Like You'd Know How It Works

The Epilogue

Tony would have been fine if he never had to see that damn platform ever again. Or the stones. Or any of that magical mambo jumbo, really. It had been four days. 96 hours, give or take. He still hadn't managed to shake the weirdness of it all, getting credit for something another dimensional him had done. Or figured out how to function in this new role—not the protector anymore, but the protected. He wasn't to be risked again. They had made that quite clear. Pepper and Peter. Happy and Rhodey. Not even for this last challenge, returning the Stones. Hell, even May told him she'd tie up him in the damn basement before she'd see him jump through that portal again and it wasn't easy to keep the inappropriate jokes that hit him at the thought of that to himself. This wasn't a joking matter, he knew that. And he was pretty sure, that her concern lay mostly with Peter, not with him. He saw their point, but sitting this one out wouldn't have been his first choice. It was a part of bringing this quest to an end and by right he should be at the center of making it happen. But nobody had stood for the mere discussion to include him on that particular mission. And... well, thank goodness. Instead, he had spent every second since his arrival with his family and the kid. Nothing else mattered in the end. Only they mattered.

His former self's death had left them broken, frayed and wounded. Pepper. Morgan. Peter, too. Coming back for their sake had been the right thing to do. He knew that now. Happy broke down in tears when he turned up at the house; Rhodey outright fainted at the sight of him. Who could blame them? All of this was just as surreal to all of them as it was to him. Their gazes often lingered on him for a fraction too long, their touches lasted a few more seconds than he was accustomed to, their hugs were closer, deeper. They all were still reassuring themselves that he was indeed back. None of them had really processed what had happened yet. Nor had he. The consequence was clear. He would not, could not, go and jump in front of the canons again. Not for a long time. Maybe not ever again.

For the first time in more than a decade, he wouldn't be in the front line, wouldn't spearhead the mission to save the planet. However, that didn't mean he wouldn't support the team. That part was non-negotiable. He'd do what he can. Research the Stones, their history, their basic makeup. He'd help protect the Universe, stand by the team. Strange's whole thing had been that the Universe still needed him. Well, he didn't know about that, but he'd do what he could. So, there he was, right next to that damn Quantum Realm tunnel. At least he wasn't alone.

The team should stand united for this one last step and all of them had turned up. The first thing he did was to stride up to Natasha, pull her into a hug, and hold her close for a solid minute.

"Had to steal my thunder with the Stones, didn't you," she said when he let go of her.

"Shut up, Nat. I'm really happy you're not dead."

She shrugged. "Well, technically I am, right? Or at least that other me is." She shook her head. "This is all really messed up."

He snorted. "Tell me about it. How close did Clint come to putting an arrow through his other-dimensional self?"

She sighed deeply. "You have no idea."

"Well, I don't blame him. I thought I was going to have a heart attack on the spot myself."

"That would have kind of defeated the original purpose of the trip, so I'm glad you pulled through." Her eyes wandered past him to where Peter was hovering close to Pepper and Morgan. "Who'd have thought the kid had it in him."

"I did." He said it without hesitation, without a shred of doubt, eyes prickling with pride. Nat nodded, her smile deepening, and he gave her another quick hug before walking over to Bruce.