Morgan is... Sixteen?!
Where am I?
Tony woke up feeling groggy and confused. He looked around to see that he was surrounded by darkness in every corner, as though he were floating in a never ending void.
He would’ve panicked. It was safe to say that would be the normal reaction of anyone in this situation, but it felt like all the energy from his body had been sucked out. He felt like a pile of bones and flesh floating around in empty space. It was relaxing but terrifying at the same time.
Everything was a blur. He could slowly recall bits and pieces of things that had happened, but there was only one solid thought in his head that overpowered everything else.
Morgan.
His sweet five-year-old daughter, who had seen more than people double her age had in a lifetime. His daughter who he couldn’t give the one thing he had promised. The one thing he didn’t get to have. A family. A father.
Suddenly, everything around him began collapse, because of course it did. Tony couldn’t even have a second of peace to reminisce his life. His daughter, who he would never get to see grow up. Who he would never see get a driving license, graduate, get her first job, first house...
Everything he touched had to fall apart. It always did. How on earth did he ever let himself think moving into a lake house in the middle of nowhere would ever make things any different?
Tony would always be Tony.
He destroyed everything he got his hands on. No matter where he went or what he did, nothing would change that.
He slowly felt his fingers twitch and before he knew it, he was falling. He squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the landing that was sure to hurt. At least it would all finally be over then.
Suddenly he stopped. What on Earth…?
Was he even on Earth?
He slowly peeled his eyes open and a burst of light flooded his vision until all he could see was white. Probably not the best idea to do that after he just came out of pitch black darkness.
As his vision focused, a bunch of pink and white furniture materialized around him. It looked like the typical teenage girl’s room from a Pinterest board. It had a dressing table down the side decorated with lights. There were huge photo frames of abstract art on the walls around him that matched the pink theme. He noticed a small study desk in the corner that didn’t seem to have any books, and below him was a huge fluffy carpet which looked comfortable enough to sleep on.
Everything was neatly arranged in an aesthetic way, as though it had been done by the best interior designer money could buy. The old Tony would’ve appreciated it, but now, to him it just looked bland.
As though there were no life in it.
He realized he was sitting on a large princess style bed. Each pillow had been placed perfectly over three blankets that had been layered together and tucked in.
Like a hotel room...
“What the actual fuck?!” A sharp voice interrupted his thoughts.
Okay, instead of analyzing the decor of the room, maybe Tony should’ve given some thought into how it would seem weird being found sitting in some random person’s room out of nowhere.
Speaking of which, right now there was a tall girl, probably in her teens, standing at the doorway with her arms crossed.
She had short brown hair that turned a bright blue towards the ends, and she wore a long sleeved black crop-top with patterned yellow open bottom pants that made her look taller than she already was, and she was tall alright. She had to be like at least six feet.
Her head almost touched the top of the door frame. What did kids these days eat growing up?!
She glared at him scornfully with her brows furrowed in anger, “Even if FRIDAY or mom let you into the penthouse, don’t you know that it is still rude to go into someone’s room without their permissi-“
“Listen kid, I’m really sorry. I know what it looks like but I swear on my life I have no idea how I got-“
“Wait a second,” Her large brown eyes suddenly widened, “...Dad?”
Tony’s breath caught in his throat.
The girl picked up a pair of gold, metal rimmed glasses from the dressing table next to the door, and slipped them onto her face,
“I swear I’m gonna look so stupid if I’m wrong...” She muttered under her breath before she looked up again.
“...Morgan?” Tony managed to choke out.
That’s not possible is it? Morgan was a five-year-old girl that barely came up to his hip. She must be mistaken. She had to be. He couldn’t have missed out on that much of her life. Could he?
“Oh my gosh, it is you...” She whispered under her breath, “It’s really you...”
“How?! I mean where did you go all these years, we all thought you were dead! There was even a funeral! I mean sure I was five but I remember it all clearly like it was yesterday. I saw them put your body in the...” She didn’t complete the sentence, “How?”
“I-“ Tony’s eyes began to water, “I don’t know. I just-”
Before the man could react, he felt himself being tackled into the tightest hug.
That...he had not expected.
He thought she would mad, or upset at least. She had the full right to be. He gave up his life on purpose! He left her even though he had promised he would always be there!
“I’m sorry...” A sob finally escaped his lips.
“It’s not your fault.”
“Still, I missed out on... everything.”
“You had to. You saved the world.” He felt his shoulder getting soaked with tears.
Tony knew she was right, he only did what he had to, but it still felt wrong. Morgan was his daughter, a five-year-old child no less. She didn’t deserve what happened. Heck, she didn’t even have anything to do with it. Yet she still had to go through losing her parent when everyone else’s families got to be reunited. It wasn’t fair!
“You know, I always used to be mad at first. I used to think, why me? Why out of all people does my dad have to be the one to give up his life for the world? Why can’t it be someone else?” Morgan admitted softly.
“I’m sorry...” Tony repeated.
He had never felt this helpless in his life. This wasn’t a machine he could just fix. This was a real child, his child, he didn’t get a second chance here...
“But,” She continued, “whenever Peter told me the story about how you saved his life, I thought about all the people who got to be reunited, all the families you brought back together, all the children you saved, and I felt proud. Now, I looked at all the posters, the news articles, the statues and I think, that’s my dad.”
Tony felt pride swell in his chest. His daughter had surely grown up to be a strong, kind and mature girl.
What did he do to deserve such an amazing child?
“Wait, did you say Peter?” Tony asked in shock, “H-how do you know Peter?”
“Are you kidding? He’s like an older brother to me!” Morgan exclaimed, “When you, you know? Uh... passed, it really affected mom. She got super into her work and in that, I kind of got left alone a lot of the times...”
Tony felt his heart break.
Pepper did have a tendency of completely throwing herself into her work when she was upset. It was one of the areas where she was a lot like him. Even though she would never admit it.
He couldn’t even blame her. Never. That wouldn’t be fair. Not after everything he had put her through.
Despite swearing multiple times he wouldn’t go back to his superhero lifestyle when they had their child, he went back on his promise and left her alone with a broken heart and a five-year-old to take care of alone.
He didn’t even know what she had to go through after all of that. He conveniently got to die, but she had to stay alive and live through the suffering and pain.
“But Peter came over to the tower one day to get his things and that’s when we met. Since then we got close and he has always taken care of me, so I never actually felt alone.” Morgan smiled.
Tony couldn’t be more surprised. He didn’t think that kid would want anything to do with him. Not after everything he had gone through because of Tony.
“Peter Parker...” He thought out loud unconsciously
Tony still remembered how talkative and energetic that kid used to be. Every weekend Tony had to clear his messages cuz of the thousands of voice memos that flooded them because of him.
He was like a little puppy that hung on to every one of his words like holy grail.
Although he was ashamed to admit it now, Tony always took advantage of that innocent, childlike part of him. He would ignore the kid for weeks, and only ask Happy to contact him when he needed something.
Despite that Peter always came through, with an excited smile on his face.
Somethings never change.
Tony just wished he had valued and cherished the kid before he was gone in the snap.
“I was just about to visit Peter’s right now actually. I basically live there lol. Do you want to come?” Morgan asked.
His heart began thumping loudly against his chest. Wait... Heart? Where was the Arc Reactor gone? Anyway not important right now. It didn’t even make it to the list of craziest things that had happened today.
The kid must be what, like twenty-six, twenty-seven by now? That was crazy.
It felt like just yesterday Peter was running behind Tony like a lost toddler in an amusement park, and now he was expected to believe that the kid was a full fledged adult with his own place and everything?!
“Yeah, I would love to.” He answered his daughter.
“Let’s go then.” She fished out a set of car keys from her pocket and waved them before his eyes.
Of course she could drive now.
This day just got crazier and crazier.