I Dreamt We Had a Kid

Chapter 6

"Tony," Steve said. He looked tired. His normal clean-shaven face and a military haircut replaced by a thick beard and shoulder-length hair.

"Rogers." Tony tried to hide his obvious drunkenness.

"We are in Wakanda, and we need you here."

"Why do you need me, huh? I'm usually just the one who supplies the money, I'm not needed for anything else." Tony's voice was starting to raise tone.

"Tony, you're drunk. We both know that is not true."

"Is your buddy Bucky over there to rip me to shreds?" Tony's judgment was overly clouded with alcohol, but even in this state, he knew he had overstepped.

Steve noticeably tried to hide the feeling of a knife driven through him. Tony saw his face change rapidly from anger to sadness, and an emotion Tony could not quite pinpoint cross over his face, something similar to how Nat looked when Bruce had run away. Tony also watched his silence, and almost subconscious grab toward his neck, where a glass container not unlike Tony's hung around his neck. Accompanied by a set of dog tags.

Tony felt like an asshole. Bucky had meant a lot to Steve, more than either of them cared to admit. Bucky was the only one who knew what Steve was like before the serum and before the war had ruined their happy lives in a small Brookline apartment. Steve was the only one who knew Bucky, not just as the winter soldier, but as James Buchanan Barnes. They were each others missing halves of what was lost in the 40's.

"Just come to Wakanda, ok," Steve said to him, his voice sounding deep and broken. "Bucky is dead."

The screen went black.

Tony dragged himself off his desk to go find Nebula. He traveled up the elevator, stumbling from the alcohol and ended up in the front office.

"Do you know where the girl I walked in with went? All blue and robot-like." He asked FRIDAY.

"She is currently in the training facility."

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"Stark," She said, not looking away from her punching bag.

"Hey blue face." He replied, voice dripping with sarcasm.

She didn't respond. "Come on, we have somewhere to go."

"I'm not going. Not needed." Nebula said, punching the bag in front of her.

"Maybe you can find someone you know." Tony encouraged, trying to be helpful. "I'll give you time to think about it, I should see Dr. Palmer before I leave."

So Tony walked to the hospital wing reluctantly, for he always hated going there. He felt fine, but he had to give Nebula some time.

---------------------------------------------------

"Tony," Christine said when he walked into the office.

"Oh god, Tony, you're wasted." She said matter of factly.

"How else am I supposed to get through anything." He thought.

She began checking him over. "Tell me why you drank so much."

"Worried about me, doc?" He said jokingly.

"Yes."

"I watched people disintegrate, felt a young boy collapse in my arms, and had a sorcerer sacrifice the only thing we had to win to save my life." He snorted, suppressing his emotions with laughter.

She stepped away from him, her eyes pained. "A sorcerer," Tony could see her mind racing.

"You know one?" Tony said, quirking up his eyebrow. He saw her swallow.

"Stephan Strange. He's dead, isn't he."

Tony felt a weight in his heart.

"It was the only way."

Tony nodded. "We have his," He didn't want to say ashes. He also didn't really want to give them to her, he found himself missing the sorcerer himself. "We have his dust, I can get them to you."
She shook her head, "Keep them."

There was silence as she finished checking him over.

"You can go now." She said to him in a small voice.

Tony nodded and got up to leave.

"Tony," She said, looking at him from across the room, "Bring them back."

Tony took a deep breath, his heart hammering, a newfound surge of hope and determination.
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"Mr. Stark!" Peter said, hopping into the car usually driven by Happy. "Why are you driving? Not that I'm mad! I mean..."

"Peter, calm down" Tony smiled, Peter looked so incredibly happy, it rubbed off on him. Ever since Tony had started to spend more time with Peter, he hadn't had any anxiety attacks, and he was taking better care of himself. "I thought we could get ice cream or something together, you know, a little mentor-mentee bonding time?"

The massive grin on Peter's face told him everything he needed to know.
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Tony looked at Christine, his face serious and absolute.

"I won't stop till we do." And he meant it.

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I made an IronDad fan edit, and I would appreciate it if you guys would take a look! thanks as always!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFLkyTFPzYI