I Dreamt We Had a Kid

Chapter 29

Pre Notes: Grab the tissues and cuddle your puppies folks, because this is a rough one. A song I recommend listening to while reading this is "Saturn" by Sleeping at last.

White, hot, searing pain flows through Tony as he collapses on the ground. He can't even feel his hand, but he knows it must not be in good shape.

He tries to refocus his mind, but can already feel it slipping away.

Just rest for a few minutes. It tells him. Just a few minutes.

Tony almost does, but he knows deep inside if he does he won't wake up, so he shoves every ounce of energy he has left to open his eyes. His vision is spotted, but he is soon aware of the fact they are no longer in New York.

They are lying in the middle of a grass field in what can only be Wakanda. The gauntlet must have taken them back to their own time.

The Gauntlet.

Tony looks down and doesn't even have the energy to vomit at the sight. Steve is still on his right and their hands are still inside, how much of his hand is left he has no idea because his whole arm is bloody and burnt to the most extreme possible.

"Steve," he hears a desperate voice call from his right, but he is so dizzy he can't quite make out the voice.

"Oh Stevie," it's Bucky who collapses next to him, "Steve, I remember, I remember everything," He grips Steve's uniform with a strong hand and buries his face into Steve's neck. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean it, I didn't want you to get hurt, I couldn't let that happen because of me."

"So you didn't mean it?" Tony can hear Steve's curdled, raspy, barely audible words.

"No Steve,"

From the corner of Tony's blurred vision, he can see a weak smile spread across Steve's face as Bucky cries into his chest.

"You're gonna be alright Stevie," He takes a sharp breath.

"Buck," Steve whispers, agonizingly slowly reaching up and brushing a tear from Bucky's face. "It's the end of the line."

Tony smiles because it all makes sense. How blind had he been not to notice? He actually laughs, but his lungs can't take it, so it comes out as a weak cough. He closes his eyes slowly.

Just five minutes. His brain tells him.

Tony thinks he hears a muffled, "Wanda?" and a sob of relief from across the field.

He lets himself go slowly, the darkness wrapping him in a blanket.

And then he hears it.

"Mr. Stark?" It's a panicked voice, but Tony knows it oh so well, "Mr. Stark?" he says a little more worried this time.

"Peter," he mumbles out of his cracked lips.

"Mr. Stark," Peter falls to Tony's side and cradles him in his lap, "You're going to be ok Mr. Stark," his voice is cracking and when Tony forces his eyes open, he can see the tears in his eyes.

"No Peter," he chokes out, "but you are." He forces a smile, and it comes less force than he thought it would because Peter is wrapped around him and nothing has ever felt so good in his life.

"I love you, Peter," he says, a tear sliding down his cheek. Peter's eyes are big and brown, his eyebrows are raised and tears are streaming down his neck.

"I love you, Dad," He presses his head into Tony's shoulder and Tony gathers up every ounce of strength he has left to raise his right hand and brush Peter's hair out of his face, feeling the soft brown curls.