Post Credit Scene-Montage
"Hey, why don't you wake up Peter? Huh? Just hold him for a bit, and then we can all have a sleepover in our room tonight yeah?" his wife's soft melodic voice swept over him, and he nodded, finally extracting himself. She gave him a kiss on the forehead, and he noticed her eyes were a little red too. He gave her hand one last squeeze before she headed to their room, leaving him to wake Peter.
He turned to look at his son, and gently shook his shoulder. He watched as Peter's face scrunched, before his eyes slowly opened. It took a while for him to register who woke him up, but the second he did, he jolted up.
"DADDY!" he yelled, launching himself into Tony's already outstretched arms.
"Yeah baby. Daddy's home." he whispered, feeling grateful he was able to have the feeling of his kid in his arms again, holding him tighter than necessary.
"You were gone sooo long. But I'm glad you're home. Is Mommy back too?" Peter asked, pulling away after a moment. It was too soon for Tony's liking, but he let it happen. He gave Peter a kiss on his nose, causing the boy to giggle before he answered.
"Yeah, bud. She's upstairs waiting for us. We are going to have a sleepover." Tony said, standing up, bringing Peter with him. He knew logically his son was a little too old to be carried around, but he couldn't help it.
"No way! That's so cool!" Peter said, before his attention was drawn to the arc reactor in Tony's chest.
"Daddy? Why do you have a light in your chest?" Peter asked, and Tony stiffened a bit as he walked into their secret bedroom. Natasha was sitting on the bed, and had heard the question, because she was now sitting up straight, her eyes trained on his chest.
"It's a battery to help Daddy's heart." Tony answered, helping Peter get comfortable in their bed. Peter seemed to accept this answer, snuggling in between the two adults, before quickly falling back asleep.
"A battery?" Natasha's whisper made him look up from where he was watching Peter. He gave her a smile, that was more like a grimace.
"Shrapnel. It's an arc reactor, it's keeping the shrapnel from reaching my heart. It's okay, I'm okay." He assured her, giving her a kiss over Peter. She nodded before settling down, reaching out a hand to hold his, both of them facing each other.
"I'm so glad you're alive, любовь." Natasha whispered, when Tony was on the edge of sleep. He just hummed in response, already losing the battle of consciousness, as she pressed a kiss into his hand. He drifted off into the first and last dreamless sleep he would have in a while.
---
"Do you really have to go Daddy?" Peter asked, sitting on top of Tony's suitcase. Tony poked him in the side a couple times to make him giggle before zipping up his suitcase.
"Yes, Auntie Pepper said we have to go." he answered his son, checking his watch. He was only waiting on one thing.
"We? Does that mean Mommy is going to?" Peter asked, playing with Tony's fingers. Tony let out a sigh.
"Yeah if I can convince her to. You are going to go stay with Uncle Eye-patch." Tony said. It had taken him a lot of convincing for Fury to take Peter for a couple days. He would normally just leave him with Mary's brother and sister in law, but he needed Peter to be safe. And being with the biggest spy in the world, surrounded by his minions, was the safest he could get.
"Oooooh Uncle Eye-patch is cool. He's cranky sometimes but he gives me candy, and lets me pet his cat." Peter said, getting distracted by the toys sitting in front of him. Tony did a double take at his sons words, raising his eyebrows in amusement, before the door opened behind him.
---
"Hey Peter, shhhh. Uncle Phil went to go get Momma, okay? She'll be here any minute. But you need to calm down okay?" he whispered to his son. Peter seemed to understand what he said over his cries, because they calmed down substantially, but there were still tears rolling down his face. He continued rocking them back and forth, until he heard footsteps coming through the entryway.
"Peter?" he heard his wife call and soon she was rushing toward them. He handed Peter over willingly, but stayed close to his little family.
"Natalie?" he heard Pepper ask. Natasha heard and snapped her head up to send Tony a look.
"Sorry. Peter wouldn't calm down unless he saw you." Tony defended, and Natasha nodded, before turning her attention to Peter.
"Hey, bug. Why don't you take a breath and tell Momma why you're crying?" she said in a soft voice, so unlike the voice she used as Natalie. Peter hiccuped a few times, before answering, Natasha's hands coming up to wipe the tears from his face.
"Be-because Un-uncle Phil said you and Daddy were fighting robots. A-and Daddy came home, but you didn't. I thought you got hurted." Peter hiccuped. Natasha deflated at his words, and Tony rubbed a hand over her back.
"It's okay, baby. We're okay. We're here." she whispered pressing a kiss to his forehead. They all sat there in silence, as Natasha rocked their son back and forth. It didn't take long until he fell asleep. He helped Natasha stand, while keeping Peter in her arms.
"I'll take him to bed. I think you have some explaining to do." Natasha said, nodding towards Pepper. He nodded, pressing a kiss to her forehead, before she gave him a gentle smile and headed upstairs.
---
"I thought I was going to die, Tash. I thought I was never going to get to see you guys again. You have to understand-" he trailed off, a lump forming in his throat. Natasha studied him before making a hum of understanding.
"You were trying to push us away. To make it easier on us when you died." she stated, rather than questioned. He nodded, closing his eyes as the tears fell down his face.
"I didn't mean any of those things I said to you, I just thought...if you hated me, it wouldn't hurt so much." Tony said, sniffing. Natasha shook her head, and pulled him into a hug, his head tucked under her chin.
"You were wrong. It would have hurt just the same." she whispered, and Tony let out a choked sob. He felt her press a kiss to his head.
"It's okay. You're not going to die. Let's go get some sleep." she said, pulling him up and wrapping her arms around his waist, leading him up the stairs.
"I love you Tasha." he said, as she helped him under the covers.
"I love you too, Tony." she whispered back, kissing him softly, before turning the light off and settling herself on his chest.
"I'm so glad you're still alive, любовь." she said, mirroring what she said months previously. He pressed a kiss into her hair.
"Not as glad as I am. I could never leave you." he responded, feeling her drift off to sleep in his arms.
---
"Tash?" he called as he opened the door. He saw her sitting quietly next to Clint, as he worked his wrists into his restraints. She looked over alarmed, but stood up to greet him. He rushed over and pulled her into his arms, pressing a kiss to her lips quickly, before pulling away and skimming his eyes over her for injuries.
"Are you okay? Fury wouldn't tell me much but he said something about the Hulk then Barton..." Tony rambled, panic building in his chest. He stopped talking when her hands came up to cup his cheeks.
"Hey, I'm okay." she whispered, stroking his cheeks gently. He nodded, letting out a sigh of relief.
---
"Dad?" Peter's sobs caused Tony's heart to clench. He glanced warily around for a second, before deciding he didn't care.
"Hey baby, what's wrong?" he asked softly, feeling the odd looks he was getting behind him.
"Pepper had the news on, and-and you flew u-up into th-that hole! But you did-didn't come back out!" Peter sobbed, and Tony frowned, looking at Natasha briefly.
"It's okay bug, I'm just fine. The Hulk caught me, isn't that cool?" Peter's sobs died down a bit after that, until all that's left were soft hiccups.
"Yeah, I guess that's pretty cool. Is Mom there?" he asked then, and Tony grimaced.
"Nah bud, she's not with me at the moment, but as soon as she is I'll have her call you." Tony said, but that seemed to be the wrong thing to say because Peter's breathing picked up on the other line again.
"Wait, she's not with you? Then how do you know she's okay? Where is she? She was all over the TV too!" Peter demanded, sounding on the verge of tears again. Tony let out a sigh and started pacing, glancing at Natasha, who had a pained look on her face. The others just looked confused, except for Clint who was glancing worriedly at Natasha.
"She's okay, Peter. I promise. She's just busy right now." he defended weakly, not even believing his own words. He hated lying to his kid.
"You're lying. Where is she? She's not...she's not dead right?" Peter asked then, too smart for his own good, his voice cracking at the end. Tony sighed, and slumped down onto the couch where the others were sat, putting his head in his hand.
"No, Pete. Mom's not dead." and with those words, he heard Natasha curse softly in Russian, before she stood up. She marched over to him and grabbed the phone out of his hand, before directing her words into it.
"Peter." she said, and he could vaguely hear the relief on the other line, as his son fired questions at her.
"Yes, I'm fine. Your dad wasn't lying, I promise." she responded, her voice soft. Tony took that time to glance around at the group. Steve and Bruce were looking in between the two of them, confusion written all over their face. Thor looked content surprisingly, and Clint was watching the others with a smirk on his face. Tony turned his attention back to his wife.
---
"You don't need to do that for me. I'm fine." he said, but it wasn't very convincing. She ran her fingers through his hair gently a few times. She felt something warm in her chest when he closed his eyes and leaned into her touch. She stared down at him lovingly, before leaning down and pressing a kiss to his forehead. He scrunched his nose, and opened his eyes to look at her, and she could see the love he had for her reflecting in them.
"I know. I want to. I don't want to be away from this anymore." she said quietly, and he brushed a kiss to her knuckles with a serene smile.
"I think that would be great. I miss having you around all the time." Tony said after a few moments, and she could hear the twinge of sadness in his voice. She nodded.
"Then it's settled. I'm done with missions." she said then, and she knew she had made the right decision when Tony graced her with a blinding smile. It was her favorite kind of smile, because it was the one he reserved for just her and Peter, the one that held no trace of the mask he kept for the media.
"I love you." she whispered, before their quiet moment was ruined by the elevator, announcing the presence of her son and idiot best friend. Tony winked at her, before sitting back up and scooping Peter into his arms.
---
"I know. I just...I like it better when I know you're safe." she could hear him mumble into her thighs. She runs her fingers through his hair a few times, feeling him melt into the touch.
"I know. This is the last time, okay? And it's just a routine extraction. I'm sure it will go off without a hitch." she says, and he nods, before the door bursts open.
"Mama! Dad!" the small voice screams, and Natasha has to hold in her laughter as Tony jumps and looks at their son incredulously.
"I liked you better when you were quieter." he mumbled, standing up and sitting next to her on the bed instead, his attention now on the small boy walking up to them.
"Liar. You said you like my personality." the 10-year old replies, with a smirk too reminiscent of the man next to her's. She watches as Tony lets out a tired and dramatic sigh.
"Sure, kid. How can your lovely parents be of service today?" Tony said, his hand rubbing his left arm. She narrowed her eyes slightly at him, before her lap was suddenly filled with a bouncing kid. She turned to him, keeping her face straight as he bounced in excitement.
"Yes?" she asks calmly, causing Peter to let out a string of giggles.
"Well, Dad said you're leaving for a mission, and promised we could show you my project downstairs before you go." her son said, and she could hear the excitement in his voice.
"Well, if Dad said so, I guess we should listen huh, bug?" she asked conspiratorially, sending her husband a wink, which he childishly returned by sticking his tongue out. Peter cheered and grabbed their hands, leading them to the lab.
---
"I've seen her flirt, up close. This ain't that. I hope everything is okay between you two?" Steve says, and Tony opens his mouth to snap at him to mind his own business, before something Steve said brings him up short.
"Wait, what do you mean, 'up close'?" Tony asks, narrowing his eyes, watching as Steve's face turns red, and he quickly moves to walk away. "Wait right there Rogers! What do you mean up close?" he yells again, following after the super soldier.
---
"That I was an Avenger. That I was anything more than the assassin they made me." she whispers, her eyes focused on her hands that were drawing absent patterns into the fabric of his shirt.
"Tash. How could you even say something like that? You know it's not true. If you were still what they made you, you wouldn't be married to me. You wouldn't be Pete's Mom. Look me in the eyes and tell me that I'm wrong." Tony said, gently pulling her chin up to meet his eyes. She looks at him for a moment, before nodding.
"I know. I'm sorry. I know." she says then, and he pulls her closer in his arms, her head tucked under his chin.
"Good." he says, and they stay like that for a while, slightly swaying back and forth before Natasha pulls away slightly to look at him.
"What did she show you?" she asks, and Tony stiffens slightly.
"What do you mean? I was with the Hulk." Tony says lamely, trying to deflect. She raises her eyebrow at him, face unamused. He sighs, leading them back to sit on the bed, Natasha settling herself on his lap.
"Everyone was dead. And it was my fault. I didn't do enough." he finally says, the fear from when he first saw it coming back. Natasha hums thoughtfully, her hands playing with the small hairs at the base of his neck.
"And that's why you were experimenting with Ultron." she says, the words coming out as a statement, rather than a question. He nods, burying his face in her neck.
"I get it. And it didn't go like we wanted it to. So now we fix it." she says then, and he feels grateful that she doesn't blame him for what happened. He nods, smiling up at her before placing a gentle kiss on her lips. They kiss slowly for a few minutes, before she pulls away and nods towards the window.
"Why don't you go help Cap chop some wood?" she says with a smirk. He sends her a fake glare before rolling his eyes and heading outside.
---
"JARVIS quit shutting down my work! I swear I'm going to donate you to a fast food restaurant. How do you feel about that? Pete, I swear if you send my robot into another table, I'm going to lose it." Tony says, waving a warning finger in their sons direction. As he turned he spotted Natasha at the door.
"Tash!" Natasha feels a smile stretch across her face at the way her husband's face lit up as he saw her. She walks further into the room and stops in front of him.
"When was the last time you guys came up for air?" she asked raising her eyebrow, while eyeing the many granola bar wrappers littering the desk. She turned back to Tony, who was giving her a guilty smile.
"Sir and young sir have been in here the past 10 hours, and have ignored all of my reminders to eat." JARVIS cut in before Tony could say anything. She watched in amusement as he sent a glare to the nearest camera.
"He's lying. He's just mad 'cause I told him he'd make a great drive thru worker." Tony explained, waving his hand in the camera's direction.
"Oh certainly, sir." JARVIS replied, sarcasm laced in the robotic voice. Natasha smirked as her husband let out a tired sigh. She shook her head and turned to their son, who was still invested in his game of fetch.
"Peter. Go upstairs and get ready for bed. I'll be up to make you some dinner in a bit." Natasha said, voice firm. Peter's head shot up and he nodded quickly, patting DUM-E's claw apologetically when the bot let out a series of sad beeps. He started heading out the door before he froze and turned around, heading for his backpack.
"I forgot. Mama, can you sign this? Our class is going to Oscorp for a field trip, and I knew Dad wouldn't sign it because of that." Peter said, bringing her a paper while sending a playful glare towards Tony.
"Your damn right I wouldn't sign it. Why do you need to go and see mediocre science when you live in the biggest tech company's building? I can just take you downstairs and it would be better." Tony said, a look of disgust on his face as he watched Natasha sign the form. Peter just rolled his eyes and looked at Natasha.
"Tony. Peter wants to be with his friends. Besides, it's not like anything exciting will happen, it's only Oscorp." she replied with a smirk, sending her son a wink as Tony started ranting about the other company. Peter just let out a giggle, before going upstairs.
"Betrayed in my own home." Tony said, once Peter left. She shook her head.
"You're too dramatic." she shot back, flicking his nose. He screwed up his face, before sighing.
---
"Hey, come here." Natasha said, once they were back on the jet and Sam and Wanda were secure. She brought Tony to the other side of the jet, helping him sit down after his disengaged his suit. He felt like he was underwater, and he couldn't get his lungs to fill with air. He looked up at Natasha in panic, and she shushed him gently.
"Shhh, it's okay. It's over for now. We will figure out the rest. Just breathe." Tony nodded jerkily, trying to follow her instructions. His chest still felt tight, and he could feel the tears burning streaks down his face.
"Why didn't he tell me?" he asked, his voice a whisper, breaking a few times. Natasha let out a sad sigh.
"I don't know. I wish I did." she said softly, rubbing her hand up and down his arm, pressing a kiss gently on the crown of his head.
"Is he okay?" he barely hears the hesitant voice directed at them.
"No. But he will be. Don't worry, bug." he hears Natasha respond quietly. He knew it must have been Peter, but he didn't have the energy to reassure him. He felt his eyes grow heavy, but he fought it, there was still so much to do. As if reading his mind, a hand settled on his shoulder.
"We can take it from here, Dad. Just sleep. I'll protect you." he heard Peter's voice say gently. He felt his heart warm at the words from his son, before he nodded sluggishly.
"'course you will. Love you, bug." he slurs, before sleep finally claimed him.
---
"Hey, come here." Natasha said softly, patting the bench next to her. Peter looked up and then to the other side of the jet. Natasha looked too, and no one seemed to be paying attention, so she nodded her ascent. Peter hopped up and sat next to her, curling into her side, like he always did. She placed her arm over his shoulder and noticed he was shaking, so she rubbed his arm.
"Hey, he's strong. He'll be okay. He's got you to take care of him now, right?" she said softly, and she could hear Peter sniff a couple times, before he nodded.
"See? He'll be okay." she reassured, pressing a kiss to the top of his head, feeling him calm slightly under her touch. They sat there silently for the rest of the flight, Natasha's hands moving gently through Tony's hair, as Peter fell asleep on her shoulder.
---
"Daddy!" Peter squealed. He was two or three years old in the video Tony was watching in the dark. He was sitting at a small table, blocks scattered in front of him.
"Hey Petey-Pie." He heard his younger self say behind the camera. His younger self sat down across from the boy.
"Hey Pete. I know you're a bit too young to understand...but I wanted to ask your permission about something." Tony's voice said, and Peter was staring at him with his eyes wide.
"Daddy's sad?" Peter asked quietly, his attention now fully on Tony, blocks forgotten.
Tony could remember the hesitation he felt then, even years later.
"No...not exactly bubba. You remember Natasha? Daddy's friend?" Tony's voice was shaky, even over the video.
Tony let out a deep breath at the memory.
"Tash!" Peter agreed happily, a smile lighting up his face. The Tony behind the camera let out a fond laugh.
"Yeah bug, Tash. Would it be okay with you if we let her join our family?" Young Tony asked.
Tony leaned forward in his seat, eyes focused on the small Peter on the screen.
Peter's eyebrows were drawn and his small tongue was sticking out of his mouth in thought. After a couple moments he looked up, a shy smile on his face.
"Like a new Mommy?" he asked, his voice small. The camera fumbled a bit, showing younger Tony's surprise at the question.
"Y-yeah bug...if that's okay with you?" Tony's voice was hesitant still. Peter let out a small giggle.
"I want a new Mommy. Can Tash be my new Mommy?" Peter asked then, focus back on the blocks he was stacking in front of him. When Tony didn't answer right away, he looked up again curiously.
"Daddy?" his small voice asked. The camera moved suddenly again before a voice spoke up again.
"You know what bud? Why don't we go ask Tash if she wants to be your new Mommy?" Tony's voice asked. Peter jumped up quickly.
"Yeah yeah! Now! Come on!" Peter shouted, jumping a couple times before grabbing Tony's hand.
Tony reached forward and stopped the video. He rubbed his hands down his face, and let out a deep sigh.
"Now, now. It was just getting to my favorite part." A voice spoke up behind him. He turned to see Natasha standing in the doorway, hair still mussed up from sleep. She gave him a sleepy smile, before walking forward and playing the video again.
Tony watched her for a moment, before turning his attention back to the screen, where Tony and Peter had just found Natasha in the gym.
"Tash!" Peter squealed, earning the younger Natasha's attention. Her hair was longer, and a darker shade of red than it was now. She stopped her exercises to catch Peter as he launched himself in her direction.
"Hey, Pete. What are you guys up to?" Natasha asked, voice soft, as she tweaked Peter's nose. Peter let out a giggle, before looking towards Tony. The other man set down the camera somewhere, before walking over to the two of them, still in the frame. Natasha furrowed her eyebrows as he came closer.
"Tony, why are you all pale?" she asked, a hand reaching out to cup his face. Tony shook his head.
"Peter has a question for you." Tony said, poking his son in the stomach. The little boy nodded with a smile. Natasha's face softened as she looked at him.
"Okay. Peter. What is your question?" she asked softly.
"Will you be my new Mommy...Daddy said you could...if you wanna?" Peter asked, suddenly shy, playing with the chain of Natasha's necklace. The woman's eyes widened and snapped to Tony.
"Is...is this your way of proposing?" she asked once she got over her shock. She was now looking at him with a fond but exasperated look. Tony gave her a soft smirk.
"If that's okay with you?" the man asked quietly, Peter's eyes flitting between the two, watching.
"It's perfect. Peter, I would love to be your new Mom." Natasha said after a moment, directing her last words to the small boy still in her arms.
"Yay!" Peter cheered, throwing his small arms around her neck in a hug. Natasha gave Tony a small smile over the small boy's head.
---
"Oh, bug. You did so good up there." his dad said into his hair where his head was resting. Peter beamed before pulling out of the hug and seeing the look of pure pride on his dad's face.
"I think you did amazing too, baby." a woman said, coming up standing next to Tony. He looked at his dad with raised eyebrows, and he nodded, confirming his suspicions.
"Mama?" he asked quietly, and the woman nodded. Peter felt a lump form in his throat, before launching into her arms for a hug as well.
"What you don't think I would have missed out and let Tony brag about getting to see you all alone, did you?" his mom whispered, pressing a kiss to his head.
"I'm so happy you guys came!" Peter said, tears in his eyes, as his parents looked down at him with different faces. He knew it was them however, because their eyes were the same.
"And if you're okay missing the tour of the Washington Monument, I already talked to your coach about letting us take you out to lunch?" his dad asked. Peter nodded.
"That sounds perfect. What cover did you use?" Peter asked then, as they started out the door. He sent a quick wave to Ned before they left.
"I said I was a friend of Ben and May's. I had them sign a form and everything." Tony bragged as they got into the car. It had been a long time since they went out as a family, it almost never happened. Peter was going to enjoy it while it lasted.
"How responsible of you." Peter remarked, with a laugh. His mom snorted from the passenger seat, and Peter raised his eyebrow.
"Let me guess. It was Mama's idea?" Peter asked then, and his dad let out a defeated sigh before nodding.
"Hey but I listened." he tried, and Peter and his mom just laughed.
"Good for you, baby." his mom replied, taking one of Tony's hands in hers. He just shook his head fondly, before bringing her hand to his lips and kissing it. Peter smiled softly in the back.
---
"You don't understand. He was taken, but he wasn't the only one. He was following someone up there, someone other than Strange." she said hysterically. The tears coming faster. She stood up and started pacing, and cursing herself in Russian. She never let herself break, so why was she letting herself now? She shook her hands out, and let out a deep breath. She knew why. Because this time, it was Peter's life at stake. And she wasn't ready to face that.
"Who else would he have followed up, Nat?" Rhodey asked, his voice hard, and she knew he already had his answer. She nodded at him, and he threw the glass cup he was holding with a curse. She watched as it shattered on the opposite wall.
"Peter." she said with defeat, and she could see the devastation flash across everyone else's faces too.
"Son of a bitch." she heard Steve curse.
---
"Hey, Natasha...Nat. If you find this recording, don't post it on social media. It's gonna be a real tear-jerker." she huffs out a broken laugh, rolling her eyes. "I don't know if you're ever going to see these. I don't even know if you're...if you're still...Oh god, I hope so. Today is day 21, uh 22. You know, if it wasn't for the existential terror of staring into a void of space, I'd say I'm feeling better today. The infection's run its course, thanks to the blue meanie back there." Tony says, and Natasha's eyes roam over his figure, to see bandages on his left side. She runs her fingers through her hair, and tries to stop the flow of tears. She wasn't sure who this 'blue meanie' he was referring to was, but he still hadn't mentioned Peter, and that wasn't a good sign.
"You'd love her. Very practical. Only a tiny bit sadistic. Some fuel cells were cracked during battle, but we figured out a way to reverse the ion charge to buy ourselves about 48 hours of time. But it's now dead in the water. We're 1000 light years from the nearest 7-11. Oxygen will run out tomorrow. And that'll be it. And Tash, I...I was really hoping to pull off one last miracle and make it back. But it looks like...well you know what it looks like. Don't feel bad about this. I mean, if you grovel for a couple of weeks, and then move on with enormous guilt. God, why can't I ever be serious? I want you to move on Tash, don't...don't let this break you. You were always stronger than me...you'll be okay. I should probably lie down, before...Please know that... when I drift off, I will think about you. Because it's always you. I love you, Tasha...and just know that I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Tony finished, and the video cut out.
---
"Is, uh...?" he starts, worried to ask if Natasha was still alive, when a small figure rushed up to him. He glimpsed a flash of red hair, before he was pulled into a hug.
"Thank God." his wife said into his shoulder, and he let out a shaky sigh in relief.
"It's okay." he whispers to her, pressing a kiss to her cheek. She pulls away and looks at him, her eyes shining with tears.
---
"Yeah. If I can't figure out how to bring him back...Tash." his voice breaks, and he takes a couple deep breaths, before he can continue.
"He was my whole world. And if he's gone for good. I don't...I don't know if I can keep going...unless I have a reason to. Unless I have something to live for. Like I lived for him." he finishes, looking at the tears filling her eyes. She blinks quickly, a few tears falling down her cheeks, before she nods.
---
"I'm sorry." he says as soon as she reaches him. She looks at him curiously, before settling in his lap once again, head tucked under his chin, fingers tracing an absent pattern on his chest.
"For what?" she asks after a bit. He lets out a shaky breath, his throat tight.
"For having to kill your hope like that. I-if there was any way it could...you know that I...for him..." Tony chokes out and Natasha shushes him, pressing a kiss to his neck.
"I know, baby. I know. It's okay." she whispers, tucking herself closer to his chest. He wraps his arms tightly around her as they sit there in silence.
---
"My baby." he felt himself sob against Peter's shoulder.
"Dad?" Peter asked, his arms gripping Tony tighter at the sound of his sobs, but sounding a bit confused. A crash from their left broke him out of his trance and he pulled away, whipping his head around checking for danger. But all he saw was Natasha, standing on a pile of dead aliens, staring at them with a broken expression. Peter followed his gaze and made a wounded noise in the back of his throat.
"What's going on?" he asked, turning to Tony, his eyes pained. Tony shook his head a few times, and he watched as Natasha broke into a run and almost knock Peter over with the force of her hug.
"Hey, bug." she whispered, pulling away, pressing a kiss to his forehead. Peter gave her a confused but broken smile.
"Hey, Mama." he whispered, and Tony felt his world realign, watching his family be reunited.
"As good as it is to see you guys...maybe we should...get back to the fight?" Peter said finally, looking between them. Natasha winced but nodded.
"Yes. We should. Peter Parker Stark, you be careful or I will find you and kill you myself. Understand?" she asked, not waiting for a response before pressing a kiss to Tony's cheek and running back to the battle. Peter looked at him in bewilderment.
"That didn't even make sense. What is going on?" he asked, and Tony felt a laugh bubble out of him.
"We'll explain later kiddo. But as your mother said, be careful. Okay?" he said, pulling Peter into one more hug. Peter nodded, and they both launched back into the fight.
---
"Did we win?" Peter asked, clutching the hand that had been on Tony's arm. Tony looked around at everyone, who all seemed to be battered but alive, watching as Thanos and his army faded to dust.
"Yeah kid. We won." he said, a smile crossing his face. Peter let out a delirious laugh, before falling to the ground dramatically.
"Yay. Go team. Does anyone have any orange slices?" he asked, causing the rest of the group to let out a string of laughs.
---
"You guys better be careful with her nickname though. You call me bug...and I turned into one." Peter said, giving them a wink, before taking his sister gently out of Natasha's arms and walking over to the rest of the heroes. Natasha let out a snort as he walked away.
"I sometimes can't believe he's back." she whispered. "It doesn't feel real sometimes." Tony wrapped her up in his arms.
"I know. But it's over. Part of the journey is the end. But...if you're lucky, in that end, you can find a new beginning." Tony said, rocking them back and forth as they both watched the heroes fawn over their daughter. They watched silently, before Natasha elbowed him gently, extracting herself from his arms.
"You're such a sap." she said, grabbing his hand and leading him down the steps. He shrugged, but followed her.
"Hey you think peanut is a safe nickname...or do you think that will doom her into fighting crime while dressed like a peanut?" Tony asked hypothetically, earning a playful glare from Natasha, as they reached the rest of his family.
"Let's get this party started!" he announces, winding his arms around Peter and Natasha, who is now holding Maria.
And Tony smiles, his world finally safe in his arms.
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THE IRONWIDOW FAMILY WILL RETURN