The World Is Wide (But I Feel So Small)

Tony

NEW 2020 EDIT: THIS IS NOT STARKER.

It is about halfway through the song when Tony realizes that Peter had fallen back asleep.

His son's soft snores that are blowing into the speaker are the Billionaire's own lullaby, and the man can feel his eyes beginning to droop. Pushing aside his need for sleep for a few minutes longer, he continues to whisper the words to the song into the phone, his voice getting sucked into the darkness of the room.

When Happy had called him earlier that night, the elder Stark had almost had a heart attack, not knowing if his child was in pain or just scared. The panic had lessened slightly once he had talked with Peter, but after all that had occurred in the last few days, he knew that he would continue to be on edge for a while.

His son's cries had broken his heart, the fact that he is not home to hold him and make it better steeling the genius's resolve to get this whole ordeal over with as fast as possible and to make sure that Jason pays the price that Tony deems necessary.

No one is taking his child away from him again, not when he still had breathe in his lungs and a heart beating in his chest.

So, with a gentle tap of his finger, Tony ends the call once the song was finished, setting the warm phone onto the nightstand beside him. He squints, trying to ignore the obnoxiously bright Hotel alarm clock impaling his eyes as he burros further under the covers, the sheets rough against his skin.

He has about an hour left before his alarm is going to go off, and the man knows that he is going to need the little bit of extra sleep to make it through the shit bucket of a day he has ahead of him.

With a sigh that cracks his lungs, the man closes his eyes and tries to stop the memories of Peter's sobs from looping through his mind, his toes curling and Iron Man armor gleaming in the light of the clock.

Just in case the negotiations get difficult.

                               __________

The chilly November air is crisp and clean, the sheer coldness of it stinging Tony's nose as he walks briskly down the busy sidewalk.

The coffee he has clutched in one hand offers a welcomed relief to his almost numb fingers, the dark liquid burning his tongue as he gulps it down. The steam that rises fogs up his orange tinged glasses and causing him to grunt in displeasure as he wipes them off. Throwing away the cup in a corner trash can, the man quickens his pace as soft clouds drift by overhead.

The watch on his wrist reflects the golden glow of the rising sun when he glances at it, the shadows of the tall buildings around him allowing him to see the numbers inscribed in the metal.

7:14 a.m. Too damn early for this shit.

A sharp wind suddenly picks up as a cab zooms by, the D.C logo on the side glistening in the light as Tony's dark dress jacket ruffles up. Feeling the building pressure of a headache fast approaching, the superhero barely has time to pop in an Advil before the dark gray walls of the Triskelion come into view about a block away. The surrounding waters of the Potomac River lap gently at the rocky shore, the small waves folding in on themselves and cresting with small strips of white foam.

A guard tries to stop the Billionaire once he reaches the door, but backs off with an almost forced apologetic frown when Tony flashes his I.D. card. Giving the man a sarcastic pat on the head when he passes, the elder Stark has to push down the urge to run back home and curl up with his son, wanting to just sit with him, watch a movie, and forget about all of the pain the two of them have suffered through.