Saving all my precious time
Five years passed far too slowly or agonizingly quick depending on who you asked. If you asked someone who said they thought it was quick it wasn’t really, it just felt more like a painstakingly long year rather than 5 years. The days, weeks, months, years, all blended together.
Then the avengers showed up on his doorstep while he was trying to get Morgan in for lunch. Well not all of them, just Natasha and Steve and the ant guy who he thought had died with 50% of the rest of the world but apparently was trapped in some van that had a portal into the Quantum realm. Because nothing in his life was ever allowed to make sense or remain peaceful. And they wanted him to pull off time travel. Unbelievable. A time heist. Yeah right.
“If you don’t talk shop you can stay for lunch, tables set for six,” Tony offered, carrying his daughter at his waist. “I’m surprised Barton didn’t come with you. Maguna loves him.”
“He’s in Japan tracking the Yakuza,” Nat said. “We haven’t told him our plan yet.”
Tony sighed. Of course they haven’t and he knew that he would be getting a call from the other man once he found out that Tony had let them down at the one chance they could have at getting his family back. But he couldn’t risk it.
They came and they put the thought of time travel in his mind. And the movie Back to the Future was stuck on his mind now because it had been one of the Kid’s favorites. Also led him to think about time turners in Harry Potter or a Tardis from Doctor who and all of which were shows the kid had made him watch.
Then he was doing dishes and splashed water on that photo of him and Peter. It was his favorite. Peter was holding his Stark Industries certificate upside down and they both gave each other bunny’s and neither of them had noticed or had understood why Pepper was trying so hard not to laugh behind the camera. All he could think about was his kid and how he could get him back. And he couldn’t get the kid’s voice out of his head.
“Do you think it’s actually possible to time travel, Mr. Stark? Because that would be so cool!” Peter asked him while they were in the lab one day.
“Not everything can be turned into a pop culture reference, kid,” He had replied.
“I think if anyone could figure it out it would be you, Mr. Stark,” Peter said. They had known each other for at least a year by then. And the kid still managed to admire him with an admiration that Tony didn’t think he deserved. “I mean you invented the arc reactor and a new element. I bet you could figure out time travel too.”
“That’s a pipe dream, kid,” Tony had replied.
“Well you never know whether or not you can do something unless you try it first, right?” Peter said.
He figured it out. Staring at an inverted Möbius strip. He figured it out. He could get Peter back and Clint’s kids back and everybody else. But first he had to put his little girl back to bed.
“Tell me a story,” Morgan asked.
“Once upon a time Maguna went to bed, the end,” Tony replied.
“That is a horrible story,” Morgan gave him the most unimpressed look. “I want a story about Peter!”
His breath hitches. Peter. He could have the kid back in a day. Maybe not exactly he still had to build everything and talk to Pepper about if he was actually going to do it because even if the model rendered 99.987% successful it was dangerous, had far too many risks. Including the one in front of him now.
“Once upon a time, Peter Parker stayed up too late in the Lab but he listened to Mr. Stark and went to sleep when he was asked,” Tony said.
That was a lie. In fact the kid never listened and always fell asleep at his work desk. And Tony would carry him up to bed or jostle him awake and corse him there. He only listened when Tony promised that he would be going to bed too. Extortion. His kids apparently excelled at that.
He drove to the compound early the next morning and started working on building the time machine with a raccoon of all things because discovering a way to make time travel just wasn’t enough. What was it that that Alice in Wonderland film The Kid had made him watch once said? “Believe in 6 impossible things for breakfast.” He’s pretty sure he blew that number out of the water.
He got the call from Clint not long after while he was bent under a time machine with a hammer in hand.
“I just wanted to let you know that I understand,” Clint said. “And I promise I’m not going to try to change your mind because that’s impossible.”
“Well it’s a good thing that I can apparently do 6 impossible things before breakfast because mind’s already been changed and I’m already halfway through building us a time machine,” Tony said.
“I-wait, what?” Came the stunned voice over the phone.
“Yeah get your birdbrain over here we’re getting our kids back.” Tony said before hanging up.
Clint showed up and volunteered to go back in time for a test run.
“What made you change your mind,” Clint asked as Tony helped him put on the Time-Space GPS.
“Take a wild guess,” Tony said.
“Well yeah, but I figured that would’ve been the reason you jumped on the chance immediately,” Clint said. “But you didn’t.”
“I didn’t,” Tony agreed. “But if we can bring my kid back and keep the little miss. Then I’ve got to try. But we can’t mess with anything during the last five years. That has to stay the same.”
“We won’t,” Clint assured him.
He got up on the platform and watched him disappear and reappear seconds later keeled over a baseball glove. When Nat helped him back up he tossed it to Tony.
“I was at the farmhouse,” he was telling Nat quietly. “Lila and Cooper were arguing. I almost saw her. I was at the door, before I got brought back here.”
“You’ll see her again soon,” Natasha promised him. “We know that it worked. We’ll get them back.”
They spent days tracking down the perfect time to get the stones and when they finally did they partnered up in groups and went their separate ways across time. And then they came back.
But Natasha Romanoff did not.
“Did she have any family?” Tony asked sincerely. How could he have not known if she had any family over all these years of knowing her. He should’ve known.
Clint pulled him aside later.
“She told me she wanted me to see my family again,” Clint said. “And for you to get your kid back. And to bring everybody else back.”
“We will,” Tony said with a nod. “We have the stones now.”
“She said to say ‘hey’ to your kid for her. She said she’s sorry she didn’t get to meet him.” Clint said quietly.
“We’ll bring them back.” Tony said. “For her.”
They regrouped with the others, all of them arguing over who would snap. Before Bruce stepped up. They watched as he put on the gauntlet and saw the energy burn up the Hulk’s arm. He snapped and collapsed. And they couldn’t tell if it worked or not.
“Did it work?” Steve asked. “How can we tell if it worked?”
A phone started ringing. It was Clint’s. While everyone crowded Bruce Clint slowly moved to grab his phone. He froze when he saw the caller ID. Laura Barton.
“Honey?” He said hesitantly.
“Clint?” Laura asked.
“Honey?” He asked again. “Are you there? Are the kids ok?”
“We’re here. Where are you?” Laura asked. “What’s going on?”
“I’ll be there soon, I’ll explain everything,” Clint said.
He turned around to find Tony watching him.
“I think it worked,” Scott called from another room. But Tony had his eyes on Clint.
“He’s right,” Clint said hoarsely. “They’re back.”
And the world exploded.