Back to the Future

In one moment, Tony had Peter by his side. In the next, he had no idea where he’d gone. Peter was his kid, his light, and whatever else he could say to let people know that he loved Peter like he was his own son. They were on their second mission of the week; it was supposed to be easy. They set out with enthusiasm. Tony remembered how Peter walked around with the jet with a skip in his step, parading his new suit that Tony put in his bedroom only the week before. He added extra safety procedures, the kid sure needed it. Everyone that came across him loved him; it was hard not to. But now, the kid was nowhere to be seen.

Peter’s punch landed on the man’s cheek. Tony let out a deep breath he didn’t know he was holding as the kid turned the corner, losing the wizard they had been chasing for about an hour. But as Tony followed him, the wizard did too. When Tony caught up to the swinging teenager, he smiled as he turned to face him. However, he was frozen to the spot when a red ring of flashing lights surrounded the top of Peter. Peter looked up at the light, his head turning up to the clouds. Then it happened. A hand fell out of the portal, picked Peter up by the collar and pulled him up. In only a few seconds, the kid and the light (and the random hand) were gone.

“Kid?” He said, his voice quiet. It was pathetic how long it took him to take a step. He rushed to the spot where Peter was stood and saw the crumpled-up Spiderman suit on the floor. Tony picked up and held the piece of fabric close to his chest. “Oh shit,” he managed to say, his heart speeding up.

“Tony?” A voice said in his ear. It was Steve, Tony soon realised. “Where’s the sorcerer?”

Peter would’ve corrected him if he was here, Tony thought. Peter always called them wizards, it made it sound more magical. Strange hated it, which made Tony love it more. The kid’s mouth would turn up into a cheeky grin and he’d sit at the table; he’d talk with wild hand movements as he mocked how they constructed a portal out of a thin air. But the kid wasn’t here.

“Tony?” A different voice said. This time the voice didn’t come from his ear but, instead it came from the man who was standing directly in front of him. Rhodey was there in the suit Tony made, the face plate lifted to show a concerned look. “Tony, we’ve been trying to get your attention for three minutes,”

“Peter,” He said, finally. “He’s gone. Missing. That wizard took him,”

Rhodey’s eyes fell to the suit in the other’s arms. “Tony,” He whispered. He wasn’t sure what he could say to calm his friend down. “It’s okay, we’ll find him. Strange will know what to do,”

“Yeah,” Tony nodded, no emotion behind his voice. He walked back to the jet and placed Peter’s suit down on his chair. He stared at it, thinking it was weird that it was empty. He sat in it. Taking his phone out, he read the kid’s messages and let his heart fell weird as one singular tear cascaded down his cheek. He wiped it, staring at a selfie that the kid took on his camera after stealing it during a lab day.

“You were closer than you let on, huh?” Natasha said, slipping into her own designated spot on the Avenger’s table in the middle of the jet. “I haven’t seen you cry in a while.” If you didn’t know Natasha, it might sound quite harsh, but Tony knew her quite well. She was being empathetic, letting Tony know that she’d have his back in her own special way.

“He’s my boy,” Tony sighed, “Not my biological son, just wish he was.”

“We’ll get him back, Stark,” Natasha smiled gently, ending the conversation there.

When the team finally arrived at the address Strange gave him, Thor walked around the place as if it were familiar. Tony walked up to Peter’s favourite wizard and prayed to himself that the man would have some answers about Peter’s where-abouts.

Tony didn’t share the same sentiment towards Stephen Strange that Peter held. Truthfully, the two of them just didn’t get along. Tony refused to believe in the magic Stephen held, Stephen refused to accept Tony’s denial. Their relationship was tense, it had been since they met. But as soon as the wizard met Peter one mission, Tony hadn’t been able to shake off the man the whole day. Peter had an aura around him that brought out the best in everyone, including other people’s friendships (somehow).

“Stark,” Stephen’s voice gritted out, his teeth chattering together in rage. Well, their relationship was better than it had originally been (Strange spoke to him now, however annoyed he was). “I would say ‘nice to see you’ but, is it?”

“Now is not the tim-,”

“Peter,” Strange interrupted. “He’s missing?”

“How did you know?”

“I could sense your distress a mile away. That pain only comes from a missing child, Tony,” He said, a sprinkle of sympathy added to the conversation.

“Will you help us find him?” Tony said, hopeful.

“Of course. For Peter.” He said, as if it was obvious, “Sit down.”

Tony sat on the uncomfortable armchair and watched as Stephen started to levitate. His eyes were wide as he stared at the man, sinking into the armchair in a sense of fear. He glared at his teammates, the group messing around with the wizard’s cloak behind the two men. After what felt like years, Strange was finally back to normal. He looked tense, worried and just made Tony’s fears worse than they already were.

“So?” Tony asked, sitting up in his chair. “What’s the verdict?”

“Well, uh, Peter’s still in New York,”

Tony grinned. “Great!” Stephen’s shoulders were still tense, his face unreadable. It didn’t make sense? Tony was over the moon; his kid was still around. He was going to be okay. But something about the man’s face was throwing him off. “What’s the issue then?”

“The question you should’ve asked me, Stark, is ‘when is Peter?’. Peter is currently in New York, in the year 1995,” Strange said. “Before you ask, my magic isn’t strong enough to go and bring him back.”

“Then how did some random wizard do this to him?!” Tony exclaimed, the panic rising through his body. “If I find out that you’re joking- I swear to go-,”

Brilliant, Tony thought. He stared at Strange, knowing deep inside his sub-conscious that the man wasn’t lying to him. He accepted it, spoke about possible ways to get Peter back but neither of them could come to a conclusion. Peter was stuck in the past and Tony could do nothing about it; he had failed the kid. He stared at the group as they eventually left the building. As soon as he put his hand on the handle of his car, he collapsed onto the floor in tears.

“You’ll get him back Tony,” Steve said, catching Tony as he fell. “It’s only time keeping you apart. If anyone can do it, it’s the smartest man on the planet.”

If only, Tony thought. But he knew for sure that he was not going to stop until his kid was back in the present. He’d work out time travel, he’d work out anything if it meant getting Peter back to him. He missed the kid, how he’d sit in the lab with a big grin; he was just happy to be around Tony. He helped Tony out of the lab. They’d eat a takeaway and watch a Disney film; Peter wanted Tony to get through them all considering he’d never seen one before Peter came into his life. Walking past the DVD player caused him a heartbreak he never knew he would have. Losing a son was the worst pain he ever felt.

1995-

Peter Parker landed with a bang on-top of some garbage in the dirtiest alleyways he had ever seen, and that was saying something (he’d seen plenty). Alleyways, as creepy as they are, always provided the best hiding places. For instance, in that exact moment. Peter looked down to his clothes and saw that he didn’t have his suit. He couldn’t face the wizard without him. He wanted to listen to Tony, to know that Peter could be a hero without the suit, but he just didn’t believe it. He hid behind the dumpster, making his clothes stink. He got out of the dumpster as soon as the wizard turned the corner, skipping on a rubber tire that had been left here. He landed face first into something, something that he’d like to remain anonymous, so he didn’t throw up.

As soon as he walked outside, he knew something was wrong. Tony was either, very elaborately, pranking him or he’d just been transported back in time with a witch. Where did his life go wrong? He waited for Mr Stark to jump out of a car and greet him, but he didn’t come.

Peter gulped. Oh shit, he thought. This was bad, very bad. Almost as bad as the time he accidently caused Ned to drop their Lego Death Star. He checked out the billboards and grinned, he would’ve loved to go sightseeing; the sights were so different to what they are now. He walked down the streets, noticing he was getting some attention. He quickly rushed to a shop and got some clothes from the random ten dollars he had in his coat pocket. He fit into the crowd and worked on finding a solution to go home. He just needed to remain calm if that was possible after going back twenty-five years. That’s what Mr Stark always told him, anyway…