|Towards the Endgame|

•Chapter 98• Let Us Talk

He happily skipped down the hallway. Actually skipping. Peter felt like he could breathe again after seeing his brothers. Strange kept a close eye on their universes, and small encounters like this did not mess up the timeline or anything like that. As long as nothing was disrupted, they could do this every now and again. Not too often. Peter couldn't wait to tell Y/n about all of this.
He turned the corner and almost bumped into Tony. "Mister Stark! I'm so sorry." The man didn't seem as shattered as he was before. He seemed to be bursting with energy and ready to start working. "Are you alright, Mister Stark?"
"Yeah, yeah, fine. Where have you been? I've been looking for you." Peter frowned a bit. He pointed his thumb behind him. "I was with Doctor Strange. We had an arrangement. The Spider-Man thing?" He discussed it with Tony as well before he left. Maybe he hadn't listened to him. It was fine. "Oh, yeah, yeah, how did that go?" Peter felt a little flutter when Tony did remember. "It went well. Strange said we're able to do it again soon." Peter said, "Why were you looking for me? Did something happen with Y/n?" His tone suddenly turned very tense and serious. What if something happened while he was away? It is all he thought about before he left.
"No, no, she's taking a nap. I wanted to talk with you about two things, actually." A sudden flow of nervousness crept up his spine and tensed his neck muscles. He hadn't felt that since he first met Tony. "I wanted to thank you for sticking with my daughter the way you did. Standing up for her. Thank you." Tony started. Peter felt all his nerves sink away as if they were never there in the first place. "Happy to, Mister Stark."
"Yeah, about that. Don't ever disagree with me again, though." And the nerves were back. Peter felt two muscles in his neck tense up and his smile dropped. He nodded quickly. "Yes, sorry, sir."

Tony returned a small nod. "But you were right. I shouldn't have shouted at her. I apologized to Yn for it. I crossed a line." For Tony to admit that he was wrong was a huge step. Although, he didn't seem to have too much trouble with apologizing when it came to Peter. Maybe he did have a weak spot for him after all. "I appreciate that, Mister Stark."
"Yes, but Kid, if you interrupt me again when I'm trying to shout at her because she almost ripped a hole in the universe, then let me, or I will shout at the both of you." Peter gulped and nodded his head quickly. "Yes, Sir." He couldn't tell why Tony was switching so much between kind and a little threatening. Just Tony being Tony.
"Kid, me and Banner are going to be in the lab. I've called in Keener as well. I know you're not too fond of him, but I need him and you as well." His heart was thumping in his chest. If they did not find a way to help Y/n – maybe even cure her completely – Tony would never be able to forgive himself. He felt like he needed all the help he could get. He always admired Banner for his work and he would trust him with Y/n's life. Harley and Peter are still not on great terms, even if they called a truce, Tony knew this. There was still some hatred within them, both of them. Peter blamed him for what happened to Y/n, along with himself, for not seeing anything sooner. Harley was just frustrated and jealous of Peter. Tony felt like he needed to have a good long chat with both of them but there were bigger priorities at the moment.
"With all due respect, Mister Stark, I don't think I'll be able to work with him." Peter knew better than to lie about that. He knew that if Tony wanted him there, he would be there. And it did not matter if Harley was involved as well. "I'm not going to flip a coin. You're there and so is he. It's for Y/n. That should motivate the both of you to act a little decent around one another." Peter frowned at the man. "I'm not going to sit around and wait for something to happen. I need some big brains on this. Bigger than mine."

Peter felt a certain bit of pride when Tony said that. Bigger brain than his? Did he say that Peter was smarter than him? "Aside from that, I trust you with Y/n. And I trust him too. He might have done some things, but they both have. Right now, I need you to help me with my daughter." Tony seemed a little desperate almost. He had that glimpse in his eyes. The man had no idea what he was doing or what he should be doing. All he wants is to find a way to save his daughter or, at the very least, keep her alive for as long as possible. It was not an easy task. Usually, Tony would have done it all himself – he does not ask for help – but he can't do this by himself. "Yes, sir. I'll help. Of course, I'll help." Peter answered quickly. Anything for her. "Do I still have time to go see her? Tell her I'm back." Tony waved his hand around a little. "Yeah, yeah, just come to the lab when you're done." Peter smiled and nodded. He tried to get past his father-in-law when Tony grasped his arm. "That doesn't mean you can have a quickie with my daughter. I want you in the lab, Parker. Not in my daughter's bed. Do you hear me?"
"Y-yes, sir."