Different Responsibilities
“It turns out that resentment is corrosive, and I hate it. So, here I am, giving this back to you. Do with it what you will.”
“Tony,” Steve said, swallowing hard and tearing up a little at the gesture. Tony wasn’t finished though.
“So, here are my priorities. Get back all those we lost. Yes. Protect what I have now. Absolutely. Not dying. Definitely. In this crate,” Tony said, opening his car door and gesturing to a large, sealed transport crate, “you’ll find everything you need and directions for how to complete the time heist.”
“What? Tony,” Steve asked, shocked by this turn of events. “We need you! We need Iron Man!”
“You know,” Tony started, crossing his arms and leaning against his car. “It was obvious why you and Natasha came to me for this. You were never going to get the first thing accomplished without me, and you knew it. But don’t think that I didn’t notice that I didn’t hear one word from you after that little interrogation in the compound that I built after I almost died in space. No one came when Pepper announced the pregnancy. No one called or came when Morgan was born. No one really spared my wife and five-year-old daughter a second thought. You have a habit of that, Cap. Last time it was save Bucky at any and all costs—and the cost was Barton’s and Lang’s family. My family won’t be collateral damage to you and your Bucky Bonor.”
Tony stood up and stared at Steve who had remained silent but became visibly more angry as his little speech progressed.
“What about the kid, Tony” Steve said angrily. It was pathetic really. Tony knew that Peter didn’t even register to Steve. He was here about Bucky, and maybe Sam and Wanda to a lesser extent. He didn’t care about anyone else. He didn’t know how to.
“The funny thing is, I spent enough time mentoring Peter to learn a bit about him, Steve. He was amazing. A real hero who understood sacrifice. Was he afraid at the last—yes, he was. I’ll always remember what it felt like as he died in my arms. But Peter Parker lost his parents at a young age and his uncle just a few years after. He loved his aunt, but he knew what it was like to miss your parents intimately. He would never want Morgan to know that kind of pain, and I promised my wife that she wouldn’t deal with the ongoing saga of Iron Man. I keep my promises, Rogers. If you can bring back Peter with the science I’ve provided . . . well that would be wonderful. I’ll be ready to step in and help him readjust in his everyday life. But I have a job that’s just as important. It's called being a dad. It's enough for me to be a hero to one small person these days," Tony smiled. "Good luck.”
Tony clapped a hand on Steve’s shoulder, got in his car, and drove away.
*Steve and the other Avengers were successful in the time heist and returning the other heroes. They fought Thanos and defeated him when Captain Marvel snapped a second time in a gauntlet that had been created for emergencies by Tony and included in the crate. Peter stayed with Tony for several months after his return, grateful for the support after his trauma. He still visits Tony regularly and loves Morgan like a little sister. Tony wasn't heralded by the world as the savior of the Universe, and the work he did in his lab got very little recognition. But that was ok. Tony read bedtime stories to his little girl almost every night until she was ten and he was there to walk her down the aisle years later when she married. He was there for the births of each of his grandchildren as well. And that was better than enough.