#or some of the genius tony starks other AI children

[marvel-lous-guy]

Tony: I've figured out your plan on how to sneak out and be Spiderman!

Peter: Well that just proves you're an idiot because I don't have a plan!

[delicatebarness]

bring him home | prologue

Summary: A revisit, back to where it all went wrong, when The Mad Titan finally did it himself.

Warning: MCU Spoilers, mainly Infinity War. Avengers: Infinity War contains extended, intense sequences of violence and peril. Swearing.

Word Count: 1791

Masterlist | Next Chapter

A/N: I thought this was longer to be honest, I have split it up into four named parts. However, it just mainly a recap of Avengers: Infinity War with some rewrites to fit the reader into the story.

Tags: @crazyforbarnes | @whiminiferous | @armystay89 | @bucky-just-needs-love

I DO NOT CONSENT TO HAVE MY WORK POSTED, TRANSLATED OR PUBLISHED TO ANY THIRD PARTY SITE OR APP. IF ANYONE SEES MY WORK ANYWHERE BUT HERE, IT HAS BEEN REPOSTED WITHOUT MY PERMISSION.

The Children of Thanos.

It was a typical spring day, the farmers market in Greenwich Village was blooming. Flowers, fruits, vegetables, all the colours were so vibrant. Walking past a fruit stall, you can’t help but smile when you notice the plums. If only he could have been here with you, pick out some for your fruit bowl in the home you created together. But, no, it couldn’t be done. Not yet anyway.

You carried on your morning walk around the city, daydreaming of what may be. You smiled and waved at locals, and took photos with anyone who asked. “Miss Stark! Welcome!” You knew the city loved you. The child of a genius, a superhero. They adored your father for what he created, they adored you for who you are. The kind, empathetic daughter of Tony Stark.

~

You stopped just by the end of a stall and pulled out a flip phone, but still no messages. Suddenly, a non-forecasted breeze began to pick up. And, fast. Before you knew it, the plums from earlier began to roll past you in the street. Intuitively, you tapped your chest and allowed the nanotechnology to cover your entire body. Pink and gold wrapped around you perfectly as you rushed to help stop stalls flying, catching pushed-over citizens.

“Friday? Where’s my dad currently?” You called to the AI within your suit while pulling an elderly man back up onto his feet, guiding him to a nearby cafe where other pedestrians have taken safety. A blue digital map appears on the holographic display with the location of your dad. 177A Bleecker Street. Not far, you thought to yourself.

Finally, you reached the address Friday had given you. You burst through the front door of the place, releasing your head gear the moment you notice your dad.

“Dad! Bruce? You might want to get out here and see this!” You didn’t stay to see if they were following, you ran out as quickly as you ran in. Making your way towards the source of wind and destruction, you continued to help fallen citizens.

~

You fight your hardest to keep Bruce safe, you don’t understand what is happening with him and Hulk but that was their issue, all you could do was protect them both.

“Wong, you’re invited to my wedding.” Watching your dad fly up to reach Peter and the ship, you began to thrust your reactors to follow his lead. “No, I need you on Earth.” His voice echoed through your comms, you tried to argue back with him but he knew what your argument would be and he didn’t want to hear it. “Now, Y/N, please.”

Just like that, you were back on the ground standing with Bruce, watching him pick up your dad’s burner from the ground.

“Bruce?” He looked up at you, seeing how your eyes were fixed on the phone.

“Yeah, kid?”

“Call Steve.”

Brother.

After Bruce had called Steve, you both headed back to the compound and explained the situation to Rhodey. You frantically start to move things around the holographic screens trying anything to locate Vision.

“Hey, Steve’s on his way, it’s okay.” Bruce came over trying to calm you down, he knew that look on your face. It was the same face Tony pulled when he was focused and lost in it.

“He’s the closest thing I have to a brother, I need to find him, Bruce.” Picking up your phone, you tried to call him, you tried Wanda too, but no answer,

“Tony said-“ Bruce pointed to an error on the holographic, referring back to when your dad explained Vision couldn’t be located.

“My dad doesn’t know shit, Bruce.” You continued to go over everything on the screen, hearing only mumbles from Rhodey in the other room. You’re too fixated on the screens to realise they weren’t just his. Until the movement of Bruce walking out catches your eye.

“This is awkward.” Sam! You close the screens down and rush out to where Bruce is now standing. Steve, Natasha, Sam, Wanda and Vision. They all are here standing in the compound once again.

“Vis?” You gasp as you notice he is limping, being held up by Sam and Wanda. “Come on, let’s get you fixed up.” You relieve Sam from his duty and help Wanda get Vision back into the office to rest. Passing, you make eye contact with Steve, and exchange a look that only has meaning between you two.

“We have to destroy it.” That one sentence made you stop thinking and trying to understand. A quick “What?!” escaped as you glared at your android brother. You knew that if that stone got destroyed, especially while still in Vision's head then he’d be destroyed too. Vision and Wanda began the conversation about her being the one to do it, you couldn’t help but feel for them both. On one side, your brother is asking your best friend to kill him. On the other, your best friend was being asked to do the impossible.

You listened, it was all you could do, to the discussion further. Bruce explains that it isn’t just the stone that makes Vision, Vision. It’s Jarvis and Ulton. Your dad, Bruce and the Stone. Even, you. The discussion led to carrying out a procedure to remove the stone while keeping Vision exactly how he is. All they needed was someone able and a place to do it.

Once again, you and Steve exchanged looks. He grabbed your hand and squeezed it with a nod.

“I know somewhere.”

Wakanda.

You sensed a sort of thrill flying into Wakanda, you’ve admired the entire country and its technology since finding out about its existence. You also admired how welcoming, understanding and extremely helpful they have been in keeping your not-so-little secret. You sighed in relief as you edged closer to the kingdom, knowing soon you’d be the safest you have ever been in your life.

You look over at Vision sending him a hopeful smile. Knowing first-hand how incredibly smart Shuri is, you know your brother is in safe hands. That's what Wakanda meant to you. Safety. Protection. He reached out, squeezing your hand. He knew you were deep down terrified of something happening to him, you are his big sister after all.

“Whatever happens -“ he began, you stopped him giving him a ‘do not say another word’ look.

“It’s going to work. It HAS to work.” You emphasised you couldn’t think of any alternative. Not when it was his life on the line. You already couldn’t get a hold of your dad or Pete. Vision was not leaving as well.

When you landed in Wakanda, everyone made their way off the jet but you held back for a moment. You double-checked yourself in the mirror, noting your puffy eyes from the tiredness from fighting, flying and mind-blowing experience yet, you smiled. What waited for you outside of the jet would make it okay.

“A semi-stable, 100-year-old man.” You heard his voice as you started walking down from the jet. You watched as Steve went in for a hug with an old friend, Bucky’s eyes caught yours as he finished the embrace.

“James!” You exclaimed as you ran towards him, jumping to wrap your legs around his waist, his arms tightening around your back. He held you as close as he possibly could.

“Hey Doll.” He whispered as started to place a soft kiss on your cheek, taking in your scent. Neither of you noticed the glances from your fellow heroes.

As everyone begins to gather outside, you give Vision a reassuring look as you decide to wait outside with Bucky and Sam. You talk together about the journey, Buck’s new arm that you helped Shuri design on your private trips to Wakanda.

Suddenly, the defence shield around Wakanda destroys a vessel that tries to enter the atmosphere. You felt your boyfriend’s left arm wrap around your waist, it felt strange for a moment as you grew used to always having the right one around you.

“God, I love this place.” You watched his smile as the three of you looked up at the explosion the shield had protected you from.

No Goodbye.

You fought your way towards Thanos, dodging his attacks and shooting blasts. If it wasn’t for that one stone, the wizard's stupid green glowing stone freezing you in a stance, you could have prevented it all.

You watched frozen unable to move, scream, or cry as Wanda, your best friend, destroyed a part of your brother that was currently keeping him alive. You watched as his body turned grey, falling to the floor. Then, before you knew it, you watched him come back to life only for Thanos to kill him again only this time. He forced the stone out of Vision's head, leaving a hole the size of a fist in his head.

You saw everything. Your friends and family are lying on the ground, defeated. Your best friend is devastated holding onto your brother’s lifeless body. Your eyes searched everywhere for Bucky, your internal thoughts screaming his name in search of him. Then, you saw Thor coming down with force and an axe, but, he was too late and went for the heart.

The second Thanos left, you fell to the ground, rushing to Vision’s body.

“Vis?” You screamed at his body, shaking it to wake him up. “Come on, Vis! Get up!” Wanda grabbed you, shaking you until you looked at her. You both collapsed into each other arms over Vision's body.

“Steve?” His voice, he was okay. You dropped Wanda’s embrace for a second to look over at the man you fell in love with. Before you had fully stood to run to him, he just disappeared.

“James!” Screaming his name as you hastily ran towards the spot he disappeared from. Steve caught you in his arms before you could fall to the floor. “James!!” You kept screaming, looking around frantically thinking it was just the light playing mind games with you. Placing both of his hands against your cheeks, Steve forced you to look him in the eyes, reminding you to breathe. “Where’d he go, Steve?”

“I don’t -“ he began before you pushed him away, you had watched the rest of the world disappearing in the reflection of his eyes. “Y/N?” He called as you ran to where your best friend had once been sitting comforting you.

You turned back to face Steve, Bruce, Thor and Natasha. Your face soaked from the tears that would not stop flowing. It had been hours, who knows how many since you last heard from your dad or Pete, now, you’ve lost Wanda, Vision and Bucky.

“They’re all gone.” 

[princesssarcastia]

loki and the avengers and being a terrible person who’s TRYING

alright!  alright, fine, god, I can’t take it anymore.  i guess we’re going full 2012 up in this bitch, because I’m going to meta about the avengers in the MCU now, because im going insane.  i mean between this and the harry potter what-is-going-ON.jpg

i’ve been thinking about things I’m seeing on my dash about the Loki show, and what they’ve done to his character (taking away all his sharp edges because apparently you can’t be Good with them); and I’ve been thinking about the pepper potts/JARVIS mcu fic Hardwired (which is one of the greatest things I’ve ever read, even now that I hate touching the MCU.  maybe even especially now).  I’ve had lots of conversations with SainTalia about their fic in the comments, and one concept they talked about that hit me like a bolt of lightning is how in mcu fic, people liked to sort of wooby-fy Tony Stark.

Tony Stark, literal genius mechanist who made a real AI, heads a billion dollar arms company that’s been supplying bombs and guns and planes and whatever to the U.S. government since WWII.  That Tony Stark is not going to be anything other than a privileged white man who expects the world to be handed to him on a silver platter, who expects the world to revolve around him because it always has, because his wealth and genius have made it so.  He’s an asshole!  He’s nothing but dangerous and sharp edges and if he was real, most people on this site would hate his guts and rightfully so.  But because he’s a complex character with room for growth, he also loves Jarvis and Pepper and Rhodey and, even in his earliest days, has something like the seeds of a conscience even if he applies it in a very american-exceptionalist way.  Writing his as weak and scared and like he’s always been interested in doing the right thing is a disservice to his character.

To bring this back around: Where’s that one post about how villains always get the lines that are true that we don’t want to admit to, so that we can write the truth off as just a pithy monologue?  Loki has a line in the first Avengers movie:

“You lie and kill in the service of liars and killers. You pretend to be separate, to have your own code, something that makes up for the horrors. But they are part of you. And they will never go away.”

He and Natasha are both playing mind games with each other in this scene to be sure, but like—Loki is right, with this line. 

Everyone on the goddamn Avengers in the beginning is a fucking terrible person except for Steve Rogers.  All of them.   Tony Stark, we covered above.  He a goddamn arms dealer whose company sold to terrorists, sure, but also gave the U.S. the arms it needed to devastate Afghanistan and Iraq.  Natasha Romanov is a former assassin who’s murdered children, and innocent people, and guilty people; who used to do it against her will for the Soviet Union, and now does it of her own free will for the U.S. government (sorta).  Clint Barton, depending on your flavor of canon, either used to be a thief or used to be a mercenary for hire.  Bruce Banner engaged in dubiously ethical super soldier experiments for the U.S. government and then, like, turned it on himself when he got desperate enough to prove it could work.  Thor is LITERALLY a war criminal; he got pissy one day and decided to go murder people he thought were of an inferior race, nearly starting a war in the process.

Steve Rogers is none of these things, but this isn’t about him.

The whole point of the Avengers that I sort of appreciated is that this is not their first chance, or even their second, or even, sometimes, their third.  They didn’t have a realization that what they were doing was wrong before they’d already done it; before they’d made doing the wrong thing into nearly all of what they were.  Nothing about their stories is conveniently timed.  They all have skeletons and victims in their closets that they literally murdered. 

But when they did finally have that realization, after the fact, after Yinsen was dead by weapons Tony had designed and his company had sold, and Drakov’s daughter was murdered and Natasha had so much blood on her hands, and the frost giants were dead and Asgard on the brink of war and Thor banished with no way to do anything to change it, and the Hulk already a part of Bruce and breaking Harlem—they still started doing the right thing anyway.  Or trying, at least.  Trying to make up for the horrors.  Think of Elliot Spencer, if you’re looking for comparisons. 

And they do get rewarded for it narratively! But that’s not why they’re doing it!! They’re doing it because its worth doing of its own merits; and they’re not always very good at it, because they have no practice and are unlearning some terrible habits, but their is grace in their failures.  Not saints, but seekers.

All these terrible people who are trying to be a little less terrible on their own, only its a little difficult when you’ve spent your whole life revolving around violence and murder; They all, each and every one of them, end up on that hellicarrier in the first avengers movie not even trying to fix their mistakes, because its too late for that, but instead, trying to, i suppose, avenge the people they’d wronged by themselves.

The hope for us fans, of course, was that they would then start trying to be less terrible together.  Instead, the mcu decided that not only would they never be more than hostile coworkers, but also that the five of them needed their sharp edges filed down so they could be canned Superheroes™ that no one could object to, until they became nearly unrecognizable.  Or, in some cases, the MCU just sort of glossed over their terrible bits like they were never unforgivable in the first place.

to those of you still desperately caring about the MCU who have now, apparently, watched them do the same thing to Loki in only eight episodes, you have my sympathy.

[pogokitten]

Lost and Found

By @pogokitten for @lost-lunar-wolf

Rating: Teen (for swears)

Relationships: Peter Parker & Tony Stark

Characters: Peter Parker, Tony Stark, Pepper Potts, Happy Hogan, Ben Parker, May Parker

Summary: People lose things all the time, keys, toys, favorite socks. It happens, it’s just a part of life. But sometimes these lost items make their way to soulmates. It’s phenomena as old as civilization itself. You lose your favorite hair tie and poof, it just appears near your soulmate for them to find and eventually return. Romantic or Platonic, it’s expected that everyone stumbles over some of their soulmates' lost items here and there. Some people just end up waiting longer than others.  

Or: The platonic soulmate AU where Tony and Peter find and hold onto a lot of each other’s stuff over the years.

Tony is speed walking through his mansion the first time it happens. He’s not paying attention, tie barely on straight and coffee almost sloshing out of his cup as he rushes for the door. He’s late for a meeting and usually he wouldn’t care, but Obie has been up his ass about this one. Something about a grouchy general that thinks Stark Industries weapons are overpriced and overhyped needing convincing.

So when Tony stumbles on something caught under his dress shoes, he finds himself cursing colorfully as splashes of coffee dot the marble floor. He glares down at the offending object when he has his footing, fully expecting it to be a tool or something that migrated out of the workshop.

The engineer stops short and stares however, when he takes in the soft blue baby binky on his floor.

Tony is no stranger to having strange things in his house, being an eccentric billionaire and all, but he has absolutely no clue how a pacifier of all things has ended up on his floor.  

Tony scoops the binkie off the floor examining it, completely baffled.

It looks new if the bright color and barely chewed appearance is anything to go by. Tony wracks his brain for any possible reason a pacifier could have made its way into his home. This wasn’t a week for the cleaners so it wouldn’t be something of theirs, and the only other people who have been in his house since yesterday were Happy and Pepper.

The engineer knows Happy himself is allergic to children, but doesn’t he have a sister or something? Does she have a kid? Maybe it got mixed up in Happy’s things? It’s not the most plausible explanation.

As for Pepper, Tony’s pretty fucking sure she doesn’t have a kid. He knows from her comments that she doesn’t have much in the way of family anymore and that she’s single. Maybe one of her college friends has kids? Could one of their kid’s binkies have ended up in her purse during a visit or something?

The theory’s not great, but that’s at least more believable than Happy being the culprit, and for the life of him, Tony doesn’t know where else the thing would have come from.

Tony stuffs the pacifier into his pocket and continues out the door resolving to ask Pepper about it later.

---

Tony never ends up asking Pepper about the binky.

He came home from an extremely long day at the office spent schmoozing the stuffy general and tossed the thing out of his pocket along with his keys onto a cluttered table in the workshop. He then proceeded to drink the night away to dull the built up tension. When JARVIS wakes him up the next morning, the pacifier is a distant memory due to his ragging hangover and Obie calling to talk business.

It’s not until a few months later that the binky even crosses Tony’s mind again.

It’s another typical day in the life of a party addicted billionaire genius, when Pepper pages him through JARVIS to help her into the house. Tony finally emerges from his lab for the first time that day, muttering equations under his breath. He’s lost in his own head, still focused on the designs he’s been hammering out downstairs.

So Tony nearly falls on his ass when he steps onto something that slides under his feet in the entryway. The engineer is quick to catch himself, heart still racing from the near drop, and looks around irritably for damn banana peel or whatever it was that almost killed him.

He quickly spots what looks like a scrap of fabric nearby. Grumbling, Tony snatches it off the floor and realizes it's not a pocket square or a tie like he thought.

No, it’s a lovey.

He gapes at the toy with wide eyes.

The blanket bit of the toy is a soft yellow fabric, the stuffed animal portion a smiling dog with floppy ears. It’s a bit love worn and could probably use a wash, but it doesn’t seem especially old.

It also absolutely shouldn’t be here.

No one else has been in the mansion for the last two days except for him, and Tony knows the lovey wasn’t there this morning.

“JARVIS, did someone break into the house to leave baby toys for me to trip on, and you just neglected to tell me?” Tony asks.

“Of course not, sir,” the AI says, sounding almost offended, “No one has been inside of the mansion aside from yourself and I would have alerted you to a perimeter breach.”

“Then how is this here?” Tony questions, holding the toy up to the nearest camera.

“It simply appeared in the foyer, sir,” JARVIS tells him.

“That’s impossible, things don’t just appear.”  

“It is possible, sir. I thought it would be obvious,” the AI refutes, a hint of a smirk in his tone.  

Tony rolls his eyes. “Not in the mood right now, J.”

“I believe that your soulmate has lost both the toy in your hand and the pacifier you found approximately three months ago,” JARVIS explains.

Any sort of snappy retort dies in Tony’s throat and he snaps his gaze back to the lovey he’s holding.

Soulmates were not something that Tony Stark had thought about often in the past two decades of his life.

Growing up he’d been as intrigued by soulmates as any child his age, waiting to find mysterious clothes or toys like many of his peers. He’d waited and hoped and looked for years, anything to ease the loneliness of the Stark Mansion. Only to find himself at the age of fifteen without a single lost and found object to his name. That had been when he started to doubt, when he stopped looking for items that weren’t his and steered away from conversations about soulmates.

It’s not unheard of to not have a soulmate until adolescence and beyond, but after he hit twenty-one, Tony had concluded that the cosmos hadn’t bothered to give him one. That, or his soulmate had died before they’d had anything to lose besides their life.

He is well past the age where he would have gotten a romantic soulmate bond, but a platonic or familial one…

It’s pretty common knowledge that a lot of parents and children share a familial soulmate bond, and it’s not like Tony is the most...celibate...person in the world. He’s been careful about his fun, but could it have happened? Or was this some random kid who had gotten stuck with Tony Stark as their ‘shared soul’ by the misfortune of fate?

Tony stares at the lovey in shock while his thoughts race for a long enough amount of time that Pepper irritably rings the doorbell again. Still practically in a trance, Tony opens the door for her on autopilot.

Pepper bustles into the mansion carrying several packages of mail and one of his freshly dry cleaned suits, strands of her vibrant hair escaping the usually tidy bun they’re usually pinned up in.

“Finally! I’ve been standing out there holding all these boxes for ages! Really, Mr. Stark what in the world did you order that’s so-?”

“Pep…” Tony manages to choke out, the nickname and his tone catching her attention.

His PA puts the mail and dry cleaning on a side table and turns back to him, concern on her face.

“Mr. Stark?” she asks.

With a slightly trembling hand he holds the lovey out to her. “I… I found this. And a binky a while ago. I’ve got… I’ve got a soulmate.”

“Oh… Mr. Stark-” Pepper’s mouth opens in shock as she takes in the toy, before her eyes crinkle in a smile, “Tony, that’s wonderful.”

“God look at this thing,” Tony chuckles, and to his slight horror, it’s a bit of a wet sound, “Between this and the binky, the kid can’t be more than half a year, huh?”

“I’d say so.” Pepper says smiling down at the little plush toy.

Tony swallows. “Do you think he’s mine?”

His PA looks back up at him, eyebrow raised slightly. “He?”

“Just a feeling.”

“A feeling, huh?” Pepper smiles, “Well he is yours. Your soulmate. It doesn’t matter if this child is yours biologically, because you’re going to care about them either way right?”

Tony nods, unable to voice any of his vulnerable thoughts. Too many emotions are still swirling inside, crowding his mind.

“Besides I don’t think he’s blood related to you,” Pepper tells him.

“How do you know?” Tony asks.

She gives him a bit of smirk. “Just a feeling.”

Tony gives a little laugh, giving her a grin in return. But eventually he looks back at the toy in his hands and feels it slip off his face. In his bones, he already knows that the bond he and his soulmate will have is going to be a familial extension of a platonic soulmate bond. Or more accurately, a paternal one. And that absolutely scares the shit out of Tony.

“What’s wrong?” Pepper questions, peering down at his whitening knuckles.

“Even if he’s not mine by blood, I don’t want to be like my dad,” Tony confesses in a rush, “I can’t keep the cycle going… I-”

“You won’t,” Pepper cuts him off, “The fact that you’re worried about that at all is proof enough that you care, and that you want to be better than Howard. So you will be.”  

Tony doesn’t say anything to that, gaze dropping back to the lovey in his hands. He wants to be better than his father, but can he be? He’s been following in Howard Stark’s promiscuous alcoholic shadow for a long time now. But he owes it to this kid, and Pepper, and hell, even himself to try and be better.

Pepper eventually clears her throat. “Will that be all Mr. Stark?”

Tony gives her a genuine smile, the kind that is reserved only for the few people he trusts and cares for. “That will be all Ms.Potts.”

***

Peter sits on the couch in his aunt and uncle’s apartment pouting. The adults are standing near the doorway, talking. Sure he loves Aunt May and Uncle Ben, but he loves his Mommy and Daddy more, and they’ve been going on trips so much lately. They just went on a trip a few weeks ago and now they’re going on another one. And this one is so far away.

“We should probably head out. Thanks so much for looking after Pete this week,” Peter hears his dad say.

“Of course, we love having Peter,” May tells him.

“Don’t go!” Peter jumps up from the couch and tackles his mom’s leg.

“It’s not for long sweetheart,” she soothes, brushing his hair back, “Daddy and I have to go to a few boring meetings. You’ll have more fun here with Uncle Ben and Aunt May.”

“But I’ll miss you!” Peter whines.

“And we’ll miss you kiddo, but we’ll be back before you know it,” his dad says, kneeling down to hug him.

Then his dad picks him up so his mom can hug them too. Peter likes it when they all hug like that, it makes him feel warm and super safe.

“Love you. Bye-bye,” Peter mumbles into the embrace sadly.  

He knows by now that no amount of begging will get them to stay, but that doesn’t stop him from trying at least a little bit every time.

His mom kisses his forehead. “And we love you Peter.”

Peter’s parents set him down and hug his aunt and uncle before they step out of the apartment and are gone. Peter’s eyes feel hot, but he doesn’t want to cry. He’s six, so he’s almost big now. Mommy said it was okay to cry no matter how old you are, but most of the other boys at school just make fun of Peter for it.

Aunt May cards her fingers through his hair. “Why don’t you go get settled, sweetie. Then we’ll all go to the park so you can play and feed the birds?”

Peter nods, subdued, and shuffles to the small guest room with his backpack and suitcase.

He sniffs back tears while he makes quick work of his suitcase, throwing his clothes haphazardly into the dresser, but takes much more care with his backpack.

Peter unzips it, double checking that all of his prized possessions are there. His dumb inhaler that he has to carry everywhere, check. His GameBoy and the handful of games he has, check. Toebeans, his stuffed snow leopard, check. His three favorite action figures at the moment, check. And… Peter panics for a moment before he feels his hand close around cold metal.

With a sigh of relief, Peter pulls the tool from his bag.

The screwdriver is small, the perfect size for Peter’s little hands. It’s old and its red handle is worn. Uncle Ben told him it’s for putting together small delicate things since it’s way too small for normal sized screws. Daddy said the screwdriver had turned up in Peter’s crib when he was just a few weeks old. He had explained that it belonged to Peter’s soulmate and that they must have lost it.

Peter’s soulmate must usually be good about not losing things though, since Peter hasn’t found that much stuff. So far it’s just been things like nuts and bolts or a couple of pretty neckties. Peter’s pretty sure his soulmate must be a grown up, since they never seem to lose fun stuff, like toys. Ned’s soulmate always loses toys, like My Little Pony dolls and plastic dinosaurs.  

Still Peter keeps all the things he finds, even if they’re usually kinda boring. Uncle Ben and Daddy always say it’s important to return lost items, and there’s no way Peter would ever be mean to his soulmate. Especially when holding his soulmate's screwdriver makes him feel better whenever he’s sad. It’s familiar and it makes him feel safe, like his parents’ hugs.

Staring down at the screwdriver, Peter wonders what lost stuff his soulmate has from him.

...Maybe they’ve got that bouncy ball he lost two weeks ago? It was a really good one. He hopes they have fun with it.

Still Peter can’t wait to meet his soulmate, even if they are old. Mommy told him to be patient, but Peter’s never really been the best at that. Daddy said they would meet when the time was right and he and his soulmate needed each other most. Whatever that means.

“Peter! Come on, let’s hit the park!” His uncle calls.

The boy quickly puts the screwdriver back and zips his bag closed, swinging it onto his shoulders. “Coming, Uncle Ben!”

His aunt and uncle lead him from the apartment, his little hand clasped in his uncle’s calloused one.

Uncle Ben gives his hand a squeeze and a gentle smile when Peter looks up at him. “Buck up champ, your parents will be back before you know it.”

“Yeah,” Peter smiles and never once that week did he think Uncle Ben would be wrong.

***

They’ve just finished a meager dinner of mostly tasteless stew, and Tony wants nothing more than to collapse after another day of hard labor. He’s lost track of how many days he’s been in this godforsaken cave, no longer having any concept of time after being hidden away underground. Since that first week, most days have been the same. Tony and Yinsen desperately trying to craft the instrument of their escape without being caught, all while making their captors believe they’re cooperating.

It's a terrifyingly fine tightrope they’re walking.  

At least he’s finally getting used to the constant pain of the reactor in his chest, something he’s very likely to live with for the rest of his life. However long that may be.

Tony has just stood and turned away from the fire, intending to finally sleep, when he stumbles over something in his exhausted state. He glances down half-heartedly, expecting a rock or a divet in the cave floor only to freeze when he sees it.

It’s an action figure of some sort. Clearly a superhero of some kind, his outfit is red and white with a helmet that hides his face. Tony thinks he’s flicked passed this show on TV once or twice. Power...Something. Power Riders..? No that’s not quite it.

Tony picks the toy up, feeling his lip quirk slightly despite himself.

“Stark?” Yinsen questions, coming over to look at what he’s holding.

“My kid...my soulmate,” Tony explains with a sad little huff of laughter at the other man’s raised eyebrow, “They must have lost this.”

“My children are the same, always misplacing their things,” Yinsen tells him with a nostalgic smile, “What are they like?”

“Well…” Tony heaves out a breath, blinking away the sudden urge to cry, “He’s a little boy if I had to guess, probably around seven or eight since that’s how long I’ve been tripping over his toys. He likes action figures and Legos, considering how many he loses, but I don’t...really know. I… I never got to meet him.”

And it’s true, he hasn’t. And god it feels like everything’s been a waste. He never even got to meet the little kid who’s stuff he’s been stumbling over for years. And now Tony’s in a cave held captive by terrorists with shrapnel near his heart, the only thing keeping him alive being the electromagnet in his chest and the knowledge of a missile his captives want him to build.

Yinsen puts a hand on his shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “You have not gotten to meet him yet.”

The engineer nods then, his jaw set. “Not yet.”

After that, Tony makes sure to keep the action figure close during his time in the cave with Yinsen. It’s almost obsessive how many times he checks that it’s still in the same place. But it’s like a little spark of hope in their dark cavern, a tangible reminder that there’s a life out there for him to return to, if he can just escape this hell.

Tony’s got to make sure he’s there to give all those toys back to the kid someday, after all.

***

Peter blinks awake sluggishly when May shakes his shoulder. “Come on. Get dressed sweetheart, breakfast is almost done. I know you don’t want to, but the two weeks the school let us have is up.”

Right. He’d been trying so hard not to think about it, he nearly forgot.

“Yeah,” he mumbles.

Peter pulls his aching body, sore from tossing and turning, out of bed while rubbing sleep from his eyes. Last night was definitely one of the worst nights he’s had these past two weeks. The teen had spent the first half of it shifting restlessly, unable to sleep, then he’d cried for at least an hour or two before finally succumbing to his exhaustion.

The boy shuffles into his clothes, not even bothering to check what he’s wearing. Moving to the bathroom, Peter cringes at his reflection after he finishes brushing his wild curls. He’s pale as a ghost, but his eyes are red and watery. Dark shadows sit under them, marks of the past two weeks of mostly sleepless nights.

He looks horrible. Like he’s a zombie or is deathly ill. There’s no way people won’t notice. The teen is really not looking forward to all the pitying looks and whispers he’s going to get just from the news he’s sure has gotten around, let alone how he looks like a ghost. Peter really doesn’t want to go back to school today...or well ever. Going back to “normal” after Ben… Well, it just doesn’t seem possible.

Unbidden more tears spring to his eyes.

Peter sighs, dropping his gaze back to the sink.

To his surprise an unfamiliar pair of sunglasses are sitting on the porcelain edge. Peter picks them up examining them, already aware that they don’t belong to May...or Ben. They’re a nice pair of sunglasses from what he can tell. The lenses are a deep red so dark it looks black, the frames a dark burnished metal. Clearly some really expensive name brand that probably costs near the apartment’s monthly rent.

Impulsively, Peter slips them on and checks out his reflection in the mirror. To his relief, they do a great job of hiding his red rimmed eyes and the dark shadows underneath them, perfect for his first day back to school. And he can admit, although they’re a smidge big, he does look pretty cool in them.

Peter slides them off and slips them into his hoodie pocket so that May doesn’t see. She probably wouldn’t approve of him trying to wear them all day. But hopefully his teachers will give him some leeway since they’ve probably all heard what happened.

Worst comes to worst, he can just lie and say he has a migraine or something.

He eats a solemn and slightly charred breakfast with May, sharing a long and tight hug with her before he forces himself to head out. As soon as he’s clear of their building, Peter slips the sunglasses back onto his face.

On the streets, no one gives him a second glance, but it is New York after all and that’s just the norm. The real test starts when he finally makes it to the front steps of his school. There are some kids milling around outside chatting about their weekends in the few minutes before the first bell. He slips past them easily enough, with only a few brief glances thrown his way.

In the hallway some of the students and teachers do give him lingering looks, but he keeps the glasses on and his head down and the whispers are minimal. When Peter finally makes it to his locker, he breaths out a sigh of relief. The sunglasses do attract a few lingering looks, but no one has commented on his distressed state.

He keeps them on for the rest of the day, sighting a migraine when asked. None of the teachers seem keen to try and force him to take them off, as expected. Peter’s pretty sure it’s just because none of them want to be responsible for making him cry or have a breakdown.

He ends up wearing the sunglasses a few more days that week, on the mornings after rough nights. The sunglasses almost feel like a shield, protecting him from prying eyes. It feels a bit like his soulmate is there, letting Peter hide behind them. They make him feel safe, and like he’s not an open book for the first time since that fatal gunshot rang out.

Eventually, after the rubbed raw pain of Ben’s death has faded a bit, the glasses end up tucked away with the little red screwdriver in the box that holds his most precious items.

***

Tony really wants a drink, despite all his promises to Pepper. He really has been trying to lay off since they finally got back together after such a long break. Not to mention he’d gotten black out drunk so many times in the first few weeks after Siberia that the few people left in his life had come together and begged him to stop before he killed himself. Tony’s a lot older than he was when he went out drinking every night after his parents were killed, and the drinking isn’t nearly as gratifying as it was then.

He hates that it’s still a struggle to not seek alcohol out on his own.

Now more than ever, especially after Ultron and the media dubbed “Civil War”, Tony wonders if he’s even managed to do any good in the world as Iron Man. More and more it seems like he just makes bigger messes than the ones he tries to clean up. Sure, he’s had his good moments, but they feel like they pale in comparison to all his missteps.

Not to mention how even when it’s a group failure, most of the world is content in letting just him take the fall. Everyone else seems to get off scot-free while Tony and his loved ones are left in the blast radius of the aftermath.  

The engineer sighs, heading back to his lab after taking a stressful SI call in his office upstairs. FRIDAY opens the door for him without comment and he heads towards the single worktable he’s managed to set up so far in the compound. But then Tony blinks at the backpack that’s now sitting on top of the letter and dinosaur tech Rogers mailed him.

The bag is dark blue and little worn, something inexpensive that’s easily bought at big box stores. Feeling a bit excited, almost like he’s opening a present, Tony pulls the first zipper open. This isn’t the first backpack his kid’s lost, but it is weird that it’s happened at least four times this year alone.

Inside he finds a handful of pens and pencils, a mostly blank notebook with some pretty high level physics in it, an advanced calculus textbook that’s seen better days, and a change of clothes. There’s no name of course, because the universe hates to “ruin the surprise” as the saying goes, but it still tells Tony a bit more about the type of person his kid is.

Obviously the kid is incredibly smart, although Tony already knew that from finding the kid’s advanced biochem notebook in the first lost backpack and seeing the sort of stuff he was working on (Some of which seemed to be of the kid’s own initiative and was complex enough that Tony himself had needed to brush up on the subject to decode it).

He also knows that the kid must not come from a super wealthy household going by the cheap bag and worn clothes. Of course he already knew that too. Most of the stuff that the kid’s lost is generally well taken care of, but always inexpensive. That knowledge had certainly gotten Tony to fund a lot more scholarships for advanced school programs around New York City. Not that he knows where the kid is other than somewhere in America, but it still made Tony happy funding the future.

Smiling slightly, Tony puts everything back in the bag and is about to take it to store with the rest of the kid’s stuff when he catches sight of the pin buttons decorating the front. One is a Star Wars one with some nerdy meme on it, but the other one has the Iron Man mask on it. He lets out a surprised and almost wet laugh. Even after all these years he's still the kid’s favorite.

Tony will never forget the first Iron Man drawing he’d found that the kid had done, or the first action figure of himself he’d tripped over in the lab. Tony remembers preening like a peacock and showing the toy off to Pepper, Rhodey, and even Happy for the next week.

Somehow, despite all the shit he’s done, Tony must have done something right to end up as his kid’s hero. Becoming a superhero might not be why he originally set out to be Iron Man, but somewhere along the way he learned that he couldn’t just stand by and let people get hurt. Tony may not be as much as a pure hearted superhero as the spider kid, but it’s nice to have a reminder that he’s still got people to live up to.

Speaking of the kid, Peter is eager for sure. He’s smart as a whip and has a good heart despite all the times the universe has shit on him. And young as he is, the spiderling is using his superpowers with a maturity that most kids his age wouldn’t have. That and he did really well in Germany.

Tony looks back at the backpack frowning. Iron Man won’t be around forever, as much as Tony hates to admit it, he is getting old. And with almost all of the Avengers in the wind, he needs to make sure there are still heroes, real heroes, for the world to believe in.  

Tony nods to himself and pulls up the design for the Iron Spider suit.

***

Peter pulls himself out from under the rubble of the collapsed warehouse, gasping for breath, limbs still shaking. Behind him the rubble shifts and tumbles further and the teen is quick to scramble away from it, coughing at the dust it kicks up. For a moment he just stands there trying to catch his breath and still his shaking.

Holy shit, that just happened. The Vulture dropped an entire building on him and left him to die. Peter can feel the embers of his panic trying to crawl up his throat and reignite. He already knows this incident is gonna be nightmare fuel to rival the ones he has about Ben’s death. Just like that night, Peter feels like he lost something of himself, only this time it was lost under the rubble and not in a puddle of blood.

But he thankfully doesn’t have time to dwell on it.

There’s no telling how far Toomes has gotten while he was trapped under the warehouse. Peter needs to move now if he wants to stop the villain from stealing dangerous Avengers tech. If that stuff gets out on the streets no one in New York City, or maybe even the country would be safe. The thought of what kinds of people Toomes could sell those weapons to is horrifying.  

People are in danger, and even if Peter messes up or disappoints Mr. Stark again, he can’t let anyone get hurt when he has the power to stop it.

So, still trembling slightly, Peter raises his arm and shoots off a web, swinging into the night after the Vulture.

He doesn’t give a single thought to his Spider-Man mask, lost and left behind in the debris.

***

Tony is in the Avengers Compound again when he finds it.

Moving all the old Avengers tech to the compound has proven to be a nightmare. He’s still got the government up his ass after the “Civil War” debacle. Not to mention the modified alien weapons on the streets that both the DODC and FBI have been too incompetent to get a handle on, or even find the source of. But he’s still so busy with SI, the Accords, and the move upstate that he doesn’t have the time to track the guy properly at the moment.

And this Vulture guy really is below the Avengers’ pay grade like he told Peter. They were never really in the business of taking down arms dealers, not even high tech ones.

Tony sighs. He is starting to feel bad about taking back the kid’s suit. Sure, Peter was being reckless in it, but hadn’t Tony done the same in his? And Peter had the excuse of being an actual child. Not to mention sooner or later, the kid is going to remember that his powers don’t come from the suit. He’s going to run into a crime he can’t ignore and he won’t have the one thing that keeps him safe.

Tony had been telling the spiderling he didn’t want to be like his old man before the ferry shitshow, and what had he done as soon as Peter slipped up? Screamed at him, taken away the suit, and basically told the kid he didn’t want to have to deal with him anymore. And before that he had barely interacted with Peter after the whole thing in Germany, and yeah, Tony had some good excuses for that, but it was all still the exact same shit Howard would have done.

As much as Tony doesn’t do feelings, maybe he should call the kid up and apologize soon. It’s already been a few weeks.

Tony has just collapsed onto his desk chair in his workshop and started massaging at the tension headache sitting at the front of his skull when it catches his eye. A strange flash of red on his work table that wasn’t there just a moment before. Tony already knows it’s not something of his considering how little he’s been using this lab up until now.

His lip is already twitching up fondly as he reaches for it, wondering what the kid lost this time. He grabs the fabric object and pulls it out from under the stack of blueprints it’s ended up under.

For a moment nothing makes sense.

He’s holding Spider-Man’s mask.

The first one, from the kid’s onesie suit with the googly-eyed goggles sewn in. It’s soaking wet and covered in concrete dust. There are also a few smears of darker red that take a moment to register as blood to the engineer. All he can do is stare at it in utter confusion for a few seconds.

Then it suddenly makes so much fucking sense and Tony is so damn stupid. Of course It’s Peter, of course it’s always been the kid. Of fucking course his soulmate is the superpowered genius orphan with a guilt complex as big as his own. Of course it's the kid who agreed to help fight when Tony needed him the most. It was right in front of his face and he’s an idiot for not realizing that he found his soulmate nearly six months ago.

A soulmate who he’s been foisting off on Happy and refused to grow close to out of paranoid fear. A soulmate who’s looked up to Tony his whole life despite how shitty of a person Tony is. A soulmate who has obviously gone out in his homemade onesie of a suit and has obviously been wounded recently, if the fresh blood on the mask is anything to go by.

“FRIDAY, call the Forehead of Security,” Tony orders, vaguely realizing that his hands have started to tremble.  

As soon as the line connects, Tony is speaking before his friend can get a word in. “Happy, where’s the kid?”

“Tony- what?” Happy asks, sounding baffled, “Who? Parker?”

“Yes. What other kid do we both know? Where is he?” Tony questions.

“Why are you asking me? I don’t know. You have his number don’t you? Or just call his-” Happy cuts himself off, and for a moment Tony thinks the connection dropped until he hears Happy swearing, “Shit! Shit!”

“What?” the engineer demands.

There's a long moment of silence and Tony thinks he might actually hear Happy gulp. “The plane. It just went down.”

“Oh God, that’s what he’s doing,” Tony breathes out, heart clenching, “Peter’s there, Happy! He’s trying to stop it and he’s going to get himself killed!”

“What? How do you know? Besides I thought you took his suit?”

“I did! But I found his old Spider-Man mask covered in dirt and blood!” Tony practically shouts into the phone, the fear he feels coming out easier as anger.

Happy is silent for a moment, maybe stunned at the outburst. “Tony what are you talking about? You’re upstate-”

“You aren’t getting it,” Tony cuts him off, feeling panic starting to win over anger, “I just found it in the lab! The lab that Peter has never set foot in! On my work table that was clear about five minutes ago!”

“What..? But that means...” there’s a sharp intake of breath from the other end of the line, “Oh God. Shit- Okay. Coney Island that’s where-”

“I’m on my way,” Tony says, shoving Peter’s mask into his pocket and stepping into a suit, hoping with everything he has that the kid, his kid, is okay.

Then he’s blasting out of the lab’s launchpad, streaking through the sky towards the glowing beacon of New York City in the far distance as fast as the suit can take him. He tries to call Peter from his HUD but it goes straight to voicemail and Tony tries not to lose it completely.

---

When Tony finds Peter, bleeding, battered, and unconscious on top of the Cyclone coaster he greys out. FRIDAY is feeding him info on the kid’s condition and giving him instructions, but even as Tony’s body moves to follow her recommendations, it’s like he’s not even there. Or maybe he is but only in flashes, like his brain is skipping.  

One moment Tony’s picking the kid up as if he’s made of porcelain and the next he’s shooting off into the air, streaking back towards the compound since he stupidly moved upstate and left Peter without support in the city. It feels like Tony blinks and he’s landing again and Helen and her team are taking Peter’s limp blood covered body from Tony’s arms. He thinks Pepper calls him, and then Happy.

He has no idea what he says to either of them.

And then, what must be hours later, it feels like Tony finally wakes up in the compound’s medby, sitting at Peter’s bedside. The kid’s old mask is still bulging out of his pocket. He pulls it out and stares at it for a bit before looking back at his kid, his soulmate, laid out in the narrow bed.

Peter in his hospital scrubs is smaller and paler than Tony has ever seen him against the crisp white sheets. Not that he’s seen much of the kid, a dark part of his thoughts remind him. The kid’s broken ribs and head wound are bandaged, and he’s got an air cast for a wrist fracture. Helen’s got him hooked up to a complicated IV drip of some sort and FRIDAY is keeping careful track of the spiderling’s vitals on a nearby monitor.

Tony doesn’t remember too much of what Helen said about Peter’s injuries, other than they were somewhat severe and he’d lost a good bit of blood, but they thankfully hadn’t had to operate. Although he remembers there had been a fair amount of stitches needing to be done on the kid’s torso. That and something about having to give him an insane amount of pain meds to even touch his metabolism.

Peter shivers in his sleep and Tony hesitates for a moment before pulling the blankets up higher and tucking the teen in. After a few minutes the shivering stops, and tentatively Tony takes one of Peter’s hands in his. The kid’s hand is cold and a bit clammy in his, but Tony doesn’t mind. His curls are adorably wild and the engineer has to resist the urge to brush them out of Peter’s face.  

Tony doesn’t know how long he sits there holding his soulmate's hand, going over in his head again and again what he could possibly say to the kid, before he feels Peter grip his hand back weakly.

“Finally back with us, Pete?” Tony asks with a softness he didn’t know he possessed when the spider kid’s eyes start to slit open.

“Mis’r S’ark?” the teen slurs still half asleep.

Tony manages a weak grin. “The one and only.”

“Wha’ are you doin’ here?” Peter mumbles squinting his eyes open a bit more.

Tony squeezes the kid’s hand. “Didn’t want you to wake up alone and freak out.”

The physical contact and words seem to get through some of Peter’s drowsiness and confusion because he blinks rapidly then snatches his hand out of Tony’s own. The engineer tries not to feel stung by the action.

“Oh my god, your plane! Toomes! Is he okay, is anyone hurt?!” the teen asks frantically.

Tony is quick to stop the spiderling from trying to sit up. “The only one hurt was you, kid.”

Peter slumps back against the pillows. “That’s good.”

“It’s really not. Peter, you could have-” Tony cuts himself off and breathes out a long sigh, not wanting to lecture the kid while he’s still recovering.

The kid is giving him a wary look, like he’s waiting for Tony to lose it on him again. It makes him feel like even more of a piece of shit. So he does the only thing he can think of and holds the Spider-Man mask out to the kid.

“I found this,” Tony says abruptly.

“Oh. At the old warehouse?” Peter asks, taking it from him without meeting his eyes.  

“No. In my lab.”

The spider kid’s head pops up at that, confused. “But, Mr. Stark, I’ve never been to your lab. And I had it for part of the fight with Toomes.”

Tony nods and clears his throat. Well, now or never. “I know. But you did lose it.”

Peter’s brow furrows in confusion. Tony sees it dawn on the kid after a few seconds, his eyes going wide and shooting up to stare at the engineer.  

“You… So you’re…” the kid stutters.

“Yeah, kid. I’m your soulmate and I’ve got several boxes full of old toys, clothes, and backpacks that I’ve been holding onto for a long time,” Tony tells the boy feeling a little choked up.

Peter doesn’t say anything, he’s still staring at Tony looking completely gobsmacked. When the silence continues to stretch on, the engineer feels his insides squirm with insecurity. After everything that’s happened, maybe Peter doesn’t want to deal with such a shitty soulmate. Tony’s not sure he’d be too forgiving after the last few months of no contact and a near deathmatch with a supervillain that probably could have been avoided.  

When Peter still doesn’t manage to get a word out, Tony lets himself deflate. “I don’t blame you if you don’t want anything to do with me anymore. I know I’m not anyone’s first choice of well…anything generally, and you deserve a better soulmate and mentor... But give me another chance, Pete. It won’t be perfect at first but let me try and fix-”

“That’s-!” Peter bursts in suddenly, cutting him off, “That’s not true Mr. Stark. The whole ‘not anyone’s first choice’ crap, I mean. You were...one of my first heroes and- and you still are. Both in a science and superhero sense. And yeah you, uh, do really suck at the whole…emotional availability thing, but you just need practice. Probably.”

Tony finds his mouth twitching up, especially when Peter’s ears go red at the last bit. The kid is endearingly honest and awkward.

“What I mean is, that I’ve been trying to follow your footsteps for a long time now. And I forgive you for the whole…ghosting me thing, and I don’t blame you for taking the suit after the ferry. And I want to be your soulmate if you’ll still have me after I crashed your plan, and-” Peter cuts off his own rambling and looks down, still flushed with embarrassment, “Sorry, I’m totally still freaking out that it’s you.”

“You and me both kid, I don’t know what I did to deserve compassionate, responsible, superhero Peter Parker as my soulmate,” Tony tells the kid, and immediately shoots for a joke to cut away from the vulnerability of that statement,  “Even if you’re a little shit that gives me grey hair, especially with all the all the times I’ve nearly broken my neck tripping on your stuff over the years.”

“Well, I don’t know what I did to deserve Tony freaking Stark as my soulmate, even if he only loses boring crap like ties and metal scraps. Seriously, Ned’s soulmate lost Nintendo DS games and all I had to show from mine were socks or nuts and bolts. You made me so lame, Mr. Stark,” Peter whines dramatically, a spark of mischief in his eyes.

“Oh yeah, and it doesn’t ruin my very polished image as Tony Stark, billionaire genius, to trip over your Legos while out in public?” the engineer teases back, ruffling the kid’s hair.

Peter gives him a big innocent grin in response like the smartass he is and Tony just rolls his eyes.

The engineer leans forward and opens his arms in invitation. “C’mere spiderling.”

Peter lights up and gingerly leans into the embrace, careful of his injured ribs. He lets out a soft sigh of contentment and Tony won’t admit to anyone that the sound makes him melt a bit.

“Is this actually a hug this time, since there’s no door to get?” Peter questions with false innocence after a few moments.

Tony snorts. “Yes, you little shit it’s a hug.”

Peter’s laughter in his ear is the best thing he’s heard in months.

“So, when do we get to return each other’s stuff? Can we do it now?” the spider kid asks when they break apart, excitement shining in his eyes even as they began to droop with fatigue.

“Not till you’re healed, first of all. And we’ll have to take a day to do it. It’s a lot to go through. You’ve lost a lot of stuff over the years, kiddo,” Tony tells him, helping to settle the drowsy kid back under the bedsheets.

“We’ve got time,” Peter yawns, “Besides, if I didn’t lose anything, then how would you ever know to come find me and give it back Mr. Stark?”

Smiling fondly Tony finally gives in and starts combing his fingers through Peter’s hair. “I’ll always come find you, Pete.”

The spiderling gives a happy sleepy murmur in response before he slips back into sleep.

***

A few weeks later, after May had found out about everything, superhero alter egos and soulmates included, Peter is finally ungrounded enough to be allowed to go to the compound one weekend. May and Tony had talked a lot in the last few weeks and she had come to terms with everything. Well, after a lot of yelling at least. But now she was glad that Peter had another adult to care for him and watch over him.

Peter wasn’t just teasing about his not losing much over the years. He’s only brought over about three cardboard boxes worth of forgotten items. It’s a stark contrast to the eight or so big plastic bins that Mr. Stark keeps Peter’s things in. To be fair, he knows Mr. Stark has an eidetic memory which makes it pretty easy to keep track of most of his things, while Peter seems to be a bit more of a disorganized genius.

Mr. Stark starts in on his collection first, cooing over Peter’s baby toys and books while the teen sputters in embarrassment. In retaliation Peter just shoves the entire box of screws, nuts, bolts, and other assorted metal bits of various sizes at his mentor with a huff. Even Mr. Stark admits that it would be pretty boring stuff for a kid to find. Although Peter does confess to using a few spare parts in his refurbishing of tech he’d found in the trash.  

“Oh wow, I always wondered what happened to my red Power Ranger!” Peter exclaims when he spots the bright flash of red and white in the box of toys Mr. Stark has just opened, “I was so sure one of the other kids at school had stolen it.”

“I found that guy when I was in Afghanistan,” his mentor divulges quietly.

Peter freezes half way through grabbing the toy. “What?”

“When… When I was kidnapped, I tripped over it in the cave the Ten Rings kept us in. I carried him around with me the whole time after that. That little dude went through the ringer with me then,” Mr. Stark explains ruefully, his eyes locked on the battered action figure.

The expression on Mr. Stark’s face is hard to decipher. It’s sad and haunted, but there’s also some deep fondness as he looks at the plastic Power Ranger. Obviously there are a lot of heavy memories tied to the toy, good and bad.

“You should keep it, Mr. Stark,” Peter says firmly, gently pushing the action figure back into his mentor’s hand.  

Surprised, Mr. Stark seems to shake himself out of whatever stupor he’d fallen into. “You sure, kid?”

“Yeah.”

Mr. Stark doesn’t have to say anything, but Peter can tell. His Red Ranger means a lot to his mentor. It’s not something Peter wants to take away from him. Mr. Stark gives him a warm smile, his genuine one that he saves only for a select few people, and sits the toy on his work desk in a place of honor.

“Are you good to keep going?” Peter asks uncertainly.

He’s still not sure where the lines are with his mentor yet. They’ve slowly been getting closer over video calls and texts while Peter was grounded, but they’re both still waffling in that awkward phase when you first start actually getting to know someone.

Mr. Stark gives him a soft smile. “Yeah, kid. I’m fine.”

A bit later, after they’ve gone through and reminisced over all Peter’s baby stuff, Tony pulls a big binder out of one of the bins.

“I loved finding your drawings,” his mentor admits, “Rhodey, well you’d know him as War Machine, hung some up on the fridge as a joke when I showed them to him. And then, before I knew it, I was putting them up there myself.”

“You did what?!” Peter gapped, “Mr. Stark!”

“Oh come on kid, your artwork was adorable. Especially after the Battle of New York and I started finding a lot more Iron Man drawings. I even had a few of them framed,” his mentor grins.

Peter gives him a flat look. “You did not.”

In response, Mr. Stark  just raises an eyebrow and pulls a framed colored pencil drawing of Iron Man out of one of the bins. It’s not a bad likeness, done on lined notebook paper depicting Iron Man blasting a giant monster out of the sky. Peter vaguely remembers having drawn the thing when he was bored during math class a few years ago. The teacher confiscated it when she saw he wasn’t paying attention and Peter never did get it back.

The teen hides his red face behind his hands. “Oh my God.”

Iron Man literally put Peter’s childhood artwork up on his fridge like a proud dad. He doesn’t know if he wants to preen or hide from knowing that.  

Mr. Stark just laughs and claps him on the shoulder. “Don’t be like that, kid. Come on, I can’t not be proud of my kid’s artwork.”

Peter feels himself turning an even deeper shade of red. His kid.

Stuttering out something incomprehensible, Peter reaches for one of his boxes of Mr. Stark’s lost items. Still chuckling, his mentor leans over his shoulder to see what he’s digging through. He makes a surprised noise and reaches down to extract something from the collection.

It’s a very familiar small red screwdriver.

“Well, what do you know? That’s my favorite screwdriver from when I was in MIT. I put DUM-E’s circuit board together with that.”

“Seriously? That’s so cool, Mr. Stark. My parents told me they found it in my crib when I was just a few months old. I used to take it everywhere with me when I was little,” Peter recounts with a small smile.

Mr. Stark’s eyes crinkle, a subtle upward quirk to his lips. “I can see you took good care of it.”

“I’m glad I could finally bring it back to you,” Peter tells him earnestly.

He’ll miss the screwdriver a lot more than he wants to admit, but it’s something so important to Mr. Stark. This is the tool his mentor but his first AI together with. He deserves to finally have it back.

“Keep it, Pete,” Mr. Stark places the tool in Peter’s hand and fold’s the teens fingers over it, “You’ve obviously given it a good home.”

Peter looks up at him. “Are you sure?”

“It couldn’t be in safer hands, kid,” his mentor affirms.

Peter beams in response. He’d been so impatient to meet his soulmate when he was a kid, but now he knows it was well worth the wait. And there’s no one he’d want more as his mentor, father figure, or soulmate than Tony Stark.

@friendly-neighborhood-exchange

[ceratonia-siliqua]

I saw you were open to prompts and I was wondering if you could write something with Android Peter?? (bonus points if smut is involved) Your writing is so good and I would love to see your take on it!

Thank you for waiting! I hope it delivers!!

Ship: WinterSpider (former Stucky mentioned)

Warnings: Nudity mentioned, some dehumanization due to the nature of androids, and some asshole Steve mentioned (sorry buddy)

“Bucky, come on. Just give it a shot.” 

“Tony-”

“You’ve been depressed for months, just take him for a few weeks. If you absolutely hate having him around then you can return him. I just finished designing a maternal instincts chip for Pepper, worst case she’d love to use him as baby practice.” 

“Fine, fine. Whatever, what do I need to do?” 

Tony beamed like Bucky had been the one begging rather than the other way around. The bastard put a hand on his shoulder as he led him out of the study and into the lab. It wasn’t a long walk, just a quick pop down the hall and a few stairs. The room was not a place he ever went, having heard legends of the absolute horror show it was. 

The rumors were on the fucking money but not in the way he had expected. 

It was filled with mechanical body parts, shocking realistic ones that left him staring as he tried to put together that they’re entirely creations of tech. He knew Tony built droids, fuck, the whole world did. It was his business. He’d gotten so good at the task in fact that he was facing some news shitstorms given the advancements in AI leading to a genuine conversation in what to do as the creations gained further and further sense of sentience. They’d tried to stop Stark, but when you have enough money to buy out the federal government, not much could be done on that front. 

“You’re gonna love him. He’s an absolute sweetheart, in fact, he’s got a heavily modified Gen 4 Sweetheart Build. One of a kind! Even perfected the synthetic curls working on him. Possibly one of the kindest AI’s I’ve ever constructed, little bit of a trickster when he wants to be though, couldn’t let you get away without a bit of a challenge-” Tony continued to go on as he practically shoved Bucky towards a side room. 

“Tony, please don’t tell me you made this android specifically for me.” He had been under the impression it was a match Tony had made after the fact, not something with genuine thought put into it. 

“Can’t just throw any random personality at you, Bucko! You need a specific set of traits and I am happy to deliver seeing as how nothing like this kiddo is like what we have on the market.” 

“Tony, you should have asked first. What if I can’t take care of this-” Machine? Man? How was he supposed to refer to this gift Tony was trying to give him? 

“Trust me! You will.” 

“Tony.” He stopped just before the closed door leading to the room where this now present anxiety was lurking.  “Why are you doing this?” 

There are several beats of silence before a word passes through the space. “Bucky… you haven’t been the same since Steve left. I want to help you move on from him. It doesn’t take a super genius to see that he broke your heart.” 

It would have been kinder to just have punched him in the gut. Steve had abandoned him. Left him for a woman from his youth after promising a life with him. There had been no reason, no suggestion Steve had been unhappy with him, yet one day he was there and the next there was a note on the coffee table and a gaping hole in his apartment. 

“Please, just try. I know you’re still trying to work through this but just try him out for a little while. You deserve to be happy, open yourself up to it. That asshole wins if you stay hung up on him forever.” 

He really fucking hates when Tony is right. 

Without another word he opens the door without Tony’s permission and steps into the room. The tiny form that lays on the fluffy duvet takes his breath away. 

The boy is lithe, so small Bucky is scared for a second that Tony has given him a child. Getting closer though he sees the marks of manhood, more defined muscle, raised cheekbones, a lack of true baby fat anywhere on his body. He couldn’t help but notice the way a set of small, smooth balls peek out from his pressed thighs. Yet to see his face and Bucky was already feeling the tugging connection, a need to know more. 

Rounding the bundle, he can’t help but pull a blanket off of one of the random shelves, covering the slip of a thing in front of him. Taking the opportunity to glimpse the face of the android coming home with him, he crouches in front of that seemingly sleeping face. 

It takes his breath away. Small noise, delicate cupids bow, wild and frenzied curls framing rosy cheeks. He desperately wanted to see those eyes, wanted to know if they were just as soft as the rest of him. 

“His name is Peter. One of the most high end models, he has features not even on the market. He can feel cold, heat, pain, pleasure. Both his throat and anal cavity are outfitted with the most expensive and durable stimulation sleeves we have available. I picked a version that everyone loves, top seller. He’s able to cum if you want him too. Knows how to groom himself but has preferences. I picked… something a little more dependent. He’ll keep you busy. Utter love bug is what he is. He’s had a little bit of ‘on’ time, just enough to calibrate some settings. His list of enjoyment is fairly open, he’s predisposed to certain things but since he’s never experienced anything he’s not sure what he likes quite yet. Gentle, kind hearted, and designed to form deep attachments, he should be perfect.” 

He is the opposite of Steve. Not the exact opposite, but it seems Tony worried about hitting too close to home and made something that was unfamiliar enough to be wholly new while still takinging into consideration what he might enjoy. Even size wise, where Steve had been bigger than him, Peter was much smaller and maneuverable. Peter could be a doll in his hands if Bucky wanted, put him in control. 

“He’s also the second ever android to be programmed with the ability to form connections of love and feel the full range of emotions available to humans.” 

Bucky’s head shot towards the other man. “Tony, that’s illegal.” 

The frown on that goatee ridden face shows just how aware of that fact he is. “I know, but only on market versions. If you self construct a droid or personally program and install the coding needed, which most people can’t, then it’s fine. I’m not allowed to sell people love, but I can give it to you for free.” 

Already stuck in this deal, already tender for the angelic little thing in front of him, he sighs. “We’re not gonna get in shit for this? He’s not gonna get disassembled if people find out?” 

“Most people aren’t even going to know he’s not human. Unless they get really close and study him, no one on the street is going to see him and think he’s anything but a regular young man out with his boyfriend.” 

“... Alright Tony, you win. Where do I sign?”

____

Becoming conscious, and aware of that consciousness, it is something humans were unprepared for in their creation of AI. After all, children forget the trauma of being born, but how do you prepare a being that can already understand the complexities of life for the sudden plunge into reality? Really, you don’t. 

Peter woke up and for the first time, was aware. His systems were all fine, green lit and all areas functional and ready to go. Yet, he didn’t move. Everything was sounds, shapes, colors, objects, things he knew but that were not familiar. It was something to take in, how do you even begin when there is so much? 

There is a pressure between his shoulders, and suddenly he is focused on what it is to feel. 

“You seem a little overwhelmed, sugar. Everything okay?”

The voice is smooth, registers as male in his system, compared to things he’s never heard but knew the sound of. 

“Yeah… just- trying to get my bearings.” At least speech wasn’t a difficulty. It was not comfortable on his tongue but they were still doable, something he could succeed at even as his vision is too full. He closes his eyes, sighing as the lack of input makes everything feel less chaotic within him. 

“Take all the time you need, I’ve got plenty to give.” 

“What’s your name?” A basic way of understanding, something so ingrained in his code that it was the easiest thing he’d done so far. 

“Bucky, James Buchanan Barnes if you wanna get technical but Bucky is fine.” 

“Bucky,” The name rolled across his tongue, smooth and buttery. It was new but old, as if he’d been told the name thousands of times. It felt like an old hat, a detail he would remember even if everything else in his memory failed. “I like it.” Something clicked, a sense of enjoyment, a rush of pleasant feelings across his skin and the delicate, hair thin wires underneath. 

That seemed to knock the man into silence. Peter reached out, groping for the being that was with him, showing him kindness despite their lack of previous introductions. Fingers grazing something slightly scratchy, he gasps, eyes flying open on reflex when a light pressure envelopes his wrist. 

The man is fuzz but Peter knows enough to know what beauty is and this man must be the very definition of it. Long hair, dark shadows across his upper lip and jaw. Blue, a color he had not realized had a name till he saw it here. He feels warm, a giggle escapes him, something he knows is a sign of his happiness, one he hopes Bucky will share in. 

Smiling is a sign, a good one. Something that makes Peter giddy as he flexes his fingers against that same scratchy surface on Bucky’s face. 

“What is this?” Scritching away with the tips of his digits. 

A chuckles, soothing and filled with a note that rolls slow and low across Peter’s ears. “A beard, you know what that is?”

He looks up the word, searching in his head for an answer until it pops up. “Oh! Yes, I do.” 

“Really are new to this, aren’t you?” 

His cheeks suddenly feel heated and an odd feeling curls in his belly as he glances away. 

“It’s okay darling,” There is a rustling of fabrics and a gentle set of lips pressed to his forehead. A sign of affection, and one Peter knows he loves the second he feels it. “We’ll get you all figured out.” 

[perpetuelledaydreaming]

BACK TO YOU (CHAPTER VII)

Summary: Y/N Stark and Peter Parker are unconditionally and irrevocably in love with each other, being friends for years was just the step before making it official. BUT, just the weekend they did, Thanos and the snap happened, leaving Y/N broken: without friends, avengers family or Peter Parker. So, she has to move on, at least that’s what everyone’s telling her and she really tries to do it and who better to help her than Harry Osborn. But, has she really let Peter go? What if Tony Stark -genius, billionaire, playboy, and philanthropist- knows how to bring Peter back? And what happens when he does? Is Y/N going to avenge again? Who’s going to lead the avengers now? Who is she going to choose? Harry or Peter? and who the hell is mysterio? *He doesn’t even go here

word count: 7.3K 

author’s note: Okay I know this story isn’t getting too much love and I have an idea for the sequel of this which I’M IN LOVE but I don’t want to abandon another story like I did with my GMW stories so I’ll definitely finish this one for sure. Plus, I love it. Let me know what you think, even a like helps my motivation. 

SERIES MASTERLIST

You grinned your teeth together as you glared at Harry who was already exiting the elevator into the lobby of Stark’s Industries. 

What did he meant with ‘I mean, do you have to?’? It ranged on your ears as you dragged yourself from the elevator, following Harry who was carefree and unaware that he had upset you. You didn’t know which annoyed you more, that he had said it or that he was completely oblivious that it had touched a nerve. 

“What do you mean with that?”, you growled as he opened the door for you, not looking at you distracted by waving goodbye to the receptionist, Mark, that had a clear crush on him.

You pursed your lips, not because you were bothered by Harry being somehow nice to him, but because Harry wasn’t even acknowledging you. 

“With what?”, Harry asked you, cocking his head to the side. 

You watched him carefully as he answered, maybe he hadn’t even meant it or he just didn’t want to bring it up after hearing your tone. 

You doubted yourself, a part of you wanted to bring it up because it seemed like an important thing to discuss. Being head of the Avengers would become your main activity for the next couple of years, you would go to college as well and then it would come second to being CEO of Stark Industries, but that would take a while. So, Harry had to be supportive. 

But another part of you was scared, maybe he wouldn’t support you and in the back of your mind, a small part of you was worried that if Harry didn’t support you, he would show you that you had made the wrong choice. 

So, you decided to restrain yourself. 

“Nothing”, you shrugged as you walked through the streets of New York, putting on a smile. “So, how has everything been with your father?”

“Oh”, Harry said as he lumbered, looking at the ground and you saw his face turning a bit slack. “I mean… he has been undoing a lot of what I did in his absence”, he explained and he tried to seem chill, but you recognized the pain in his voice.

“What?”, you cried in disbelief. 

Harry had been killing himself over all the projects he had worked on while his father had snapped, you had been a witness of his hard work and dedication. Yes, he helped you with your non-profit but he still had his projects with his passion for bioengineering, with his goal of making an impact wherever he saw fit. 

 “Yes, the resources wouldn’t simply manage to do both of our projects. So, he cut some”, Harry shrugged while you still watched him with bulging eyes. 

“Which ones?”, your tone was dead, making Harry turned to you with a lopsided grimaced.

He sighed as he took a hold of your hand, lacing your fingers together. 

“The one that helped people in Japan?”, he fretted naturally.

It was as if he was mentally shrugging as if it was something that had to be accepted. 

“Are you serious?”, you said with lingering annoyance on your voice. 

It pained you to see him that way, you felt your cheeks growing hotter as time passed and you remember the times where he had told you he couldn’t go to New York because of his projects, or the times when you would spend entire nights at his lab working on a new thing while you learn more about bioengineering by his side. Now, you knew for sure that Norman -as your father had said before meeting Harry- was a real asshole. 

“Yes…”, Harry replied apprehensively, raising his eyebrows and pulling you into him. “But he allowed to keep the ones regarding children and public health”, he said with a genuine smile. “I fought for those”

You remained silent for a moment, watching your boyfriend carefully, analyzing his dark almond eyes and his features. How much could you intervene without being

too

much? 

“Still, I’m so sorry”, you muttered. “You know that you can transfer those programs to other companies, right?”

He stayed silent for a moment as he zoned out. Somehow, it didn’t fit with the picture that you had of Harry. He always had something to say, he was always witty and surprisingly good at making conversation, confidence was his second name. But this version of him, you didn’t know how to handle it and you didn’t know if it was more trouble to actually speak on the situation or just remained silent. But then again, you were the daughter of Tony. 

“Is there anything he did that you also wanted?”

Maybe it was a bit too forward and you shouldn’t have gotten into it because it was none of your business. And honestly, you understood what was listening to your parents’ wishes; You almost always listen to what Tony and Pepper had to say, maybe a bit too much for being a Stark but you knew that if you made a decision, they would respect it. You just wished it was the same for Harry. 

You didn’t hear him huffing at your reply and you didn’t notice how he held a little bit tighter to your hand or his flashing eyes, so what he managed to say next really surprised you. You were still thinking about Norman Osborn and if there was some way you could move those programs to another company. 

“He wants to meet you”

You stopped dead on your tracks, which made Harry turn back to you a little unsettled by your reaction. You could feel your face growing hot as your eyes connected with his. 

In the time that you and Harry had dated -about a year or so- you had reached almost every milestone, for example, him meeting your family, you met his friends, saying the actual words “I love you”, giving each other access (since everything was with AI) to each other homes, among others. He had always been nothing but perfect, a charming gentleman in every occasion. 

But although you had gone through all of that together, you were not at all prepared to meet his father, it never even crossed your mind, not even when he came back.  

“What?”

You couldn’t believe it was your actual voice, it was wheezy and tight; which Harry picked-up immediately. You could see on his eyes how uncomfortable he was with your state and you hated yourself for it because it wasn’t your intention to hurt him but you couldn’t avoid thinking not only about the words of Tony about Norman before you went to Oscorp for the first time and also your current state of mind with Peter back in your life. 

Harry nodded, “Yes, I told him about you and he really wants to have dinner with you.” He said it slowly as he pulled you a little bit closer to him slowly and with a soft smile as if he was treating you like a scared bird that would fly away if he made any more sudden moves. 

Your eyes went back to your hand holding his, gazing downwards. Something deep in you told you that maybe you didn’t really want to meet Norman Osborn, maybe it was better off like this but how could you explain it to him? Without hurting his feelings. 

“I-I, well it’s such a big step”, you cleared your throat as Harry watched you carefully. “Are you su-”

“You are not sure…”, Harry cut you off sternly as he cocked an eyebrow. 

You could tell he was upset, you could see it on his sleek jaw, how tense he was and the way he was gazing at you, like as if he was trying to dig every little thought that went through your head to know what was happening in it. He did that usually when you were in a lab together, as he watched you worked and you hadn’t become used to it because you felt on the spot; this time you liked it even less. 

It was weird since it was something Peter often did, maybe it was the memory of Peter on the back of your mind that made you uncomfortable. 

Before you could say anything trying to save the situation, he intervened. 

“Why didn’t you tell me Peter Parker was back?”, he spat. 

You felt as if cold water had been thrown over you, you shot your eyes up and somehow you felt your eye twitching at how he mentioned Peter’s name. Maybe it hit a little too close to home with your current status with Peter or maybe it was the way Harry had said his name that it stroked a chord on you. 

“How did you know he was back?”, you snapped while your eyebrows bumped together. 

Harry sighed, he rolled his eyes and passed a hand through his sleek black hair, exhaling noisily through his pursed lips.  He was trying to find the right words to bring this up, you could tell and you began tapping your foot impatiently, your lips tight in a fine line. 

“I bumped into him”, he finally said. “Pepper needed to talk to him and we got into the elevator at the same time” 

There was a beat of silence between the both of you, as your eyes linked together. Yes, you had talked about Peter a couple of times with Harry which usually ended in tears. Somehow Peter held such a personal and sacred place on your heart that you felt like you were disrespectful to his memory if you brought it up with Harry, sometimes it felt as if you were cheating completely on Peter. But you knew Harry wasn’t dumb and you knew that by now Harry had done his research on Peter Parker, he must’ve seen all your photos with him, how his face was all over your houses, how you had been capture by paparazzi with him, your Instagram, everything. 

So, the fact that he was bringing it up now… it felt like it was a big deal. 

Before you could open your mouth, you heard a growl that shook the earth beneath you, and both Harry and you turned your heads to where it was coming from. Everyone around you doing the same, some running or walking a little bit faster to their destinations, or some others taking their phones out as the chaos ensued. 

It was lower Manhattan and you felt right away the same electricity and jolt of adrenaline you used to feel years ago. It was almost automatic how your stand changed and how quickly you contacted HAPPY  

You tapped your earpiece quickly, “HAPPY, give me an update”. 

Harry turned a little bit surprised as he heard you, but he was unable to speak. 

“There’s a situation at Brooklyn Bridge, Miss. Stark”, the AI told you softly.

“Y/N…”

“I have to go”, you said pressing a quick peck on his cheek and pressing the small charm on your necklace as if it was an instinct, allowing the nano-tech to spread across your body. 

Thankfully, you had been working on your suit since the fight with Thanos and the hard work had paid off. It wasn’t as bulky as before as you had worked to fit you nicely, even with your actual clothes rather than the ones that Tony had created to be more comfortable, it felt like a second skin. 

People near you on the street seemed in awe as you transformed right in front of their eyes, kicking in the usual excitement that you felt when you wore your suit. You were no longer a girl, but a hero. 

“Wait, you had that com there the whole time?”

You shook your head laughing while your face began being covered by the nano-tech, then you activated your thrusters and they sent you off into the sky. 

“HAPPY, who’s coming?”, you said as overflew the city, finally locating the commotion coming from Brooklyn’s Bridge and there was something, it was as if someone was pouring water continuously over it. 

But no, it wasn’t possible and as the steam cleared out while you got closer you saw it. 

“What the hell?”, you whispered to yourself. 

It was a water being? A water monster?

“Miss Stark, Sam, and Bucky already left on the quinjet to Europe”, HAPPY informed you and you cursed mentally. “But Mr. Parker is already on the scene”

As always, Peter seemed to be one step ahead of you and you remembered a time where it annoyed you, but right now you were glad you were doing this with him. 

“Okay, tell KAREN to connect us”, HAPPY didn’t say anything and before you could blink you saw on your screen the saved photo for Peter’s profile. 

“Are you here? Y/N?”, Peter’s voice sounded a little bit desperate and agitated as you landed in front of the bridge. 

A few people were still running away and you tried to help some that fell, almost giving you a double-take since, at the end of the day, it seemed as if your father was there. 

“Yes, I’m here”, you answered as you saw him swinging from one part of the bridge to another, as he webbed different cables and structures that were being attacked by the water being that growled once more. “Did you call first responders?”

“First thing I did”, Peter gasped as he managed to dodge a stream of water, that seemed a bit too strong, managing to bend a bit of the metal. You rolled your eyes,

obviously, he did

.  “Any idea of what to do?”

You flew over the being, as the water creature was continuously attacking Peter, who was dodging the shots of water coming from it. Your mind process how to even begin attacking him, what could you possibly throw at the water monster to defeat it? 

Bullets? No, clearly not. Rockets? Possibly, it was fire. Canons? They can work. Flamethrower? yes. 

“Keep him distracted, avoid damaging the bridge too much”

“On it”, he yelled over the com, as he gave the flips that only he knew how.

They were intricate enough to confuse the creature that shot a rapid number of streams where Peter had been, missing him continuously and giving you the chance to shoot your shot. Soon, you were shooting the first flames, causing the creature to let out a loud cry and making you his target. It roared in your face as he began shooting its long watery arms towards you, your eyes opened wide as you flew from left to right as you tried to avoid the tentacles to touch you, he wanted to drag you down on the river. Nonetheless, as if it had been yesterday, Peter was there to distract it when it got too close to you and it worked. 

“Hey, big guy!”, he shouted, making the creature turn around for a second. It was enough for you to fly over him and losing its sight on you. 

Peter crawled through the towers of the bridge, jumping from them and then swinging between suspension cables as he avoided the shots of water that were now being fired towards him. But now you were there to back him up, you circled the creature, firing him as he was too busy trying to catch Peter with one of its streams or waves. 

Once Peter felt too tired from swinging and avoiding the creature you entered into action to take away his notice on you, and then he did the same when it came too close to you. Honestly, it looked as if you had choreographed the fight, you were so in-sync that it felt as no time had passed and neither of you had to speak to know what the other one was doing next. 

But soon you realized it was doing no-good. 

“Nothing it’s happening to it!”, you grumbled as you saw how a part of the creature was burned away but soon was patched by another stream of water. 

“Don’t you have any other trick on that suit?”, Peter asked a little bit annoyed. 

You glared at him as you hovered above it, trying to avoid how he was trying to smash you. “It’s my first time fighting a

water monster

, what about yours?”, you snapped back at Peter who was crouched as he watched you from the other tower closer to Brooklyn. 

Peter was glaring at your comment, you could tell and you turned around to watch him, the nano-tech disappearing for one second from your face so he could see your smile. 

It was supposed to be one second but it was enough for it to catch you. 

And as soon as you were going to answer, you felt the hard push thanks to the water stream on your back, knocking you out of the sky and sending your body through the air and crashing it into the river. You were somehow thankful that your helmet had managed to cover your face before crashing since it had driven you deep into the bottom of the river. 

“Ouch”, was the only thing you managed to say. 

The screen in front of you was red, signaling possible damages to your suit and body, which didn’t surprise you. 

“Miss Stark, you might have a concussion and a bruised spine”, you closed your eyes for a second before trying to stand up and use your thrusters. “And I recommend getting out if the water, it appears that your suit had sustained some damages”, HAPPY said as you activated your thrusters. 

“You don’t say”, you grumbled as you charged thrusters and they sent you into a wobbly path to the surface. 

It didn’t take long for you to reach the surface, the mask dropping from your face as you took a deep breath and found a rather weird scene. 

It seemed like the golden lines that Doctor Strange and The Ancient One conjured with their hands but this was rather different, it had triangle symbols over it and it was

green

. 

And there was this

guy,

conjuring them with its hands and effectively

hurting

the waterman. 

“HAPPY, who’s that?”

But before the AI could answer, you heard Peter on the com. 

Peter felt sick as he saw your body helplessly crashing into the river. He tried firing some webs on your way but it was way too far for him to catch you and he panickily avoided the waterman as best as he could as he positioned himself under de bridge to see if he could find you. 

“KAREN?” He muttered as his eyes frenetically looked for you. “Where’s Y/N? Should I go down?”, he could feel the anxiety on his voice and it felt the same way when Thanos had threw you away. 

“Miss Stark is coming up”, Karen informed him and as if he had called your name, you appeared on the surface of the water. Taking a deep breath as your mask came off. 

“Y/N, thank god”, Peter sighed as he hanged from under the bridge, upside down. 

It seemed like he was looking for you and your heart thumped at the thought of Peter being worried about you. 

Quickly, he fired his web shooter and the web caught you, he then began to pull you towards him from the water and you honestly let him. Your back was hurting and so was your head, you were thankful for the help. But not so thankful for the other guy that was keeping the water monster occupied as Peter pulled you out. 

But your thoughts faded away as you got closer to Peter, who took your hand and pulled you in. 

“Peter, I’m -”,

Suddenly, he took a hold of your whole body, easily and pressed you against him as he climbed the side of the bridge quickly and laid you down on the ground. You winced as he let you on the floor, the nanotech being removed from your body as you coughed. By his agitated moves as he checked your whole body, you could tell he was worried although you couldn’t really see his face. 

“What’s hurting?”, Peter asked as he looked into your eyes, checking if the concussions were serious. 

His hands were touching your face, holding it so close to him that it remained you to older times. It sent a jolt of warmth through your body, seeing that he still cared, after everything that had gone down between the two of you. You didn’t know what Pepper had told him, but you were sure you had to thank her for it later because just by seeing his movements, you could feel that something had been lifted from him. So, you placed your hand over Peter’s who was holding your face, you could see how he tensed up for a second but then relaxed, a smile appear on your face and Peter was smiling under his mask as well.

But suddenly, another grumble filled the air and both of you turned your face to see the masked man fighting with the water being. 

“Wait, who’s that?”, you asked as you began to stand-up while Peter did the same, your suit retracting from your body.  

Peter really didn’t know who the hell he was, but somehow it reminded him a little bit of your dad and how he usually ended up helping both of you, saving the day. 

“I- I don’t know but I’m glad he’s here”, he muttered.

For some reason, the green mist was actually working and it seemed like it was making it weaker and weaker as the mysterious man surrounded it, conjuring green triangles with its hands. It seemed like magic, it really did seem like something Strange could do and somehow you internally cursed him for not appearing. 

Wasn’t he supposed to protect this dimension?

Now, you were not only mad with him about what had happened with Tony but you also felt your eyebrow twitching at the thought that he had sent an amateur magician to deal with an actual real danger that was threatening the city. Nowhere else ever you had faced a treat like this, you knew it by heart because a little bit before what happened with Thanos you had sneak with Peter to your father’s files and research about the many many threats earth had. 

Nothing had warned you about the monster that seemed out of Avatar: The Last Airbender. 

Suddenly, the man attacked the monster once again, and further away from the bridge, he conjured a whip made of the same dark green mist and managed to trapped the monster who growled as his water arms tried to reach him but they failed. 

“How’s he doing that? Who the hell is this guy?”, you snarled as you watched him carefully, limping a bit towards Peter who was watching the man closer to the edge of the bridge. 

“I don’t know but it seems to be working”, he muttered. 

Peter was, in fact, impressed by the mysterious man that had managed to give him time to rescue you. He seemed like, somehow, a

real

hero. Those that appeared on the comic books that Peter used to read on his childhood. Somehow coming out from the meeting, with no Tony giving instructions and not holding your hand, made him nostalgic. But now, it seemed as if things could really be alright. 

But on your other hand, there was something inside of you that didn’t sit right with you as you watched the strange man wrapping green mist whips on the monsters wrist, quickly he tore the monster apart without much damage done to him and it seemed as if the monster hadn’t even been there, only the mist of the water that quickly dissipated. The growls that had covered New York just a few seconds ago had become howls of hurt and defeat. 

It was gone, it was easily gone and you didn’t even know the guy who had done it. 

This was for sure going to be a headache on your first day of being the head avenger. “HAPPY”, you grumbled under your breath. “Get me everything you can find on this guy and…”

Before you could continue you could see people coming close to the bridge and to the edge of the river, slowly but surely you could hear them

applauding

him and your stomach dropped. 

It wasn’t as if you were jealous

per se

, it was about losing the control that you had just acquired that very same day. You believed you had done it right; you were following Tony’s footsteps and you were hoping deep inside your guts that you were actually doing the right thing. But now this man, who appeared out of nowhere, was being praised for only

one

fight. 

And somehow it felt like it had erased what you had done and how Tony had prepared you. 

Tony was the one that was usually applauded. 

Peter turned around to see your face of defeat and annoyance, but he on the other hand was almost mystifying but what had just happened. Because the one that was usually applaud was your father and this man, who was now waving at people on a green cloud of smoke above the river, seemed like a good one to add to your group. 

Still, he could see the pain on your face and his heart began beating faster as he tried to get close to you, not a lot since people were returning to the scene and he usually left so no one could see how close you actually were. 

“Y/N, we should leave”, he muttered as he fired a web to one of the towers of the bridge. 

Your eyes linked with Peter’s mask, who before were stamped on the mysterious man that had quickly dissipated before you notice. You were fighting to keep your tears together, not because it was in front of Peter but because people were getting closer. You sniffed for a second as the few people that had come to recover their car began to stare at you and honestly, there was nothing more you wanted right now. 

“Do you need a ride?”, a dead voice suddenly said. 

You turned around, startled as you watch Nick Fury with crossed arms in front of you, Maria Hill from behind him and an obvious crew of SHIELD agents behind them with a black jeep. Doors were open and they were obviously waiting for you. 

Before you could open your mouth, Peter spoke behind you as he walked in a protective manner towards Fury. 

“She needs to see Bruce, she’s hurt”, Peter stated with a gruff voice. 

It wasn’t that Peter didn’t like Fury, but like when the Scorpion had hurt you and he had lost it, he needed you to be okay. It was compulsive almost how protective he got when it came to you and although years had passed for you, you felt your heart jumping on your chest as you saw how his muscles contracted and how his hand became fists. 

But you weren’t the same one and neither was Peter, you were head of the Avengers now and you were the one that had to protect everyone. 

“Don’t worry, I’m okay”, you replied as you placed a hand on Peter’s shoulder and limped a bit towards Fury. “You can go now, though. I need to talk to Nick”, you said with the annoyance lingering on your voice as you glared at Fury.

“We were hoping

both

of you would come”, Maria stated as she walked towards both of you. “May you please come with us?”

You glared at the black jeep with the other agents looking back at you and contemplated it for a moment. You looked back at Peter who was already looking at you, checking in to see if you were okay with this. 

He could sense how tense you were; he could listen to how your heart was going crazy at the moment but he could also see in your eyes the spark of defiance he knew very well. 

“This better not take all day”, you muttered as you walked towards the jeep, limping a bit but trying to ignore the pain. 

You could hear Peter’s steps behind you and the rest of the SHIELD crew moving to transport you to, what you supposed would be, a secret base in New York that you probably didn’t know about. You entered the vehicle, ignoring the pain on your ribs and glaring at anyone that crossed your path. This meant something, that Fury had been at the exact same time that this asshole had defeated the water monster and that they had caught up to you and Peter just before you were about to leave?

Something didn’t fit and you were determined to know Fury’s ulterior motives, which he always had. 

Nevertheless, your thoughts faded away as Peter took his mask off and shook his curly brunette soft hair to make it look normal again. 

It was immediate how your cheeks grew warm and somehow, you eased up and you didn’t know if he noticed but with everything going on at the moment, you didn’t care. Peter, on the other hand, did notice but he didn’t really want to pay much attention, turning his head and looking around, trying to remain somehow alert on his surroundings but also being clearly clueless about what this was about. 

The car ride was silent, neither of you spoke a word but you could still feel the shift on the air because if you really wanted to talk to Peter, you felt like he wouldn’t shut you down anymore. 

Which you felt really thankful for but you still decide that for the moment you should keep it to yourself. You were known for being the queen of limits and keeping things to yourself, you knew that you couldn’t force Peter for the moment to be okay with you and if he wanted to talk to you, he would. So, you just left your unspoken truce to dwell while you were driven through New York.  

Either way, it didn’t take long for you to get to the secret base, it was underground as you had suspected and you could feel Fury’s eye-burning you while you tapped your phone as you tried to find out where the hell you were, silently asking HAPPY to scan the place, quickly taking on your hand one of the chips that were used to recollect information by hacking any system that Tony had created. This was the same way he had found out about what SHIELD wanted to do with the Tesseract, you just wished SHIELD hadn’t reinforced their system since. 

“This way”, Fury stated as you both followed his step and Maria’s down a cold metal hallway that ended in a rather small room with high tech around you, where multiple agents were working in small tables, giving coordinates and controlling the recent event, how was it going to be portrayed in the media and more. 

You scanned the room, trying to find anything strange or unusual and as you thought about it you stopped dead on your tracks while the man in front of you turned around with a rather hooded sight but other than that he was perfectly dressed and styled; as if he was one of the heroes in a movie that could do whatever he wanted and not a single hair was moved from his place. 

It didn’t sit right for you.

“This is Quentin Beck”, Fury presented as the man, now Beck approached you. 

“But you can call me Quentin”, his fruity voice catching you by surprise, then he offered his hand. 

You stayed silent as you shook his hand with a little bit more strength than usual, your eyes fixated on him as you tried to read into this guy. 

He seemed

normal

, nothing out of place and some could say he was actually a good looking guy, he was tall and his jaw was accompanied by a well-groomed beard, his body seemed to be molded by the gods -at least, with his ridiculous suit it seemed like it- and he had a good tight-lip smile but there was something in his blue electric eyes that made you uncomfortable. See, it wasn’t exactly the color that triggered something or the way they were surrounded by deep dark circles that you also had come to know but they seemed

intense and cold

,

inflexible.

His sclera was clearly visible above and below his iris, it was as if he was glaring wide-eyed at you. 

There was a drop of

something

on them, something

unstable. 

“These are Stark and Parker”, Fury stated as Beck let go of your hand but remained to look at you for a moment. 

 “You handled yourself well out there today. I saw what you both were doing”, Beck said softly to both of you, as Peter held out his hand for him to shake it. “We could use someone like you on my world”, he said talking directly to Peter.

Peter felt his chest filling with pride and a soft smile appeared on his face while you, on the other hand, frowned. 

“I’m sorry, your world?”

“Mr. Beck if from Earth, just not ours”, Fury explained as they walked you to a large table in the center of the room which had multiple holograms above it. 

“There are multiple realities. This is Earth 616 but I’m personally from Earth 833”, Beck followed as Peter’s eyes opened like plates while you focused on the holograms. 

“It’s just theoretical”, you huffed but Peter continued.

“That completely changes how we understand the initial singularity. We’re talking about an internal inflation system and how does that even work with all the quantum-”, Peter’s voice died down when he realized everyone was looking at him, unamused. “S-sorry”

“Don’t ever apologize for being the smartest one in the room” Beck said quickly with a smirk and a wink, making Peter smile again. 

Peter felt his chest puffing again and there was a familiar sense that also felt when he trained alongside Tony or manage to figure out something with him in the lab. Peter throughput his life wasn’t really confident, not even after he got his powers and became an Avenger; it was Tony that had been the one who planted that seed of confidence in him. So, to hear Beck saying something of that nature, it made him glad. 

You rolled your eyes and you quickly intervened, crossing your arms. “So, what does he have to do with these beings?”, you asked Fury. 

“They came from his planet and after the snap, it seemed like something shifted in our realities”, Maria Hill explained to you, you could feel her giving you a look. 

“So, what do we have to know about these beings?”, Peter interrupted

“They were born in stable orbits within black holes. Creatures formed from the primary elements and we just called them Elementals”; Quentin explained. “They first materialized on my earth many years ago. We mobilized and fought them, but with time they only grew and got stronger. I was part of the last battalion left trying to stop them, but the destruction was inevitable”

“And now they are here, trying to do the same as they did on your planet?”, Peter asked. 

Quentin gazed at Peter with a brooding expression and nodded. “But with your help, I think I can stop them. I manage to eliminate the Water Elemental today and last week we manage to eliminate the Sand Elemental”

“The attacks are imminent and Mr. Beck here believes that with your help on further attacks we can save the earth. He will lead us to save the earth on- ”

 “Fury, may I have a word with you”, you stated sharply, interrupting Fury. 

Everyone bug-eyed for your lack of subtlety but you didn’t care at the moment. You could feel Beck’s eyes burning you, as well as Peter’s but you didn’t flinch a bit. Still, your eyes locked with Fury’s eye. 

He cleared his throat as he looked at Beck. “We have to deal with our plan next, Stark”, he seemed like he was going to continue. 

You could swear your eyes rolled so back into your skull that your eyes looked white for a second. It was unbelievable how you were supposed to be in charge of this type of thing and the representation of the Avengers but you had to put all your trust into an unstable guy who

no one

knew and claimed that he was the

only

one to defeat these beings that were threatening earth? How stupid could that sound?

It was infuriating and it was so much more infuriating that you were being looked over and asked to be in a second seat. 

“How could you not tell me about this guy”, you snapped as you slapped the desk. 

Everyone stopped talking and turned around to look at you, even the agents working around and you could feel how Peter immediately took a step closer to you. 

“My name is Quentin”, Beck intervened, seeming a little bit upset about how you referred to him but it was the least of your concerns what he thought of you or whether he was offended. 

“Literally, nobody cares”, you replied as you glared at him for a second and turned back to Fury. 

It left Beck a bit stunned and also Peter, who didn’t really know if he should slap his face or give you a look that he often gave you when you step a little bit out of line. 

“Follow me, Stark”, Fury sighed, clearly losing his patience, as he walked towards the hallway where you had entered, you followed him swiftly. 

If it was the time to state your authority, then it shall because you weren’t about to give this up that easily and you had a responsibility, not only to the world but to your father as well. 

Once the door closed behind you, Fury began stealthy expression. “Stark, I understand you might be upset but I’m not only helping you run the avengers but more things are happening and as threats rise, so do the heroes”, 

“And like the one in the position, as you clearly stated, that you put me in, I should know about recruits. Especially someone you claim can save the earth! I should’ve been informed of these attacks”, you growled back, brows knitted together in a frown. 

“He’s not like one of those recruits, I can’t disclose it”, Fury replied, talking through his teeth. 

It was clear that he wasn’t backing down either, that Fury had decided to shut you out of this and that he took the decision on his own. He wasn’t even planning to tell you and that what had happened today and your involvement on it was merely circumstantial. 

But this was not the way you were going to work; this was not how you were planning to spend the next years of your life; always watching your back and being careful with who you worked with and fearing that someone might take your place if you didn’t prove you were good enough. 

That was not your life. 

“How the hell do you want me to run the Avengers without being able to trust the people I have to work with?”, you stated gravelly. 

Fury shut his mouth into a tight lip as he glared at you. It seemed like an eternity passed, both locking eyes and struggling to see who would stand down. 

Finally, he sighed. “Fine, I’ll tell you anything that concerns or affects your leadership on the Avengers”, Fury stated. “See? I’m nice like that”

But you remained with a deadpan expression because nothing so good would come that easily from Fury. You knew it by heart because although SHIELD would do the right thing, there would always be collateral damage or some unsuspecting exchange of favors. 

“In exchange for what?”

“Working with Beck”

You sighed and look back at the door thinking about Beck, you didn’t trust him. There was something on him that didn’t sit right with you, which cause you to be even more hesitant about this whole thing. There was a time your dad told you to always follow your instinct but this time you were at crossed roads and you didn’t know what to trust. 

But it seemed like Peter did. 

“So, your girlfriend is lovely”, Beck muttered as he got close to Peter who was anxiously gazing at the door, waiting for you to come back. 

He knew you were upset and his body was aching to hold you and tell you that it was going to be fine. But he knew it wasn’t his place and he was even surprised by how sudden he let go of his grudge. The thing was that when he fought with you, such in sync like you did before when he was so close to you to the point that he could hear your heartbeat; he felt that those two seconds of nothingness that still haunted him were completely gone along with all the loses suffer from Thanos. 

But then again, you and he weren’t together anymore. 

“Oh no, she’s not my -uhm-no”, Peter muttered as he tried to explain this beyond complicated situation but once he turned around, he saw Beck giving him a look, raising his eyebrows with a smile. 

He seemed good-natured. 

And it made Peter feel at ease. 

“Don’t worry about it, kid”, Beck replied as he placed a hand on Peter’s shoulders and gave him a comforting squeeze “It was a great work what you did today, on that bridge”

Peter gave him a nod and gave him a dimpled smile. 

“Than- Thanks”

 “Seriously, I’ve never seen someone doing those moves. Not even in my dimension”, he said with his gazed unfocused. It seemed as if he tried to recall sometime in the past, maybe lost battles against the elementals. 

So, Peter remembered once again his origin, which distracted him completely from you. 

“I can’t believe that! You come from this Earth with so much technology and science. I bet your scientist were incredibly smart, including you”, Peter exclaimed with a broad grin. 

“Yeah, but I have to tell you, kid, you got something that I haven’t seen”

Peter felt his chest getting warm and shook his head. 

“No, I’m a big fan of what you did today”, Peter replied as he tangled in a conversation with Beck. 

He was so into it that he didn’t even notice when you passed through the door, sulking after you had agreed with Fury about working with Beck to deal with this. You hoped that maybe this had passed, you could find a way to get him to another dimension since you didn’t want him sticking around if you were being honest. 

Before you could interrupt them, you felt Fury taking advantage of you and going to talk to them, so you thought it was the perfect chance as you got closer to the table with the hacker chip and place it under without anyone watching you. It was subtle and you smiled to yourself, but your smile quickly faded away as you saw how Peter was looking at Beck: his dilated pupils and his dimpled smile. It worried you because that kind of look, it only appeared when Tony was around, not even with Cap. It just transmitted such a close-knit relationship between Tony and him that it was strange for you to see him this excited by someone. It worried you even more how Quentin Beck was, he was full of himself and that egocentrically smirk with his all-powerful stand made him want to vomit, he had a big ego and you could see.

You didn’t like it. 

____

TAGLIST: @spideylovin​ @erindanus​ @zlamaneserce​ @bethanystan​ @cedricisnotonfire​ @lyzalovealk​ @babebenhardy​

[areiton]

a giant sign - ironhusbands

Read on AO3

~*~ 

He’s been friends with Tony long enough to know when his sulky moodiness is a passing thing, when it’s a low simmer that will eventually explode. 

He’s been friends with Tony long enough to know when his anger is pushed at Rhodey, and when he’s just angry, and Rhodey is the nearest safe target. 

He’s been friends with Tony long enough that this--this should sink in, a lot sooner than it does. 

Pepper thinks he’s been friends with Tony long enough because they’re both idiots. 

 ~*~ 

After Vanko, Tony is sulky and short tempered, none of the normal banter and teasing while he works on the armor. He’s quiet, mouth a hard line while Rhodey plays with Butterfingers and DUM-E chirps sadly for attention. 

Rhodey shouldn’t have favorites, of course, but Butterfingers with her shy sweetness has always been his favorite. He rubs oil into her claw and she almost preens for him, and he chuckles while Tony silently codes. 

It takes almost eighteen hours, but Tony finally slumps against the worktable and the War Machine is gleaming and beautiful, deadly. 

“You’re good to go, honeybear,” Tony says, rubbing his eyes. 

There’s a smear of grease on his cheek and in his hair, and a knick on his finger that’s oozing blood, shadows under his eyes, and his smile isn’t quite right, a little tighter and colder than Rhodey is used to. “All that Hammer tech is gone and you’re outfitted with even better weapon systems.” 

Rhodey smiles, and some of the tension in Tony’s shoulders loosen. 

 ~*~ 

He cleans Tony’s hands, bandages them and drops a kiss on his forehead before he steps into the armor and flies away, and he can feel Tony’s gaze on him, chasing him across the sky. 

 ~*~ 

Tony doesn’t make weapons anymore, not for the military, not for private owners, not even for SHIELD. 

But when he opens up the AI Tony has coded into the armor, he’s greeted with an array of weapons that make the Brass pant and his dick a little hard. 

Tony always made the very best weapons. 

“Think you can get him to open the weapons division up again?” his CO asks, his voice hungry and Rhodey laughs because this--

“No. Tony hung up his weapons.” 

“That’s not what the suit says,” his CO objects, and Rhodey shrugs. 

Tony has always had rules, rules he expects the entire world to live by. 

And then there was Rhodey, slipping under them. 

 ~*~ 

The Air Force shoves a new pilot, a pretty bright eyed Academy grad, into the suit while Rhodey is tied up at the Pentagon. 

He hears about it through the chain of command, and there’s a pulse of fury, because that’s his. 

The suit isn’t like a plane, fit to be flown by any passing warm body. That is his, given to him by Tony. 

And it’s an asset of the USAF and he can’t really throw a fit, because the War Machine saved fifty children in a militant cult’s sway, brought down the charismatic leader holding a gun to the head of his seven year old bride, and all without casualties. 

He doesn’t complain, but it twists, tight and angry in his chest. 

 ~*~ 

“Rhodes. What the hell is going on with the suit?” 

“I don’t know, sir. It’s still in Norfolk and I’m in DC.” 

“It’s not in Norfolk--it took off without a pilot thirty minutes ago.” 

Rhodey sighs. 

 ~*~ 

“You stole property of the USAF,” he says, three days later. It took three days to get away and Tony hadn’t answered any calls in the days since the armor took off without a pilot. 

“I took back something they had no right to use,” Tony answers, his light breezy tone razor edged. “If you don’t want it, it should come home.” 

Rhodey huffs. “I didn’t approve the other pilot.” 

Tony stares at him, something sharp and gleaming in his eyes, something that Rhodey didn’t quite recognize. 

“That suit isn’t for the Air Force, platypus,” Tony says, sharply. “And the next time I find out someone else is piloting, I’ll remote destroy it.” 

Rhodey blinks, and then nods, slow. “Ok, genius.” 

 ~*~ 

Rhodey is halfway around the world, escorting the President back to the States, when Tony flies a nuke into space, and the armor doesn’t feel safe, doesn’t feel like Tony wrapped around him, protective and indestructible. 

It feels like a tomb, a coffin too small for the way he feels, for the way his heart is pounding too hard, for the way the world is going supernova. 

 ~*~ 

Romanov eyes the suit, the way he stands, broad and powerful, his Gatlin gun a heavy weight at his shoulder, protective at Tony’s back, in the aftermath of the attack,and her smile is small and knowing and he shoves it aside, and focuses on this--

Tony, alive, bright and beautiful and alive. 

His fingers itch, ache to reach out and touch. 

 ~*~ 

“We’re doing a rebrand,” Karen says. 

“It tested well,” Chad adds. 

“War Machine is just too--hostile,” Karen says, a moue of displeasure on her pretty lips. 

He doesn’t say, Tony named me that. 

He doesn’t say, Fuck your tests. 

He doesn’t say, I don’t want your goddamn brand. 

James Rhodes is a good soldier and this--this belongs to the USAF, despite the protests and safeguards Tony has raised. 

“We’re calling it Iron Patriot,” Karen says, brightly. 

“It tests well,” Chad adds.

Rhodey hates it. 

 ~*~ 

AIM handles the rebrand. 

The military has accepted that Tony is not getting back into weapons, wants to distance themselves and their personal watchdog from Stark and his tech, his weapons that they can no longer access. 

Rhodey understands the desire--but watching a stranger coding his armor, picking JO apart and pulling her out of the suit, stripping away the weapons Tony built to keep him safe and replacing them with AIM tech he doesn’t know--

He feels nauseated. 

They paint the suit, blue and red, stripes and stars, a callback to their greatest Soldier, and he hates it, hates it, because Tony built this, built him and he doesn’t want to lead a team of armored soldiers or super soldiers or heroes. 

He wants to do what he’s done his entire adult life. 

He wants to walk in Tony’s footsteps, familiar and recognized because of the light reflecting off his best friend. 

He doesn’t say anything, and when they tell him, brightly satisfied, that he won’t be mistaken for Ironman anymore, he chokes his screams behind his teeth. 

 ~*~ 

It goes to hell. 

The suit gets stolen, and Pepper gets stolen, and Tony’s shitty coping mechanisms save the day. 

And when it’s over, when he’s wrapped up in a suit that feels dirty and wrong instead of safe and his, he sees Tony watching him, Pepper curled in his arms, and he doesn’t recognize the look in his friend’s eyes. 

 ~*~ 

Tony isn’t speaking to him. 

He doesn’t notice, not right away. There’s the mess to clean up, the President to return and debrief. 

Tony is busy making sure Pepper doesn’t die, and working with the best in the medical field to get his own heart put back together. 

He’s there, of course he’s there, when Tony goes under the knife again. 

But Tony doesn’t speak to him, not really, not in the hospital or after, and then he’s busy with the move from LA to New York and Rhodey is deployed again.

It’s pushed aside. 

 ~*~ 

“Tony’s pissed at me,” he tells Pepper. 

“I am really not who you should be talking to about this,” she sighs. 

“Pepper--” 

“We broke up,” she says, abruptly, and that makes him go quiet. “So you need to figure out your shit, and get back to him. He needs you.” 

“I don’t know what upset him,” Rhodey says. 

She barks a laugh, because Pepper has never cared about appearances with Rhodey, something that never fails to make him smile. “You know--Tony won’t make anyone else a suit. Not even the Avengers or SHIELD--they asked. He didn’t even make me a suit, when we were dating. You’re it. And that suit--Rhodey. It’s a giant gun toting sign that says ‘property of Tony Stark, don’t fucking touch.’” 

He’s silent and she laughs in earnest, now, delighted and shocked, “You didn’t know.” 

“He didn’t say,” Rhodey protests and she laughs and hangs up on him. 

 ~*~ 

“Pepper said something interesting,” he says, stepping out of the suit on the landing pad. It gleams, silver and familiar, so close to the Iron man armor that they can be--are--mistaken again. 

“Pepper says a lot of interesting things,” Tony says, his gaze flicking back to the suit, and some of the tension in his shoulders going loose. 

Rhodey extends a sheaf of papers. “The Brass signed off on this, this morning,” he says. 

Tony eyes it warily and then huffs and takes it from him, because Tony’s hangups about being handed things never extended to Rhodey and how had he never known. 

Tony’s eyes flick up to him, shocked and hopeful. 

“Apparently saving the President’s life means I can call in favors. As of this morning, the War Machine can only be upgraded and maintained by you,” Rhodey says. “And only piloted by me.” 

“Why?” Tony asks, and Rhodey huffs. 

Reaches out and draws him close with a hand on his hip, and hope is wild, burning in Tony’s eyes. 

“Because I don’t want anyone else touching what you made me,” he murmurs. 

“Because you keep me safe,” he breathes, and Tony whines, the words brushing over his lips. 

“Because I’m yours and that suit that you gave me--I only want you touching it,” he says softly, lips brushing over his jaw and the corner of his lips. “I only want you touching me.” 

Tony makes a noise, half sob, and Rhodey smiles and kisses him.

 ~*~ 

Later--

Later, after he has spread Tony across his bed, when he has come down Tony’s throat and fingered him open, when Tony has dug crescents into his shoulders and come, white and sticky across Rhodey’s abs, head tipped back, face slack with pleasure, eyes bright and trained on Rhodey, when he’s come, spilled in the tight heat of Tony and wrapped around him, kissed him until his lips feel swollen and bruised, when he scoops his come from where it’s dripping down Tony’s thigh, presses it back in, fingers pressing in and making Tony groan--

After he carries Tony to the tub and cradles him against his chest in the water, Tony leans his head back against Rhodey’s shoulder. 

“You coulda said,” Rhodey murmurs. “Mighta been easier to write it on my forehead--property of Tony Stark.” 

Tony flushes, still shy and Rhodey smiles, kisses him gently. “It’s fair, you know.”

“Why’s that, honeybear?” 

“You’ve been mine since MIT, genius. Only fair that I’m yours.” 

[iam93percentstardust]

Five Favorite Works of mine from the past year

I was tagged by @therollingstonys!

The rules of this circulating challenge are as follows: it’s time to love yourselves! choose your 5 favorite works you created in the past year (fics, art, edits, etc) and link them below to reflect on the amazing things you’ve brought into the world. tag as many writers/artists/etc as you want (fan or original) so we can spread the love and link each other to awesome works!

I decided to go with the stuff just from 2020 since I did this at the beginning of the year for 2019

New and Missing Stars

He gives her a choice: stay and become the monster Stregobor accuses her of being or leave and give up on her revenge.

In the end, it’s not a difficult choice at all. She isn’t stupid enough to believe herself capable of besting a Witcher (and it’s painfully clear that he will feel obligated to stop her). Above all else, Renfri has only ever wanted to live.

Did you guys know when you write for a new fandom, you get notes??? Because I didn’t. In all seriousness though, I wrote this in a single night because I just couldn’t get the idea out of my mind. I absolutely love the way it turned out and other than one or wording choices there isn’t a single thing that I would change, which almost never happens. I reread this one almost once a week, I still love it so much.

Electric Impulses

All children, even genius ones, deserve a friend and when one of Tony Stark’s friends destroys his favorite toy, he decides that the friends he creates are better than the ones he meets. Inspired by his father’s stories about the Howling Commandos, he creates holographic versions of his childhood heroes. As he grows up, peerless and lonely, Tony continues to upgrade his holograms until they become fully-fledged AI, capable of moving around the tower and offering advice and above all, loving him.

This shouldn’t be a problem and it isn’t – until the Avengers move in.

My very first MTH fic! I didn’t think I would love this one as much as I did since it wasn’t a prompt that I came up with but honestly, I absolutely adore this fic with all my heart. I very much love the version of Tony that I wrote in this and I really love the AI versions of Steve and Bucky who, by the end of working on this, were as real to me as any of the human characters I wrote for this.

Eyes Turned Skyward

Tony has an erogenous zone at the base of his wings.

Bucky probably wouldn’t have even noticed if it hadn’t been for Nat brushing her fingers against Tony’s back at breakfast. It’s an innocuous motion, probably nothing more than to let Tony—who startles easily—know that she’s back there. But Tony stiffens.

And then he shudders.

And Bucky sits up and takes notice.

Oh man, what to say about the Eyes Turned Skyward verse... It was my first attempt at writing wing!fic and I was trying to write a soft dom so I wasn’t sure how this was going to turn out since I see so much more of the traditional BDSM relationships in fandom. But I’ve been blown away by the response to it. I have several more installments of this verse planned and I’m really looking forward to writing more for it.

Spoils of War

Captured by the cruel Warlord of the North on the way to his wedding, Tony is bonded to two alphas who want nothing to do with him. Lonely and miserable, he struggles to survive in this harsh new world while his father prepares a rescue mission. But things are not what they seem and Tony soon finds that it is not his life he is in danger of losing but his heart.

So when I first posted the original ficlet that inspired this full length fic, I got a very lovely comment that called me a bitch for not tagging it as Steve/Bucky. Now, anyone who’s had more than a couple conversations with me has heard about my pet peeve for fics that tag every single relationship that appears in the fic, whether it’s significant or not (part of why ‘and now for a ficlet’ and ‘did you lose a bet or something’ were so difficult for me to tag) so I was really worried when I posted this that I was going to get more of the same response. And, honestly, Steve and Bucky were a lot darker in this fic than they are in some of my other stories so I wasn’t sure how this was going to turn out but I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the comments that I’ve gotten.

One of the things that always interests me about posting a story is the kinds of things that people comment on. For ‘Electric Impulses,’ I got a lot of comments about how sad the story was, which wasn’t something that I was expecting at all. ‘Spoils of War’ has - surprisingly to me at least - gotten a lot of comments about the relationship between Tony and Papa and I think that’s kind of cool.

Ask Me Again

The first time Steve asks Tony to marry him, Tony doesn’t even hesitate to tell him no. Steve isn’t terribly surprised. They’ve only been dating for two weeks. Steve had gone back to the tower after SHIELD had fallen, strode up to Tony, and gotten as far as, “As the world’s leading expert on waiting too long,” before Tony had stopped him by kissing him. It’s been two whirlwind weeks since then and he’s already certain that he wants to spend the rest of his life with him but asking him right after the first time they have sex had probably been a bad idea.

So, no, Steve isn’t surprised Tony tells him no.

He’s more surprised that Tony says sleepily, “Ask me again in the morning.”

He means to. He really does. But the morning brings with it a board meeting that Tony’s running late for and a possible sighting of Bucky and he forgets all about it.

I don’t usually write post-Civil War fic so this was a fun challenge to work on and is probably one of my favorites of the tumblr prompts that I’ve gotten over the last two months.

I’ll tag @ad1thi @omg-just-peachy @pineapplebread @maguna-stxrk @s-horne @firebrands and @ishipallthings

[s-trawberryv-eins]

Have We Met?

NOT MY GIF

Have We Met? 

Summary: Caroline Stark and Bucky Barnes meet for the first time. Again.

Warnings: funeral flashbacks, mentions of grief, injury

Please read here before reading!

Stark!OC x Bucky Barnes

Word count: 1285

A/N: I despise the ending of this. It may change. Apologies 😊

-

CAROLINE’S LAB

AVENGERS COMPOUND

UPSTATE NEW YORK

In the months after her father’s funeral, Caroline threw herself into her work. Every waking moment was spent in the lab or in her workshop. A great deal had been lost during the Battle of Earth, so she worked tirelessly to replace it.

After the battle, Dr Banner returned to the compound, and a fast friendship grew between the two geniuses. They both saw Tony in the other, both a comfort and a curse. They worked together on many a project, both new and old. Bruce had even been the one to persuade her to see a therapist after it became apparent that she struggled to adapt after being resurrected to a new world.

However, since Caroline had been forced to reveal her true identity, she saw less and less of the professor, and found herself quite isolated. Pepper caught on, eventually sending Morgan on missions of her own: Project Cheer Sissy Up, as they called it. The youngest Stark took her solo missions very seriously, of course, going so far as to request her very own lab coat and goggles.

It was a mid-April evening, and the girls were busying themselves with their respective tasks when FRIDAY spoke up, startling Morgan.

“Good evening, girls-“ A gasp interrupted the AI.

“You made me colour outside the lines, FRI!” Whined the smallest Stark, earning a chuckle from her sister.

"Apologies, Miss. Sergeant Barnes requests access Doctor." Tearing her eyes away from the screen in front of her, Caroline studied the look on Morgan’s face. Her head was tilted, and her brows were drawn together in confusion.

“But Caroline, I’m working.” Unable to stop herself from smiling if she tried, the doctor jumped out of her seat to plant a kiss on the girl’s head.

“Let him in, Friday, thanks." Barnes had never stopped by before, not that she could blame him. Banner usually helped when needed. The super-soldiers trust issues were all but world famous. It didn't come as a surprise to her that he avoided the one who lied about who she is.

As the door was pushed open, only Bucky’s head appeared, lingering in the doorway as a sheepish look appeared on his face. “I’m sorry to bother you. I’d normally to go Bruce, but he said this is a little ways out of his expertise.”

“Come in, Sergeant, take a seat. What exactly is the – oh.” Barnes stepped out from behind the door, revealing his vibranium arm. The arm itself was a nonissue for her. Knowing his story, and being surrounded by robot tech all her life, she didn’t bat an eyelid. What she wasn’t prepared for, however, was a vibranium arm all but dragging along the floor behind him. Entirely disconnected from its socket, hanging on lamely by a few wires, she jumped forward and grabbed it, supporting it herself rather than risking the wires breaking.

“Shit!” Both adults turned on their heels to face the child, who was staring at the arm with wide eyes before dissolving into a fit of giggles.

“Who taught you that?” There was a long pause.

“Mom.”

“It was Dad, wasn’t it?” With a fond roll of her eyes, she offered an apology to Bucky who only chuckled at the whole exchange. Gesturing to a seat, she placed the robotic limb on the table between them and gathered her tools before taking a seat herself.

“I’m sorry for never really introducing myself,” the solider began as Caroline began to work at replacing the broken fixtures and mending the wires. "I'm sorry for never offering my condolences after your-“

“It’s fine.” She cut him off before the words could even form on his tongue, eyes flicking over to her busy mini-me. "thankyou, but, it’s fine. I didn’t really expect any of you would want to talk to me again anyway." An icy tension clouded above them, both unsure what to say.

“I saw you.” Keeping his voice low as to not alert the child of the subject of their conversation, he continued. “I saw you at the funeral. Afterwards, I think. You were sat on a bed upstairs. I, uh, got lost.” Caroline had stilled, her movements frozen as he recalled that October day. The worst day of her life, she’d decided. At least when Pepper returned from the battle to break the news to her children she didn’t need to hide. The memory singed into her brain. Limbs tangled together in an attempt to keep each other glued together. Hoarse voices, shattered hearts, tear stained everything. At the funeral she’d stayed hidden. Blended in, not made a scene. Only Pepper witnessed the aftermath of this decision late that night, when the guests had departed.

“You were crying, but everyone was so I guess I didn't think much of it. If I’da known, Caroline…” Blue eyes search for brown, but she refused to look away from his arm, not confident in her ability to hold it together.

"I shouldn’t have been there. Not after everything…” the stifled sob that fell from her lips shut him up. It didn't take a genius to figure out what he was talking about. The Winter Solider had murdered her grandparents’ way back when. In the years since finding out about it, she'd never figured out how to fell about it.

“Please, Sergeant.” Her voice was weak and she cursed herself for it. “not whilst my sister is here.” Willing herself to meet his eyes, she was taken about by the guilt that visibly tormented him. In an attempt to lessen the unease, she smiled gently, swallowing the lump in her throat. “Let’s get you fixed up. Fancy telling me how you’ve shredded some of the best tech I’ve ever seen?” A smile appeared on both of their faces.

"Can I blame it on Sam?”

-

2 HOURS LATER

Tools clattered loudly as they were tossed carelessly on to the table. "All finished. Next time you wanna tear your limbs off, do it in the morning so that I can go home on time." Her attempt at a harsh tone was betrayed by the smile that painted her lips. Pepper had collected Morgan a while ago, the two living a short drive from the compound.

“Let me walk you back?” Flexing his newly fixed bionic, Bucky pulled his t-shirt over his head. Caroline forced her eyes to remain on his face rather than drift towards his ridiculous torso. “It's the least I can do.”

“Sure. Thankyou.” Evidently, she’d been staring at his face a little too hard, the smirk on his face causing hers to flush pink. Turning on her heel towards the door, she addressed the AI and touched her warm cheeks gently, embarrassment obvious. “FRIDAY, please lock up behind us?”

“Of course. Goodnight, Doctor. Sergeant."

-

Arriving outside her apartment door, Bucky leaned over the railing, looking through the glass wall of the fortress-like compound. "You can see our common room from here. That’s kinda cool.” The doctor observed as the soldier gazed around, the novelty of his home clearly still present.

“Thankyou for walking me back. I know you normally go to Banner for your arm, and if you want to keep it that way, it's totally fine, I get it,“ cringing at her own terrible rambling, Caroline sucked in a breath and started again. “My door is always open if you need anything. Dr Morgan and I would never say no to some extra company."

“Understood, Doctor. Goodnight." Remaining in the doorway until he was out of sight, she noted the sense of relief she felt after spending an evening with someone new. It was refreshing. Perhaps she would try again.

[void-knights]

Babysitting

Square Filled: Morgan Stark Pairing: None Tags: Babysitting, Baking, Fluff, Dress Up, Summary: Pepper and Tony need to go to a meeting, Loki is the only person they can call upon to babysit Morgan. Word Count: 2784 Written/Created for @lokibingo

AO3 Link

He hadn’t been either Pepper or Tony’s first choice, but given the fact that the other avengers were either already tied up on assignments, unreachable or unsuitable to babysit that left the pair with two options.

Thor, the god who was lounging about eating junk food and watching comedies after spending the morning training. Or Loki. Pepper choose Loki, at least he managed to wear pants that weren’t covered in some sort of dip and crumbs.

Morgan Stark looked up at Loki bemused, she might only be young, but she could clearly see this was way out of Loki’s comfort zone. Nobody left their offspring with him, occasionally he had saved children as he was now a hero and avenger. But nobody said “here you go Loki,” and then proceeded to go off to some sort of business meeting.

“Why do your parents not simply hire a professional to look after you?” Loki asked the young girl who shrugged. How was she supposed to know?

“I’m bored,” she announced like that was Loki’s problem, the god blinked at her, “You’re supposed to look afta me.”

Loki having no experience when it came to Midgardian childcare differed to the child he was looking after, “So how do you suppose we remedy that?” he asked her, as smart as she was she found Loki’s mannerisms weird, he picked up on her confusion, “What do you usually do?” he corrected.

The young girl grinned, he had no idea! She could say anything, and he would probably do it, that’s what happened with the last babysitter and then there had been an explosion, “Daddy lets me play science with Dum-E!”

As amusing as it was to be lied to by a five-year-old Loki feared the percussions of letting Dum-E out of the labs, “Did your parents not inform you that I  am the god of lies?”

“My dad says you have a stick up your butt and pretty eyes!” Morgan just blurted out as children tended to do. Loki saved that little piece of information for later, “So you always lie?” The girl asked.

“No, I am the god of lies, it is my sphere of influence, as thunder and lightning is my brothers,” Loki explained as simply as he could.

“Okay!” Morgan smiled taking hold of Loki’s hand which surprised the god, apparently she was a very tactile child, “Lets eat chocolate cake!”

“We do not have a chocolate-”

“-Lets make one!” Morgan tugged on his arm, but she could not move him like other people, “You’re strong,” she pointed out as though he were not aware of that fact. She tugged again, and he followed, not sure if this would be a good idea.

FRIDAY was the first to point out that this was in fact a terrible idea, but Loki silence the AI’s concerns as he searched Morgan’s tablet for the perfect chocolate recipe. The extreme chocolate cake recipe seemed promising, though Loki detected an eye roll from the surrounding AI.

Loki’s first problem was the fact that the recipe called for cup as a measurement, “Who uses cups for measurement?” he asked the girl who had asked to be dressed in a lab coat (one Loki himself crafted with a simple spell) and goggles, because safety! “That is not accurate, all cups are different sizes!”

The AI of course provided the answers, Loki wrote down her conversions, “It sounds like an overly complicated way to measure ingredients, why not simply use weight as a measurement?” Loki demanded to know.

“Because it’s easier?” Morgan asked.

“Quicker certainly but not easier,” Loki groused after measuring out every ingredient they would need, he needed to keep Morgan from sticking her fingers in the sugar and licking it.

“So we must first pre-heat the oven,” Loki read out loud and walked over to said oven.

“NOOO!” Morgan squealed pulling on his black and green cacti print apron, she shoved a pair of gloves into his hands, “You need ta wear gloves, the oven is hot!”

“The outside of the oven is not hot,” Loki protested, but Morgan stood her ground, stubborn like her mother she refused to move until Loki put on the gloves. Rather inconvenient, but he did not want to cause her to have a meltdown. “Happy?” he asked her showing her his gloved hands.

“Yep!” She nodded and proceeded to get out of his way, that was the oven taken care of. He discarded the gloves and handed Morgan a pan to grease while he greased the other.

As Loki placed the ingredients into a bowl Morgan stirred, she was overly careful making sure to keep everything inside the bowl. It helped that Loki discretely used his magic to actually keep everything inside the bowl while the child stirred haphazardly.

It was like watching a miniature Stark working in a lab, her tongue stuck out as she concentrated her brows furrowed and her attention was all but consumed by mixing ingredients. She didn’t even notice Thor come into the kitchen to grab food and leave, miffed that she had not even noticed him. She had one job, and she was going to do it to the best of her ability.

“I think that is enough,” Loki assured her, pulling away the bowl he stirred in the bowling water making sure everything as it should be. Well he used magic to stir the bowl, much to Morgan’s fascination.

“How do you do that?” she asked him.

“Magic,” Loki said creating a small ball of green light and tossing it into the air where it exploded, of course a Stark would applaud an explosion!

“Soooo, could you like turn the chocolate a different colour with magic?” Morgan asked her tone suggested mischief, her intentions suggested mischief but for the life of him Loki could not understand what was so mischievous about changing the colour of chocolate.

Chocolate on Midgard (the only place in the nine realms that produced the stuff) came in various colours already, so why should this request illicit mischief in the girl? Was he starting to lose his grasp on the basics of mischief? Surely not?

“And why would we want to do that?” Loki asked her curiosity weighing heavy on him.

 Morgan beamed, “Mommy says that when things are weird colours people don’t like to eat them. So if we make our chocolate cake a weird colour nobody else will eat it!”

A child’s logic, but surprisingly it made a lot of sense.

Natasha had once bought black ice cream (enough for everyone) and nobody had eaten it save Natasha. It had been an overly hot summers day, everyone craved ice cream but  that ice cream had not appealed to anyone.

“What colour do you suggest?” He asked.

“All the colours,” Morgan whispered heavily excited by the prospect.

“Well that would be impossible, there are colours that even a gods eye could not detect given the limited biological-” Morgan scrunched up her face she was lost.

“Like a mantis shrimp? They got more eyes but can’t see as many colours!” Morgan said Loki did not know what a mantis shrimp was, could one eat one? He did like shrimp. “What next?” she asked.

“Now we must make the frosting,” Loki read carefully, while the cakes cooked in the ovens.

Staring at the frosting Loki wondered whether he could actually change the colour using magic, Morgan sidled up to him curious to see if he could actually do what he claimed.

“What colour would you like?” he asked her.

She thought about it then obviously said, “Red and gold!” because of course she did.

It took an obscene amount of work and concentration to shift the colour, while he worked he failed to notice Morgan sticking stickers to his back. His entire back was covered in various brightly coloured animal stickers by the time he managed to shift the colours of the frosting.

One bowl contained gold frosting that resembled gold leaf and the red of the iron-man armour.

It was time to take the pans out of the oven, Morgan was stood there holding up the oven gloves expectantly. She had that look her mother used when she used to corral people into doing whatever she wanted.

It worked, Loki slipped the gloves on to take out the pans, leaving them on the side to cool he returned to Morgan. “It says to wait twenty minutes,” She pointed out, since a comment on the recipe called for an additional ten minutes, it was to be a moist cake it needed the additional time otherwise it would fall apart when removing it from the pan.

“That’s sooo long,” Morgan complained.

“Well what would you like to do in the meantime?” he asked her.

The girl thought about it, what could she do in twenty minutes? She studied Loki then broke out into a grin, “Makeovers!” she said. He didn’t understand until she broke out the large plastic box of cosmetics.

 “No,” He warned her.

“Please,” her lower lip wobbled which for reasons he could not explain broke down his defences.

Morgan Stark might be a budding genius when it came to the sciences, but she was not good at makeup, which came as no surprise given her young age. She used chalk to colour his hair, used powders to colour his face and all he could think as she tried to paint his nails (black because it would match his tunic) was what they would say in Asgard if they could see him now.

That was until Morgan smiled at him, “You’re not so bad Loki!” she said in that overly friendly tone that mirrored her father.

“You thought I was bad?” He asked her, she blinked up at him confused, before returning to her rather messy painting job.

“Grumpy,” She said, “You frown a lot,” she continued accidentally brushing black nail polish over his finger.

“I’m a frowny sort of person,” he said.

“Yep,” She nodded, “Ta-Da!” she said, not the best paint job but it was reasonably okay for a little girl.

“Not bad,” he complimented using magic to dry his fingers before removing the excess polish.

“Mine now!” She said holding up purple sparkly nail polish for him to use, yes he could imagine the ridicule he would face if this were Asgard. But this was not Asgard, she smiled as he painted her nails, drying them with magic she beamed at him, “Thank you!”

“You are welcome,” Loki patted her on top of the head, this for some reason greatly pleased the girl who was very used too much better forms of praise, affections and platitudes, “Now to decorate our cake.”

“Yes!” Morgan giggled.

It had all gone so well, it started off with the pair of them watching a video on how to ice a cake and make it look halfway decent. Both Morgan and Loki looked at their own cake and then back at the video, then back at their attempts at icing.

“What matters is how it tastes,” Loki said.

Morgan however said, “It looks like runny poo!” and how did she know that and what was he supposed to say to that?

“Nonsense,” Loki said cutting a slice for himself and the girl, the cake  did taste good but the longer he looked at the cake the more he could see what Morgan meant. It was rather off-putting.

“Now what?” Morgan asked with cake smeared all across her mouth and face.

“You’ll have to wash your face,” he said she ran away, “ Really! ?”

To his surprise Morgan was quite a slippery child, she managed to use their sizes to her advantage. The biggest surprise came when the kid slid along the floor between his legs and out into the garden. What had gotten into her? She was usually so calm and well-behaved.

He chased her out into the garden, where using his shapeshifting abilities he managed to catch her and drag her back inside. Now she was covered in grass, mud  and chocolate.

“What has gotten into you child?” He asked her.

FRIDAY was the one to answer, “You have fed a child inordinate amount of sugar, she is currently experiencing a sugar high.”

“Why are you humans so complicated?” Loki hissed as he held the squirming girl at arms length. “Now you will need to bathe yourself and change your clothes.”

“Nuh uh!” Morgan violently shook her head, “Dad says you don’t need to bath until you smell, I don’t smell!”

“Your dad also says it’s okay to eat two day old pizza, it is not,” Loki pointed out.

“I saw you eat two day old pizza as well!” Morgan said.

“Don’t lie,” she wasn’t, but he wouldn’t have her defaming him. The little girl however giggled at him, children in Asgard would never laugh at him like this.

“More cake?” she asked.

“No bath and change of clothes,” Loki argued.

Morgan stuck her tongue out at him and was surprised when he mirrored her expression, the pair of them childishly stuck in a series of stupid expressions and taunts. He would not loose to a child!

*****

Pepper returned worried, FRIDAY had assured her that everything was fine and Loki was managing surprisingly well. But Pepper tended to worry whenever she had to spend too much time away from her daughter.

Tony had just a smidgeon more faith in Loki, mostly he was exhausted and eager to go home and curl up with his family. It was less that he had faith in Loki and more that he trusted FRIDAY to alert them should the worst come to the worst.

“…So then Thor ran into the hall, a goat under one arm, the second chasing him and said ‘I found the key!’ his goats had eaten it!” Loki finished her story causing Morgan to fall backwards giggling.

Well that was a story Tony wanted to hear! The bigger question tough was why was Loki (as a woman) wearing Elsa’s dress complete with sparkly ice bits? Why was Morgan dressed up in a miniature suit that resembled one of Tony’s and was that a fake goatee?

“Do we want to know?” Tony asked them.

“Yes, but we’re not gonna tell ya!” Morgan giggled running over to her parents and hugging them.

“Did you have fun?” Pepper asked hoisting the young girl up into her arms.

“Yep!” Morgan smiled, “We made you a cake, then we ate it, we made pasta! Loki can cook did ya know?”

“No,” Both Tony and Pepper said utterly surprised.

“We painted our nails, mine are purple, Loki’s are black,” Morgan showed her mother her nails, then her dad.

“Very pretty,” Tony grinned, Morgan nodded, of course they were! Pepper handed Morgan over to her father, who balanced her on his hip, soon she would be too big for this. He savoured every moment he could get.

“Then we played games, we ate more food and Thor even played with us,” Morgan continued without missing a beat.

“And where is Thor now?” Pepper asked a little worried but more amused by everything she was seeing or not seeing. Shockingly the entire compound was clean, tidy, nothing seemed out of place. It was hardly like this especially when the avengers were home.

“He’s tied up outside, he’s a grumpy storm cloud and I had to save princess Loki, DUH!” Morgan explained joyfully.

“Duh,” Loki reiterated while rising to her feet, “Morgan is a fine hero,”

“I saved a princess!” Morgan nodded quite seriously.

“Sooo… we should untie Thor?” Pepper asked wondering how they had managed to tie up Thor.

“He’ll break free eventually no need to worry,” Loki waved off without a care, completely trusting either Bucky’s goats to recognize the god and chew through the ropes or for Thor to get bored and break through the enchantment.

“Well… thank you, Loki,” Pepper smiled at him grateful that he had done such a fantastic job, at least if Morgan was to believed as she continued to praise the god to her father, “If we’d known you’d be such a great babysitter I’d have asked sooner.”

“I’ve had centuries of practice,” Loki smiled.

Morgan hopped out of her fathers arms and ran over to the god tossing her arms around his waist she squeezed him into a hug, “Thank you, Loki!” she grinned at him, much to the surprise of her parents. The pair had never really interacted before so seeing this was good, it was nice, it reassured their parental worries.

“Yes, you are most welcome,” he said patting her head, “It was a pleasure,” and to his surprise he had meant it.

[fatedfuturist]

things about my interpretation of tony stark. updated june 07, 2020.

here’s my exhaustive explanation for how i am not canon-compliant with the events and characterization of the mcu.

the reason for this is… well, there are several reasons, but i don’t want to stir shit up or just, in general, stomp on anyone else’s love for the mcu. and don’t get me wrong— i do love the mcu! but there are parts i’m critical of for personal reason, as we all have opinions on certain things. bc, yeah, you can love something, or someone, and still be logically critical about it or them.

anyway, here’s where my interpretation differs…

as per stated on my rules: i take inspiration for tony from multiple sources, including the mcu, marvel comics, the television show: avengers assemble, and my own personal headcanons. TONY IS ALSO ASIAN (SPECIFICALLY CHINESE) AMERICAN!!

i will admit that saying this isn’t particularly helpful if people don’t know, specifically, where i differ in terms of my interpretation of our dumbass genius. some of this info is scattered about on my blog, but here, it’s all consolidated into one post.

chen kun is my face claim, and i do use stuff from tony’s story from the mcu as a base. however, there are events and moments from the movies, that i selectively ignore due to personal preference; and then i build on top of my foundation with ideas, themes, and/or events from other sources such as the aforementioned sources listed above.

throwing this all under a read more because, like i said: exhaustive list. very. very. very fucking long. i’m serious– read at your own risk.

howard stark was an extremely abusive and absent father for all of tony’s childhood; tony did actively seek attention and approval from howard because he was rather aware of how famous he was and wanted the acceptance and validation from his dad; there wasn’t much shown in the mcu regarding his relationship with his father, but my inspiration for his father-son relationship comes from the comics;

an example of his verbal abuse: “you don’t want to be a sissy, now do you? stark men are made of iron!” (Iron Man, 1968);

an example of early exposure to alcohol: at age five, howard forced a drink into tony’s hand (which he did drink), stating that it would teach him “to be a man,” and that it’d “put hair on your chest” (Iron Man, 1968);

yes, this means that tony ‘forgiving’ howard in endgame is completely chucked out the window;

tony loses his parents the night of december 16, 1996 (not 12/16/1991), at the age of seventeen;

jarvis, the family butler, was more of a father to tony than howard ever was, and yes, this is why he names his first fully-functioning AI system jarvis;

tony was close with his mother, maria; she was his safehouse, and she taught him to be gentle and loving, and she also taught him the piano, which tony still periodically practices during his own time in private. in an avengers assemble episode, there is a piano in the tower that tony protects twice, which i reckon is because it has connections to his past with maria;

tony ain’t an old grandpa. i don’t see him being older than, like, 35–40 in the present time for my writing (chen kun is 44). this comes from comic and avengers assemble inspiration, which has been fairly ambiguous since they never mention his age. for plotting purposes in the mcu though, yes, he can be like 42–52 if needed.

tony is, by default, single unless otherwise stated. the reason for this is simply because i’m not big on tony / pepper in the mcu, and it’s not because i don’t like pepper (i love her as a character as an individual), but i just saw that the way they were written (so, this, yes, blames the mcu writers) was completely trash; they sort of redeemed it in endgame, but... in general, they had a lot of potential but then some writing choices pretty much ruined the ship for me;

this means that morgan does not exist unless otherwise specified and discussed, though i do enjoy the concert of tony being a dad to his own kid and breaking that cycle of howard’s shitty parenting;

i’m going to be as honest and transparent as i can: i do, for certain, love writing stevetony. they’re my primary ship. not simply in mcu dynamics, but from the comics and avengers assemble. however, like some can attest to, i will never force a ship on anyone. if you express no interest in them romantically? that’s fine. we can write them simply as good friends and comrades. i won’t stop writing or plotting with you if you don’t like them in a romantic dynamic. if you do like it that way? cool. i know it might be intimidating to discuss this given i look like complete trash for them, but i never choose who i will/will not write with based on whether we ship or not;

tony, publicly, hints toward being bisexual and biromantic a lot of the time as he’ll practically flirt with anyone at all times, but he never really openly admits it due to his oh-so ancient internalized homophobia (thank you for that one, howard and societal expectations of the time);

justin hammer is a long time rival in the industry, and often meddles with tony and his work all the time. it’s nothing new. the lack of foundation established in IM2 doesn’t provide much insight into their relationship. long story short (taken from avengers assemble): hammer is a punk bitch who’s jealous and tony is tired of him and will gladly beat his ass any day of the week whenever he drives a tank into his front door (which happens more often than not).

tony is fantastic with children. he loves getting to interact with children because he knows how excited they are to see him and/or iron man (seen in both the mcu and in the comics). this type of attention he’s okay about. if he can inspire children to do good things and be good people and be heroes in their own right, then he’s doing his job;

tony fosters the intelligence and dreams of bright individuals all the time by offering scholarships for high school graduates and post-secondary students, and also provides internship opportunities (equal opportunities regardless of race, sex, gender, religion, disability status, age, etc.)

we only see this occur with peter and harley in the mcu, but there are other kids— like riri williams! tony sees these kids for the bright minds that they have and he wants to help them and keep them safe as he knows these are the brains of the future.

let me run over iron man 3. like i said, i ignore some shit from the movies. tony doesn’t initiate the clean slate protocol, he doesn’t throw the arc reactor into the ocean, and he doesn’t remove the arc reactor from his chest. he will get surgery to get the shrapnel removed because if i were the follow the pain that comes with the comics, tony would literally be always on the verge of death at all times, requiring a chest plate to be recharged constantly to make sure the shrapnel doesn’t get closer– see? that’s a lot and i’m... lazy.

the reason for those choices are simple: clean slate protocol undoes his character progression;

the arc reactor is just a part of him as a person, stands as his heart;

avengers movie nights, (video/board) game nights, and training days exist and you will never be able to pry that out of my hands. tony always shows up fashionably late with coffee and pays for when shit gets broken by thor. team building exercises exist plenty within avengers assemble, including the fact that they share chores and decides who gets to do the next load of laundry from whoever chooses the short stick from the bunch.

tony has had anxiety and depression since he was a child. it just didn’t really flare up and get identified as a real, tangible mess of emotions and thoughts until he’d been kidnapped (and nearly died, at that). it got worse when he failed to address it until after IM3. into the present-day, tony deals with anxiety, depression, and PTSD all the time, but has improved (…sort of) when it comes to handling all of it, and certainly has grown to recognize similar symptoms in the people he cares about;

on another hand, tony has displayed symptoms of ADHD, but it’s not officially diagnosed, and some of these symptoms include, but are not limited to: hyperactivity (staying awake for days on end) and hyperfocus (hyper-focus on work), distractible (easily distracted when he’s not focused on something), rambling (talks a lot and often makes rather intuitive connections due to how busy his brain functions), impulsivity and recklessness (self explanatory), constant need to move around and/or do something (in meetings, he will be moving somehow, whether it’s tapping fingers or feet, or shifting around in his seat);

there are days where he feels inferior due to how human he knows he is (in comparison to most of his team), and other days, he feels as though he’s more machine than he is man. these feelings fluctuate depending on how he’s doing with his mental health, and/or if he hears and/or sees anything about him that points toward either idea;

there is always overwhelming guilt for those he can’t keep safe or people that die; tony doesn’t like to kill anybody (unless it’s robots, because… they’re robots, not human lives); though, if pushed far enough with no other choice, he will throw conventional morality out the window for the sake of protecting all that he believes to be for the good of the world;

tony isn’t jacked. he isn’t captain america fit, but he isn’t particularly thin, either. his body is sort of like a runner’s build (for visuals, refer to valerio schiti’s comic art of tony). i interpret tony’s body as a slight bit slimmer. he exercises, and being in the suit also is its own form of exercise. god forbid we discuss his eating habits, though. and–– he also isn’t short short, but he isn’t tall, either. he sits at 5’10”, which might be a little below the average male, but that’s about it.

speaking of eating habits, simply put: tony can’t cook for shit and that’s it. he’ll try to cook for his significant others’ on the occasion, but he can’t be blamed if he burns everything.

tony isn’t ‘woke’ or perfect, as it’s imperative to remember he grew up as rich and with financial and some social class privilege (since he was rich), despite the abuse and harassment he experienced during his youth. it’s taken him time to recognize this, and he realizes it really doesn’t cost anything to be a better person, which is why he tries to be better when it comes to his tone of voice when discussing certain topics he has no authority to be speaking of, and by taking action with simple manual labour when it comes to chores (so he doesn’t hire other people to do shit for him). he also knows he can’t be a man of ‘all bark and no bite’ when it comes to supporting people and causes, hence why he actively advocates for female and youth empowerment through both words and actions.

in regards to ca:cw events, i would prefer to ignore them. for specific-plotting purposes, this can be dropped, but i prefer the events of avengers assemble when it comes to ‘civil war’. it’s actually really simple:

tony was not honest about his intentions with the team regarding a robot that was initially made for him by howard, which ended up with an ultron reboot that nearly risked loads of civilian lives and the team’s lives;

steve confronted tony about it when they returned back to avengers tower. with tony’s insistence that everything was now fine, steve decided to resign due to tony’s dishonesty and lack of trust in the team;

this splits the team in half, where steve takes— well, they decided to leave since they didn't like tony's lack of honesty— natasha, the hulk, and the falcon to work under SHIELD as the ‘secret avengers,’ and tony, clint, and thor remain as leftover avengers (later with the addition of ant-man and temporarily, spider-man, in some missions);

in the end, they all join back together after learning to appreciate their differences and reconciling under the fact that there wouldn’t be any more secrets that could risk the world, and the team’s safety;

if i am to follow the events of the mcu— between ca:cw and infinity war, he develops nanotech for his armour, which is embedded into his very skin to accommodate for nanobots, which interacts via neural transmissions (visuals here);

tony recognizes that he lost his temper and let his emotions get to him in the moment, which fucked up shit that could’ve been talked through and fixed;

tony is an alcoholic. he recognizes that he always will be, though he’s always working toward sobriety. he certainly relapses every so often when things are rough and he feels as if he has no other options, but he’s aware that relapsing is part of the process of recovery. he has attended AA meetings (alcoholics anonymous), and has been AA sponsors for people in the past;

to skim through the events of infinity war and endgame should these be part of the things you’re curious about (this is getting really long and i’m sure you’re tired of reading this—how have you gotten this far?):

after returning from space, tony took a few months (~ five) to recover from those three months of malnutrition, dehydration, and the wound of thanos’ stab. tony sealed the front of his injury, but he sure as hell wasn’t seen dealing with the back end. during this time, he’s able to regain some muscle mass;

he lives on his own, retreating to the cabin to escape from the responsibilities of being a fallen hero who ultimately failed the people he was supposed to protect.

during the five year gap, he keeps in contact with the other avengers, but very rarely. they’re the only ones who know where he lives;

like i said— tony does not say any of that forgiving bullcrap to howard. victims of abuse don’t have to forgive their abuser, parent or not. let’s just imagine the entire interaction didn’t happen at all;

tony doesn’t die;

he used the infinity stones; but, to maintain consistency with what the mcu established w/ thanos: he sustained significant damage to his right arm, up to the shoulder and neck. it’s gravely scarred. the overall function of that arm also diminished greatly. vision out of his right eye is not as sharp as it once was, either;

a year of recovery and physiotherapy later, tony decides to amputate and go for a prosthetic. he works with shuri and wakandan tech to build an arm;

despite the end of the looming, world-ending thread, tony still battles resurfacing trauma. not every day is happy, but he is working toward recovery. there are days he doesn’t remember chunks of what happened due to the power of the infinity stones; sometimes, he doesn’t even want to remember it, anyway;

tony retires. sort of. for the most part. if the world really needs iron man, he’ll be there;

tony may have handed CEO-ship to pepper, but he still handles a lot of work for stark industries, and that’s what he primarily does post-endgame.

the multiverse and realm-traveling happens a-fucking-lot 

[avengerscompound]

Those Little Words - One

Those Little Word:  A Iron Man Fanfic

Series Masterlist

Buy me a coffee with Ko-fi Word Count: 2214

Pairing:  Tony Stark x F!Reader

Warnings:  Age difference (not used as a kink), Dirty talk, Smut (M|F, oral sex, vaginal sex, public sex), unsupportive parents.

Synopsis:  Everyone knows that Tony Stark is the textbook definition of a narcissist. So what happens when he meets someone just like him.

Those Little Words

Tony Stark is the textbook definition of a narcissist.  Everyone knows that.  He even knows that.  He prides himself on it.

The day you met him, you had no doubts.  The person this man loved most was himself.  You’d just started your post-doctorate.  You were an evolutionary biologist studying the sudden random mutations that had started springing up in humanity.  Doctor Banner had taken you on for your first postdoctoral position.  He was supervising you through Columbia.  It was complicated because he didn’t technically work there, but the University had been excited having his name to your papers and he was excited because your Ph.D. thesis had the potential to be adapted to help cure his condition.  You weren’t so sure, but he was the best in the field.  The fact he took you under his wing was a big win for you.

So three days a week you worked directly with Bruce in his lab.  A lab where you had access to blood and tissue samples of a number of different supers.  They were more than happy to provide them under the proviso that they never left Bruce’s lab.  Which would be fine with you, except that there was something else that wouldn’t leave Bruce’s lab.

That thing was Tony Stark.

He had come in, seemingly mid-sentence, while you were being shown around by Bruce.  You were already pretty star struck.  You were working with a world leader in your field who just so happened to be an Avenger.  In the Avengers Tower.  You’re pretty sure in the lobby you saw Captain America and now the Tony Stark just waltzes into your lab like he owns the place.

Which of course he does.

“So I thought if we just recalibrate the system to push back any time polarity is reversed, it should stabilize the core.”  He says and tips a handful of raisins into his mouth. The yogurt covered kind.

You turn to look at him, eyes wide and mouth hanging open.  It’s like your brain just short-circuited.  Here you are at work and Iron Man is just strolling around.

“That might fix the problem we’re having with Quantum Flux.  You’d need to adjust for the tunneling effect.”  Bruce adds.

“Who’re you talking to?”  Tony says as he walks straight for you.  He pokes you in the ribs with the box of raisins his holding.  “Who’s the new meat?  And what’s wrong with her?”

Bruce laughs and introduces you.  He uses your full name plus the Doctor.  You haven’t had the Doctor long and hearing it come from Doctor Bruce Banner’s mouth fills you full of pride.

“Oh yeah.  Your new little protege.  I heard about you.  I read your papers on induced mutations.  Really inspired stuff.”  He says.  “So are you gonna cure our little Bruce here?”

You go to speak and for a second all that comes out is a croak.  You clear your throat and try again.  “Thank you.  That certainly isn’t the aim.  I’m just trying to get a better understanding as to why these events that should be resulting in the individual’s death or at least cancers are instead giving them enhancements.  If I can find a way to reverse the results the way you might cause cancer to shrink; that’s just a bonus for Doctor Banner really.”

He offers you his hand.  “Tony Stark.”

You take it and shake firmly.  “Never heard of you.”

He laughs.  “I like her.  Where are you living?”

“Columbus and West 102nd.  Near the University.”  You answer.

He shakes his head and gets out his phone.  You see your photo for a brief moment and you think even your address.  “Not anymore.  The rent’s ludicrous.  You’ll live here at the tower.  Your own apartment of course.”

“But I can't…” You begin to protest.

He cuts you off.  “It’s done.  Welcome to your new home.  Come see me when you’re finished in the lab and I’ll give you the tour.”

He then just strolls out of the lab like he hadn’t just thrown your life into upheaval.

“Sorry about him.  He gets ideas.”  Bruce says like that explains anything at all.

At the end of the day, you go to find him like he asks.  The buildings AI guides you to his engineering lab.  There are unfinished projects littering workbenches and suit after suit of Iron Man armor lines the walls.  He’s alone and tinkering on something.  “New meat.”  He says, not turning around.

“Mr. Stank.”  You reply.

Tony laughs and spins his chair to face you.  “Did Rhodey put you up to that?”

“Rhodey?”  You ask genuinely perplexed.  “I just figured if you can’t use my name, fair’s fair.”

He laughs again.  “What about something more familiar then?”

“What like Toby?”  You ask, walking over close to him.

He puts the thing in his hand down on the bench and looks up at you.  “I thought you were intimidated when we first met.  You’re not at all are you?”  He asks, toying with the hem of your jacket.

You feel like that should bother you.  It doesn’t though.  It makes a pleasant buzz creep through your skin and your scalp prickles.  “Why would I be?”

He stands and assesses you.  You can’t help feeling like he’s a predator circling his prey.  “You can’t sleep with me you know.  Since my ex, my therapist told me to take some time for personal growth.”

“Who said I wanted to sleep with you?”  You ask, raising your eyebrows at him.  “You’re not exactly my type.”

“Handsome, genius, billionaire, playboys aren’t your type?”  He asks, getting even closer to you. “So what exactly is?”

“Men who are younger than my Dad.”  You answer.  Which isn’t exactly a lie.  He is way out of your comfort zone for an acceptable age gap.

Only, he’s so close now.  You can feel his body heat.  Your body is actively betraying you.  You’re tingling all over like there’s electricity passing from one of you to the other.

“Ouch.  That was a low blow.”  He says, his arms sliding around your back.  He is so close to you now you can almost taste him.

“I can’t help the fact my dad had children young.”  You reply.

He lifts you suddenly, placing you on the workbench.  You start kissing.  It’s wet, graphic kissing.  All tongues and teeth.  He bunches your skirt up and pulls your body flush against his so you can feel the press of his cock through his jeans.  You drop your bag to the ground and it makes a dull thud sound.

“I thought your therapist said no sex.”  You breathe, as he starts sucking a hickey on your neck.

“They’ll just make me do an extra Hail Mary,”  Tony says, grinding up against you.

“That doesn’t sound like something a therapist would say.”  You retort.

Tony smiles against your skin.  “Did I say therapist?  I meant priest.”

You laugh and start unfastening his jeans.  You kiss his throat, trying to match the mark he just gave you with one of his own.

“What about your dad?”  He asks.

You push his jeans and underwear down just enough to free his cock.  It springs up and he grinds against you once more.  “I just won’t introduce you.”  You assure him.

He grabs his wallet from behind you on the bench.  He pulls a condom from it and you snatch it from his hand, tearing it open.  “Why would you even have this if you’re celibate?”  You ask, rolling it on.

Tony kisses you, his tongue plunging into your mouth.  As he kisses you he pulls you that little bit closer to you and thrusts inside of you.  You gasp at the sudden invasion.  Your hands go to his hair, tugging on it.

“I’m like a scout.  Always come prepared.”  He says.  He holds you in place, his hands on your ass as he thrusts into you.

You wrap your legs around his waist.  Hooking your ankles around his back.  “Nice pun.”  You say.

“Totally unintentional but I liked it too.”  Tony agrees.

You run your hands up under the well worn Black Sabbath t-shirt he’s wearing.  Your fingertips slide up his abs and onto his chest.  You feel the scarring from where his Arc Reactor once sat.  He flinches and you take your hands away returning them to his hair.

The chatter stops and you become two bodies, sweaty and desperate.  Both chasing your release.  You can’t seem to stop kissing him.  Your lips start going numb from the scratch of his beard.  The few times you break your kiss you just start kissing his throat instead.

You both start to pant and Tony pulls back to look at you.  “You’re not going to come for me?”

“Not if that’s all you’re bringing to the table.”  You pant.  “And if this is your A game; people have been faking it with you a lot.”

“You are such a brat.”  He scolds, pushing you back so you’re lying over his bench.  Something digs into your back. You have no idea what and you don’t care.  His fingers are on your clit and expertly work it, sending a jolt right through you.

You arch up suddenly crying out.  “Oh fuck yes.”

Tony smirks down at you and holds you tightly by your hip.  “What was that?  You’re a sex god, Mr. Stark?  I thought so.”

You reach up and grab his shirt dragging him down into another kiss to shut him up.  You feel your orgasm crest and when it breaks your fingers dig into the muscles of his back and you tighten around him.

He growls into the kiss and bites your lips.  His thrusting picks up pace.  He braces his hand onto a shelf above you and everything on the bench starts shaking like there’s an earthquake happening.  His hips jerk into you suddenly and he comes with a grunt.

For a moment you just stay like that.  Looking up at him as he bends over you panting, his cock pulsing still inside of you.  He slips out and helps you to your feet with almost no warning.  You readjust your clothing as he quickly disposes of the condom and pulls his pants back up.

“Follow me.”  He says, putting his sunglasses on.

You grab your bag and follow him out of the lab.

“That can’t happen again. Total one-time thing.  I meant it before.  I got issues.”  Tony says as you both march through the hall to the elevator.

“Are you kidding me right now?  I give you my virginity and this is what I get?”  You say, faking offense.

Tony falters and looks back at you.  You stare at him deadpan not allowing him to tell if you were joking or not.  He pushes your shoulder.  “Nearly got me then.  Nice one.”

He calls the elevator and when you’re inside he turns to face you.  “Are we cool?”

You nod.  “I meant what I said.”

“Which bit?”  He asks.

“That I was a virgin and now you’re honor bound to marry me.”

He starts laughing.

“The you being out of my acceptable age range for dating bit.”  You clarify.

He quirks his eyebrow at you.  “How old are you?  30?”

You laugh.  “Try 27.”

Tony takes his glasses off and pinches the bridge of his nose.  “Right.  Good.”

“My dad’s 46.”  You add.

“What the hell?  How old was he when he had you?”  Tony yelps.

“19.  That’s basic maths.  I thought you were a genius.  I feel like I didn’t get my money’s worth just now.”  You tease.

The elevator pulls up and Stark gets out and leads you down another hall.  This one is less industrial and warmer.  The walls are cream and the lights are set into them, giving off a soft, yellow glow.  “Yeah, we’re definitely not doing that again.”

“Suits me, old man.”  You agree.

“Even if it was great.”  He adds, opening the door at the end of the hall.  He walks in and spreads his arms out.  “Here you are. Home sweet home.”

You look around in shock.  All your stuff is here, set up like you had it in your old apartment.  Only the bits of furniture that had been really old and needed replacing has been.  Also, there’s a little more, because this place is huge.  It has floor to ceiling windows and you can see the Chrysler building out of them.

“This is… this… I … what?”  You babble.

“No need to thank me.  FRIDAY knows you.  The doors you’re allowed in will open.  There’s a common area that all the Avengers hang out in two floors up.  We sometimes eat as a group.  You’re welcome up there too if you like.  But otherwise, this is just yours.  Pets are okay.”  Tony says.  He’s taken his glasses off and is moving around your room and rummaging through your stuff.  “My only rule is if you start dating Bucky you need to tell him I was there first.”

“Thanks, old man.”  You say.

“I said, don’t thank me.”  He starts, heading for the door.  “We cool?”

You smile at him.  “Yeah, we’re cool.”

He puts his glasses back on and grins.  “Welcome to the family, new meat.”

// NEXT

[chronicowboy]

Are We the Strongest? -

To Better Circumstances

masterlist

Their first encounter was less than ideal. There were no introductions, no handshakes, no greetings. It was life or death. Hero or villain. Relief or grief. And despite Carol's decades of singlehandedly saving galaxies and entire civilisations this short rescue mission felt like her most important one to date. A pressure like no other settled on her shoulders and she would come to wonder if that was what Tony Stark felt like on a daily basis. Ignoring the sense of make or break the fate of the entire universe that she was experiencing, Carol acted without hesitation. She strutted out of the compound and shot off into the void of space with one thing on her mind: find Tony Stark. This time, however, it felt different when she broke through earth's atmosphere. It felt as unknowingly important as the man himself was. Carol couldn't decide whether it was that knowledge or the lost group of heroes below that meant she could find the ship in under an hour.

When she encountered the gently drifting leaf on the ripples of a blue supernova, Carol swore she felt the weight fall from her sore muscles for a grand total of a second. Her heart froze with terrified agony as her eyes landed on the man with closed eyes, sunken cheeks and a chest that didn't seem to move. She willed herself to glow brighter, pushed the energy to every extremity of herself until even she had to squint if she wanted to catch the billionaire open his eyes with as much effort as it took her to lift the ship and steer it towards his home planet.

As he stumbled down the ramp a suffocating joyful relief thickened the air so much so that Carol found it hard to breathe until he embraced his fiancee, Pepper he had whispered into her neck.

Tony's arrival was chaotic to say the least. He refused to rest once his friend had connected him to a drip and pushed him into a wheelchair. Everybody fussed over him until he snapped at them and directed their attention to the other being that was starving and dying on that ship with him. He caught everyone up, they caught him up. And, although he refused to break, Carol saw the toll the battle had taken on him. Even when no one else did. It was insane, she thought, how everyone but his real friends could see his struggle. It was only when the man did a 360 on the captain who was anything but a captain that his broken insides were painfully visible for all to see. And, even though Carol had no idea what happened between them, she found herself smirking as the mortal man confronted the super soldier with no weaponry whatsoever but his words and cracks as if they were the deadliest bombs the man had encountered. The corner of her mouth sunk when he collapsed. She barely knew him and yet she reacted immediately, going to catch him before she realised it probably wasn't her place. Even so, Carol got the feeling that Steve would have done nothing if hed hadn't have been so close and it was tragic.

She didn't want to intrude. This wasn't her place to be. Her place was a comfortable bungalow in Louisiana, but it didn't feel like home anymore. However, there was a tug that told her she had to see Tony. Like it was calling her home. And it was strange. Incredibly strange. But real. So real. After he had woken up, he tired his soon-to-be wife and best friend out whilst proving to them that he was still him old self. Thinner and older and impossibly more traumatised. But still him. The pair had fallen asleep in their bedside seats, leaving Tony alone. But there was some nagging feeling that he didn't want to be, so Carol decided to go and check on him. One simple choice that would change a life or two.

She peeked around the door, waving a hand that no longer glowed.

"Hey, Carol, is it?" He tilted his head, fighting the smile that tried to make an appearance at the new captain. She nodded, closing the door softly behind her. "Thanks for saving me and all. Big fan of that whole photon glow thing you have going on-"

"You don't have to do that." Her tone was firm yet sincere at his obvious deflection. Sympathy washed over her as she wondered how many of his so-called friends overlooked it as plain and simple apathy. Even if he didn't want her, she'd make him feel understood. "Look, I'm not gonna ask how you are because I know you'll just say you're fine in the form of some snarky comment-"

"So you're me, if I was blonde, female and an alien?" Her voice was far too genuine for the fragile billionaire.

"I'm of the human disposition, unfortunately. Survived a blast from the tesseract, absorbed its energy and here we are." The corner of his mouth ticked up and Carol fought off her own smile. "I don't know what went on with you guys," she gestured to Steve who was examining a hologram outside with Natasha, "but I want you to know that I don't give a shit. That rant was the most satisfying and entertaining thing I've seen since 90's tv. And I know he deserved it." She dropped into the chair next to Rhodey as he chuckled. "I've seen the tapes. Of you fighting," and Tony was struck with the horrifying sense of deja vu. He wasn't ready for a new prospect in the friendship area to drag up his deepest insecurity and lay it all on the line. The line that he wouldn't lay down on and let someone else crawl over him, according to Rogers. "You're a good man. You fight for what's right, anyway you can, but you still take more precautions than the rest of them to preserve civilian lives." There was a beat of awkward silence as Tony mulled over her words and Carol let him before she clapped her hands. She winced, checking to see if Pepper or Rhodey had woken up. "Okay, well, that's the most emotion I've done for years." Tony laughed, it was loud — as loud as could be so his family wouldn't wake up — and glorious and it made Carol feel inexplicably proud.

"So besides turning into a glow worm because of the tesseract, what's your story?" He asked, shifting to get comfortable. She jumped up and held his arm as she rearranged his pillows. His gaze was intense as he examined her and she felt it burning through her so she cleared her throat.

"You know, not many people get to see that side of me." She admitted, running a hand over the back of her neck.

"I'm honoured?" He smirked.

"I was a pilot in the 90's. Couldn't fly for the army because I was a woman, so I tested planes. One day, I crash. Straight into some kind of alien mission. The Krees wanted the tesseract so I blew it up. Woke up and they turned me into their pawn. I didn't know what I was." Carol shifted, kicking her feet up onto the end of his bed. "My first proper mission goes wrong and I crash on earth. Fury meets me, you know Fury?"

"We've met." Tony cocked his head to the side. Did Fury really get himself everywhere?

"He told me a lot about you. Bitched about everyone in his confidential boy band." So she is a blonde, female version of him. "Anyway, he gives me a nice, warm greeting before I convince him of the Skrulls' existence. A shapeshifting alien race. Then, I find out I had a family. A best friend and her little girl. Maria and Monica." She looked at him and saw the realisation dawn on him. But it wasn't pity, it was understanding. She nodded and he interrupted for the first time.

"The kid," and Carol remembered his first words, "Spiderman. Queens' local vigilante. Teenager. Batshit crazy teenager, Peter. I tried to keep him safe. I did. I did everything, but it didn't work. I was ready to die for him, but that choice was taken from me by that stupid wizard." He stopped himself and looked to her, tears glistening. She could see the pleading in his eyes and she knew she should continue.

"They helped me find my old self. The Skrulls, they were just trying to find a home. So I knew I had to help them. I got to break free from the Krees' control. And I did. Destroyed some missiles from a dick called Ronan. Then, just helped the universe. And listened to Fury complain about his superhero children." Tony laughed, wiping his tears away. "You know, the Avengers are named after me." She bragged.

"Is that right?" He removed his glasses and placed them on the bedside table.

"Captain Carol 'Avenger' Danvers." She clarified. "Except, I'm a real captain. Unlike America over there." She jabbed a thumb at the stern-looking man. "Before I got promoted to colonel." Tony chuckled again.

"Oh my god. Please pull rank. Please. I beg you." Carol joined in, shaking her head.

"Couldn't do that to his ego. Its bigger than your's." She joked, rolling her eyes. "I'll do it if he pulls any shit with you."

"Carol Danvers, are you my guardian angel?"

"Maybe." She shrugged. "But if I was, I would have protected you from them."

"So Maria," he began, "just your best friend, right?" Tony swore looks could kill as his breathing slowed down and his heart sped up. It couldn't be a good combination.

"You're a bit like me, right? Kidnapped, turned into something bigger than you should be. Lied to. Betrayed. All of the hero origins combined into one very fragile human. Apart from, your brain gave birth to Ironman and my stupid nobility gave birth to Captain Marvel." If an AI had eyes, Tony was sure that it would roll its eyes at the amount of eye rolling that had taken place in the small hospital room.

"Yeah, I'm a genius."

"Hey, me too." She cheered, hushing her voice as James' head lolled to his shoulder.

"Well, maybe, but-"

"You're smarter, I'm stronger." Her voice dripped with humour, but Tony thought it was a good compromise.

"I'm not gonna argue with you there, firefly." He held his hands up in defeat. "You're the strongest of us all." Carol didn't normally like compliments, but it felt special from him. "Because you're me if I had the physical strength."

The rest of the night was filled with laughter until Carol's wrist lit up with a red alert.

"Duty calls, but it was nice meeting ya, Tony." She announced, standing. "Tell me if the big boy gives you any trouble." Her childish voice and condescending tone made the man smile. She was one foot out of the door when,

"Hey, Carol? If you ever need a place to crash, I'll send you the coordinates of the place I wanna build my house." He winked at her as she left. Perhaps he'd just made a new friend.

@marvelficwriter @galaxy-parker @bi-marvel @theamazingschneiderman @underoosstark @delmars @confettidogs @dixiehellcat @lucious-has-heard @phoenixinferno1023 @grilledkatniss @marvelrose

[dragonnan]

Mega Multi-Fandom Rec List Part 1

DISCLAIMER!!!

I will miss certain people; probably a lot of people. It’s inevitable.  3 reasons.  I haven’t read every fic in every fandom.  2, I haven’t managed to bookmark every fic out there.  3, I am not involved with every fandom.  The fandoms in my list are the ones I personally and currently am involved in which have enough fics to rec that they are worth the time linking below.

So bear with me.

4-ish - I tend to cling pretty tight to both hurt/comfort (whump) as well as canon.  I’m not hugely into romance save for maybe 1 or two couples and, again, I lean hard on whatever is either canon or VERY strongly implied OTP.  I don’t rec porn (nothing against it I just avoid it when it comes to anything that might have an underage audience).

Finally, anything I rec that may contain triggering subject matter I will tag as well as I can so heed the warnings where appropriate!

Note: I have also included some of my work below.  For a complete collection of my stories you can find them at the following links:   dragonnan’s Psych fics  dragonnan’s A03 fics

MCU

General Avengers Fic

part by part by lazywriter7  Tomorrow is another day by frostysunflowers  Not the Hero Type by dragonnan for SydneyWoo  Born Of The Same Impulse by GwendolynStacy Here We Are (Don't Turn Away, Now) by ScarletWitch7 (Character Death)  I'm Peter By the Way by Triscribe  Curbside Pick-up by Triscribe  Love is for Children by ClawR (BeatriceEagle) (Warning: Rape/non-con referenced)  Hugs in the Aftermath by F-117 Nighthawk (F117_Nighthawk) Did You Make it to the Milky Way to See the Lights all Faded by dragonnan  Break by blewoutthestars  Of Directions and Morning Runs by DinerGuy Something Old, Something New by Sokaless Pieces Of The Past by vespertineflora You'd Think That'd Be as Bad as it Gets, Right? by dragonnan Finite by cat_77 How You Get There from Here by dragonnan Blind Opening by Skysalla Remaking by MusicalLuna Next New Message by fabrega Comrades by Nefhiriel Give You Shelter by MusicalLuna for windscryer Survival Instinct by roguewrld Call Failed by Trickster88 It Starts Out Like an A-Word (As Anyone Can See) by Amy Steven Rogers and The Search For Freedom, written and illustrated by Clint Barton, age 32 by samalander  come on friends, get up now by jumpfall Poker Face by inkasrain Sed Diabolus by dragonnan, KitCat992 

Doctor Strange

Dawn of Red Skies by Aelaer getting to know you by merrywil Just Another Day in New York by dragonnan  interconnect by Phierie The Opening by Aelaer The Calm Before the Storm by Aelaer The Guilty Sorcerer by Linz2 Master of the New York Sanctum Has A Long Way To Go. by DoctorCube  A Night at the Museum by shyday Sympathy for the Devil by shyday  Tomorrow by Anonymous There Really Should be Instructions by TooMuchTimeinSpace Two To Kathmandu by shyday Friendship by Fiannly Symbiotic by ValmureEld Magic Sucks by ValmureEld The High Cost of Dying by dragonnan  Off Kilter by Spartapuss Dirty Bandage by Cumbermarvel (UglyJackal) on lost causes by jdphoenix the most impossible thing of all by GrimRevolution Once is Coincidence, Fives Times Means You Should Only Use the Plastic Cups by Piplover strange happenings by GrimRevolution A Day of Firsts by NewSoul One Hundred Years or More by letscallitink  It's Getting Easy Not to Suffer All the Time by dls  The Doctor Is Out by ElenaCee  Day Doctor by whitchry9 The Accords by ElenaCee  The Price of Magic by ElenaCee  Dumb Ways to Die by Era_Penn  Like an Old Coat by ValmureEld Eidetic by Linzerj Bargain by Elycien Pain Management by INMH The Way that We Fall (and Get Back Up) by dragonnan (Non-con, Unwanted Sexual Contact)  

Iron Man

Sealed Records by iTony (Warning: Rape/non-con)  Tony Said 'No' by AnonEhouse (Unwanted Sexual Contact)  Human Resources by OracleGlass Miscellaneous is Always the Largest Category by splash_the_cat Of Pressure by destronomics What Here Shall Miss by sheafrotherdon Simple Math by dragonnan Gone Too Soon by Zelos 9/11 by spockside What It Was Like, What Happened, And What It's Like Now by historymiss All the Anger That They Eat by ClawR (BeatriceEagle) Live Through This (Every Day) by tessercat (nekonexus)  Take a Drink by cydonic Five Times Pepper Potts Took Care of Tony Stark (and One Time Tony Stark Took Care of Her) by zauberer_sirin Keep Calm and Carry On by angelskuuipo Eleven Other Bathrooms by PutItBriefly

Irondad & Spiderson

For Pete's Sake! by KitCat992  Identity Theft by KitCat992 topsy turvy by iron_spider ... and when you can't crawl ... by JolinarJackson, Shoyzz  The Primary Reason Tony Stark Would Throw Down With an Anti-Vaxxer in the Street by caraminha The Scorpion's Web by Capstar98 Soul of Wit by YellowDistress Being Alive (is different than living) by silentsaebyeok  Career Day by superhusbands4ever (Potterwatch97) Borrowed Time by grilledcheesing Reviving Peter Parker by YellowDistress In Case of Emergency by aliaoftwoworlds A Sailor Went to Sea by YellowDistress Too Close to Home by xxx_cat_xxx  Long Term Borrowing by ironfamjam If You Listen You Can Hear the Ibis by YellowDistress  Conundrums Like These by YellowDistress limits of my heart by MayWilder (Character Death)  call you home by Madelinedear (2 story series)  Not This One by Princessfbi 36th & Main by asocialfauxpas (fuzzytomato) 5 Times Peter Fell, and Tony caught him. And the 1 Time Tony didn’t. by eva7673 five and one by cinnamontoastcronch  The world is brighter than the sun now that you're here by CamelotQueen  The Less Than Secret Life by YellowDistress Vox Nihili, Vox Populi by Huhsuabee Sweet Potatoes & Stitches by whumphoarder let our battles choose us by darksideofmyroom Promotions Aren't Always A Good Thing by agib (Child Abuse and Violence)  the way i get by by electricindigo Promises by Sandylee007 Exploding Head Syndrome by foolscapper  Sleeping As I Walk by TheOceanIsMyInkwell (Warning: Rape/non-con)  Time Shifting Weight by TheOceanIsMyInkwell (Warning: Rape/non-con) 

Guardians of the Galaxy

Best Laid Plans by Sholio Coming of Age by SimonDigimonroe (orphan_account) (Warning: Rape/non-con)

Series

Being Alive (is different than living) Series by silentsaebyeok:  The lines between life and death become blurred for Peter Parker and his family and friends when Thanos snaps his fingers. But living again when you were once dead? Well, that’s the hardest part. Peter finds that surviving and living are two very different things. It’s a cruel and unfortunate thing to discover.  don’t help them to bury the light (Part 1)  would you help me to carry the stone? (Part 2)  itchy feet and fading smiles (Part 3)  open your heart, i’m coming home (Part 4) 

Being Human Series by Jaune_Chat:  For reasons of his own, Loki gives Tony’s AI, Jarvis, a human body. What Tony didn’t expect was to find himself trying to teach humanity to someone he’d programmed with his entire life.  Genius (Part 1)  Priorities (Part 2)  Home (Part 3)  Experience (Part 4)  To Sleep, Perchance to Dream (Part 5)  Something Like a Father, Something Like a God (Part 6)  Naming of Names (Part 7)  Where Sea Meets Sky (Part 8)  Purpose (Part 9)  Birthday (Part 10)  Trials of Man (Part 11) 

Fade Away Series by dragonnan: (Unwanted Sexual Contact/ Past Rape Referenced)  The past has that annoying way of coming back when you least expect it. Fades to Gray But Never Away (Part 1) That Little Grey Area (Part 2)

Part 2: Sherlock (BBC and RDJ Films), Psych, and Doctor Who

[rescue-49]

No More Surprises, One Shot

Menstruation. It was one of those ugly nasty things that women had to suffer through from when their bodies decided they were official opening up the baby shop at the tender age sometimes as young as eleven and closing up as late as fifty-five. But Pepper was at the tender age of fourth-three,  she knew, by all means, she wasn’t a spring chicken anymore and had long since made peace with the concept that maybe children wouldn’t be for her. At least by natural causes and without medical intervention. She had quietly had some of her eggs frozen that she half-heartedly had done when Stark Industries added it as an all-expenses-paid medical benefit. 

As it turned out everything was entirely unnecessary.  The birth control that was 99.7% sure that conception wouldn’t happen. The eggs from the early 2000s that were in deep storage for the happily probably never.  All it took was simply forgetting that she had the birth control taken out prior to her Eat, Love, Pray tour of determining that she was essentially a fire bender mixed with a super solider and getting over Tony Stark simply wasn’t something one did, certainly not her for that matter. 

It wasn’t nessarry to have her eggs frozen at all because the neat row of pluses sat lined up on the counter told another story. That story was how irresponsible barebacked sex could lead to a surprise in eight to nine months after the fact. Especially timed that together with two exceptionally high libados human beings.  Pepper Potts was pregnant.

It wasn’t that she exactly believed she wanted to be a mother, she loved her job, but the allure of a family. God had it been calling to her for the past few years. Sure, most little kids she didn’t actively care for. But a baby of her and Tony mixed together? That kid could rule the world. A little mixture of her and for some reason Tony. It was- It was an idea that brought her joy. In actuality, she was aware children needed time and attention and wasn’t entirely sure if that was something she or Tony, it was always Tony, could give. There was some part of her that was terrified of handing her child off to a nanny. Somehow she already had working mother’s guilt syndrome. She knew it wouldn’t even be an argument these days with Tony swept up with Avenging and R&D and her running all over the world. Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist... hero, friend, lover, fiancé, father to her child?

As Pepper sat on the bathroom counter with a plastic stick that taunted her with a perfectly formed little plus-sign in its window, she was suddenly forced to wonder how Tony Stark would feel about adding "father" to the list. Of course, they had discussed this at length. Tony had his mountain of daddy issue she had pieced together from the nasty piece of work that was Howard Stark. The man was cold and calculating and by all accounts was positively thrilled shipping Tony off to boarding school. 

She managed to muster enough sense to pull out her phone and call her gynecologist for an appointment (who, blissfully, had an open cancellation that afternoon), though she remained sitting on the counter. She’d stared at the little pink plus sign – the little harbinger of doom – with a sort of mix of sheer terror, anxious anger and hope, that turned her insides out and made her want to vomit. Again. And all she could think was: This is the end.

What about Virginia Potts? The same woman that had stubbornly refused to even go near boys for years, terrified that she'd end up in a mess like she was right now, balanced on the edge of the sink at work waiting to find out if she'd been screwed over by her boss. For all those years she'd been good, she'd behaved, kept herself clean, worked as hard as she could and built her carer from nowhere.

She’d cleaned up enough of Tony’s messes over the years to know just how he reacted to the idea of potential fatherhood did to him: it made him scarce, it freaked him out and… all she could hear was the voice she’d come to love telling her coldly: Take care of it, Potts.

All because someone had once promised her that fairy-tale ending. That quiet fantasy white wedding with family and close friends. Enjoying an adventurous honeymoon. Enjoying the nuances of running a multi-billion dollar corporation, while he casually saved the world every third Tuesday of the month. And them eventually planning to have a baby in a nicely planned and allotted window of time to raise and nurture when they were ready to have a family, or more likely have an actual flesh child instead of simply a robot or an AI.

But then there was the other side of her brain – the voice that sounded just like her mother, really, insisting: This might be your last chance.

And yet there was a third voice -- it was the Tony of now,  the Tony who wanted to marry her, the Tony who built a suit for her because  he didn’t want her to feel defenseless anymore,  the Tony she knew that was and had been madly in love with her: I’m here for you, Pep. What do you need? That Tony was hers. It had always been him at his core, no matter how foggy that was at times. Specifically the early 2000s. Not a great period of their lives. Her Tony was in love with her. The man by all accounts was devastated without her, technically functional without was the term used. They made each other better together. He focused more with her poking him into things. She felt the courage to be bold in the face of concerning modern sexism in the business world.  Together they were the power couple people feared and envied. 

Promised her someday she'd get her knight in shining armor, her dream wedding and a beautiful family somewhere quiet in the country where she could watch them grow and fall in love with the man beside her every single day. Never had she considered to take that idea literally. Everything was right there even if the groom didn’t make sense (it was the only man that made sense).  

It came down to Tony versus her mother. Damn it all if her mother didn’t win. Letting the breathe go she felt like she had been holding for a hours. She was keeping the baby and she was going to tell Tony, for better or worse and over a cliff.  

[sofreakinmanyfandoms]

November 4 - Sir Could Use Some Help

This is late because I fell asleep stupid early yesterday while trying to take a nap and slept through my alarm until morning. Guess I needed that. I’m still posting today’s today as well, though.

Word count: 1982

Warnings: Anxiety/panic attack, fluff-ish?

Pairing: Tony Stark X Reader-ish (nothing romantic) featuring the bots!

“Miss Y/N, I hate to interrupt, but Sir is in his lab and could use some help.”

Something about how JARVIS phrased the request caught your attention.

“Not help with something he’s working on, I take it?”

“No,” was all the AI said, and you were on your feet and rushing towards the stairs in an instant.

Pepper had hired you a year ago when she’d realized that running SI and managing Tony’s schedule were too much for one person. You had been far from the most qualified person on her list of applicants; you’d asked her once (when you’d become a bit more secure that the wrong question wouldn’t get you fired) why she’d chosen you. She told you that she’d known you could handle Tony, and you couldn’t fault her for making that a deciding factor.

You did handle him, very well in fact. Your younger brother had been similar to Tony in some ways, stubborn and very focused when he was doing what he enjoyed, and you’d developed several techniques for getting him to take breaks or do something he should do but didn’t want to. Those methods transferred over beautifully.

Right now the two of you were in Malibu. Tony had two conferences on the west coast and was using the break between them to work on the bugs in the latest version of his suit. It had been a bit of a vacation for you; while you still had things to keep track of, both of you had open schedules for the next three days. While you’d helped a couple of times with holding things when one of the bots got put in timeout (“Seriously, Tony, I know they’re your children but putting them in timeout can’t possibly be effective!”), you’d mostly been working your way through your long-neglected list of must-reads.

As you approached the lab, you looked around for Tony but couldn’t spot him. The bots were slightly back from the couch you’d insisted on adding so he could at least grab a quick nap between frantic bursts of creativity, so you angled that way when you entered.

There he was, curled up on the couch, tucked into as tight a ball he could make himself become and breathing heavily. Sweat was running down his face and his eyes were squinched so tightly you knew he’d be seeing spots when he opened them. You recognized the signs in an instant; Tony was having a panic attack.

“JARVIS,” you asked quietly, “is there some type of music that helps him calm down or relax?”

“Sir has never used music for that reason, Miss Y/N,” the AI replied.

At the mention of your name, Tony’s eyes shot open.

“Y/N? Why are you here?”

“Shh, Tony, it’s okay,” you said softly, slipping past the bots to kneel next to him. DUM-E beeped nervously behind you. “JARVIS called me. I’m here to help. JARVIS, please put on the Marconi Union album I have on my Spotify. Quietly, though.”

The soft strains of the opening of “Weightless” began to fill the background and Tony focused his gaze firmly on the opposite end of the couch.

“I’ll be fine, just give me a minute. You can go.”

“I could,” you told him, “but I’m not going to. Please look at me.”

He shook his head and you fought the urge to pull him into your arms until the trembling stopped.

“Okay, then, look around. I need you to tell me five things you see.”

“Really?” he scoffed, which would have been more effective if his voice didn’t break in the middle of the word. “You’re gonna talk me through some BS anxiety-management trope?”

“Would you rather tell me five things you see or have me call Pepper and tell her your anxiety is back? If you’re more comfortable with her I’m sure she’ll be happy to call.”

“You and your stupid manipulation tactics. I’ll be fine, just go away. I don’t want you here.”

That hurt, but you didn’t let your face show it. “I’m not leaving you alone, Tony. I’ve known you long enough to know that your brain doesn’t stop moving, which is good for inventing and bad for anxiety. You can let me talk you through this or you can let Pepper, but I’m not going to leave you to sit here and freak out the bots.”

Mentioning the bots drew his attention out of his head and back into the space around him. He looked over at where DUM-E, BUTTERFINGERS, and U were hovering, unsure what to do, and sighed.

“Fine. How many things?”

A little of the tension left your shoulders. “Five. Find five details. Walls don’t count. Neither do the bots.”

Tony gave you a shaky grin that didn’t come close to reaching his eyes. “You just have to make this hard, don’t you? Um, okay… There’s a wrench on the floor under my worktable.”

The bots took that as a cue to retrieve it, and rolled off in a race. U reached it first and beeped with pride when he brought it back. You took it from the eager bot and patted him on the arm.

“Thanks, but you guys don’t need to retrieve everything Tony mentions, okay?” They wilted a little at that, but you returned your attention to Tony, who had a slightly more authentic smile on his face now. “That’s good, Tony. What else do you see? Find four more details for me.”

His eyes roamed the lab. “There’s a grease spot over where I was working on my car yesterday… The light is reflecting off the helmet of my current prototype in a way that almost makes it look blue… My coffee is still on my main workbench…” He tilted his head back to look at the ceiling. “And there’s a bunch of cobwebs behind the lights. I should have the cleaning people take care of that.”

You smiled. “You can do that later. Okay, find four things you can touch.”

Tony slowly unwrapped one arm from around his legs and reached out to run it along the back of the couch. He looked at you for approval and you nodded.

“Good, Tony, you can feel the grain of the leather in the couch. What else can you touch around you?”

He shifted a little to grab at the blanket that was lying bunched up on the opposite end of the couch and just missed it. You leaned over and caught it, bringing it back to him, and he grasped it from your hands, pulling it in close.

“That’s right, you can feel the soft fuzz of the blanket. What else?”

Tony’s eyes shot to the wrench you were still holding and you passed it to him, watching as he ran his fingers over the smooth metal before gripping it in his hand.

“Jarvis – the original human Jarvis – got me this in a full tool kit when I was five,” he said softly. “My mom thought getting me real tools was crazy, but my dad waved off her concern, said I’d be fine. I used it when building my first engine.” DUM-E beeped, and Tony looked up at him. “I used it on all the bots, too, mostly on the casings; their interiors required finer tools.”

“I’m glad you have those memories,” you told him. “Can you find one more thing you can touch?”

His eyes shot to yours before slowly moving up to your hair. Before you could react, his fingers were in it, petting your head.

“So soft,” he teased, the light actually reaching his eyes this time. You made a note of the fact he wasn’t shaking anymore.

“It better be,” you joked back. “I spend too much time on it for it not to be. How about three things you can hear?”

“That awful music you have JARVIS playing,” Tony grimaced. “Why do you have this, anyway?”

“Don’t you dare mock this album,” you shot back, not actually mad but pouting anyway. “It’s the only song that’s been clinically proven to reduce anxiety. I can’t remember where I read that, but I downloaded it right after. It helps me fall asleep.”

“Of course it does. That’s because it’s boring.” You were about to remind him he still had two other sounds to find when he continued, “The air conditioning just kicked on. I can hear that.”

“Good,” you nodded. “One more sound.”

“DUM-E?”

At the mention of his name, the bot perked up and beeped. Tony shot you a grin.

“I just heard DUM-E.”

“Cheater,” you accused, glad he was relaxing. The banter was coming without effort now, and he was relaxing across the couch rather than being curled up on it. “Almost done. Two things you can smell.”

“Motor oil and your perfume. It smells like incense and sandalwood. I like it; it suites you.”

Based on his smirk, you didn’t quite succeed in hiding the surprise that flashed across your face, but you recovered quickly.

“Thanks. Pepper bought it for me for my birthday. She has good taste.”

“That she does,” he agreed. “And speaking of taste…”

You put your hand over his mouth as he tried to lean in and flashed a smirk back. “U, please go get Tony his coffee.”

“You’re no fun,” the genius laughed, leaning back into the couch and taking the coffee when the bot brought it to him. He took a sip and grimaced. “That’s way colder than I thought it would be. How long have I been down here?”

A glance at your phone gave a frame of reference for the question. “It’s been twelve hours since I last dragged you out of here for some sleep. I guess that depends on how long you waited before sneaking back down here or if you actually got some sleep.”

“Don’t sleep so well,” he grumbled, rubbing a hand over his face. “It’s easier to work.”

“Yeah, well easier isn’t always better, and you know that. You wouldn’t have made most of your inventions if you didn’t.” You braced yourself on the armrest of the couch and stood up, wincing at the pain in your knees from spending so long on the hard floor. “Now that you seem to be doing better, I’ll head back to my book.”

“Sure. I need to get back to my work anyway.” Tony shoved himself off the couch and rubbed the back of his neck. A slow smirk worked its way back across his face. “If you want me to find one more thing to taste, we could always kiss.”

“I’ll see you in two hours with food, Tony,” you called over your shoulder as you exited.

The genius smiled at your back as you retreated before turning back to his worktable. With a brief flash of irritation, he realized he was humming along with the music.

“JARVIS, why did you call Y/N here? I’ve survived those just fine on my own.”

“Yes, you usually handle them so well,” the AI replied dryly. “It has been my observation, Sir, that Y/N is quite adept at dealing with her own panic attacks. I assumed the skill could transfer to helping another person easily enough.”

Tony stilled his movements. “Y/N has panic attacks?”

“A few times a week.”

“I never knew.”

The AI sounded disapproving, and Tony wasn’t sure if it was directed at him or at you. “She is very good at covering when they happen and excuses herself from the room as quickly as possible. I wouldn’t know myself if I couldn’t read her vitals.”

Tony thought for a moment before going back to his work. He’d pay better attention to you, he decided. Next time you suddenly left a room, he was going to have to check with you. Maybe he’d get a chance to return the favor.