Spider-Man fic - I Remember You (mild het)
Title: I Remember You
Author: Dimity Blue
Rating: All
Genre: Mild het, epilogue, fix it
Characters: Peter, Tony, Pepper
Word Count: 1,193 words
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Summary: Some time after No Way Home, Tony spots a face that seems familiar somehow.
Notes: There are a number of great stories out there about Tony surviving Endgame and then going on to be reunited with Peter after No Way Home. Well, this is my offering.
It's inspired by frostysunflowers' Fond absences, which is a lovely story, but unfinished so far.
And Natasha's still alive too, but she's off doing spy things with Clint.
On AO3.
Tony gave the café a doubtful glance. He wasn't a 'Starbucks or die' kind of guy, but experience had not led him to expect good coffee from tiny cafés far off the beaten tourist track in Queens. But it was raining, Happy had taken the car to get fixed, and Pepper was already inside talking to the person behind the counter. Also, it was raining. Heavily.
He might have been focusing more on the rain than he should, but he was getting very wet.
Sighing, he pushed open the door and followed Pepper in. At least the place was mostly empty. That meant the place was an undiscovered hidden gem (unlikely) or even the locals kept their distance (depressingly likely). Tony accepted the coffee Pepper optimistically gave him, paid the bill, and followed her to a table.
Pep gave him one of those amused looks that said she knew exactly what he was thinking, and opened her pack of biscotti.
Tony checked around his cup of Schrodinger's coffee. "No biscotti for me?"
"I'll share," she said, more amusement in her eyes.
Oh, like that was it? Tony waited until she looked away and snuck a single biscotti from the pack. "That's one," he told her, and grinned when she laughed.
Tony could feel the kid staring, though he was obviously trying not to stare, with little glances over while he kept his face mostly turned away. It was either the mostly hidden prosthetic arm, Tony and Pepper's joking around, or Tony himself that had got his attention. Tony was used to it, of course. Whether it was for being Howard Stark's son, being a famous playboy, the owner of Stark Industries, Iron Man, or saving half the universe, Tony was used to the stares and whispers.
The kid - and he was a kid, just a scrawny teenager - over by the café wall looked familiar somehow. The mop of curls teased at Tony's memory. He felt like he ought to recognise him: the hair, the back of the kid's neck, the curve of his jaw, the way his skin was flushing to a shade of red now he'd realised he'd got Tony's attention...
"Tony?"
"Just a second, Pep." Despite Pepper and the not-so-terrible coffee that was waiting to be drunk, Tony got up and headed over to the kid. It was important, somehow, that he talk to this kid and track down the memory that was being so elusive. "Hey, kid, do I know you?"
The kid flashed him a panicked look out of familiar brown eyes but shook his head. His posture was taut, his hand reaching down to a ratty backpack that was sitting by his feet, every inch of him was signalling his intent to run.
Tony put one hand on the table and the other on the back of the kid's chair and leaned in, trying to get a better look at his face. "Are you sure I don't know you?"
That was all it took for the kid to bolt.
For a moment, Tony thought the kid was falling as he went to duck under his arm, and Tony caught him around the waist. He automatically scooped the kid against his chest to steady him and that was all it took for a memory to shake loose.
It's Titan, Peter staggers towards him, his eyes full of fear as his body begins to disintegrate.
Tony's grasp tightened as he wrestled the kid to the floor. It wasn't comfortable, this half-sitting, half-kneeling position with a struggling teenager almost in his lap, but Tony was too caught up by his astonishment at the sudden memories. How could he have forgotten? Peter turning to dust in Tony's arms. The horror, the grief that followed, then the determination to risk everything to bring his kid back.
And he had, he had! Tony's plan using time travel had worked. Peter was at the compound when Thanos was defeated, was at the hospital, then the lake house as Tony recovered. He'd spent hours helping out, sitting with Tony, cooking with Pepper, playing with Morgan and letting her paint his nails after endless tea parties...
When had they lost him again? Even after Tony had recovered enough to be independent, Peter had been there at the lake house, had split his time between living with Tony and living with May. May, who was Peter's aunt, not just Happy's girlfriend. Tony had known something was missing, had known... But he'd put it down to losing an arm even though that answer had never seemed to fit right.
"Tony? What are you doing?" Pepper demanded, leaning over them. She probably thought he'd lost his mind, cuddling a half-starved teenager instead of drinking his own coffee and stealing her biscotti.
"He's Peter. He's our kid." There was more, Tony knew. More memories. But Peter was in his arms and Tony could feel every rib under the baggy clothes. "Geeze, kid, why haven't you been eating?"
Peter shook his head, his chest heaving with his gasps. "You can't remember me, you - you can't!"
Tony huddled him closer. "It's okay, Peter, it's okay. We'll sort this."
Pepper's face was full of confusion. "Our kid?"
"It's Under... Under..." It was on the tip of his tongue, he knew. Under...wear? Well, that couldn't be right, even Tony wouldn't call someone Underwear, though Peter deserved it for running around the city fighting crime in a onesie. "Underoos!" he declared triumphantly, as the memory of Berlin and Cap's face at losing his shield popped up.
"What? Tony -"
"How is Pepper not remembering you?" Tony interrupted. "I remember you."
Peter slumped against him, all the fight gone out of him. "Doctor Strange," he said, in a hoarse voice. "He - he cast a spell so no one would remember me."
Tony's stomach turned over at the thought of it. Peter was a teenager - legally still a child - and he'd been cast adrift, left alone in a world where no one cared if he lived or died.
"Why? Why stop people from remembering you, from knowing you?" Pepper asked.
"The multiverse was breaking down." Peter sighed. "I messed up, nearly got Aunt May killed. It was the only way to stop it all."
"Strange should have found a loophole!" Tony snapped. "He should have found a way to protect you!"
Peter twisted around to look at him. "It wasn't his fault - there was no time!"
Pepper sank to her knees, raised her hand, and turned Peter's face away towards hers. "That was what you said in the hospital when we thought Tony was going to die. There'd been no time for someone else to take the gauntlet. Oh, Peter."
Tony smiled in satisfaction as Pepper wrapped her arms around their kid and hugged him tightly.
"We're taking you home," Pepper announced when she finally released Peter. "Don't try and argue with me. Tony, you'll get that doctor around once Peter's better. He's going to help sort out this mess."
Tony's smile widened. People thought he had no idea of boundaries; Pepper was a steamroller when she got going. Stephen Strange wouldn't know what hit him.
The end.
26th March 2023
=====
I hope you like it. If you spot any mistakes, please let me know.
Author: Dimity Blue
Rating: All
Genre: Mild het, epilogue, fix it
Characters: Peter, Tony, Pepper
Word Count: 1,193 words
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Summary: Some time after No Way Home, Tony spots a face that seems familiar somehow.
Notes: There are a number of great stories out there about Tony surviving Endgame and then going on to be reunited with Peter after No Way Home. Well, this is my offering.
It's inspired by frostysunflowers' Fond absences, which is a lovely story, but unfinished so far.
And Natasha's still alive too, but she's off doing spy things with Clint.
On AO3.
Tony gave the café a doubtful glance. He wasn't a 'Starbucks or die' kind of guy, but experience had not led him to expect good coffee from tiny cafés far off the beaten tourist track in Queens. But it was raining, Happy had taken the car to get fixed, and Pepper was already inside talking to the person behind the counter. Also, it was raining. Heavily.
He might have been focusing more on the rain than he should, but he was getting very wet.
Sighing, he pushed open the door and followed Pepper in. At least the place was mostly empty. That meant the place was an undiscovered hidden gem (unlikely) or even the locals kept their distance (depressingly likely). Tony accepted the coffee Pepper optimistically gave him, paid the bill, and followed her to a table.
Pep gave him one of those amused looks that said she knew exactly what he was thinking, and opened her pack of biscotti.
Tony checked around his cup of Schrodinger's coffee. "No biscotti for me?"
"I'll share," she said, more amusement in her eyes.
Oh, like that was it? Tony waited until she looked away and snuck a single biscotti from the pack. "That's one," he told her, and grinned when she laughed.
Tony could feel the kid staring, though he was obviously trying not to stare, with little glances over while he kept his face mostly turned away. It was either the mostly hidden prosthetic arm, Tony and Pepper's joking around, or Tony himself that had got his attention. Tony was used to it, of course. Whether it was for being Howard Stark's son, being a famous playboy, the owner of Stark Industries, Iron Man, or saving half the universe, Tony was used to the stares and whispers.
The kid - and he was a kid, just a scrawny teenager - over by the café wall looked familiar somehow. The mop of curls teased at Tony's memory. He felt like he ought to recognise him: the hair, the back of the kid's neck, the curve of his jaw, the way his skin was flushing to a shade of red now he'd realised he'd got Tony's attention...
"Tony?"
"Just a second, Pep." Despite Pepper and the not-so-terrible coffee that was waiting to be drunk, Tony got up and headed over to the kid. It was important, somehow, that he talk to this kid and track down the memory that was being so elusive. "Hey, kid, do I know you?"
The kid flashed him a panicked look out of familiar brown eyes but shook his head. His posture was taut, his hand reaching down to a ratty backpack that was sitting by his feet, every inch of him was signalling his intent to run.
Tony put one hand on the table and the other on the back of the kid's chair and leaned in, trying to get a better look at his face. "Are you sure I don't know you?"
That was all it took for the kid to bolt.
For a moment, Tony thought the kid was falling as he went to duck under his arm, and Tony caught him around the waist. He automatically scooped the kid against his chest to steady him and that was all it took for a memory to shake loose.
It's Titan, Peter staggers towards him, his eyes full of fear as his body begins to disintegrate.
Tony's grasp tightened as he wrestled the kid to the floor. It wasn't comfortable, this half-sitting, half-kneeling position with a struggling teenager almost in his lap, but Tony was too caught up by his astonishment at the sudden memories. How could he have forgotten? Peter turning to dust in Tony's arms. The horror, the grief that followed, then the determination to risk everything to bring his kid back.
And he had, he had! Tony's plan using time travel had worked. Peter was at the compound when Thanos was defeated, was at the hospital, then the lake house as Tony recovered. He'd spent hours helping out, sitting with Tony, cooking with Pepper, playing with Morgan and letting her paint his nails after endless tea parties...
When had they lost him again? Even after Tony had recovered enough to be independent, Peter had been there at the lake house, had split his time between living with Tony and living with May. May, who was Peter's aunt, not just Happy's girlfriend. Tony had known something was missing, had known... But he'd put it down to losing an arm even though that answer had never seemed to fit right.
"Tony? What are you doing?" Pepper demanded, leaning over them. She probably thought he'd lost his mind, cuddling a half-starved teenager instead of drinking his own coffee and stealing her biscotti.
"He's Peter. He's our kid." There was more, Tony knew. More memories. But Peter was in his arms and Tony could feel every rib under the baggy clothes. "Geeze, kid, why haven't you been eating?"
Peter shook his head, his chest heaving with his gasps. "You can't remember me, you - you can't!"
Tony huddled him closer. "It's okay, Peter, it's okay. We'll sort this."
Pepper's face was full of confusion. "Our kid?"
"It's Under... Under..." It was on the tip of his tongue, he knew. Under...wear? Well, that couldn't be right, even Tony wouldn't call someone Underwear, though Peter deserved it for running around the city fighting crime in a onesie. "Underoos!" he declared triumphantly, as the memory of Berlin and Cap's face at losing his shield popped up.
"What? Tony -"
"How is Pepper not remembering you?" Tony interrupted. "I remember you."
Peter slumped against him, all the fight gone out of him. "Doctor Strange," he said, in a hoarse voice. "He - he cast a spell so no one would remember me."
Tony's stomach turned over at the thought of it. Peter was a teenager - legally still a child - and he'd been cast adrift, left alone in a world where no one cared if he lived or died.
"Why? Why stop people from remembering you, from knowing you?" Pepper asked.
"The multiverse was breaking down." Peter sighed. "I messed up, nearly got Aunt May killed. It was the only way to stop it all."
"Strange should have found a loophole!" Tony snapped. "He should have found a way to protect you!"
Peter twisted around to look at him. "It wasn't his fault - there was no time!"
Pepper sank to her knees, raised her hand, and turned Peter's face away towards hers. "That was what you said in the hospital when we thought Tony was going to die. There'd been no time for someone else to take the gauntlet. Oh, Peter."
Tony smiled in satisfaction as Pepper wrapped her arms around their kid and hugged him tightly.
"We're taking you home," Pepper announced when she finally released Peter. "Don't try and argue with me. Tony, you'll get that doctor around once Peter's better. He's going to help sort out this mess."
Tony's smile widened. People thought he had no idea of boundaries; Pepper was a steamroller when she got going. Stephen Strange wouldn't know what hit him.
The end.
26th March 2023
=====
I hope you like it. If you spot any mistakes, please let me know.