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I Just Want My Baby Back

Tony had spent the rest of the day with Pepper and the rest of the Avengers. He really wasn't in the mood for dealing with his teammates, but Pepper insisted, saying that it would distract him. He knew that she was right. Sitting down in his lab wallowing in his own self-pity would only make him feel worse. So that is why he and Pepper were seated in the common room of the Tower, playing monopoly with the rest of earth's mightiest heroes. 

As to be expected, Tony was winning, despite his mind constantly wandering away from the game. He had the most money with many houses and a couple of hotels throughout the board. He owned nearly the entire back half of the board, including Boardwalk and Park Place, which left Clint fearing for his financial well-being as he went to go roll.

"Come on, baby. Just let me pass go," he begged, juggling the dice in his hands and rolling them onto the coffee table.

When the dice stopped moving, revealing a two and a four, the archer just sighed and dramatically laid his head on the table. "Aaaand I'm out. I don't even know why I agree to play this game anymore. We always know who's gonna win."

Tony let out a half-hearted chuckle. "Well, you had a nice run, birdbrain, but I'm afraid all good things must come to an end," he told his teammate as he began putting away the pieces. Clint had been the last person left besides Tony. Everyone else had experienced the same fate as Clint, landing on one of Tony's very expensive properties and declaring bankruptcy. 

"You know what? I'll take second place. Usually, I'm one of the first ones out and it's Natasha whose the last to fall victim to your financial tyranny. I take this as a victory for me," Clint declared.

"Well, I don't normally get a chance card that tells me to go to Boardwalk after I had spent most of my money on houses," Natasha explained.

Eventually, all of the Avengers had something to say in defense of their losing the game, causing the room to once again get loud with everyone talking over each other. Tony had finished putting the game back in the box and decided to leave the team to their antics. He grabbed his cup of coffee and headed to his and Pepper's bedroom for some alone time.

After setting his mug down on the bedside table, the man sat down on the edge of the bed, putting his head in his hands. Every little thing had seemed to remind him of Oliver today. The little kids playing with their parents in the park. The Yoohoo's in the fridge that Tony keeps buying because they were his favorite. The childish antics of his teammates. The boy he took out to lunch.

All throughout the day, Tony had been replaying his encounter with the kid, Peter. He seemed so anxious and nervous around him. At first Tony had just written it off as the usual "fan is super nervous around celebrity" thing, but the way that the kid had looked genuinely terrified after checking his phone worried him. The way he had flinched whenever he had reached out to put his hand on the boy's shoulders. The way he had sprinted away like his life was in danger. Tony couldn't get the images out of his head.

And if that wasn't enough, the kid who was injured had texted him and said that he had yet to change his bandages after about 36 hours! Tony didn't know why he cared so much about this kid, but he had grown to like the kid. Even though he knew almost nothing about them, there was just something likable about the kid that made Tony want to help. 

A part of him thought that maybe, somewhere deep down, he was trying to help this kid because he had failed his own. He couldn't help his own son when he needed him most, and now he was gone. He wouldn't let that happen again.

The door to the room opened, and Pepper walked in. She made her way over to the bed, sitting beside her husband. He had his head in his hands and elbows on his knees. He felt her right hand begin to rub circles into his back and her left hand rested on his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him.

"I know what you're doing, Tony," she said quietly as he felt like he was on the verge of tears. He rarely cried, but there was something about Pepper's presence that made him want to break down in her arms. He didn't though. He wanted to hold strong, to keep it together. At least for a little bit longer. "I know you're still blaming yourself."

She then moved to wrap her arms around him, despite him not moving from his hunched-over position, and rested her chin on his shoulder. "It's not your fault," she whispered in his ear.

So much for keeping it together. The dam finally broke, and he turned to return his wife's embrace, sobbing into the crook of her neck. He knew that it wasn't his fault, but he felt like it was. He knew that there wasn't anything he could've done to prevent it, but he felt like there was. If he had just stayed with him. If he had gotten more security. If if if if if . . . 

Pepper had laid them both down in the bed, stroking his hair soothingly. Tony knew that she probably blamed herself just as much as he blamed himself. Olly was in her care at the time since he had been forced to go to a very boring meeting. I shouldn't have gone, he thought. Biggest regret of my life.

They had laid like that for a while before Tony had cried the last of his tears, leaving him exhausted. From the feeling of her deep, even breaths, he could tell that Pepper had fallen asleep in his arms. He adjusted them into a more comfortable position before reaching over and turning off the bedside lamp. Returning his head to the crook of her neck, he sighed and whispered "I just want my baby back," before falling asleep with his wife in his arms.

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Heyo! Merry Christmas Eve Eve (or I guess Christmas Eve since it's almost 1 AM as of right now.) to all of you lovely peoples!

Sorry for the inconsistency of the chapters, but like I've said previously, I've been dealing with some personal things. I'm getting them out as soon as I can, so I hope you can understand.

Anyways, I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, and I'll see you in the next chapter!

~xxjustabeanxx