|Towards the Endgame|

•Chapter 120• Pretty Little Liar

"Daddy, no!" Y/n giggled loudly. Her mother could not hold in her laughter either. Tony looked like a madman. "I don't know what you're laughing at." He shot a glare at his wife, "That's not happening." Y/n snuggled closely to her mother under the covers. Tony had told her a bedtime story about a little princess who defeated a dragon all by herself. After she defeated the creature, she was finally able to marry the prince. Tony only included that part because Y/n wanted it to be in the story. However, when his daughter said she wanted to get married as well, he flipped. "I think you are overreacting a little bit," Pepper said to him. But her husband's eyes were blown wide. "Overreacting? Pep," He pointed at his little girl, "we did not think this through. Someday some person is going to try and sweep her off her little feet. We can't give her away to some stranger." What made matters worse, she already knew who she wanted to marry one day. Y/n pouted at her father. "Daddy, you know him, don't be silly!" Tony tilted his head slightly. "Just because he's a prince, does not mean he's good enough for you. Okay? He fell in love with a fish, baby." Y/n crossed her arms over her chest. "Ariel's not a fish. She's a mermaid!" Tony put his hands in his hair and pulled on it. His little girl falling in love and getting married? No, that was not happening. "That's it. No more movies." Tony scooped his daughter up in his arms. Pepper laughed as she watched him take her out of her bedroom. "It's bedtime, Tony!" She called after him. "Not for me!" Pepper followed her husband. She found him and their daughter on the couch in the living room with the TV on. "I thought you said no more movies." Tony glanced up at her – Y/n, not very surprisingly, doing the exact same and looking at her mother with big eyes like her father's. "It's not a movie. The game's on." That would keep her off of the romance for a while.

Harley glared at him. "Did you have to be so harsh on him?" Tony hadn't even heard him out. Not once. Harley felt bad for Peter. "You're angry, I get it. But did you have to?" Sending him away like that only because he wanted to help, was heartless, even for Tony. Peter wants to help. He's not some evil dude looking for revenge. "I don't want him near my daughter. I don't want him near me." Tony repeated. "Because he asked Barnes for help? Seriously, Tony? You, of all people, should know a thing or two about second chances and changing your life for the better." Nothing about their encounter felt at all threatening. Bucky had been calm and collected, not dangerous, like Tony had always seen him. "He killed my mom." Yes, and that must be very painful for him. Harley can't even start to imagine what that must feel like. He doesn't want to imagine it. "The Winter Soldier killed your mother, Tony. Bucky is not a threat to you or your family. He wanted to help Peter." But Tony had long since stopped listening. All he could think about was the anger he felt. He did not care if he robbed his daughter of her boyfriend for now. She doesn't even notice it. She can't defend herself, though, and he refuses to leave her alone with people that could harm her. He no longer listened to Harley's efforts to give him another perspective of the whole situation. Tony had already made up his mind. Bucky Barnes is a man he cannot trust; if Peter wants to team up with him, that's on him.

After they let a little old woman cross the road – and ignoring all the honking from the cars behind them – Bucky turned the steering wheel as he followed Peter's instructions. "Yeah, it's here." Peter pointed at the building where he and his aunt have lived for as long as he can remember. It hadn't changed in all those years. Bucky thought it was a little more homey compared to the building where he lived nowadays. He pulled up in front of the building to drop the kid off. "Thanks for taking me back, Mister Barnes," Peter said as he pulled off his seatbelt. He glances over his shoulder at the papers in the backseat. "Do you know where you're going to start?" Bucky hums and his brows furrow together. It was when he saw that Peter's eyes had landed on the back seat that he understood what he was talking about. "Oh, yeah... I'll see what I can find with their names. I could try to look through the receipts of those weapons, perhaps, track down someone who has bought one of them if the list of names doesn't work out." That was the thing they should all worry about. If they can't find anyone on that list, they can't find Toomes. Peter nodded along. "Sounds good to me. Keep me posted, I guess." Bucky admired his good sport. Peter was sad that Tony sent him away but he didn't turn into a depressive mess. Bucky would've felt so awkward. How was he supposed to help the kid through that? "Hey, Kid?" Bucky spoke up before Peter got out of the car. "Yeah?" Those big brown eyes looking straight at him. "Promise me you'll lay low for a little while? Don't go out on your own." Bucky said, "If Toomes sees these files are gone he'll know it was you. I don't want you to end up somewhere alone." Peter nods understandingly. "I won't." He promised. Bucky felt a little relieved by Peter's calmness. "I guess I've got to think about ways to convince Mister Stark to like me again." Peter chuckled awkwardly.