Summers' Purpose

Chapter 66

Tony stood by his parked car, patting his pockets for the keys when he noticed Y/n sitting on a bench some distance away. He wondered what she was doing, watching as Y/n quietly stared ahead of her as she massaged her hands. He peered to see what she was looking at but found nothing. He mulled over what he should do, eventually deciding to go over. He awkwardly cleared his throat a few times until she finally noticed him.

"Tony? What're you still doing here? I thought you had to leave early."

"Eh... Got a little caught up as usual. What are you doing out at this hour? Nat was looking for you."

"Are there specific times that I'm allowed outside? I'm sorry, I didn't know I had a curfew," Y/n replied sarcastically as Tony chuckled.

"Say all you want but save your explanations for her," Tony replied, stepping closer as he did a shoo-ing motion with his hand. "Scoot over, don't hog the seat." He plopped down next to a puzzled Y/n and settled himself comfortably beside her, brushing his jacket down as he spoke. "So... What's been going on with you that's been making the team antsy, especially Nat?"

Y/n glanced sideways at him before shrugging. "I don't know, I don't think I did anything."

Tony nodded at her reply. "Yeah. They're probably just stressed about the upcoming mission. Hey, you didn't answer me earlier. What's got you brooding outside this late?" Tony checked his watch for the time before typing a quick text to Pepper.

"Well... I thought about running and then I decided against it," Y/n shrugged again.

"Oh," Tony hit the send button and turned to look at her, "I hope you meant 'go for a run', otherwise I'll have to tell Nat she has actual cause for concern," Tony grimaced slightly. Y/n frowned at him and he gave her an incredulous look. "What?"

"I know my track record here hasn't been stellar. No pun intended," Y/n quickly added, shaking her head as Tony smirked. "But as I've said before, I'm staying and I want to help however I can. So, yes," she replied, "I meant 'go for a jog'."

"See, now that's a better way to put it," Tony nodded, looking up at the night sky. He had a hunch that Y/n had something else to say so he waited to see if she would say anything. It didn't take long for her to crack, making him smile as she spoke.

"Do you think it'll work? Do you really think we can fix things?"

"Why? You have doubts about it?"

Y/n looked away from him. "I'd be lying if I said no."

"Well," Tony breathed deeply, considering how to word his thoughts. "The theory and math works out, but of course, we can't possibly be sure of what to expect at the end of the day. Is it a risk? Sure! But like I said, it's a well-calculated one. We're taking extra precautions and doing whatever we can to ensure things we can control go right."

Tony glanced at Y/n she burrowed her face in her hand. "I get it, kid. I won't lie, it is scary. I'll tell you a secret. I didn't want to do this at first. I thought it was a naïve and absurd idea, even if the intention was honorable. But then I found out that it was possible—time travel, that is. I realized I could help do something about it and bring back everyone we lost. I wanted to turn my back on it then too, but someone made me realize that I'll never really be able to rest if I don't give it a shot. So that's why I came back." He smiled as he nudged Y/n's shoulder gently with his. "We've got it handled, don't worry."

They sat in silence comfortably for a moment until Y/n spoke. "I'm sorry," she suddenly whispered, just loud enough for Tony to hear.

"For what?"

"For what happened between us. I came here labeled as a high-risk individual by the people I trusted. Taking me in was a huge responsibility that you guys could've rejected but you all did it anyway and helped me understand my powers. You could've said no but you didn't. Instead, you gave me a place to go to and made me see that I wasn't completely hopeless. I found more people I could trust with my life. I'm forever grateful for that." Y/n continued as Tony listened intently. "I wished I could've said this earlier. I should've. I broke your trust and I apologize for that. I'm sorry, Tony."