In which Tony's bad day turns into a strange day
Tony was having a bad day. He had been late to his meeting, and the stupid board had been merciless about it. Usually he would fire back, but usually he slept before he had meetings. He had not slept last night, so he had been to tired to snark. Last night he had stayed up the whole night with Morgan and Pepper who had both been throwing up non stop. He had narrowly made it through the meeting without throwing himself out of the 50th floor window. He had gotten out of the meeting to find that Happy had texted him to say that the car had gotten flat tire, and it would be a long wait. Usually Tony would go for that sort of thing, he could just call a suit. Right? Wrong. He had dropped his phone in a puddle right after reading the text, and he had grabbed the wrong watch on his way out of the compound. The cab he had managed to flag down had broken down in the middle of the street, and that is where he was now.
"It's okay man," Tony tried to sound nonchalant, and he tried even harder to smile. Neither really worked, "I'll just walk. Here you go buddy, keep the change."
Tony gave the guy a few extra bills and got out of the car. The bills might have had two zeros on the end; he wasn't really sure. Tony had barely made it to the sidewalk before it started raining. He drooped, and kept walking. He really didn't have much of a choice. People around him pulled up hoods, and others opened umbrellas. Tony was not wearing coat, and he hadn't brought an umbrella, because he had not been planning on walking. In the rain. He was so busy looking at his feet that he walked right into somebody. He fell backward and landed on his butt.
"Watch it!" The person hissed, and kept walking. Tony was to done to get up. He just sat on the empty sidewalk, and let the rain drip down his hair and into his face. There really wasn't much point in trying to do anything else. He would probably screw it up. Hell he couldn't even walk down a fucking sidewalk without messing something up. Tony wanted to cry. A shadow fell over him, and the rain stopped pelting him. Tony looked up and saw a man who looked pretty much just as done as him, and also vaguely familiar, holding an umbrella over him.
"Bad day?" The guy asked, not seeming to pass down even the slightest bit of judgement, as if he had done this exact thing. The man reached out his hand. Tony took it, and the guy pulled him to his feet.
"So bad." Tony said flatly.
"Ugh been there done that," The guy gave Tony a pat on the shoulder, "You wanna pop into that cafe, and wait out the rain?"
"Sure, but if I walk in there it might explode."
The man took a cautious step back. Tony sighed.
"No, I just mean it has been a very bad day, and like everything I touch seems to break, so..."
"Oh," The man relaxed, "Occupational hazard."
No more explosion jokes, Check.
The coffee place did not explode, sadly Tony's coffee spilled. All over him.
"At least the place didn't explode," Tony grumbled as he flopped his head onto the table.
"There, there," the man patted his back from across the table, "Rough days happen."
Tony banged his head against the table repeatedly, "I. Just. Want. To. Go. Home."
"Then let's get you home," The man said and stood up. Tony just squinted up at, "Where are we headed?"
Then Tony realized that this guy had once mentioned anything about being in the presence of Tony Stark. He shrugged. He was okay with that.
"Um... the Avengers compound..."
Peter B. Parker's breath caught in his throat. He knew this looked like someone he had known, and it was because he was that someone... but in a different universe. He wanted to do a great many number of different things. Hug him. Hop around and shout for joy. Skip like a small child. So many things.
"Wait, are you an Avenger?" He settled for keeping his cool.
Tony Stark raised an eyebrow, as if no one had ever asked him that. That eyebrow raise!!!
"I am a little confused by you," The man looked Peter up and down.
Peter shifted his feet. Gosh he felt like a young teen again!
The man hugged him.
"Oh, okay," Tony said awkwardly, and hugged him back just a little. The man sniffled a little, "Are you okay buddy?"
All this time Tony thought he was going to be the one having a melt down in a total stranger's arms. What a strange, strange, strange day this was turning about to be.
"I don't know man," He wheezed.
"Okay, there there buddy," Tony patted his back.
"I'm sorry if this is weird..."
"You're good buddy, let it out," Tony waved off the curious people in the cafe, they all went back to typing away on their computers, "You're good."
The man finally straightened up.
"I know this isn't going to make a damn bit of sense, but I. Missed. You. SO. MUCH!" The man hugged him again. Tony was thoroughly confused. Why did this guy seem so familiare??? What was up with this day?