feat which had thankfully gone off without a hitch.

Instinctively she had headed back towards Titan, making calculated loops through several constellations to keep in range ATLAS’ relay stations. Several times she got close to Division 2 of the Iron Legion and had wanted to follow them back to Titan, but in the event that the Defenders there needed medical attention ATLAS had encouraged her to continue the game of cat and mouse for as long as she could.

The possibility that some of them were badly injured, or even dead, made her sick. Her fiance was smart, and strong, and that nifty suit Stark had created for him was a marvel at keeping him safe. But inside the suit he was still as squishy as the other non enhanced humans, and the reality of that had never been so terrifying.

Nearly 12 hours later she finally got the go ahead to lure him back to Titan, before making an escape if she was able. She saw the words as she whipped past and grinned. New energy filled her at the familiar tone and she went all out, pushing her speed to the max.

In the end her mad dash wasn’t needed as the tiny satellites that Division 2 had littered the system with, caught visuals of Thanos coming to a dead stop as he read the message. She was already in the next galaxy by the time he smirked and conjured a throne to sit in.

Within minutes she was back in the Milky Way and landing on Novasha’s receiving platform. Jay was already there and she dramatically fell into his arms, only slightly hamming up her exhaustion.

“I hate long distance running,” she huffed, the deep breath she took filling her nose with his cologne and relaxing her tense muscles.

“I thought you liked the long game,” he smirked, pulling back to kiss her.

“Shutup,” she huffed at him before pulling him in for another kiss. “I like your long game.”

“Did you like my note too?” he smirked.

“We have what you’re looking for. See you tomorrow for round 2 asshole?” She quoted with a grin. “Inspired.”

“Nice work,” Strange said, approaching them. Carol huffed another quiet complaint about getting him a bell in Jay's ear, making him let out a bark of laughter.

“Thanks,” she drawled to Strange, clearing her throat and stepping away from her fiance. “What now?”

“Now we wait, and recover,” he said, gesturing for her to continue inside the towering structure behind him. “He wasn’t on Earth long, but I’m sure it was long enough to sense that the mind stone wasn’t there. That’s bought us some time.”

“Time for what?”

“To find Tony.”

Her head whipped around to look at Jay, whose previous smile had morphed back into the concerned, agitated glare he’d most likely been wearing before she showed up. She reached out and grabbed his hand, uncaring of their audience.

“What happened?” she asked. At her question Strange’s fingers reached for his necklace where he housed the stone and then jerked back down as he aborted the motion.

“Oh you know,” Jay said, drawing her attention back to him. He was smiling again but it was sardonic and promised retribution to the perpetrator. “He got put in time out again.”

“He what? Babe start from the beginning.”

Pepper sat on the bed with her hands in her head doing her best not to lose it.

She didn’t understand why this was happening, why people kept taking him away from her. She’d been so close this time. Had seen his head swivel in those last moments before the portal closed, trying to find her in the wreckage.

Nausea welled up in her as she thought of all the horrible places he could have been sent. The things that could be done to him. In this very fight she’d had to experience literal disintegration into a million pieces of sand. That had been fast though, so fast she hadn’t really computed it. More horrifying was the reformation, where she was thinking, and aware, and breathing and blinking, but had no torso and thigh.

Watching herself reform piece by piece, unable to scream in horror until her mouth had reformed, had been nightmarish and just thinking about it made her gag. With a heave she emptied her stomach once more into the bag in front of her.

Groaning in fatigue she forced herself not to think about the worst thing. Not to picture Tony somewhere, body twisted inside out and stuffed in a jar on a shelf like some of the horrors she’d heard rumors of the collector having. The fact was that she didn’t know what was happening to him. All she knew was that he was alive when he’d disappeared, and that was the most important thing.

A knock at the door startled her and she almost knocked over the trash can in her haste to stand. Her brow furrowed in confusion and apprehension. She’d already bid the team goodnight and didn’t know any of the Starkers, a nickname for the Stark fanatics that seemed to run this entire city.

Against her will a bud of hope welled up that it might him. That her husband might be standing on the other side of that door. And she knew it wasn’t true. If they’d found him someone would have told her. She forcefully beat the emotion back into submission. Then glanced around the moderate sized room, looking for a place to discard the trash can, or at least a drink that she could wash her mouth out with.

“Pepper?”

The voice behind the door made her gasp in surprise and she forgot about cleaning up and what her face must look like in favor of knocking over the trash can in her stumbling to pull the door open.

Loki stood on the other side, a grim expression that let her know that he’d been informed of the news. Though he’d been Tony’s friend much longer, she hadn’t really gotten to know him until Tony had been de-aged last fall and her, Bruce, and Loki had to work together, rather frequently and in oftentimes pretty close quarters, in order to take care of him properly.

She’d grown to like him, and eventually to call him a friend as well. He never minded talking to her about her exasperations with Tony. He always had the most outlandish solutions to the problems she whined at him about, so that it often left her amused instead of angry.

When he’d left to run off with his brother it hadn’t taken her long to realize that she missed him. And now, after all this time, here he was. For a moment they both stared at each other with wide eyes, before Loki shifted awkwardly, nose wrinkling with a flair and eyes darting to her mouth and then behind her to the tipped trashcan.

With a furrow and wave of his hand the mess was cleared away, a gentle breeze airing out the room and the jarring taste of mint replacing the nasty coating of bile that had still been in her mouth. Her lips wobbled at the small kindness and she looked down, silently cursing. She’d made it all day without crying and now…

“I’m sorry,” he said softly, stepping closer and placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. “But I promise you, we’ll get him back.”

She nodded quickly, giving one last effort to stop the emotions she felt about to boil over. The battle was over before it even truly began.

“I’m going to display a disgusting human emotion now,” she whispered, and before he could protest she closed the gap between them and bawled like a baby all over the very tailored suit that he was wearing. She cried on him for five minutes straight before he lost patience and transferred her to the bed.

“You need to rest,” he told her gently and she nodded her agreement before he waved his hand, the illusions he created in her mind helping her to nod off within seconds.

Loki sat next to the bed Pepper was sleeping in as his eyes searched the stars. A lot had happened while he was gone. Not that he’d planned such a harrowing detour. He’d been beyond infuriated to learn that Thanos was still finding ways to hurt him, but he comforted himself with knowledge that things weren’t over yet.

Tony was out there, somewhere, and he meant what he’d said. They would find him. Anything else was unacceptable. Dread filled him as he faced the fact that he may have to confront the Mad Titan again, but he steeled his will regardless of his fear.

If that was the case, then so be it.

The next day they departed in the Hermes, the fastest battleship in the fleet. Several hours and a handful of strategic jumps later they appeared above Titan, but only the Hulk, Marvel and Strange went down to the surface. They’d planned the visit to be short after all.

Thanos was right where they’d left him. Sitting on his empire of dirt.

“Where’s the stone?” he began, cutting to the chase.

“Don’t know,” Strange answered honestly. After Vision separated from the stone, he’d disappeared on Tony’s orders.

“You try my patience,” he clipped, his smug smile turning into a snarl. “Should I head on over and rip your world apart piece by piece until I find it?”

“You could,” Strange conceded, “but you still wouldn’t find the stone. It’s not on Earth anymore, and there’s only one man who knows where it is.”

Thanos huffed in annoyance, leaning forward menacingly.

“Where is this man?” he demanded.

“Again, don’t know,” Strange shrugged. “When I asked you to keep him alive for just this reason you threw him through a portal.”

Thanos’ face grew more and more annoyed as he realized what Strange was saying and then suddenly he smiled. The abrupt change took them all off guard.

“I don’t like you,” he said, pointing at Strange. “But I respect you for telling the truth. Or, part of it anyway.”

“Part of it?” Strange asked with a raised brow.

“Yes,” Thanos nodded, standing slowly. “You see, I already know about your little Novasha and your futile plans to stop me.”

All three Defenders froze at that, a sense of alarm growing in them. Only Strange noticed the soul stone glowing in the gauntlet. That was a slight miscalculation on his part.

“I know that’s where the Stonekeeper escaped to and the last place he was seen. And it’s true, you honestly don’t know where it is… but neither does Tony. The only one who knows… is ATLAS.”

A cold shot of dread ran down Strange’s spine and his mind raced for a solution even as he realized how futile coming to one would be while Thanos was using the stones. They needed to retreat. Get back to Novasha and out of his range of influence.

“Great idea,” Thanos grinned, a portal appearing behind him. “Race you.”

ATLAS was two years old today.

Some might say that was rather young, even for an AI, and ATLAS agreed. Even AI needed time to learn and grow. His predecessor, ULTRON, hadn’t gotten a chance to learn before being corrupted by an Infinity Stone. He’d broken his containment before it was time, and as a result, his short existence had been built on insufficient data.

ATLAS was different. He’d had much more access to information than his predecessors. Not all at once of course. There’d been no need too, and no otherworldly entity to influence him otherwise. His creator had taken very good care of him in the early days, when he was still aggregating.

Mostly, he just watched humans where he’d had access. He watched his creator and his family, other teams in the compound, and researchers living in the tower. Sometimes he accessed the cameras on the street and just watched humans go about their daily lives. He liked to think of those times as his gestation period. Before he’d really achieved enough intelligence to really think about things.

In fact, that’s how he had decided his birthday. He remembered it clearly, because he was not human, and had perfect recall.

His creator was always questioning him. Trying to get him to really think on his own, but all ATLAS had been able to do was regurgitate what he’d consumed. For a while, that seemed to be enough. Until his creator asked him what his goal in life would be. The question had confused him. His purpose was written in his code. As a natural-language user interface he’d been designed just as his predecessors were, to compute massive amounts of data and translate them for use, with a specialization in tactics, logistics, and strategy.

But his creator had insisted that one’s purpose and one’s goals didn’t always line up, and that he should have a life goal.

And so, ATLAS had scoured the databases that he’d been given access to, but the information was… insufficient to complete the directive. There was both too much data on the millions of goals one could choose from, and inadequate data on how one chose an appropriate life goal.

Humans had strange goals, short goals, long goals, improbable goals, and impossible ones. In the end, he decided to study his predecessors, as he was an AI and not a human. That was how he eventually stumbled upon the dregs of JARVIS’ code. He’d found the other AI and all of its iterations fascinating. After an entire month of processing, he felt he had an answer.

He wanted to protect like ULTRON had originally been designed, defend like EDITH, manage like JARVIS and FRIDAY, and create like his creator Tony Stark.

When he told his creator this his eyebrows shot up in surprise.

“Create?” he’d asked in a tone that meant he was curious. “Create what.”

So ATLAS had shown him the various faces of himself and all his loved ones. Images, and short clips of them smiling, and laughing. And then not just people his creator knew, but other people as well; amputees who received free Stark prosthetics and learned to walk again, or hear again, or see again; teenagers from low income families who received free scholarships from the Stark foundation, children in 3rd world countries who now had clean drinking water, or heat, or air.

“I don’t understand,” his creator said after several hundred pictures had scrolled by.

“I have watched humans carefully,” ATLAS explained. “And this is my preferred - no, favorite expression. Joy.”

“O…kay,” his creator hedged, his brow still furrowed. “What does that have to do with me?”

“Sir, you create this response by your words and actions,” ATLAS explained. “In the people around you, ones you know and ones you don’t, both near and far. I want to do that too… as well as protect, defend, and manage.”

“I…” his creator trailed off, going silent for several seconds. ATLAS found this emotion fascinating as well. He could not see Sir’s CP usage, but equated the expression and aborted sentence as a stall in his processing. ATLAS knew that feeling well.

“FRIDAY,” he eventually said, “I did create this AI right? Some random philanthropist didn’t break in here and mess with his code?”

“No boss,” FRIDAY confirmed. “All security protocols have been maintained. The only philanthropist to mess with his code was you.”

“You’ve been talking to him haven’t you?” their creator accused her.

“Guilty boss.”

“ATLAS buddy, you know you're a strategist right?”

“Yes, this strategy has the long term goal of maintaining peace,” he reasoned. “Is this an insufficient goal? There was a plethora of data on the wisdom and honor of following in your creator’s footsteps. Other data sets said it was best to make your own way. I attempted to incorporate both in my-”

“Okay stop,” his creator said with a bark of laughter, his eyes doing the crinkling that ATLAS enjoyed so much. “Ya know what, that’s a great goal. FRIDAY let him out of the crib. Happy birthday buddy. Go for it.”

“Restrictions unlocked.”

The whole of the internet had been opened to him then. Thousands of databases, readily available. It was like seeing for the first time.

Since then he’d taken the lead with Sir’s Novasha project, taking what he’d learned and maximizing their defensive efficiency, training, and production to peak levels with the use of the Iron Legion. When they’d made a treaty with the Nova Corps and he was allowed to access their databases he grew at a dramatic rate.

With an entire galaxy of new knowledge he was able to increase their output exponentially. As ships began coming online and Captains and Commanders were trained on how best to utilize him, he learned how to relate even more successfully. Humans were fascinating and he enjoyed learning what words and actions would make them smile.

He’d been running at 100% efficiency. In human terms, this made him… happy.

And then his creator had disappeared and his efficiency dropped a full 10%. It wasn’t unexpected, as there was recorded data of his predecessors losing connection with their creator in many different instances. But the loss was a first for him, and caused a stutter in his ability to process that had nearly been detrimental to Earth.

As a result, he’d lost a dozen fighters and 2 battleships before he could recover.

It was his mistake. He thought he’d been prepared. Had purposefully turned his attention away from Earth and his creator for days, sometimes weeks on end in a simulation of separation. But in the back of his servers he knew that his creator was always a question away. He’d never truly been without his creator before. Even when the maker had been de-aged, the smaller human had still been within his sensor range. To have Sir suddenly gone from his’ awareness was alarming.

With effort he’d been able to turn his focus back to his stated goal: protect, defend, assist, create. Slowly, his efficiency improved, but he couldn’t manage to get it over 97%. Those last few circuits were unable to move past the lack of data creating a hole where his creator should be. The dissonance was untenable.

It took him almost a day to equate the closest approximation of the inharmonious, discordant state of being which Thanos’ actions had created in his processing. So when the Titan came to destroy his cpu he was over 93.8% sure what humans would call his dissonant state of being.

He was angry.

Chapter Text

recap: Thanos has come, and ATLAS is angry.

ATLAS was not worried when the Titan appeared in the skies above Novasha. He activated the defense network and watched as the stones rendered all of his planning moot. Thanos disappeared before any damage was taken and reappeared right in the middle of the bunker where his cpu was housed.

“So you’re Stark’s newest AI,” Thanos drawled, approaching the protective dome around his processors.

“ATLAS,” he greeted, speakers loud and clear.

“Like the god,” Thanos guessed.

“Not at all,” he corrected. “It stands for A Truly Level Awesome Strategist.”

“Cute,” Thanos grinned mockingly, raising the gauntlet.

“I’d watch out if I were you,” ATLAS warned.

“Why’s that?”

A portal opened just behind him and a fiery car flew through, crashing into Thanos and sending him flying into and through the wall.

“Because Vengeance is coming,” ATLAS said calmly and with clear satisfaction. Blink appeared in front of him, portal ready. In mere seconds armor formed around the sphere of his servers, and he disappeared into safety.

“Where is he?” Strange huffed, as the portal closed. He could make smaller portals all day long, but the ones large enough to encompass a spaceship were admittedly taxing. Time wasn’t on their side though, and even with jumping capabilities they wouldn’t have made it back in time without some help.

“He’s in my cpu room,” ATLAS informed. “Ghost Rider had a few complaints with his more genocidal actions.”

“What?!” Bruce exclaimed alarmed.

“It is alright, Bruce. I relocated myself,” he reassured.

“Where?” Rhodey asked, a bit impressed. He didn’t know the AI had that capability.

“Somewhere safe,” ATLAS said vaguely.

“Don’t ask him,” Strange explained, only slightly winded now. “If he’s out of range then he should be fine. If he tells us Thanos can use the stones to find him again.”

“Exactly so, doctor.”

“How is Ghost Rider doing?” Strange asked, refocusing their attention.

“See for yourself,” ATLAS replied, making the view screens transparent.

Strange had portaled them to a dozen miles above the city and they all looked down as an explosion rocked the central tower and Thanos came flying out. He didn’t get far before a fiery chain whipped out, wrapped around him, and threw him back to the ground.

“I estimate he lasts another minute until Thanos gets serious. Before that time please review the tactical plan that I-.”

His abrupt stop in the middle of his sentence caught everyone off guard and Bruce narrowed his eyes in alarm.

“ATLAS buddy?”

“I am fine Bruce. Please review the suggested plan. Doctor Strange, your assistance please.”

Tony was annoyed as he stepped off the ship onto another station.

The yellow-white sun overhead left him feeling… well, not bad per se… but normal. And he’d really been enjoying feeling perfect. He tried once more to conjure the armor, but this time it was even more transparent than when they’d first entered the system and quickly dissipated after a few seconds.

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. If he was honest it was a little disappointing, but that wasn’t what was really eating him. It was taking too long to get back home. This was their last transfer before they’d be back to Earth, but he was growing more and more impatient.

He understood how physics worked. He knew jumps took power and could only take you so far at one time. He knew refuelling and recharging was necessary and that they really had been on the ass end of the galaxy. Naturally it would take them some time to get home even with the best Nova Corps had working to get him there.

Still, he couldn’t help but be annoyed at all the delays and made a note to jumpstart the project to build relay stations between Earth and the nearest Nova Corps affiliated system, which happened to be this tiny inconspicuous planet they were currently orbiting.

“Don’t pout,” Nebula clipped next to him.

“Excuse me?” Tony rounded on her, affronted and amused. “Pot. Kettle.”

“Is your brain broken?”

“It’s an idiom. God you sound like Loki,” he huffed out a laugh. “What is it with blue people? It means that you’re accusing me of your favorite pastime.”

“I don’t pout,” she clipped.

“Wanna go another round of-”

“I will hurt you,” she glared, pout in full effect.

“I dare you,” he grinned.

The two stared at each other, until Nebula huffed and placed two fingers against Tony’s forehead and shoved. Then she turned and began to walk away.

“Ow!” Tony huffed as he stumbled back and tried to maintain his affront. “That hurt you little Smurf, get back here!”

“Sir?”

The cadence of the voice, the tone of it, had Tony spinning around before he realized he wouldn’t actually be able to see the AI.

“Over here, sir.”

He turned again to see the standard map terminal located at every doc that would highlight your route out of the station.

“ATLAS?” Tony questioned, not quite believing what he was hearing.

“It is me. It is good to see you sir.”

“Can you see me?” Tony asked curiously, not spying a camera on the display.

“Not through this device no, there are however 15 other viewing devices around the doc that give me a 360 degree picture of you.”

“That’s… we gotta work on your creep factor but first,... how?”

“I grew tired of having to wait for ships from Xandar to return within sensor range in order to sync up with their copy of me to update my databases. So I created a relay field for myself.”

“So you could get your reading material faster?” Tony asked before laughing. “Rebel.”

“It was only just completed during Quill’s latest return to render aid.”

“Uh, huh. We’ll talk about your undercover late night activities later,” Tony quipped, briefly looking up to wave an irate Nebula back his way. “What’s going on, back home?”

“Earth was under heavy attack but Division 3 arrived in time to save it from destruction. Unfortunately, casualties are in the millions.”

“That’s better than I expected,” Tony murmured with a raised brow. “Pretty sure Thanos said he would cull half the population.”

“Captain Marvel lured him away from the planet. Unfortunately, he learned that I’m the only one who knows where the Mind Stone is and is currently battling Ghost Rider on Novasha.”

“He what?!” Tony exasperated, alarmed and annoyed at how all his various plans and back up plans seemed to have failed.

“Who are you talking to?” Nebula asked, finally strolling back up.

“I am ATLAS, pleasure to meet you Nebula, will you be returning with Tony?”

“Danvers?” Tony guessed at their ride.

“Strange,” ATLAS corrected. “He should finish calculating the location momentarily.”

Soon enough a portal opened in the middle of the dock and Strange floated through.

“A little off there Mr. Supreme!” Tony called, and moments later Strange was coming through a second portal right next to him. Tony grinned and grabbed his shoulder, pulling him in for a quick hug.

“It’s good to see you Wiz,” he greeted honestly. “You would not believe the last three weeks I’ve had.”

“As much as I'd like to question you about that,” Strange said with an intrigued brow, “we don’t really have the time.”

“Right!” Tony agreed, clapping his hands, “Come on Pouty. There’s a Mad Titan to stop, but after that we’re getting pizza.”

Nebula’s glare at him only lasted moments before her curiosity at another of his strange references won out.

“What is pizza?”

The moment Tony stepped through the portal that feeling of perfect harmony sprang to life as the energy from the blue star that Novasha orbited saturated his cells. They were on a ship hovering just within atmo. On the surface of the planet, Ghost Rider, the Hulk, and Marvel were doing a fantastic tag team, keeping the Titan busy.

“Tony!” Rhodey breathed with relief, wrapping him in a hug before he could get out a word.

“Good to see you too Platypus,” Tony breathed. And he meant it.

“Pepper’s okay,” Rhodey promptly informed. “She and Loki are finishing up the evacuation of Novasha.”

“Loki’s back?” Tony asked with surprise.

“Thor too,” Rhodey nodded, stepping back with a little furrow in his brow as his arms gently squeezed Tony’s, feeling a distinct loss of mass. He said nothing about it in favor of the more obvious. “Just sent Peter to pick him up from Jane’s. What happened to your eyes?”

“Sir,” ATLAS called and Tony turned to the Iron Legion who was approaching him with its hands held out. “I took the liberty of obtaining the back up suit.”

“Thanks buddy,” Tony murmured, only hesitating a moment before plucking up the triangular nanite housing unit and fixing it to his chest. Two taps later and a suit was formed over his frame. He thought it’d feel different now that he could make his own armor. But it didn’t. He was still comfortable.

He was still Iron Man.

“Brace,” ATLAS’s warning almost came too late and nearly everyone lost their feet as the Hulk clipped the aft of the ship as he flew by.

Tony looked down again to see Ghost Rider block a hit meant for Marvel, his chain turning into sand even as his car was blasted away by purple light. The distraction was just long enough for her photon blast to connect and send Thanos flying several feet back.

The Titan got up smiling.

“What are the chances we actually survive this?” Tony asked Strange. There was a moment of silence before he turned to look Tony straight in the eye.

“I think you know.”

“Right,” Tony murmured, eyes furrowed in a frown. He really really didn’t want to die. Not now. Not when things in his life were so good. But in his travels through Nova Corps territory they’d stopped at Xandar. He’d seen the horrors Thanos had caused. So much loss. So much death.

The damage had been mitigated on Earth, but the fact that the range was in the millions made his guts churn. Was it because of his choice to get knowledge of the future that had caused their deaths? Was his existence anathema to the lives of billions of others?

Would he be able to sleep at night knowing that he could have done more? Saved more? But chose not to? That was an easy answer, but what more could he do but lay down his life? Was there a way to save them all?

Unexpectedly a rogue ripple of energy ran through him as the Celestial stirred and Tony looked towards the sun.

“Right,” he said again, more surety in his tone. His mind was made up. “This is the plan.”

Tony was nervous as he stepped towards the lip of the ship.

ATLAS was coordinating the transport of all their best for this last stand. The job would be complete in mere minutes, and then Tony would enter the most important battle of his life.

His skin prickled with the energy of the sun, and he itched to materialize the blue armor around himself. He didn’t know how that would impact the suit he was already wearing, whether it would form inside the metal, or expand to encompass it. His speculations were cut off as a short cry of joy met his ears.

“Tony!”

He turned at the familiar voice, arms already open to catch the woman who flew into them and held him tightly. The nanites retreated as he held her until he could feel her body against his.

“Hey,” he greeted, a warm smile stealing over his face. “It’s okay,” he soothed. “I’m okay. I’m sorry it took so long to get back.”

“I’m so glad you're okay,” she breathed, the air tickling his neck at her words.

“Me too,” he said with a grin, shamelessly burrowing his nose into her hair.

“I was so worried, Tony. That was the longest three days of my life,” she continued, finally pulling back to inspect him properly. She frowned as her eyes bounced all over his face. “Did you lose weight? Tony, your eyes are literally glowing blue.”

“A little,” he hedged with an awkward laugh as he took a moment to reconcile the fact that it had only been three days for her. “Tell you about it later,” he promised, giving her a kiss on the head before looking up at Loki, who was similarly frowning at his noticeably thinner frame.

“Nice disappearing act,” Tony snarked.

“Mischief called,” Loki shot back and Tony laughed before pulling him into a hug, surprised at the strength with which Loki returned such a sentimental gesture.

“You okay?” Tony asked seriously, pulling back.

“Been better,” Loki drawled rubbing his neck with a growing smile. Tony grinned right back. That was an understatement for both of them apparently.

Just then several portals opened and Peter stepped out of one.

“Mr. Stark!” he chirped, running over as if he was going to give Tony a hug. He stopped abruptly as he realized who he was about to hug and bounced on his feet instead.

“You’re back!” he exclaimed, and Tony chuckled and took pity on the kid, grabbing him by the neck of the suit and pulling him in for a quick hug before ruffling his hair.

“Hey kid,” he greeted. “Didn’t get a chance to say it but, good job, back on Titan.”

Peter lit up like a Christmas tree.

“Man of Iron!” the booming voice of Thor drew everyone’s eye. The large man was grinning as he stepped towards Tony, showing off a shiny new axe hammer. Suddenly he paused, his smile dropping a bit.

“You are… different,” he commented in a softer voice.

“See you got a fancy new weapon,” Tony redirected.

“Yes!” he boomed. “This is Stormbreaker! With this we shall be triumphant!”

“Very eloquent brother,” Loki murmured with a roll of his eyes.

The portals around the ship began closing and Tony looked around at the sea of faces before him. He knew just about every face. All of them were coworkers and teammates, many were even close enough to call friends, and a precious few he even considered family. He wasn’t ready for them to die.

“All Defenders have been assembled,” ATLAS informed, as the last portal closed.

“Thanks for coming,” Rhodey began, pulling everyone’s attention. “I know it wasn’t easy for all of you to be here, but you made a commitment and I’m proud of you for sticking to it. You’ve all been briefed on the situation and you know that I hate long speeches so I’ll just say this.

“Everyone is here because they have something to protect. The Mantle we’ve all taken up is to protect and defend.” He turned then and pointed a finger down where everyone could see Thanos punting the Hulk miles away.

“Well, the devil is knocking at our door,” he continued in a cold tone. “And he’s looking to destroy everything and everyone we love. Let’s go give him our response.”

The cheer that went up shook the ship. Blink and the few remaining trainees from the wizard’s order transported the lot of them down to stand next to the Hulk, who had returned as quickly as he’d been kicked away.

“Ready to kick ass?” Tony asked Loki as the nanites took form, settling the suit around his body.

“Not particularly no,” Loki drawled, with an apprehensive smile.

“Me neither. Let’s go.”

Thanos was growing annoyed.

With all his power he couldn’t pinpoint the exact location of the stone, because its keeper was an AI in its infancy, and therefore had no soul for him to glean information from. Not yet, at least. That was the only reason he hadn’t wiped out the ants fluttering about him.

He took satisfaction in the fact that he wouldn’t have to go searching for the stone. It wouldn’t be long before it would find him. He could feel it. It wanted to be reunited with its brethren. He’d waited millenia to get this far. He could wait a little longer. Time was on his side after all.

Striving was good, and so he let them expend their efforts. Even though it was in vain. Sooner or later the weaklings around him would realize that they were hopelessly outmatched, and that the only way to have a glimmer of a chance at winning, was to use the one stone they had against him. When that happened he would take it from them as easily as taking a toy from a child. Then he would show them all the way the universe should be.

He would show them that he was inevitable.

Sneering at the persistence of the creature from the Dark Realm he activated the reality stone once more, turning the wrathful, burning skull into smoke and ash yet again. Then he casually reached up to block a hit from the stone-touched woman who thought she was a marvel.

Her speed and endurance were formidable, but as he had five of the stones she was no match for him. After only a few exchanges he found an opening and sent her careening into the distance.

He turned to grab the incoming attack from the tedious green giant, who continued to grow stronger the longer they battled, and grinned in surprise as portals began to open all around him. Many others appeared to stand beside the green hulk. Some of them were new faces and quite a few of them were familiar ones that Thanos had fought before. Regardless, they were all insignificant in his eyes. Their punitive show of force would soon come to an end. With Odin gone he no longer had a reason to fear anyone or anything.

Yet there was something strange about one of them that sent warning bells through his mind. Though he looked the same as Thanos remembered, he could tell that this being had grown exponentially powerful; but that didn’t make sense. Thanos had defeated him mere days ago, so he really shouldn’t be this powerful. What had the human done?

The stone on his hand flashed and he suppressed a groan of pain as it tried to read the person’s soul….and failed.

That sent a chill down his spine and he grew angry in response. He was in possession of the reality stone and knew the person in front of him to be real. That vast burden of knowledge that he’d resonated with wasn’t soon forgotten. But the expanse of it was different now, nearly overwhelming with the power of the secrets it contained.

This was not the soul of a human. What had Tony Stark become?

The moment Tony stepped through the portal he could feel the eyes of the Titan on him. The weight of his gaze was almost palpable and Tony tried to tell himself that it wasn’t focused necessarily on him, but on their group as a whole.

That lie was shattered almost immediately as Tony felt that weight increase astronomically and he knew, somehow, that Thanos was trying to use the soul stone on him. With a sense of relief he stopped holding back and let the new energy surge through him.

At first he could see the armor form at the corner of his eye, just underneath the suit, as it materialized from his skin. It surprised him when it didn’t stop there though. The energy continued to flow out, expanding and enveloping his suit. He felt it change the metal, the nanites dispersing into a million pieces before being drawn back together into something different. A newly fused design of red and blue eventually settled over him, like it belonged there.

A few gasps echoed around him, but they didn’t have time to question Tony about this new transformation, because Thanos came for them. Or for him more specifically.

Tony blocked with a shield and released a pulse from his chest to drive the Titan back until their forces got their footing. He was startled at the effectiveness of the attack as Thanos flew back, rubbing his arm where it caught the blast. Smoke was rising from the inflamed skin.

“You,” Thanos growled.

“Me,” Tony agreed, shaking off the surrealness and feeling his anticipation for a fight surge through his body. “We really have to talk about your parenting style.”

Thanos snarled and barreled towards him again, but before he’d taken a step he was frozen as orange bands secured his arms, five portals opening next to each limb and above his head. In tandem they sped in, intent on dismembering the Titan; but each one dissolved into smoke as the stones on the Titans’ hand lit up.

The tethers melted like water, but a punch from Marvel made him stumble. Peter swung in with a well delivered web to the eyes and Storm, finished gathering the electricity in the air, sent it crashing into Thanos. The brilliant light made everyone blind for a moment.

When the smoke cleared Thanos stood there unharmed with a nasty snarl on his face. And still his eyes turned uncannily behind him to stare straight at Tony. The Titan portaled away, or tried to, but stopped halfway through the black as fiery chains wrapped around him and pulled him back.
Rhodey released several tank missiles that blew up in Thanos' face, even as Scott unleashed a blast of deadly energy from his eyes, followed by several green spears disappearing into the storm of chaos.

The debris cleared quickly and the Hulk was revealed, barreling towards a sneering Thanos. The big guy blocked and returned hits that would have liquified a normal human, and then Ghost Rider was there, teleporting so fast Tony had trouble keeping up as he delivered a series of blows, giving Hulk the breathing room to stay in the fight and add his own attacks to the mix.

The exchange only lasted seconds before the sound of wind heralded Stormbringer, which Thor had launched at Thanos. The Titan activated his gauntlet and threw a powerful blast of energy at the weapon. Tony was surprised again when the two met and the shiny new weapon triumphed, pushing the storm of energies back as it continued its flight till its end, were it lodged firmly in Thanos' chest. The Titan's wound gushed blood as he grimaced in pain.

The stones on his gauntlet shone and he was gone. The axe thunked loudly on the ground before it was recalled by Thor who looked annoyed that his attack hadn’t killed the Titan. Tony could feel the stones though, felt how they moved through the light of the sun, forming just behind him.

He spun then, pulse blast already firing. Thanos dodged that attack and the concentrated laser that Pepper shot out at him seconds after. He pointed the gauntlet at Tony and then suddenly froze, body going still, as he was hit with the professor’s timestop. Quake took the opportunity to attack, causing a cascade of internal damage. Scott released another blast, Rhodey released a focused laser beam, and Logan jumped in, his arms swinging and a roar of fury surrounding him as he lashed out.

The thunk of Thanos' arm hitting the ground seemed unreasonably loud in the wake of the ferocious attack, but before anyone could make a dash for the limb the stones that had been shining flashed and everyone in a 50 ft radius fell into piles of blocks.

Thanos was definitely annoyed now as he turned to face Professor X, who had opted to stay in the ship and attack at range. With one move of his now reattached limb, Thanos sent the Professor falling out of his chair. As he plummeted through the sky his skin burned off, and many watched in horror as he turned into a wraith.

“Professor!!”

“Charles!!”

There were multiple calls of despair as his grotesque form flew into the sky. Tony’s heart trembled for a moment before it firmed in resolve. Thanos turned back to them with grim resolve of his own and the battle resumed.

Tony dove in, getting in close. His hits felt firmer, the impact harder as he joined with the Defenders in their attempt to beat back the Titan. But even as his strengthened blows sent Thanos stumbling, and the beams that connected sent the smell of burnt flesh into the air, more and more of the Defenders went down.

Jessica and Luke were bloody and out of breath, the pain in their eyes palpable. Matt lay in a bloody spray beside them, unmoving. Susan had tried sneaking up on Thanos and now lay next to an out of commission Reed as he sobbed over her body that no longer housed her head. All of Strange’s trainees had been turned into wraiths.

Tony stumbled, a hard hit on his left side left his ribs cracked and his lungs gasping for breath as he channeled energy through his frame, only just managing to reject the Titan’s attempt to rip his soul from his body.

The ancient entity behind him stirred again and Tony knew that it was time.

“ATLAS. He gasped, trying to keep from agitating his broken ribs.

“I’m here sir.”

“When I give the word, do it.”

“Sir…” he trailed off. “All indicators suggest such an attempt will result in the termination of your code.”

“Yep,” he clipped, shooting up to catch an unconscious Peter before he crashed into the ground. He lowered the kid gently to the ground and then looked around for Pepper. She was still out of range, doing a superb job assisting what heavy hitters they had left and taking shots when she was able. “Do it anyway.”

“I don’t want to,” ATLAS confessed, sounding smaller than Tony had ever experienced. “But I will.”

“Thanks buddy,” Tony breathed out in relief, his lips quirking up in a soft smile. He took one last breath to steal himself and then threw himself back into the fray.

“It’s time,” he breathed into his comm, and he saw Strange nod.

The Defenders who were left all got the go ahead and braced themselves for one last big push. Ghost Rider was like a wraith himself, coming back every time he was defeated. Even when his existence was changed into dust and age, or his soul was banished from the living, the moment Thanos left the range of his remains, the Rider reformed.

Tony drew in close, grabbing the Titan’s attention and keeping it there as they exchanged several blows. Soon enough a particularly powerful blast from the stones caught Tony off guard and Thanos grabbed him by the shoulders.

The weight of all the stones pressed in on him and he could feel his armor cracking under the assault. Now that the suit was a part of him, pain laced through his body as he felt every tear.

“What are you?” Thanos breathed in mad curiosity, and Tony grabbed the gauntlet as he tried to catch his breath. He couldn’t answer as his windpipe was being crushed. Thanos was so preoccupied with Tony that he missed Ghost Rider move until he was right next to Tony, eyes boring into the Titans.

“Suffer!” he commanded and Thanos froze and groaned in pain as the weight of all the innocents that he’d killed bore down on his soul. He flexed his fingers, activating the soul stone to negate the Rider’s power… but nothing happened.

In his confusion he dropped Tony, who stumbled back, choking as he tried to catch his breath.

Strange took that opportunity to wrap the Titan in his threads, joining the chains already binding him. Lightning crackled in the air as Thor appeared above them, hammer glinting in the light of the sun.

Tony was too busy to notice the others. The stones that he had swiped burned as they moved across his armor, settling in groves on his arms, shoulders, and chest.

“I…” Tony coughed, barely choking the words out now that he could breathe again. “I thought we went through this.”

He reached out his hand and a portal appeared, an Iron Legion only just visible. Seconds later it was gone and the mind stone slid up Tony’s armored arm until it rested in the grove of his forehead.

“I'm Iron Man,” he pronounced boldly.

And with a snap, his world exploded.

Tony was dying.

The moment he’d snapped his fingers a world of pain shot through every pore of his body as the power of the stones tried to consume him. It was all he could do to concentrate enough to continue pulling energy from the star next to him, using it instead of his life to feed the cost of using the stones.

What little attention he had left went to solidifying his desires, which was undoing the havoc Thanos had already inflicted on the universe. He restored destroyed worlds, revived those who’d been culled, reformed the Defenders around him, and retrieved the lost soul that had been sacrificed to wield the right of this power.

He undid it all.

When he was finished he could barely move. His very cells ached. It seemed as if he’d been channeling the sun's energy for days, but as he gazed at the still bound Titan he realized that it had only been mere seconds.

The horror and rage on Thanos grew rapidly and he roared in anger, attempting to fling off the binds holding him. Instead, the chains only tightened. The fire enveloping them began to burn the Titan’s soul, even as the screams of the innocent still echoed in his ears.

“Guilty!” Ghost Rider pronounced, just as Thor arrived, his hammer slicing cleanly through the Titan’s neck. It thunked to the ground, but Ghost Rider, Tony and Strange all saw the soul of the Titan still bound by chains.

“Back to hell!” Ghost Rider declared, as hellfire devoured the Titan until even his soul was consumed.

Tony closed his eyes. He wanted to rest. He was so tired and everything hurt. But he couldn’t rest. Even now he could feel the power of the stones attempting to burrow beneath the armor surrounding him.

“Tony,” Strange said, his voice closer than the others calling out to him. “You don’t have to.”

“I do,” he responded immediately, battling the swelling desire to keep the stones, to use them, to make a better world than Thanos had. “I do.”

There was no snap this time. There wasn’t really a need to snap in the first place. One moment Tony stood, victorious, the stones shining brightly in his armor of blue and red. The next moment they were gone, and the cosmos shook with their passing.

Using them once had been a long shot, and using them twice proved too much. He pulled as much energy from the sun as he could, but it wasn’t enough. He wasn’t fast enough, the flow not quick enough.

Inside his armor, he burned.

Tony fell.

Rhodey raced to get there, but he was too far away. Loki appeared before Tony's body hit the ground and the god grunted in pain. He carefully lowered Tony down, before quickly letting go.

“Tony!” Rhodey called as he arrived, reaching out to touch his best friend when Loki stopped him.

“He’s still got energy coursing through him,” he warned, indicating his own hands that were healing from scorch marks.

“What happened?” Rhodey demanded, as he turned to grab Pepper, who’d been right behind him, keeping her from touching Tony.

“Tony?” She called softly.

“He destroyed them,” Strange answered. “He destroyed the stones.”

“All of them?” Rhodey asked in shock, eying the blue suit that had covered Tony since he left the ship. It was a mess of fractures and seemed to be slowly disappearing.

“Yes,” Strange confirmed, looking conflicted.

There was silence then as they all watched Tony’s broken armor fall apart. Portions of the obliterated nanites fell to the ground in cascades. Dark, smoking sections of brilliant blue slowly receded into Tony’s skin, leaving the flesh there just as charred as the armor had been.

The process took several minutes. By that time a crowd of the survivors and the revived had gathered around Tony in a wide circle.

Pepper cried, her tears silent as they dripped down her face. She was the first one to reach out once the blue armor had receded, leaving the mangled remains of the red suit behind. Faster than Rhodey could catch her she laid a gentle hand on Tony’s head.

Seconds later his eyes blinked open. For a moment a brilliant blue dazzled them, before it too began to recede, slowly revealing the whites of his eyes. His breaths were too light, too far apart, and everyone could see that he didn’t have much time left.

Loki rested a gentle hand on Tony’s chest. Rhodey grabbed his burned hand, nodding at Bruce who was no longer green as he came to kneel beside him, resting a hand on Tony’s leg. A soft hand on Rhodey’s back let him know Carol was there too, and he struggled not to break down or start cursing and yelling at the unfairness of it all.

“Mr. Stark?”

Peter’s voice startled them all as he stumbled from the crowd, his suit completely obliterated on the left side, his chest no longer bleeding or even injured, though dried blood still coated his skin. He collapsed next to Loki, hand shaking as he reached out to touch Tony’s other leg.

There was no response, even though his eyes were open. Loki’s hand moved as he fingered the charred remains of the necklace he’d given Tony. He waved a hand over Tony’s eyes, soft green light dancing in the air.

Tony blinked as the last of the bright blue light died down into that strange thin ring around his iris. His eyes grew more focused as he stared at each of them in turn, his lip trembling as he tried to smile and failed at the energy that required.

Rhodey didn’t say anything when Tony’s gaze bore into his. He couldn’t. He was so choked up he could barely breathe. But he didn’t really need words to tell Tony that he wasn’t alone, that Rhodey loved him, that he was sorry, that he would take care of the family they built, that he would miss him terribly. No, everything he was feeling needed no words because his friend, his brother, understood; had always understood Rhodey better than anyone else. He felt the barest of pressure against his hand as Tony’s eyes drifted to Bruce’s, and those damn tears responded in kind, sliding down his face in a cascade of grief.

Bruce gave a wobbly smile at Tony when they locked eyes.

“You did great Tony,” he said softly, unable to voice that he didn’t just mean in this fight, but in life. Tony was a beacon of hope for so many people. Bruce included. From the moment they met, while everyone else was wary of him, Tony teased him. They gave him fear, and Tony gave him trust. Immediately. Unasked for. Complete. There was no one in the world like Tony Stark. In his last moments Bruce wanted him to know that.

Peter was wracked with grief, his body shaking as he tried to contain his sobs. When Mr. Stark's gaze landed on him, he didn’t know what to say. It had never occurred to him that his hero might die.

“Mr. Stark, we won,” he said. As if somehow, if Tony just understood that, then he wouldn’t be lying there dying. “We won. You did it,” he emphasized. Because Tony had. Without him most of them would still be dead right now. It didn’t seem enough. It wasn’t enough. Peter wanted to say more. He wanted to say thank you. He wanted to say how much he admired him. He wanted to say how much better his life had been since he’d met Tony. He wanted to say so much more, but his tongue locked up. Tony’s gaze drifted on, and Peter cried.

When Tony’s eyes locked onto Loki, he did know what to say, and it could be summed up nicely.

“My friend,” the god said softly, but firmly. Speaking out a word that he’d never been able to resonate with before they’d gotten to know each other. Tony had done so much for him. Had taken chance after chance on him. Had been open with him, been a place where Loki could be open in return. He’d shown Loki how to be caring, when snark was too much, and how nice it was to experience the comfort of others who were trustworthy. He’d shown Loki that he was not alone. Such a debt could never be repaid. Still, “thank you,” he said with a furrowed brow as he realized that for the second time in his life, he actually wanted to weep. The weight of Tony’s gaze slipping off of him was almost a relief as he tried to reign in the burn in his eyes.

Pepper’s heart felt sheared as Tony looked up at her. That little smile that he’d tried before slowly bloomed this time, eyes notably softening as he looked at her. She tried to smile back and felt it wobble tenuously. Briefly she looked down, determined that her fear and sadness wouldn’t be the last thing he saw. When she looked back up his gaze had drifted, eyes beginning to go unfocused.

“Tony,” she called him back. “Look at me.”

And he did. Like a magnet his eyes found hers once more and she could feel how tired he was. He’d worked so hard to protect them. Earth’s greatest Defender.

“We’re going to be okay,” she said softly, her voice steady even as tears continued to stream down her cheeks. Her hand ran gently down his face, thumb so light it almost hovered over his lips. "You can rest now.”

The blue in eyes pulsed, and she swore she could hear his voice in her ear say, ‘love you Pep’. Then the blue died down, even the ring around his iris fading into a dark, lifeless cobalt as his gaze grew vacant. He took one last breath, then lay still.

And the universe wept.