Rundown (Spiderman x Reader) (II)

39. Thorn In My Side

Life took a couple of things I loved
When I was too blind to see
But I'll survive

The billionaire's wood cabin had become my second home after my departure from the New York facility. Following near the events of the wedding, Pepper got pregnant, and a third member of the Stark family, by blood, was added. A beautiful girl named Morgan... I specify by blood because I consider myself Tony's non-official adopted child at this point.

He had let me come here during many of my mental breakdowns, and I had become his daughter's favorite babysitter. Cassie sometimes would come and help, too, although she barely made it because of all her high school homework.

When we arrived, he was with Morgan in a tent. I believe he was carrying an Iron Man helmet in one hand and her daughter in the other. His posture seemed less tense than usual.

Tony broke exactly like I expected he would. He gave a small nod with his head and proceeded to walk stiffly, similar to someone traveling through a tightrope.

Morgan pushed her messy hair out of her face and waved at me through her dad's shoulder. I repeated the gesture, happy to know she was doing okay.

Rather reluctantly, Tony let us inside his home. While he was to see familiar faces, he was not ecstatic about the far-fetched idea. He didn't have to utter a single word so I could analyze the scowl and the disappointment running through his mind. He knew the plan was as close to impossible.

"No. We know what it sounds like..." my dad explained as he finished the pitch.

I was the only one sitting on the outdoor chairs. "Tony, after everything you've seen, is anything really impossible?" Steve wondered.

Tony poured the last drops of herbal tea he prepared. He was not having it. "Quantum fluctuation messes with the Planck Scale, which then triggers the Deutsch Proposition. Can we agree on that?"

I shrugged. "Sure." I'd investigated about quantum physics to see if it could make me feel closer to my family. Apparently, it also helped me now. The looks of complete confusion on the others told me I was the only one on board. "Just assume it's a yes," I muttered in my cup.

"In Layman's terms, it means you're not coming home."

"I did," dad justified. Hmm... good point.

"No, you accidentally survived. It's a billion to one cosmic fluke. And now you wanna pull off a... What do you call it?" Tony cockily questioned.

Through a small smirk, quite proud of his quick thinking, my dad giggled, "A time heist?"

"Yeah, a time heist. Of course, why didn't we think of this before? Oh, because it's laughable? Because it's a pipedream?" All aboard. The philanthropist's family-pack sass has arrived, guys, gals, and nonbinary pals!

"The stones are in the past. We could go back, we could get them."

"We can snap our own fingers. We can bring everyone back," Nat added.

"Or screw it up worse than he already has, right?"

"I don't believe we would," Steve assured. It's been a while since I've known them, and they still behave worse than Morgan! This feels like a third-grade fight, blaming whoever's closer.

"Gotta say, sometimes I miss that giddy optimism. However, high hopes won't help if there's no logical, tangible way for me to safely execute said time heist. I believe the most likely outcome would be our collective demise." Tony sat next to me, stress fuming off him.

He was not the only one. My dad's patience was running out. "Not if we strictly follow the rules of time travel. That means no talking to our past selves." He placed himself in the middle chair, right between Tony and me.

I crossed my right leg over my left. "Yeah, and no betting on sporting events."

"I'm gonna stop you right there, Lang 1 and Lang 2. Are you seriously telling me that your plan to save the universe is based on Back To The Future? Is it?"

"No..." we retorted and blushed at the same time.

"Good. You had me worried there. 'Cause that'd be horse shit. That's not how quantum physics works." As he said that, I bit my lip, holding back on the remarks I'll do later.

"Tony... We have to take a stand."

He squinted. "We did stand. And yet, here we are."

"I know you got a lot on the line. You got a wife, a daughter. But I lost someone very important to me. A lot of people did." Dad's voice lowered, only to slowly gain volume again. "And now, now we have a chance to bring her back! To bring everyone back! And you're telling me that won't even—"

"That's right, Scott, I won't even... I can't," he whispered.

Suddenly, Morgan came running in, interrupting the sad scene by getting picked up. "Mommy told me to come and save you."

I looked at my dad sadly. To him, it probably felt mere months ago that he was in the same position, holding her little kid in her arms and knowing she saw him as a hero. To me, that shining pedestal cracked the day I was told he was in jail. Not intentionally, obviously, it's just how reality decided to slap me in the face— telenovela style, if you may.

"Good job. I'm saved." While she was given a hug, the billionaire spoke, "I wish you'd come here to ask me something else. Anything else. Honestly, I... I missed you guys, it was... Oh, and table's set for seven."

"Tony, I get it. And I'm happy for you, I really am. But this is a second chance," Steve's blue orbs practically begged at the man.

"I got my second chance right here, Cap. Can't roll the dice again. If you don't talk shop, you can stay for lunch."

They entered the house, so we were left there with our conflicting thoughts. We knew we were entering the race at a disadvantage. Truth is, a small part of me expected him to agree to help on the spot.

We walked back to the Audi and my motorcycle. Nat broke the unintentional silence. "Well, he's scared."

"He's not wrong," Mr. America was the first to admit it out loud.

"Yeah, but I mean, what are we gonna do? We need him. What, are we gonna stop?" dad attempted to cheer up our group.

"No, I wanna do it right." Steve looked at the sides dramatically. I've noticed he does that when he's analyzing the situation, which is so weird yet so inspiring. "We're gonna need a really big brain."

My dad, shocked that possibility existed, pointed at the Stark house. "Bigger than his?"

Nat and Steve looked at each other knowingly. Of course, they were referring to Doctor Bruce Banner. I hadn't met him in person. Nevertheless, his reputation and the science books at Midtown preceded him.

"I'm staying," I blurted, twisting my mouth afterward. Yeah, I couldn't believe the words coming out either.

My dad sighed, surprised by my decision. "Bee— come one. We- we can't do this without you. Don't tell me he got you to give up."

"Not at all. Trust me on this one, okay? I know what I'm doing. I'll see ya back at the compound." I winked off.

I waved them goodbye as they reentered the road, and then I did a spin on my heels directed at the cabin.

I exhaled, taking in for the first since I got here the fresh air of the woods. Here we go.

_-_- 🐝 -_-_
Author's note:

I have a super important question to ask everyone. Please, please, please answer!

Would you guys be interested in (Y/n) Lang being part of other Marvel stories not related to Spider-man? I love her so much that I'm imagining ways of adding her in parts of WandaVision and FATWS (maybe other future projects too... I'm still in the brainstorming process).

If the answer's yes, would it be okay to put them in this book or would it be better if I did in a separate one (sort of a one shot thing)?

I wanted to ask because it's also your story, and I want to keep you guys interested in the same amount of happiness as me writing.

With that being said, thank youuu

~ Winter ❅