An extended mission calls for an overnight stay in a cramped Shield Safe-house, which suffice to say is not comfortable at all. In a two room cabin, there’s not much space to sleep much less have a private conversation. After setting up for the night, they relax as well as any of them could. It's not long till Tony, who isn’t one to be idle for too long, turns to Clint.
“Barton how’re your kids?” Tony’s question come out of the blue and Clint narrows his eyes. “Why are you asking?”
“No reason I’m just curious, it must be hard being away from them all the time. How does your wife-”
It's like Tony doesn’t realise how obtuse his line of questioning is, so when Barton decidedly punches him in the face needless to say he assumes the worst like mind control.
“He’s not being mind controlled you ass. Stop talking about his family like you care. Knowing you, you probably have kids you couldn’t even care about.”
Natasha’s statement leaves a sour taste in his mouth but he apologizes.
“I didn’t know it was a touchy subject I’m sorry. Now if you’ll excuse me I need to check on something.”
He leaves the room with his laptop gripped in his hands.
At some point in the night Steve wakes to quiet laughter, Tony’s. Sleep never come easy to Steve so he's mad. Furious even, he can’t understand how Tony doesn't even have the decency to stay quiet while everyone else is trying to sleep.
“Stark” Steve quietly barks his name and Tony turns stunned. The woman with the babbling baby continue on the screen not noticing something’s wrong “AJ, say hi to Daddy can you say hi?” Tony turns back to computer the tension still in his limbs bit slowly recede the more he talks to the baby. Steve stands frozen in the doorway. Not wanting to ruin the moment any further.
“When are you coming home?” The woman who Steve now sees is Pepper asks worry clear in her voice. Tony sighs “I don't know he says and he knows he says this too many times “We’re not done here yet so it might be a bit longer.” Steve sees the resignation in her posture. It's been the same song and dance for a while and it's weighing down on her.
“Peps, I have to go. AJ hey,” the baby wiggles his gummy smile widening at his name “I love you buddy take care of your mother. Pepper, I promise I will try to make it home for his birthday I love you.”
“You have two months! I love you too.” The call ends and Tony doesn't move.
“Tony-”
“Good night Rogers” it's a dismissal if he's ever heard one
“Why didn't you tell us?” there are multiple reasons that Steve can think of but from his own team?
“Goodnight Rogers.”
The next morning there's a tension in the air that none can seem to place. Tony had already apologized to Barton actually giving him the laptop so he could talk to his family. “It doesn’t matter where you are and it’s untraceable so they’ll be safe if you talk to them. Sorry about yesterday I was just curious.” With no warning he’s engulfed in a hug with a whispered “Thank you so much” from the archer. Despite this there was still the tension. Tony knows what it is and is avoiding Steve’s concerned gaze.
There’s not much time to dwell on the issue however. Because their current mission took a turn for the worst. It wasn't the first time it had happened Bruce was a prime example but someone had been trying to replicate the Super Soldier Serum and this one had been the closest thus far. Reports of seemingly invincible men and women terrorizing cities grew. It wasn't a pressing issue only because these enhanced people would burn through whatever serum it was and revert back to who they used to be an moments later die an agonizing death. It wasn't until the first child soldier they actually pushed the issue to the front.
It was expected that they would have to deal with an insane scientist trying to bring on a new age but what they didn’t expect was that he was backed by some other worldly God whose power came from child sacrifices.
“I didn’t know, I just wanted to help my country!” The scientist barely makes it out when the fight starts there's blood streaming down his ghostly pale face as he cowers by the God’s altar.
All their effort combined isn’t doing anything and how would it against this 15 foot tall beast of a god. Brute force from the Hulk seemed like pelting Godzilla with rocks.
The god chuckles an awful grating sound. “I tire of this, Cease Archer and Metal man lest you see your children fall victim to my worshippers.”
An arrow sinks deep between his eyes at the same time a beam pierces its side the wounds healing immediately. It chuckles again. “This world is cruel, what people would do for power. I thrive here.”
“What else do we have?”
“It’s trying to get a rise out of us Barton, don’t listen” He scoops up the archer getting him to a higher vantage point “Easy for you to say you don’t understand having kids!”
Tony’s eyes track the God who favors the side close to the portal. It's trying to protect something without giving up what it is. Old gods need altars “Old gods need Altars, we need to destroy the portal and the altar.” A hand bats him out of the air slamming him into the concrete dazing him momentarily. “Stark- Stark! Status?” “I’m fine I’m fine are they down?” He takes off again surveying the chaos. He must have been out longer than he thought because the Portal was a flaming mess and the Scientist is in the act of smashing the altar. Before a foot comes smashing into him. Despite both those things being destroyed the god is still there albeit weakened. And still nothing they do is stopping it. “No matter, When I kill you and I will. It won’t take long before I have followers again. Metal Man, I’ll go for your child first.”
“Jarvis charge the beam.”
“Sir, I adamantly advise against this.”
The Unibeam took A LOT of power and we’re talking nearly everything that powered the suit if the heat from the beam didn’t burn through his chest, the fall would definitely kill him.
“Jarvis do it now”
“Tony, this will literally kill you, we’ll find another way!” In Tony’s mind there's no way out and realistically there is no other way. Any other plan is just extremely wishful thinking. “Bruce, take care of AJ challenge him, I don’t trust Richards” he chuckles and faces the beast head on.
“Call Pepper for me would you buddy?” The whine of the Unibeam resonates in his suit as the phone rings. “Tony It’s all on the news are you ok?”
“Yeah, we’re alright but to take this thing down we need more fire power,” She's silent for a long while. “I’m sorry”
The rest of the Avengers only hear the one sided conversation their hearts more than heavy.
“Pepper, I love you, no Pep please I need to say this, I Love you and when AJ was born it was the happiest day of my life and I’d do anything to protect both of you. And that’s what I’m doing.” There's a break where it should be assumed that Pepper is trying to talk him out of it. “No, there's no other way.” He sighs “Let AJ know that I love him and there will never be a moment when I'm not proud of him ok. Now sure he gives his Great-Uncle Nick a hard time. I love you.” he ends the call on her plea.
“The beam is fully charged sir”
“Fire.” The beam erupts from his chest cutting through the god’s bone and muscles, a deep gash from shoulder to hip Severing the god in two. But Tony isn’t awake to see it. He hopes that he did because dying for nothing leaving Pepper and his son behind for nothing would be the worst fate imaginable.
The first time he wakes he's in pain, his chest feels like it's on fire. The pain radiates from the center of his chest and that is enough to send him into a panic trying to jerk himself with no success out of the bed. His breathing comes in short gasps bringing to his attention a pain in his side and it doesn’t help that he can’t move his arms. His eyes scan the room fear increasing when he doesn’t recognize where he is. His eyes land on a woman. “Pepper.” Black spots swim in his vision, and he’s gone.
The second time he wakes his eyes dart around the room trying to find something. His mind is sluggishly trying to remember. Words spill from his mouth none of it making sense. Again it feels like he's drowning but not in water, just the feeling of missing some huge crucial fact. “Tony?” And just like that he can breathe. His world is focused on the voice and his eyes finally land on her. “Pepper.” it hurts to speak but she’s actually here. “Where’s-” He hears a baby cooing next to him and turns. If he didn’t have eyes for just his son, he would have seen the rest of his team sitting around his bed. AJ sees him and reaches his arms out towards him.
If he wasn’t already crying, he was crying now. “Hi. Hi.” He’s peppering AJ’s face with kisses drawing laughter from the boy. “Look at you, you’re so big now.” Pepper’s next to him now leaning down and pressing the tenderest of kisses to his lips.”I thought we lost you.”
Someone clears their throat and it puts the happy family reunion to a halt. “Oh it’s you all.”
“Nice of you to finally join the land of the living you had a couple close calls.” Bruce stands putting a hand on his shoulder. “Glad you’re still with us.”
“Well, I couldn’t leave this little guy behind.” AJ smiles waving his chubby fists.
“About this little guy, why didn’t you tell us and you let us say awful things to you.” Natasha looks apologetic. And Pepper raises her hand meekly. “Tony’s made a lot of enemies over the years, I felt better if I was out of the limelight. You of all people should understand Clint.”
The archer gives a weak smile patting his chest where he keeps his family photo “Apologies are in order then. Sorry for punching you in the face Stark.”
Tony laughs prompting AJ to laugh with him “Don’t worry about it.” His grin widens into a yawn “You think after sleeping for- How many days?” “A week”
“Wow really, you’re not just pulling my leg? Wow.” He looks Anthony Junior in the eyes a smile on his lips “Daddy’s not going anywhere bud, just a quick nap-” the rest of his words are lost in another yawn.
“Alright, we’re gonna let you sleep now.” Pepper lifts their son from his arms leaning over for another kiss and pressing her head against his. “Don’t you ever do that again.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.”